Chapter 1
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle.
The rough sound of footsteps scraping the sandy ground grated harshly on my ears.
With every noise, pain erupted simultaneously from various parts of my body.
“Haa…”
Even clenching my teeth couldn’t stop the groans from escaping.
My vision spun, and the darkness of night mixed with lights into a smeared blur, like mashed clay. My blood-caked clothes clung stiffly to my body, scratching at it with every movement.
Even so, I did not stop walking.
No — I couldn’t stop.
‘Until I complete the mission… I must never stop.’
Tak, tatatak, tadak!
Just then, from not far away, came the sound of someone fleeing.
Judging by the irregular rhythm of their steps, they too seemed to be severely wounded.
I pushed out the last of my strength and followed the sound.
At last, I saw a man leaning against the red brick wall of the post office.
“Kugh... Damn it! These persistent bastards!”
Tairo Sosuke.
A gendarmerie lieutenant colonel, infamous for his cruelty and savagery.
He was a villain who had committed unforgivable crimes against our people — and against this land, Joseon.
‘And the one who killed the person most precious to me…’
Unable to hold back my rage, I gripped the Mauser pistol tightly in my right hand.
A throbbing pain flared in my forearm, and something warm poured down it.
“Stop! If you come any closer, I’ll shoot!”
Sosuke raised his gun in a last desperate act.
Though the earlier explosion had left him barely able to stand, the tenacity of someone who had climbed to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the gendarmerie was not so easily extinguished.
“Lowly Joseon wench. Do you think you’ll get away with doing this to me?!”
“You sure talk a lot for someone about to die.”
“Aaaaargh, shut up!”
Bullets from Sosuke’s gun flew past me, missing by a hair.
He couldn’t even aim properly.
The thought that comrades of mine had died at the hands of someone like him made my anger surge even more.
Click, click.
At last, Sosuke’s gun, emptied from reckless firing, gave only the sound of an empty magazine.
Now, his stubborn life — would end here.
“Tairo Sosuke.”
I slowly raised my arm and aimed the gun at the target.
“In the name of the Joseon people, and of the many comrades who died by your hands…”
In their name.
“I condemn you.”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three flashes burst from the muzzle.
With them, Sosuke’s body jolted violently, as if in seizure.
Shot in his vital points, Sosuke stared at me with bloodshot eyes, then collapsed.
Once the ear-splitting gunshots faded, only a numbing silence remained.
“……”
I stared into the empty air, then slowly let my arm fall.
With a heavy thud, the gun dropped to the ground.
Thump, plop.
Tears began to fall.
At first, they trickled down one by one — then poured like rain, soaking my cheeks, my clothes, and the earth.
Such an easy thing… and yet I finished it only now.
Our enemy is dead — but Joseon’s enemy is not.
Even after losing everything… I’m still standing on my own two feet like this.
“Hrk… huuuhk…!”
Slowly crumbling, I collapsed onto the ground, sobbing into the dirt.
Beyond my shut eyelids, the face of one man rose vividly, making the pain inside me even worse.
“…It’s all over now… Hrk… Can’t you come to me now?”
Like before — can’t you praise me, stroke my hair again?
Like that night under the lights of Gyeongseong, when we danced.
Like that spring night, under the rain of petals, when we kissed.
Like that day… when you told me you loved me.
“Please come get me. Please…”
But that night, you never came to me.
As if to etch into me the fact that you had left my side forever.
I ached to return… to the moment I first met you.
[Four years ago — August 1938.]
These days, the sweltering heat of midsummer lingered late into the night.
The Modern Café, the most renowned bar and secret dance hall in Gyeongseong, was once again bustling underground tonight — cloaked in dazzling, romantic lights, and bursting with lively music and laughter.
People seated at every table clapped, laughed, and chatted excitedly to the cheerful sounds of the jazz band, thoroughly enjoying the moment.
Some, unable to resist the rhythm, paired up and began to dance.
The thought that the police might storm in at any moment — everyone swallowed that down with their drinks.
It seemed the rumors that all of Gyeongseong’s modern boys and modern girls gathered here were not an exaggeration after all.
However, despite the lively jazz music, several men sat restlessly, their eyes darting toward the stage.
One man, clearly bored, let out a grumble.
“When exactly is this Western dance performance you talked about supposed to start?”
“Just wait a little longer. Natasha will be out soon to start the show.”
At that, another man with a pomaded, ogappa-style haircut asked back in surprise,
“Natasha? You mean the woman who mimics Choi Seung-hee’s modern dance choreography exactly?”
“That’s the one. My sister and brother-in-law are big fans of Western dance, so they often go to performances. Last week, they saw Natasha perform and said she was the spitting image of Choi Seung-hee. They were speechless.”
“Even so, this wait is ridiculous. We’ll be here all night at this rate.”
“Come on, just wait a little longer, will you?”
As the men’s back-and-forth quieted down—
The owner of the Modern Café, Kim Man-seok, stepped onto the stage, adjusting the suspenders stretched over his round belly.
He signaled the band to stop playing, then called out in a booming voice to the hall:
“Ladies and gentlemen! We sincerely thank you for joining us once again here at the Modern Café! The moment you’ve all been waiting for — Natasha and the Butterflies — will soon be gracing the dance stage. So please wait just a bit longer!”
At Man-seok’s announcement, the men erupted in loud cheers.
“Natasha! Natasha! Natasha!”
The men, full of anticipation, soon began to call out Natasha’s name in unison.
The heat was truly overwhelming.
At that very moment, when the hall of the Modern Café was filled with their cries for “Natasha”—
In a small dressing room behind the stage, seven women were listening to the cheers.
Standing at the front among them was a woman so extravagantly adorned that no one could mistake her for anyone but Natasha. She turned to look behind her with a haughty gaze.
“Be careful not to make any mistakes. Even a single slip from one of you can ruin my entire dance.”
“Yes, unnie.”
At Natasha’s command, the six other women replied in unison.
Among them, So-hye also gave a small nod.
So-hye was the youngest of Natasha’s “Butterflies” — backup dancers whose purpose was solely to make the star, Natasha, shine.
The customers hardly ever paid them any attention.
Still, Natasha’s Butterflies had to move every finger to precise angles for the sake of Natasha’s perfect performance.
“Just do it like we practiced. Just like we practiced.”
So-hye straightened her back, swallowing her nerves.
No matter how many times she stood on stage, it always made her tremble.
“Please welcome Natasha and the Butterflies with a big round of applause!”
At Man-seok’s introduction, Natasha stepped forward with a radiant smile and walked in quick, delicate steps.
Behind her, So-hye and the other Butterflies followed, each smiling brightly as they trailed after her.
At Natasha’s entrance, the men roared with welcome, while women in Western dresses, though frowning at the revealing outfits that accentuated every curve, couldn’t hide their curiosity.
Soon, to the smooth melody, the seven women began to move like flowing water.
The audience let out soft sighs of awe, gradually drawn into the performance.
To melodies that carried sorrow and clarity in turns, the women surrendered their bodies.
To those unfamiliar with Western dance, their movements were nothing short of a shock.
So-hye, along with the other Butterfly dancers, repeatedly circled around Natasha and then scattered, doing everything to highlight her.
The dancers, fluttering like butterflies or celestial maidens in flight, began performing an upbeat swing jazz routine when the music shifted.
After about ten more minutes of extended performance—
Returning to the opening melody, Natasha struck her final pose — surrounded by her Butterflies, her posture beautiful and composed.
A brief silence took the place of the now-ended music.
And then—
“Waaaah!”
Everyone — men and women alike — rose to their feet and applauded the dancers.
Most of the praise, of course, was directed at Natasha.
With elegant grace, Natasha covered her chest and received their roaring cheers with her whole body.
She descended the stage alone, disappearing into the crowd.
The Butterflies, who had performed alongside her, had no choice but to quietly exit backstage in the meantime.
“Hoo…”
So-hye exhaled a long breath to release the tension.
She pulled off her golden wig, revealing a bob of black hair damp with sweat.
“Another performance finished safely today.”
To So-hye, that alone was the greatest relief of the day.
If she had made even the slightest mistake, Natasha — Kyung-rim — would’ve scolded her fiercely.
Ever since their imitation of Choi Seung-hee’s modern dance, learned through glances over the shoulder, had become a hit, Kyung-rim had risen to stardom as the top performer at the Modern Café.
Because of that, the other dancers who used to share the jazz dance stage with Kyung-rim had all become mere background performers in an instant.
And the other dancers voiced their dissatisfaction openly:
“We’re all dancers, so why is Kyung-rim unnie the only one who gets to use a stage name like Natasha?”
“Yeah, and she always gets to be the lead in every performance.”
“Would it kill her to teach us more of the dance so we can take turns as the lead?”
“I bet she’s just trying to catch the eye of some highborn noble and become someone’s mistress.”
But even as the other dancers gleefully gossiped behind her back, So-hye quietly went about removing her stage makeup.
‘Even if she taught them, none of them could actually keep up anyway.’
Though So-hye also found Kyung-rim’s arrogance uncomfortable, she didn’t exactly hate her.
Even if she hadn’t been professionally trained, Kyung-rim’s dancing had the power to leave people in awe.
If she had received proper training, she probably would’ve danced circles around that Choi Seung-hee or whoever she was.
Besides, among the Butterflies, there wasn’t a single one who could match Kyung-rim in looks or dance ability.
Just getting to share the stage with her was already more than enough.
Of course, whether it was the lead role or anything else — none of it mattered to So-hye.
A woman who was nothing more than decoration, even on a stage meant to shine.
A mayfly-like human, scraping through each day without dreams or a future.
That was the real Baek So-hye.
‘All I care about is making money.’
Let the leading role be played by someone who looked the part.
When the makeup was finally wiped away, the face of a mature woman disappeared, and what remained in the mirror was that of a young, clean-cut girl.
Even without the makeup, her eyebrows were graceful like rounded hills, and her large eyes were clear and bright.
A nose tip small and neat, lifted like the rounded front of a beoseon sock, and lips softly flushed — neither too thin nor too full.
Hair swaying at shoulder length.
She resembled a clear breeze on a summer day, standing on the border between girlhood and womanhood, exuding a strange and delicate charm.
‘A face like this… What’s the use of it, anyway.’
It had already been five years since she was dragged here at seventeen by her gambling-addicted father and sold off to pay his debts.
Thankfully, the owner of the Modern Café, Man-seok, was a man of good heart.
Pitying So-hye, he had likely already paid her father a large sum of money, yet he still gave her a place to sleep, food to eat, and even a small wage for her work.
Then, in place of the father who had existed as little more than a shadow all her life, Man-seok became a new father figure to her.
“So-hye. You mustn’t resent your father.”
“But he sold me.”
“Your father didn’t sell you. He was trying to protect you.”
Words Man-seok said to her once — and only once — about her father.
Even then, and even now, she still didn’t understand what he meant.
She only wondered whether she should be grateful that he’d let her go — told her to stop living under a gambling father and start earning her keep with her own hands.
“I’ll be heading in now.”
Having finished getting ready to leave, So-hye stood up.
The other dancers were still cracking roasted pumpkin seeds, not even bothering to remove their makeup.
Leaving behind their half-hearted nods and mumbled goodbyes, she stepped outside.
“Natasha! Take my glass, too!”
“No, you have to drink with me first!”
The mood in the hall surrounding Kyung-rim was getting more and more heated.
Even as So-hye, who had shared the same stage, passed by, not a single person spared her a glance.
It was only natural.
With a baker boy cap hiding her bobbed hair, a worn-out shirt, and tattered trousers, she looked no different from a small, scrawny man.
It was her chosen outfit for leaving work — a disguise to avoid being mistaken for a café waitress and harassed by drunk men.
“Where’s the boss? I should say goodbye before I go…”
Just as she looked around—
She suddenly felt a thick hand shove her back.
“Eh? Here’s another shy one!”
“E-excuse me?”
When she turned around, she saw a plump-faced man with a friendly grin, giving her a push.
“Don’t be shy! Our Natasha welcomes everyone!”
“Ah, no, I—”
“Come now, come with me! Let’s all drink together!”
“Wait— wait a minute! Sir? Sir??”
So-hye dug in with her toes, trying with all her might to resist.
But she was no match for the drunken man’s strength.
Just as she was being forcibly pushed and buried deeper into the crowd—
This time, a large hand suddenly wrapped around So-hye’s shoulder, and a smooth, pleasant baritone voice echoed from behind her.
“Why trouble someone who has nothing to do with it?”
A faint scent of tobacco brushed past the tip of her nose like a breath.
“Ah, it’s nothing, Mr. Shin. This fellow was looking around, like he wanted to see Natasha, so…”
“You go see her. Let this one be.”
At that, another man approached and stood beside the drunk, grinning slyly.
“You’re really not coming, Woo-geon? Se-ho and I were going to go have a look ourselves.”
“No interest. I hate being smothered.”
“Hahaha! True — for your personality, just coming this far is already something to be grateful for. Then enjoy your cheap drink. We’ll be back after seeing Natasha.”
At the hand gesture of the man who had stepped in to help her, the other two headed off toward where Kyung-rim was.
But So-hye remained stiff, frozen in place.
Because the man’s hand was still resting on her shoulder.
The heat from that hand seemed to rise all the way to the nape of her neck, burning.
‘I should thank him quickly and leave.’
So-hye spun around and gave a deep bow.
“Thank you for your help. Then, please enjoy the rest of your—”
The moment she lifted her head and met Woo-geon’s eyes—
So-hye froze in place, like a doll.
Could he be even thirty yet?
Under his neatly groomed black hair, which gleamed with a soft sheen, lay a pair of brows dark and sharply drawn, as if with a single stroke.
His eyes, though sharp in shape, carried within them both a gentle light and a deep darkness — like the night sea.
His nose was high and straight, his jawline sharp and sculpted, embodying the pinnacle of masculine beauty.
But most of all, what stood out was the sultry, decadent aura that enveloped his entire face.
His lips, tinged with the color of blood, were sensually vivid — arresting to the eye.
He was, without a doubt, a man whose looks were so deep and refined they could steal someone’s very soul.
“Gone…”
In that instant, a sweet, thick smoke billowed into So-hye’s chest.
It seeped deep into her lungs, stirring unfamiliar feelings with every breath.
Her chest tingled, her heart began to race, and her face grew so hot she felt dizzy.
She had thought she’d seen everything there was to see, working at the most glamorous night spot in all of Gyeongseong — the Modern Café.
She had never seen a man so handsome, so suffused with a mysterious aura.
His lips — so sultry they made her lower belly ache — were just too…
“You were saying something. You can go ahead and finish.”
“Your lips are just too…”
“What?”
“Huh…? Ah!”
Caught up in her own wandering thoughts, So-hye was startled and quickly lowered her head in alarm.
“I—I didn’t see anything… I mean, that is…!”
Her face burned so hot it felt like it might burst at any moment.
The only thing her body could think to do was flee.
“S-sorry! I’ll be going now!”
So-hye dashed up the stairs in a panic.
By now, she had long forgotten about saying goodbye to Man-seok.
So-hye ran as if fleeing for her life, only coming to a stop when the café was completely out of sight.
She had run so fast, her breath caught high up in her chest.
“Haa, ha…”
So-hye gasped for air, placing a hand over her pounding heart.
Her chest thudded wildly, like the beat of a jazz band’s drum.
She couldn’t tell if it was from running — or from the man she had just seen.
All she knew was that she was dizzy. Dizzy and overwhelmed.
“I feel weird. Really weird…”
That was the only way So-hye, who knew nothing about the man, could describe it.
Her heart felt like it might burst, swollen with an unfamiliar fluttering, as if it were ticklish and breathless for no reason.
Even when she closed her eyes, the image of that man was burned so deeply into her chest that she could still see him.
It was the moment a nameless flower — thick with the scent of a summer night — bloomed in So-hye’s heart.
