The Merchant of Death (2)
What a dramatically overblown misunderstanding.
How on earth could anyone twist things into me trying to seduce Lady Ahn?
It was so absurd I couldn't even manage an immediate rebuttal. I couldn't begin to understand why Cheong would jump to that conclusion and fly into a rage in the first place. And why was she crying?
"I saw everything!"
"Saw what, exactly?"
She was so worked up her tongue was tripping over itself.
"You—you holding hands with Lady Ahn...!"
"Is that all you saw?"
"What?! H-haah! Then you did other things too...?!"
"Of course not. At most, I simply showed her my palm."
"Ugh...!"
"I was trying to show her my palm, and since Lady Ahn is blind like your father, I was being considerate—and she ended up taking hold of my wrist. That is the truth of what just happened. I don't know why I even need to explain this to you, but... there it is."
"Don't lie to me...! You clearly looked completely smitten by Lady Ahn's mature charms!"
"Huh?"
What on earth was she talking about now?
"I saw it clearly! You were admiring Lady Ahn's looks...!"
"I did no such thing."
"Are you saying I'm lying?!"
"Wouldn't that be the case?"
"Ugh! Stop teasing me!"
"What exactly did you see that made you misunderstand... Ah, wait—could it be that?"
Apparently she had mistaken my admiration for Lady Ahn's abilities for something else entirely. How could I not be impressed, with a blind woman right in front of me who could have prophetic dreams and read destinies through palmistry?
But Cheong had thoroughly misread that expression—and the subsequent hand-holding—and gotten the wrong idea entirely. Did she harbor some kind of feelings toward Lady Ahn on a regular basis?
For the record, I hadn't really taken a proper look at Lady Ahn's appearance. I simply hadn't felt the need.
"So you remember now!"
"I do. But that was a misunderstanding too, you know?"
I scratched the back of my head lightly, then in a flash moved to Cheong's side and took hold of her wrist. I laid my palm over hers so she could see it, and spoke.
"Look—you're her neighbor, so you know how gifted Lady Ahn is. I was simply impressed by her skill, and I held her hand for the same reason I'm doing this now: to show her my palm lines."
"Ah—auh."
"If you're angry because Lady Ahn examined my palm... well, I don't know why that would bother you, but feel free to examine it until you're sick of it. And one last thing: older women aren't my type. That includes Lady Ahn's looks."
At my words, Cheong—who had been flushed with embarrassment—lifted her head.
"...Th-then does that mean younger women are your type?"
"Putting it that way leaves rather a lot of room for misunderstanding, doesn't it?"
Honestly, Cheong had a real talent for phrasing things in the most dangerous way possible sometimes. I shook my head vigorously as I answered.
"I don't particularly care about age. If I had to pick something... well, I suppose I might like someone who relies on me."
"Someone who... relies on you?"
"That's right. After all, I've had to rely on so many people just to make my way to Hanyang for the civil service examinations. I figure it's about time I started giving back."
Truth be told, for all that talk... I didn't really have a type right now. If someone liked me, I'd be perfectly happy to just get married after the exams and be done with it. By modern standards I was barely in my early twenties, but in this world I was well on my way to becoming a confirmed bachelor.
"As for looks—well, frankly, yours are better."
"...!!"
I tried to say something more, but from that moment on Cheong had turned her head completely away and fallen silent, so the conversation died there.
"So, have you calmed down now? You suddenly bolted off, so I got flustered and chased after you—but the misunderstanding is cleared up?"
"...It's cleared up, sir."
"Good enough. And one more thing, since you might be curious—I went to see Lady Ahn to ask for her help."
"...? What kind of help?"
"Your father mentioned running into someone earlier, and that fellow seemed rather suspicious. I went to her so that from now on we could travel in pairs of at least two."
"Is it that dangerous?! Please tell me the details...!"
"It's not like that. Doesn't seem to be bandits or anything. I'm just being cautious, that's all."
"...If you have your reasons, Scholar, then so be it. If it's not dangerous, I'll go along with it."
"Thank you for trusting me."
"Ah, in that case..."
Cheong hesitated for a moment, then averted her eyes as she asked.
"A-about pairing up in twos... how were you planning to arrange that?"
"Hm? Well, of course... I should travel with your father, shouldn't I?"
"..."
In an instant, I felt the temperature around Cheong drop.
"Ah, or you could go with your father, or..."
"..."
The temperature dropped even further.
"But I can hardly send two blind people off together, can I...?"
Once I dropped that hard fact, Cheong apparently had nothing left to say. Having barely cleared up the misunderstanding, Cheong and I headed home.
"Hm?"
Before leaving the cliff, a strange sense of déjà vu made me look down at the wave-beaten shore.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmm... I thought I felt someone's gaze..."
"Almost no one comes out this way, though. Could it be your imagination?"
"...That's probably more likely."
My gaze was fixed on the water below, where strands of seaweed and the like drifted and swayed. That gaze I'd felt a moment ago... had come from nowhere other than down there. There was no way a person could be down there, so it was better to chalk it up to imagination.
"..."
I cast one last cold look over the shoreline, then followed after Cheong as she walked away.
"I shall accompany Master Sim."
"...Are you sure about that?"
The next morning, Lady Ahn's words left me no choice but to ask again. Since both Sim Bongsa and Lady Ahn were blind, I'd planned for Cheong and me to each take one of them out of consideration. But Lady Ahn had refused and stepped forward herself. As for Sim Bongsa... he'd already asked me if he could be paired with Lady Ahn, so that was fine.
"Who do you take me for, young master?"
"...A blind woman who cannot see?"
"And also a fortune-teller who can see what lies ahead."
"...Ah."
Lady Ahn said this with a gentle smile.
"So you need not worry overmuch about us."
"...Even so, is there a particular reason you're telling me this?"
Then Lady Ahn spoke so that Cheong and Sim Bongsa inside the house wouldn't overhear.
"Since he will one day be my husband, would it not be good to converse a little in advance?"
"Husband...?"
Could it be... a prophetic dream? Sim Bongsa becomes Lady Ahn's husband? If she truly could have prophetic dreams, it wasn't an entirely impossible story. And given the high probability she was telling the truth...
Well then, no reason not to switch the pairings.
"And while I'm at it, I'm also helping the child who will become my stepdaughter."
"...And what is that supposed to mean?"
"A matter of the future."
"Hmm... All right, I understand for now. Then for the time being, I'll travel with Cheong. Let me know if anything comes up."
"Understood."
I relayed these arrangements to the two of them. At that, both Sim Bongsa and Cheong's expressions changed noticeably. They both looked distinctly pleased. But why was Cheong happy? I wondered—and then a terrifying theory presented itself.
...Late-blooming adolescence?
"Why are you standing there in a daze?"
"Hm? It's nothing. More importantly... we should head to the sea first today as well."
"Yes."
I needed to practice swimming, and Cheong had work to do, so a stop by the sea was necessary. The one thing that bothered me was that sense of déjà vu I'd felt on the cliff yesterday.
I had a feeling I shouldn't ignore that sensation. But fortunately, nothing happened while I finished my swimming practice and waited for Cheong to finish her work. Had it really been nothing more than a trick of the mind?
"I'm back."
"How was today?"
"I caught a lot again today."
I took the bag full of seafood from Cheong as she wrung the water from her clothes, and we headed to the market together.
"You're going to sell properly today?"
"W-well, just in case, you still need to help me...?"
"Of course."
Following my teachings diligently, Cheong sold off the seafood. The quality was already among the best in the village, so customers bought it up quickly. Some of the merchants heading to the Central Plains this time were especially eager buyers.
On the way back after selling off the seafood with Cheong, I noticed something off about the Central Plains merchants' demeanor. And the villagers nearby were giving off an uneasy atmosphere as well.
"Cheong, wait here a moment? I have somewhere I need to go briefly."
"You'll come back quickly?"
"I'll be right back."
Just to be safe, I left Cheong somewhere I could keep an eye on her, then approached a nearby villager.
"What's going on with those people?"
I asked, looking at the merchants and villagers who were maintaining a subtle state of alert. When I slipped him a coin as I asked, the villager eagerly spilled everything.
"Well, you see, just a little while ago those merchants over there made a dreadful demand."
"A dreadful demand?"
"They said they need a sacrifice! A sacrifice to offer at some far-off place where an accident happened."
"And why is that?"
"They demanded a person as the sacrifice! A virgin girl, no less! And they said... what was it... in exchange, they'd give medicinal herbs worth three hundred seok of rice that could heal the body..."
"..."
This was the plot of the original story. But something felt wrong. In the original, as I recalled it, the merchants and Sim Cheong had come to a mutual agreement on the deal. But these merchants were different. They wanted a virgin, and in exchange would give body-healing herbs worth three hundred seok.
Wasn't this... a proposal that seemed almost aimed specifically at Cheong?
It seemed something I didn't know about was hidden beneath the surface.