01. The Language of Healing

01. The Language of Healing “Gentle words are a tree of life, but a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” (Job 15:4) Meanwhile, a few years ago, the princess had begged the king to let her go to the market outside the palace, where she met a slave. At first glance, he was clearly a slave, but his demeanor and bearing were unlike any ordinary slave. Although he couldn’t speak Egyptian, which made her think he wasn’t Egyptian, he didn’t feel unfamiliar or distant to the princess. When the slave was about to be punished by a soldier for not showing proper respect, the princess intervened, fearing something terrible might happen to him. Feeling a bit sympathetic, she approached him to check if he was harmed, and when their eyes met, she felt as if she was being drawn into his soul. If General Potiphar hadn’t intervened and urged her to move on, she might have caused a scene in front of the people, which would have been embarrassing and disgraceful. Despite this, the memory of his face lingered, and she longed to see him again. However, she couldn’t order the soldiers to find him, and even if she did, it would be difficult to locate a wandering merchant, and the merchant might not know who bought the slave. Thus, she thought it was impossible to find him. She mused that unless a special god granted her a special opportunity, seeing him again was impossible. The more she thought about it, the more her face darkened with longing and regret. Seeing her like this, her father, the king, seemed worried. One day, he called her and asked, “Is something troubling you?” But it wasn’t something she could tell him. So she said there was no problem, but when he asked why she wasn’t as bright and cheerful as before, she couldn’t answer. The king then gently said, “Princess, it would be nice if you could dance again and give advice on the affairs of the kingdom as you used to!” The princess could only reply, “Yes!” and withdrew from his presence. Then one day, the king announced a rare event in Egyptian history: a dance competition open to all Egyptians. She thought this was a ridiculous event organized solely for her sake. That evening, she quietly visited the king and asked him to cancel the event, fearing it would make Egypt look foolish and weak to neighboring countries, possibly leading to an invasion. She also felt it would be a greater disservice to her father if such an event caused trouble. However, the king explained that he had other plans and reassured her. His reasons were as follows:01 To focus the people’s attention on one thing,02 To allow the people to enjoy themselves,03 To show the king’s love for his people,04 To strengthen the royal authority and unify the nation’s power, making Egypt the greatest kingdom. She couldn’t argue further and the dance competition proceeded. After many preliminary rounds, the finals were approaching. Believing in the king’s words, she found the event quite interesting. She was particularly excited to see the best dancers from all over Egypt compete, a once-in-a-lifetime event. As she regained interest in dancing, her thoughts about the slave began to settle. She felt that this national dance competition would be a good challenge to transform her life’s pain into dance. Indeed, the skills of the dancers exceeded expectations, mocking those who thought dancing was only for nobles and officials. Among them, she was most impressed by an elderly couple over 60 who had been selected as regional representatives and made it to the finals. Their lifelong dedication to dance was evident in their beautiful performance. Inspired, she felt a new surge of energy, determined to dance with the same spirit and attitude. However, the young dancers were also formidable. As the finals progressed, the performances became more challenging, and the audience was in a frenzy. The princess couldn’t help but smile, thinking of the king’s words. She was also curious about the palace representative, whose identity was kept secret by royal decree until the finals. If she hadn’t met the young slave at the market, she wouldn’t have been troubled and would have participated in the competition. As a princess, she would have naturally been the palace representative, as there was no one in the palace who could match her in dance. However, she couldn’t think of a suitable partner. Among the officials’ children, there were some notable dancers, but their differing political views prevented them from forming a team. The king had anticipated this atmosphere. Unlike the common people, nobles and officials were likely to be dissatisfied with such events, and if the palace representative was revealed early, it could lead to political conflicts. Thus, the king decreed that the palace representative’s identity remain secret until the finals.Therefore, this matter had to be known only to the dance teacher. If this fact were to be revealed, the dance teacher’s life could not be guaranteed. Hence, who would dare to ask him about it, and even if someone did, the dance teacher could not risk his life to answer. Moreover, it would be disgraceful for nobles or high-ranking officials to defy the king’s order just to find out who the chosen participant was, making them appear frivolous and bringing shame upon themselves. However, not many could suppress their instinctive curiosity. As time passed, the curiosity about the palace representative grew. Yet, no one could find out, and this curiosity only intensified among the nobles and officials, creating a cycle of increasing curiosity. By diverting their attention to the dance competition, the king’s plan was effectively working. Like everyone else, I was also very curious. However, no suitable couple came to mind despite my efforts to deduce. Nevertheless, the dance teacher assigned the performance order from the least to the most skilled teams, making it predictable that the better teams would perform later, which could simplify the competition’s atmosphere and reduce people’s interest. The problem was that the participants’ order became known as they were informed of their performance times to prepare. Previously, there was curiosity about who the palace representative was, but now everyone knew that the palace representative would perform last, raising great curiosity about who this best performer was. Then, the last team’s name announced by the host was unexpectedly Potiphar’s wife and a man named Joseph. The princess analyzed quickly. Potiphar’s wife was a capable and experienced woman. But the problem was Joseph, a name she had never heard before, not found among the nobles or officials’ children. This name was not Egyptian but Hebrew. So, had someone been urgently brought from Hebrew? But that didn’t make sense either, as the king’s intention was for the competition to be among Egyptians only, and Potiphar’s wife wouldn’t have done such a thing. Thinking this made her head complicated, and she slightly frowned, bringing a hand to her forehead. Suddenly, she remembered something. Recently, Potiphar’s wife had been appearing at parties with a young man who had never danced. It turned out that this young man was a slave sold to Potiphar’s house, who had been granted freedom to manage Potiphar’s household. But if Potiphar’s wife had hidden him for this competition, that didn’t make sense either, as the competition was announced after the rumors spread. As her thoughts became more tangled like reading a detective novel, applause from the audience began. Looking up at the stage, she saw Potiphar’s wife and a young man taking their positions to dance, just as the rumors described. The princess began analyzing again with this new information. Potiphar’s wife had the experience and stability of a middle-aged woman, but the problem was the young man. The age difference seemed unbalanced. Middle-aged couples should be with middle-aged partners, and young couples with young partners, as it looked more visually fitting. But a middle-aged woman and a young man? Even if pursuing the beauty of imbalance, a middle-aged man and a young woman would fit better. But this team seemed too mismatched. As the music started, the last team’s dance, which had drawn much curiosity, began. At that moment, all her eval‎uations and imaginations crumbled. Their dance was more harmonious than she had imagined. The combination of the middle-aged woman’s skill and the young man’s vigor created a dynamic and unique depth. She thought to herself, “Ah! It can be like that!” The critical thoughts she had towards them disappeared, and she found herself exclaiming in admiration. Their synchronization was impressive! Watching them, she realized something new. “The true depth of dance is not in the external conditions but in the meeting of the partners’souls!” She realized this, and it seemed she wasn’t the only one. The nobles and officials who prided themselves on knowing dance, along with everyone in the arena, were united in this realization. She thought, “This is true peace, This is true happiness!” “Did Father foresee this?” “Did he plan this unique event to leave such happiness and peace?” As she pondered this, the music’s tempo changed to a bright and lively tune, and the two began dancing a strange dance never seen or heard before, which felt refreshing rather than awkward.“Is this a dance that exists in this world? Or is it a dance from thousands of years in the futurethat has mistakenly appeared now?” As she thought this, some in the audience began to boo, which was out of place with the previous atmosphere. She realized that some people define their world by what they are familiar with, rejecting anything new or true that doesn’t fit their established standards. On the other hand, those who didn’t boo might just go with the flow or hold back their reactions until a clear trend emerges, then follow it as if it were the only truth.However, in the end, none of these things will matter. Facts and truths have unchanging characteristics, so eventually, when they fill their hearts with the truth, there will come a day when everyone feels and acknowledges the same. As I was thinking this, the music started to speed up and build up, then suddenly stopped abruptly. The two people also stopped their final dance moves sharply in sync with the music, concluding the dance. At that moment, I felt something hot burst out from my chest. Without realizing it, I stood up from my seat. The same happened to all the spectators who had been unable to react or show any response. All the accumulated frustration, like old skin dirt, disappeared, and a deep sense of refreshment and liberation filled their hearts. Then, everyone stood up as one, shouting “Wow!” and clapping, falling into a frenzy of enthusiastic excitement. I had danced a lot before, but only now did I realize how powerful and moving dance could be. After organizing my thoughts, the host announced that they would proceed with the awards ceremony as promised to the winners. As the host called out the names, the award recipients came up to the stage and received their awards according to their ranks. Finally, the highlight of the day, the winner’s wish fulfillment time, remained. It was also a time of interest and envy for all the people. When the host called out, Potiphar’s wife and Joseph came up to the stage together. To approach the king, Joseph walked ahead and turned beside Potiphar. As Joseph passed by Potiphar, he slightly bowed his head, showing respect, giving the impression that he was already well-acquainted with Potiphar. As he naturally passed by me, he also bowed his head to show respect. I also lightly nodded my head in response. But at that moment, when I saw Joseph’s face, I was shocked as if I had been electrocuted. “Ah! That slave!” The slave I had seen in the market someday! It was definitely that slave who had completely captured my heart. It clearly looked like him to me. However, he proceeded towards the king without any particular reaction. As Potiphar’s wife also lightly greeted me, I was still in a tense state while receiving her greeting. Potiphar’s wife also passed by me and headed towards the king. Seeing Joseph, who showed no reaction to me, “Did I see the wrong person?” I thought, but I couldn’t forget the slave whose impression had deeply stuck with me that day. How empty and wandering my heart had been, wanting to see that slave once more! But there was no way I could have mistaken such a person. It was indeed strange. The slave I had seen in the market couldn’t speak Egyptian at all and was clearly a slave. But the Joseph standing on the stage today looked completely different. Only then did I recall the rumors about Potiphar’s wife. “That’s right! Didn’t they say she freed a slave?” Then Joseph was definitely the slave I had seen. And thinking back, I remembered what Potiphar had said when leaving the market. “How come the slave doesn’t look like a slave! Isn’t that right, Princess?” Thinking about it now, it seemed Potiphar hadn’t just said that casually. Potiphar, who had noticed my feelings, had subtly tested my heart, and although I didn’t show a big reaction, Potiphar had already read my heart.  That’s why Potiphar had safely escorted me to the palace that day and probably paid a lot of money to the slave trader to buy the slave. So, that slave was Joseph. Then, was Potiphar’s action of buying Joseph a coincidence? If Potiphar had done this with a special intention, would it be beneficial or detrimental to Egypt or myself? Moreover, making a slave who knew nothing about Egypt into what he was today left room for such speculation. Or was he originally someone who danced well in his hometown? But it didn’t seem like that. No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem like an issue that could cause a big problem. Then, it seemed Potiphar just wanted to solidify his position by connecting with me. Thinking about eval‎uating Potiphar, who was sitting next to me, I suddenly felt sorry. At that moment, the king asked Potiphar’s wife about her wish, and her unexpected answer that she wished Potiphar would come home early embarrassed Potiphar once more. Now, Potiphar was being hit repeatedly by me, sitting next to him, and by his lifelong partner, his wife, without even knowing it. Thinking about it, I felt a bit sorry for Potiphar. When Potiphar’s wife expressed her wish, the same question was finally given to Joseph. If Joseph was indeed that slave and stood here today, he was undoubtedly an extraordinary person. Moreover, wasn’t this a place where any wish he made would be granted? Even if he asked for considerable wealth or status, or a combination of both, the king would surely grant it. Because, as the king had already revealed to me, the reason for this competition already contained the answer, but people just didn’t know it. Then, Joseph, who would be freed from slavery and gain some wealth and status within a few years of coming to Egypt, was indeed an extraordinary person. (But what I hadn’t realized was that Joseph’s greatness was in completely capturing my heart. And he was a slave…) Finally, Joseph answered the question given to him. But hearing his answer, I almost fainted. His answer was as follows: “Your Majesty! I have no special wishes. However, there is one thing. Although I have not seen it myself, I have heard rumors that the princess’s dancing skills are extraordinary. As someone who loves and enjoys dancing, if Your Majesty permits, my only wish is to prepare a dance with the most beautiful princess in the world and perform it in front of Your Majesty at the next banquet.” I had said, “Please translate the following into English.” At first, I was eval‎uating and thinking on my own, making my own inferences, when this answer completely blindsided me. And another thing was that I was included in that wish. Just a moment ago, the person who had acted as if they didn’t know me at all was now mentioning me in this setting, and thinking about it made my face flush red, and I wanted to crawl into a hole.The problem was my father’s thoughts. In fact, my father had been anxious for a long time because he had no children, and finally, he had me late in life. Although I was a daughter, a great celebration was held not only in the palace but throughout the country, and everyone was delighted. Especially my father, who had a child after a long time, would always hold me and dote on me whenever he had time. Moreover, as I grew older, I became so smart that I would often sit on my father’s lap and give my opinions on state affairs when he had a headache, and he would sometimes take hints from my words to handle matters, as he once told me.Then, when I was three years old, unexpectedly, I had a younger brother. However, due to the late childbirth, my mother couldn’t overcome the ordeal and passed away after giving birth to my brother. After that, all the ministers were delighted with the prince, who would succeed the throne, but my father still doted on me. Despite my young age, he often had me attend state affairs, and sometimes even the ministers were amazed at my ability to accurately perceive matters of the state, often surprising them. My father always liked to keep me by his side and give me advice on state affairs. However, as I approached twenty years old, I suddenly became quiet and reluctant to attend state affairs, which worried my father a lot. But now, through the dance competition, I had become brighter, and recently, I even expressed my opinions about the dance competition, showing renewed interest in state affairs, which made my father even happier to see me sitting here today. Although this competition was supposed to grant wishes, I wondered if my father would really grant the wish of that young man who wanted to dance with his daughter. Thinking about it made me worried. Because although he was good at dancing and had once stolen my heart, this time I thought it was a good opportunity to be together, but on the other hand, I was worried about my father’s anger. As these thoughts crossed my mind, I tensed up and looked at my father, wondering, “What will my father do?” Just then, my father also turned to look at me. I just looked at my father with a worried expression‎ without saying anything. Then my father looked at me and smiled brightly. Finally, my father, who had heard both wishes, stood up and began to respond to their wishes. “Today, I have seen the most beautiful dance in the world in my life. Although I made a promise, the wishes of today’s winners are too great for me to grant easily, and it is a very difficult and burdensome task. However, I cannot break my promise, so I will grant the wishes of the two as follows. First, I command General Bodival to return home immediately after completing his assigned duties and spend time with his wife.” As my father gave the command, cheers and laughter erupted from the crowd. Then, to Joseph, he said, “I will host a banquet at the palace in a month, inviting all the ministers and their families. During this time, you will practice and synchronize with the princess so that she does not embarrass herself in front of many ministers. Make thorough preparations.” Then all the crowd stood up and cheered and applauded. When Joseph made such a wish, I was surprised on one hand but also secretly excited and expectant. However, the unexpected result made me feel both happy and puzzled. But my father, who was concerned about my recovery, was thinking about how to restore my former self. At that time, he thought it was a good opportunity for a handsome young man to not only ask for a dance but also practice and dance together after thorough preparation. He knew well that I couldn’t refuse such an official matter even if I didn’t like it. So he thought that if it went well, I might become bright again. While thinking about that, my father announced the prizes for all the participants who made it to the finals today. “To all the participants who made it to the finals today, I will award prizes equivalent to their ranks, and to the two winners today, I will award ten thousand nyang each.” As my father gave the command, the crowd cheered and applauded again, shouting, “Long live the king! Long live the king!” People were as happy and joyful as if they had received the prizes themselves. Thus, the dance competition, which had excited all the people, came to an end, but the stories related to it continued to be reproduced and brought joy to people for a long time. However, the person who received the greatest prize and joy from this competition was none other than ‘me,’ who did not even participate in the competition.