Free Web NovelSnow-White Flower liquor—this was a precious alcohol strictly regulated by law.
There were conditions to be met in order to drink Snow-White Flower. First, one had to be of the noble class. Second, one had to hold an official post. No matter how much money a person had, it was not a liquor one could drink at will.
“There’s no way such a precious liquor would exist in a mountain backwater like this. My apologies.”
“But there is?”
That was precisely why every man longed to taste Snow-White Flower at least once. Drinking it was proof that he was one of the chosen males.
Drawing a clear line between oneself and the lowborn, drinking it while declaring that difference—nothing else compared.
It was sweet, hazy, and fragrant.
“Before Janghwa and Hongryeon died, quite a few bottles of Snow-White Flower must have been emptied in this brothel....”
The look on Seoryeong’s face as she let out a small scoff was steeped in unmistakable scorn, as if she knew everything already. Her voice echoed through the quiet brothel.
“Fine. If you want to lie, then you’d better fool me properly.”
Seoryeong, seated beside Hwayeong, spoke with feigned kindness, as though tossing out a casual joke. And with that, the memory of just a few hours earlier surfaced.
* * *
“What do you think you’re doing right now? At this rate, you’re drawing far too much attention.”
“Mm-. I’m drawing attention-. I want this too! No, no, one of each color!”
Humming to herself, Seoryeong bought anything that caught her eye, completely ignoring Myungdo.
He’d wondered what could possibly be inside that bundle of hers—turns out it held everything from gold bars to jewels to silk.
After turning all of that into money, Seoryeong spent it like water, lavishly and without restraint.
“Mm, this one’s nice.”
“You’ve got a good eye, young master! It came from across the sea, so the price is a bit high.”
“Right? I like it, I like it. So what’s the price?” freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
When the merchant held up five fingers, Myungdo’s brow creased.
“This will not do. Just a moment.”
He dipped his head slightly toward Seoryeong, as if asking for understanding, but despite his polite posture, he immediately grabbed her by the back of the neck and dragged her away.
“Hey! You crazy bastard! Hey! Let go! Let go of me!”
Dangling helplessly, Seoryeong was only freed once they reached a quiet spot. She bounced in place, furious.
“I’m spending my own money! What’s it to you! This is pissing me off!”
“...It’s at least three times the proper price.”
“What?!”
“Do you even know what the fair price is?”
At that, Seoryeong’s mouth fell open.
“I may not have an aesthetic sense for finding beautiful things, but my eye for distinguishing fakes from genuine articles is exceptional. I spent many years in investigations enforcing penalties for fraud. That item did not come from across the sea. It was made right here in Yeomho Kingdom.”
Myungdo sighed, pressing a hand to his forehead.
“Distributing and selling luxury goods like silk and other valuables at unfair prices isn’t something that’s happened only once or twice... but since you behave like an easy mark with blind money to burn, the merchants can hardly be blamed.”
At his calm explanation, Seoryeong exploded.
“These insane bastards! I—I’ve always bought things at prices like this!”
“So you’ve been fattening merchants’ pockets all this time. For reference, the jade ring you just bought for five times its value—that too is a fake.”
Barely reaching his chest in height, Seoryeong hopped about with such nimble footwork that every time she jumped, they nearly matched in height.
“If you understand now, shall we return? We’ll need to demand all the money back and purchase the goods at their proper prices.”
At Myungdo’s words, Seoryeong grabbed the hem of his robe tightly.
“No... the deed’s already done. It’s a waste, but I can always fleece it back later. That’s nothing. My fault, my fault. It’s because I’m so pretty-looking, so I’ll just accept it. It’s the fault of beauty for not being tough or street-smart....”
Somewhere utterly shameless, Seoryeong nevertheless ground her teeth with composure.
“Then we can head straight to the brothel. Word will spread fast that a perfect mark has wandered into town.”
“The brothel? Why would—.”
“Didn’t you hear yesterday? They said there was a flower scent.”
Despite having just been swindled, Seoryeong’s gaze was sharp. A quiet flute melody seemed to settle over the air.
“The flowers haven’t even properly bloomed yet. So when Janghwa and Hongryeon died, it would’ve been hard for even a single blade of grass to survive. Then where do you think that flower scent came from?”
At Seoryeong’s deduction, Myungdo’s eyes sharpened.
“Powder and sandalwood.”
“Correct. And one more thing.”
Seoryeong turned her head, looking toward where the government office of the Heavenly Vein Land stood in the distance.
“Snow-White Flower. The smell of liquor lingers even stronger than fragrance.”
* * *
The scene returned to the present. The flute melody, like a secretive scheme being woven, continued to play.
“What are you doing? Stopping the performance... you’re really ruining the taste of the drink.”
“My apologies.”
With trembling hands, the girl forced herself to continue playing. The geomungo sounded awful. At the sluggish melody, Seoryeong pulled out the hairpin tucked inside her robes.
“Here. Your performance fee.”
She tossed it down in front of the girl. Snickering, Seoryeong then jingled the pouch on the table playfully.
“And keep smiling while you work your hands. This one’s for your smile.”
At the blatant mockery, the hand plucking the strings shook with embarrassment. She tried to pull the corners of her lips up, but it wasn’t easy.
She was still too young for calluses to have formed on her heart.
“Not enough? Here. Then take this too. Your smile is quite expensive.”
Seoryeong kept tossing money down, one coin after another. Hwayeong reached out and grabbed Seoryeong’s hand.
“My lord, please don’t do that. May I offer a song instead? That child is still young and doesn’t know how to be teased.”
A painted-on smile rested on Hwayeong’s face. Seoryeong slowly slid her thumb across the back of Hwayeong’s hand. With that lingering, teasing touch, she spoke.
“You’re quick to grasp your place. Fine. You’re a talking flower, after all—smile when told to smile, cry when told to cry.”
Despite Seoryeong’s barbed words, Hwayeong maintained her smile. Because Seoryeong was right.
“You’re angry inside, aren’t you? Your resentment’s boiling over, isn’t it? But what can you do? Your job is to stay still.”
She wasn’t a person—just a flower.
“Are you going to live your whole life like a powerless flower?”
Seoryeong pressed down hard with her thumb.
“When the women you cherish start dying one by one, then what? Will you still smile like this? Swallow everything down?”
Her nails dug into Hwayeong’s skin.
“As if you saw nothing, heard nothing? Is that how you’ll live?”
The corners of Hwayeong’s lips slowly fell. The coquettish light in her eyes changed.
“After Janghwa and Hongryeon, whose turn do you think it’ll be next?”
With a bored expression, Hwayeong finally spoke.
“For what purpose have you stepped into this Heavenly Vein Land?”
“You’re not the one asking questions. I am.”
Only then did Seoryeong release the back of Hwayeong’s hand.
“If I make it so no one can pluck any more flowers, will you follow me?”
Hwayeong looked at the girl playing the geomungo. Then her throat bobbed as she swallowed something down.
She swallowed resentment, swallowed shame, swallowed filth, swallowed hatred, swallowed fear, swallowed loneliness. The inside of her had long since burned black.
In this Heavenly Vein Land where clear water flowed, Hwayeong’s countless emotions had pooled and rotted.
And the more they did, the more beautifully she bloomed. Yes. They were talking flowers.
“...I will.”
But beautiful flowers, by nature, always carried poison.
The geomungo string, on the verge of snapping, let out a precarious sound. Episode 3 of <Strange Tales> ended.
* * *
“Our network’s enemy....”
This was the MBS Drama Center. Today, the center director was shedding tears once again.
SBC’s ultra-luxury drama, TVM’s smash-hit drama. And what about the other two networks?
“Seoryeong—!”
That’s right. They were plummeting smoothly.
The heart of the MBS Drama Center director, stuck maintaining single-digit ratings, was torn to shreds.
Of course, the drama currently airing on MBS had its own viewers, and even a fanbase.
Let’s take a look at <Holiday>, the MBS drama airing against <Strange Tales> and <Top Class>.
[MBS <Holiday>, a perfectly ordinary, ‘holiday-like’ flavor—records 6.5% ratings...]
...Let’s stop there.
“But wait, Director....”
Grabbing the sobbing director’s shoulder was the ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) healing director of the era, So Yesol.
“Right now, the name Seoryeong doesn’t even appear in episodes 1 and 2 of <Strange Tales>....”
So Yesol was sharp. The director’s shoulders trembled.
“You’ve... read the synopsis...?”
If she’d read the synopsis, then the director had clearly watched all of episode 1. So Yesol turned to the other PDs nearby.
“...Take him away....”
“Wait! No! You need to know your enemy and know yourself—!!!”
The director was dragged off somewhere. Listening to his screams, So Yesol lightly sighed as she checked the response to episode 3 of <Strange Tales>.
Mentions of <Strange Tales> had surged noticeably. By next week, articles titled something like ‘The Strange Tales Syndrome’ would likely be uploaded without end.
“Anyway... this is bad. Really bad....”
What kind of script would it take to bring in Han Yeoreum? Once <Strange Tales> finished airing its final episode, it wasn’t hard to predict that a battle to claim Han Yeoreum would erupt.
“Come to think of it, KBC is announcing their 50th anniversary special drama soon....”
* * *
“Hey, this is seriously well made.”
This was the editing room for <Law-Faster-than>. A man watching <Strange Tales> on the screen beside Director Gong spoke in admiration.
“No, now that you’ve finished watching—hurry up and talk about <Law-Faster-than>, senior. Hurry. How fun do you think it’ll be, how big a hit it’ll be, and why.”
Even today, the timid Director Gong was hoping for validation.
But the man ignored him and had already turned on his phone.
“Look at these reactions.”
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ㄴIsn’t this false advertising, there’s a door-sized guy next to Seoryeong
ㄴShh... if you blur your eyes, Hwayeong–Seoryeong–Soyeong form a perfect triangle
ㄴHow blurry do I have to be?
“They hooked the early viewers really smartly. Direction, story—everything.”
This man was a legend of the drama world who had made multiple long-running hits.
Ja Sokhwan, a director famous for making every project feel like a film. Especially adept with modern-era settings, a master who practically guaranteed 30% ratings.
“Hey, save me a seat at the VIP premiere tomorrow. I’m going!”
“Senior. Please listen to me.... You said you were busy, that’s why you came today....”
“I need to talk to her! Let me in!”
“Why are you acting so immature? I’m talking to you right now, face to face!”
“This works out. I was wondering who should play Korea’s Daisy... this sorrow! This fragility! That subtle provocation mixed in! And her skills are usable—very usable. Top candidate. Okay.”
Director Ja sank into his own world. He was directing the upcoming KBC anniversary special drama, <The Great Garland>, and though the role wasn’t the lead, he’d been searching desperately for a character with just as much impact.
Bzzz-. Bzzz-. Bzzz-.
Director Ja’s phone buzzed. It was the casting director.
“Hey! Perfect timing! I was about to call you too!”
Director Ja shouted, energized. On the other end, the casting director was shouting as well.
-Director! An investor recommendation just came in for Yeon Huijae’s child role.
“Oh? Who is it?”
-Good at Japanese, decent acting, backed by the investors....
“So who is it!”
-It’s Gi Juye. The youngest daughter from <Top Class>.
Hearing that, Director Ja laughed, slapping Director Gong on the shoulder.
“Ah, her? Yeah, yeah. Tell them to come talk. Oh, by the way, I’m here at—.”
Director Ja walked out just like that, leaving Director Gong behind. Left alone, Director Gong whimpered.
“She’s supposed to be in <Law-Faster-than> 2 as well....”
What if Yeoreum got too big later and refused to appear in a three-million-view director’s film like his? That worry weighed heavily in Director Gong’s deep sigh.
Now, with only three weeks left until the official release of <Law-Faster-than>. Tomorrow was the day the VIP premiere opened.
