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Seung Han-Myeong (also spelled Han Myong) is
the master of his own dojo in Chili-San near the Chii mountain in Korea.
Han Myong was skilled in many forms of martial arts and was highly respected
by his pupils. He had two children, a daughter and a son, but the son as
well as his wife died of sickness. All that was left to him was his daughter, Seung
Mina. He loved his daughter dearly and trained her in the ways of the
sword, but he still longed for a son. Seung Mina grew up strong, and became
very skilled in the ways of the sword. Her sword technique surpassed
even her father's. Han Myong was very proud of his daughter, but he feared
for her safety and hoped that she would remain at home.
Han Myong had many
fine pupils at his dojo, but one distinguished himself above all the rest.
His name was Hwang Sung Kyung,
and his great skill and determination earned him a private lesson with
Han Myong. Han Myong was happy to have such a talented student. Hwang had
been orphaned many years ago, and Han Myong was seriously thinking of adopting
Hwang as his own son. Unfortunately, Hwang left the dojo to join the Coastal
Defense Force when a Japanese invasion was imminent. Han Myong knew that
someday Hwang would return and he could ask him then. Hwang returned sooner
than Han Myong had thought. He had been given a special assignment to travel
to the west and had stopped by the dojo to say goodbye. Not wanting to
burden Hwang with such an important matter, Han Myong held off on asking
Hwang to become his son. Instead, he offered his most precious sword, Mountain
Breaker, to Hwang for use on his journey.
Knowing that this was his master's
favorite weapon, Hwang declined and chose to rely on his own weapon during
the quest. Han Myong watched as Hwang left, not knowing that Mina had heard
their conversation. Like many young people, Mina had been gripped by the
patriotic fervor that had swept Korea during this time of impending war.
She had tried to join the Coastal Defense Force, but was rejected because
she was a woman. Having heard of Hwang's quest for the legendary Patriot
Sword, she decided that this would be the way that she could contribute
to Korea's defense effort. Han Myong caught her sneaking out of the house
the next day, and asked her where she was going. Unable to lie to her father,
Mina told him of her plans. Angered and worried for her safety, Han Myong
berated Mina and ordered her to stay home.
Mina, though, had become a strong-willed
girl and pushed her father out of the way as she set out on her journey.
Han Myong could only stand and watch as his daughter set out to find the
Patriot Sword. Not long after Mina left, Japan finally invaded Korea. Though
Han Myong was not directly involved in the defense effort, many of his
pupils left the dojo to join the Coastal Defense Force. Admiral Lee Sun
Shin, the leader of the Force and a friend of Han Myong's, commended Han
Myong on the skill of his students and their contribution to Korea's defense.
Upon hearing of the war, Hwang abandoned his quest and returned home with
Mina, whom he had found along the way. Although relieved to see her, Han
Myong realized that he had to punish Mina for disobeying him and ordered
her to begin a rigorous training regimen.
Han Myong thanked Hwang for delivering
his daughter home safely, and then finally asked him to become his son.
Hwang considered his masters' offer a great honor, but refused because
he felt his loyalty had to be to his country during this time of war. Although disappointed, Han Myong agreed with Hwang's decision and bid him farewell
once again. This did not mean that Han Myong had given up. Before too long,
he was planning a marriage between Hwang and Seung Mina. When Mina heard
of this, though, she grew angry at not having had a say in her own future.
Then, when the son of the Kim family proposed to Mina, she ran away from
home again. The grief-stricken Han Myong thought that maybe he had been
to hard on Mina, and realized that she was now a fully-grown young woman
capable of making her own decision. He also knew that her fighting technique
was superb, and hoped that she would be able to take care of herself. The
months turned into years and Mina never returned. Han Myong did not know
what had become of his daughter, and was relieved when Hwang was sent by
Admiral Shin to find Mina. Finally, three years after she had left, Mina
returned with Hwang. Grateful to see his daughter after such a long time,
Han Myong embraced her and promised to treat her as an adult from now on.
 
 
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