1 White Tiger under the Bamboo Tree

Feeling incredibly tired, Song Yuna spent her usual day at the practice room on a Saturday.

During weekdays, she attended school from eight AM to four PM. And after, she goes to her company and has self-management classes for an hour that starts at six PM, voice lessons for two hours, and dance lessons for two hours. Her classes finished at exactly eleven PM with the other idol trainees like her.

But today was not the typical day for Yuna. It was announced that she was included in the final lineup that the company has to debut in one hundred days.

Yuna could not contain her happiness when she heard the news and was appointed as the leader of the future idol group, "Evergreen."

Even the name for her felt elegant and sophisticated; she did not even want to tarnish the group's reputation.

D-100 before their official debut date. Yuna finally ended the darkest tunnel in her life and saw the light that will save her. She has not sacrificed her youth for anything at all. Other students at her age have been preparing for their college entrance exam, but Yuna has never experienced a good life as a teen approaching her twenties.

Ever since she became a trainee four years ago, she had not been on any school trips and spent most of her time in the basement practicing songs and dances, wondering when she would be able to debut.

"Song Yuna," A soft voice suddenly called Yuna's name, and she tensed up. Yuna was so lost in her thought process that she forgot she was meeting up with her best friend, Min Harin.

Turning her head, Yuna greeted Harin with a slight wave of her hand and smiled, "Harin! It's great to see you!" She continued, "I have good news and bad news! Which one would you prefer to know first?"

Harin looked too cute and adorable for Yuna. She was petite and wore comfy clothes; a long-sleeved white sweater and denim jeans. A bob cut hair with see-through bangs suited Harin's face the most, as she has always been popular with men due to her small stature and cute nature.

Opposite Harin, Yuna has always been tall among her peers. At a towering height of 168 cm, she had equally nice proportions with her body. Her talents and confidence made her pass the audition as a trainee in one of Korea's best idol companies.

For Hardin, she has been friends with Yuna for a long time, ever since they were in elementary school. Even though they were both pretty, she always felt inferior next to Yuna. Yuna seemed to be almost better than her in terms of school, family, friends and popularity.

But both of them treated each other equally and cared for each other. After all, the group was close enough that they almost knew every secret that the other person has. They treat each other as best friends.

"I want to know the bad news first, then," Harin replied as she gazed at Yuna, lifting her chin higher due to Yuna's tall stature. "Bad news, then, good news. Give me all of that because I am ready!"

Snickering in amusement, Yuna acted like she was really sad about certain news and frowned. "Okay. The bad news is that I think this will be the last time that I can personally hangout with you, Harin."

"What? Why?" Harin demanded for an answer as she could not believe what Yuna just said.

Instead of frowning, Yuna then smiled from ear to ear, removing the tense atmosphere created earlier. "It is because I am finally making my debut as an idol one hundred days from now!"

A surprised look plastered on Harin's face. Certainly, she did not expect her best friend to debut so soon! She instantly became happy for her and started jumping, "Woah! I am so happy and proud of you, Yuna! You deserve that!"

"Thanks, Harin!" Yuna leaned in towards Harin, aiming for a hug. "You are the first one who got to know that! You should be honored!"

"Yes, I am honored, Song Yuna," Harin joked as she chuckled. "Now, why don't we enter the national museum for me to accomplish my goal too and enter a prestigious university in Seoul?"

"Oh, right," Yuna awkwardly laughed. She remembered how both of them were standing just a few meters away from the national museum entrance. Not to mention her trendy outfit does not even match the place. She wore a fashionable black bra underneath her black see-through cropped shirt, high-waist baggy hip hop pants, and black leather shoes that fit her hip and trendy outfit. It was nighttime, and it was the first time that the national museum was open for the public at this hour.

It did not look like she would go to a museum. It was as if she was going to a club or anywhere to dance.

"Don't you think I will look out of place?" Yuna asked Harin as she pointed out her outfit, "I don't think I will suit the library."

"What do you mean by that?" Harin looked at Yuna from head to toe, scolding her as a response. "You are wearing clothes; it doesn't matter. All of us are free to wear whatever we want. Now, you have to go inside the library and accompany me to study for two hours!"

It was the weekend, and luckily, she finished all of her lessons at six and had a simple vegetable salad for dinner. That was the reason why she could fulfill her promise and accompany Harin to the museum.

"Okay, okay, I understand", Yuna raised both of her hands as he wanted to come across that she agreed.

The two young women entered the museum. Yuna gaped; the museum was big enough when it was located in the downtown area. There were three huge 13 meter-tall bookshelves filled with over 50,000 books and magazines combined with the museum. Her jaw dropped, and she exclaimed, "Wow, I have never been here."

A smile plastered on Harin's face seeing how fascinated Yuna was with the library. Other people stared at her with a judging look on their faces. It was not because Yuna came from the countryside, she lived her life in Seoul, but she could not go to different places such as this one as she spent most of her time as a young teenager helping her mom's kimbap restaurant later on becoming an idol trainee.

Harin even had the opportunity to go to several cram schools, but Yuna managed to study independently.

"That's great then," Harin grabbed Yuna's hand, approached the nearest bookshelf, and started looking for some books. "Yuna, your company made you study the Chinese language, right?"

"Yes, I have Chinese, Japanese and English certifications. Why do you ask?" Yuna asked as she started looking for an unknown book. "Wait, why am I even looking for something?"

"Wow, trainees get those lessons?" Harin shook her head disapprovingly. "Good thing your company does not impose trainee debt or else, you won't even earn money one year after debut."

"I know, other small companies implement trainee debts," Yuna replied, seemingly thankful about her situation. Some popular idols revealed they did not earn a single cent three years after debut."

This time, it was Harin's turn to gasp."What? Certainly, I did not expect that."

"Nothing is easy," Yuna trailed off as she looked at one certain spot in the bookshelf. The atmosphere reminded her of her beginning as a trainee. She received love and energy but sadness and loneliness at the same time. And later on, she gained friends, and her momentum was already balanced. "Small companies can be a gamble because of money investments, while big companies have the biggest competition." Snapping herself back to reality, Yuna ended up turning her head t look at Harin. "Enough of this talk, haha. Can I ask you about what kind of book you are planning to find?"

"Korean mythologies related to the white tiger," Harin answered with a smile. "I heard that I could enhance my knowledge about language, art and history by reading a book and going to look at paintings," Harin old Yuna as she started looking for several books among the shelves in Korean literature. Finally, grabbing a book of her choice, Harin seemed to be not satisfied with it. "I am trying to find anything related to the book and painting because my instructor made us write something about Chinese characters in paintings,"

"I see, but I don't think it's going to make learning Art and History easier, though; you do know that when King Sejeong did not invent Hangul, the Korean Alphabet, they all had to learn Chinese characters in it," Yuna muttered to herself. Her voice quivered as Harin looked like she was very determined to learn anything. "Are you willing to learn Chinese characters too?

Suddenly, an old lady who looked like she was familiar with the four corners of the wall in this huge library spoke. "I know where a painting is located at."

"Really, ma'am?" Yuna politely asked as the older woman, furrowing her brows, indicating how serious she became. "Can you tell us where?"

"It is an old painting of a Joseon artis, a tiger under the bamboo tree. I see can only point it out to you, but I can't go there." The old lady replied with a sophisticated smile. She looked like she was already in her 60's, and yet she looked incredibly beautiful.

There was something about her that made the atmosphere strange. It was not creepy, and it was not scary either. The library with minimal noise suddenly turned quiet, as if they were the only people left in the library. Yuna felt drawn towards the old lady's charm.

A gold-plated white tiger pendant necklace caught her attention. She remembered back then how the white tigers symbolized the Korean people in history. It was considered a mythical creature.

Yuna did not know what was on her mind, but she thought how the white tigers must have been lonely throughout their lifetime. Little did Yuna know that white tigers were already extinct in this lifetime.

At least, in her country.

The old lady became silent and only observed the two youngsters in front of her. It was as if she was assessing them from head to toe and thought to herself, 'Who among them will replace me as the priestess who will summon the white tiger?'

"Where is it, ma'am?" This time, Harin's turn to ask, pressing the old lady even more so that she can start studying with Yuna. "I really have to pass my tests."

"I understand," The old lady replied and gracefully smiled. Her body turned towards the northwest and pointed at the second floor. "There is a book called 'Four Guardians' there, and if you read basic Chinese Mandarin, you can find the book easily. The painting is around there too. You can definitely find them on your own."

"Thank you!" Harin replied as she hastily went over to the escalator and rode it enthusiastically.

Before Yuna could take a step forward, she thought it would be a little bit disrespectful to leave directly, so she bowed her head and said, "Thank you!"

"The one who wants to wear the crown must bear its weight." The old lady muttered in her breath.

"Y-yes?"

Instinctively, Yuna did not know why the old lady said that. Was it implied to her?

"Keep that in mind, young lady," The old lady grinned as she turned her back away from her. She looked elegant in her traditional outfit. That was the reason why the old lady seemed so refined and sophisticated. She slowly walked like there was something on her head, and her choice of words was very dramatic.

For a moment, Yuna questioned how the other people did not stare at the woman weirdly. It is not common for older women to go to a library and dress in traditional outfits, right?

Well, no one has scolded her for wearing a cropped top and a very hip and trendy outfit inside a library.

So, it was almost like a free world. A democratic world wherein you can choose to wear whatever you wanted and no one will judge you.

Ha, that is impossible.

With a light and floaty feeling, Yuna started to go to where Harin was. When she arrived, Yuna found out Harin was scanning another history book. The bookshelves on the second floor were organized, and there were not a lot of people present.

It was obvious that not a lot of people come to the area. Realizing that she was now curious about the book Harin mentioned, she went on a full rampage mode to find where the book was.

But as she was wandering around the room, it suddenly felt chilly. Winter finally left, and the spring has finally come, but it seemed like the night was still cold as well. Yuna always hated the cold and preferred the weather between May and June.

Then she finally found the white tiger painting that the old lady pointed out. Yuna was about to call Harin to look at the painting; she heard a voice calling out for her name. It does not seem like Yuna thought it was calling her name, so she ended up staring at the masterpiece in front of her.

Kim Hong-do's painting depicted a tiger under a pine tree, whose trunks are painted in bold strokes that make it a superb representation of a pine tree.

It was regarded as the finest tiger paintings among those produced for appreciation during the Joseon period. The painting depicted the tiger coming down from the mountain, facing the front, a device that enhanced the majesty of the tiger, the king of beasts. Along with the tiger in the refined and vivid style of court artists, it presented the idea of the Joseon tiger painting.

A blinding white light was emitted from the painting. Closing her eyes, Yuna made sure she was not hallucinating in any way because of the sudden change of the environment and background.