“Alright, so our next stop of the tour is Prince Theatre which you will see with its majestic, towering structure in just a few moments. This theater is a representative of one of the finest examples of exuberant 'Second Empire' architecture, it is still able to stand tall and proud of its own history.” The tour guide proudly stated.

The Victorian styled theatre came into view of the tourists and it made several of their jaws drop, including a guest called Choi Yena.

Choi Yena nudged her wife, Jo Yuri who was busy snapping away pictures of this building, in her ribs.

“Wow, this place is really so breathtakingly beautiful”

“I agree” Yuri hummed in response.

The tour guide continued on.

“With it being built in the late 1800s, there is no doubt that there is plenty of marvellous history behind the velvet walls of this theatre. I will explain further about its history once we reach it”

The tour bus soon rumbled into a stop directly in front of the Prince Theater.

“Okay, so everyone please gather round and follow my elephant” and the tour guide proceeded to the entrance of the theatre, holding up an elephant with a stick up its .

The group huddled closer and they followed the tour guide obediently like baby ducks following their mother.

They soon arrived at the door leading to one of the theatre halls.

“Once you enter, you would be marveled at the sight of this majestic theatre. It was elaborately designed with many intricate designs. So feel free to roam the theatre while I explain the history behind this theatre”

The newly arrived guests of the theatre marveled at the sight of velvet rows of seats lining the hall, along with stalls elaborately adorned with flowery designs and lastly, the vast, empty stage.

Yena suddenly felt a blast of icy cold wind breeze through her. It seemed as if the theatre’s surrounding temperature dropped by several degrees.

She shuddered slightly at the slight change of the temperature.

She shrugged off the unusual occurrence as one of the employees turning on the air conditioner in the theatre.

She asked Yuri if she felt cold to which Yuri replied, “But it feels like the Sahara desert right now. Besides Yena, there are no ventilation systems in the stifling theatre. Did you not pay attention to our guide who warned us that it was going to be slightly stuffy?”

Yena felt her blood run as cold as the theatre’s surrounding temperature. Knowing that something was acting up. 

Chilly

“Are you okay, Yena. Do you want to perhaps rest?” Yuri asked worriedly.

“No. No. I’m fine. It must be just the vibes this theatre is giving so I might have gotten too excited”

Yuri accepted the less than reasonable explanation and proceeded to click away and focused her shooting session on the theatre stage.

Yena’s eyes drifted off to the theatre stage with the guide continuing on with his stories of the Prince Theatre.

“... there is a famous ghost couple that resides here. Well they weren’t a couple since they cheated on each other till their death. It is commonly noted that one of the ghosts could be seen taking a final bow sometimes at the very stage while her other partner is seen hovering above at the third stall on your right from the stage.” The guide said loudly while Yena’s eyes tried to adjust to something she had just seen on the stage.

“Legend says that if they were to appear simultaneously, your own musical or theatre production would be booming and renowned production. So far, a few notable works have acclaimed their success to the ghostly couple. Such works are …”

The guide’s words were lost in Yena’s mind as her eyes focused on a tall, beautiful woman standing in the middle of the stage dressed in what seemed like clothes of the late 1800s. She was hovering slightly above the stage with no shoes seen under her heavy dress.

It seemed eerily odd.

She squinted her eyes to see the woman take a final bow and raise her hands as if seemingly accepting the ghostly applause and invisible flowers thrown to her.

Then, the woman looked up and scanned the room and finally her face rested on the tour group and steered her head until she faced Yena’s direction.

For what was supposed to be two brown orbs staring at Yena.

Yena was looking directly at two black, hollowed eyes and the face of the woman stretched into a slight grin.

Yena felt her own blood drain out of her own face and she felt like screaming. 

But she couldn’t, she was paralysed by how the ghostly actor looked so ethereal despite having no eyes. With her high chiseled cheekbones and elongated face structure, Yena seemed to wonder why would the lover cheat on this woman, or perhaps the ghostly apparition?

Yuri’s voice seemed to break her out of her trance.

“What’s wrong, you seem as if you've seen a ghost? Was it perhaps the ghost couple?” She asked.

Well I just saw one of them with my own very eyes but I’m afraid you wouldn’t believe me.

“Anyways, I have something to show you. I caught something weird while I was snapping away”

Yena shuffled closer and peered over her wife’s shoulder.

Yuri zoomed up closely to a stall. It seemed like it was the third stall from the right of the stage.

For what was supposed to have a dusty old pair of velvet chairs, empty.

It was occupied by a ghostly apparition of a woman dressed in clothes which seemed to be in the same fashion era of the ghost that Yena had seen earlier.

A shiver went down both of their spines, realising that another of the ghosts of the famed couple had appeared.

“No way. This can’t be real. I just saw a woman on the stage earlier.” Yena replied, refusing to believe the sight of the ghostly apparition and the stupid legend.

Besides, it could be just a prank that one of the employees set up along with the tour guide.

However, before Yena could tell Yuri to delete it, the tour guide had already come in and seemingly invaded their own personal space.

He looked at the picture that Yuri had just taken and exclaimed in shock.

“Well, it looks like a lucky person has just caught a picture of Kim Minjoo standing alone at her third stall. Before, anyone would crowd around her, I would like to tell you the supposed story behind this tragic ghostly couple. So do stretch your ears and listen attentively for I won't repeat it again.”

____________________________________________________________________

18 September 1889

The sound of numerous raucous laughter rang through the halls of the bustling theatre. The velvet curtains were draped close on the stage of the Prince Theater.

Meanwhile, guests who were invited to the premiere of Tragedy of Love, were filing in and filling up the various rows of the theatre. 

Old friends greeting each other with the prospect of meeting up for a drink or two after the show or the ladies giggling flirtatiously at the jokes that potential suitors had laid out.

Soon, every single seat along the aisles of endless rows of chairs were occupied, including those on the costly but elaborate stalls above.

The light dimmed, casting eerie shadows on the velvet walls of the hall but it didn’t matter for the audience was excited, anticipating a wonderful performance from the people playing the main roles of the Tragedy of Love.

It was none other than the famed couple, Kim Minjoo and Ahn Yujin. Surely, they were women but it didn’t matter because they were able to take everyone’s breath away from how their acting was so full of raw emotion, making you want to cry joyously at the spectacular performance. 

With Kim Minjoo’s face being able to contort into a variety of expressions while delivering her lines with great passion which is paired with Yujin’s charming facial expression but best of all, her voice that seems to boom loudly shaking the walls of the theatre hall and shake the core of the audience hearts very deeply. 

Together, these powerful theatre lovers are able to deliver a wonderful performance which makes you automatically stand on the balls of your feet and move your hands to a round of applause for them once the curtain falls and the cast is revealed. You would throw over a red thorny rose over to them while they would wave proudly and shower the audience with flying kisses with their free hands.

For one of their hands would be tied to the other with a similar, shimmering silver engagement ring with a turquoise stone moulded onto it on both of their ring fingers seemingly visibly present. 

As if to brag about their success of the relationship and their career. But with every show or play, there would be a or a turning point. 

Well, the show must go on right and so it did along with the cracks of their relationship making their appearance slowly as the play progressed.

“Welcome fellow guests of the premiere of Tragedy of Love, played by our wonderful thespian couple, Kim Minjoo and Ahn Yujin” 

The host paused as if anticipating a round of applause to be given.

There it was, a deafening sound of numerous hands clapping and several screams of delight and the occasional wolf whistle from an adventurous young man. 

However, it wouldn’t be the only sound that would come out of the walls of the Prince Theater. Something more sinister will appear slowly, rising up from the shadowy drapes of the walls of the theatre.

RING RING RING

The stage manager picked up the call, “Hello, this is the Prince Theater Management. How can we be of service for you?”

“Hey, Mr Wilson, this Kim Minjoo. Achoo. I am really sorry but it seems like my understudy*, Jang Wonyoung would have to stand in for me today. I am currently having a -achoo- cold as you can hear and I wouldn’t like to spread it to the cast. I would to extend my apologies to the cast and especially Ahn Yujin”

“Well, it won’t be any problem Mrs Kim. I hope that you could recover quickly and return back to the cast as soon as possible. Would you like to relay any comforting messages to your wife, Miss Kim?”

“Oh yes please. Uhm. Tell her I appreciate the lovely chocolate box that she had sent me earlier today and that she could perform without the other half well. Thank you.”

“Well, that would be no problem”

And with that, a clicking sound is heard and the stage manager rushes over to Ahn Yujin’s dressing room.

He knocked sharply to have his presence acknowledged.

Which in turn gave ample time for the couple to split up from whichever acts they were doing upon each other.

“You may enter.” Yujin breathlessly said while trying to fix her ruffled wig and botched lipstick.

“Well, Miss Ahn. Oh Jang Wonyoung you are here too! Well that saves up the time I have to run around to inform the production crew. But your fiancé has called in sick today and Jang Wonyoung would have to take her role as the lady of the king. Also, she would like to thank you for the chocolates you have sent to her”

‘Who sent her the chocolates?’ Yujin wondered to herself.

“Oh that would be no problem, Mr Wilson. Perhaps, you leave us some time to rehearse our lines before the show runs.” Jang Wonyoung replied, trying to divert Yujin’s attention from Mr Wilson’s last statement.

“Oh of course, ladies break a leg” and with that, Mr Wilson walked off to inform the rest of the crew of the upcoming changes.

Then Mr Wilson wondered, ‘Where on earth was Kim Chaewon?’

Just like a response to his question, the phone rang for the second time today.

“Hello, this is the Prince Theater Management. How can we be of service for you?”

“Good evening, Mr Wilson. It seems like I have come down with a flu so could my understudy, Lee Chaeyeon, take over me for today, unless actress Ahn Yujin is present”

“Oh, it will be no problem since Ahn Yujin is present here today, seemingly having recovered from the flu. I do hope you get well soon as Kim Minjoo will do so. It seemed like she had caught the flu so Jang Wonyoung will take over her instead”

It seemed like Mr Wilson could hear people clapping in the background, but he shrugged it off thinking that Chaewon’s neighbourhood were celebrating a special occasion.

“Thank you.” And a click was heard, signalling the end of the phone call.

He then rounded up the cast and crew ensuring everything was in order before signalling the host to state the changes made.

“My dear fellow guests, it seemed like our famed actress Kim Minjoo had come down with the flu so our lovely actress, Jang Wonyoung, will come in to take her place. And without further let’s get this play started”

The audience clapped hesitatingly and broke into a full applause upon realising that the show was about to start.

The curtains were drawn, revealing three witches standing huddled together before breaking into a rhythmic and alluring chant.

Then the scene cut to Ahn Yujin, dressed in medieval armour along with her loyal friend.

Her friend relayed her lines to the anticipating audience and Ahn Yujin’s bellowing voice shook the very walls of the theatre hall.

As the play progressed into the next few lines, there was a couple up in the very third stall on your right. 

You wouldn’t be able to see them clearly since the only light source was from the stage lights but if you looked closely enough, you would see two people in their own love bubble, not seemingly paying attention to the play.

This couple was Kim Minjoo and Kim Chaewon.

Surely, as the two sly people had stated to Mr Wilson that they were down with the flu, was just them lying so that they could have some time to themselves to watch the play, Tragedy of Love while holding up their secret affair.

How ironic

It seems like it was a tragedy breaking down in front of your own very eyes with how Kim Minjoo is cheating on Ahn Yujin with Kim Chaewon and vice versa with Ahn Yujin and Jang Wonyoung.

As the two people were busy delivering smooches on each other’s necks lovingly and whispering disgustingly sweet affectionate words to each other, Jang Wonyoung was preparing to enter the stage as the lady of the Thane of Cawdor, Ahn Yujin

Meanwhile, Minjoo pulled abruptly from the little love bubble and hushed Chaewon who whined at the sudden loss of contact from her secret lover.

“Hush now, my dear. I want to witness how great this pitiful Jang Wonyoung can act with my dear fiancé, Ahn Yujin.”

She then peered over the balcony ledge and chuckled to herself, “Well, as expected, she isn’t as great after all as what Madame Laurie had said.”

Chaewon chuckled along with Minjoo’s little joke and said, “Well let's proceed on with this secret love affair shall we, my dear Kim Minjoo” 

Her words rolled off her tongue effortlessly as if she had practiced it numerous times and so they did proceed on.

Meanwhile, the play reached a break to which the lights round the theatre lighted up and the couple up on the third stall from the left quickly covered their faces with the exquisite masks. And they proceeded to watch the people chatter about the future of the play.

Now, we proceed to the other lovers of the tragic play.

Bow, they currently cooling off in the form of a heated makeout session, with them devouring each other’s faces like there was no tomorrow.

“Hey Jang, mind if you could release your grip off me, I want to drink the coffee brew that Minjoo had sent me during the play. So that I could have more energy to deliver my lines with passion and perhaps confess my love for you right there and then on the stage and so that we could continue on with our little secret affair in my home. How about that?”

“Oh yes, Yujin I would like that.” And she watched her other lover down the brew in one shot.

‘Yes, you will surely deliver your lines with so much passion’ Wonyoung thought to herself.

She snuggled up closer to Yujin to let Yujin enjoy her last few moments with someone else, that is not her true lover.

Yujin smiled and before long, they were preparing themselves backstage for the next act.

It was reaching the final part of the play, and seemed like Yujin’s role had no control over its greed for power to become an eternal king. 

Surely, she did become greedy in real life. Abusing her own relationship just to pursue another woman to satisfy her needs and to rise to the top as a world renowned actress of the theatre.

The greed was parallel to her other lover who was still engaging herself in an intense lip lock with Kim Chaewon.

Kim Minjoo had also abused her own fiancé ‘trust’ too and pursued another woman and she was also eager to rise to the highest of the pyramid of famous thespians of the theatre industry.

Minjoo broke off her intense lip lock suddenly, saying that she was hungry.

Chaewon suggested to wait a little longer and they could have a wonderful dinner date at her own home, watching the glowing moonlight casting its shadow on the river.

But Minjoo replied, “I’ll just have a little snack”

And she pulled out the little boxes of chocolates that Yujin had supposedly sent her.

“I’m afraid this will melt so I will just eat this now as way of thank you for stabbing her in the back over this pathetic relationship”

And Minjoo took a bite of the tantalising, chocolate puff, laced with white icing and with poison, ethylene glycol or better known as antifreeze, a sweet tasting poison.

She took in a deep swallow.

And down went the chocolate into her system, a taste of her own sweet death.

A wonderful way isn't it for a famous thespian to die a painstakingly sweet death.

Minjoo dropped the box of chocolates suddenly. Making it scatter tragically around on the velvet carpet and her pupils slowly dilated.

She could feel her heartbeat rapidly slowing down.

She tried to scream but her jaw couldn’t move so she murmured, “what”.

Her vision slowly faded away into that of darkness with Chaewon staring at her intently with a sinister grin etched on her face.

“Well, it looks like my job here is done. And I can reclaim my rightful role as the King of Tragedy of Love. In just a few seconds, Yujin will drop down to her same fate as her lover. Thank you Kim Minjoo for loving me as Kim Chaewon but I believe you will be in a better place in hell with Ahn Yujin, you nasty little ” 

She chuckled maniacally as she watched Wonyoung deliver a hauntingly similar grin etched on her face towards her direction.

Chaewon then tied a little noose around Minjoo’s neck and precariously tied it to the little ledge jutting out that supported the weight of the balcony on her upper right.

She pulled on the rope attached to the noose, allowing Minjoo to seem like she was standing and watching over her lover die in the same fate as she did.

The play was coming to an end with the cast coming together to deliver their ending stage, flawlessly.

Wonyoung walked proudly to the front of the stage, receiving the various roses showering her and she blew kisses to the audience to which they responded loudly and clearly.

Then, she took her place at the left where she should expect to see no one coming up. 

Like how the play should have ended under Jang Wonyoung’s directing.

Instead, she saw the full body of Ahn Yujin coming closer to her.

Ahn Yujin then took a bow, receiving the roses thrown to her.

It appeared like none of them touched her and she blew her final kisses to the audience and gestured towards her fellow cast members to join her in one last final bow.

They all huddled closer and Wonyoung was forced to move from her shocked frozen state.

It’s impossible that coffee brew was laced with Thallium Sulfate which would effectively allow Yujin two hours before she dropped to her death.

Wonyoung took Yujin’s hand, which was icy cold to the touch and she flinched away instinctively only to have Yujin grip it tightly and say “Can’t have a final bow without my lover can I?”

And with that the cast took their final bow, oblivious to the fact that the main actor was dead just like how her role was in the play.

And with that, the curtains fell down, separating the audience from the cast.

Wonyoung was still frozen in shock over what happened until one of her fellow cast members, Eunbi tapped her on the shoulder to ask, “Hey, we will be going to get drinks at the pub to celebrate the premiere. I think you could do it considering how shocked you are right. Well, it’s your first time being up here with us so I could suppose you could take a little breather.”

“Hey, Eunbi, where’s Yujin though?” 

“Oh she said something about having to go home to her lover. And poof she disappeared”

‘She hadn’t gone home to her lover, she had gone home to hell to reconcile with her lover, Kim Minjoo. Maybe perhaps she truly needed a drink or two to relieve her of what she had seen earlier.’ Wonyoung thought to herself.

The night went on, with the audience finally taking their leave with no one paying any attention to the dead figure of Kim Minjoo hung up on the third stall from the right.

And, with the remaining cast celebrating the end of the premiere of the Tragedy of Love, unaware that a true tragedy of love had indeed taken place.

It was only when the harsh cold reality greeted them with the Prince Theatre shut down with the stage manager, Mr Wilson discovering the dead body of Kim Minjoo in a noose, facing the stage and her other lover, Ahn Yujin slumped over on her table, cold and lifeless.

The police came asking anyone who knew of any information the couple’s tragic demise and press came in swarms to record this tragic end of the couple

The following morning after the discovery of the two dead bodies.

The newspapers headlines were lined with the “TRAGEDY OF LOVE FOR THE THESPIAN COUPLE”

The audience who had the haunting image of Ahn Yujin take her final bow etched in their minds.

The murderers behind the deaths of this couple never came forward, shrouding the mystery behind the lovers death behind the curtains of the stage of the Prince Theatre. With only the poor two souls left to wander around aimlessly

Ahn Yujin still takes her final bows randomly at any plays or musicals premieres shown in the theatre.

Kim Minjoo is seen floating in her third stall from the right looking at the stage of which her previous lover was.

And this marks the end of the Tragedy of Love

____________________________________________________________________

“Aww man” Yena along with the other tourists groaned at the end of the story that their tour guide had just told.

“Well, you see love has a way of getting back at its people and this case, the lovely thespian couple Jinjoo. So do treasure your lovers much better” the guide chuckled and told them to collect a red rose from the basket he was holding.

Yena pecked her wife’s cheeks as a way to treasure her.

“These roses are to honour the tragic history behind the very walls of this Prince Theatre and to appease Ahn Yujin’s and Kim Minjoo’s soul of having their lead roles taken away from them through death”

They all took one each and threw it at the empty stage mimicking the way the audience of the ghostly past would have done to thank the cast for the wonderful performance.

And with it came the very end of Melpomene.

____________________________________________________________________

*Undertsudy-> (in the theatre) a person who learns another's role in order to be able to act at a short notice in their absence

Well this marks the end of Melpomene. Do comment below if you want a theatre based comedy since this is a tragedy :( Also, Melpomene is the Ancient Greek muse of tragedy. And good morning/afternoon/ night to those who have finished reading this. Feel free to drop any questions regarding this one shot. 

P.s: Can anyone try to Guess the play that Yujin and Minjoo are actually doing. It's a Shakespearean play and a pretty gory one