Plum Month

by Choi Seo-hae · 2026-03-20

It is a story over a hundred years old.

In Yeongnam, Park Saeng was well-known in Hanyang for the exceptional writing skills and outstanding beauty of his maid, Mae-wol. The people of the town would spend the wealth their ancestors had painstakingly gathered to fill the bellies of powerful officials, often mentioning that Mae-wol was a beauty of unparalleled grace. Upon hearing this, many people swallowed their saliva. However, Park Saeng was completely unaware that he had such a rare beauty at home.

Park Saeng was a descendant of a noble family in Yeongnam, and his family was quite well-off. He went to the capital to obtain an official position, but he had already spent all his money and was living in a room where fleas and bedbugs swarmed in the summer, and frost settled on the walls in the winter for six years. Nevertheless, Park Saeng did not find it troubling or curious enough to worry about. He was immersed in a daily routine of drinking, enjoying the performances of courtesans, smoking, and napping.

One day, Park Saeng decided to prepare to return to his hometown. It was then that the cold rain was falling, and a few paulownia leaves had fallen. The fragrant rice in the fields was ripening yellow, and the trees on the mountains were beginning to change color. As Park Saeng mounted his heavily loaded horse, his heart was filled with complicated emotions. He looked around with blurry eyes, dreaming of the future and the past. It was a day without a hint of wind, perfect for falling asleep under the warm autumn sun or contemplating something.

After spending six years in Yookyung, with nearly all his rice fields gone to debt and no official position, how could this not be a tragic situation? After much anguish, Park Saeng quietly resented the great official. However, if the great official still had a spirit, he would be crawling along, waiting for an opportunity. "When will good fortune come around so I can hold an official position? I could lead a group of servants to a town where many courtesans dance, and money would pour in, along with the beautiful maid Mae-wol..." Just as Park Saeng's fantasies deepened, the horse stumbled on a stone and jumped. At that moment, Park Saeng woke from that sweet dream. Reality was leading him down a thorny path.

Park Saeng muttered in a weak voice, "This fellow, can't you drive the horse properly?" and closed his eyes again. The groom bent down and said, "I apologize," guiding the horse back to the center of the road. The horse raised its head and walked while making a jingling sound. With his eyes closed, Park Saeng fell back into various thoughts. "How can I appear before the shrine in such a decent state? Moreover, I don't want to hear the voice of the neighboring Yu Pan-seo..." Yet, he could not return without seeing Mae-wol's beauty. Park Saeng's heart was complicated. Indeed, this trip to his hometown was to see Mae-wol. Imagining the appearance of Mae-wol, which he had only heard about through rumors, Park Saeng left Hanyang. His heart was anxious. Each moment felt like an eternity, and he urged the groom on. Ignoring the cold dawn wind and the evening rain in Minchon, he drove the horse while dozing off and waking up.