Chapter 47

In the Black Night, We… (1)

"Yunseo, when you're like this, I…"

Holding her cheeks gently in his large hands, Lee Hyang met her eyes.

"When it feels like you're holding something back and getting upset without saying it… I become anxious."

"Your Highness…"

Startled by his unexpected words, Yunseo's eyes widened.

"…I become afraid you might climb over the wall and run away."

"!"

"That day when you asked me to wait—you said you could run a hundred ri without rest, and even swim across the Han River, escaping far away to the southern regions. Sometimes, I worry you might actually do that. Every time I hear about the world you came from, it seems so much freer than here… and I fear that one day you'll find this palace suffocating, abandon me, and leave without hesitation."

Good heavens.

Lee Hyang's eyes were truly trembling with deep anxiety.

"…Is that why you've been having dinner here in the warm ondol room since that day?"

"…Yes. While waiting, I feared you might decide that you could never truly accept me—or this palace—as your own. That you might choose to leave. So I needed to see you with my own eyes."

"…Ah… my goodness. Your Highness!"

The realization that she was not the only one feeling anxious came as both a shock and a deep comfort.

"Your Highness… you should have told me."

Let me speak too.

Instead of suffering alone like this… I should speak!

Burying her face into his broad chest, Yunseo let out a sigh.

"To be honest… I just really want to run. I really want to swim."

Lee Hyang, who had instinctively reached out to embrace her but restrained himself due to the purification required for the rain ritual, froze in disbelief.

"What… did you say?"

"Running, Your Highness. I used to run five days a week—every week. And I used to swim across rivers."

"..."

"Because I can't run and sort out my thoughts, negative emotions just keep building up—it's unbearable. I'm someone who needs water in my life, and without swimming, it feels like even my soul is drying out."

As she spoke, Yunseo began to sniffle—her pent-up frustration mixing with the gloom caused by lack of exercise.

"…Ha…"

Lee Hyang was dumbfounded.

On a night flooded with bright moonlight, his beloved was crying because she couldn't run.

What on earth was he supposed to do?

Then suddenly—

Like the ritual of sinking a tiger's head (沈虎頭)!

In ten days, at Yangjin Ferry, a rain ritual would be held—offering a tiger's head into the river to appease the dragon spirit of water.

If—

Instead of a tiger's head, they offered the body of a mystical soul from the future, swimming in the Han River as part of the ritual…

"Yunseo. Can you truly swim across the Han River?"

"Yes! I can! I've even swum across and back during a triathlon!"

"Good. Do you have black clothes? Night attire."

"Yes, I do…?"

Sensing a glimmer of hope, Yunseo wiped her tears and looked at him.

"Then entrust Hongwi to Eom Jachi, change into black clothes, and bring another set to change into after swimming. Come to Bihyeongak in half a sijin."

"W-what?!"

Swimming?!

Swimming?!

Her tearful eyes suddenly went wide.

"There is a ritual where a tiger's head is offered—but tonight, instead of that, you will swim the Han River as a 'mystical being from the future.' Who knows? The dragon spirit of the river might take pity on you and send rain."

"…Your Highness!"

Though he spoke of rituals, Yunseo knew—this was far more about giving her a chance to swim.

Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around his neck.

"Your Highness, thank you. Thank you!"

"Yunseo."

Lee Hyang laughed softly, his chest trembling, then gently pulled her away.

"You were the one who insisted that I must keep my body pure for the ritual."

With a hint of regret, he stepped back, pressed a soft kiss to Hongwi's plump cheek, and resolutely left the room.

Lee Hyang summoned Cheon-ga, his personal guard.

"Select five guards skilled in swimming. Also, prepare a long rope—strongly bound with cloth—long enough to cross from the naval training ground beneath Mangwon Pavilion to the opposite shore. Prepare simple ritual offerings as well—fruit, dried meat, incense."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Two days past the full moon.

The night sky still shone bright, the moon only slightly waning, casting silver light everywhere.

Yunseo, now in Eom's quarters, dressed in black cotton night attire—tying her hair tightly and securing it with a headband.

The door slid open.

Maegum entered.

"…Together?"

"Shh. I'm going with His Highness to perform a rain ritual—by swimming."

"Together."

Already dressed in black with a matching headband, Maegum spoke firmly—she would not let Yunseo go alone.

Even if told not to follow, she would have climbed walls and crossed rooftops.

"Fine! Let's go. Can you swim?"

"Boat… slash."

Maegum mimed swimming with a knife in her mouth—like cutting someone's throat mid-water.

Just what kind of group had she belonged to…?

Still—having her along meant that if anything happened, even Prince Suyang could be dealt with.

"Then bring another set of clothes to change into afterward."

The two slung bundles over their shoulders and silently made their way to Bihyeongak.

Lee Hyang stood waiting—dressed entirely in black.

He raised an eyebrow at the sight of Maegum but said nothing, simply gesturing for them to follow.

Exiting Bihyeongak toward Geonchun Gate—

Five sturdy guard eunuchs stood waiting beside seven horses.

"One horse is missing. Shall I fetch another?"

Cheon-ga asked upon seeing Maegum.

"No. Kwon will ride with me."

Episode 47. In the Black Night, We… (1) — End

And so, riding together, Yunseo and Lee Hyang galloped beneath the softly pouring moonlight toward the ferry by Mangwon Pavilion, where the naval training grounds lay.

The thunder of hooves echoed through the sleeping streets around Gwanghwamun and the Six Ministries, yet no patrol stopped them.

Word had already spread—
that the Crown Prince was heading to the Han River in the dead of night to perform a rain ritual.

But Yunseo noticed none of it.

Not the firm warmth of Lee Hyang's chest at her back,
not the cool early-summer night brushing her cheeks,
not even the quiet rooftops of Hanyang shimmering under the moonlight—

Her entire being, body and soul, trembled with anticipation for one thing alone:

Swimming—
something she had not once been able to do freely since arriving in 15th-century Joseon.

After riding for over an il-gak, they reached a pavilion rising high above the riverbank, with a broad path leading down to the Han River.

"Your Highness, the ground ahead is gravel—we must dismount and proceed on foot."

The leading guard dismounted and spoke.

Lee Hyang stepped down first, then extended his arm toward Yunseo.

As she descended into his arms, Yunseo caught sight of the river—

The moonlight glinting across the sand,
and beyond it, at last, the long stretch of water.

"Wow!"

"Shh. We must perform the ritual first."

A mat was laid.

Offerings—fruit, dried meat, fish—were placed facing the river. Incense was lit.

They bowed together.

Lee Hyang poured the ritual wine and read aloud the prepared prayer.

Though written in classical Chinese—and even if she could understand it—

Yunseo heard none of it.

Her eyes were fixed only on the dark river, shimmering with reflected moonlight.

At last, the prayer paper was burned in the incense flame.

The ritual was complete.

Yunseo, Lee Hyang, Maegum, and one guard approached the water.

Two guards stood watch along the path;
two others pulled a small boat from where it had been moored.

"Tie this rope around your waist."

"…Why a rope?"

"In case we need to pull you out."

"Ha! What do you take my swimming skills for?"

"Lady Kwon! One must never be overconfident in water!"

Even Cheon-ga insisted.

Then it struck her—

This body, after all, was not originally accustomed to swimming.

Still—

Her mind remembered how to move.

And tonight, she would simply float and paddle leisurely, like a frog, with her head above water.

"…It seems shallow and the current slow, but since you are all worried, I'll do as you say."

She took the rope from Lee Hyang and tied it firmly around her waist.

"Only one rope—so you stay here," she told Maegum.

Then she stepped into the river.

The water, retaining the day's warmth, felt gentler than the night air.

Up to her calves,
her waist,
her navel—

Then she leaned forward and lifted her feet from the riverbed.

Splash… splash…

For a brief moment, her body hesitated—

Then, as she exhaled twice, her arms moved forward and swept outward,
her legs kicked in rhythm—

And her body began to glide southward.

The sensation of water enveloping her,
the steady effort of limbs creating motion—

Her body, once awkward, soon found a smooth, satisfying rhythm.

She emptied her mind completely—

Focusing only on the movement of her arms and legs,
and occasionally turning her head to check her surroundings.

"…Yunseo."

Lee Hyang stepped cautiously into the water at first—

But as it reached his waist, he froze.

He watched her—
as she bent forward and slipped into the water—

Without even breathing.

Kwon Yunseo swam on—

Her head above water,
moving slowly, steadily southward—

Barely making a splash.

She glided across the river like a seal—
or like a mermaid from legend.

Only then did Lee Hyang truly feel it—

That she did not belong to his Joseon.

More than when she spoke of the future—

This moment made it real.

And with it came a terrifying thought:

That she might slip away into the darkness—
and be lost to him forever.

Could I live without Kwon Yunseo?

The question struck him like a blow.

"KWON YUNSEO!"

His voice shattered across the water like moonlight breaking.

But—

She did not respond.

As if she had heard nothing, she continued forward—

Until at last, she disappeared into the dark river.

I could live without her.

But—

It would be a life hollow at the core,
filled only with duty as Crown Prince and future king—

A dry, lifeless existence,
never again stirred by joy or longing.

"Launch the boat!"

Lee Hyang gave the order.

With a single oarsman, he quickly pursued her.

Standing at the prow—

One hand raised high, holding a lantern,
the other gripping the rope tied to Yunseo's waist—

He searched the moonlit waters.

Beyond the silver ripples—

For that dark silhouette—
the faint glimmer of her head—

Following the small waves that broke with each movement of her limbs—

His heart slid across the water after her.