August 15, 202x:

Hae-eun woke up with a start when she felt someone applying a cold towel to her forehead. Her vision was blurry as she rubbed her eyes, why did it feel like she had been asleep for so long? Hae-eun flinched away from the two women who were standing next to her. They were wearing a western-style maid outfit—they looked Korean, but what was up with their outfits? Hae-eun casted them a suspicious glare as she quickly scanned the room, wary of her surroundings.

The room was enormous with two big windows covering the entire right side of the room, with a door that led out to the balcony. The room had an attached bathroom and a massive walk-in closet, that was brimming with dresses, shoes, and accessories. Near the windows was the Queen-sized bed, which she was in, with two nightstands on both sides. Towards the middle and the foot of her bed, was a rectangular coffee table and an emerald sofa and two velvet chairs.

She stared at the room blankly, trying to register where she was at—clearly, it wasn’t a hospital. Hae-eun glanced back at the maids, who helped her lay back down on the bed and told her to rest, while they brought up some porridge for her. Hae-eun said nothing and waited for the two maids to leave the room.

As soon as the French doors clacked shut, she jumped up, staggering momentarily, her muscles rusty from not being used for weeks. She quietly ran across the surprisingly warm marble floor and jammed one of the chairs underneath the door handles, barricading it. Hae-eun sprinted back and started to gather the sheets on her massive bed. Hurry! I need to get out of here! I have to make sure they’re okay! She tried to stay calm, but her eyes were tearing up with fear and worry. She had absolutely no idea what happened to her after last night’s ambush.

Hae-eun wiped her eyes, determined to not let her mentality weaken— if anything, she had to be rational, more than ever. Tying the sheets into a long rope, she hurriedly opened the balcony door, tying the makeshift rope on the railing. Looking down, Hae-eun noticed that there was a huge drop from the balcony to the grassy floor of the massive garden beneath her room. With a groan, she threw down the rope when she heard a knock at the door before the door handles rattled against the jammed chair. Panicked and worried voices called out for the young woman, asking her if everything was okay.

Running out of time, Hae-eun quickly started to climb down from the balcony, careful to not let go of it. She was halfway down, when she heard the doors being forced open, the screams of the maids and butler echoing across the massive lawn, while they stared down at her in shock and horror. They yelled at her not to move, or she will hurt herself—to which she totally ignored as she let go of the rope and rolled down onto the grass. The freedom fighter groaned in pain as she looked up to see the maids calling to the guards in black suits, who were across the lawn, to catch her.

With a sigh, Hae-eun quickly got up to her feet, running towards the black, wrought iron gates. Three of at least ten guards managed to catch up to her, one grabbing her hand. She flicked her hand away from his and tossed him over to the other man behind him. Hae-eun smirked as the remaining guard chased her to the front of the gate. She kicked his waist, as he blocked her blow, surprised at her flexibility and agility.

In a distance, she saw more guards running her way. With a tsk, she knocked the man down and used the moment when he was on his knees to climb over the gates, jumping down to the outside. The guard tried to reach for her through the gates to which she dodged, running down the street towards the main road, just around the corner. Her feet hurt as she struggled to continue to run down the hot, brick streets, barefoot. Hae-eun’s long, glossy black hair whipped behind her, flowing in the wind as she dashed down the street, maneuvering her way around the crowds.

What…? What is this…?, she thought as she ran down the streets, taking in the tall skyscrapers, and the weird outfits people were wearing around her. What was going on? Just last night, people were dressed in hanbok* or kimonos, and were those cars?! How did Gyeongseong* become like this overnight?

Hae-eun was so confused. The freedom fighter slowed down and came to a complete stop as she looked around the crowded streets. What had become of Joseon?! Was this Japan…? No, she had been to Japan, the country was not this advanced in Western technology and architecture yet... Just what was this place?!

SIDE NOTES:

Hanbok*: Korean traditional garments

Gyeongseong*: name of Seoul during the Joseon dynasty, but was most commonly used during the Japanese occupation of Korea.

**NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.**