Free Web NovelAt Seoryeong’s words, the magistrate stopped bleeding and widened his eyes. Only then did he realize who truly held the upper hand.
He clasped his hands together and begged the boy with the icy expression.
“Th-those wenches have always had a knack for seducing men from the start, you see.... They’d flutter their eyes first, all coy-like. A-and besides, compared to living with a stepmother, elevating the village’s beauty like this! It’s a good thing for those wenches too....”
“Hm....”
Seoryeong lowered her gaze, looking bored. Having told the truth, the pain eased, and the magistrate panted as he propped himself up on the ground.
“That’s what he says?”
Seoryeong spoke to someone. Drops of water fell—drip, drip—onto the back of the magistrate’s hand. The temperature of the water was so cold it sent shivers through him.
A sinister flute sound drifted in.
The droplets began to fall faster onto his hand. Dripdripdripdripdrip. Dripdripdripdripdrip.... Instinctively, the magistrate knew. He must not lift his head. ‘Something’ had arrived before him.
Kiiik, kiiik, kiiik.... Along with a sound like a zither with its strings warped, a dark shape entered the edge of his vision.
“Hii—!”
Blood pooled at the tips of pale, delicate fingers. When his eyes followed up to the back of the hand, riddled with wounds, his collar was suddenly seized. As he tried to flee, the magistrate rolled straight off the pavilion. His clothes were grabbed again, and his head was shoved into the lake beneath the pavilion.
“Phugh...! Khk, u-uugh...!”
His face was plunged down violently, then pulled back up. The instant he gulped for air, his face was shoved back under. The hands holding him were four in number.
“S-stop! Stop...! Khk, ugh...! I-I was wrong! Janghwa, Hongryeon...! Khk....”
The magistrate begged Janghwa and Hongryeon. But it was a lie. He felt no remorse.
“If you’re dead, then in the afterlife—khk...! N-no, that’s not it.... I misspoke...! I’m sorry, please let go of your resentment...! Khhk, cough...!”
Again and again, his face was forced into the water. Struggling to breathe, panting desperately, he spoke lies once more, and the pain worsened. Water and blood streamed uncontrollably from his mouth.
“There is no magistrate in Heavenly Vein Land anymore. The magistrate has lost his mind and is drowning himself.”
From beneath the pavilion, Seoryeong and Myungdo spoke calmly to Hwayeong, Soyeong, and the courtesan girls. In the distance, the magistrate was repeating the motion of plunging his head into the water and pulling it back out, all by himself.
“...Will he die like that?”
A young girl asked Seoryeong. Seoryeong shook her head lightly.
“No. He’ll live like that for the rest of his life.”
“What?”
“What the magistrate drank wasn’t just an ordinary needle. It was a kind of acupuncture needle.... He won’t be able to die easily. I made sure he’ll live out his original lifespan, even if I had to pierce every pressure point.”
The magistrate would live a wretched life forever, trapped in a deranged state, unable to breathe properly. That was the punishment Seoryeong had passed down.
“The liquor I gave you—make the next magistrate drink it too. It’ll keep him from committing corruption.”
Looking at the women clutching each other’s hands tightly, Seoryeong shrugged.
“And for the record, if you leak this secret, needles will pierce your throats too. Don’t even think about pulling some pointless ‘confession of conscience’ nonsense.”
“...There is not a single foolish person among us who would harbor such thoughts.”
Hwayeong stepped forward as she spoke. The emotions she had carried all this time were laid bare on the face of the cold beauty. Sorrowful and wronged, yet still forced to live on—an expression only someone like that could wear.
“Thank you. I will repay this kindness someday, without fail.”
As Hwayeong bowed, all the other girls bowed as well. Scratching the back of her neck, Seoryeong replied as if it were nothing.
“That’s enough. It’s not some grand deed. I’m leaving.”
Seoryeong turned her back and walked away without hesitation. Myungdo followed after her.
“Please, at least tell us your name...!”
At Hwayeong’s desperate cry, Seoryeong waved her hand without turning back. Leaving behind a single line, she walked farther away.
“Live a long, long life—.”
It was the greatest blessing someone who carried death for a lifetime could give.
* * *
“Ah, fuck, this is insane.”
IP 85.152 cast aside the decorum they usually clung to. The ending was just too satisfying.
“It’s even better because it’s not some half-assed ending....”
If it had just ended with him being killed outright or thrown into prison, it wouldn’t have hit the same. But the magistrate would suffer for the rest of his life—gasping for breath as though billions of needles were stabbing into his heart.
Time passed in a strangely abrupt blur.
Before she knew it, Seoryeong had lost the initiative to Myungdo. Ever since the last swindle incident, Myungdo hadn’t returned the bundle. Everything Seoryeong wanted to buy was vetoed with a firm shake of his head.
“Hey! It’s my money!”
“If you spend it so recklessly, nothing will remain. And as long as I’m watching, you should refrain from trying to earn money through fraud. Believe it or not, I am currently on official duty.”
“I’m gonna spend it all and die anyway, so what does it matter?”
As Seoryeong hopped around, trying to snatch the bundle back, Myungdo answered with an intentionally stern face.
“You might end up wanting to live.”
“...”
“Who knows. In a country you’ve built firmly with your own power, you might want to live a new life.”
Warm sunlight brushed Seoryeong’s face. She blinked slowly.
“Ugh....”
And without hesitation, she kicked Myungdo in the shin. Grumbling, Seoryeong strode ahead.
“That’ll never happen. Don’t spout nonsense.”
After that, Seoryeong failed in her attempt to order every single dish at the tavern.
Only right before going to meet the claw ghost did Seoryeong finally manage to put on women’s clothes, using the “great cause” as an excuse.
“Hey! How do I look!”
Unlike before, when she had been in men’s clothing, Seoryeong now appeared elegantly dressed, boldly presenting herself to Myungdo, who still mistook her for a man.
The nuance on her face was unmistakable. Pretty enough to die for, right? That expression was adorable.
“Indeed....”
Myungdo nodded briefly.
“Perhaps because of your small frame, women’s attire suits you even better than expected.”
At that, Seoryeong kicked his shin again.
Yup (211.234) holy shit she’s seriously the local punching bag lmfao is this even a couple guys
Yup (121.160) the insane point is that with that build and height he just takes it without resisting, that’s just him already admitting it like ‘she’s my woman’
Yup (182.222) she should’ve dressed like this earlier my eyes are healed TT_TT
“Wait, this....”
IP 85.152 suddenly remembered something. Seoryeong’s crossdressing getting such a good reaction—it felt familiar. Something they’d seen once before. The kind of thing that made them cry and beg to see it just one more time, until they ended up prowling around dramas....
“Let’s go.”
IP 85.152 changed their IP and wrote a new post.
Input: Anyone seen Seoryeong real-body footage lol it’s old bait but the quality’s decent
The Daehan Arts College final theater performance video began to resurge right after the drama ended.
* * *
Intube
[1221 Daehan Arts College Final Performance <Romeo and Juliet> Team B Myeong Jeha, Han Yeoreum] 15:44
-Seoryeong miss had a phase like this too...
-The fact that only the two leads have different mics on? That’s some serious discrimination
ㄴThey’re just the only two projecting properly, what discrimination, fuck off lol reaching way too hard
-Please, for the sake of the domestic drama industry, let Han Yeoreum and Myeong Jeha film just one thing together. I’m not even joking. This should be a national obligation
<Strange Tales> was on everyone’s lips day after day. Episode 4 had already surpassed 13% in ratings, closing in on <Top Class>.
“What’s the Intube view count at now?”
“Up about fifty thousand since yesterday.”
“If this keeps up, it might hit trending....”
This was JC ENM’s Cheongdam headquarters. The PR team was at work again today, scrambling as if a fire had broken out at their feet.
And for good reason—saying that <Strange Tales> had swallowed up the entire domestic drama scene wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“Push out articles for now and monitor the reactions. If it hits trending, change the headline to ‘The video causing an uproar on trending right now’.”
Even on days when <Strange Tales> wasn’t airing, drama fans and the general public hunted for scraps like hyenas.
They browsed the novel to check the original work, speculated about how the story would unfold next based on it, and above all, stalked the cast’s social media.
“What’s Han Yeoreum’s follower trend?”
“She just passed five hundred thousand!”
A well-curated feed was practically a work of art for a celebrity. At the moment, Yeoreum was serving as the MusicN MC, uploading photos each week with different coordinations.
A rising actor loaded with talking points was perfect fuel for drama fans’ racing hearts.
pppongdang___e @pppongdang___e
A filial daughter who has no such thing as a hiatus the moment she’s cast? Yes, this is real
ㄴSo we don’t have to keep sucking clips dry anymore? Just wait for the occasional premiere appearance, scan magazine interviews over and over, obsessively check notifications to see if she posted a story or not—are we really free from all that now?
ㄴYou never know... it’s always been like this...
ㄴFuck, anyway this is good. Sweet... damn
Watching an internet world filled with <Strange Tales> talk even on off-days, Manager Hong smiled. Beside him, the new rookie gulped down coffee—ever since Episode 1 aired, the word “leaving on time” hadn’t crossed his lips once.
“Hey, go easy on the coffee. You’ll burn a hole in your stomach.”
“I think there’s already a hole....”
“Next week you’ll need even more. Stock up then.”
“Why next week?”
Seeing the dazed rookie, Manager Hong smiled benevolently.
“We’re doing stage greetings for <Law-Faster-than>. Yeoreum’s.”
* * *
At this very moment, Aetami was more desperate than anyone. She gathered the energy of the universe and focused it into her fingers.
“Not going to eat?”
“My stomach’s a bit....”
Too full. Beating like crazy. Like she’d die if this didn’t work. Aetami swallowed the rest of her words. She had to see the stage greeting. She wanted to see her face at a precious offline event. freeweɓnøvel.com
‘Yeoreum... unni’s coming...!’
She had to put a cute headband on her and take a thousand photos. Aetami vowed firmly.
She wanted to see Yeoreum from the front row, beating out all the fans who were going for Yun Hyeonjo because of the trailer.
Tick, tick, tick....
The second hand of the clock—inaudible in reality—rang in her ears like a hallucination. Then, exactly on the hour, ticket sales opened.
“I’m going...!”
Aetami focused on the screen.
The booking page loaded. Her fingers flew. Fan service didn’t matter—she had to see Yeoreum up close, no matter what.
‘Row A, seat 10...!’
Sweat soaked the hand gripping the mouse. Because she’d logged in beforehand, the payment page popped up instantly. Aetami slammed the consent button.
Click—!
[Your reservation has been completed successfully]
“I got it!!!”
Aetami screamed in the empty office. Just as she clutched the monitor in bliss, her phone vibrated. A call from Deduck.B, Reporter Wi Jaehwi.
“Hey, I succeeded at unmanned ticketing!”
She bragged the moment she picked up—but the other end was silent.
“Hey. Are you listening?”
Aetami pressed him. Reporter Wi spoke in a trembling voice.
—Hey... do you have your Intube notifications turned off?
“Huh? Why?”
—Log into Intube... right now... look, look....
His voice shook. What? Confused, Aetami pulled the phone from her ear and tapped the app.
“Huh...?”
A notification bubble with +99 stared back at her. No way, no way, no way...? Half in disbelief, she tapped it—and lost all words.
—Yeoreum hit trending!
Recent comments were flooding in on a video uploaded last winter.
-05:11 This part is seriously insane
-Wow but seriously what is this, someone please wrap a historical drama around this
-If you’re obsessed with Eastern aesthetics just lie down here with me... I can’t leave TT_TT
“Hey, this is obviously....”
—It’s already circulating as clips!
Screenshots and clips spread in no time. That day, Aetami didn’t need to eat to feel full.
* * *
“Uh, with that, we’ll wrap up homeroom—”
Bang!
Before the homeroom teacher could finish speaking, a chair clattered across the floor. Before anyone could process what was happening, someone flung the door open and bolted out.
“...Hey, who was that just now?”
“Han Taeyang.”
Taeyang checked the watch on his wrist as he ran. He sprinted across the wide school field, his bag dangling awkwardly from his hand.
On Taeyang’s phone home screen was a calendar.
[<Law-Faster-than> Stage Greeting Schedule]
GCV Wangsimni
Hall 5 15:50 (screening)
M Hall 16:20 (screening)
GCV Cheongdam
Hall 7 17:10 (screening)
“Ah, this is fucking exhausting....”
After sprinting like mad, Taeyang grabbed a bus just as it was pulling away from the stop. Today was the day of the <Law-Faster-than> stage greetings.
‘Can’t be helped.’
Taeyang had succeeded in ticketing—three times, no less. Because Han Yeoreum only appeared for a few seconds in the trailer. From this alone, Yeoreum was definitely disappointed.
‘That attention whore....’
Thinking about Yeoreum standing awkwardly beside Kwak Cheolsik and Yun Hyeonjo, whom fans had come to see, made his chest tighten a little. Awkwardly greeting people, then turning away sadly to face the reality that she didn’t have a single fan of her own....
‘Someone’s gotta go, right.’
This °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° was the price of having an incompetent older sister.
