Pretend We're Close, Unless You Want a Punch
Act friendly. Unless you want to get hit.
Yesterday, Kim O-dong had been carted off to Hanyang. Now all that was left was to enjoy some peaceful academy life.
On the way back after class, I spotted Yong-yong. Seeing him all alone without any friends, I greeted him cheerfully, genuinely pleased.
"Hey! Yong-yong! Come on over!"
"Kkhup! Si-jin, you little punk!"
"Again? Don't be so rude!"
Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu tried to stop me from either side, but I ignored them and approached Yong-yong anyway.
"Yong-yong. How's it going? Taking first-year classes after so long—feels like your head's gonna explode, right?"
"Kkuuuk...!"
Park Seon-ryung—the third son of the current Minister of Justice, demoted to first-year just two weeks ago—flushed red as if his face might burst. I didn't even need to ask to guess how he felt.
"Huh? What's wrong?"
It was only natural to ask at a time like this.
"We're classmates, aren't we? Isn't it weird for classmates to speak casually to each other?"
"You bastard!"
"Whoa, you startled me. Speak softer. I'm not deaf."
"This... lowly cur...!"
"Oh, sorry. Turns out I am deaf? Say it again? What did you call me?"
I even cupped my hand to my ear like a megaphone. But Park Seon-ryung didn't raise his hand or shout. He just glared daggers at me before turning and walking away.
"Khuk, kkhuhup. S-Si-jin, you little brother! How can you poke at him like that!"
Jeong Hyeon-beom came over from behind, pretending to be at a loss while stifling his laughter.
"Don't get too cocky! As a captain, you need to maintain some dignity!"
So Ji-hu, who was with him, wasn't much different. His words scolded me, but his hand patted my shoulder approvingly.
"Sorry, brothers. I was just so happy to see my classmate that I got carried away."
"Y-You, you...!"
He should've kept walking if he was leaving, but Park Seon-ryung whirled back in a huff. Pointing at me from between Jeong Hyeon-beom and So Ji-hu, he yelled,
"You speak politely to these two, but casually to me? How dare you!"
"Huh? Why's that a problem? Speaking politely to my respected brothers—what's weird about that?"
My jab at Park Seon-ryung seemed to touch the brothers' hearts.
"R-Respect...!"
"Ahem!"
Jeong Hyeon-beom's mouth twitched as he fought back laughter, while So Ji-hu covered his with a fake cough. Ignoring their reactions for now, I tilted my head at Park Seon-ryung, who was biting his lip and glaring.
"But you seem kinda... rotten."
"H-How dare you!"
"Huh? Gonna hit me? Doesn't hitting a classmate get you expelled? That's what I heard."
His raised hand froze the moment he heard "expelled." Even if his father was the Minister of Justice, that sun was setting. And the rising sun? Me. Kim Si-jin. He couldn't defy me recklessly. That incident two weeks ago proved it.
Kkuu, this is why power matters.
"Uh, ahem! Ahem!"
Park Seon-ryung coughed awkwardly, as if that's how it was supposed to go, then turned and resumed walking.
"Heh, what a sight."
Jeong Hyeon-beom chuckled softly as we watched him go.
"Si-jin, little brother—you're the kind of gutsy where 'guts hanging out your belly' doesn't even cover it."
"Aw, come on."
"I'm serious. I haven't lived long, but I've never seen anyone as reckless as you."
"There are plenty more reckless than me."
I laughed and shook my head, but only one person came to mind: Cheong-yeon from Cheong-un-gak. I still couldn't forget her bloodshot eyes as she swung that club. Or how she pointed the blood-smeared thing at me, demanding I take her away.
Still, that was all in the past now. I only went to Cheong-un-gak to withdraw money, and even that was once a month. Actually, if I withdrew a big sum at once, it'd be twice a year. With that in mind, I headed to the dorms with my brothers, planning to save as much as possible.
"Hm?"
But my feet froze at the scene unfolding in front of the dorms.
"Hmmm. What day is it today...?"
So Ji-hu tilted his head curiously, but the dorm entrance was packed like sardines. It looked just like fans mobbing a top star.
Wait. Top star?
Nah. No way. Couldn't be.
A bad premonition flashed through my mind. Knowing my life never went as planned, I pushed aside the unease and kept walking.
"H-Hey!"
One cadet on the edge of the crowd spotted me. He bellowed toward the center,
"Lady Cheong-yeon! Captain Kim's here!"
I stopped dead and turned the other way. Even as I hurried off, that unwelcome name echoed repeatedly.
"Over there! Lady Cheong-yeon!"
"This way, Lady Cheong-yeon!"
"Lady Cheong-yeon! Watch your step!"
The more her name rang out, the faster I walked. But I couldn't outpace her approaching footsteps.
"My lord! Captain Kim Si-jin, my lord!"
"......"
With my full name called, I couldn't pretend not to hear anymore. I stopped, turned with a reluctant face.
There stood Cheong-yeon—no, Kim So-yeon—wearing the wide-brimmed hat typical of gisaeng.
"My lord! How could you ignore me like that!"
She approached with a pitiful, wronged expression. Coming close enough for her sweet powder scent to tickle my nose, she whispered words I'd heard a few times even in the modern world.
"Act friendly. Unless you want to get hit."
Are you shaking me down?!
With the hat hiding her face, I couldn't see her expression.
"Here, this is what you left in my room, my lord."
Kim So-yeon pulled a fan from her bosom, hiding her true colors again. I'd never left a fan in her room—and I didn't even carry one.
"Nah, doesn't look like mine."
"It is. See? It has your name, Captain."
"You wrote that, didn't you?"
"Just take it already. I'll be gone soon."
"Keep your word."
I snatched the proffered fan. Now she lifted her head, flashing a mischievous smile from under the hat.
"Don't give that to anyone. Keep it safe—it's gonna be valuable."
Thinking it might be pricey, I tucked it into my belt. Satisfied, Kim So-yeon bowed her head again, resuming her ladylike act.
"My lord. I managed to get here somehow, but I don't know the way out."
"Call someone passing by—"
"Keep that up, and I'll come back next time too."
"Fine. Let's go."
Sigh, seriously. Did I step in dog shit or something?
From the moment Kim So-yeon claimed I'd left the fan, the cadets' eyes had sparkled. Even that punk Park Seon-ryung. Not wanting to repeat this mess, I led the way toward the academy gate.
"Walk slower."
As the crowd thinned, Kim So-yeon dropped the act. I halted my long strides and turned to her.
"Why'd you come here?"
She stopped beside me and shot back,
"You say that to your wife too?"
"Just to you."
"Trying to make me feel good?"
She smirked, amused by my disgust. Not wanting more entanglement, I walked on with a sharp edge to my tone.
"Why are you here? Shouldn't you be hanging with your friends instead?"
"Yeah. Don't have any."
"For real?"
I stopped again, staring at her. She glanced sideways from under her hat and kept walking.
"You think it's easy getting under Cheong-wol at 14?"
I stared in stunned disbelief at her retreating back. The popular gisaeng of Cheong-un-gak, Cheong-wol's heir—never imagined she'd say something like that.
I caught up, grumbling openly.
"No friends? Then stay in your room drawing pictures you like. Why come here?"
"What?"
"Why what?"
She stopped again before I even added "again," turning with wide, trembling eyes.
"You... know I like drawing?"
"Yeah. Or not?"
"Tsk. Yeah, I do..."
I'd misread? But I still remembered her at the face-veiling rite—not the popular gisaeng Cheong-yeon, but a 14-year-old girl who loved drawing.
"Ah, right."
She spaced out thoughtfully, then smiled softly and nodded.
"I like drawing."
Why so happy over something obvious?
"I like drawing."
She beamed like she'd just discovered it herself.
"Yeah, I know. So let's hurry up and go."
"Hey, do you hate me that much? Why keep trying to send me away?"
I didn't hate Kim So-yeon personally. Wasn't scared she'd hit me either. The problem was she kept crossing lines I tried to hold.
Now we walked side by side toward the academy entrance. For once, she kept quiet, lips curved in a slight smile—clearly thrilled about her drawing revelation.
We reached the gate and stopped. The wide-open academy door lay ahead.
"Hey."
Even though it was right there, Kim So-yeon hesitated. Turning to me, she raised an eyebrow magnanimously.
"Last chance."
"What."
"How about taking me as a concubine already?"
"No. Not doing it. No plans to. Go home."
"You're so mean."
She laughed, but chewed her pinkish lips. After staring a moment, she sighed and turned away.
"Sigh, fine. Fine. You dense idiot. First guy to say no to me."
"You know I'm older than you? And your boss?"
"If that mattered, you'd have brought it up ages ago. Captain."
Her polite speech held zero respect.
"Oh, right. That's what I came to say."
Cheong-yeon glanced blankly at the gate, then spoke.
"I'm quitting being a gisaeng."
"What?"
"Gisaeng. Done with it. Sick to death."
Words not fitting a 14-year-old girl. Flustered, I blocked her path.
"Quitting for real? What'll you live on?"
"That's why I tried for concubine, but you said no. Unless...?"
Her eyes sparkled with faint hope. But my answer stayed the same.
"Nah. Still no."
"Argh, damn. If you weren't a captain, I'd smack you."
"Then why act like one? You know I'm a captain."
"What'd I even do?"
She widened her eyes, then chuckled, staring vacantly at the open gate.
"I scraped my way under Master with grit. Got all the abuse and hard work. Now there's even a crazy stalker in the furnace room."
Her defiant tone softened as she spoke. Finishing, she clamped her mouth, lost in memories of gisaeng life.
"Cheong-yeon."
"Yeah, exactly."
I was about to urge her to think more, but she cut me off with a wry smile, as if not wanting to hear it.
"Better to go live in the countryside, drawing? Even after buying my freedom, I'd have enough left."
"You're taking it too lightly."
"What's the big deal? Being a gisaeng isn't that heavy."
She strolled toward the main gate, casual as ever about her retirement.
"There. I'm off."
"Hey, hey. Think about it more seriously."
"Mmm."
She hummed dismissively but didn't stop heading for the gate.
...But can a gisaeng even retire?