Seo Min-Joon first drew breath amid the bustling thrum of the capital city, the son of a faded adventurer, Seo Hyun-Ki, and a weary prostitute, his birth mother. Once a towering figure of courage and strength, Hyun-Ki was now little more than a pathetic shell of the man he had once been, mired in the squalid depths of alcoholism and a devastating gambling addiction.
His father's shattered dreams were a frequent source of wrath that was directed at Min-Joon. "You're not the son to hide behind the skirts, Min-Joon!" Hyun-Ki would bellow, alcohol lending a toxic edge to his slurred words, the pungent stench of liquor a constant reminder of his rapid descent into oblivion.
But Min-Joon yearned for a life far removed from the one Hyun-Ki envisioned for him. A life devoid of the dizzying dangers of adventuring, a life steeped in the comforting mundane. He desired tranquillity, a quiet existence with the only person he truly cared for—his beloved younger sister, Seo Hae-Won—far from the dark legacy of their parents' failures.
A brutal regimen of unending chores for his mother and gruelling errands throughout the capital consumed Min-Joon's days. The inevitable fatigue that seeped into his bones by day's end was greeted not by rest, but by the unrestrained fury or disconcerting silence of his father. A single mistake, a chore left unfinished or a step too slow, would awaken the beast in Hyun-Ki, the tempest of his anger leaving no room for mercy.
Yet, Min-Joon bore these trials with an unwavering resolve, not for himself, but for Hae-Won. Hae-Won, with her infectious laughter and eyes that shimmered with the innocence of youth, was Min-Joon's beacon in the stifling darkness that was their life. He couldn't completely shelter her from the harsh realities of their existence, but his every effort was driven by a desperate need to preserve the spark of hope she represented.
As he was mercilessly tossed about by the storm of his father's addiction and the unending struggle for survival, a bitter regret began to creep into Min-Joon's heart. A regret that was not born of his own choices, but the circumstances of his birth. With each passing day, Min-Joon found himself grappling with the painful realization of his unfortunate lineage, and his resentment towards his parents deepened. His longing for a normal life, one untouched by his parents' sins, became an aching void within him, feeding his determination to protect Hae-Won from the life they were born into.
One fateful day, his world shattered. Coming home from his toils, he found his house eerily quiet. Hae-Won, who would usually welcome him with a bright smile, was nowhere to be found.
"Hae-Won!" he called out, his voice echoing in the empty house. He ran through the capital, asking everyone about his sister, but his efforts were in vain.
Returning home, anxiety gnawing at him, he found Hyun-Ki at the kitchen table, an empty bottle of soju next to him.
"Where is Hae-Won?" Min-Joon's voice trembled.
Hyun-Ki simply replied, "Sold her to a noble."
Min-Joon felt as though the floor had disappeared beneath him. He lunged at his father, hands shaking as he grabbed his collar. "WHERE?!" he screamed, tears streaming down his face.
Hyun-Ki, unfazed, mumbled, "The gates... They're leaving..."
Releasing his father, Min-Joon dashed towards the city gates, desperation fueling his steps. He spotted a nobleman's carriage and hurled himself in front of it. As the carriage halted, a nobleman stepped out, and behind him, Min-Joon saw a sight that tore his heart - Hae-Won, with a metal collar and handcuffs, her eyes filled with fear.
"Hae-Won!" he cried, trying to reach her, but the guards shoved him away. Ignoring the pain, he rose, screaming Hae-Won's name, his cries piercing the silence. But the people around him did nothing.
The nobleman, his patience worn thin, snapped at his guards. "Teach this brat some manners."
The words were barely out of his mouth when the guards descended upon Min-Joon. The world spun as he was thrust onto the cold, hard ground. Shielding himself, Min-Joon curled into a ball as blows rained down on him, each kick a fresh surge of agony.
His cries for mercy were lost in the ruthless onslaught, his pleas drowned out by the harsh laughter of the guards. Through the pain, he could hear the slow, ominous creaking of the carriage wheels, rolling further and further away from him.
As the carriage disappeared into the distance, a chilling realization seeped into Min-Joon. In this merciless world, compassion was an extravagance, a folly. Help was a commodity he simply couldn't afford.
He was alone. Utterly, devastatingly alone. And Hae-Won... sweet, innocent Hae-Won... was gone.
The crushing weight of his failure consumed him. A torrent of regret and despair crashed over him, each wave bringing a new layer of self-loathing. If only he had been faster, stronger, braver... If only he had loved her more fiercely, protected her more fiercely... Maybe then, she wouldn't have been stolen away from him. Maybe then, he wouldn't be lying here, broken and abandoned.
Tears spilled from Min-Joon's eyes, carving a path down his dirt-streaked face. They were tears of sorrow, tears of guilt, and tears of profound grief. He wept openly, the harsh sobs reverberating through the desolate city gates, a heartbreaking ode to his shattered life.
His tears soaked into the unforgiving earth, each drop a testament to his pain, his despair, his regret. As he lay there, defeated and despairing, the bitter cold of the night seeped into his bones, a harsh reminder of the cruel world that had stolen his only beacon of happiness.
Each sob that wracked his body was a lament, an echo of the life that might have been, a life now as unreachable as the distant stars above him.
The boy, Min-Joon, returned to the wretched dwelling that had been his home, his heart now a furnace of resolution. The place reeked of old despair and stale liquor, a somber testament to a life steeped in misery. His father, the source of their suffering, was barely visible in the dim shadows, a bottle in his grasp.
Min-Joon's entry stirred his father from the drunken stupor, who slurred out with a condescending sneer, "Where are you off to, boy?"
Ignoring his father's question, Min-Joon started to gather his scant possessions. Nestled amongst them was a small wooden doll, a cherished keepsake of his sister, Hae-Won. As he carefully tucked the doll into his pocket, a silent pledge took form in his heart.
His father staggered to his feet, his voice demanding and filled with drunken authority, "Answer me, boy! Where do you think you're going?"
Min-Joon turned around, his eyes burning with determination as he met his father's gaze. "I'm leaving to find Hae-Won. To bring her back," he stated, his voice resonating with a defiance that sobered even his drunkard father.
Min-Joon stood tall, the bitterness of betrayal etched into his face. His father, a squalid figure in the murky shadows, bore a mocking smirk, fueling the ire building inside Min-Joon. He clenched his fists, the wood of the small doll pressing into his skin, a silent reminder of the sister he had lost. His father's pitiful laughter echoed through the room, a sound as grating as the words that followed. "You? You'll die out there!"
A torrent of emotions raged within Min-Joon. Tears welled up in his eyes, a potent blend of rage, sorrow, and regret. The salty trails marked his cheeks, but he made no move to wipe them away. He stared at his father, his voice trembling with indignant resolution, "I might die, yes. But at least I'd die trying to protect the only person who mattered to me. Can you say the same, father?"
His father tried to break in, but Min-Joon cut him off. His words were as sharp as daggers, slicing through the dense air with brutal accuracy. "Every day I dreamed of a normal life, a happy family. But you...you stole that from us. You forced us to live in pain, sorrow, and despair. And when we needed you the most, you sold Hae-Won away like she was nothing."
The bitter truth hung heavily in the room, an undeniable indictment of their father's inexcusable actions. Stumbling backward, the man reached out, attempting to regain some semblance of control, but Min-Joon easily sidestepped him.
Min-Joon's voice shook as he picked up the discarded sword, his father's voice echoing hollowly in his head. "You're a disgrace," he spat out, tears streaming down his face. "Selling your own flesh and blood. I regret every day being your son."
With a newfound resolve, Min-Joon gripped the sword tighter, turning it over in his hands. "I won't be like you. I will protect Hae-Won. I will find her. Whatever it takes." His words were a solemn vow, a promise to himself and his sister.
He advanced on his father, his voice hard as steel. "Tell me who bought her. Tell me where he lives!" The older man, cowering under Min-Joon's righteous anger, spluttered out the information. Without hesitation, Min-Joon seized what money he could find and moved to leave.
Standing at the threshold, he cast one final, contemptuous glance at the man who had brought them nothing but pain. "I regret every moment that I thought you could change. But not anymore."
With those parting words, he stepped into the uncertain night, tears mingling with the cold drizzle on his face. Yet, he did not stop. He had a sister to find, a promise to uphold. As he exited the city gates, he embraced the unknown, his heart fueled by the urgent need to find his sister.
In his pocket, the doll, a cherished memento of Hae-Won. In his hand, his father's sword, a weapon he was willing to wield for his sister. With purpose igniting his spirit, Min-Joon embarked on his mission, the echoes of his gut-wrenching farewell still resonating in the silent house behind him.