The King's Path

I'm walking the path the king once walked
Stones beneath my feet, ghosts in the fog
The dust of dynasties on my tongue

Ink drips from the brush, I write my own royal decree
His Majesty never kneels, and neither do I
Hanyang night, moonlight spilling between the roof tiles
Scholars hiding under the censors' watchful eyes
I unfold my verses like a state exam paper
I set my own law above the Three Bonds and Five Virtues
The janggu is my heartbeat, never once off rhythm
Palace or back alley, it's the same game

Eolssigu — I feel it deep in my bones
From Gyeongbokgung to the alleys of Jongno, I was never alone

I'm walking the king's path, fog upon the mountains
Every step a dynasty, every breath a spring
A crown made of moonlight, a sword made of sound
Joseon runs in my veins, I stand guarding this land

Hanbok turned inside out, armor beneath the silk
Tongue like a sword, flow like silk
They tried to shut me outside the four great gates
I carved my name upon them — now that's history
The taepyeongso screams in place of my mouth
Five hundred years of fire condensed into this one day
Like a petition to the throne, not one letter wasted
The red seal — it's a royal command, stand back

Kindling embers along the mountain ridges
Summon the shaman, cross the bridge
Between the living and the dead
Between dusk and dawn
Between silence and song
Carrying the will to benefit all mankind

I'm walking the king's path, fog upon the mountains
Every step a dynasty, every breath a spring
A crown made of moonlight, a sword made of sound
Joseon runs in my veins, I stand guarding this land

Stones beneath my feet
Ghosts in the fog
The path remembers
Even when we forget