A/N: This chapter features music of the geomungo, a traditional Korean zither. If you'd like to hear an example you can search for "eGerT_7dR3c" on YouTube. The piece is called "Dalmuri," meaning the ring around the moon, and is about the longing and pity, joy and mystery you feel when you see the moon.
Thank you for following along and reading – it makes us so glad that you are enjoying our story so far!
EDIT: It was brought to my attention, rightly so, that using a statue of a Buddha was inappropriate, as it is of religious importance. I apologize deeply for this mistake due to my carelessness and ignorance. I have changed it, and I will be more careful in the future!
Mountains are the same as in the old times,
But streams are never the same;
They keep flowing day and night,
So they can not be the same.
The men of fame are like the streams;
Once gone, they never return.
-Hwang Jini
By the time Ga Eul arrived at the museum with Yi Jeong, she was on a bit of a high. She'd just had the loveliest dinner date (because that's what she was fantasizing it as) with the guy she liked at a fancy restaurant. She had been nervous at first, but Yi Jeong's easy manners helped her relax in no time. Per usual, she was in her ordinary clothing and he was in his designer three-piece suit, yet it was something he had never made her feel uncomfortable about in the years she had known him. Though Ga Eul tried to eat in moderation, the food was too good, and way too expensive, not to gobble up, and so now she was thoroughly satiated. It was also the first time she had ever drunk wine, which added to her giddiness.
Yi Jeong parked right at the entrance and opened the door for her as she exited his orange Lotus. It was dark and the Woo Song Museum was lit up from the outside, throwing large shadows over the edifice. She had visited once or twice on school trips, but today the massive building felt even larger and more imposing than she remembered it. It wasn't just any museum; it was Yi Jeong's, owned and maintained by three generations of the prestigious So family. She stood at the bottom of the front steps, feeling small compared to the formidable structure with its vaulted tile roof and towering columns.
"Ga Eul yang?" Yi Jeong turned around a few steps above her. There was a question in his eyes, and something else. Did he seem unsure?
"Ah, sorry, sunbae. I was just admiring the building." Ga Eul regained her composure and gave him a smile more confident than she felt.
A lone security guard waiting at the entrance unlocked the door for them, greeting Yi Jeong with a respectful bow. Yi Jeong instructed her to wait for him while he went to the front desk. Empty of visitors, the inside of the museum felt cavernous. The echoing of their steps sounded loud to Ga Eul's ears, like they were intruding on sacred grounds. In the center of the main gallery stood a monolith inscribed with ancient lettering, like the guardian of a fortress. Ga Eul could almost imagine her ancestors erecting the stele, a record of their nation's history withstanding centuries of weathering.
"You need this, right?" Yi Jeong said when he joined her. He pulled a ticket out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Ga Eul read the print:
Woo Song Museum
"The Art of Sijo" special exhibit
October 31st, 9pm - VIP tour for Chu Ga Eul
VIP? It was the first time Ga Eul had ever been labeled as such.
"This stele is a replica. The real one is in northeast China," Yi Jeong said of the towering stone. There was a playful tone to his voice, like he knew she thought it was real. "The F4 almost knocked it down when we played hide-and-seek in the museum. Though it's fake, it's still hard to replace so we got into big trouble."
"Hide-and-seek? In a museum? Oi, Young Master. Most kids play in the park," Ga Eul teased, feeling daring due to the effects of the wine.
"It was more like hide and run away from the security guards," Yi Jeong chuckled. "Of course, I had an advantage because I knew the museum the best. Do you want to see my favorite hiding spot?"
"So someone can find you if you decide to hide again?"
"Maybe." Yi Jeong raised an eyebrow and leaned close to her ear. "No one else knows, so only Ga Eul yang would be able to find me."
"It's too bad I don't play hide-and-seek anymore." Ga Eul noticed her voice was a little breathless. He was so close that she could see a tiny freckle on his cheek. "But you can show me in case you still do."
One corner of Yi Jeong's lips curved up. "Is it still hide-and-seek if I want to be found?"
"If it's not hide-and-seek, what game would that be? Is it a game I could play?" Ga Eul heard herself speak, but couldn't seem to stop herself. It was definitely the wine.
Yi Jeong's smile grew even deeper. "Follow me."
As Yi Jeong led the way, Ga Eul imagined a tiny version of him walking around the museum in the same fashion, as if he owned the place. Only someone like him would dare to use precious artifacts as toys. She could see him using his adorable smile to charm his way out of trouble.
They passed a few galleries filled with ancient armor and weapons and then arrived at a room full of stone creatures. An enormous statue of a smiling haetae, a mythological guardian that looked like a scaled lion with a horn on its forehead, sat on a raised pedestal. Yi Jeong pointed to a small door in the wall behind the statue.
"There. The lock used to be broken so I would hide there. The cameras don't catch it, so the security guards could never find me." Yi Jeong smiled boyishly, his dimples showing. Oh, he definitely would have gotten away with a lot, because Ga Eul would have let him get away with almost anything right then.
"Too bad the lock is fixed—sunbae can't hide there anymore."
"I suppose not. But like you said, hide-and-seek is for children. Adults don't need to play games."
"Then I guess you don't need me to find you." Ga Eul was slightly disappointed. For a moment she had known something about Yi Jeong that no one else had.
"Whoever said that I don't need you to find me?" Yi Jeong said, his voice low.
Ga Eul wasn't sure what he meant by this, but she felt herself grow warmer. The way he was looking at her was making her knees weak.
Yi Jeong broke their gaze first and sighed. "The special exhibit is that way. Come."
Up ahead there was a sign with an arrow saying "The Art of Sijo." They were about to walk that way, when all of a sudden the lights went out and everything became pitch black. Ga Eul gasped and instinctively reached out to grasp Yi Jeong's arm. He put his hand on top of hers.
"Sunbae, what's going on?"
There was a loud bang, making Ga Eul jump. Yi Jeong pulled her in closer, wrapping an arm around her waist protectively.
"I'm not sure, but it could be a power outage. If we wait a minute, the emergency lights will turn on. They run on battery so they won't be affected by the main electrical system."
Sure enough, a few dim lights turned on. With a rush of embarrassment, Ga Eul realized she was in Yi Jeong's embrace.
"Ga Eul yang, are you okay?" Yi Jeong peered at her with concern. She remembered one other time he had looked at her like that, on a ski slope two years before.
"Yes, I'm… I'm fine," Ga Eul stuttered, blushing hard. He seemed unaffected, whereas she was flustered and aware of every point of contact between them.
Yi Jeong pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, but no one picked up. Almost immediately, his phone buzzed with an incoming text. To her surprise, the normally refined Yi Jeong cursed under his breath when he read it. "Crazy bastard."
"Neh?"
"Sorry. It seems like there's a power outage in the area. The problem is that it triggers the security system. I have to go and switch everything to the back up generator to turn off the alarms. I can make my way through, but it'll be difficult if it's the both of us. Do you think you can wait here by yourself?"
Ga Eul was nervous about being left alone in such a large building, but she put on a brave face. "Neh, sunbae."
"Call me if you need anything. I'll be right back." Yi Jeong let go of her and left the room.
Ga Eul hugged herself. With Yi Jeong's body heat gone, it felt slightly chilly. The previously friendly looking haetae now appeared ominous. The other statues seemed to be scowling at her in the low light, their teeth bared in menace. It felt like an eternity waiting for Yi Jeong.
The sound of wheels came from behind her. Startled, Ga Eul spun around. A middle-aged female janitor was rolling a cleaning cart in her direction. She seemed friendly and harmless enough, so Ga Eul relaxed a bit.
"Omo, are you lost?" the older lady asked. "It's too bad the lights went out."
"I'm waiting here for sunbae—I mean, Director So."
"Oh, so you're the VIP! You must be here to see the special exhibit. Follow me, I'll take you there." Without waiting for Ga Eul's response, she pushed her cart towards the entrance to the exhibit.
"Wait, the security system…" Ga Eul glanced around the foreboding room exactly once and decided she wanted to get out of there. She could always text Yi Jeong her location. She followed quickly after the departing janitor.
"Stay close, and follow my footsteps." The janitor said without looking back.
Ga Eul trailed behind her as instructed. Fortunately, no alarms went off.
"Here we are." The janitor smiled at her. "I hope you find what it is you want in here."
Ga Eul scanned the area and could make out the large lettering, "The Art of Sijo," on the wall in the dim light. When Ga Eul turned back, the janitor was gone, the sound of rolling wheels fading into the distance.
Suddenly, the slow, deep-toned strum of a lone geomungo played. A spotlight turned on in the center of the room illuminating a female mannequin dressed in an elaborate red hanbok, trimmed with a golden floral print. Her jegori top was a sheer black gauze, and she wore a large asymmetrical headdress of braided black hair. She was inanimate but seemed in motion, one hand hiking up her voluminous skirt that was tied up so it revealed the white underskirt, a provocative look for ancient times. Her other hand held out a closed fan as if beckoning Ga Eul closer.
The deliberate beat of a janggu drum punctuated the notes of the geomungo as it played its traipsing melody. Ga Eul walked forward, step by step, towards the large glass display case as the tempo gradually picked up. It was Hwang Jini, the most celebrated gisaeng in all of Korean history. As a gisaeng, she was educated in literature, music, and dance in order to mingle with and entertain the highest echelons of men, yet her status was that of almost a slave. She was soft but commanding, feminine but powerful, scandalous but demure, and this made her all the more alluring. Ga Eul peered into the glass eyes of the figure—it was as if she were trying to tell her something.
When the music reached its crescendo, one by one the lights went on all around the room. Ga Eul spun in a circle as the artworks each lit up in turn, some portraits, some landscapes, and some only bearing calligraphy. Abruptly, the music stopped. In the silence, Ga Eul could only hear the pounding of her heart.
#####
You're welcome. ;-)
The text had come from Yi Jeong's interfering idiot best friend Song Woo Bin. Everything had been going so well earlier. He finally had Ga Eul all to himself and she had gradually gotten more comfortable as the evening progressed. It had been a pleasant surprise to discover just how flirtatious his Ga Eul yang could be.
Then this happened. While he enjoyed getting to briefly hold Ga Eul, it wasn't in his plans to woo her by scaring her half to death. Now Yi Jeong had to waste time trying to fix the situation. How ludicrous to even think that the F4's Casanova couldn't seduce one girl, one who had already confessed to him. That is, she still liked him, didn't she? Yi Jeong texted a single line back.
You're so dead.
After finding the closest electric panel and unlocking it with his keys, he found the right switches. The museum lights returned back to normal. He hoped Ga Eul hadn't been too frightened. Another text arrived from his now former friend.
Wait until you see what's next. Do a good job playing hero—girls love that stuff.
There was more? Good god, what was Ga Eul going to think? He sprinted back to the haetae statue room only to find she wasn't there. Worried, he headed towards the one other place she might have gone to. Yi Jeong breathed a sigh of relief when he found Ga Eul, unharmed, examining one of the calligraphy scrolls on display in the sijo exhibit. She turned towards him as he came near.
"Sunbae, is everything okay?" Ga Eul said, concern lacing her voice. "If it's too much, I can come back tomorrow."
"Everything is fine. The main power will turn back on in a bit, so we can continue." Yi Jeong was eager to change the subject so he asked, "What is Ga Eul yang looking at so seriously?"
"This is the sijo I picked for my assignment."
As Yi Jeong perused the poem, he started to get a sinking feeling. The last line read: Men of fame are like the streams; Once gone, they never return.
The painting that was paired with it, was a Joseon era painting depicting a scene of noblemen being entertained by several courtesans on the banks of a river with mountains in the background. It had been a while since Yi Jeong had last gone clubbing, but it was a familiar picture: wealthy men playing around with multiple willing partners. Yi Jeong stiffened uncomfortably and wondered what—no, who—Ga Eul was thinking of at that moment.
"Why did you pick this sijo? The exhibit has at least twenty," Yi Jeong said as nonchalantly as he could.
"Hwang Jini is so famous, I thought writing about one of her sijos would be easy. But now that I'm seeing this in person, I'm not so sure I like it."
"Why don't you like it anymore?"
"I thought it sounded lonely, and it was interesting that such a popular gisaeng would feel that way. In the poem, the mountain represents her watching men passing, like a stream." She frowned. "But now that I look at the painting, I don't think she would care so much about those men. She was so beautiful, smart, and talented that she could have whoever she wanted. Maybe she had so many men after her that she was bored and let them pass like the river."
"Or… maybe she was waiting for the right person?" Yi Jeong suggested tentatively.
"Hmm, I suppose she did have a type. They were usually intelligent, high class, powerful, and wealthy. But she never stayed with them for long either."
A type? Why did that sound familiar? "You don't think she wanted a soulmate?"
"That could be true. Before she became a gisaeng there was a young nobleman who was in love with her. She was illegitimate because her aristocrat father abandoned her and her mother. The young nobleman couldn't be with her because of their difference in status, so he died love sick. They say after losing her first love, Hwang Jini gave up on loving anyone else and decided to become a gisaeng."
Ga Eul thought Yi Jeong hadn't gotten over his first love either. He was beginning to think she wasn't just talking about Hwang Jini, but about himself. This irritated him. Why couldn't she see how hard he was trying to win her over?
"But all of Hwang Jini's poems are about love, and they came after she became a gisaeng. Maybe they were about finding true love. Isn't that Ga Eul yang's specialty?"
She hesitated. "Actually… I'm starting to think I know nothing about it these days."
Ga Eul seemed sad. It pricked Yi Jeong's conscience. He knew he was responsible for this. Had he infected her with his jadedness when she had given him so much hope? It wasn't too late to fix this. She had taught him that much at least.
"Well, why don't we look around, and see if you can find something else you like?" Yi Jeong suggested.
Ga Eul nodded and they walked slowly along the exhibit, stopping every so often to peruse each work.
"I still remember the first time we met when you called me—what was it? A 'gisaeng orabi'?" Yi Jeong said wryly. Instead of being easily won over, she had given him quite the dress down, comparing him to a vain and weak-minded man obsessed with the likes of gisaengs. To be fair, it might not have been far from the truth at that time.
Ga Eul stopped and turned to him, appearing chagrined. "I'm sorry, sunbae. That was before I knew you. You helped Jandi out so many times after that. I was wrong."
"No, you were right. I didn't want to help Jandi at first. I just wanted to keep Jun Pyo out of trouble. I had a long way to grow back then. I still do." I want to be good enough to deserve you, thought Yi Jeong.
"Sunbae, you have grown a lot, but you are a better person than you think. Your friends all know that too." Ga Eul smiled warmly at him, in a way that made him believe he could do anything.
Yi Jeong marveled at how she could make him feel this way. He could be vulnerable in front of her and she would unconditionally accept him—not in a blind sycophantic way, because she never hesitated to challenge him about his flaws, but with full sincerity.
"Here, let me show you something." Yi Jeong led her to one painting up ahead. It was a masterfully painted ink wash of a brown and white sparrow amongst golden chrysanthemums. It had its head raised looking behind it up at a full moon.
Ga Eul gasped. "It's beautiful! The sparrow is so detailed and there are so many shades, it looks almost real. The moon looks especially bright—that would be very difficult using ink wash."
"It really is an exquisite painting. It's from our family collection, and it's the first time it's being displayed in public."
She read the description on the plaque out loud. " 'The scholar and high government official So Se Yang had boasted to his friends that he could send Hwang Jini away after thirty days of living together. She accepted the challenge, and at the end he begged her to stay, but she left anyway. Afterwards, she wrote this sijo.'
"Thirty days? Wah, she really could seduce anyone. I wonder what it would be like to have that skill." Ga Eul gave Yi Jeong a pointed look.
Was she complimenting him or accusing him? He smirked and leaned forward. "Popularity is overrated, Ga Eul yang. It only matters if the one you want also wants you back. Isn't that right?"
Ga Eul stuck her chin out at him. "That's basically the same thing, and it sounds like something only a popular person would say."
He grinned. "I have to admit it does come in handy sometimes. It did make Hwang Jini a lot of money."
"At least she needed the money. Some people are uselessly charming and handsome." She stopped, and her mouth fell open. "I mean—"
Yi Jeong chuckled. She likely didn't know, but Ga Eul was delightful when she spoke her mind. He needed to take her out for wine more often.
"If you're wondering how to be popular, I don't think Ga Eul yang could pull it off. Popularity is part performance, giving people what they want. That's what Hwang Jini was good at, and what made her so exceptional."
She considered that for a moment. "I guess you're right, I wouldn't be good at that. But where did the show end and where did she begin?"
"I don't know about her, but if you have good people around you, they'll always point you in the right direction." Like the F4 and Ga Eul did for him, and he would forever be grateful.
"I have to agree with you there, sunbae." She nodded and smiled. "Anyway, I have an assignment to complete. Let's see what the sijo says."
The scroll read:
Oh, what have I done, I should have known what he meant to me.
If I had asked him to stay, I know he would never have gone.
Stubborn, I sent him away, so now I must pay the penalty.
Ga Eul's eyebrows furrowed. "If she regretted sending him away so much, I wonder why she let him go in the first place."
"I know Ga Eul yang wouldn't, if he was truly her soulmate."
"Soulmate? Do you really think this scholar was her soulmate?" She peered at the red square seal in the corner of the painting. "So Se Yang. He's a 'So'-ssi too. Maybe you're related." Ga Eul laughed.
There was an awkward silence, and Yi Jeong waited for realization to dawn on her, then he explained, "The descendants of So Se Yang include my family. My grandfather is the head of the Jinju Boyang So clan."
"Oh, wow. Your family is truly impressive." Ga Eul blinked, not actually seeming impressed.
Usually, people would fawn over him at this point, trying to ingratiate themselves with someone of such high status. It was frankly a relief to meet someone like Ga Eul.
"Do you see the scroll on the other side? Hwang Jini sent that to him."
Ga Eul walked over to the scroll on the opposite side of the painting. "Hmm, it says this isn't a sijo, but was included in the exhibit because it was related to the painting accompanying the sijo. Too bad it's all in hanja. They say performance is also part of poetry, and Hwang Jini's poems were all orally passed down. I would have liked to hear what it sounded like."
Yi Jeong smiled. "I can read it if Ga Eul yang wants."
"Yes, that would be lovely!" Ga Eul's eyes sparkled.
Yi Jeong felt a little proud that he could show off. "I'll read each line, then you read the translation."
Ga Eul nodded in agreement.
Yi Jeong drew himself up and cleared his throat. He started to recite the first line. "So yo wol ya sa ha sa. Chim so jeon jeon mong sa yang."
Ga Eul read the first line of the translation. "On bright moonlit nights, what do you think of? When you fall asleep, what do you dream of?"
Yi Jeong stared at her mouth as she spoke the questions that lay in his heart. He knew what his answer would be. At night I think of you. I dream of you, Ga Eul yang.
He continued with the next line. "Moon goon yoo shi nok mang eon. Cha se yeon boon gwa shin ryang."
"Do you sometimes write about me in your diary? Are you happy to meet me? Do you… do you believe in my love?" Ga Eul said haltingly.
You are in every work I make. I am happy to be with you right now. Please, love me Ga Eul yang. Yi Jeong's voice gained feeling. "Yoo yoo eok goon eui mi jin. Il il yeom ah gi heo ryang."
"When I think of you, I want to know everything. How much do you think of me each day?" Ga Eul's voice became almost a whisper. She traced the line of poetry with her finger.
Let me tell you everything. You consume my every thought. The last line he spoke almost as if it were a plea. "Mang joong yo go beon hok hui. Hwan hwan yeo jak jeong yeo sang."
"Though you are busy, are you… happy when you think of me? Are you still friendly when you chatter like a sparrow?"
You make me happy. Be with me. Yi Jeong wanted to tell her the answers to every question out loud, but he was too unsure. Did she feel the same?
Ga Eul lowered her eyes and was silent for a few moments. "Was his answer the painting?"
"Yes, after So Se Yang received this poem he sent this to her."
"The sparrow is looking up at the moon. Her stage name, Myeong-wol, meant 'bright moon'. He must have still cared for her deeply." Ga Eul frowned as she stared at the painting. "What happened after she received the painting? How does your family still have it?"
"She sent it back."
"I guess she really couldn't forget her first love."
"I don't think it was about her first love. I think she was afraid to love again."
"Do you really think so?" Ga Eul looked up at him, eyes shining. "It's a pity they were too different to be together. What nobleman would marry someone as lowly as a gisaeng?"
Yi Jeong examined her face, and smiled gently. "Do you know what chrysanthemums represent?"
"I know it's one of the 'four gentlemen' and is the one that blooms in autumn. I can't remember the meaning."
"Perseverance. It meant he would care for her through any difficulty. It meant it wouldn't have mattered if they were of different classes. He would have done anything in his power to be with her, as long as she was willing."
As Yi Jeong stared into her beautiful eyes, he wondered if she understood what was in his heart. What he needed to say couldn't wait any longer. "Ga Eul yang, I—"
Ga Eul turned away. Her voice tremulous, she said, "Thank you for reading the poem for me. It was beautiful. In fact, the whole exhibit is beautiful, from the music to the poetry and the paintings. I'm really glad I was able to see it with you, sunbae."
Yi Jeong closed his eyes in frustration. Why was she avoiding talking about them? He was ready to tell her everything, but something she said caught his ear. "Music? There's no music."
"The geomungo and the drum. Right when you enter the room," Ga Eul said with a look of confusion.
Geomungo and drum? That wasn't Woo Bin's style. An odd feeling came over Yi Jeong. "I helped plan the exhibit. There's definitely no music."
A/N:
- The "Boys Over Flowers" filming site for the Woo Song museum was the Independence Hall of Korea
- gisaeng were basically courtesans who were trained to entertain the upper class men, but were also considered performance artists. Hwang Jini was the most famous of them, and is considered one of the best sijo composers. She was also skilled at playing the geomungo.
- "gisaeng orabi" is what Ga Eul says Yi Jeong looks like when they first meet. It literally means the older brother of a gisaeng, and is apparently a very bad insult meaning something like a vain and weak-minded man obsessed with the likes of gisaengs
- So Se Yang is a true historical figure, and his connection to Hwang Jini was real. He was actually part of the Jinju So bon-gwan, or clan. I borrowed the name and made up a sub-clan called "Jinju Boyang".
- The sparrow painting is completely from my imagination, but the "four gentlemen" (plum blossom, bamboo, orchid, and chrysanthemum) are common motifs in East Asian paintings of that era, each representing a season and different virtues.
- The last poem supposedly written to So Se Yang was made into the song "I want to know" by Lee Sun-hee in 1987, if you'd like to hear a real performance.
- hanja - Chinese characters. Korea originally used Chinese characters as their written language before King Sejong created the Korean alphabet, and therefore most recorded poetry used words of Chinese origin. The sijo of the Joseon dynasty were mostly composed in native Korean words with some hanja words sprinkled in.
- haetae - In Korean folklore, the haetae (also haitai or haechi) is a creature that was believed to know right from wrong, and helped pass judgment on guilty and innocent parties. It was often depicted as a muscular beast with a likeness to a lion with scales and a horn on its head. The haetae is also known as a guardian against fires and other natural disasters, and is the official symbol of Seoul.
Jodi's A/N:
This chapter (and notes) was written by InHwa.
The next update will be on Friday, October 28th.