Chapter Text
Han Sooyoung wanted to sleep.
Not the 'blink it away light drowsiness' but the heavy urge to faceplant onto the nearest surface and let the heavy weights take over and weigh down her eyelids so she could finally fall asleep.
But no, she couldn't. Why? Definitely not by her choice she wasn't sleeping, that was for sure.
Some merchant woman wanted to meet her. A humble writer.
Well, the sender didn't state exactly what they were, but to have a message delivered to her in such elegant writing and fine paper and manner of speech, it was obvious they were of high standing.
Also well. She wouldn't do the injustice of calling herself humble.
It was regaled to her as a casual meeting as the sender wanted to talk in person, and it was a great honor to meet her, all the like to butter her up.
They even mentioned her novels! They went that far!
Except, she knew from the second she got the message of the request to meet her, that it would definitely be about the play.
See, she recognised herself as a writer, and she had written numerous works till date.
But she also had a side hustle. Well. Calling it a side hustle out loud would cause people to have a few words with her, probably. Her novels did not sell much, and she was aware of that.
On the contrary, the script she wrote as a playwright-- simply to try her hand in the art and all in all an experimental venture while she worked on her novels-- was an instant hit. Literal instant hit among all folks.
So much so, that the upfront lumpsum combined with royalties fed her enough to live comfortably for her whole life with no worries of having sufficient coin.
On top of that, the fact that it was still in its initial circulation stage, and with its pace as it was at present, her pockets were going to overfill.
But that popularity meant her story reached far and wide. Which meant rich brats would always pop up and decide they deserved to have a chance at 'improving' her storyline to something they wanted or how their sentiments were irreversably hurt for some unfathomable reason.
Like she even had that power to change it.
And more importantly, like she even cared. Don't like? Don't watch. She was a firm believer in using the back exits to leave if it wasn't to the mind or hearts liking.
That idiot head of the stage troupe definitely didn't want to deal with that stuff either, so despite being the actual person to be approached for storyline changes, he sent those spoiled kids with vague reasoning to herself, whom had all but sold off her manuscript and was in the more important phase of stage play production.
Counting coin. She only had on her mind money raking from royalties.
With great popularity, comes great cost.
It also meant stuck-up rich merchants and nobility were pointed towards her, who thought they could commission her for writing a skit for their son's twelfth birthday party.
The woman probably wanted to commission something to be written to her.
Which was unfortunate.
But even her sleep deprived self couldn't muster the courage to decline(and she was shameless enough when tired!), because that was simply not done to a woman of that station.
How she missed her bed. What she would give to be able to fall asleep this instant.
Except she couldn't. Especially because of the rich and influential woman who was sitting right next to her.
So here she was, sitting next to a rich merchant in a temporary stage house that had been erected for plays.
Except, wasn't this filled with lower to middle class? She had no idea why a high and mighty woman wanted to disguise herself to sit in this and take so much effort just to commission her.
She had to find some way to turn it down...
Didn't matter to her, though, when the women decided it was time to grace her with her voice. She did get the promise of good food after this, and if she tuned out the meaningless drivel that was she surely going to be subjected too, it would be an evening atleast fulfilling on the stomach, if not on the peace of her mind.
You win some and you lose some.
Except that woman had yet to say a word to her and they were already halfway through the play.
She felt exhausted at the prospect of having everything dumped on her throughout dinner.
She was going to kill that head of the stage troupe!
She let her mind wander after that. She had seen this play many times already, in her head while she wrote it, and when she went to check it out while it was in its introductory phase directly, for she had provided more than enough pointers to not be called during the rehearsal stage if it wasn't extremely necessary.
The merchant woman was dressed in nice clothes. Not the ones as high in jeweled detailing and embroidery as those of extremely high class, given it was for the purpose of sitting in a normal establishment like this, but it was still of obviously good quality.
Accessories as far as she could see were minimal but tasteful, and the most elaborately designed elements was the singular gold bracelets adorning both hands that would have looked bare otherwise.
She wore a dark plum dress with thin gold threading embroidered into patterns of flowers and leaves along the long sleeves till her wrists and fabric around her torso, that was fitted at the waist. The wide expanse of the skirt was solid purple, billowing out in soft arcs, cascading down her knees and falling around her ankles in delicate folds with matching patterns along the hem.
She fashioned layered organza elegantly wound over her head and draped over the arm, metres long fabric reaching mid thigh, with delicate tassels and beading lining the ends, that tinkled with slight movement.
Han Sooyoung hadn't the chance to properly observe the face, given it was too dark and the lamps did nothing of help. The windy night accompanied with light drizzle prompted everyone to do their best to cover their faces, including her company for the evening, but from what little she had managed to see in the harsh shadows drawn by rushing crowds eager to take their seats, she had a pretty face.
It was unfortunate their previously decided upon meeting place was so dark, but what she was curious about was not how the woman looked like. Not yet.
Why the hell hadn't she spoken a word to her by now?
The whole reason you met like this was to atleast say something, but apart from whispered introductions to eachother that yes, they were who they were and yes, they should proceed and enter the stage house and take their seats, there was literally no talk of the supposed business that woman supposedly had with her.
She was curious, dammit! Sure, she had many business meetings like this which taught her what to expect, but being silent like this and not saying anything was just not done!
And the layered organza covered her face from the side, so Han Sooyoung couldn't even see her without making her attempts look extremely obvious.
Dare she switch seat with the man sitting on the other side of her silent company?
Well. She wasn't that desperate.
In fact, this was good! The best case scenario, even! She got the chance to doze off peacefully and it wouldn't even be her fault!
But just as she shifted in place to make herself comfortable and lie back to finally let the sleepy haze that clouded her vision descend unto her one and for all, the play had home to an end, final act concluded.
"Let's go," the woman said, barely a whisper, but it carried over the chatter of the dispersing crowd as they joined the bustle at the exits.
Han Sooyoung could only follow, fast behind her steps and almost lost among the crowd, before a strong grip wrapped like a vice in strong grip around her wrist, very unlike the light and dismissive attitude she had seen till now.
She could feel the cool metal, the patterned ridges of the bracelet pressing into her skin, the tugging at her own wrist with the momentum of the crowd until she decided to push forward herself.
The outside air was a fresh breath out of the halls, chilly against their warm skin. But she didn't get to enjoy the moment for long, because while the grip on her wrist was loosened enough to be barely noticeable except for it being the warmth of anothers' skin, their pace had not slowed.
And wasn't that offensive!
"Where the hell are you dragging me? I don't know who you are, where we're going, what you want, and you think you can drag me where you please?"
The woman stopped immediately in her tracks, and Han Sooyoung would've stumbled into her back if she hadn't caught herself last second.
She glared at her back. That woman still wouldn't look at her!
Back still turned, she spoke up, finally. "I was taking you to a restaurant to talk, but if we don't hurry it will rain, so please, follow me till there atleast. Then we can speak comfortably."
It was going to rain. She could smell the impending rain weighing down on the clouds and fast and humid winds rushing through her hair.
"Fine. But keep your mouth shut even then and see."
She knew she was being too direct, but they hadn't said a word to eachother for for hours! Of course she was annoyed.
She got no other response, and they hurried through the rapidly dwindling crowd on the streets of the city, to whatever restaurant she had chosen beforehand, just as they felt more rain drizzle down.
The woman went through quick, confident motions to get them a private sitting area to take their meal even though it was a relatively crowded establishment.
Han Sooyoung decided she may as well look around while the woman talked. The halls were elegant and tables full, walls of carved stone and wood. Beside the entrance were large copper basins, which were filled with beautiful Lotus plant.
Some surprisingly little negotiation later with zero under-the-table-money dealings(as far as she knew. For she definitely could have slipped money while she wasn't looking, if she even had it in her to care for a guest she had effectively ignore for four hours.) they had sped through the waiting lines and got table in a sufficiently private corner under the sheds at the entrance where few tables sat compared to inside.
The woman was now adjusting the fabric to drape over her right arm along the shoulder, hair open to the night air which was twisted into an elegant bun, and Han Sooyoung could finally see her face under the numerous lamps which had been lit.
She was pretty. Prettier than any lead stage actor she'd seen. Prettier than most people, really. With artfully sculpted cheekbones and a heart shaped face with soft curves and thin lips, well-matched earrings and eyes like melted jaggery.
And then she said with a smile that could coax a donkey to move mountains, sharp eyebrows lifting as if expectant, and her tone was definitely something other than introductory as she said, "I'm Yoo Sangah."
Her eyes watched vigilant, as if probing, like the name should mean something to Han Sooyoung.
Like it should hold due weight to make Han Sooyoung bow to her.
It didn't. This Yoo Sangah was looking for a fight, wasn't she?
Han Sooyoung scoffed internally. Spoiled brat for sure. If she wanted to atleast try to gain her respect, shouldn't she have done so earlier?
She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms over her chest.
If this Yoo Sangah thought she was going to prostrate in front of her, she would be mistaken.
"Couldn't say that earlier? Even in the letters you signed by some vague title. I wouldn't have come if I wasn't already here in the capital."
Whatever Yoo Sangah wanted to find in her, she probably didn't get it, and so the weight of that probing stare finally dropped from her face.
"I am sorry about that, truly. I had reasons. I'm grateful you still decided to come."
Such sugared words...
Silence descended over them. The tea Yoo Sangah had probably ordered arrived, and finally they had something else to occupy themselves in other than each other's awkward presence until the conversation took a turn to familiar waters.
Han Sooyoung let the scent of cardamom wash over her, the warmth of the cup seep through her numb fingers, before she heard the soft thunk of another cup set on the table.
"You are the playwright, yes?"
She hummed in response. Even that was melodious. Perhaps she practiced music as a hobby? She could be in the business of instruments, though.
"How much time did you take to write the manuscript for 'Regent of a ruined heart'?"
"Why?"
"I'm curious. The machinations of a writer's mind fascinate me, I would simply love to learn more. would you be fine with that?"
Tell your purpose upfront already! Dancing around the topic took too much effort.
"Ten years." Was that time period unbelievably long? Probably, because in reality her own writing took only two months of constant brainstorming and one additional for revisions after submitting it.
She unpredictably did not recieve a raised eyebrow and sputters in disbelief which was usually the the elicited response after the numerous times she gave this specific answer. But there was a slight downturn of Yoo Sangah's lips, yet obviously miss-faux-polite couldn't exactly refute to that.
"When did you submit your work?"
Was this madwoman actually planning on commissioning her and recieving the finished product after a decade of waiting? Was she a vampire whose years were expendable, or something? She definitely had that vague elusiveness exuding from her person, was she actually an immortal?
Han Sooyoung shuddered.
"Four to five months ago, I guess? And then there were the revisions before casting and rehearsal."
The play did not require much in stage prep as it did simple props, and the rehearsal took a surprisingly short amount of time.
She hummed. "The first stage play was last month. The stage actors were quite talented, and acted out your beautiful story. I especially enjoyed the climax scene."
Han Sooyoung gave a few practiced words of thanks, when their food finally arrived. Fish in spicy coconut gravy and fragrant steamed rice with the usual side dishes and cut limes to bring it all together.
"Each time I watch the play, I still hold my breath in anticipation, for that climax scene always prompts different possibilities in the mind," she said meaningfully, with a smile gracing her lips as she looked intently at her.
She wanted some play of her own that wasn't half assed, with plot twists, too. Han Sooyoung was actually impressed now, though she obviously wasn't going to custom write a play at the moment.
She could commend the effort though, laying it thick just to get Han Sooyoung do her bidding, most weren't so patient. Or even got so far into the meal, or conversation, for that matter.
Something about her insensitive comments hurting sentiments.
"I am glad the story had such profound effect on you. Everyones combined effort made it one of a kind, though."
"Taking a decade of consistent dedication to writing to produce such an amazing story, though, you must have come of with many ideas, and they all reflected in the richness of the plot, all due to your constant efforts which span across a whole decade."
God these compliments were elaborate. She really dug her own hole no matter what response she gave.
"No, no, ten years ago I just thought vaguely of it among other ideas but I took the effort and further development on it in only a few months. Very recently."
As much as she tried to speak casually, the noticable backtrack probably outed her lie.
"So the idea for your story is relatively recent," she concluded as she sipped her water.
"Kind of, yes. But I am busy on my novels, at the moment, so if you want to commission something for yourself I'm afraid I wouldn't be able."
Best state it clearly at the earliest. This flattery business was unnecessary.
"Oh no. I dont want to comission you, I genuinely wanted to know more about you. I watched the play four times by now, even the transcripts after that and your novels, and was deeply curious."
This was veering towards creepy now. Han Sooyoung sat silent, rendered speechless as she watched their plates get taken away and replaced by pleasantly warm finger bowls with delicate rose petals floating on the surface of the water, and lime.
She decided she didn't want to comission her, didn't she? Calling her all this way only to withdraw her proposal of business before she even put it forth!
"You're curious." She hoped her raised eyebrow that punctuated her sentence conveyed how unimpressed she was.
"Truly. When I see your work, I wonder how vibrant your imagination must be, to have so much creativity. It made me curious, the author is the only one who really knows what could happen and what couldn't. Why it happened and why it should. So much power, which they must control all while keeping in mind the fact that they produce for the masses."
So this was about power. There was so much in those words that struck the wrong cords in her.
So much.
She decided to redirect at least some of her irritation at the now almost clean fish bones she had been plucking at before continuing.
"You want to know what could've happened."
"You're saying you have alternate endings?"
That question was so innocent, like she hadn't asked or even hinted at it till now, said so casually like she hadn't any expectations and would be honoured to recieve the honor of knowing more, except she could recognise that predatory glint like Han Sooyoung was finally caught in her trap in whatever was her great scheme of things.
Did she seriously think Han Sooyoung would be played?
Then she could, too. They could spin around in circles and Han Sooyoung definitely wasn't going to be the first to get dizzy.
"Why, do you want one written? You just said you didn't want to comission."
"I was curious. Tell me, won't you?" She had a slight pout, innocent act still up, but Han Sooyoung knew what she was dealing with now.
"Do you want to comission or not? Whatever, I don't take those. Busy with my own stuff and everything. I'll pay for my meal if this is done." She placed a few heavy coins on the table between them.
With that, Han Sooyoung finally got to her feet. She didn't exactly want to pay her share, as she wasn't the one who gave the invitation, but her patience was shot.
Anything to be able to escape to sleep.
Yoo Sangah had also gotten to her feet, nodding at the rain pouring heavily outside the shed cover, but Han Sooyoung spoke before she could get a word sideways.
She needed to have the last word. Needed to prove to this pretty woman with a perfect face and perfect clothes and perfect style that she was the one who was right here.
"You need to leave gaps for audience to fill. If my audience even felt the need for an alternate ending, I'd want them to conjure their own with my characters in their own mind."
"It means my work left that much of an impression, that they replayed it again and again. Sure, it's also due to the stage actors who present it, but if someone told me the story went on in their heads even after, obviously I'm pleased."
With those final words, Han Sooyoung turned to leave, but Yoo Sangah was by her side suddenly, movements so quick as if she was possessed with the only indication of her approach the tinkle of their jewellery, grip around her hand grounding her in place before she walked out into the rain, momentum turning her around and back mere inches away from the downpour.
"You want it to stay on my mind then, those alternate endings," Yoo Sangah muttered darkly under her breath, face shadowed and eyes searching.
"Sorry, what?" She shook her hand for good measure, trying to wrench her wrist out of the tight grip. This woman definitely had important screws loose.
"You cursed me, and act innocent?" She said softly, like she wasn't accusing her of a crime she had no means to commit.
"What did you just say? I'm the wrong one here! You—"