Characters

• Marquise de Merteuil / Lady Cho: A clever, ruthless widow who prides herself on her independence and mastery of social manipulation. She maintains a virtuous public image while pursuing libertine pleasures.

• Vicomte de Valmont / Cho Won: A notorious seducer and Merteuil’s former lover/ally/rival. He is proud of his reputation as a heartless libertine.

• Cécile de Volanges: A naïve 15-year-old fresh from a convent, engaged to the Comte de Gercourt.

• Présidente de Tourvel / Hui Yeon: A virtuous, married woman known for her piety and fidelity.

• Chevalier Danceny: A young, honorable music teacher who falls in love with Cécile.

• Supporting figures include Madame de Volanges (Cécile’s mother), Madame de Rosemonde (Valmont’s aunt), and various servants and minor aristocrats who facilitate or witness the schemes.

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After losing her husband, the Marquise de Merteuil / Lady Cho maintains her reputation as a respectable and admired woman of high society. When she learns that her former lover, the Comte de Gercourt, is planning to marry the young Cécile de Volanges, she decides to take revenge on him. Merteuil / Lady Cho asks the Vicomte de Valmont / Cho Won, a womanizer who was once her lover but remains a close friend, to seduce Cécile and take her virginity. Valmont / Cho Won considers the task far too easy and is reluctant to do it. Instead, the two make a wager over whether Valmont / Cho Won can seduce the virtuous and reserved Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, a woman he has recently become interested in. The prize is sex with Merteuil / Lady Cho, whom Valmont / Cho Won desires. Merteuil / Lady Cho then reveals that she has a private place where she arranges secret meetings solely for pleasure.

Unlike the women Valmont / Cho Won has seduced in the past, Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon does not give in easily. Her reasons are her religious faith and the warnings she received from her close friend, Madame de Volanges, Cécile's mother, about Valmont / Cho Won's terrible reputation. Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon is staying at the country estate of Valmont's aunt, Madame de Rosemonde, while her husband is away. As she begins to find herself emotionally shaken by Valmont / Cho Won, she asks him to leave the estate so that she can resist his advances. Around the same time, Valmont / Cho Won learns through a servant that Madame de Volanges has been speaking badly about him to Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon. As he leaves the estate, he decides to take revenge on Madame de Volanges as well.

Meanwhile, after Valmont / Cho Won initially refuses to participate in Merteuil's / Lady Cho's scheme, Merteuil / Lady Cho begins her revenge by introducing Cécile to the young Chevalier Danceny under the pretense of a chance encounter. The innocent Danceny and Cécile immediately take a liking to each other and begin a secret romance. However, Madame de Volanges notices what is happening and takes Cécile to the countryside, to Madame de Rosemonde's estate, in an attempt to separate the two.

At this point, Merteuil / Lady Cho learns that Valmont / Cho Won has agreed to join her revenge scheme. She introduces Valmont / Cho Won to Danceny as a means for the young couple to communicate with each other. Because Merteuil / Lady Cho has earned the deep trust of both Danceny and Cécile, neither of them suspects the notorious womanizer. According to the plan, Valmont / Cho Won returns to the country estate. This allows him to gain Danceny's trust, approach Cécile, and, most importantly, see Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon again.

Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, who has been struggling to suppress her feelings for Valmont / Cho Won, freezes when she sees him again. Once back at the estate, Valmont / Cho Won becomes acquainted with Cécile while continuing to pursue Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon. Using his connection with Danceny as an excuse to get close to Cécile, Valmont / Cho Won sexually assaults her, thereby accomplishing his revenge. Merteuil / Lady Cho, who was the one who introduced Danceny to Cécile, exploits Cécile's innocence and confusion, telling the distressed girl that learning from the experienced Valmont / Cho Won is actually a good opportunity for her. Valmont / Cho Won subsequently continues to meet Cécile and sexually corrupt her, and she eventually becomes pregnant with his child.

At a party, Valmont / Cho Won accidentally overhears that another man as attractive and charismatic as himself, Prévan, intends to seduce Merteuil / Lady Cho. He warns Merteuil / Lady Cho and tells her to be careful. Merteuil / Lady Cho tells him to watch closely and pretends to fall for Prévan's seduction. She soon acts as though she is frightened by his intentions but has no choice except to agree to what he wants. On the night of the planned encounter, Prévan enters her room and attempts to take her by force. Merteuil / Lady Cho rings a bell, summoning the servants she has already prepared. Prévan is then accused of attempting to rape the respectable and virtuous Merteuil / Lady Cho. He is expelled from high society and stripped of his title as a knight. The incident only strengthens Merteuil's / Lady Cho's reputation, making her appear even more respectable and authoritative among the aristocracy.

Meanwhile, Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon's feelings for Valmont / Cho Won become impossible for her to suppress, and Valmont / Cho Won realizes that she has fallen for him. Overwhelmed by guilt, Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon secretly leaves the estate in what becomes her final attempt to resist him. When Valmont / Cho Won learns that she has left, he becomes furious at having been deceived and decides to manipulate her further by pretending to suffer from the pain of their separation.

Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon apologizes to Madame de Rosemonde for leaving so suddenly. During their correspondence, she learns that Valmont's / Cho Won's condition has supposedly deteriorated considerably, which causes her even more anguish. Some time later, Valmont / Cho Won tells Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon that he has finally gotten all of his feelings for her out of his heart and promises to return all the letters they exchanged. He arranges a meeting with her at her home. Still unable to control her love for him, Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon is confronted by Valmont / Cho Won, who tells her that there are only two choices: love or death. When she gives him no answer, Valmont / Cho Won prepares to leave. Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon stops him. Unable to resist any longer, she sleeps with Valmont / Cho Won.

Her pain quickly turns into happiness when Valmont / Cho Won tells her that he is happy because of her. Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon decides to abandon everything and become his. Valmont / Cho Won, meanwhile, celebrates what he considers a victory unlike anything he has experienced before. Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon continues corresponding with Madame de Rosemonde and tells her everything about her relationship with Valmont / Cho Won.

While Valmont / Cho Won is pursuing Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, Merteuil / Lady Cho becomes interested in Danceny and tells Valmont / Cho Won that she intends to seduce him. Valmont / Cho Won dismisses Danceny as not being worth the effort and tells her to wait because he is about to conquer Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon. Merteuil / Lady Cho ignores him and continues exchanging letters with Danceny, gradually winning his affection. As Danceny becomes increasingly separated from Cécile, he continues to develop feelings for Merteuil / Lady Cho under the guise of friendship, since she was the person who originally introduced him to Cécile.

After successfully seducing Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, Valmont / Cho Won tells Merteuil / Lady Cho that it is time for her to fulfill her promise and sleep with him. Merteuil / Lady Cho postpones it, saying that she needs to finish things with her current lover first. She also begins to suspect that Valmont / Cho Won genuinely loves Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, based on the way he speaks about her. In order to prove that this is not true, Valmont / Cho Won secretly meets and sleeps with a former lover without Madame de Tourvel's / Hui Yeon's knowledge.

Valmont / Cho Won later learns from a servant that Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon happened to see him riding in a carriage with another woman and was devastated by what she witnessed. He tells her a convincing lie and manages to reassure her. Merteuil / Lady Cho realizes that Valmont's / Cho Won's refusal to simply abandon Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon is proof that he genuinely has feelings for her.

Valmont / Cho Won grows increasingly frustrated that Merteuil / Lady Cho still refuses to sleep with him. He complains that he has already proven himself and asks what more she wants. He also tells her that Cécile has miscarried. At the time of the miscarriage, Cécile herself does not even fully understand what has happened to her. Valmont / Cho Won helps arrange for her to receive medical treatment while concealing the truth from Madame de Volanges by giving her a false explanation for Cécile's condition and allowing Cécile to return from the countryside to Paris.

Enraged by Valmont's / Cho Won's demands, Merteuil / Lady Cho tells him that he cannot claim victory in their wager unless he breaks up with Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon. Valmont / Cho Won begins to realize that there really is something extraordinary about his feelings for Tourvel / Hui Yeon, leaving him deeply conflicted. Eventually, however, he decides that loving Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon would damage his reputation. He sends her a letter ending their relationship.

The letter devastates Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon. She retreats to a convent, where she develops severe psychological and physical problems.

Valmont / Cho Won returns to Merteuil / Lady Cho after abandoning Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, hoping to finally claim the sexual reward she promised him. Instead, Merteuil / Lady Cho repeatedly insists that he is still in love with Tourvel / Hui Yeon and continues telling him that she is interested in Danceny. She also tells Valmont / Cho Won to wait until she decides when the wager has truly been settled. Merteuil / Lady Cho subsequently seduces Danceny and sleeps with him several times.

When Madame de Volanges learns about Madame de Tourvel's / Hui Yeon's condition, she helps care for her and keeps Madame de Rosemonde informed. Tourvel / Hui Yeon experiences episodes in which she loses and regains her memory, suffers seizures, rejects her doctors, briefly regains her composure, and then breaks down again, sobbing and praying. Eventually, she confesses everything that happened to Madame de Volanges.

Later, Valmont / Cho Won finally goes to Merteuil's / Lady Cho's residence to claim the sex he believes he won through their wager, only to find Danceny there. Merteuil / Lady Cho behaves as though nothing is wrong, while Danceny is visibly embarrassed. Furious, Valmont / Cho Won demands that Merteuil / Lady Cho abandon Danceny and choose him, just as he abandoned Tourvel / Hui Yeon for her. Merteuil / Lady Cho tells him that he has changed and that he has no right to order her around. Their relationship completely collapses, and Merteuil / Lady Cho declares war on Valmont / Cho Won.

Valmont / Cho Won immediately approaches Danceny. He gives him a letter claiming that Cécile is waiting for him. The letter was actually written under Valmont's / Cho Won's direction. Valmont / Cho Won deliberately arranges Danceny's meeting with Cécile for the same day that Danceny is supposed to meet Merteuil / Lady Cho. Danceny chooses Cécile, thereby allowing Valmont / Cho Won to get revenge on Merteuil / Lady Cho.

Merteuil / Lady Cho, however, launches her own counterattack. She reveals to Danceny that Valmont / Cho Won had sexually assaulted and slept with Cécile. Enraged, Danceny challenges Valmont / Cho Won to a duel. During the duel, Valmont / Cho Won is struck by Danceny's sword and dies.

Meanwhile, Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, already gravely ill at the convent, learns of Valmont's / Cho Won's death. Overwhelmed by grief, she soon dies as well.

Immediately after the duel, the mortally wounded Valmont / Cho Won gives Danceny a collection of letters revealing the entire truth. Although Valmont / Cho Won dies, Danceny reads the letters and publishes some of their contents, exposing Merteuil's / Lady Cho's true nature, including the triangle between Merteuil / Lady Cho, Valmont / Cho Won, and Danceny, as well as the truth behind the Prévan incident.

Madame de Rosemonde is devastated when she learns that both Madame de Tourvel / Hui Yeon, who had been close to her, and her nephew Valmont / Cho Won have died. At first, she considers suing Danceny, but eventually changes her mind. Danceny gives the letters to Madame de Rosemonde and explains everything that happened, telling her that he will accept whatever decision she makes. After careful consideration, Madame de Rosemonde decides that the best course of action is to cover up the entire affair and remain silent.

Danceny then leaves for Malta, intending to preserve his faith and live a religious life.

One reason Madame de Rosemonde chooses silence is because she is thinking about Madame de Volanges. Cécile, Madame de Volanges's daughter, has been so traumatized by everything that happened that she secretly leaves for a convent and decides to become a nun. Madame de Volanges has no idea why her daughter has suddenly made this decision and asks Madame de Rosemonde for advice. However, Madame de Rosemonde has already decided that silence is the best option and gives her no answer.

Not long after the duel, bizarre rumors about Merteuil / Lady Cho begin spreading throughout high society. At first, people whisper about her behind closed doors, but gradually they begin openly avoiding her. She becomes a social outcast. Then Prévan, who had previously been disgraced because of Merteuil's / Lady Cho's scheme, restores his reputation and returns to high society. Merteuil / Lady Cho is subjected to widespread condemnation and is eventually expelled from society.

As if that were not enough, she loses a lawsuit in which almost her entire fortune was at stake and is forced to flee to the countryside. During her escape, she leaves behind one final ugly impression by taking every piece of jewelry and valuable ornament she can carry in order to save whatever money she can.

While fleeing, she contracts smallpox. The disease destroys one of her eyes, leaving her physically disfigured and unable to hide her expressions behind the composed facade she once maintained.

Is this the Korean version of Vermont?