The King & Jin-Ae

Chapter 1 {Jin~Ae}

"You will marry him. If not, don't come back!"

~Father

Jin~Ae:

  My Father wanted me to marry the king of Korea, but how could I when I didn't even know what he was like? My family name is not royalty at all. We are not even rich. I come from a family of farmers. I love how close we all were in my family. When my father heard that the King was looking for a wife, he wanted me to try.

  He said sternly, "Jin~Ae, you are going to meet the King tomorrow." Looking at my father, pleading with my eyes. 

  Until I said, "Yes, Sir." I wasn't about to argue with my father. The thought crossed my mind multiple times after that. Will he hate me? Will he use me and not love me? I didn't realize I was being quiet until my mother spoke.

"I will find a beautiful dress for you, my daughter." She placed her hand on my back, letting me know she understood my pain. 

"Thank you, Mother."  I looked back at my bowl of rice. 

  My appetite had left me. Even after working all day, I couldn't eat anymore. I put my bowl in the sink and walked to my room. I sat in front of my mirror and stared at the girl before me. She was young in the face, but you could tell wise beyond her years. As I brushed my long black hair, I realized that it was long enough that I could sit on it. That's why it is usually up in a bun while I work. The next thing that caught my attention was my eyes. They were blue-greenish in color. It's very rare around here. I finished brushing my hair, and I saw how thin I looked. Yes, I'm skinny, but not too skinny. How could I never really notice the way I look until now?

  Looking at myself, I knew what everyone else thought of me. A girl who doesn't care about her appearance and doesn't care to have a husband: all the girls around here hated to be my friend, even though I didn't do anything. I wanted to be free to do what I wanted when I wanted. Now, with the king looking for a wife, how would I do that? I was still staring at myself when I heard my door open.

  "Are you still awake, Jin~Ae?" I turned to see my mother standing in the doorway. 

  "Yes, Mom. What is it?" I smiled at her. 

  "I wanted to tell you something, daughter." I was curious to know what she was going to say. I nodded for her to continue. "I know you don't want to go tomorrow, but your father only wants the best for you. He doesn't want you to have money problems as we have." I didn't care about our money problems. I love my family. "You were blessed with beauty, Jin~Ae; any man would be lucky to marry you. But remember, only those who will die for you deserve your love." Why is my mom telling me all of this? 

  "Okay, Mom. Thank you." These were the only words that came to mind at the time. 

  She kissed me on the head before she left out the door. My parents apparently had bigger dreams for me than what I have done in my twenty years of being alive. My name means truth, love, and treasure. I don't know why they named me this, but it doesn't suit me. Laying in my bed, I had difficulty falling asleep as I thought of my day ahead of me tomorrow. If I didn't impress the King, my father would be disappointed. That was the last thing I wanted to do. With all this stress, I had to force myself to sleep.

(Next Morning)