As True as a Dream

He saw the pocket watch.

 

Her heart sank.

 

Then the man suddenly stood up.

 

Hae-Joo jumped to her feet and stumbled backwards.

 

He walked over to where she was sitting, bent down and picked up the pocket watch.

 

Then he raised his eyes, looked at her appraisingly, and took a step toward her.

 

Cringing, she took a step back as he approached.

 

She shook her head, trying to clear it.

 

‘No, this is no dream. He picked up the pocket watch himself and he’s laughing, so it can’t be a ghost. This man didn’t die. I must have been mistaken. I was alive that day, right? Maybe this guy was just lucky too.’

 

Hae-Joo tried to calm her racing heart as best she could and spoke to the man.

 

Of course, if he was a human and not a ghost, he would speak human.

 “So, what happened to that, uh, look, if you don’t mind me asking.” 

But before she could say a word, something caught on her back foot and she lost her balance.

 

She fell backwards as fast as she could and felt an intense pain as the back of her head hit the ground.

 Cough! 

Gritting his teeth in unspeakable pain, a lazy voice rang out over Hae-Joo’s head.

 “The thief has found me.” 

‘Thief?’

Hae-Joo closed her mouth despite the pain in the back of her head.

 

She wanted to say that the pocket watch would have been taken by a corpse collector or someone else, even if it wasn’t her.

 

A deep voice with a hint of laughter answered her.

 “A dead man?” 

Through her blurred vision, she could see the man’s beautiful face.

 

The red birthmark on his right earlobe was like a red plum blossom in a bottle of Bon Ori gin.

 

His moist hazel eyes, both elegant and mesmerizing, curved gently like a crescent moon.

 “Who says I’m dead?” 

I heard the sound of a bird flapping the wings of its dinner duck.

 

For a moment, before her vision went black, she thought she saw a red crow.

 

Her heart pounded like it was about to burst through her chest.

 

Hae-Joo sucked in a breath and blinked her eyes open.

 

Another nightmare.

 

The bloodied man was bad enough, but now the bodies of the men who had been there that day were everywhere.

 

***

 “Yes, 5,000 won! Word is already spreading like wildfire around here.” “They’re really offering a reward of 5,000 won?” “Hagi, how many dignitaries do we usually entertain?” “None. A few drinks and a few glances are enough to know what’s hiding under the veneer of these grown men. Yesterday the Minister of Finance was drunk and crawling around like a dog with a sash around his neck. Giggle!” 

Dazed, Hae-Joo jerked awake to the sound of soft female voices in her ear.

 

A bright light and a human shadow shone beyond the azazal-patterned gate.

 

Tremulous hair, a scurrying bee, a manipulative gesture, a fan in hand.

 

Hae-Joo turned her eyes and scanned the room she was in.

 

It was a small side room attached to the tatami room, with several colorful hanboks hanging on a rack, and on one side of the room were a variety of items, including a jemo, kayageum, fan, bell, and dance knife.

 

It looked like a place for the entertainers invited to the banquet to prepare and rest.

 “No, Sis, so you’ll give me 5,000 won if I find out what?” “Gu… what did they say? Ah, Guishan Island, a painting of a tortoise-headed mountain in the sea.” “I heard that Mr. Cho Yoon, the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce who came to the banquet today, was so crazy about collecting such old books and paintings that he drove his daughter into a coma.” 

Hae-Joo sat up and listened to the conversation between the entertainers on the other side of the sliding doors.

 

She ran a hand through her hair, which she hadn’t touched in days.

 “What— what happened, why am I here…?” 

The last thing she remembered was the beautiful face of the man who had stolen her soul.

 

Then she saw a Western-style red brick building she had never seen before, a large grassy courtyard, and a cat…

 

Banquet Hall’s door suddenly flew open.

 “Uh, you’re up?” 

A woman with an impressive dimple on the side of her lip stood at Banquet Hall’s door, holding a coral hairpin in her hand.

 

It was the parasitic Ling Yue, whom she had met through a few jewelry deals.

 “Miss Ling Yue?” “How are you? Are you alright?” 

Hae-Joo rubbed the back of her head again and raised an eyebrow.

 “Why am I here? What happened?” “Why are you here? You collapsed in front of the middle door of the banquet hall, and since it was you, I carried you here first.” “I collapsed at the center door of the banquet hall?” 

No matter how much she thought about it, Hae-Joo couldn’t figure out how she could have ended up at the middle gate of the banquet hall instead of the deserted courtyard.

 “Was I alone? Uhh. Was there a cat or something… and no one else?” “What are you talking about, like there was someone else to fall down?” 

Ling Yue laughed, covering her mouth with her jade-encrusted hand as if her question was out of place.

 “No, not that…” 

That was it.

 Bang! Bang! Bang! 

A powerful shot rang out not far away.

 

Ling Yue, who had been talking casually, looked out in surprise.

 

Hae-Joo did the same.

 

Both of them jumped up at the disturbing sound that made their hearts sink.

 “Kaaaah!” “What’s going on? It’s that way! Call the police!” “It’s over by the wall, Mistress Hong…!” 

It didn’t take long for the tranquil garden to become chaotic.

 

The dizzying footsteps of people and a considerable amount of commotion could be heard from outside.

 

The entertainers in the room quickly rushed out of the building.

 “What the hell is going on? I have to go, and you, if you’re up to it, leave before the curfew!” 

Ling Yue also craned her neck to look at the entrance before turning away with a last word.

 

Hae-Joo crossed the room and left the building.

 Bang! Bang! 

Once again, gunshots rang out eerily.

 

Standing in the garden, she saw people scurrying around.

 

Some were rushing to get out of Song Yue Pavilion, while others were heading in the direction of Yang Yueguan to see what was going on.

 “What kind of madman would shoot at Song Yue Pavilion?” “His liver must have gone overboard. How dare he come here…” “How long has it been since there was such a ruckus? What kind of hick is doing this in Song Yue Pavilion?” 

I felt very sympathetic to the words of the Song Yue Pavilion staff as they passed by.

 

In Jingsheng, there are many delicious, beautiful, and unique restaurants and eateries.

 

But none of them can surpass Song Yue Pavilion.

 

This is because it is an inviolable territory that cannot be affected by any force.

 

There is no

“Imperial Japan”

, no

“Colonial Japan”

, and no

“foreigners”

from distant lands.

 

Everyone is equal, and we will not tolerate any disturbance.

 

No interests can disturb the peace here.

 

This has been the case for 20 years since Song Yue Pavilion was founded.

 

And the reason for this is the

“Curse of Song Yue Pavilion”

.

 “A curse…”

Hae-Joo muttered to herself.

 

The Curse of Song Yue Pavilion.

 

It was also one of Jingsheng’s favorite stories, often told by the wealthy.

 

The story said that anyone who disturbed the tranquility of Song Yue Pavilion was cursed to die.

 

In fact, in the early years of Song Yue Pavilion’s opening, there were many people who came as guests and died of unexplained diseases or accidents.

 

And all of those who died were those who had caused trouble in one way or another.

 

The governor’s office at that time also sent gendarmes to investigate several times, but nothing was found.

 

This caused a crisis in the management of Song Yue Pavilion, but only for a short time.

 

Song Yue Pavilion has survived dozens of controversies.

 

It was second to none in size, food, performance, aroma, and management.

 

And with each unexplained death, Song Yue Pavilion became an inviolable part of Gyeongseong that no one could touch.

 

Why not? Because if you touch it, you will die.

 

As the curse took its toll on Japan’s high-ranking officials, even the fiercest and most ferocious invaders were subdued and stopped running amok in Song Yue Pavilion.

 

Of course, to Hae-Joo, who had just arrived in Jingsheng Province a year ago, all of this was just a rumor.

 “Is there really such a thing as a curse, or does the owner of Song Yue Pavilion have a lot of backbone…” 

From the sounds of it, the owner of Song Yue Pavilion is a family with the surname “Ban”, but no one has ever met him.

 

He’s usually a bit mysterious, and when he appears, he always wears a fox mask.

 

Soon after she entered the garden of Song Yue Pavilion, she saw some guests and most of the staff gathered around something as if they were watching.

 “What’s going on, is it an assassination?” “No, it’s revenge. The old man said that they betrayed his family back then and got them all killed.” 

As she glared, the first employee to arrive jerked his chin inward.

 

The helpers squeezed into the center of the circle.

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