The Spirit of Gyeongbokgung Palace

The Invitation

The letter arrived on an ordinary afternoon. Jihoon was sitting in his tiny, book-cluttered apartment in Jongno, scrolling through historical records on his laptop when an old, yellowed envelope slid through his mail slot.

He frowned. No one sent letters anymore.

Curious, he tore it open. Inside was a single slip of paper, the ink faint yet legible:

"Meet me at Gyeongbokgung Palace at midnight. There is something you must see."

There was no name, no sender. Just an address scrawled at the bottom—the main gate of the palace.

Jihoon hesitated. The palace was closed at night, heavily guarded. Was this some kind of joke?

Yet, his heart pounded with excitement. His gut told him that this was important.

So at 11:50 PM, Jihoon found himself standing before the towering gates of Gyeongbokgung, his breath curling into the cold autumn air.

Then, out of the shadows, an old man appeared—his silver hair glinting under the moonlight.

Professor Kang.

Jihoon knew the man’s name well. A retired historian, Professor Kang had spent decades studying the mysteries of the Joseon Dynasty, but he had vanished from the academic world years ago.

"You came," the professor said, his voice low.

Jihoon swallowed hard. "What is this about?"

The old man smiled faintly. "Come with me. You’re about to witness something that will change the way you see history forever."

Without another word, he turned and disappeared into the palace.

Jihoon hesitated only a moment before following.

The Whispering Walls

Inside the palace grounds, the air felt different.

The modern city noises faded, leaving behind only the rustling of the wind against the wooden beams. The stone pathways were empty, their surfaces glistening under the moonlight.

Jihoon glanced around uneasily. It was surreal seeing the palace like this—silent, abandoned, yet strangely alive.

Professor Kang led him deeper, past the Geunjeongjeon throne hall, until they stopped before an ancient wooden door.

“Put your hand here,” the professor said, motioning to the cold stone wall beside it.

Jihoon frowned but obeyed.

The moment his fingers touched the surface, an unseen force surged through him. His vision blurred, his ears filled with whispers—words in old Korean dialects, voices overlapping, pleading, warning, mourning.

Then, everything changed.

A Step Back in Time

When Jihoon opened his eyes, the palace was no longer abandoned.

The courtyards were bustling, filled with scholars in silk robes, royal guards in armor, and court ladies gliding through the halls. The scent of burning incense and freshly polished wood filled the air.

Jihoon stumbled backward, his hands gripping his clothes. His modern hoodie and jeans were gone, replaced by a rich blue hanbok with golden embroidery.

"What the hell…?"

“Follow me,” a voice whispered.

He turned to see a young woman dressed in regal attire, her posture straight, her expression unreadable.

“I am Princess Yeonhwa,” she said. “You must not be seen. The spirit knows you are here.”

Before Jihoon could question her, a shrieking cry echoed through the palace.

A wave of freezing air swept through the halls, carrying with it a voice that sounded like it had been waiting centuries to be heard.

Jihoon felt his blood turn to ice.

The Ghost of Queen Sohye

Princess Yeonhwa’s grip on his wrist tightened.

"We need to move. Now!" she hissed.

Jihoon followed her through the palace halls, his heart hammering in his chest. The air grew heavier, and the shadows shifted unnaturally.

Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged—a woman dressed in flowing black silk, her hair unbound, her eyes burning with sorrow and rage.

Jihoon felt his breath catch in his throat.

The woman floated above the ground, her translucent form flickering like a dying flame. Queen Sohye.

"You dare walk these halls?" the spirit whispered, her voice layered with centuries of grief.

Jihoon couldn’t speak. He could only stare into her hollow, haunted eyes.

Yeonhwa stepped forward. "My queen, he is here to uncover the truth."

Queen Sohye’s face twisted in pain. "The truth? The truth died with me."

Her voice cracked, and suddenly, the palace walls began to bleed—dark streaks seeping through the cracks like ink spilling across a page.

Jihoon gasped in horror.

Unraveling the Mystery

Jihoon had read about Queen Sohye before. Official records claimed she had been a traitor, executed for plotting against the king.

But something felt wrong.

“History lied about you, didn’t it?” Jihoon asked carefully.

Queen Sohye’s ghostly form trembled.

“They accused me… falsely,” she whispered. “My enemies poisoned the king’s mind. I was loyal. I was innocent. But they dragged me into these halls and sentenced me to death.”

Jihoon clenched his fists. If she was telling the truth, history had erased her innocence.

“There is a scroll,” Queen Sohye said suddenly. “A letter written by the king before he died. It holds the truth.”

Jihoon’s eyes widened.

If he could find that letter, he could restore her name.

Restoring the Past

Jihoon woke up back in the present.

He gasped for air, his hands gripping the palace ground.

But the memory of Queen Sohye’s plea burned in his mind.

Determined, he raced to the National Palace Museum. Hours of searching led him to an old, forgotten document, buried under centuries of dust.

It was the king’s letter.

It proved Queen Sohye had been betrayed, not guilty.

The Spirit’s Farewell

That night, Jihoon returned to the palace and whispered, "Your name will be cleared, my queen."

A soft wind brushed against his cheek, and in the distance, he swore he heard a voice say:

“Thank you…”

The palace sighed in relief.

But as Jihoon turned to leave, he felt a new presence lurking in the shadows.

Gyeongbokgung had many ghosts left to uncover.

And this was only the beginning.

The End… for now.