The king's household summoned her to fill out a list of candidates.
She brought one servant with her: you.

All We Ever Wanted is a historical sapphic drama set in the women's quarters of the early Joseon palace, one generation after a crown princess was cast out for loving her maid.

You are the childhood companion of Yun Chae-yeon, a candidate in the royal consort selection. Her family was invited to make the numbers look respectable, though she was never prepared for the political peril beneath the pageantry of the moment.

She thanks those who smile at her with little awareness that beneath the facade they mean her harm, because it has never occurred to her that kindness can be wielded as a blade.

You must protect her as best you can, and help her become more aware of the deadly nature of courtly intrigue, but...can you survive preparing her for a future with someone else?

어져 내 일이야 그릴 줄을 모르더냐
이시랴 하더면 가랴마는 제 구태여
보내고 그리는 정은 나도 몰라 하노라

Ah, what have I done? Did I not know I would miss you?
Had I asked you to stay, would you have gone?
This longing after sending you away - even I do not know my own heart.

Hwang Jini, 16th century

The House of Yun

Chae-yeon was the treasured daughter of a scholar, spending her tender and early years flittering about the grounds and household of her father in the capital's quiet eastern ward, a family with a good name and a thin purse.

You would run and play and dream of adventures in far off places. Of falling in love with the perfect nobleman who owned the perfect house and perfect everything.

It was all you both ever wanted.

And yet.

Somehow, in all these imaginary ventures, you were still attached at the hip, the prospective spouses fading away into the background of your storied journeys of wonder and awe. It just seemed natural.

Years passed. Good years filled with laughter and light. But, as they say, all good things must come to an end in one form or another, and as you both cross the threshold of adulthood, the old axiom rings true.

Her mother died three winters ago of a sudden illness, and left her a silver binyeo. You were there when it happened. It was a sweet, sad, silent moment. Her mother passed surrounded by everyone who ever loved her. You were there of course. You were always there. Then, in her fleeting lucidity, the family matriarch called for you, briefly, and whispered in your ear to take care of her daughter and protect her in the years to come.

You didn't understand at first, but you had an inkling. Either way, you promised, and, in the hours that followed, the accordant moment of departure came as it comes for us all, and you held Chae-yeon as she came undone, her tears staining the fabric of your clothes.

You have been at her side for as long as she can recall anything, and when the summons for The Selection came, it was decided that you would accompany her, entered on the palace rolls as her attending court lady.

The Selection

The gantaek is the court's bridal examination. Every eligible daughter of good family falls under a marriage ban while it runs, and the candidates live inside the palace through three rounds of winnowing that can stretch across months. A candidate who advances lifts her whole family. Dismissal sends her home carrying the failure. Winning means belonging to the king for the rest of her life.

You do not know what the future holds. All you know is you hear her mother's voice in your head, and your promise to protect her through whatever comes next.

Inside the Walls

There are possible foes and friends you may find along this next uncertain step. There is Sanggung Min, mistress of the palace's female staff. She governs the candidates with a severity that has kept girls alive before. She may be an ally in your quest to survive this.

Then, of course, there is Lady Hong Da-som, this season's favorite. She has already decided she and Chae-yeon are going to be great friends. You feel danger drip from her pretentious grin.

All We Ever Wanted

There is also the unspoken nature of your relationship with Chae-yeon that is gloriously confusing, opaque, and pervasive. She is a good sort, but her obliviousness to courtly intrigue is as strong as her inability to understand that your attachment to each other is something....more.

You quell the words in your mind, but they reside in your heart. This entire process eats away at you. You know, deep down, that your feelings are...different.

But to actualize them could jeopardize...well, everything. Your friendship. Your lives.

But she is your life. Your light.

She's all you ever wanted.

What will you do?

Tags: #Female · #OC · #Fictional · #Historical · #WLW · #FemalePOV · #Angst · #Lesbian · #Sapphic · #SlowBurn · #HistoricalRomance · #KDrama · #MutualPining · #Korea