The hunt had begun.
Horns echoed across the sprawling expanse of Mount Seorim, its ancient pines trembling as banners of the royal household snapped against the crisp morning air.
The court ministers, nobles, and their sons mounted finely-groomed horses, each one eager not only to prove their strength, but to score the greatest prize of the day.
Noble hunters were given a "game list": trophies ranged from small, swift animals to the most prized , large stags with grand antlers, wild boar, and even dangerous beasts.
Animals to be hunted included:
Large deer / stag - prized for its majestic antlers, considered the top trophy.
Wild boar -dangerous prey, respected for the bravery needed to hunt it.
Fierce beasts - predators or rare creatures (in rumor: wolves, even big cats, though few dared attempt those).
Smaller game - rabbits, hares, birds, and other woodland creatures; easier to catch but rewarded with smaller trophies / points.
As riders steadied their mounts, nobles spoke in low tones, trading wagers on who would bring back the greatest prize.
"A stag with antlers full grown - that's worth more than three boars."
"You'll need strength and skill to bring down a boar alive. A careless strike and it's your ribs that'll break, not its back."
"Only a fool aims for wolves. The risk… not worth the honor."
Some snorted at the idea. Others, with hunting scars and hardened eyes, nodded gravely.
Amid the whispers rose a skeptical voice…soft but pointed.
"A prince hosting the hunt? Is he bold enough? Can he match these men's cunning and strength? Or will he ride back with nothing but empty boast?"
The murmur spread quickly, eyes glancing at the young Crown Prince, doubts echoed in their tone: would he uphold his father's reputation?
With that challenge hanging in the air, the young royal lifted his chin and spoke, voice clear, strong before all the nobles assembled.
"I host this hunt by my father's command. I will not return empty-handed. Whether stag or boar, whether small game or beast . I will prove that I am worthy. Not for glory alone, but for the safety of this kingdom. If my skill must be tested, then let it be tested here and now."
A hush fell across the gathering, respect edged in place of doubt. Some nobles shifted, reassessing the prince as more than a token figure.
Whether they believed or not, the challenge was accepted.
Then the signal came: horns blown again, riders surged forward, and the forest swallowed them.
Horses' hooves thundered on soft earth; birds flew screaming overhead; twigs snapped under hoof and boot. Somewhere deep in the forest, deer scattered at the sound. A startled rabbit darted across a sun-dappled clearing. Far off, the low growl of a wild boar echoed, a warning of danger ahead.
The hunt had truly begun, and with it, the promise of glory, danger, and the chance to claim the greatest prize: a great stag or bold beast, trophy of antlers or hide, proof of bravery and honor… or a silent failure that would echo through palace halls.
Day On…Distance
The hunt pressed deeper into Mount Seorim's ancient woods, a place that even seasoned hunters entered with caution. The trees rose tall and dark, their crowns blotting out the sun like a cathedral of shadows.
Bella rode ahead, her horse's hooves crunching over brittle leaves. Her posture was rigid, her eyes always scanning, measuring every rustle, every wing-beat.
She was in an unmarked territory and this was the first time she had ever gone on a hunt.
She had no idea what to respect, so she share everything.
A distant kraaaak! split the air, a hawk circling above their path. Somewhere unseen, a boar snorted, stomping through brush. The forest felt alive… and watching.
Ji-ho nudged his horse forward until he was beside her again.
"You haven't spoken to me," he said, voice lowered so the guards behind them couldn't hear.
But oh they did. Being subtle hasn't been a virtue of his.
Bella's attention remained forward… sharp as a drawn blade.
"We are here to hunt, Your Highness. Let us focus on that."
"You matter," he murmured. His voice wavered, a confession carried on trembling breath.
Bella's grip tightened around her reins. She refused to let her heart betray her face.
She spurred her horse, sand and leaves kicking up behind her…escaping him like she might burn if she stayed too close.
"Ha-neul!" Ji-ho called, frustration laced with longing.
The guards shouted warnings, hooves thundering as they tried to catch up:
"Your Highness, the forest is treacherous, stay close!"
But the prince only chased her.
He finally caught up when she dismounted near a tight thicket, two rabbits already hanging from her saddle. She had her bow raised, breath steady, finger poised.
Then…
Crack.
A sharp snap of a branch.
Both froze.
Bella's bow shifted instantly toward the sound, every muscle coiled to strike.
From the treeline came low growling… or maybe the wind dragging a warning through tangled roots.
Ji-ho instinctively reached to steady her, but she shrugged off his hand without looking away from the shadows.
Only after several heavy breaths, the sound faded. The forest returned to its unsettling hush.
Bella lowered her bow just enough to speak.
"Do you see? This place requires discipline. Distance. Awareness. If we are careless, we die. And I don't wanna die."
He stepped closer, stubborn, heart-first instead of head-first.
"If you think I regret that kiss-"
"You should," she cut in. Her voice trembled, more pain than anger.
She forced herself to meet his eyes.
"This palace… this world… I do not belong to it. You are the Crown Prince, the future of Josean, and every look, every breath you take is judged. If anyone suspects… rumors will be enough to destroy us both."
"I don't care," he whispered.
"Will I do," she breathed.
For a heartbeat, the silence was unbearable, filled with all the words they couldn't allow.
"I don't hate you," she told him, "But whatever you are expecting, that's never gonna be us."
Hooves pounded behind them. Yeon and the guards burst through the underbrush, cheeks flushed with panic.
"Your Highness!" Yeon snapped. "You must not separate from your escort, this forest has taken nobles before."
Ji-ho clenched his jaw, anger mixing with humiliation.
Bella didn't flinch. Her eyes returned to the shadows.
The day's hunt ended not with triumph, but with unspoken fears and the crushing weight of distance.
Day Two: Plots in the Dark
Night draped the hunting camp in cold shadows.
Torches crackled, sparks drifting upward like tiny fire spirits. The distant hoots of owls echoed across Mount Seorim, while restless horses pawed anxiously at the soil as if sensing danger in the air.
Ministers gathered around the main fire, drinking rice wine and tearing into roasted boar. Their laughter rang sharp and artificial, each one pretending not to watch the Crown Prince too closely. Too hungrily.
Bella's tent was tucked near the edge of camp, lit only by a single lantern. She knelt on a woven mat, cleaning her bowstring with slow, steady movements, her silence her only armor.
The flap suddenly flung open.
Ji-ho barged inside without permission, cheeks flushed with annoyance… and worry.
"Why won't you talk to me, Ha-Neil?" he demanded.
Bella didn't so much as flick her eyes toward him. She kept polishing her bow, controlled and emotionless.
Ji-ho stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Are you angry with me? Is it because I chased you? Because I-"
She stood abruptly, brushed past him, and walked straight out of the tent.
He blinked, stunned by how effortlessly she dismissed royalty.
"Ha-neul…!" he hissed, scrambling after her like the world's most determined puppy.
From a nearby fire pit, nobles snickered into their sleeves, watching the Crown Prince chase after his bodyguard, one who refused even to look at him.
Some frowned in outrage.
Others smirked in satisfaction.
A few whispered, "He's losing control."
"Ha-Neil! Bella!" Ji-ho called, desperation cracking through his voice. "Just look at me, say something!"
But she continued walking, eyes forward, shoulders stiff. Every step she took said: You won't have me. Not now. Not ever.
Before Ji-ho could catch up again, a strong hand gripped his forearm.
Yeon.
"Your Highness," the guard murmured firmly, "do not follow her."
Ji-ho tried to yank free. "What gives you the right-!"
"Not as your guard," Yeon said quietly, "but as someone who cares for you. This… behavior will draw dangerous eyes. Not just to yourself but to …to her, too."
Ji-ho's jaw clenched. His heartbreak was visible, even in the dim torchlight.
He stood there, helpless, watching Bella disappear behind rows of tents and shadowed pines.
Yeon bowed his head respectfully.
"Please, Your Highness. For once… think of consequences of your action."
On the far side of camp, separated by canvas walls and false laughter…
The Prime Minister bowed low before masked men dressed in black, their armor marked by crimson streaks like dried blood.
He whispered, "You know your target."
A steel blade gleamed as one assassin raised his head.
"Make it look like a hunting accident."
The assassins pressed fists to hearts in silent vow.
"The Crown Prince," their leader whispered, "will not leave these woods alive."
Day Three: The White Deer
Morning frost kissed the grass, each blade sparkling like fractured glass under the pale sun.
Bella moved quietly, bow slung across her back, her blade tocked to her straps, her steps light on the damp underbrush. Her horse was tied to a tree farther back, hidden in shadow. Silence was her ally; stealth her only tool.
Behind her, a rustle, leaves crunching softly underfoot. Ji-ho was following, yet even his careful steps betrayed him.
"Come out! I know you are back there "
"You left without a word again," he said, voice low, almost pleading.
Bella exhaled through her nose, patience thinning. "Your Highness, please, focus on the hunt. Forget… whatever happened before."
"I cannot pretend you are just another guard," he muttered, voice rough with frustration and longing. "Stop asking me to."
She spun, ready to scold him, but then her breath caught.
A flash of white…luminous and surreal, between the trees.
A white deer emerged, its coat gleaming as if spun from moonlight, long antlers arching like frozen branches. Its deep, sapphire eyes regarded them silently, mesmerizing and impossibly still.
"That… is no ordinary animal," Bella whispered, heart hammering.
Ji-ho's hand went to his bow. "A spirit deer… if I capture it-"
But before he could finish, the deer bounded forward like a ripple in the air.
Bella didn't hesitate. She sprinted, weaving between trees and leaping over roots, trying to keep pace. Her breath came in sharp bursts; her fingers burned from gripping the bow.
Ji-ho followed, reckless, careening through brush, shouting her name when she pushed forward.
Branches whipped across her face. The cold forest wind stung. A bird erupted from the canopy above, screeching as though warning them of unseen danger.
Suddenly, the earth fell away beneath Bella's next step, the ground giving way into a steep cliff.
She skidded to a halt, arm flung out instinctively to prevent Ji-ho from tumbling forward.
"How do we get it back up" Ji-ho asked her.
"Shhhhh!"
The deer had stopped on a jagged rock just below them, watching silently, as if taunting. Its antlers gleamed like carved crystal in the morning light.
Something felt wrong. The hairs along Bella's neck prickled. Her eyes flicked to the trees, a glint in the bushes.
"Get down!" she hissed.
TWANG!!!
An arrow shot straight toward Ji-ho's chest.
Bella reacted instinctively, slashing with her sword. The arrow struck her blade mid-flight, splitting the shaft and sending splinters clattering at their feet.
From the shadows, seven figures in black and red emerged, moving with lethal precision.
Ji-ho drew his blade, stepping protectively in front of Bella, feet braced on the uneven cliff edge.
"Stay behind me!" he commanded, voice steady but tight with panic.
"No," Bella spat, stepping forward, steel clashing with the first attacker. "You stay behind!"
Two assassins lunged at Ji-ho. He parried, barely holding his footing, but Bella intercepted another. Their blades rang, sparks flying as metal met metal.
Another arrow whistled through the air. Bella twisted instinctively, but this time it struck her upper back. Pain exploded across her shoulder, sharp and burning.
Her knees buckled, but she clenched her teeth, refusing to fall. The sword swung in defiance, each movement precise despite her injury.
"Bella!" Ji-ho yelled, voice cracking, panic rising. The cliff beneath them shuddered as if the earth itself sensed the danger.
An assassin lunged, the ground crumbling beneath them.
The assassins fell first, some of their heads landing on rocks and instantly passing out.
Ji-ho reacted in time, wrapping his arms around Bella's waist.
Together, they tumbled over the edge, plunging into the roaring river below.
Cold water swallowed them instantly, dragging them under with violent, unrelenting force.
Branches scraped their skin. Rocks struck their bodies. The river's current spun them, disoriented, almost crushing them against hidden boulders.
The world narrowed to water, pain, and each other.
Bella's bow floated free, carried downstream, her vision blurred. Ji-ho's grip loosened briefly as he struggled to breathe, but he clawed back, keeping her close.
The forest above roared in the wind, distant, almost serene, yet beneath the surface, the danger lingered.
Their consciousness wavered, light and dark blending. And for a moment, all that existed was cold, the river, and the desperate will to survive.