Late Joseon dynasty. Song Hyun-woo (M, 19), heir to a prestigious noble family, passes the civil service exam at the top of his class and is appointed as a royal inspector. His best friend, nineteen-year-old Lee Myung-cheon, passes the military exam, and their politically opposed families bind themselves through marriage. Hyun-woo weds Myung-cheon’s younger sister. On their wedding night, a heavy fog engulfs the house. Hyun-woo wakes to find his wife and family slaughtered. The folding screen in his father’s chamber bears the bloody word Mu-won (“without grievance”). Stunned, Hyun-woo is arrested by Myung-cheon, with all testimony and evidence pointing to him. Imprisoned and crying out his innocence, he ultimately takes his own life. But death is not the end. Revived by an unknown force, Hyun-woo is led by a black crow to Mount Inwang, where he meets So Jin-joo, a twenty-nine year old shamaness who has long divined the royal family’s fate. She tells him that to uncover the truth of that night, he must pursue the strange supernatural cases spreading across Joseon. Joined by Jin-woon, a warrior bodyguard, and Eodoom, a black dog spirit, Hyun-woo begins his journey. Meanwhile, consumed by vengeance, Myung-cheon gathers his men and hunts him down.

A recognized master of faction (fact + fiction) and ghost stories, author Jung Myung-seop brings together all his strengths in Amhaeng. A Joseon-set dark fantasy led by a hero in hanbok, the novel will captivate not only Korean readers but also global audiences drawn to Korean culture. With a vast world where shamanic and royal forces collide, the story is envisioned as the start of a planned trilogy.