𝓾𝓽𝓸𝓹𝓲𝓪
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Do you believe in the existence of utopia?
A concept presented in a novel by Thomas More, and commonly used to refer to an ideal world that doesn't exist: a country where everyone is happy, no one is sad, and order is maintained even without laws.
Could such a place exist?
Here, it exists.
The name of this country isEuphoria. From the country name 'happiness'Irani. It is literally a country where everyone is happy, a country called Euphoria.
All citizensthis happinessdo.
really?
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A country where politicians serve the people, citizens fulfill their duties, and everything remains beautiful. The people of Euphoria are happy.
Except for one personThat's right.
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In EuphoriaHidden SecretThere is this.
A dungeon within the palace of Euphoria. Contrary to Euphoria's outward appearance of perfection and a lack of need for law, this dark and damp dungeon holds a girl chained up, burdened with everyone's misfortune.
The girl's name was Son Yeo-ju. She was a small, delicate girl, turning 19 this year. Behind Euphoria's happiness lay the sacrifice of that little girl.
This story begins a long time ago.
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Long, long ago, there lived a man. His name was Kim Seok-jin. He was the emperor who founded Euphoria. He was a brilliant ruler, overflowing with compassion for his people.
Despite his seemingly perfect monarchy, Euphoria was constantly plagued by accidents and misfortunes. And the one who suffered the most in these circumstances was none other than Seokjin.
Someone had offered Seokjin a proposition. Oh, not a person. A demon.
Aren't they often said that a pact with the devil is both tempting and sweet? The offer the devil made to Seokjin was no different. A dangerous, yet exceedingly sweet proposition.
"Don't you want to create a country where everyone is happy? Just sacrifice one person. For everyone. How about that? Instead, when that one person leaves Euphoria, they just return to their original place."
After much deliberation, Seokjin accepted his sweet proposal. And with that, happiness was realized for everyone living in Euphoria.Except for one person.
The first victim of this misfortune was an 18-year-old boy living in the Euphoria slums. Seokjin brought this situation to the attention of the entire nation. He explained that happiness could only come from the sacrifice of a single person. If that person's misfortune ended, so would everyone's happiness. So, let's express our gratitude to him.
Most people who heard those words expressed gratitude to the unfortunate boy, and felt a sense of guilt as well. However, this was merely a superficial gesture. Perhaps because of the knowledge that his misfortune would end with his happiness, they held him captive, unable to escape. Under the pretext of protecting him, they built an underground prison and imprisoned him. And the boy's existence gradually faded from people's memories.
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That boy, the boy who became the protagonist of his first misfortune. That tiny boy, not yet an adult, shouldered everyone's misfortune. Every day must have been hell for him. In the name of self-protection, his freedom was suppressed, and in a cold prison barred from even a ray of light, he slowly lost his vitality.
He slowly lost himself in the suffering for the happiness of all, and finally he breathed his last and died.
And as he breathed his last and collapsed, a new being emerged to shoulder the misfortunes of all. It was the beginning of an endless cycle.
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Let's return to the present. The story is now nothing more than a legend. But the unfortunate protagonist still exists. Beneath that floor, in a subterranean chamber devoid of light.
And here, this guy is a new knight assigned to guard that dungeon.
A boy who had just come of age this year, with a purer and kinder heart than anyone else. He was like countless others who didn't believe in legends. His thoughts changed the moment he stepped into the dungeon.
Deep underground, devoid of light, the light of a few torches alone, the chilling dampness and cold air, and the iron bars that cut across one wall greeted him. Finally, a girl huddled inside, her hands and feet bound. To anyone who saw this, it seemed as if the entire situation was signaling to Jeongguk that the misfortune of a single person, a legend, had become her lot.
Jeongguk carefully sat down on a chair set aside. His job was to keep an eye on the girl and deliver her food, so he sat quietly, staring at her. She flinched, perhaps sensing the presence, but soon, the sheer weight of pain she was about to endure reduced her breathing to ragged gasps and groans.
Jungkook was deeply saddened and shocked by the fact that a girl who looked younger than him was suffering. He realized, watching her, that a girl was enduring all of this—sadness, pain, and suffering—a level of suffering he'd never witnessed before in his time in Euphoria.
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After a while, the female protagonist let out a ragged breath as the pain subsided and she calmed down. Jeongguk looked at her and cautiously opened his mouth.
"Uh... Hey, hello? I came here earlier and was here the whole time, but I didn't get to say hello. I'm Jeon Jungkook."
"No need. After all, you're one of the people who imprisoned me."
It was Yeoju who interrupted Jeongguk's introduction, as if he had seen his own enemy. Jeongguk couldn't help but be silent as Yeoju spoke with a fierce, resentful gaze.
But that didn't mean he was going to give up. From that day on, whenever she had a moment, he would bring her food, and even just out of boredom, he would talk to her nonstop.
Except for the first few days and the first few days, Jungkook couldn't give up on Yeoju, who didn't even respond. As those days continued, Yeoju added a word or two. And that's how he and the girl became close.
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In the midst of such daily life, Jeong-guk visited the library. He wanted to learn about the story of Yeoju and its legends. He came across a book and a passage from it. A book with a worn cover tucked away in a corner. It contained the story of Seok-jin, the first emperor of Euphoria, and the devil.
"• • • Only one person has to be sacrificed. For everyone. How about it?Instead, if one of them leaves Euphoria, it just returns to its original place."The devil said this. After much thought, the first emperor, Emperor Kim Seok-jin, agreed to the deal. And that day, • • • who lived in the slums」
It was a storybook-style book, containing a conversation between Emperor Seokjin and the devil. It was detailed enough to answer all of Jeongguk's questions. The devil's words from that book resonated deeply with Jeongguk that day.
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One day, the girl said she wanted to leave this place. She wanted to face the sunlight and breathe in the cool, blue air. She wanted to step onto the green grass and return to her ordinary life, no different from anyone else's.
At the female protagonist's words, Jeongguk unconsciously blurted out.
"Once you leave the borders of Euphoria, your suffering will end."
"Wait, what does that mean?"
It was a situation where I was about to continue speaking, but then I realized I had to give up. Still, the woman persisted, so I had no choice but to share what I had learned from the book.
"They say the emperor made a pact with the devil long ago. That's why you're suffering now, and why Euphoria is happy. But the devil set a condition. If the suffering person leaves Euphoria, everything will go back to the beginning. I read it in a book the other day. I don't know if it's true, but I don't think it's an exaggeration."
When he told the heroine what he had seen, her expression contorted. It seemed to reflect her own feelings. The reason he had ended up like this was absurd and resentful, but the thought that perhaps there was a way out of this suffering flashed through his mind. Between the resentment and sadness, a ray of hope emerged.
But all the trapped heroine could do now was endure the pain that came every day, every moment. It was a day when she held onto a fleeting glimmer of hope.
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The gap between the imprisoned and the guard wasn't easily bridged. But, unbeknownst to each other, the two had gradually fallen for each other and longed to share their love. However, the pain of shackling the female protagonist was the only obstacle standing in their way. So, Jeong-guk made a proposal.
"Lady, let's go. We're leaving Euphoria."
It was Jeong-guk, who considered his own duty secondary to love, who spoke first. He suggested they leave this place, leave Euphoria, be free from suffering, and dream of a happy future together.
Freedom from the pain they had only dreamed of. There was no way the heroine could have refused that sweet offer. From that day on, the two began plotting to leave Euphoria. Except for Jeong-guk, who was tasked with protecting it, and the emperor, who knew the whole story and had given Jeong-guk the mission, most people were unaware of Yeo-ju's existence. So, from the moment Jeong-guk cooperated, their escape was almost certain to succeed.
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And the day dawned when I was determined to escape.
Contrary to their fears, the escape went more smoothly than expected. The current emperor's disposition also contributed to this. He was reluctant to let the people of Euphoria know the truth about the previous emperor's pact with the devil, the existence of the female protagonist, and the reasons for their happiness. He also wanted to take full credit for the situation. Therefore, he assigned the mission to Jeong-guk, a trusted figure, and even showed him a less obvious route. Through this route, the female protagonist and Jeong-guk attempted to escape.
The two who escaped the palace more smoothly than expected were met with pain for the female protagonist. It was difficult to move even a single step due to the pain that made it difficult to move, and since it was not yet deep night, but early evening when the sun was beginning to set, people began to look at the female protagonist strangely.
Jeongguk gritted his teeth. The thought flashed through his mind: if he didn't succeed this time, he would be killed by the emperor, and the female protagonist would never be able to emerge again.
"Lady, please bear with it for a little longer."
Jungkook, who had been muttering softly to the woman who was writhing in pain, immediately picked her up and headed to where he had tied his horse. Quickly mounting his horse to avoid being seen by others, Jungkook began galloping, holding her in his arms. He set off, far beyond the Euphoria border, where the sun was setting.
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Jungkook and Yeoju finally crossed the border, and Euphoria underwent a major transformation. People began to suffer, and occasionally, crimes occurred. Some even blamed the current emperor for the sudden disappearance of happiness, and many things changed accordingly. Yet, even in this everyday life, happiness existed. Small joys born from helping others. Happiness found in spending time with family after work. Small but certain joys found in the midst of a tiring daily life. It wasn't as bad as one might expect, enough to kill. Everyone lived ordinary lives.
An ordinary life, sometimes happy and sometimes unhappy, with happy days and sad days. And that ordinary euphoria.
Do you think the two people who created this situation did the right thing? What are your thoughts on the choices they made, which destroyed everyone's happiness and brought about the ordinary lives of many? Was it truly the right choice for those who endured the suffering for everyone? Or should they have endured it to the end and continued the cycle?
Nothing is wrong. They're just different. However, the shackles have already been broken, and the two are living out the rest of their lives in a quiet place, not in euphoria. An ordinary life, no different from anyone else's.
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Later, a history book tells the following story:
「 • • • That day, the two left Euphoria. The happiness in Euphoria's name lost its light. However, an ordinary daily life was born for everyone. There were many people who cursed the two, and many who did not remember them. The emperor at the time wanted to find the two and punish them, but they were nowhere to be found. However, about 100 years later, a small hut was discovered near the border of Euphoria, and inside it, the remains presumed to be those of the two were discovered • • •」
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Freed from their suffering, the heroine and Jeong-guk vanished into history. They created a Euphoria that was no longer filled with only happiness, but one where happiness also existed.
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𝓕𝓲𝓷
Hello! I'm the author :)
This short story was inspired by the book "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas." The question of whether the sacrifice of the few for the many is justified always seems to be a dilemma, so I wanted to incorporate that into the story. Was that a good idea?🤔
It's been a while so I wanted to write a long post and bring it to you, but it's a bit disappointing 😂 I'll write other works from time to time and bring them to you! Thank you always :)
If you don't mind, please send me a message!
Thank you for reading🙇♀️
2021.06.06