Song Ji
"Oh my..." Madame Sok Hee chastised Song Ji as if she was a misbehaved toddler.
Although she hasn't yet discovered the reason behind Madame Sok Hee's disapproval, she still felt somewhat at fault for her unexplained crime. When she first stepped into the emporium, Song Ji expected an extravagant array of fabrics and glamorous dresses on fine ladies. Instead, she was met by a small office covered in dust and scrolls of crinkling paper smeared with ink, a caged, metal figure that was to represent a woman's body, and Madame Sok Hee herself; an old weathering lady with silky white hair and a face lined with wrinkles. Being a stylist for the rich and royal, Song Ji expected the woman to have a much more superior place of work.
"We indeed have a problem on our hands, don't we Mister Chief?" She smiled at him, showcasing her yellow teeth.
He returned her smile and replied, "I completely agree madame."
Song Ji stood in the center of this dust infested room, while the old lady circled her like a vulture.
"I just came to get the package for Lady Yin Jidam..." She trailed off when Madame Sok Hee began wrapping a piece of wire around her waist and later ordered for her to spread her arms.
"Your uniform is awfully too big for you, I shall have it size... Mr. Chief of guards, do you mind giving us the room, so I can get the proper measurements?" The old lady smiled.
The chief gave a curt nod and eagerly walked out the doors, leaving her alone with this unfamiliar lady. Madame Sok Hee turned her back towards Song Ji as she gently placed her wired strings on the table.
"Madame Sok Hee, don't take this as ungrateful but I don't--
The old lady interrupted her, "What in the world are you doing here stupid, stupid girl?"
Song Ji gasped and ducked her head, not wanting to meet the old lady's eyes.
Two. Two other people than herself now held the power to completely end Song Ji's life.
How could she be so careless? She wondered what form of blackmail Madame Sok Hee was going to offer. Song Ji let out an uneven sighed, "It's a twisted long story. I had no other choice."
Madame Sok Hee turned around and walked back to Song Ji, her old, wrinkled hands reached up and pull the eunuch's hat off her head revealing her braided hair wrapped into a bun. With a delicate flick of her wrist, she tugged the hair clip off of Song Ji's hair, letting her sable braids fall to her back.
"I remember you, child," She whispered.
Answering the confusion on her face, Madame Sok Hee added, "You bought my bracelets, the first person to walk up to my stand."
Bracelets? Song Ji submerged herself into her pool of memories, diving deeper as her hand reached out for recollection of Madame Sok Hee and her bracelets. The smooth ocean beads flashed across her mind, the key, and its locket.
"What a coincidence," She whispered to herself, staring at the dust cover floor.
With a gentle finger, Madame Sok Hee lifted her chin, and Song Ji's vision was filled with golden yellow teeth as the old lady smiled, "I don't believe in coincidences darling, it's God's way of remaining anonymous."
She let go and walked back to her table and ran her hands over various objects, "What happened to the bracelets, the locket, and its key?"
"I lost the locket but I still have the key."
Madame Sok Hee hummed, "Then I guess you'll be the lucky lady to find the man who has that locket and open his cold, metal heart."
Song Ji couldn't help but scoff at the old woman's incredibly tacky statement, "How can I possibly open someone else's when mine is bolted shut, Madame?"
YOU ARE READING
In This Life
Historical FictionThe crown prince paced across his bedroom quarters with an absurd thought lingering within his mind. He vehemently shook his head, making his crown crooked. He had been rummaging through his brain for quite some time now. How can another man be so...
