DRAFTING | Korean myth retelling

Blurb

She was supposed to drown. He wasn’t supposed to catch her.

Shim Cheong sold herself to the sea to save her father. She didn’t expect to wake in a palace beneath the waves, kept alive by a dragon king who breaks cosmic law every day he lets her breathe. She didn’t expect to find a life worth wanting — or a god worth choosing.

But the sea keeps its debts. And the price of her heartbeat is coming due.

Characters

Shim Cheong

• Painfully self-sacrificing
• Unphased by death
• Loves kong-jan
• Ruled by Joseon propriety
• Best friend is a mudskipper named Motnani

Yongwang (Dragon King)

• Ancient dragon king
• Perpetually barefoot
• Has a secret place to relax
• Defies cosmic order when a drowning woman drifts into his hand