W.S. Chang
(This article is based on Ahn Ye-eun's song "Nengsohwa".)
One snowy day
A woman was thrown to the sand, her mourning attire, supposedly as white as the falling snow, stained crimson. Her name was Sohwa. The man sitting on the chair before her, staring intently at her, was the king's concubine, a being as ethereal as the nation's sky. She had been the king's favorite woman, whom he had fallen in love with at first sight, but who now hated him. The reason was simple: "The king's indifference." That was what had driven her to such a miserable state. In fact, such things were commonplace. Every woman in the palace would no longer pay attention to the woman the king loved most, the woman he held dear. The king had ruthlessly abandoned them, and they knew their fates. But Sohwa was the only one who believed in the king's true love.
“..There is something I want to say before I die, Your Majesty.”
"Try it"
The king raised his chin as if to ask her to speak, and Sohwa lowered her head. She laughed. Out loud, cheerfully. She seemed to have found something truly amusing. Then Sohwa stopped laughing, slowly raised her head, and glared at the king.
“How have you been?”
“Is that all you had to say?”
“It has been quite some time since I last saw Your Majesty, whom I used to see every day. I was worried and wondered if you had been well.”
“Were you so worried that you tried to cut my throat yourself?”
Sohwa had put a knife to the neck of the king who never came to see her. At that time, the tip of her knife was filled with hatred for the king.
“The sun has set a hundred times, and the moon has risen a hundred times.”
“The sun and moon always rise and set, so I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I have been wondering if Your Majesty has ever thought of me even once.”
The king chuckled, then sprang from his chair and slowly walked toward Sohwa. He took a seat in front of Sohwa, lowered himself, and stroked her face, as if trying to recall their shared memories. However, Sohwa no longer seemed to exist in the king's memory.
“By the way, what is your name?”
For the first time, the poisonous gaze of Sohwa wavered. Her eyes soon turned as red as her robes, and clear tears streamed down her cheeks, stained with blood, and fell to the floor.
“Did you really erase me? And yet you are still well?”
The king looked over his body once and said with a creepy laugh
“As you can see?”
“..How can you do that?”
The king, as if he were no longer tired, rose from his seat, sat back down on his chair, rested his chin on his hand, and shouted.
"Cut off his neck"
At the king's words, the men on either side of him brought their swords to Sohwa's throat. Sohwa laughed loudly again, even more cheerfully and maniacally than before.
Sohwa cut his own throat with the sword in front of him. The king watched Sohwa without any particular emotion. Then the king saw. The shape of Sohwa's mouth was revealing the words.
‘We’ll meet again in hell, my love.’