GIJS

Chapter 1

Do you want to be a singer?

The 15th descendant of the Moonwon Yu clan, Yu Gunja, had a natural talent for both dance and singing.

When he danced and sang, everyone in the marketplace, regardless of their social status, would cheer.

And that was why Yu Gunja was locked in a stockade.

* * *

"Gunja, you must not dance."

"Nor should you sing."

"Become a righteous scholar. Live a life as upright as your name, Gunja."

That was the constant admonition from his uncle, Yoo Hyungwon.

Yu Gunja, who lost his parents at the age of six, was adopted by his uncle, Yoo Hyungwon. As soon as the boy's parents died, it seemed Hyungwon had been waiting to take him in.

His sole goal was to lift the terrible curse that had plagued the Moonwon Yu clan.

The men born into the Yoo family were all beautiful, intelligent, and strong, like young heroes. Yet, none of them survived past thirty.

The cause was a disease that began as a rash on the arm during puberty and then spread throughout the body: a skin disease known as "Sangtaechang" in the Yoo family.

Sangtaechang was the very curse upon the clan.

Even the physicians who had served as court doctors could not cure the affliction. No matter the remedy, it proved useless.

Yu Gunja's father, Yoo Juwon, could not escape death either.

Hyungwon was deeply shocked by his brother Juwon's death.

Juwon had been considered the most talented among the Yoo family for generations.

Yet even he succumbed to the fiery rash. The image of his brother in his final moments, unable to speak, haunted Hyungwon deeply.

From that day, Hyungwon became obsessively fixated on the curse.

The curse dated back to the ancestors.

The second-generation forebear, Yoo Yesung, had been a disgrace, losing his official position and ending his life in exile. It was said that from then on, the men of the Yoo family could not live past thirty.

Was this not the accumulation of the family's karma?

To lift the curse, a flawless and noble scholar must be produced.

That was Hyungwon's conclusion.

However, tragically, Hyungwon himself was entangled in corruption and far from the model of a virtuous man.

Knowing this, he took in his nephew Yu Gunja, who was still pure and untarnished like a blank slate.

Hyungwon planned to make Gunja a perfect scholar and lift the family curse through him.

Hyungwon's plan seemed plausible. Gunja's brilliance was evident from his youth.

Before turning ten, he had mastered the Four Books and Five Classics, and by thirteen, he was leading the hunt on horseback.

His skills in the four arts—music, chess, calligraphy, and painting—were unparalleled among his peers, and his handsome appearance and refined demeanor captivated everyone.

Seeing Gunja grow and excel day by day, Hyungwon could not hide his satisfaction.

Although Gunja occasionally showed interest in dance and singing, it was not a major concern.