❀ 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒐𝒖𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒍 ❀

ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ

''  ᵖʳᵒˡᵒᵍᵘᵉ ''

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Daeho was a land filled with many wonders, ranging from carefully-built houses with intricate designs to stunning landscapes with plentiful trees and fresh waterfalls. However, its so-called Five Seasons were the most magnificent wonders of them all, attracting the admiration of people from all over.

The first was the daughter of the Jin family who possessed the vitality of Spring, Jin Cho-yeon. As elegant as the fluttering petals and as delicate as the sprinkling rain, she was a rare beauty indeed—every movement of hers was like a dance, and her soft smiles could make even the most cold-hearted of generals blush.

Then there was the heir of the Park family who had the energy of a hot Summer day, Park Dang-gu. He brightened up any room that he entered as though he was the sunshine itself. He was bold and kind and generous, always rushing to help those in need and warming the hearts of everyone around him just by being there.

The genius of the Seo family who was as noble as the sunset in Autumn, Seo Yul, stood out from the crowd as easily as yellowing oak leaves stand out in a sea of evergreens. Though having a slightly colder attitude compared to the others, his heart was pure and therefore attracted the attention of many. 

The fourth was the successor of the Jang family who was as dazzling as the Winter snow, Jang Wook. He was was as stubborn as the howling wind and as sharp as the biting frost. Nonetheless, he had a side to him that was much like the calmer days of the cold—he was laid-back most of the time and harboured a soft heart that was hidden behind his icy exterior. He was known to care very deeply for his loved ones just as much as he was heard to harshly cut off those that mattered to him no more.

And finally, our protagonist: the descendent of the Choi family who was as ever-changing as Monsoon, Choi Kyung-mi. This young woman was just as ambiguous as her season's weather forecast. In the rare times that she appeared in public, she was thought to be as graceful as the fleeting wind and as beautiful as the glittering of the sun as seen through bushy treetops. Through the rumours that surrounded her, however, she was known to have a flickering temper and a tendency to fall sick as often as the rain poured from the never-ending grey clouds hanging over the sky.

This close-knit group of young adults were the so-called Five Seasons, admired and supported across the land of Daeho.

Or at least four of them were admired and supported. 

Unfortunately, Kyung-mi wasn't as popular with the people as the rest of her friends. The reason for that lay simply within her very being. You see, she had been born into a prestigious family who possessed great magic and immense power, but she herself was weaker than a snowflake beneath the sun's rays. Not only was she seen as the weakest link in the group, the public had a lot of trouble accepting her as the heir of the mighty Choi family. 

The main problem was that her immune system was absolutely terrible and she was constantly at risk of catching one illness or another. Whether it was a dangerous curse or something as feeble as the common cold mattered not—whatever she caught brought Kyung-mi as close to death as the living could get. Even the most experienced of medics had frowned upon her health throughout the years, scratching their heads and smoothing out their beards as they struggled to find a way to cure her once and for all. The stars above her all seemed to align in a prophecy that told of her great future, and yet there was nothing but doubt in that Kyung-mi would ever be able to live up to the people's expectations. After some time of thinking and searching, the medics had given up and announced that it was impossible for her to get better, indirectly setting Kyung-mi up for the life of an outcast who was now said to be mocked even by fate.

Not only was her weak body a burden to her everyday life and her family, it also meant that she could master neither the excellent swordsmanship nor the ground-shaking magic that her parents were famous for. As a child, Kyung-mi had tried time and time again to pull through and learn at least something, but those lessons always ended in disaster—if it wasn't her who was falling sick from overworking her weak body, then someone else would unfortunately end up getting injured and soon escorted out of the Choi Household on a stretcher. 

Her parents had quite possibly been the only people who had any faith in her despite all of the setbacks. They loved their little girl dearly and were sure that one day, they would figure out a solution together so that they could then sit back, relax, and watch as their darling daughter carried on the family legacy. They had no doubts whatsoever that one day, she would bring the city under their jurisdiction—Hwando—to prosperity.

But it was not meant to be.

The powerful mage Choi Him-chan and his brilliant wife Choi Da-hee sadly lost their lives in a fire. 10-year-old Kyung-mi was quickly taken under the wing of a woman from the Land Over the River who had turned up on the singed doorstep and claimed to be her aunt as well as the next in line for the title of the Choi family's Master. Though there was little evidence to support this woman's claims, the people of Hwando easily accepted her as their new leader since they believed that anyone would be better than the weak heir that the Choi family had left behind. Thus, the woman by the name of Zhang Chu-hua quickly established a place for herself in this foreign land and rose to power. 

You would think that all would be well from then on, wouldn't you? But no. 

As quickly as she was taken in, Kyung-mi was cast aside once again. She was locked away in the furthest corner of the Choi Residence a few months after Zhang Chu-hua's positions as Master of Seolryuwon and Leader of Hwando was established, and was soon forbidden from practicing either magic or swordsmanship ever again. Though she desperately begged for help and pleaded for permission to study, Kyung-mi's cries were left unanswered. The only response she received was an order for a dozen soldiers to guard her day and night as well as being sent an attending maid that was to report any suspicious activity to her aunt immediately.

It would seem that Kyung-mi would have no choice but to surrender given the situation. After all, she had been backed into a corner and there was no way out now. 

Only there was. There was a way out—there had to be. And Kyung-mi would be damned if she couldn't find it.

After some deliberation, the young girl decided to take matters into her own hands—if no one else would teach her the art of swordsmanship and practice of magic or at least help her escape the clutches of her wicked aunt, then she would do so herself.

Kyung-mi became determined to prove the people of not only Hwando but all of Daeho wrong by walking down her destined path of fate towards her happy ending. Her success was written in the stars, after all—how could she fail? She would not—she refused to. Kyung-mi would succeed by any means necessary. She would survive through any hardships, take back what was rightfully hers, and fulfil her parents' wish to see Hwando prosper under her leadership. 

And nothing was going to stop her. 

Nothing.

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