Contest #115 winner 🏆

145 comments

Historical Fiction East Asian Creative Nonfiction

A gem can not be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

Sejong swept his books off the shelf. Rain pelted the world outside. The king opened one of his many works, the spine of it splitting under his force, and read off a page. Nongsa jikseol, methods of cultivation in agriculture. A guidebook to farming in Korea’s geography. Words that could keep his people from famine.

He threw it into the rain. 

It splashed against the mud-coated field, water distorting the ink. A second book followed, sliding against the ground, into a puddle. A third. A fourth. They piled in the courtyard, works he had commissioned to better Korea’s people. To educate the illiterate.

Worthless.

What good is knowledge that can not be read?

Music echoed inside the palace. String instruments, a wavering bamboo flute, the quick beat of a drum. A compliment to the heavy rain. On his way to his chambers, Sejong passed a woman humming along. She sat on the wooden floor with a script out in front of her, writing out poetry, stopping to bow.

The king raised a hand in dismissal. The woman’s poems would do nothing for their culture, written in Chinese characters. A waste of paper—none other than the privileged could read it. The words would have no meaning for the common people.

He stepped into his chambers. Lamps glowed with dim flames, and rain tapped against the roof. His wife stood, her smile fading at the sight of seeing the king so tired. She hurried over and guided him to sit. Her dress, red and gold, flowed behind her.

“What worries you, my husband?”

Sejong exhaled. He considered himself a scholar, yet his kingdom could not read or write. 

“There are voices I will never hear,” he said. “Farmers who don’t have the wealth or status to learn to read. Children who cannot grow into scholars, and workers who can’t write their concerns. My people lack the gift of education, and I lack the means to educate them.”

The queen took his hand. A soft, calming touch.

“And what shall you do?” she asked.

He ran his fingers through his beard. Sejong took time to think, then turned his head to the queen.

“My people need a new system of writing, and I will craft one for them myself. A script a wise man can acquaint himself with before the morning is over, and a fool can learn in the space of ten days.”

At dawn, Sejong sat alone in a common room. Sunlight shone through the open windows, ethereal motes of dust dancing in the light. Scrolls, ink, and books surrounded him. Panels of artwork—birds and flowers—enveloped the room. Sejong spent the morning reading of phonetics, of alphabets with fifty letters, and others with seventy. 

Too many relied on complex lettering.

He would keep his simple for the busiest of men.

Around midday, he painted hundreds of symbols. He started with one stroke of the brush, ㄱ, ㄴ,ㅣ. Two strokes for ㄷ, ㅋ, ㅅ. Three for ㅎ,ㄹ,ㅈ. Never going above four. He hung papers upon the walls, blocking the sunlight. He crossed out any he deemed too complicated.

Servants left food outside the door as he worked.

By dusk, he walked through the courtyard, stars glistening above. Sejong spoke words to himself. He singled out their noises and pointed out the vowels. Oak, oath, oasis. Yam, yarn, yang. Water, wasp, wary. He pressed fingers into his mouth, feeling his teeth and tongue move at the pronunciations. His lips separated for a shh noise, but closed for ph. Some required more air, others less.

The days passed, and a concerned adviser sought him out.

“The dynasty will not agree with your choice,” the adviser said. “Knowing Chinese is what puts them above the common man. Your choice to create this script will cause an uproar, your majesty. It could divide our kingdom.”

“Let it be so,” Sejong said, looking up from his script, “as I will no longer be cut off from my people. Understand it is not knowledge that ruins the world; it falls to those pointing fingers for selfish gain.”

Dozens of sheets lined the walls. Ink stained his hands. Crumpled-up papers littered the room, drafts he deemed failures, too complex. His wife told the council members he had fallen ill, and he needed time to recover as he crafted his script.

Sejong spoke until his throat grew sore, attaching noises like ‘ch’ and ‘tah’ to some symbols while discarding others entirely. He kept his work common and crude, strong and tough, easy and efficient.

He had to write letters that would last a thousand years. 

The vowels remained as lines and dots. A silent ‘ㅇ’ shape came before each to signify an open mouth. Consonants followed suit. ‘ㄴ’, an ‘n’ sound, signified the tongue touching the back of one’s teeth. ‘ㄱ’, a ‘kuh’ noise, showed a raised tongue blocking air from one’s throat.

Lingual, dental, molar and glottal sounds made up for his script of twenty-eight letters. Seventeen consonants and eleven vowels, blocked together for organization, compared to the thousands needed for Chinese.

He wrote short sentences from top to bottom. Candles melted down beside him. Incense burned, releasing the scent of sandalwood throughout his chambers, and Sejong sat cross-legged on the floor. Weeks of work came down to reading aloud.

남자는 인내했다 - The man persevered. 

The language flowed off his tongue like water.

He presented his script to the council at first light. Two charts, one for consonants and the other for vowels, each letter with its phonetic equal written next to it. Easy to follow stroke orders. He sat upon his throne, royals whispering before him.

“Chinese characters,” he said, his voice echoing in the throne room, “are incapable of capturing our unique meanings. Many of our common people have no way to express their thoughts and feelings. Out of my sympathy for their difficulties, I have created a set of twenty-eight letters.

“They are very easy to learn, and it is my hope that they improve the quality of life of all people.” 

Not a soul agreed. 

They shouted their concerns.

The Chinese would perceive it as a threat. It would be the end of Confucianism. Korea’s social hierarchy would fall. The scripts would have to be burnt, down to ashes, to prevent an uprising. The dynasty erased the twenty-eight letters and deemed them a worthless use of time.

Yet, for the good of his people, Sejong persevered.

He taught the language to any who wanted to learn. In turn, they carried it throughout the land. Women found their voices, teaching children the simplicity of the symbols. Men stood straight, proud to have a language of their own. Monks wrote prayers in the sand. Merchants kept records of their stock, and artists could sign their names.

The letters birthed poets, playwrights, and philosophers. Astronomers learned to write the names of constellations. Winemakers created labels. Apothecaries devised written names for their medicines.

Sejong ordered for his books to be rewritten.

The dynasty failed to suppress the flow of knowledge—Korea’s illiteracy ceased to exist as the letters blossomed within the country. The script billowed in use after Sejong’s death, four years later, as the great king ushered his people into a golden age of culture and literature.

A land where every soul could read and write.

Where all could learn the teachings of the wise.

October 11, 2021 16:04

You must sign up or log in to submit a comment.

145 comments

Bonnie Jay
00:25 Oct 20, 2021

This is such important and interesting subject matter! What a creative way to tell this story. Well done, Alex!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Lee Kendrick
21:02 Oct 19, 2021

A complex story. Very well written about an alphabet and words created by Sejong to making it easier for the less educated in the Korean society to read and write. Interesting story.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Hope Monaghan
18:29 Oct 18, 2021

This was a wonderful read, captivated me from the first sentence. I especially like the ending of how you connected how amazing the language was to let new voices be heard. Thank you for this story.

Reply

Alex Sultan
18:52 Oct 18, 2021

Thanks for reading. I like the ending a lot, too. Korean history is one of my favourites, and I had a lot of fun bringing it to light. I'm glad you liked it :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Marina Savva
04:28 Oct 15, 2021

This was a brilliant story, Alex! Although historical fiction is such a difficult genre to write you did an awesome job at capturing the essence of the time period. I also really enjoyed that you incorporated the actual Korean letters, which is a nice mix up as it opens the reader up to another fraction of the Korean culture. You uniquely incorporated your narration with poetic literary devices that really made this an enjoyable read. Greet job!

Reply

Alex Sultan
10:03 Oct 21, 2021

Thank you, Marina. Korean history is one of my favourites, and I'm glad I could bring light to one of its historical moments. Your kind words are appreciated :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Kat Davis
19:08 Oct 13, 2021

This was such an interesting story! Historical Fiction is hard to write and if this was your first attempt then BRAVO. I loved the part you wrote, "music echoed inside the palace. String instruments, a wavering bamboo flute, the quick beat of a drum. A compliment to the heavy rain" - that imagery was very nice. Good job and keep writing!

Reply

Alex Sultan
22:48 Oct 14, 2021

Thank you! Korean history is one of my favourites, and I definitely plan to write more on it at some point. I appreciate the kind words :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Kathleen `Woods
20:27 Oct 11, 2021

This was an interesting portrayal of grammatical simplification, it's often a natural process, but it does sometimes occur as a result of the perseverance of specific well-placed individuals. I can't say I've read anything with this particular historical figure as a character but it does definitely fit the prompt. Thanks for Writing!

Reply

Alex Sultan
17:51 Oct 13, 2021

Thank you for reading :) I knew right away from the prompts I wanted to put Korea's history to light. I did a ton of research for it, trying to have it sound as close to the history as possible, and I'm glad you liked it.

Reply

Kathleen `Woods
05:56 Oct 14, 2021

It's always fun to make use of one's research. I've never gone this far with it but it's a pretty nice backing for almost any variety of fiction. Were there any anachronisms you had to watch out for?

Reply

Alex Sultan
22:01 Oct 14, 2021

Not really. When I started writing after the hours of research, I got pretty immersed and didn't run into any time period-based issues. My Korean might be off for the sentence '남자는 인내했다 - The man persevered ' since their grammar was most likely different in the 1400s compared to nowadays, but I think it's fine.

Reply

Kathleen `Woods
02:48 Oct 15, 2021

cool, I just know that looking back at historical records can come with some interesting biases to work around and it can sometimes be interesting to contemplate. it's good that your experience of it was unburdened.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Wally Schmidt
14:41 Jan 05, 2023

How I wish I had known this story when I was in Korea and learning the language. Beautifully written. It makes me nostalgic for a time when leaders would actually 'lead' their countries and what better way than to enlighten your people with the gift of education. Thank you for writing this and enlightening us all.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Anthony Portelli
11:18 Mar 04, 2022

I love the way you put in those short, stand-alone sentences every so often that act as kinds of time markers to segue from one part of the story to the next. They're almost like verse-ending or starting signposts. They gave an almost poetic feel, but they also helped to keep the story moving. Nicely done!

Reply

Alex Sultan
11:34 Mar 10, 2022

Thank you, Anthony. I appreciate the kind words - Short, stand-alone sentences are one of my favourite ways to write. I'm glad it worked here 🙂

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
James Miller
00:02 Feb 18, 2022

When I first started studying Korean, I saw that it had a brilliant logic to it. That made me look into the history of how it came to be, a history which you've captured well.

Reply

Alex Sultan
01:01 Feb 19, 2022

Thanks for reading, James. I'm glad I could shine light on a history and language I find to be so interesting. I appreciate the comment.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply

This is amazing. You did a great job with your first historical fiction! Your use of drama was well done. I think this deserved the win.

Reply

Alex Sultan
18:00 Jan 26, 2022

Thank you - I'm glad that out of all my stories, this one won. It's the most meaningful in my opinion. I do like Korean history a lot, and plan to write more on it at some point. I appreciate the read as always.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Sarah Winston
03:07 Jan 18, 2022

Really enjoyable read. I can see the wolf standing there, somewhat sheepish, making excuses the whole times he fake-apologizes.

Reply

Alex Sultan
05:22 Jan 18, 2022

Thank you for reading! I'm not all too sure what the 'wolf' comment refers to here, or if you have the right story, but I appreciate the comment nonetheless.

Reply

Sarah Winston
06:43 Jan 18, 2022

Oh, my - I left the wrong comment on your story!!! Which I loved, by the way, and learned something, too. I went right away and looked up that king. The comment was for a story also on the winners list, a writer who wrote about the Big Bad Wolf apologizing to the three little pigs for blowing down their houses! Sorry for the mix up :-D

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Show 1 reply
Olivia Jackson
11:43 Jan 07, 2022

This story is beautifully told! I loved every word!

Reply

Alex Sultan
19:47 Jan 07, 2022

Thank you, Olivia. I appreciate the kind words :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Ari G
23:38 Jan 02, 2022

Historical fiction is my favorite genre and stories like this one are why. Really good :)

Reply

Alex Sultan
09:33 Jan 04, 2022

Thanks, Ari! I've always wanted to write historical fiction and figured this would be a good start. I appreciate the read.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
08:51 Jan 01, 2022

Great Alex, your economical, descriptive prose transported me back in time and space and drew me into a story I would not have normally read. The story is interesting! I really enjoyed the context of Sejong fighting to establish literacy within his homeland of Korea. 'What good is knowledge that can't be read?'Well done, I enjoyed this a lot.

Reply

Alex Sultan
09:23 Jan 04, 2022

Thank you, Scoop. I'm quite proud of this story. It's nice to bring another culture to light. I appreciate the read.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Lyone Fein
13:06 Dec 31, 2021

Thank you for your story. I have studied Asian history, but very little about Korea. This has improved my knowledge.

Reply

Alex Sultan
23:09 Dec 31, 2021

Thanks for reading! I'm really glad I could teach something - Korea's history is full of interesting stories like these :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
05:01 Dec 20, 2021

Absolutely beautiful. That's all that needs to be said. I especially loved the beginning - I've only read a couple of your stories and I can already tell you write a killer opening! Great stuff mate!

Reply

Alex Sultan
05:09 Dec 22, 2021

Thank you! While I'd rather have won with a fantasy story, I think I'm glad this won beat my others. It's nice to teach something. Thanks for reading!

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Francis Daisy
11:00 Nov 24, 2021

This is my new favorite historical fiction story! So glad I stumbled upon this! Yay! You ROCK!

Reply

Alex Sultan
19:11 Nov 25, 2021

Thank you. This is not at all what I usually write, and I'm really it worked out and that you liked it! Thanks for reading :)

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Caroline Smith
19:27 Nov 19, 2021

Alex, I was just scrolling through Reedsy, finding something to read and your story was amazingly informative and quite impressing. You did a very well job on your story, you deserved the win and I hope to be seeing some more stories from you. You did phenomenal on describing things that went on in the story. Thank you for inspiring me to write more. Have a terrific day.

Reply

Alex Sultan
19:37 Nov 19, 2021

감사합니다 - Thank you, Caroline. I was really passionate about writing this story. I wanted to get everything right. Your kind words are appreciated, and I'm glad I could teach something with this. All the best 😁

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
18:40 Nov 17, 2021

Really beautiful!! Well done!

Reply

Alex Sultan
18:41 Nov 17, 2021

고마워요! I appreciate the kind words 😁

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply
Julia Townson
21:54 Nov 14, 2021

Fantastic work. Great opening line. I was immediately drawn to the story. Can't wait to read more of your writing :)

Reply

Alex Sultan
22:22 Nov 14, 2021

Thank you, Julia. I'm glad you enjoyed it. This is far from what I usually write, and I really like how it turned out. I'm looking forward to the next prompt inspiring me to write more historical fiction.

Reply

Show 0 replies
Show 1 reply

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in the Reedsy Book Editor. 100% free.