As The Sun Rises

One

Long ago, in the time where tales of mythical creatures were said to roam the Joseon lands, there lived a poor village boy named Park Jimin. Human was he, at the youthful age of 17, living with his mother in a small village just outside of the bustling kingdom.

For all he could remember, it was just the two of them. He never knew his father; He was a soldier from distant lands who never bothered to stay after his mother gave birth. The only thing his father ever gave him was his ashen hair color, a trait so unique that only he possessed within the entire village. It was his Mother who raised him on her own. From a young child to a young man, he learned the ways of his people through her teachings. How to hunt, collect resources, and to care for the people of his small village, everything he needed to know for his survival. He was but a tiny thing; many boys his age towered over him in height and strength, but what he lacked for in strength, he made up for with his courage and kind heart.

On the day his Mother fell hopelessly ill, he spent every moment by her side caring for her. He had gathered herbs from the forest in an effort to heal her, raised a warm cloth to her head to try and lower her fever, even went as far as selling his only pair of shoes to buy her medicine from the local apothecary, but anything he did was all in vain, for every day her sickness grew worse. He was desperate to keep his beloved Mother alive, but he was running out of options. Until one day, when he'd overheard the most peculiar story.

It had been a quiet morning when Jimin eavesdropped on the conversation between a few villagers, telling tales of an ancient spirit that lived deep within the forest. Jimin had been on his way back home after collecting some wood to replenish the fireplace, the sun only just rising and casting a warm orange glow over the village, and he couldn't help but listen in as he stopped in his tracks.

"Deep within these very forests, legend tells of a dangerous ancient spirit that lives and grants wishes to those who find it. Ye better be lucky though, for anyone who has ever taken the brave journey to find it never comes back. They say he's a giant fish, who swallows you up if ye aren't worthy, ahaha." The two older men sat on log stumps in front of a crackling fire in the common area, skinning for rabbit hides as they exchanged stories with one another.

Jimin couldn't help himself, his curiosity piquing at the odd tale. Before even thinking, he had walked up to them.

"Is it true? A creature that can grant wishes?" He tried to not let the desperation in his voice show, chewing on his lower lip.

Both men stopped what they were doing, wrinkled faces turning to Jimin. "Aye, all things have some truth to them, young man," one of them spoke up, giving a toothless smile, "but stories are told to ensure you learn from them. Don't go roaming in the forest lest you never want to come back," the man chuckled.

"but if stories are told, that means someone had to be alive to tell it. Otherwise it wouldn't exist, right?" Jimin readjusted his grip around the firewood kept in his arms.

"Ah, I suppose son."

"Do you know where to find this creature?"

They gave Jimin a strange look. Normally these tales were told to scare off anyone who dared to listen, but Jimin couldn't shy away. If there was any chance to save his Mother's life, he would risk his own if it meant giving her her health back.

The old men turned to one another, rabbit hides forgotten in their laps as they whispered among themselves, before finally turning back to Jimin as he stood there. "We'd never been." They chortled.

"Oh.." His heart deflated in that moment.

"But-" one of the men spoke up, raising a finger, Jimin's demeanor perking up once again. "Legend tells that he lives in a magical pond off in the East. Follow the sun as it rises in the morning, and it'll supposedly take ye there."

As Jimin hurried the rest of the way home that morning, his heart sang a melody of hope. Tomorrow morning, just as the sun rises, he will take the journey deep into the forest to seek out this fish spirit, and ask for a wish to save his Mother. He knew this is what he had to do, which gave him comfort, but the ever present fear of not being able to make it clouded the back of his mind.

What if the legend was but that; just a legend. Many doubts surfaced in his head as day turned to night. He had just gotten done feeding his Mother small spoonfuls of porridge,  saving a small portion for himself. A candle flickered  by the bedside, illuminating the tiny space with the comforting orange glow, as he continuously pondered over his decision.

What if he'd made the entire journey, only for his hopes to be crushed and not have there be anything, but.. What if there was?

Jimin looked at his mother with a sad smile, gently brushing a strand of hair from her face. She stirred in her sleep, labored breaths puffing from her cracked lips. In that moment, she looked so worn down and so much older than she was. It was like this sickness was stealing her very essence, deteriorating her from the inside out. He couldn't bare to see her go through so much pain.

"I'm going to make you better Mama. Please hold on for a little longer," he whispered.

That night, as he curled up on his cottage bed, he dreamt of a pond with the soft orange sky reflecting along the waters, and in those waters awaited a small koi fish, waiting for Jimin to come find him.