Plum Month

by Choi Seo-hae · 2026-04-08

In the blue dawn sky where the starlight had just faded, clouds with a red aura drifted by,

and the morning sunlight settled on the high peaks of the western mountains where the cold fog had lifted.

Park Saeng and his companions set out on their journey.

At the ends of the bare branches, birds chirped,

and between the green pines, the autumn leaves seemed to blaze like flames.

In the fields, rural men and women were already out harvesting rice.

The chilly air of the frosty morning gradually seeped into Park Saeng's thin bones.

However, a strange joy lingered in his heart.

He believed that if he just reached the quiet temple, he would surely fulfill his wishes.

Yet, every now and then, when he recalled the icy demeanor shown by Mae Wol, which was nothing more than a trivial matter, he felt a pang of conscience and an indescribable discomfort.

But that was only for a moment.

What constantly filled his mind was ultimately his desire for Mae Wol.

With such a strong desire occupying the center of his heart, how could Park Saeng find peace?

Indeed, Park Saeng thought about Mae Wol more frequently than he did about his own dignity, or perhaps even more than that.

‘I am the master, and Mae Wol is a lowly servant.

She must have hesitated to reject me out of a momentary embarrassment. It cannot be that her true feelings are like that…….’

Park Saeng thought this way.

He secretly hoped that her rejection was merely born from shyness.

Yet, somehow, a corner of his heart felt increasingly disappointed.

Mae Wol was following behind Park Saeng on the carriage,

but her heart was nowhere to be found, neither in the east nor in the west, nor in the south or north.

It was neither in the sky nor on the ground, and it seemed to be swaying and wandering as if it were not even attached to her own body.

Thoughts of this and that endlessly surged, making her heart feel heavy and her mind dizzy.

But who could she confide in about these feelings?

Where could she rely on, and to whom could she seek salvation?

Only then did Mae Wol keenly feel her lonely and weary situation.

She closed her eyes and lowered her head.

With each step the carriage took, it felt as if it was retreating further back,

or as if it was being sucked into some deep and dark place.

Mae Wol suddenly opened her eyes wide.

In the sky, white clouds like cotton were flowing vigorously.

Riding on those clouds, she wanted to escape her heart to the endless sky beyond.

Turning her gaze again, rural women were busily moving about in the fields, busy with the autumn harvest.

The moment she saw that scene, Mae Wol felt as if she were being dragged away by a hawk, watching her own shadow in front of her.

Even if she tried not to go, there was nothing she could do.

When the master's command came down like a decree, what could withstand that majesty?

If she followed, she would surely become a fish caught in a net or a bird trapped in a cage.

Rather, she wanted to pour out all her circumstances right here and struggle.

Even if her neck were to be cut off, she wanted to say everything.

But thinking of the kindness she had received, she could not openly confront her master.

Although she did not receive Park Saeng's love, Park Saeng's wife and his mother cherished Mae Wol like their own daughter.

It was an era that valued loyalty and fidelity.

Praising the loyalty of Guan Yu, who did not kill Cao Cao in 'Hua Long Dao' and sent him back,

Mae Wol, who grew up naturally learning about loyalty like that of a loyal horse, could not turn her back on kindness.

It was not merely an emotion she held in her thoughts.

It had already become part of her very nature.

‘I, a mere woman and a lowly servant, am burning the heart of that noble gentleman.’

Every time she thought like that, Mae Wol's sacrificial heart became even more tormented.

Yet, she could not allow her body.

To give her heart to fulfill a kindness she did not feel was too cruel for her.

If it were for someone she could entrust her whole life to,

or if it were for a great purpose like that of Nongae or Chohyun,

she might have been able to endure giving up her heart.

But to satisfy the master's fleeting lust,

she could never bring herself to carelessly cut the precious fabric of her heart.

However, as long as she was in front of Park Saeng, she could not completely escape that danger.

And the stronger her resistance, the deeper Park Saeng's torment would surely become.

If that happened, it would not only be her own suffering that was at stake.

If the master's illness worsened, what could she do then?

Ah, what on earth should she do?

The world is so vast, yet there is nowhere to accept this one body.

Mae Wol sighed like that on top of the carriage, and despaired.

Yet strangely, a corner of her heart did not crumble.

Even if she bore a dirty stigma and was pointed at by the fingers of the world,

in reality, her inner self remained pure and white, not tainted at all.