The Gisaeng’s Repayment
"You need not worry." I spoke with nothing but tenderness. "For tonight, do not trouble yourself with heavy thoughts. Please, simply enjoy the wine and the song this Cheon-nam offers you." My voice was soft, as if I were smoothing out something that had been crumpled, setting it straight once more. But was it merely my imagination, or was I trying to leave the scent of my own presence in the process of mending them?
"I am…." Baek Yujon’s face, having crumbled, rested near my chest due to the difference in our heights. Like a wildfire, desire rose within her. She wanted to bury her face in my chest. She wanted to lick my skin, to inhale my scent. She wanted to leave teeth marks on my fair, smooth flesh.
"My lady, is there a poem you are fond of?"
"…Ah, Wang Wei’s Farewell."
"The thirteenth in the Three Hundred Tang Poems, I see."
The Three Hundred Tang Poems was an anthology of three hundred masterpieces selected from the Tang Dynasty. For the scholars of Joseon, Chinese poetry was an essential part of their education. Naturally, the anthology was widely known, but—
"You remember even the order of them all?"
"I am but a gisaeng who spends the entire day honing my charms. As I read poetry, it simply remained in my memory."
I spoke with nonchalance, but even the scholars who spent their entire days reading books would find it difficult to memorize the order of all three hundred poems. At the very least, it was not something one should say so casually.
"I, too, am fond of Farewell. It is a beautiful poem. However, since it is short, may this Cheon-nam choose the ones to follow?"
"Y-yes, do as you wish."
"You are most gracious, my lady."
I helped Baek Yujon to her feet. Her legs were still trembling. "I, this lowly one, shall offer a cup of wine to both of you." I picked up the wine bottle with composure and poured a drink for each of them. My posture was neither too high nor too low. My gestures. Even the atmosphere I cultivated.
"Please, partake."
It was clearly the same wine, yet it tasted far sweeter because I had poured it. I felt as though they could drink forever if the wine were poured by me. Or perhaps they would lose consciousness, so drunk they couldn't even swallow the wine. Was it the wine that intoxicated them, or was it this man?
"Tonight, do not think of difficult things. Simply enjoy yourself." I sat back down before the gayageum. A clear melody blossomed once more.
"Sending my lord off at the Nanpo Pavilion, my tears flow like silk threads. As you head toward Dongju, my heart is filled with sorrow—"
O Jayeon and Baek Yujon. In the memories of these two warriors, the scene of that night remained vivid. Yet, if one were to ask exactly what they had done, it was a night difficult to put into words. They drank, listened to music, ate, and spoke with me. As the night deepened, the wine grew sweeter, the songs more magnificent, the food more delicious, and the words we shared burrowed deeper into their hearts. I believe they started laughing at some point. They laughed and then cried, but both the laughter and the tears felt entirely natural. It was as if they had wandered through a dream with an immortal.
. . .
"…Ugh?" Sunlight pricked at Baek Yujon’s eyes.
"Umm…." She woke up in an unfamiliar yet tidy room, on bedding that was equally pristine.
'…Is this still that gisaeng house?'
An ordinary person would have been bedridden for days with a hangover after drinking that much, but most Banmain were strong against alcohol. Baek Yujon was no exception. When she sat up, she realized her upper body was bare.
'!?'
For a moment, a scene that should never have happened flashed through her mind. 'D-did I, by any chance, do something with the young master!?'
"Are you awake, Sister Yujon?"
Baek Yujon flinched. "I am awake…."
"If you are awake, please put on your clothes. Last night, you suddenly stripped them off, saying it was hot."
"…."
I see. I hadn't caused a scandal with the young master after drinking; I had simply stripped them off by myself. What a relief. …It was a relief, but why did my mood sink instead?
'Ugh.'
The gisaeng house even served breakfast.
"Do ordinary gisaeng houses serve meals like this?"
"Some places do provide hospitality."
It was a polite way of saying that while others usually didn't, we were a high-class establishment, so we did.
"This dongchimi is exceptionally refreshing. Why is that?"
"Perhaps it is served to help with your hangover?"
"Aha."
As we were finishing our breakfast, I appeared belatedly.
"What were you doing to only show up now?"
"I intended to greet the hostess, but she held me back for quite some time, so it took a while."
It was easy to see why she would hold me back. Having received my hospitality yesterday, I knew that even if she were the owner, she would undoubtedly want to keep me here.
"Do ordinary gisaengs sing as well as you, young master?"
"Everyone has their own strengths."
How could he say that he was the best with such elegance? Baek Yujon tried to place herself in that position and imagine it. Do ordinary military officers handle their swords as well as the Commander? Everyone has their own strengths. …Hmm. It didn't suit her at all. In fact, not every man could be like him.
'Even so, he is a gisaeng.'
What would happen if she fell for this man? But. She remembered the sensation of my fingers burrowing through her hair last night. The touch that had tickled her scalp. Baek Yujon’s body shuddered.
'Ugh.'
Baek Yujon downed the dongchimi. She wanted to sober up. The cool, tangy taste seemed to be working. When she set the bowl down, she met my eyes. I smiled with my eyes. The intoxication she had pushed away with the radish water returned twofold.
'…Damn it.'
After finishing the meal and clearing the table, I spoke to the two of them.
"To summarize what I heard from the Pyeong-an Governor, Kim Muga, yesterday, it is as follows."
The demon situation in Pyeongyang was not yet over.
"A group of wicked snakes is attempting to coil themselves around Pyeong-an Province."
Demons were entities like mountain tigers or jackals that could speak and wield sinister arts. Such beings were attempting to collude with local powers to form a symbiotic relationship. The snakes would receive prey, and in return, the people would be gifted power by the snakes.
"The Pyeong-an Governor said that his memory temporarily became extraordinary. Thanks to that, when the governor position became vacant, it became slightly easier to persuade those above that he was the right person for the job."
It wasn't a position one could get simply by being a good talker, but it must have helped.
"In exchange, he said that his already intense Spring Lust became even more powerful."
Baek Yujon spoke up. "Then the mission will be complete once we hunt down all the remaining snakes and bring back their severed heads."
"Yes, that is correct. Though it would be wonderful if it were that simple."
"What do you mean?"
"The Pyeong-an Governor knew that the snakes were targeting a certain family in Pyeongyang. However, he does not know exactly which family they are targeting, or if they have already infiltrated."
O Jayeon crossed her arms. "Then we shall have to stay here for a while and find out which family is suspicious."
Baek Yujon nodded as well. "Pyeongyang is vast and there are many families, but the number is still limited."
"If we go around, suspicious houses will reveal themselves. If we take our time and observe them one by one… we should be able to find them in a few weeks. In the meantime, we shall stay at the Pyeong-an Government Office—"
"Pfft." I burst into laughter. That wanton, teasing sound that seemed to mock people.
"Why do you two insist on making an easy task difficult?"
"…Does that mean you have an easy solution?"
"Of course I do. Not only that, I have already accomplished it using that very method."
"How on earth did you finish the investigation in such a short time? What if you end up provoking the wrong house?" Baek Yujon spoke more harshly than necessary. It was a defensive reaction.
"My lady, are you still embarrassed about falling in front of this lowly one last night?"
"—!?"
"Everyone falls at some point in their life. Even a military officer, for that matter."
"I—"
"So, please do not worry about it too much."
Baek Yujon’s face turned red again. She turned her head away in shame. "…But I am also curious about the method. How did you do it?"
"Do you not remember what I said earlier about the symptoms the Pyeong-an Governor was suffering from?"
"He said his Spring Lust had grown stronger…."
In O Jayeon’s mind, the target of such lust and the nature of this space connected. "Ah!"
"Please do not misunderstand, as this gisaeng house does not keep prostitutes. However… information exchange is quite active among the lowly." I smiled brightly. "When I asked the hostess while greeting her, she said that a wealthy merchant family outside the East Gate of Pyeongyang has been calling for prostitutes unusually often lately."
———————
It took seven days to finish everything and return to Hanyang. And as soon as I returned, a court eunuch summoned me.
"His Majesty seeks you."
His attitude toward me had become as respectful as possible.
"Is it right now?"
"It is right now."
"Is she in the royal bedchamber?"
"She is in the royal bedchamber."
"…I understand."
Even before entering the bedchamber, I could smell a faint scent of alcohol.
"You returned faster than expected."
I sat down in a gokjwa (a formal, humble sitting posture) before her.
"I longed to hear your voice again, Your Majesty."
"Did I not tell you before? Do not sit in a gokjwa, but face me directly."
"I have committed a grave discourtesy."
Under the lamplight, the King’s lips curved.
"Even after not seeing you for a while, the cunning of your tongue has not dulled in the slightest."
"Do you not know, Your Majesty, whether this lowly one is lying or not?"
"Yes, I know."
The King flicked her finger. Like a well-trained dog, I followed that gesture.
"I read the report. They say you threw yourself into a dangerous place."
"How could this lowly one spare himself when faced with a mission bestowed by Your Majesty?"
"Did I not clearly tell you not to harm that body?"
"I remember it well."
The King’s finger touched my neck. She tickled my chin and traced down my throat.
"Were you hurt?"
"I was not hurt."
It tickled.
"Will you not be hurt in the future, either?"
"How could I disobey the words of Your Majesty, who is like the heavens?"
"Since people walk upon the earth, how could they not be hurt?"
"If that is the case, please charge this lowly one with the crime of insulting the King."
"Do you know how terrifying a crime that is?"
"I do not."
"That is a lie."
"Please punish this sinner."
The King’s lips curved even deeper.
"Then, what do you think is a fitting punishment for you?"
"Death, Your Majesty."
"And the method of execution?"
"How about I serve by your side for as long as this life allows, and then disappear while guarding your side?"
"You are truly arrogant."
"I apologize."
"Han Sujin."
The King’s finger caught my chin and lifted it. There was a faint scent of alcohol. "If I were to hold a wedding, what would you do?"