This chapter features music of the geomungo, a traditional Korean zither. If you'd like to hear an example you can search for "eGerT_7dR3c" on YouTube. The piece is called "Dalmuri," meaning the ring around the moon, and is about the longing and pity, joy and mystery you feel when you see the moon. Thank you for following along and reading – it makes us so glad that you are enjoying our story so far! (See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

We hope you enjoy! :)

EDIT: It was brought to my attention, rightly so, that using a statue of a Buddha was inappropriate, as it is of religious importance. I apologize deeply for this mistake due to my carelessness and ignorance. I have changed it, and I will be more careful in the future!

Mountains are the same as in the old times,
But streams are never the same;
They keep flowing day and night,
So they can not be the same.
The men of fame are like the streams;
Once gone, they never return.
-Hwang Jini

By the time Ga Eul arrived at the museum with Yi Jeong, she was on a bit of a high. She'd just had the loveliest dinner date (because that's what she was fantasizing it as) with the guy she liked at a fancy restaurant. She had been nervous at first, but Yi Jeong's easy manners helped her relax in no time. Per usual, she was in her ordinary clothing and he was in his designer three-piece suit, yet it was something he had never made her feel uncomfortable about in the years she had known him. Though Ga Eul tried to eat in moderation, the food was too good, and way too expensive, not to gobble up, and so now she was thoroughly satiated. It was also the first time she had ever drunk wine, which added to her giddiness.

Yi Jeong parked right at the entrance and opened the door for her as she exited his orange Lotus. It was dark and the Woo Song Museum was lit up from the outside, throwing large shadows over the edifice. She had visited once or twice on school trips, but today the massive building felt even larger and more imposing than she remembered it. It wasn't just any museum; it was Yi Jeong's, owned and maintained by three generations of the prestigious So family. She stood at the bottom of the front steps, feeling small compared to the formidable structure with its vaulted tile roof and towering columns.

"Ga Eul yang?" Yi Jeong turned around a few steps above her. There was a question in his eyes, and something else. Did he seem unsure?

"Ah, sorry, sunbae. I was just admiring the building." Ga Eul regained her composure and gave him a smile more confident than she felt.

A lone security guard waiting at the entrance unlocked the door for them, greeting Yi Jeong with a respectful bow. Yi Jeong instructed her to wait for him while he went to the front desk. Empty of visitors, the inside of the museum felt cavernous. The echoing of their steps sounded loud to Ga Eul's ears, like they were intruding on sacred grounds. In the center of the main gallery stood a monolith inscribed with ancient lettering, like the guardian of a fortress. Ga Eul could almost imagine her ancestors erecting the stele, a record of their nation's history withstanding centuries of weathering.

"You need this, right?" Yi Jeong said when he joined her. He pulled a ticket out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. Ga Eul read the print:

Woo Song Museum
"The Art of Sijo" special exhibit
October 31st, 9pm - VIP tour for Chu Ga Eul

VIP? It was the first time Ga Eul had ever been labeled as such.

"This stele is a replica. The real one is in northeast China," Yi Jeong said of the towering stone. There was a playful tone to his voice, like he knew she thought it was real. "The F4 almost knocked it down when we played hide-and-seek in the museum. Though it's fake, it's still hard to replace so we got into big trouble."

"Hide-and-seek? In a museum? Oi, Young Master. Most kids play in the park," Ga Eul teased, feeling daring due to the effects of the wine.

"It was more like hide and run away from the security guards," Yi Jeong chuckled. "Of course, I had an advantage because I knew the museum the best. Do you want to see my favorite hiding spot?"

"So someone can find you if you decide to hide again?"

"Maybe." Yi Jeong raised an eyebrow and leaned close to her ear. "No one else knows, so only Ga Eul yang would be able to find me."

"It's too bad I don't play hide-and-seek anymore." Ga Eul noticed her voice was a little breathless. He was so close that she could see a tiny freckle on his cheek. "But you can show me in case you still do."

One corner of Yi Jeong's lips curved up. "Is it still hide-and-seek if I want to be found?"

"If it's not hide-and-seek, what game would that be? Is it a game I could play?" Ga Eul heard herself speak, but couldn't seem to stop herself. It was definitely the wine.

Yi Jeong's smile grew even deeper. "Follow me."

As Yi Jeong led the way, Ga Eul imagined a tiny version of him walking around the museum in the same fashion, as if he owned the place. Only someone like him would dare to use precious artifacts as toys. She could see him using his adorable smile to charm his way out of trouble.

They passed a few galleries filled with ancient armor and weapons and then arrived at a room full of stone creatures. An enormous statue of a smiling haetae, a mythological guardian that looked like a scaled lion with a horn on its forehead, sat on a raised pedestal. Yi Jeong pointed to a small door in the wall behind the statue.

"There. The lock used to be broken so I would hide there. The cameras don't catch it, so the security guards could never find me." Yi Jeong smiled boyishly, his dimples showing. Oh, he definitely would have gotten away with a lot, because Ga Eul would have let him get away with almost anything right then.

"Too bad the lock is fixed—sunbae can't hide there anymore."

"I suppose not. But like you said, hide-and-seek is for children. Adults don't need to play games."

"Then I guess you don't need me to find you." Ga Eul was slightly disappointed. For a moment she had known something about Yi Jeong that no one else had.

"Whoever said that I don't need you to find me?" Yi Jeong said, his voice low.

Ga Eul wasn't sure what he meant by this, but she felt herself grow warmer. The way he was looking at her was making her knees weak.

Yi Jeong broke their gaze first and sighed. "The special exhibit is that way. Come."

Up ahead there was a sign with an arrow saying "The Art of Sijo." They were about to walk that way, when all of a sudden the lights went out and everything became pitch black. Ga Eul gasped and instinctively reached out to grasp Yi Jeong's arm. He put his hand on top of hers.

"Sunbae, what's going on?"

There was a loud bang, making Ga Eul jump. Yi Jeong pulled her in closer, wrapping an arm around her waist protectively.

"I'm not sure, but it could be a power outage. If we wait a minute, the emergency lights will turn on. They run on battery so they won't be affected by the main electrical system."

Sure enough, a few dim lights . With a rush of embarrassment, Ga Eul realized she was in Yi Jeong's embrace.

"Ga Eul yang, are you okay?" Yi Jeong peered at her with concern. She remembered one other time he had looked at her like that, on a ski slope two years before.

"Yes, I'm… I'm fine," Ga Eul stuttered, blushing hard. He seemed unaffected, whereas she was flustered and aware of every point of contact between them.

Yi Jeong pulled out his phone. He dialed a number, but no one picked up. Almost immediately, his phone buzzed with an incoming text. To her surprise, the normally refined Yi Jeong cursed under his breath when he read it. "Crazy bastard."

"Neh?"

"Sorry. It seems like there's a power outage in the area. The problem is that it triggers the security system. I have to go and switch everything to the back up generator to turn off the alarms. I can make my way through, but it'll be difficult if it's the both of us. Do you think you can wait here by yourself?"

Ga Eul was nervous about being left alone in such a large building, but she put on a brave face. "Neh, sunbae."

"Call me if you need anything. I'll be right back." Yi Jeong let go of her and left the room.

Ga Eul hugged herself. With Yi Jeong's body heat gone, it felt slightly chilly. The previously friendly looking haetae now appeared ominous. The other statues seemed to be scowling at her in the low light, their teeth bared in menace. It felt like an eternity waiting for Yi Jeong.

The sound of wheels came from behind her. Startled, Ga Eul spun around. A middle-aged female janitor was rolling a cleaning cart in her direction. She seemed friendly and harmless enough, so Ga Eul relaxed a bit.

"Omo, are you lost?" the older lady asked. "It's too bad the lights went out."

"I'm waiting here for sunbae—I mean, Director So."

"Oh, so you're the VIP! You must be here to see the special exhibit. Follow me, I'll take you there." Without waiting for Ga Eul's response, she pushed her cart towards the entrance to the exhibit.

"Wait, the security system…" Ga Eul glanced around the foreboding room exactly once and decided she wanted to get out of there. She could always text Yi Jeong her location. She followed quickly after the departing janitor.

"Stay close, and follow my footsteps." The janitor said without looking back.

Ga Eul trailed behind her as instructed. Fortunately, no alarms went off.

"Here we are." The janitor smiled at her. "I hope you find what it is you want in here."

Ga Eul scanned the area and could make out the large lettering, "The Art of Sijo," on the wall in the dim light. When Ga Eul turned back, the janitor was gone, the sound of rolling wheels fading into the distance.

Suddenly, the slow, deep-toned strum of a lone geomungo played. A spotlight in the center of the room illuminating a female mannequin dressed in an elaborate red hanbok, trimmed with a golden floral print. Her jegori top was a sheer black gauze, and she wore a large asymmetrical headdress of braided black hair. She was inanimate but seemed in motion, one hand hiking up her voluminous skirt that was tied up so it revealed the white underskirt, a provocative look for ancient times. Her other hand held out a closed fan as if beckoning Ga Eul closer.

The deliberate beat of a janggu drum punctuated the notes of the geomungo as it played its traipsing melody. Ga Eul walked forward, step by step, towards the large glass display case as the tempo gradually picked up. It was Hwang Jini, the most celebrated gisaeng in all of Korean history. As a gisaeng, she was educated in literature, music, and dance in order to mingle with and entertain the highest echelons of men, yet her status was that of almost a slave. She was soft but commanding, femini