The rush of whispers and mutters filled the streets by the port as every last merchant, resident, and passerby swarmed around. A storm was brewing—not the kind that came with rain and thunder, but with fists and fury.
At the heart of the commotion stood a slight figure in a dark blue overcoat, hair tied back in a loose knot beneath a travel hat. The onlookers whispered.
"Isn't that Young Master Moon Ha Ran?"
"Shh! Don't call her that in front of her. You'll get a lecture about how 'names don't need genders.'"
The so-called Young Master Moon stepped forward, boots crunching over gravel. Her hand rested on the hilt of the short sword at her waist—mostly for show. Moon Ha Ran didn't need to draw it often. Her words were sharp enough, and she knew it.
Across from her stood a group of rough-faced men led by a merchant whose belly spilled over his belt. He looked as if he had one too many bowls of rice before showing his face in town.
"Listen, lad," the merchant sneered, "you've got guts, but this isn't your business. You don't scare me."
Ha Ran tilted her head, expression unreadable. "Is that so? Then I suppose the three thousand nyang you owe to the bandits isn't my business either." Her voice rose with every word, making sure everyone around could hear her.
The merchant stiffened. "H-how do you—"
"Oh, please." Ha Ran cut him off with a scoff. "Half the town knows you borrowed money from the Black Mountain bandits of the mountains just up north. You thought you could open a shop here, hide under my grandmother's market license, and run away when they came collecting? Do I look stupid?"
A hush fell over the gathered townsfolk.
She stepped closer, voice low but slicing. "Here's what's going to happen. You're going to pay what you owe, or you'll leave this town before sunset. If the Black Mountain bandits show up looking for you here, I'll personally drag you to them."
The merchant's mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. One of his hired thugs stepped forward, hand on his club. "You talk big for a boy."
"Correction," she said calmly, brushing dust off her sleeve. "A woman who talks big—and holds your merchant license. I'm Moon Ha Ran, granddaughter of the Moon residence in Hae Jeong. Granddaughter of the woman who owns more than half the land in this city."
Laughter broke out among the onlookers, half in disbelief, half in admiration. The merchant stammered a curse and hurried off, his men stumbling after him.
When the dust settled, Ha Ran sighed. "I swear, this town attracts idiots like flies to honey. Next time you see someone new come in, do your research before you vouch for them just because they have money!" She harumphed, walking away with her hands on her hips, proud.
"Oi, Young Master Moon," called an elderly man from a rice stall. "Don't be too harsh on the newcomers. You'll scare off business."
"They can take their fear and pay their taxes properly," Ha Ran replied, crossing her arms. "I'm doing you all a favor."
"Ha Ran-ah," the butcher's wife said with a smile, "you always talk like you hate everyone, but we know you're just soft inside."
"Soft? Me?" Ha Ran frowned, scandalized. "I'm practical. There's a difference." She turned her nose to the air, though no one took her act seriously.
The crowd chuckled. Everyone in the town of Hae Jeon knew her well. Moon Ha Ran—the granddaughter of the wealthy but humble Moon Trading House owners, a woman who dressed like a man, spoke like a soldier, and acted like a guardian.
To outsiders, she was crude and strange. To her people, she was family.
As the dust settled, merchants started gossiping about other news.
"Did you hear that Crown Prince Park Young Hoon has come back from war? I heard it was a bloody massacre and he didn't let a single person alive. No wonder they call him the God of Death."
The whispers grew louder, everyone agreeing on the brutality of the war.
Ha Ran's lips twitched before she spoke up.
"It might have been a brutal war, but it's brutal for us too. We've lost many men in it. We would have been one of the first towns to be taken over if we'd lost. Don't talk if you don't know about wars!" Her voice rang through the streets, and everyone quieted down to a soft whisper.
"And what do you know about war?" asked one of the merchants teasingly.
Ha Ran put her nose to the air and scoffed. "You don't have to be in war to understand that everything in life is a business transaction."
That evening, Ha Ran sat in the Moon family courtyard dressed in her dress, sipping tea as the autumn wind rustled the persimmon trees. Her grandmother, Lady Moon, sat across from her, eyes sharp despite her years.
"I heard you kicked out another merchant today," Lady Moon said, in her usual elegant manner.
"He was trouble. Better to cut the rot before it spreads."
"You sound just like your father."
Ha Ran's grip tightened on her cup. "That's not a compliment, Grandmother."
Lady Moon sighed. "Your father serves the court too faithfully. It will be his undoing someday."
Ha Ran looked away, gaze distant. "He believes loyalty is strength."
"Loyalty to the wrong man becomes a chain," her grandmother said quietly.
Before Ha Ran could reply, a servant ran into the courtyard, bowing deeply. "My lady—urgent news from the capital!"
The servant handed over a sealed letter bearing the crest of the Ministry of War. Lady Moon broke the wax and read. Her expression changed—first to disbelief, then to dread.
She handed the letter to Ha Ran with trembling hands.
Ha Ran read it once, then twice, eyes narrowing.
The Ministry of War is honored to announce the engagement of Lady Moon Yu Na to His Highness, Crown Prince Lee Young Hoon.
The wind seemed to still. Crown Prince Lee Young Hoon was dubbed the God of Death for his unblinking way of killing on the battlefield and in the execution grounds.
"Yu Na… engaged to him?"
Ha Ran's jaw set. "Grandmother, I need to go to the capital."
"You will do no such thing!"
"Yu Na's my sister. If that man is as cruel as they say, I'm not letting her walk into that palace alone."
Lady Moon's eyes glistened, but her voice was firm. "You don't know what court life is like, child. And your father—he owes the King too much to protect you. You'll be walking into a nest of vipers. And… your sister, you love her, but she can handle this on her own. Don't get involved, child. The world of politics will only poison your heart and mind."
Ha Ran stood, determination burning in her chest.
"Politics is just another business, grandmother. It's always about finding out what they want and providing it." Ha Ran clicked her tongue.
"A young lady like you will have a hard time there. Women are expected to be quiet and submissive. Business as a woman is hard enough, let alone in the capital."
"And why should that stop me? If anything, it'll make me want to try even harder." Ha Ran stood up, downing the last bit of tea. "Engaged to the crown prince. Something is wrong here. There's no way father or Yu Na would have wanted this. What kind of reputation does father want to bring to the household with a name as bloody as the Crown Prince's?"
Her grandmother watched her granddaughter. Fierce, straightforward, and too stubborn. She sighed. She knew there was no stopping her. Her heart always told her where to go, and she went.