BSMF | 04

~Chapter 04~

“Mm…”

So-hye slowly opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was a white ceiling with a bare lightbulb hanging from it.

A strong smell of disinfectant filled the air, and many sounds overlapped, making her dizzy.

Where am I…?

She slowly turned her head, and a man who looked like Woo-geon came into view.

Blinking sluggishly, So-hye moved her lips.

“Mr. Shin…?”

“啊，醒了. (Ah, you’re awake.)”

Chinese?

Startled by the unfamiliar language, So-hye blinked several more times.

Then Woo-geon’s face turned into that of a completely unfamiliar man.

Someone she had never met before.

Frowning in confusion, she heard the man smile and ask,

“Are you feeling a bit better?”

His Joseon Korean was so fluent that she wondered if she had misheard him earlier.

“I found you collapsed on the road and brought you to the hospital.”

“I… collapsed?”

“The doctor said it was probably heat exhaustion. Luckily, it’s just mild dehydration, so you’ll recover soon if you rest.”

“…Was there anyone else with me?”

“Well, I’m not sure who you’re looking for, but there was no one else there.”

So the person who saved me wasn’t Mr. Shin.

For a moment, she felt disappointed, but she quickly hid her expression and thanked the man.

“Thank you. I hope I didn’t cause you trouble.”

“No need to worry. I had some free time and was bored anyway.”

He spoke as if he had found something amusing to pass the time.

What kind of man is this?

He felt like a carefree rich young master.

So-hye watched him cautiously.

He probably paid the hospital bill too.

She quickly calculated how much money she had and how much spare she could use this month.

I can’t repay it all at once.

Swallowing a sigh, she carefully asked,

“Excuse me, but you don’t seem Joseon… May I ask who you are?”

“Oh, I was late introducing myself. Don’t worry—I’m not a strange man.”

She accepted the business card he handed her.

Datong Trading Company
President Wang Hak-je

Her eyes widened.

Datong Trading Company—wasn’t that the huge Chinese firm that started with flour noodles and now dealt in crops, goods, and even military supplies?

A massive company that had recently expanded into Joseon and gained a lot of attention.

This man is the president of Datong Trading…?

She looked at Hak-je with surprise.

The man who had seemed frivolous a moment ago now looked dignified and impressive.

“Looks like my card worked,” he said with a smile.
“May I ask your name, miss?”

“I’m Baek So-hye.”

“Nice to meet you, even if it’s a little late, Miss So-hye.”

Hak-je smiled brightly, and So-hye could only blink.

She had thought it before, but he really was strikingly handsome.

Sharp eyebrows slanted downward, giving him a fierce look, but his double-lidded eyes and amber-brown pupils were always filled with playful amusement.

His sharp nose led naturally down to red, well-shaped lips.

He looked dangerous, yet oddly approachable.

Of course, the expensive clothes he wore drew a clear line between them.

Even to So-hye, who knew little about such things, his outfit looked extremely costly—fine clothes, a stylish hat, polished shoes, and a gold watch chain proudly displayed on his chest.

Hak-je’s entire body screamed, I’m rich.

“Well… he is the president of Datong Trading.”

Since he personally carried her to the hospital, he didn’t seem like a bad person.

Then—

“You have to look at a handsome face up close. Like this.”

…His self-love is definitely strong.

Hak-je suddenly moved close and struck a “flower pose” under his chin.

So-hye frowned without hiding it.

He exaggeratedly widened his eyes in shock.

“Are you frowning? At my handsome face? That can’t be right!”

“You’re… very confident.”

“With this face, wouldn’t anyone be?”

“…Wow.”

So-hye’s jaw slowly dropped.

No matter how confident someone was, they wouldn’t usually say such things out loud.

This was the first time she had met someone so shamelessly full of self-love.

She didn’t even know how to respond.

Seeing her speechless expression, Hak-je pouted dramatically.

“I’m joking. You looked so tense.”

“That didn’t sound like a joke.”

“It was. Totally.”

“…Please move your hand away from your chin when you say that.”

“Doesn’t it suit me? I heard ‘flower boy’ is popular these days.”

His eyes curved gently as he smiled.

A smile that strangely made people lower their guard.

Half dumbfounded, half amused, So-hye found herself smiling back.

He was a strange man—someone who disarmed others in unexpected ways.

“I’ll repay the hospital bill. It might take some time, though.”

“Don’t worry about it. Today’s just a day I feel like pretending to be a good person.”

“A day you want to pretend to be good?”

“Those days happen.”

Hak-je winked.

Maybe he just liked helping people for self-satisfaction.

Rich people really are different.

Still, she didn’t want to owe him for no reason, and was about to bring it up again—

“Wait, So-hye? What are you doing here?”

A fellow dancer from the Modern Café recognized her and approached.

She glanced at Hak-je and spoke in a deliberately sweet voice.

“Why are you lying in a hospital bed? Are you sick?”

“I collapsed from the heat…”

“Oh my, you should’ve been more careful.”

Then she naturally turned her gaze to Hak-je.

“Oh! Aren’t you President Wang Hak-je?”

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I can’t believe I’m meeting you here! I saw your article in the paper. It said you invested a huge amount in railway construction!”

“You flatter me over something trivial.”

“So modest.”

The dancer smiled coyly, far more than usual.

“Well, I have something urgent to attend to.”

“See you again, lady.”

“Oh my…”

Blushing, she nodded to So-hye and left.

An awkward silence followed.

So-hye felt embarrassed by how openly the woman had fawned over him.

Hak-je, however, seemed used to it.

Adjusting his fedora, he held out his hand.

“Shall we get up, Miss So-hye? If I’m to escort you home, we’re running out of time.”

“No, it’s fine. I can go by myself.”

“If that feels uncomfortable, I’ll just walk you across the main road. After all, I saved you—I’d like to see you get home safely.”

He offered his arm.

The kindness felt excessive, but she couldn’t bring herself to refuse outright.

“Then… just for a bit.”

She was still dizzy, so she reluctantly took his arm and stood.

As soon as they stepped outside, the strong sunlight made her dizziness worse.

She stumbled slightly, and Hak-je quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m just a little dizzy. I’ll be fine.”

“Would you like to rest at the hospital longer? I can put the extra charge under my name.”

“No, I’d rather go home. I’ll be more comfortable there.”

Just then—

“Hey, Wang Hedi.”

A poorly imitated accent stopped them.

Two rough-looking men approached.

They glanced between So-hye and Hak-je, then smirked and asked in Korean,

“What’s that woman to you?”

“She collapsed on the street, so I brought her to the hospital.”

“Oh? So that’s how you have your fun now?”

“Wang Hak-je always had women swarming around him.”

They laughed crudely, their eyes crawling unpleasantly over So-hye.

She shrank back in fear, hoping it would end quickly.

One man lifted her chin with his finger.

“Where’d you pick this one up? She’s pretty useful.”

“Yeah, not bad-looking. Could be fun.”

“Hey, Hak-je. If you’re gonna enjoy her, why not let us—”

That was as far as they got.

Hak-je instantly slapped the hand away.

He pulled So-hye behind him and glared at them coldly.

“I told you not to drag me down to your filthy level. Was I smiling too much earlier?”

The sharpness of his voice froze them.

The air changed instantly.

His expression was icy, as if touching him would freeze your fingers.

The playful man from before was gone.

Hak-je looked at them like a predator eyeing prey.

“If you don’t want to be beggars by tomorrow morning, you’d better watch yourselves.”

“…!”

“Ruining your businesses would be nothing for me.”

They swallowed dryly.

“Last warning. Remember it.”

“Y-Yes! We will!”

“Get lost.”

“Yes! See you next time!”

They ran away in a hurry.

As soon as they were gone, Hak-je smiled brightly again and offered his arm.

“My friends can be a bit rough. Let’s go.”

So-hye stared at him in shock.

Just moments ago, he had been terrifying—now he looked completely innocent again.

Like two sides of the same coin.

She couldn’t tell which was his true self.

“What is it? Are you feeling unwell again?”

“No—no! I’m fine. Let’s go.”

As they walked, So-hye stole glances at his profile.

His expression was gentle, as if nothing had happened.

How could the same person look so frightening earlier…?

Sensing her gaze, Hak-je spoke without turning.

“Do I seem different?”

“…What?”

“You’ve been glancing at me.”

“…Am I scary?”

Feeling oddly guilty, she shook her head.

“No. Not scary… just a little surprising.”

“What is?”

“That you’re taking such good care of me, even though we just met.”

People all have two sides, don’t they?

Those men had been awful, and after all—he had saved her.

Smiling awkwardly, she said,

“I think you’re a really good person, sir.”

“….”

“Not pretending to be good. Truly good.”

For a split second, something cracked in Hak-je’s smile.

A tiny gap—gone before she could notice.

“Haha. I guess getting scolded by my friends was worth it.”

They had reached the main road.

“I’ll go from here. Thank you so much for today.”

She bowed and walked away.

Hak-je watched her until she disappeared.

Then he adjusted his hat and turned.

A strange glimmer lingered in his eyes, carried away by the summer breeze.

Among the many things Songil High School was famous for, three stood out.

Its modern campus, its excellent faculty—

And its museum.

The museum housed countless animal and plant specimens, attracting famous scholars from outside.

On the second floor was a butterfly laboratory reserved solely for Woo-geon.

Filled with tools and rare books, it was the largest room in the museum.

Yet stepping inside made it feel suffocatingly cramped.

“Ugh, sir! Can’t you take some of these down? It’s a maze every time I come in!”

That was because of Woo-geon’s butterfly specimens.

Se-ho struggled through bundles of triangular mounts hanging from the ceiling.

There were specimens everywhere—drawers, walls, floor, even cabinets.

In total, there were over 400,000 butterflies.

Woo-geon glanced at Se-ho and returned to writing.

“The ones hanging up are the ones I haven’t examined yet.”

“Then at least put them in the cabinets.”

“They’re full.”

“At this rate, I’ll be buried here with the butterflies—ow!”

Thump!

Se-ho lost his balance and fell hard.

Thankfully, the specimens were unharmed.

Rubbing himself, he crawled back.

“Sir, this butterfly has much darker and thicker markings than usual.”

Woo-geon examined the board.

A cabbage white butterfly.

Normally, they had black triangles only at the wing tips.

But this one had half its upper wing covered in black, with only a single dot.

A rare mutation.

Its vivid coloring drew the eye.

Se-ho exclaimed,

“Isn’t it beautiful? It reminds me of a short-haired beauty.”

Short-haired beauty.

A woman’s face surfaced in Woo-geon’s mind.

Short bobbed hair, pale skin, clear eyes, stubborn lips.

The butterfly of the Modern Café—Baek So-hye.

I thought I saw her at the school gate earlier… maybe I was mistaken.

When he checked, she was gone.

Perhaps he had imagined it.

Woo-geon stared out the window.

Summer sunlight poured down as wind rustled the leaves.

The night he was caught by police with a paper written in Korean—

Grabbing So-hye, thinking she was Se-ho, still made no sense.

Their builds were clearly different.

I must have been bewitched. By that butterfly.

Her image lingered.

When she smiled, she felt like a cool valley in summer.

When she gazed quietly into space, she was graceful like acacia blossoms on a spring night.

Her long limbs were so elegant that she seemed like a butterfly turned human.

Perhaps he had known it wasn’t Se-ho—and still grabbed her hand.

His life, spent chasing butterflies, had been drawn to someone like one.

We helped each other, exchanged names. Doesn’t that make us friends?

Her shy, stubborn expression had been unbearably cute.

Woo-geon smiled unconsciously.

He found himself interested in her.

Like discovering a butterfly species he had never seen before.

Was it curiosity—or something else?

Maybe if he met her again, he would know.

“Sir! You have mail!”

Se-ho handed him a letter.

Woo-geon took it—and his expression darkened when he saw the sender.

“Who is it?”

Se-ho peeked.

The sender was Yohwa, the most famous gisaeng in Gyeongseong.