Chapter Text
«"An oath is not made on the day you swear it. It begins with the values your family teaches you."»
---
Snow gently blanketed the rooftops of Seoul.
Inside a modest but welcoming home, the scent of fresh seaweed soup mingled with warm German bread just pulled from the oven.
Two cultures.
Two traditions.
One family.
Six-year-old Ji Minji, whom everyone lovingly called Nine, sat at the dining table with her legs swinging happily beneath the chair.
Her father, Ji Hyun-woo, smiled as he placed a bowl of soup before her.
"Eat while it's hot."
Across the table, her mother, Anna Jasper, placed slices of bread onto a wooden plate.
"And don't forget this."
Nine giggled.
"Korean breakfast... and German breakfast."
Her parents laughed together.
Her father nodded proudly.
"Why choose one when you can enjoy both?"
Anna reached over and gently brushed Nine's hair behind her ear.
"Never feel like you have to choose between where you come from."
"You carry both our worlds."
Nine smiled.
At six years old...
She didn't fully understand.
But she knew one thing.
Home wasn't a place.
Home was wherever her parents were.
---
Their house wasn't luxurious.
It wasn't famous.
It wasn't filled with expensive decorations.
Instead...
Its walls were covered with family photographs.
Some were taken in Korea.
Others in Germany.
Some showed mountains.
Others showed castles.
Every picture carried the same thing.
Smiles.
Nine loved looking at them.
Each photograph felt like another story waiting to be told.
---
One photograph always caught her attention.
It showed her father standing in formal black robes embroidered with a silver crest.
Beside him stood dozens of men and women wearing the same emblem.
Everyone stood perfectly straight.
No one smiled.
They looked...
Important.
Nine carefully lifted the frame.
"Dad?"
Hyun-woo looked up from his newspaper.
"Yes?"
She pointed at the photograph.
"Who's everyone?"
Her father walked over and looked at the old picture.
A gentle smile appeared.
"That's our family."
Nine blinked.
"Our family?"
He nodded.
"The Ji Family."
She looked closer.
"So many people..."
Her father chuckled.
"Our family has been together for hundreds of years."
"Hundreds?"
He laughed.
"Longer than this house."
"Longer than me."
"Even longer than Grandpa."
Nine's eyes widened.
"That's old."
Her parents burst into laughter.
---
3 years later,
Snow began falling again.
Nine followed her father into the backyard.
He wore simple training clothes.
Nothing fancy.
Nothing ceremonial.
Yet every movement carried incredible discipline.
He breathed slowly.
Stepped forward.
Turned.
Moved with calm precision.
Nine watched from the porch.
Completely fascinated.
After several minutes...
She finally spoke.
"Dad?"
He stopped.
"Yes?"
"Can girls learn that too?"
Hyun-woo smiled.
"Of course."
Nine's face lit up.
"Really?"
He nodded.
"Strength belongs to anyone willing to learn."
She immediately ran toward him.
"Teach me!"
---
Hyun-woo laughed softly.
"Not today."
Nine pouted.
"Why?"
He knelt until they were eye level.
"Because before you learn how to fight..."
"You must learn why."
Nine frowned.
"I don't understand."
He gently tapped the center of her chest.
"The strongest guardian..."
"...isn't the one with the strongest fists."
"It's the one with the strongest heart."
Nine placed a hand over her chest.
"My heart?"
He nodded.
"If you ever use your strength to hurt someone because you're angry..."
"You've already lost."
"But if you use your strength to protect someone who cannot protect themselves..."
"Then you've honored the Ji name."
Nine listened carefully.
She didn't fully understand.
But she promised herself...
She would remember every word.
---
That evening...
Rain replaced the snow.
The family gathered in the living room.
Anna read one of her favorite German fairy tales while Nine rested beside her.
Halfway through the story...
Nine suddenly interrupted.
"Mama?"
Anna smiled.
"Yes?"
"Am I Korean?"
Anna nodded.
"You are."
Nine thought for a moment.
"...Am I German too?"
Anna nodded again.
"You are."
Nine looked confused.
"So..."
"What am I supposed to be?"
Anna gently closed the book.
She placed a warm hand over Nine's heart.
"You don't have to choose."
"You are both."
"You carry two histories."
"But only one heart."
Nine leaned against her mother.
For the first time...
She realized that people could belong to more than one world.
She smiled.
"I like both."
Anna kissed the top of her head.
"So do we."
---
1 years later,
The next morning...
Before the sun had fully risen...
Nine awoke to the sound of quiet footsteps.
She peeked into the hallway.
Her father stood before a mirror.
He wasn't wearing his usual clothes.
Instead...
He wore a formal black hanbok embroidered with an elegant silver dragon crest.
His expression was calm.
Proud.
Almost solemn.
Nine had never seen him dressed like this before.
"Dad?"
Hyun-woo turned and smiled.
"Good morning."
She walked closer.
"Where are you going?"
He looked at her for a long moment before kneeling beside her.
"Today..."
"...is a very important day for our family."
He reached into a wooden box and carefully lifted a smaller black robe embroidered with the same silver crest.
It was made for a child.
Nine stared at it in amazement.
"For... me?"
Hyun-woo smiled warmly.
"Yes."
He carefully draped it over her shoulders.
"It fits perfectly."
Nine looked down at the embroidered crest.
"It feels... important."
Her father nodded.
"It is."
He rested a hand on her shoulder.
"Today, you'll stand before the Ji Family for the first time."
"You'll learn who we are..."
"...why we've protected House Lee for centuries..."
"...and why our family exists."
Nine looked into her father's eyes.
A mixture of excitement and nervousness filled her heart.
"What if I make a mistake?"
Hyun-woo smiled reassuringly.
"You'll probably make many."
Nine blinked.
"I will?"
He chuckled.
"So did I."
"So did your grandfather."
"What matters..."
"...is that you learn from them."
He stood and extended his hand.
"Come."
"The Ji Family is waiting."
Holding her father's hand tightly...
Nine stepped through the front door.
Without realizing it...
She was walking toward the day that would change her life forever.
The day she would first meet...
A little girl named Sara.
«"A guardian does not stand in front of those they protect. A guardian walks beside them."»
---
The journey to the Ji Estate took nearly three hours.
As their car climbed the mountain roads, the city slowly disappeared behind them.
Dense pine forests surrounded the winding path.
The higher they drove...
The quieter the world became.
Nine sat beside the window, carefully holding the folded black robe on her lap.
She had never been this nervous before.
Her father noticed.
"You've barely spoken."
Nine looked down.
"...I'm scared."
Hyun-woo smiled gently.
"Good."
She blinked.
"Good?"
"A guardian who feels no fear often becomes reckless."
"But one who understands fear..."
"...understands the value of protecting others."
Nine slowly nodded.
---
Eventually...
Massive wooden gates came into view.
At their center was an ancient silver emblem.
A dragon wrapped around a shield.
The crest of the Ji Family.
The gates slowly opened.
Dozens of men and women dressed in formal black robes stood waiting inside.
As Hyun-woo stepped from the car, every member bowed respectfully.
"Welcome home, Head Guardian."
Nine looked at her father in surprise.
She had always known he was respected.
She had never realized just how much.
Hyun-woo bowed back.
"Thank you."
Then he gently placed a hand on Nine's shoulder.
"My daughter."
The elders smiled warmly.
"So this is young Minji..."
"Our next generation."
---
The ceremony was held in the Great Hall.
The building was unlike anything Nine had ever seen.
Its high wooden ceiling was supported by centuries-old beams.
Banners displaying the Ji crest hung from every pillar.
Along both sides stood portraits of previous Head Guardians.
Men.
Women.
Young.
Old.
Every portrait carried the same steady gaze.
As if they were still watching over the family.
---
Nine whispered,
"They're beautiful..."
Her grandmother, Ji Hye-rin, smiled.
"They protected House Lee."
"For generations."
Nine looked up.
"Every one of them?"
Her grandmother nodded.
"Every single one."
---
The sound of a ceremonial drum echoed through the hall.
Everyone immediately stood.
At the far end of the room...
An elderly man entered.
His hair was completely white.
Yet every step carried quiet authority.
He was the current Head of the Ji Family.
Every member bowed deeply.
Nine quickly followed her father.
The Head looked across the hall.
"For nearly five hundred years..."
"Our family has stood beside House Lee."
"We have never sought power."
"We have never sought glory."
"Our duty has always remained the same."
"To protect."
His voice echoed throughout the hall.
"We are not rulers."
"We are Guardians."
---
Behind him...
Large doors slowly opened.
Another family entered.
Nine noticed everyone in the hall bowing once more.
Hyun-woo quietly whispered,
"The House Lee family."
Christopher Lee entered first.
Beside him walked Besse.
Following them...
A young girl wearing a simple cream-colored dress curiously looked around the enormous hall.
She looked about Nine's age.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Unlike everyone else...
She wasn't trying to appear serious.
She looked fascinated by everything.
---
The Head of the Ji Family stepped forward.
"House Lee..."
"For centuries..."
"The Ji Family has proudly protected your House."
"Today..."
"We present the next generation."
The room fell completely silent.
---
"Ji Hyun-woo."
Hyun-woo stepped forward.
He bowed respectfully.
The Head nodded.
"For many years..."
"You have served House Lee with loyalty."
"Today..."
"You bring before us the next Guardian."
Hyun-woo turned.
He extended his hand toward Nine.
She froze.
For a second...
Her feet refused to move.
Her father smiled reassuringly.
"You can do this."
Taking a deep breath...
Nine walked forward.
Every eye in the hall rested upon her.
---
The Head smiled kindly.
"What is your name?"
"...Ji Minji."
"And what do you wish to become?"
Nine remembered her father's words.
She placed one hand over her heart.
"My strength..."
"...is for protecting others."
The Head smiled proudly.
"A worthy answer."
He turned toward Christopher Lee.
"Today..."
"The Ji Family proudly introduces..."
"Ji Minji."
"The next Guardian of House Lee."
The hall erupted in respectful applause.
Christopher smiled warmly.
"Welcome, Minji."
Besse nodded proudly.
"You'll do wonderfully."
Nine bowed deeply.
"I'll do my best."
---
The ceremony continued with the ancient Guardian's Oath.
Every member of the Ji Family placed a hand over the family crest.
Together they spoke:
«"We protect before we judge."»
«"We serve before we command."»
«"We walk beside those entrusted to us."»
«"Our loyalty is not to power..."»
«"...but to the people we protect."»
Nine repeated every word.
She didn't yet understand the full weight of the promise.
But somehow...
She felt those words becoming part of who she was.
---
When the ceremony ended...
Guests slowly gathered in the gardens.
Children began playing beneath rows of blooming cherry blossom trees.
Nine stood quietly by herself.
She wasn't very good at starting conversations.
She never had been.
Then...
A cheerful voice interrupted her thoughts.
"Hi!"
Nine turned around.
The girl from the ceremony stood in front of her.
She smiled brightly.
"I'm Sara."
Nine hesitated.
"...I'm Minji."
Sara tilted her head.
"Everyone called you Nine."
Minji laughed shyly.
"They've called me that since I was little."
Sara smiled.
"I like it."
There was a brief silence.
Then Sara grinned.
"You're really quiet."
Nine looked embarrassed.
"...Sorry."
Sara laughed.
"Don't be."
"I can do enough talking for both of us."
For the first time that day...
Nine laughed.
And neither of them realized...
That beneath those cherry blossoms...
A friendship had just begun.