Like the First Snow

Soyong waits until Yul Mu and Seo Hwi leave the estate before she climbs over the wall and follows them as they head towards Oktajeong. But how could she follow them inside? If she had male clothes like before it wouldn’t be a problem. But as a woman and a maid, she will draw too much attention to herself.

“Master?” Soyong hears a woman’s voice behind her and turns around. “Or should I say, Mistress?” The voice belongs to one of the kisaengs that “Lee Saeng Man” had hired for entertainment in the past.

“Do you want to make money?” Soyong quickly thinks on her feet and the kisaeng’s face immediately lights up as she clings to Soyong’s shoulder. “Not like last time…” Soyong frees herself from the kisaeng’s grip. “I need you to eavesdrop on a conversation.”

“Absolutely not!” the kisaeng refuses harshly. “Clients and their business come above everything.”

“In kisaeng houses, everyone eavesdrops on everyone constantly,” Soyong remembers how the King suspected her of such a thing before. “The only question is the price and if you remember me well, then you know how wealthy I am.”

“Let me see the money first.”

“I don’t have it right now, but…”

“Goodbye then. It was nice to see you again, Mistress.” The kisaeng turns her back on Soyong and heads towards Oktajeong’s main entrance.

“I will pay later, but I’ll make it double!” Soyong shouts desperately, catching up with the kisaeng.

“Double?” the kisaeng repeats after her. Soyong didn’t even notice she used one of Bong Hwan’s words. She still does that occasionally, though less frequently with each passing day.

“I will increase the pay two-fold,” Soyong clarifies, holding up two fingers. The kisaeng looks at her, appraising, and smiles after making up her mind. She grabs Soyong’s arm and leads her inside. Despite the fact that Soyong is still wearing maid’s clothing, no one pays attention to her, probably thinking she works there as a servant.

They ask a couple of other girls if they have seen Yul Mu and Seo Hwi and since they are both handsome, new faces in town, everyone remembers them and points in their direction. Soon they catch up with them and from afar Soyong sees Yul Mu talking with an older man near a small pond. Seo Hwi is with them but he does not speak, keeping to himself. The three of them eventually head to one of the hanoks¹Hanok – a house., take off their shoes, and go inside. The kisaeng goes after them alone while Soyong stays behind and waits. After a few moments, the kisaeng returns.

“You are incredibly lucky, my money bag mistress!” Soyong doesn’t like this naming but rolls with it. “The room next door is perfect for us!”

Together they go inside a small room. And Soyong sees they are not alone either. A man sleeps with his face plastered on the table and another kisaeng accompanies him.

“You will have to pay her too.” The kisaeng shrugs casually when Soyong glares at her. But her goal is more important and she’s ready to pay any amount of money.

Quietly, they sneak to the shared wall between the rooms and sit face to face. Soyong and her new “friend” lean against the wall to listen.

The conspirators speak again about their treason and the kisaeng gasps, but Soyong covers her mouth with her hand to keep her quiet. The men next door discuss how to bribe or threaten the Head Eunuch and Soyong is pleased to hear they have been unsuccessful so far.

“…In fury, the Queen reminds him of the Grand Queen Dowager…” Soyong feels so offended that she accidentally bumps into a nearby piece of furniture in indignation. Silence falls over the next room, but her new “friends” easily save the situation. The kisaeng at the table tickles the sleeping man and he starts laughing loudly without waking up. The women fake a laugh and the tension in the next door room dissipates as the men start talking again.

Unfortunately, Soyong doesn’t find out anything new. It feels like she is moving in circles. Her reasons to stay and spy on the traitors sounded so good in her head, but in practice she’s lacking some skills, like picking the lock. If only she could do that and steal the evidence and the map. The King could attack them immediately before they find out the camp is compromised.

The next day, Soyong asks to leave, pretending she remembers something, and Yul Mu is kind enough to let her go for the day. Soyong goes to the only person she knows who could keep a secret and listen to her. She waits outside and reveals herself to Jo Hwa Jin. The former concubine looks at her with her eyes wide open in surprise.

“Jo Hwa Jin, I need your help!” Soyong pleads.

Author’s notes

On a scale from 0 to 10, how pissed SY will be when she meets that mysterious man Yul Mee is waiting for? In other words: CJ is dead meat. RIP CJ, we will always remember you and keep you in our hearts.

In my opinion, SY post-finale lost all her new abilities, they were BH’s, like he didn’t have any of hers until she “woke up” in later episodes. So his influence is fading away. But it doesn’t mean SY can’s learn some useful things, for self-defense for example.

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  Hanok – a house. ↩︎