Madonna Chapter 01 – Crimson Intent to Kill (殺意)

Chapter 01
Crimson Intent to Kill (殺意)a8b254c7dd48862c

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If one mentions Bonjeong-dong 1-Chome, fbc6a7cc94 with its view of the d93a5008fa central post office, it has 4c2e780743 always been a place where 94a289e076 modern girls and modern boys, 23c285b293 so-called lumpens, new women, or 6d8283ae1f certain ideological types would strut ad5dfeac21 about or loiter in a 56cd2ef70c clamor of activity.f9d81ef2d380828d

Gyeongseong.f79dd0eb88c7ed21

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In this melancholic city, cc6566f435 all the fashionable young 61aace5177 people, without exception, roamed e77ce97a70 these streets. Yet among them, 2f7d625e6a the figure of 03aff225f4 this woman stood 61e3d1bd83 out as particularly 827c2846f7 extraordinary.40a01c436029cb0d

In the tenth month f795a4e27d of the year of cdc9855005 the Snake, after the c7b832e6c9 threshing in the farm 23bf802acc villages had ended and 608028e10f the Cold Dew (Hanro) 6acdd48f82 had passed—a time when 36028e524e frost began to form 87cabb5e81 in the crisp air—she eb90f15989 appeared in a sleek b700578491 coat trimmed with otter 79f7e955a9 fur, her crane-like calves 4dbbf8ed79 stretching gracefully beneath it. Her pointed shoes, though 8bd6175dbe not overly flashy, were 034e2fc647 the first to draw c96caf1d4d the eyes of passersby.08a52922b8b7aae0

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Someone—perhaps out of 7efee64ce5 envy or unreachable bd93495023 longing—might maliciously mutter 211acff8d7 that she looked 980a71f0d2 too gaunt, that 0f4e190ee1 she resembled an 44e4b28295 invalid. But if one saw her 6e4de58732 walk—her gesture, or perhaps her 46fbf95d98 form—they would have to admit 962435399c it suited her well. Her steps seemed to 9d058498e8 skim the clouds, so d48b15da8e light they nearly took 868b245ccc flight.b250bb2a40be6734

Unlike the bobbed hairstyles worn by the so-called new women, she kept her hair in a sleek permanent wave, fastened with a modest hairpin of tiny pearls and coral. Her delicate, well-balanced features were fully revealed—radiating not the austere air of a missionary’s wife, but a quiet, cultivated grace.ca9ec963bd84a7e6

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Her face was faintly made up, her skin as clear and pale as a child’s. When their eyes met, her gentle smile carried not a hint of flattery, but a soft warmth that stirred subtle feelings in people—young or old, man or woman. This was the charm of Han Jong-ryeo.0a169891e4ecedae

And now, walking toward 07cd28b385 her from across the 4276931676 street, was a young 348a5ec372 man whose presence also 14d18bc5e6 demanded attention.ef03dbb1c09da93a

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Just by standing there, he a4a00b566e deflated the confidence of lesser 4e95717423 men. Tall and striking, he wore 31dfbaeee7 a top-quality frock coat—worth more df0ade8070 than a few sacks of f7e2f3488b rice—whose silk sheen matched his 94ed02e1d9 distinct, handsome face.e8cfa639b7e3802e

His manners rivaled those of Western gentlemen from Britain, Germany, or even Paris’ Crillon. He moved with the grace of someone well-bred, exuding a cheerfulness that evoked an instinctive affection from all who saw him.5f649cd7ed1ecb84

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Yet beneath those thick brows 73faa517b9 and the sharp black eyes af99ea8235 below them was a keen 1831376bed intellect—or perhaps an edge of 92d7c72157 scholarly rigor. The contrast gave him the eb2b50b655 air not of a frivolous ce5431423b bourgeois scion, but the last b27cdb77d8 of the upright scholar left 46ea674f9d in this land.fe7bcf5f2cb09935

From beneath his perfectly tailored sleeve, the back of his hand revealed faint blue veins—no trace of manual labor, but the faintest suggestion of calluses like those found on writers. It was as sensual and poignant as the teardrop-shaped mole of a tragic beauty. This, too, was part of Yoon Gwan-yeol’s allure.7f7e1680f5d0bcd1

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These two, who until now had not even known of each other’s existence, crossed paths at a tram stop heading toward Sogong-dong. At that moment, they both raised a hand toward the same rickshaw, which happened to be slowing its pace.0667fc00d30e6a0c

Who would get in first? As their eyes 05adb383e6 met, all sorts 2c21f8b571 of thoughts flickered 7a7727d5b4 across their minds. But before Jong-ryeo d3fbb8bb4b could step back, a8702cec47 Gwan-yeol displayed the 37c446b6b0 manners of a 8c52176c05 true gentleman.7444c913c799633d

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“Please, after you.”df1785b79a8fad24

Jong-ryeo, who had assumed c5f58ae3f7 from his fine clothes c4d49161a5 that he must be eeeffd7269 a Japanese aristocrat, was 1cb9d36b66 caught off guard by d34e5bdbb5 his fluent and graceful 64f3b0e25e Korean. Perhaps she had stared too 7b801e3ffe blatantly, because the young man, 16eadab4a4 with a light smile as 263a89539a if to say,why the surprise?, left a breeze in her otherwise composed chest.585c58aeceb7ebfb

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Jong-ryeo placed the small handbag—gifted by her second brother—on her lap, gazing quietly past Gwan-yeol’s shoulder as she raised her hand. Puzzled, he turned around, only to see another rickshaw approaching at her signal. A smile played across his face once more.a21f442186176ebd

“Thank you.”5cbe501c8b91808f

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“Think nothing of it.”c5f91aca151535e1

As he turned toward the creaking rickshaw, Gwan-yeol paused at the sound of Jong-ryeo’s voice—clear and refreshing like a bell—and looked back at her. A lesser man might have tried his luck with another line, but he simply touched the brim of his hat, expressed his refined appreciation, and quietly stepped into the rickshaw.84007263365f0199

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“To Gye-dong, please.”4b08b4e38fb8c1d0

“To Gye-dong, please.”12b39ba2a9adf9c3

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Their voices rang out at the same time—almost like twins—and not only the two of them but even the rickshaw puller turned in confusion. Their eyes met again. Sharing a rueful smile at this strange coincidence, they exchanged a small bow—but curiously, their paths didn’t part right away.4f4e10f05aaa9778

Jong-ryeo’s gaze lingered, slightly adrift, on the children scurrying past and a newspaper delivery boy speeding by on a high-seated bicycle.7940a08688e1ed06

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Ever since she was possessed 500f3cb36f by the characterHan Jong-ryeo, the heroine of a script calledThe Madonna of Gyeongseong, her life had become strange in more ways than one.5f390c7fcf288be7

It all began when Jong-ryeo’s family, the ‘Han Panseo household,’ left their main residence and moved to this area. Though she was familiar with the name Gyeongseong, the place she now found herself in felt far removed from the version she knew. This Gyeongseong served only 9c5d6c0550 as a backdrop for ce3c29c0f3 the novel, riddled with c883da025a discrepancies from what she 5ad12d056a had learned and remembered.91c1881b63297bf9

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Jong-ryeo had pondered the reasons behind her family’s sudden decision to relocate, but no matter how much she thought about it, she couldn’t arrive at a convincing guess.e606cac6a6253c30

Still, she didn’t particularly mind.86463aaed308a5a2

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This life—acquired like a bonus—didn’t seem so bad if she just watched how it unfolded from the sidelines.51530e9f02e044a8

In her previous life, 95490b24cc she had died young, 4055b5c713 at the tender age 35dee7a522 of 23, due to 6460ff3677 an illness.173d2e6a9a2119ca

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She had fought 615be3613f desperately to resist 87658e7382 the shamanic ritual 2136baabd3 (naerimgut) meant tocureher, endured rejection from a22a4cf6fb her family, and survived c6a8438c28 her final year alone. All that resistance, 36d0815b53 all that screaming fc38d46a69 until her throat a23e7626d2 gave out, all aa4fd26b70 that clenched defiance—only e4839bf90b to have her 4ccb95a400 life vanish so 99657cda1c easily.de998b01416a5941

If this new life was meant to compensate for such a tragic ending, then being reincarnated as the female lead of a barely ten-chapter-long novel seemed like an underwhelming reward. Still, it wasn’t as if she had a way to toss this life aside. Acceptance was the only path forward.44d5ec2ee22250b8

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‘If I had known this would happen, I should have read more, whether it was interesting or not.’64c2207e0efc1d68

Though her new life didn’t glide forward as effortlessly as watching it through a screen, she couldn’t say it was unfair or infuriating either.b170114b91c285d4

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As long as she wasn’t in a lonely situation—wherever and whatever this was—she could be satisfied with that alone.db63709702b5f7e0

✎. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⋅˖⭑✧ ݁ . ₊ ݁.. ˖ ‧₊˚ ⋅˖°1cc3f7655e743391

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From the entrance 341248cd8d of Bonjeong to b57a7b73e9 Gye-dong, there were 5b5ce37c86 two routes: one 46d695107c passed through the 6dba38d561 street in front f70a6dfe3c of the Six 51e2ceecab Ministries, and the 304204860c other looped around 342bcf878c the Namdaemun shopping d062330ce0 district. Though the former 0adbae70a2 was shorter, it d8995f2c8c was busier with 2ecc26e377 trams and pedestrians, a02097abd8 so most rickshaw 3e8461a389 pullers preferred the fd22c6d422 Namdaemun route—it was 4f23d4ec5c less crowded, and 84c9d2aabf they could often bfe630b0a7 charge a bit be01b5e3e2 more. Two birds with one 4d9c9460c7 stone, so to speak.3174c8c92874600a

Those tight on money might 7557f15cce start to worry about their 76db6e2f72 wallets when the rickshaw turned d397124659 toward Namdaemun, but Jong-ryeo and d189607212 Gwan-yeol remained composed, more preoccupied a995cc3065 with how long this strange e404cfd13e shared ride might last.6626c9926d61fa04

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As for Jong-ryeo’s outing today, it had been quite a while since her last. She was on her way to visit Kim In-young, a classmate from her days at Gyo-yeong Girls’ High School.61d71eb267cc988b

In-young’s husband, Hong Gi-nam, was the son of a nouveau riche man who had amassed a fortune through rice futures speculation. Though he’d gone abroad for a short period after graduating from high school, he was a petty and small-minded man, and Jong-ryeo had never thought much of him.d84e044270378c2c

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Coincidentally, Gwan-yeol’s destination was also Hong Gi-nam’s house.89abe1e441846b0c

Gi-nam’s younger brother, Hong Gi-joo, had graduated from Hwi-seo High School with Gwan-yeol, and it had been some time since they last saw each other. Gwan-yeol still didn’t know why he had been summoned today, but unlike the old days, Gi-joo had sounded rather dejected. He had practically begged, saying he just needed to get out of his head for a bit. Gwan-yeol had agreed to at least show his face.ff9042bf90a041e8

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The longer the ride went 591cac0e56 on, the more awkward it b5a62f56fa became. Both man and 927caecd0c woman, unable to 93f3062151 bear the silence, cb7d0703cd turned their gazes a2e70b1fb5 toward the distant 6e709e78ac hills. But at last, they 4072e51157 simultaneously stepped off in a5a7fe3c31 front of the Hong 67383a3ab3 family residence. The moment their eyes 03e9958f00 met, they both broke d14fdfdb10 into laughter.97a99577580c0d6f

“Was this your destination?”df90a45dc90053f3

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“Yes. The lady of this house is my schoolmate. She said she wanted to see me after a long time, so I came. What about you?”cec480383c0449ba

“It’s rather amusing. I came to see my schoolmate too—he lives here.”ab6062bb7390a1dd

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“Then… are you Hong Gi-nam’s schoolmate?”4bf13703b9ba596a

“No, I know his younger brother, Hong Gi-joo.”f1056e36c2042726

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As the two continued 408224546c their back-and-forth, the house 7e58d151bc servant—who managed the household—appeared d0145bfec5 at the door.90c0c204e732308c

A slick-faced middle-aged man, he 278bf24fde looked from one to the f05ecc1660 other and politely asked who f9a9da44ed they were here to see.5a06ef5f24231463

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“Please tell the lady of the house that Han Jong-ryeo has come.”c799c5748527218b

Gwan-yeol, who had been momentarily 26f10894c6 dazed by the sound of 38f7d050d6 her voice, belatedly added.8ae60cd6d5b321d5

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“Tell Gi-joo that a classmate has come—he’ll know.”2c590d4d8d92721f

The servant nodded and turned 275f5c7d1b to go when a short 213765c07f woman suddenly appeared at the 946ff8421a bend of the long corridor.07bfbaa6d54ead79

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“Jong-ryeo-ya!”14a72c5948563912

“In-young-ah.”7544ca9ce2e56612

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Jong-ryeo called out 681f00ccbf to her friend 383f189586 with warmth, but ae8d450be2 her smile faded d3713ecc80 almost instantly. In-young was running toward her—pale 5689877f36 as a ghost, her body 0cc6b356b1 trembling as if she might 201a928ebd break down in tears. Alarmed, Jong-ryeo instinctively tensed.148ad1af445bc129

✎. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⋅˖⭑✧ ݁ . ₊ ݁.. ˖ ‧₊˚ ⋅˖°8ee78a0172e1c32b

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