The faint scent of sandalwood clung to the air inside the preparation room, mixing with the powdery aroma of cosmetics. Cheon Sa sat calmly adjusting the fall of his flowing cream silk hanbok, the outer robe faintly embroidered with pale cranes. A translucent veil of fine white gauze covered the lower half of his face, softening his already delicate features into something ethereal. His green eyes sharp but serene betrayed no hint of nerves.
Beside him, Ara could hardly stay still. She was draped in a rose pink jeogori with gold thread cuffs and a layered violet chima that swished nervously as she paced. Her hair was pinned with a single jade hairpin, though stray wisps clung to her damp forehead. Her lips trembled with every breath, and her eyes darted as though searching for a way out of the room.
Eun Ha in stark contrast sat with one leg crossed over the other wore a deep navy hanbok with silver edged sleeves, her hair smoothed into a precise bun. Her posture was rigid, her gaze fixed on Cheon Sa with an expression colder than winter frost. The thin arch of her brows seemed to accuse him without a word.
They had not practiced, there had been no time. Yet here they were, about to perform together at the House of Stories Hall, in the middle of the Jo's town most prestigious entertainment competition.
Cheon Sa's mind wasn't on the competition at all. His thoughts were already in the capital, circling the inevitable conversation he would have to face with Min Ho who probably still think they were in the capital. Whether they had practiced or not hardly mattered to him especially since Eun Ha had never bothered to show up for rehearsals. Still, he knew Ara's voice could carry a song with or without accompaniment, and with Eun Ha's skill on the zither, the three of them could deliver a spectacular performance. There was no reason for him to worry or to doubt.
"Do you think this will work?" Eun Ha's voice was deceptively calm, but her eyes held a blade's edge. "The madam doesn't know the plan, does she?"
Cheon Sa didn't answer. Of course Madam Orchid didn't know, she wasn't in charge of Orchid Song Hall's performance arrangements. And even if she had been, there was no reason for him to reveal their true plan.
The paper door slid open, revealing Lady Sook in a muted jade robe with a pale sash. "I heard you three are opening the competition," she said, her tone edged with doubt. "Seo Reun… don't you think it would have been wiser to take the last slot? That way, Orchid Song Hall could leave the strongest impression."
Cheon Sa gave a slow shake of his head. With a delicate adjustment of his veil, he spoke in the faintest, most refined voice, soft as silk. "If you want to win, trust me."
Lady Sook's lips pressed together, then she gave a single nod. "Of course but are you sure I don't need to play my flute or perhaps any other instrument?"
Cheon Sa raised his head to look directly at her. "No." He was relieved to see that she seemed far more concerned about the performance than about the risk of his identity as a man being exposed, male weren't allowed in the competition. That was why the veil was essential, even Eun Ha had no idea he was a man.
A knock came at the door. "It is time."
Ara immediately rushed to the small bronze mirror, dusting more powder over her pale face with trembling hands. Eun Ha strode past Cheon Sa without looking at him, her every step echoing quiet confidence. Cheon Sa rose in silence and followed them out, he glanced behind him and was glad to see that Ara had joined them.
The small competition was going to be taking place in the House of Stories Hall which happened to be tha biggest and available hall at Jo's town and since it was owned by the Magistrate so it wasn't weird for the competition to be taken place there.
The hall was half-filled, but the presence was weighty. Lanterns hung in rows from the lacquered beams, casting a warm golden light that caught on the polished floorboards. Nobles from the town had gathered some wearing embroidered overcoats, others with tall gat hats perched upon their heads. At the far end sat the panel of judges, their faces grave.
Cheon Sa lifted his gaze toward the section where the most distinguished nobles were seated. He was certain Hong Gi, the Magistrate, would be among them. A faint sense of relief washed over him when he saw that the Magistrate had not taken a seat among the panel of judges.
On stage, Eun Ha's zither rested to one side, its lacquered surface gleaming.
A voice from the judges' table rang out. "From Orchid Song Hall, we have Seo Reun the dancer, Ara the singer, and Eun Ha the instrumentalist. I had expected the singer, Ara… so why are all three of you here?" It was the head judge.
For some reason, Cheon Sa felt the weight of every gaze in the hall upon him. It was to be expected, he was an unfamiliar face, a newcomer to this stage. Yet the sheer intensity of their attention was sharpened by the mystery of his veil, as if it stirred a quiet eagerness among them to see what he might reveal, and what kind of performance such a concealed face could deliver.
Cheon Sa stepped forward, bowing just enough to be courteous, his veil catching the lantern light. "That is because we will perform together, all at once."
A murmur swept through the hall. In the history of this competition, no such thing had ever been done. The head Judge brows lifted slightly, but he said nothing, watching with keen interest.
"But you know the order," another judge said, adjusting his hat. "We begin with the singer, then the dancer, then the instrumentalist."
Cheon Sa almost smiled under his veil. That order was the very problem, too predictable, too easily dull. For years, Lady Sook's flute had accompanied dancers, and though her skill was unmatched, Orchid Song Hall had never taken the prize. In this system, the three categories were judged separately, then averaged. One dazzling singer could not save two poor scores, and a single failure could ruin an entire house's reputation.
Cheon Sa had no intention of letting that happen.
"But there is no rule that says we cannot perform together," Cheon Sa said evenly, his voice carrying just enough to reach the judges' table.
A ripple of murmurs spread among the panel. The judges glanced at one another, their expressions shifting between surprise and uncertainty. He was right, nothing in their carefully guarded tradition explicitly forbade such a thing. Yet none of them had ever imagined someone would dare to overturn their precious order.
They leaned toward one another, whispering in low voices, weighing the risk of allowing this break in precedent.
Cheon Sa stood calmly, veil still in place, watching them with the patience of someone who knew he had already won this small battle. If they refused now, he would simply challenge them on their own rules and they all knew that no rule could be created on the spot. Such a change could only be written after the competition and enforced in the next.
At last, one of the judges straightened, tapping his fingers lightly against the table. "Very well," he said, his tone both reluctant and curious. "Let us see what you can do."
A faint smile touched Cheon Sa's eyes as the decision was made. The stage was theirs.
The Hall was wrapped in a hushed anticipation, the murmurs of the nobles fading to a low ripple. The scent of burning incense mixed with the faint perfume of silk, creating an air heavy with expectation
Cheon Sa stepped forward first, the soft sound of his silk shoes barely audible over the shifting breaths of the audience. His cream-silk hanbok draped elegantly, its crane-embroidered hems gliding across the stage like ripples in still water.
To his left stood Ara far enough to give the dancer space, her rose-pink jeogori glowing under the lantern light, paired with a layered violet chima that swayed with each nervous movement ready to sing.
To his right, Eun Ha sat before her zither, its lacquered black frame gleaming, the strings taut and waiting.
With all three of them performing together, they knew the audience's eyes would inevitably be drawn to the dancer, meaning the weight of the performance rested almost entirely on Cheon Sa.
When the soft nod from the head judge came, Eun Ha's fingers descended.
The first note was like a single raindrop falling into a silent pond. It lingered, then spread, followed by a delicate cascade of tones that seemed to brush against the walls themselves. Her playing had a depth that was almost visual you could feel the moonlit river, the flutter of crane wings, the chill of distant mountains in every sound.
Ara's voice joined. "You see... the beautiful immortal gliding...." at first a whisper of silk sliding through the air, then gaining strength, smooth and pure as freshly drawn water.
Then, without pause, Cheon Sa moved slowly matching the zither playing and the singing perfectly like weaving of yarn as he moved slowly to Ara.
Ara began the old ballad of The Crane's Farewell. "My love.... you go...." her tone trembling with longing in the first lines, then swelling as the tale deepened. Her notes curled around Eun Ha's zither melody like ivy around a pillar, clinging yet enhancing, each making the other more beautiful.
Cheon Sa movements were fluid, alive, as though the music was not merely guiding him but living inside him as he turned around Ara almost like a maiden teasing. Each step landed exactly where the rhythm seemed to demand. His sleeves arched and fell like waves; his veil shifted with the faintest breath, his eyes glinting through the gauze. He spun low, robe flaring outward like a pale blossom in bloom, then rose high, arms extended as though embracing the space around him as he turned around towards the center of the stage.
The three were no longer separate performers, they were a single body with three hearts. Eun Ha's zither wove the foundation, Ara's voice painted the sky above it, and Cheon Sa's dance became the wind moving between them.
A swell came in the music Eun Ha's fingers quickened, the strings trembling in a fierce, rolling rhythm.
Dum dum...
Da..n dan...
Ara's voice rose in answer, "You roll and roll.. down the abyss..." bending into sharp, aching notes.
Cheon Sa answered with a sudden burst of energy, his footwork shifting into something sharper, almost martial in precision then he began to twirl and turn around in a single spot and speed up his motion. The stage itself seemed to pulse under the weight of the sound and movement.
Dan... tin tin.. tum.. tumm...
Gasps rose from the audience as their hearts rose almost like picking a race. This was not the safe, polite performance they expected. This was risk, this was audacity.
Eun Ha's hands flew, her expression a mask of perfect control, though her shoulders moved with the intensity of her playing.
Ara's voice soared higher, "Goooooo!!!" carrying the ache of separation and the stubbornness of love that would not fade. Cheon Sa's final turn seemed almost impossible in its grace, he landed on the ball of one foot, the other leg extended, arms unfolding like the wings of the very cranes in the song's tale.
The last note came from Eun Ha's zither, a deep, resonant hum that filled the hall like a low bell. Ara's final note lingered above it, trembling for a heartbeat, then dissolving into silence. Cheon Sa froze in mid-motion, sleeves cascading to the floor like the last petals falling in spring.
The silence that followed was so complete it was as if the entire hall had forgotten how to breathe. Even the incense smoke seemed to hang motionless in the air.
Then.
A single clap. Slow, deliberate. The Magistrate, Hong Gi, had risen slightly in his seat, his eyes locked on Cheon Sa.
Another clap joined it. And another.
The applause built, like the first patters of rain turning into a downpour. The hall erupted cheers, nobles leaning forward with bright eyes. Some stood, bowing slightly toward the stage in acknowledgment of what they had witnessed.
The judges stood up and joined in the cheering, the head judge smile was faint, but it carried the weight of something unspoken. His gaze lingered on Cheon Sa just long enough to be noticed before he turned back to his seat.
On the stage, Cheon Sa lowered his head slightly, concealing the flicker of triumph in his eyes. Beside him, Ara's lips parted in disbelief at the reception, while Eun Ha's cool mask softened just enough for the corner of her mouth to twitch upward.
This was not merely a performance. This was a statement and the entire hall knew it.
Cheon Sa had secured exactly what he wanted, an unforgettable performance. As for the other houses, he almost pitied them. With the euphoria of this moment still thrumming in the audience's veins, every act that followed would be measured against theirs and found lacking. No matter how skilled, the rest would seem pale and bland in comparison, their brilliance dimmed by the memory that had already taken root in the crowd's mind.