Goryeo — 949 AD.

Night settles heavily over the palace.

King Gwangjong, Wang So, stands alone at the edge of the royal lake. The water is dark, reflecting the moon like a blade laid flat upon stone. His hands rest behind his back, posture rigid, unmoving. No cup of tea this time — only silence.

He does not watch the water for peace. He watches it for truth.

Ripples spread as a fish breaks the surface. The sound is sharp, brief. Somewhere in the distance, a bell marks the passing hour. The palace behind him sleeps uneasily, aware of the king who does not.

For a moment, there is no court, no executions, no laws carved in blood.

Only a man shaped by solitude, staring into a world he has forced into order — and wondering whether the reflection looking back at him is a king… or the wolf that was never allowed to rest.