Moon didn't think. Couldn't think.
The moment the glowing white thread tugged her little finger, something inside her chest something snapped loose (fear, logic, everything) and her body moved on its own. Her breath shook. Her heart raced painfully against her ribs like it wanted to break free and run ahead of her.
Her hair was wild from panic and moonlight, her robe slipping off one shoulder, bare feet cold against the wooden floor. She whispered, voice trembling with fear and disbelief:
"…Follow it. Follow the thread…"
And she ran.
She didn't know where she was going, only that the thread floated ahead like a living thing, pulling her through the sleeping palace. Her footsteps echoed frantic along the quiet corridor, empty corridor—bare soles slapping tatami, then polished wood, then stone again. Her hair streamed behind her, black silk whipping in the moonlit hallway. Her robe fluttered loose, revealing the pale curve of her neck and shoulder, moonlight painting her skin silver. Her expression (fear, awe, shock, hope) tangled into something painfully human, eyes wide and shining, lips parted on silent gasps.
The palace was silent.
Except for the flute.
Soft. Distant. Calling.
It rose and fell like a heartbeat, guiding her the same way it had on the mountain, the same way it had pulled her across worlds.
Moon followed with frantic urgency— past red pillars that loomed like sleeping giants, under silk curtains that billowed like ghosts, through courtyards where koi slept beneath lotus leaves, the glowing thread always just ahead, always tugging, always promising.
Until—
BAM.
Her forehead collided hard with someone's back.
A tall someone. A warm someone. Someone who smelled faintly of rare perfume and winter wind.
Moon stumbled back—hands flying to her head, eyes watering instantly. "Ah—! Sorry—sorry—SORRY!" She bowed on pure reflex, hair falling forward in a messy dark curtain over her face, robe slipping further off her shoulder in the chaos.
The man she'd crashed into turned—
And the moonlight poured over Lord Jin-shi.
Perfect features. Unreal beauty. Hair like spilled ink catching silver light. Eyes wide, golden, stunned.
For one heartbeat, the world stopped.
He didn't blink. Didn't breathe.
He just stared at her— at the girl who had appeared out of nowhere, robe half-falling, cheeks flushed, eyes huge and trembling, hair wild and moonlit, bare feet, skin glowing like porcelain under starlight.
To lord Jinshi, she didn't look human.
She looked like a moon fairy who had tripped and crashed into him by accident.
He opened his mouth—voice soft, startled, almost reverent.
"Wai—"
But Moon was already gone.
She slipped past him in a heartbeat—bare feet flashing, robe fluttering, hair whipping behind her like a comet tail—chasing the glowing thread that danced just ahead, disappearing around the corner without looking back.
The thread glowed once— twice— then vanished.
And with it— the flute stopped. the scent faded. the air fell still.
Lord Jinshi stood alone in the moonlit corridor, frozen.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears, loud and unfamiliar.
That scent again……that melody…and then—her.
He stared at the empty hallway where the girl had vanished, eyebrows lowering in rare, genuine confusion.
Who was that girl…?Why was she running alone at this hour?That appearance… that presence…like she had fallen straight from the moon itself…
He turned slowly toward the courtyard, moonlight bathing his face in pale silver, the cool night air brushing his skin where her shoulder had collided.
Where she had touched him, his skin still felt faintly warm.
The scent had vanished completely— the flute had been silenced— as if they had been following her, not him.
He looked up at the moon hanging full and quiet above the palace roofs, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, the way they did when a new, dangerous puzzle appeared on his desk.
Thread… scent… music…And that girl.
There is more here than chance.
He stood there a long time— confused, searching for answers he didn't yet have, unable to erase the brief glimpse of the mysterious girl who had run through moonlight and left the night itself feeling changed.
The moon watched silently.
The palace slept.
And Jinshi knew— with the certainty of someone who had spent his life reading hidden meanings in smiles and silences—
This was not the end of it.
Disclaimer
This work is a fan-made story inspired by The Apothecary Diaries. The world, its canon characters, and original setting belong to their creators.
Moon, her journey, and all new scenes written here are entirely my own creations. This story is shared purely for love of the universe and for personal enjoyment. No copyright infringement is intended.