× the reincarnated.

@rosé ( H ) 1597 Korea

The sun beat down on his browned skin as he worked in the fields of the Park family. Despite it being an overly hot day, the clear skies made it a beautiful one. The air was almost sweet with the autumn flowers starting to bloom as well. It made the day outside oddly relaxing. It was even more so with the thought of the night ahead.

The beautiful daughter of the property owners often was able to come outside on warm nights. With the day being so hot, Hoseok knew that he would be asked to her along the property so that she may enjoy the great outdoors without her fair skin being affected by the sun’s rays. Since the first day that Chaeyoung was allowed to enjoy the length of the property, Hoseok’s family had been the ones to her, making sure that she was safe at all times. The Jung family had been with them for a long time, and thus had become trusted enough to spend time alone with the masters of the house.

Hoseok and Chaeyoung had been around each other since they were children. Yet, nobody expected the two of them to cling to the moments alone that they could share together, nor were they aware of the kisses they stole in the stables. They were only sixteen when Hoseok was deemed big enough to protect Chaeyoung on her summer evening walks. Thus, this will be the night that he asks her to run with him. With their status, they would never be allowed to be together. Of course, he knew the answer would be no anyway. She was their only child.

With him giddy and in his own thoughts, he hadn’t noticed the strange men that spoke of different tongues walk into the fields. His blood ran cold when he finally saw them, saw them slowly slaughter the other workers in the fields. His father was nowhere to be found, but his mother was being dragged by the strange men. His automatic response was to lurch forward, in hopes of freeing his mother. “No! No! Hoseok, run!” She screeched in response, struggling against these savage-looking men. Her screaming ceased with the angry speaking of one of the men and the disgusting sound of being slit.

He was frozen in shock until the foreign men directed an arrow at him, the flying weapon lodging itself into his thigh. Finally, he snapped out of it, just as someone started to run towards him.

It was a blur, his mind was completely overtaken by fear and the need to get to Chaeyoung. Tell her family to run. He finally knew who these men were, word had travelled through Korea about the ruthless Japanese that killed men, women and children alike, if they were lucky. He heard of the young women that were forced to be slaves for this country as well, and that was something that Hoseok wanted to prevent. He just had to get to her first.

Was it the fear in his eyes that made her not ask him questions as he ushered them in a place to hide? The way that he held tight to her waist as they curled against each other, hiding with hopes of the men passing? Hoseok was afraid and as much as he wanted to run with her, he couldn’t. The horses were gone, they had been left behind to be met with the pain filled deaths that awaited them. His leg throbbed from the wound.

“What if we die on our own terms?”

They knew what would happen if they were found. That Hoseok would be murdered and Chaeyoung most likely would have to live on as a kisaeng/e. Possibly that is why they took the rat poison with such ease, but not before promising to meet one another again. Whether it was within this realm or within the heavens, the two would be able to live on in love once more.

They died in eachothers’ arms that night, a song gently sung to Hoseok by Chaeyoung as they drifted in and out of consciousness until their dying breaths.

*****
2020 New York City, USA

Jung Hoseok was a fresh-faced recruit to the management team of Takeda American Holdings, a large pharmaceutical company that had business offices worldwide. With his proficiency in both English and Marketing Skills, he was sent to the office in New York as a Marketing Lead, an envied position by both American and Korean businessmen. To add insult to injury, Hoseok was merely in his prime, only having graduated a year prior with his PHD.

Thus, it was a bit uncomfortable, attending company events where others undermined his intellectual ability. Would try to do whatever they could to bring him down. But this time around, despite the usual annoyances, something distracted Hoseok. The girl sat on stage in front of the crowd, just strumming along on her guitar, singing. Typically, company dinners had violinists or cellists playing music, to give a more superficial feel, but today it was the girl in front of him. She seemed quite familiar. Not only her face, but also the sound of her voice...and the song. He could recognize the song she played, a song that he had thought he was going crazy for remembering while nobody else did.

An hour went by and the performers rotated, allowing Hoseok to be able to approach the young woman without all eyes being on them. “Hey miss. May I ask, what is the name of the song you sang at the beginning? I could never figure the song out past the chorus.”

(yeah this is messy and long which was a mistake ashdb do not feel obligated to mirro, especially the beginning piece)

@rosé ( H ) just tagging so you know i made the room. will get to the starter when I am available