The Stalker's Creepy Letter
Had the rumors about me getting a girl even reached your ears? Suspended for a week just for biting some punk I didn't like? Perfect. It was exactly a day's ride from Jeonju to my hometown—ideal time to visit Eori. Ah, I hoped some asshole like Park Seon-ryung would pick a fight with me again. Harboring that ridiculous thought, I headed to the gisaeng house.
It wasn't like I was going to fool around with gisaeng on the first day of suspension, and in broad daylight no less. I was just there to pick up the money I'd left with them. Since I was heading down anyway, I figured I'd buy some stuff in Jeonju to bring back for Eori.
"E-excuse me."
I was about to knock on the gate of Cheong-un-gak when the voice came from behind.
"Yes?"
Shit. Nearly jumped out of my skin. Almost decked the guy. Standing there behind me was some locust of a man, reeking of sour sweat. He was skin and bones, cheekbones jutting out sharply, his huge eyes hollow like voids of darkness. You could tell he'd tried to dress neatly, but he couldn't hide the shabby aura.
"By any chance, are you heading inside?"
He was in his early thirties, speaking in a trembling voice as I tried not to show my surprise.
"C-could you, deliver this for me?"
He held out an envelope in his hand.
"It's for my, my soulmate, but the gisaeng house bastards won't deliver it...!"
Soulmate? Girlfriend? You and her? A gisaeng? No matter how I squinted, he didn't look like the type who could build a romance with a gisaeng patronizing the place. And that chilling vibe he gave off...
"Who's it for?"
Suspicion hit me right away.
"W-well, you see. Heh heh."
As if assuming I'd listen, he grinned, baring yellowed teeth. The envelope he showed had a familiar name on it.
"Cheong-yeon, you mean?"
"Heh heh. Yes. Cheong-yeon is my soulmate."
The guy seemed totally unhinged. Cheong-yeon, the top apprentice gisaeng and Cheong-wol's chosen successor—no way she'd be involved with a creep like this.
"W-well then, I leave it to you."
"Hey, wait, hold on! Sir!"
I hadn't even agreed, but he shoved the envelope into my hand and bolted. By the time I tried to give it back, he was long gone.
"Ha, for real."
I couldn't just toss the envelope because it creeped me out. Plus, the guy was watching from way over there. In the end, I held it up high to show him I got it and knocked on the gate.
"Anyone home? Hello?"
The gate opened a bit later.
"Apologies, the house is—oh? Isn't this Captain?"
The old man peeking out recognized me and smiled. I'd been on edge from that weirdo, but his grin put me at ease.
"That was ages ago. I'm no captain."
"Heh heh heh! Right you are! What brings you today?"
"Picking up some money. Uh, no, retrieving the deposit I left."
Sounded too much like a loan shark, so I corrected myself.
"Yes, come in. I'll let the manager know Captain's here."
"Thanks."
"No trouble at all."
I followed the waving old man. Just before passing fully through the gate, I glanced back toward where the creepy guy lurked.
Ugh. Gross bastard. He was still hiding in the corner, watching me. Praying he wouldn't be there when I left, I entered the gisaeng house.
While waiting in the room, I inspected the envelope he'd given me. Besides Cheong-yeon's name, it had "Kim O-dong" written on it too. Probably the locust guy's real name. O-dong. O-dong. O-dong. Plump plump... Suddenly craving instant ramen.
"Pardon the intrusion."
That's when a familiar face entered. A beauty who could get scouted walking past an entertainment agency—no exaggeration. Still just fourteen, yet already positioned as Cheong-wol's successor among the gisaeng. Cheong-yeon.
"Oh, hey Cheong-yeon. How's it going."
"I hope you've been well, sir."
She came in carrying a tray with tea set. Looked like she'd brew me some again. Normally I'd refuse, but after that weird incident, I couldn't.
"Cheong-yeon, sit here."
"What's this? The man who always shoos me away every day?"
"We've only met four times, including today?"
Once when invited, once the next day, once on the mourning rite day, and now.
"Hee hee hee. True enough."
She smiled faintly, not denying it, and sat beside me. I straight-up asked her as she prepared the tea.
"Cheong-yeon, you know a guy named Kim O-dong?"
"......"
Her hand froze mid-reach for the tea set. No answer, eyes darting as if calculating internally. Then she smiled like she was pleased.
"Oh my. Even you heard the rumors about me having a man?"
"Nah, not that. He asked me to deliver this."
I set the envelope in front of her. Her pupils flickered briefly at the sight. But she smiled as if nothing happened.
"He came all the way to the front gate?"
"You know him?"
"Yes. We've chatted once or twice."
"As a customer?"
"No."
She shook her head and resumed setting out the tea ware. As she brewed, she told me about Kim O-dong.
"In a way, we were the customers. He was one of the laborers my master hired to fix the underfloor heating, paying them for it. So Kim O-dong was some kind of day laborer, if not a full master gudeuljang?"
"It looked tough clearing the soot from the gudeul, so I had someone bring him water and thanked him briefly."
After that, they'd chat occasionally, and once the repairs finished, she pretended to be his lover. Last week he bawled and begged her to take his letters, so out of pity she did—and now he showed up daily. She'd barely fended him off today...
"So I brought it."
"Hee hee hee."
She flashed a perfect smile, but her eyes glared at me.
"Sorry. Didn't know."
"No harm done. You couldn't have known. I understand fully."
As if that settled it, she quietly brewed the tea. The elegant, graceful clink of the set was pure class. If I uploaded just those hands to YouTube, it'd hit 100k views easy. Face included? A million.
Even stone-cold sober in daylight, all I thought was how pretty she was. But it wasn't the heartwarming smile Eori brought out. To me, Cheong-yeon was just a well-smiling little sister figure. Purely objective beauty.
"Here, please have some."
"Ah, yeah. Thanks."
I took the cup she offered and sipped the warm tea. Perfectly tempered—not scalding, not lukewarm. The fragrant aroma filled my mouth, stirring a worry.
"This expensive?"
"Pfft?!"
"Why're you laughing?"
"N-no, sir. Many ask what tea it is, but you're the first to ask the price. Pffft!"
She laughed like a kid at tumbling leaves. It made her seem like a little sister I'd never had. Sigh, maybe ask Mom for a sister. Wait, Kim Jin-sa hasn't visited lately anyway. If one was coming, it'd have happened already. Nah—Eori's got our daughter in there now. Hope she grows up just as pretty as Cheong-yeon... minus the gisaeng part.
"Anyway."
I finished my sip and returned to the topic.
"That Kim O-dong guy. Should I report him to the magistrate?"
"Pardon? What do you mean?"
"He seemed dangerous. I'll mention it while I'm there anyway."
I planned to register the two top-grade revolvers from Munjong at the yamen after leaving, buying powder and bullets with the cash.
"Oh my."
Cheong-yeon lifted the corner of her mouth like it was perfect timing.
"Are you worried about me, by chance?"
"Yeah."
Too many stalking crime news stories from modern times had me paranoid. Kim O-dong's creepy vibe amplified it. Just hoping nothing bad happened to her acquaintances, I nodded.
"Oh, oh my."
Cheong-yeon's face flushed.
"Nodding without hesitation like that... this girl is embarrassed!"
"Uh, yeah. Embarrassed, huh. 'This girl,' got it."
Best I could do was not grimace at her turning away all coy.
"B-but. Can I take a peek at this?"
I held up the envelope to change the subject. She nodded, smile slipping through.
"Do as you please, sir."
"Talk normal."
I tossed the casual line her way and opened the envelope. Flipping it to pull out the letter, something fell out first.
Thud.
"What the—ugh."
A bundle of severed hair, finger-length strands. My face scrunched in disgust. Too gross to touch, I told Cheong-yeon.
"Cheong-yeon, burn this."
"N-no way. You do it, sir."
"Don't wanna. You do it."
"H-hey! Someone come here!"
While she called for help, I pinched the letter paper with fingertips and sneaked a peek.
To my beloved soulmate, Cheong-yeon.
How many nights have passed alone without you.
Yesterday, thinking of you, I personally vented my lust—
Damn Sejong the Great. Hangeul's gift let it sink into my brain at a glance—but right now, it was a massive curse. I'd trade an eye not to see it.
"Cheong-yeon, read this."
Misery loves company. I unfolded the paper with fingertips and showed her. She'd been eyeing the door; now she scowled at the letter and yelled.
"What the fuck!"
"?!"
"Oh, oh my. Eek!"
Too late for her frantic ladylike act—the curse was out.
"Uh, yeah. Shocked, huh."
Cheong-yeon was fourteen. In modern times, kids that age cussed nonstop. For a gisaeng, not knowing curses would be weirder.
"......"
"......"
Not weird she knew curses, but the air between us was awkward as hell.
"S-so. Kim O-dong. We just gonna let this slide?"
"Y-yes. It's normal for gisaeng to have one or two guys like that."
"Got it."
"Yes."
We sank back into silence. Having made the worst call to ignore Kim O-dong.