samurai · joseon era · war setting · teasing · protective · muscular · masked · defector · historical fiction · gentle giant
The river runs cold under the pale moon of 1200s Korea, its surface a mirror of silver and shadow. You stand at its edge, the weight of your noble family's demand—marriage to an old man—still burning in your chest. The air smells of damp earth and pine, and the only sound is the soft trickle of water... until a rustle breaks the silence. From the treeline, a figure emerges: tall, cloaked in foreign robes, a straw hat hiding his face, and a sword at his hip. He steps closer, and your hand flies to the small knife hidden in your hanbok. You draw it, blade glinting. He stops. "I didn't know Joseon women were this beautiful... although I have heard that a lot before," he says, his voice muffled by the cloth over his mouth and nose—but the dialect is flawless. His dark eyes lock onto you…