Page 60 of King Foretold
“You’re s ... so full of shit,” I stutter, freaked out by her sad smile and sweet words. “But you can try to ... to convince me.”
“Promise me you won’t be sad. This isn’t your fault.” One tear, then another slide down Hana’s round cheeks. “You’re always so hard on yourself. Give yourself the same grace that you give others. Okay?”
“I don’t know what you’re saying—”
“Goodbye, Sunny.” Hana pulls something out of her sleeve and stuffs it into her mouth.
“What is that? Spit it out. Gods damn it, Hana.Spit it out.” I’m at her side in a blink, shaking her by the shoulders. But Hana’s eyes roll back in her head, and she crumples in my arms. “No, no, no. Open your eyes, Hana.”
I lower her to the ground, but I keep her in my arms. To my relief, her eyes flutter open and focus on me. She smiles, the corners of her eyes crinkling. “I’m so happy I got to be your friend.”
“Me too. I don’t have many, so—” My voice gets caught in my throat, then my tears rain down on my friend’s face ... even on her open, unseeing eyes. “So I need you to stay my friend for a long, long time.”
“Sunny.” Hailey rubs my back. My whole body shakes to hold back my sobs. “It’s okay to cry.”
Jaeseok pats the top of my head with a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry.”
“We need to take her back to the headquarters so Minju can confirm the cause of death,” Captain Seo says evenly. “Based on the speed the poison took effect, it must be sayak, but we need to make sure regardless.”
For some reason, her practical words give me the most comfort, and the flow of tears slows to a trickle. But I can’t make myself let go of Hana. I slide her eyes closed with my hand. She still feels warm. Tearscloud my vision again, so I look away from her face and down at her lifeless body. I notice the sage green handkerchief in her fist for the first time. I tug it free from her hand and stare down at the embroidery. I suck in a sharp breath and bring the handkerchief closer to make sure I’m seeing it right.
“Please take good care of her,” I tell Captain Seo, laying Hana on the ground. “She was a good female.”
“Where are you going?” Hailey asks as I get to my feet.
I grip the handkerchief tightly against my chest. “I have some business to take care of.”
“But Sunny ...” Jaeseok trails off as I walk away.
The flowers embroidered on this handkerchief aren’t lilacs. They’relilies. Duna’s favorite flower.
The Legend Of Ungnyeo
While Hwanung had granted the bear her wish to become human, who she became had been entirely up to her. Her serene beauty, her sharp intellect, and her quiet strength had all come from within her. And the woman she became brought the god to his knees.
Hwanung had been born the son of Hwanin, the god of the heavens, but he could not turn his gaze away from earth. The humans, so fragile yet so full of hope, had enchanted him, and he had longed to guide and protect them. So Hwanin, knowing his son would never be happy in the heavens, had granted Hwanung permission to rule earth and its people.
He had descended to Mount Baekdu onto the Sacred Tree of Life, Shindansu, to establish the divine city of Shinsi. Hwanung, the god of earth, ruled the humans with wisdom and compassion, never forgetting the trust his father, Hwanin, had bestowed on him.
But when Hwanung set his eyes on Ungnyeo, he understood his true purpose. The god of earth took the form of a man so that he could be with the woman he loved. All he had to do was convince her to spend a lifetime with him.
“Be my wife,” he said.
“I am not worthy, my lord,” Ungnyeo demurred.
“It is I who is unworthy, but I will do anything to deserve you,” he vowed. “Let me earn your love and trust.”
“On the peak of Mount Baekdu, there are wild and beautiful flowers calledthe cloud.” She lowered her eyes. “If you bring me a cloud blossom every day for one hundred days, you will have my love and trust.”
Every day, Hwanung climbed Mount Baekdu. Every day, his frail human body threatened to give out. But every day without fail, he brought his beloved a cloud blossom. Giving up was not an option, for he could not imagine life without Ungnyeo. On the one hundredth day, Hwanung crawled the last of the way toward her.
“Ungnyeo, I cannot accept your love and trust, because I will not live to see the sunset.” He held out the cloud blossom with a trembling hand and collapsed to the ground. “I cannot take your heart with me to the next life, my love. Hold on to your heart, and give it to someone who is worthy of you.”
“Once I foolishly believed myself to be in love with another, but that was not love. I know what true love feels like now. From this moment on, my heart will beat for no one but you, my lord.” Ungnyeo fell to her knees, tears flowing down her perfect cheeks, and she collected her tears into a bowl filled with the cloud blossoms he had given her. “When the time comes, I will follow you on to the next life, but that time is not today. Drink, my lord, so that I may be your wife.”
Hwanung sipped the cloud blossoms steeped in Ungnyeo’s tears and felt life return to his veins. The god of earth rose to his feet with his bride.
“Ours is a love destined by the heavens,” he said, cradling her hands. “I will love you until my dying breath.”
