By Honorary Reporter Dovletoglou Eftychia from Greece

Photo= Dovletoglou Eftychia

I quickly fell in love with K-dramas 10 years ago after watching "Boys Over Flowers." This led me to search for many other such series spanning many genres, especially history. My enthusiasm for this genre led me to write the historical novel "Joseon's Rose," which takes place in the Joseon Dynasty. I gathered a lot of information through the internet, K-dramas, my Korean friends and the Korean Embassy in Athens to ensure it was realistic. After self-publishing my book, I received many reviews from readers, but one comment stood out. The reader was curious about the future of Princess Jin-joo, the protagonist of my book. That's when I realized I wanted to expand the story of her life, and thus my literary trilogy was born.

"Joseon's Rose" is about an agreement the Greek king makes with the Joseon king on having a legitimate heir to the Joseon throne marrying a princess from the royal family of Greece. But when the time arrives, Joseon's crown prince balks at marrying a Greek princess. So the Joseon king decides to send his firstborn son (the child of a concubine), Hong Jung-woo, to wed the Greek princess Theodora. After Hong arrives in Greece, however, the princess is not the willing bride he imagined. Misunderstandings, royal weddings, secrets and third parties further widen the chasm between them, and love is only the bridge to unite them.

The trilogy's second book, "Joseon's Pearl," revolves around the princess's turbulent life and her love for the Greek warrior Alexander, Theodora's brother. But the Joseon royal court forces her into a marriage with a Japanese prince despite her protests. Theodora, who adopts the Korean name Jang-mi, is also seen in this novel with her Korean husband Jung-woo.

The final part of the trilogy, "South Korea's Angel," is about a portrait painted in 1825 of the princesses Jang-mi and Jin-joo with their husbands found 125 years later in the attic of a Greek mansion. Melina's dreams feature a man who cause her to volunteer as a nurse in the Korean War. There, she bonds with many people, most notably Capt. Tae-Ho, the man in her dreams and an orphan of the war.

After completing the trilogy, I lent copies to my neighborhood library and many read my books, among them a Greek veteran of the Korean War. He told the librarian that my books brought back memories from his time in the war. We got together, and he said he was shocked over how young I was. He told me that my "great book" had so much realism about a country and an era I had never experienced, saying he felt as if he was walking in places from decades before. It was the most beautiful moment in my writing life.

chaey0726@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.