The rainy day came with a heaven–given melody, washing every hue into a weak and soulless sorrow. The Bae estate was in low spirits, much of it owing to the absence of the Head of the clan, Lord Bae. The northern military camps were undergoing a promotional ritual that required the general’s presence, turning her two–month leave into three.  

Thousands of miles away from the estate, General Taeyeon stood in the middle of the camp supervising the rehearsal of the ritual, and with her, Lady Miyoung’s heart.

The estate Lady’s depressing mood piqued little Joohyun’s concern for her mother. Along with Seulgi, they seek Miyoung’s presence who had busied herself in their pavilion with the guzheng.

The graceful movements of her strumming left the two children in awe despite not understanding the underlying tones of Miyoung’s yearning. Full of admiration, Joohyun had asked her mother to teach her the song.

“What is the title of this song Mother?” Joohyun settled on her mother’s lap as she settled her hands on top of the latters’. “I’ve never heard it before.”

“Of course, not silly.” Miyoung slowly plucked through the basic notes of the instrument to allow her daughter to adapt. “It’s a piece I wrote myself for your father, called A Lonesome Fragrance.”

It was unfortunate that the young miss of the Bae estate had the same tolerance of patience as her father. After a few lessons, she had successfully learned the whole song. However, it did not come without the cost of mistakes. No matter how long and often Joohyun practiced, she always made the same mistake of tugging the thirteenth string instead of the tenth towards the middle of the song.

Seulgi, on the other hand, shocked both mother and daughter, as well as herself, when she played the instrument with ease. She enjoyed the deep concentration of the silk–stringed instrument along with the vibrant, flowing stream–stream-like melody produced from its vibrations. It also brought a smile on Joohyun’s face of wonder and contentment.

When Lady Miyoung finally told them the meaning of the song as a yearning to reunite with a loved one, Joohyun never touched it again. Preserving the only song she learned. Instead, she asked Seulgi to play it for her whenever she craved tangyuan, a ball–shaped glutinous rice with black sesame filling served in syrup.

That was because the dessert symbolized reunion and unity.

 …

Seulgi couldn’t be mistaken. It was a song that could only be heard within the Bae estate. The same mistake of drawing the thirteenth string instead of the tenth was even made, it had to be Joohyun!

As Seulgi dashed out of her room, she came across an uninviting scene. Separated by a mere paper door within an arm’s reach was Joohyun, elegantly seated behind a guzheng in front of a group of young misses. All she had to do was slide it open. Concerns of whether Joohyun had been eating and resting well would be answered. 

But to her right, down the hall, servants of Okeydokey Brothel were struggling to drag an unconscious girl further into the back of the establishment.

With a heavy heart, Seulgi retracted her arm from the door as she raced towards the unexplainable scene. With steady footwork, inhumane speed, and precise swings, the brothel servants