1930s South Korea, in the period of Japanese occupation, Kim Jisoo is hired as a handmaiden to a Japanese-Korean heiress, Jennie Kim, who lives a secluded life on a large countryside estate with her domineering Uncle. But the maid has a secret.
Bas...
On the same day Kouzuki left for his mine, Jennie and Jisoo had planned to escape by themselves in the middle of the night. With two heavy suitcases in either hand, the two women rushed through the tatami rooms, kneeling down to open the sliding doors as quickly as they could. They hurried across the dark gardens, passing under the cherry blossom tree that had a white rope dangling from one of its branches, coiling around the wood with one end tied into a noose.
"Miss!" Jisoo called out in a loud whisper, her voice raised above the wind rustling in the trees. Jennie had stopped to check if they had been caught, but after hearing Jisoo's call she held her hat on her head and ran towards her.
At the break of dawn, they were skipping across large plains. The blue hue of the sun hovering just below the horizon after the night was the only source of light they had.
Finally, they reached their destination. They stopped at the side of a riverbank, the fog settling low over the water gave a magical feel to the place, like a fairytale. Jisoo stood in front of Jennie, staring out across the river, looking over to the mountain of trees on the other side. She watched the faint sight of a boat rowing towards them, as the water rippled frequently across the surface.
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Jennie stared at Jisoo, admiring her concentrated yet tired face. The humidity had caused a few strands of hair to fall into her eyes, and Jennie didn't have to think before she was reaching out, tucking them gently behind her ears. Jisoo barely flinched, only her eyelids fluttered slightly at the serene touch.
Once they were on the small boat with the Count, rowing across quiet water and through the cool mist, Jennie rested her head on Jisoo's shoulder as the tiredness overwhelmed, causing her head to grow heavier. Taking one of her hands from the maid's lap, Jennie interlocked their fingers with her gloved hand on top of Jisoo's, feeling her squeeze back gently.
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With her free hand, Jisoo dipped her hand into the river, the water sweeping against her skin calmed her. The freedom felt therapeutic, yet it wouldn't last long.
***
The cry of seagulls flying in the air, the bustling of other passengers and the voice of the PA system was all the three could hear. "Thank you for travelling on our ferry today. We will arrive at Shimonoseki at 7:30pm --"
