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To enter the palace means to walk a path stained in blood, our medical teachers had whispered. There will be bloodshed. I only hope it will not be yours.
would not love, unless I was loved first and loved the most. I would be nothing at all, if I could not be first.
“We are women,” she continued, “and nothing short of death stops us from doing precisely what we wish to do. That is what the laws and restrictions binding our lives breed: determination and cunning. The likes of you will not obey me. You will tell me that you intend to be as still as a rock, and yet I know you will dart from shadow to shadow like a fish.”
Everyone must choose the paths they will walk. And when you choose, remember to count the cost. Do not live with regrets.”
“Save your teacher, if she means that much to you. It is those you love that make a wretched life worth living.”
“But never fear. Next time it will be my turn.” “Your turn?” “To watch out for you.” I’d spoken without thought. But he didn’t laugh my words away, rather seemed to be soberly examining my offer. “Is that a promise?” I blinked and hesitated for a moment. “It is.”
“When the time comes,” he said quietly, holding my gaze the way he held my hand. “You watch out for me. And I will always watch out for you.”
“Revenge begets revenge; the anger is unquenchable. We become the monsters we are trying to punish. Justice, however, brings closure, and that is what I want. It can only be achieved by remaining sober-minded and rational.
I wanted to love and be loved. I wanted to be known. I wanted to be understood and accepted.
“There is only you.” His words caressed me, winding themselves around my soul. “There will only ever be you. I promise, Hyeon-ah.”
