A Woman with Arrow
by Micah Ella Copioso
In the Kingdom of Great Joseon in Hanyang (Seoul, South Korea), lived a young arrogant scholar who believed himself to be high and mighty. He always looked down on others, especially those he deemed weak. He considered being a woman as "weak." The young scholar's name was Kim Hyun-Ki.
Then suddenly, he became curious about a particular mysterious girl. He first saw her near the riverbanks, carrying a bow and arrow. The mysterious girl seemed to be practicing her archery skills, attempting to hunt rabbits or birds. This shocked the young boy.
Why was this woman engaging in archery and hunting?
Wasn't that supposed to be a man's job?
He always thought that carrying a weapon was solely for men. This realization left the young scholar flabbergasted.
The next day, he tried to follow the young girl. As he followed her, he hid behind a tree. Suddenly, an arrow struck a few inches away from him, startling Hyun-Ki. He was exposed, and the young girl pointed an arrow at him.
"Who are you?" said the young girl.
"Ha! Do you not know who I am? How dare a woman point an arrow at the son of the Great Scholar?" he bragged.
However, this did not faze the young girl. She lowered her bow and said, "Go back to where you came from," then turned around, leaving the boy behind.
Hyun-Ki was taken aback. "Wait!" he shouted, angry at the young girl. "A woman has no right to speak to a man like that. Aren't you, a woman, supposed to serve us men?" Hyun-Ki's remark made the girl turn her back.
She was not shocked nor angry. "Isn't your mother a woman too? What do you think she might feel if she heard what you said? The child she bore was an arrogant fool who looks down on women."
All his life, he had sought male validation. He couldn't say anything.
As Hyun-Ki went back with guilt, he realized he was wrong in thinking that way. Burdened with thoughts and confusion, he suddenly slipped and rolled over the cliff. He was sprained.
He yelled and called for help.
Then a vicious tiger suddenly crawled his way. In their area, there were many tigers in the forest. Hyun-Ki cried for help, now helpless. As soon as the tiger pounced, an arrow struck the tiger's chest, killing it.
Hyun-Ki fainted from shock. A familiar voice rang in his ear — it was the young girl calling out for him.
After a few moments, Hyun-Ki awoke. "Are you alright?" asked the young girl. The young scholar just nodded. He was relieved and thankful. However, he suddenly remembered the offensive words he had just said to her. After a few seconds of contemplating, he apologized. He realized it was wrong for him to judge a person.
The girl accepted the apology. Hyun-Ki asked her name. "Min-Hee," she replied.
It was a beautiful name. He owed Min-Hee his life. Because of this incident, Hyun-Ki realized that a woman could be as capable as a man. There should be no discrimination towards women. This changed Hyun-Ki's perspective on life. He wanted to change himself for the better. Thanks to Min-Hee, he was able to change.
The End