GTHWCS~01

CHAPTER~01

Ten years later.

Huff, huff, huff…!

Yeong-won thought she might really die this time.

Her lungs burned; her breath scraped at her throat. Her knees trembled, ready to buckle, and at any moment her whole body might collapse onto the dirt.

For eighteen sheltered years, Yeong-won had lived within her family’s estate, cherished like a flower in a vase under her parents’ boundless love. She had never imagined that one day she would be running for her life on a moonless night—chased by her own blood relatives.

“Yeong-won! You’re the daughter of Ha Sun-yang, the executed criminal charged with smuggling! The Royal Investigation Bureau is searching for you! You’re the only one left of the Ha family—if they catch you, you’ll be tortured to death! Only your uncle can protect you!”

The familiar voice echoed through the dense forest that cloaked the steep mountain path.

Gasping, Yeong-won spotted a hollow beneath a large tree to her left. She crawled inside and curled herself tightly into the darkness.

Torches flickered across the forest, their flames swaying like ghost lights.

From her hiding place, Yeong-won’s bloodshot eyes filled with silent, bitter tears.

Yeong-won, your uncle believes in your father’s innocence. Sun-yang was the most honest merchant in all of Hanseong. Smuggling? Nonsense. Someone framed him. I swear, I’ll prove his innocence myself.

Yeong-won had been away on a long journey to inspect the merchant branch in the Jeongji region.

But when she received tragic news from her uncle, Wi Jeong-mun, she rushed back to Hanseong within five days.

Her father had been executed for smuggling. Her mother had died in the fire that consumed their home.

When she returned, just as her uncle had said, she found her family estate reduced to ashes—and her father’s head displayed on a pole at the execution ground.

Her world froze. She stared at the head for a long, hollow moment, unable to move or breathe.

Pain twisted through her chest, sharp enough to crush her ribs. She couldn’t even cry properly—her whole body convulsed as though her organs were tearing apart.

When she finally came to, the city guards were already spreading notices that read:

“The criminal Ha Sun-yang sold silver and copper to foreign lands. His crime is grave, and thus his entire household is to be executed. The missing daughter, Ha Yeong-won, is to be captured at once.”

Her maid, Sorae, and several guards from their merchant caravan dragged her away from the execution ground before she could break completely.

Later, when she regained her composure, Yeong-won sought out her uncle Wi Jeong-mun, who held the modest position of a ninth-rank official.

She had trusted him—he had been the one to send the message, risking his life to warn her. Surely, he would know the truth behind her father’s fall.

But it was all a trap.

“Yeong-won! I think of you as my own daughter! Come out, and I’ll protect you! Would you rather trust that worthless servant than your own uncle?”

A damp wind rustled through the leaves, carrying his voice like a ghostly echo.

Yeong-won trembled—not just from fear, but from betrayal.

“My lady…” Sorae whispered urgently beside her. “I heard him—your uncle said he plans to sell you as a concubine to Kim Jong-dal, the head of the Pan-sang trading guild! He said… since you’re still alive, you might as well be of some use!”

Yeong-won gently squeezed Sorae’s trembling hand, trying to calm her.

She remembered the day they had arrived at her uncle’s mansion. His grief-stricken expression, his feigned outrage—nothing had been real.

“Sorae,” she murmured, her voice cold and steady. “None of this was an accident.”

Her father had no sons—only her. That made her the natural heir to the family’s merchant guild, a position every vulture around them coveted.

Though she had been raised as a refined noblewoman who never stepped outside the gate, Yeong-won was not naïve.

After long thought, she had once told her father she wished to inherit the merchant guild herself. He had refused, and they had argued for a year.

But five days ago, he suddenly called for her, saying he wanted to see if she was capable of running the guild. He sent her to Jeongji, pretending it was a test.

Now she realized—it had been a ruse to send her away, to save her life.

Do you remember what I always told you?
If disaster ever strikes, seek out the Geom clan in Jejado.
Promise me you’ll remember.

Her father’s final words burned through her mind.

He had known. He had known it all.

“You fools! She’s just a helpless girl—catch her! If you don’t, I’ll gouge out your useless eyes and feed them to the dogs!”

When Yeong-won still didn’t respond, her uncle’s voice turned vicious.

Her heart pounded as she gazed toward the dark forest. Scattered bodies of the guards who had died protecting her lay motionless in the shadows.

Her chest tightened painfully. Only Sorae remained by her side now.

Why… why the Ha family? Who would do this? Who would destroy my father—the most honest merchant in Hanseong—and my mother along with him?

Swallowing the grief that clawed at her throat, Yeong-won turned to Sorae with fierce determination.

“Come. We have to live. No matter what—it’s not over.”

She gathered her tangled robes, clutching them in one hand, and began to run up the rocky slope.

Her lungs burned; her legs screamed. The hounds’ barking grew nearer, the sound of pursuit closing in.

An arrow whistled past and buried itself into a tree beside her.

She stumbled, scraping her knee, but forced herself up again—crawling, running, gasping.

I will live.
I will survive.

Her steps faltered only when the ground fell away before her—a sheer cliff.

The pursuers surrounded them, torches blazing in a tightening ring.

“Yeong-won! I’m your only family left! Come to me!”

Her uncle’s voice rang out behind her.

Yeong-won turned to face the man who had once smiled at her with such affection. That same face now looked twisted, monstrous.

There was nowhere left to run.

Her eyes hardened. She clenched her teeth and took a step back toward the edge.

She would survive. She would uncover the truth behind her parents’ deaths. And she would make everyone involved pay—her uncle most of all.

Yeong-won squeezed Sorae’s hand.

And before anyone could stop her, she leapt off the cliff into the darkness below.