The Pillar Husband
A request like this—tracking down a stalker—called for a fair amount of caution.
Charge in swinging and you risked the classic mistake of beating the grass and startling the snake. A clumsy approach could just provoke the criminal and make everything worse. You had to bait him into sticking his head out for certain, then snatch him in one clean strike.
“So what’s the plan for making that animal-lover pop out all at once?”
Ilhong, listening to my explanation, suddenly tilted her head with open curiosity and tossed the question my way. Her eyes locked onto me, bright with interest.
“We make the bastard who’s watching from somewhere get desperate. Say some freeloading punk from out of nowhere starts trying to redeem her contract. He’ll get so rattled he can’t help but jump out, right?”
In this era, the pleasure quarters had a custom called nakjeok—redemption. Even the most celebrated courtesan couldn’t work forever. A wealthy man would calculate her future lifetime earnings, pay the redemption fee, and take her as a concubine or even a principal wife. From the courtesans’ side, raising their own price and snagging a good man before age caught up was pure profit, so a redemption was always a major event that drew every eye in the red-light district.
“……What? You’re going to redeem Ju Wolay?”
Ilhong’s eyes went round as saucers. She’d latched onto the word nakjeok so hard the rest of my sentence never even reached her ears. At the same moment, the handle of the teacup Jo Harang was holding snapped with a sharp crack.
These days even important clients visited the office, so I’d bought decent cups to match. That one was coming out of her pay.
“Just for a job like this…… you’re taking Ju Wolay as a wife……?”
Normally sharp Ilhong had gone completely blank, and Jo Harang started spouting equally ridiculous nonsense right along with her.
“What are you two talking about? It’s a cover, obviously. I already got the pavilion mistress of Cheonhwaru on board.”
With Okryeong’s cooperation, I’d put on a show of throwing money around like water right under everyone’s noses. Ju Wolay’s company cost a fortune just for an afternoon of conversation; I planned to monopolize her for weeks on end. Once the whole quarter was whispering about some rich nobody who’d claimed her, I’d openly announce I was taking her with an outrageous redemption fee. Let a loaded, annoyingly handsome young master from money steal her away, and even a twisted stalker would get so anxious he couldn’t sit still.
“Even if I’d been serious just now, how am I supposed to pay the redemption fee for Beijing’s number-one courtesan? I can’t even imagine the number she’d name.”
The imperial palace job had left me with a healthy pile of wealth, sure—but this was Ju Wolay, the woman rich men hauled money sacks just for a single look at her face. Paying her lifetime earnings in one lump sum? Even scraping every coin I’d ever earned would be a drop in the ocean. And since the plan was for an even richer sucker to jack her price sky-high only to get rejected, her value would spike even higher for a while.
“So you’re disguising yourself as a pleasure-soaked rich young master to reel the guy in?”
“Exactly.”
Stalkers usually knew their target cold—including every bodyguard and threatening figure around her. Using people whose routes were predictable wouldn’t catch him easily. Pulling the guards back and lulling him into carelessness was the fastest way to wrap the job.
“So Ilhong, same as the Paeng Clan catamite case last time—you play the sidekick young master and hype me up.”
I’d have to drop by my beloved sister Eun Hwaran’s place soon and borrow expensive silk robes, a hero’s cap, and the rest of the props.
“Boss, just buy a set with money……”
“Hey, do you know how much that costs?”
Ilhong gave me a look like she was staring at a legendary cheapskate after overhearing my muttered plans.
“What’s the point of saving it?”
“I’ve got uses for it. Anyway, get ready, Ilhong.”
Last time with the Paeng Clan I’d had to pretend two men were into each other for the job. This time I’d be living it up as a debauched playboy, women draped over me while I enjoyed song and dance.
“Hey, what about me? Why aren’t you calling my name?”
Jo Harang thumped the table in open dissatisfaction.
“You look terrible in disguise—awkward as hell. Stay underwater and protect Ju Wolay instead.”
Even if you buried her in baggy clothes, Jo Harang’s Western-style figure—curves in all the right places—made disguises a nightmare. I could force it if I had to, but anyone with sharp eyes might catch on. Ilhong, though, was slim enough that stuffing cotton in the right spots made her male disguise look natural. Whether she agreed was another matter.
“Boss, your eyes are getting really annoying……”
“Misunderstanding, Ilhong.”
Apparently she’d caught me comparing them without realizing. I hastily yanked my gaze back from the two of them and stepped out the door.
“All right. Time to cast the fishing rod.”
Thump, thump.
Dressed to the nines, we arrived at the bustling district and boldly pounded on Cheonhwaru’s main gate.
“Come forth!”
We were visiting Cheonhwaru as carefree, golden idle young masters with not a worry in the world about making a living. The entrance swung open as if it had been waiting, and a garden of women welcomed us in.
As a kid, my dream had been to become a rich unemployed man.
A life free from the yoke of labor, living in abundance. Just imagining it used to make my chest swell. But being unemployed by definition meant you didn’t work—and that structural contradiction meant you couldn’t actually have money. So my second wish became rich parents. That, too, was an extravagant fantasy for an orphan, so I had to drop it.
“Hear me! Heroes and champions have descended from Sichuan! Bring tea and women at once!”
And yet today, look at me sweeping into Cheonhwaru with golden silk robes fluttering. Both impossible dreams were coming true at the same time—at least as a disguise.
“Hurry and attend Gold Young Master and me, Silver Young Master! What are you doing standing there like fools?”
Ilhong chimed in from the side, pouring on the arrogance. While everyone gaped at the nameless rich newcomers from Sichuan, Pavilion Mistress Okryeong made a tremendous fuss exactly as promised and ushered us in like true dignitaries.
“Gold Young Master, Silver Young Master. We have been waiting. Shall I take you straight to the VIP room?”
Cheonhwaru’s prestige had been soaring lately, and Okryeong’s nose had supposedly risen with it—yet here she was personally attending us. The rare, almost overwhelming hospitality set every guest in the pavilion whispering in shock.
“Who are those young masters?”
“Just looking at their faces, you can tell they were raised in pure luxury.”
“Heard they came from Sichuan. Plenty of rich men there who can match Beijing.”
Two young masters in the silk robes Eun Hwaran had specially prepared, fans fluttering, strode proudly under every gaze. From head to toe they radiated wealth, and the crowd launched into heated debate over our hidden identities.
“Shall I bring out every famous wine from the cellars as well, Gold Young Master?”
Even the same liquor doubled in price in a place like this. I shook my head left and right.
“Hmph. I came to see the face of a renowned courtesan. I will not cloud my mind with mere alcohol. Enough.”
In my previous life I’d drunk now and then, but these days I had Hwang Geolgae as a living cautionary tale. After vowing repeatedly never to end up like that, I’d been keeping my distance from the bottle. Besides, thanks to the mistress’s consideration everything here was free; taking even that felt a little off.
“Gold Young Master, our Cheonhwaru has many famous courtesans. Whose refined arts would you care to enjoy today?”
She pitched the place hard: every girl was cultured, skilled in poetry, calligraphy, and painting, and could hold sophisticated conversation so the time would never grow dull. I singled out Ju Wolay, who was watching me with a peculiar expression among the other courtesans.
“Why do you think I raced all this way? Flower Shadow Falling Star. Of course I came to see Ju Wolay!”
I bellowed as if the question itself were absurd.
Flower Shadow Falling Star—the name a refined admirer had left after witnessing her beauty firsthand, and the epithet that had become famous because of it.
“However, Gold Young Master…… some flowers cost a considerable sum merely to enjoy their fragrance……”
“Hmph! How expensive can a mere courtesan’s daily rate possibly be?”
Playing the arrogant Golden-Clad Young Master to the hilt, I tossed a battlefield money order down in front of her with deliberate insolence.
“I’ll pay weeks of flower-fragrance fees in advance. No more talk—let me see the face of this so-called number-one courtesan of Beijing!”
Okryeong picked it up and, as agreed, widened her eyes in theatrical shock.
“W-we shall attend you with all honor. Wolay, come out at once and serve these young masters.”
At her call, Ju Wolay stepped forward from among the courtesans. A crimson skirt that rippled like water, eyes slanted as if steeped in moonlight, and a seductive smile to match.
“Whoa……”
“As expected.”
The entire company couldn’t help murmuring in admiration. At the same time, envious and jealous stares locked onto us.
Two nameless young masters from Sichuan who had monopolized Ju Wolay’s time for weeks on end—time most men couldn’t buy for a single day—and even flustered the pavilion mistress while doing it. Both of them annoyingly handsome on top of it. Rumors about us spread through Cheonhwaru in the blink of an eye.
“A pleasure to meet you. I am called Ju Wolay. From today I shall attend Gold Young Master and Silver Young Master.”
Ju Wolay continued acting as if she were seeing us for the first time.
“Hmph. As pretty as the rumors claimed. This young master is free—hurry over here and serve me!”
In this case it would be pouring tea rather than wine, but whatever. Playing the rude young master, I seized her slender wrist and pulled her over by force. Even as she let herself be dragged along under my high-handed manner, the corners of Ju Wolay’s lips were twitching for some reason. She seemed to find being forcibly seized and hauled away by me more entertaining than the stalker who might be watching from somewhere.
“I have spent a fortune today to purchase your time. Fail to satisfy me and you will be severely punished!”
I piled on the wastrel-young-master act even thicker, and she simply dropped her head completely. To onlookers it would look like she was pitying her own plight. Up close, she was fighting with everything she had not to burst out laughing.
“Pffft……”
I’d expected a woman crushed by worry over a stalker, but she was bolder than I’d thought. I smirked and led her to the prepared room.
The VIP chamber of Cheonhwaru was extravagantly, dazzlingly luxurious. So much glittering gold and precious stones had been poured into this deep corner of the pavilion that Dan Mujin almost felt guilty using it for free.
Here Ju Wolay turned her own throat into an instrument and unspooled a song that left the ears in pure ecstasy. Until now he had only ever met her for business; this was the first time he watched her work as a true courtesan right before his eyes. Her clear, pure notes seized both his ears and his gaze at once. Right about now the guests in the other rooms were surely pricking their ears toward her faint singing as well—pouring endless envy at the VIP guests who monopolized her, the stalker included.
“Gold Young Master, did my song please you?”
While everyone’s attention focused on Ju Wolay in the VIP room, she boldly rested one young master’s head upon her lap and quietly savored this rare stretch of time.
“……It was a pure, lovely voice that sounded like it was echoing through a valley. Honestly impressive.”
Dan Mujin offered the honest impression without varnish. Ju Wolay’s lips curved into a soft arc, clearly pleased.
“Hehe, such generous praise, young hero. Then…… is this girl’s lap comfortable as well?”
She asked with a face overflowing with smiles, looking down at him. Dan Mujin scratched his cheek, looking sheepish.
“Ahem. You don’t really need to go this far, do you?”
No one was watching anymore; was there still any need to keep acting? That was the question in his expression.
“My, the pavilion mistress ordered me to attend distinguished guests with full care. I am simply doing my utmost.”
Ju Wolay placed a hand on her chest and claimed she was only performing a courtesan’s duty. Yet Dan Mujin knew this was a pure house that hung no red lanterns, and Ju Wolay was a high-class courtesan who refused physical contact.
“……Did you dislike it?”
She asked with a suddenly crestfallen face. The look and voice were so devastatingly effective at stirring a man’s guilt that Dan Mujin hurriedly shook his head.
“No, no! Of course I like it—I like it, but…… well, ahem.”
An eye-catching beauty giving him a lap pillow and singing for him—Dan Mujin had never enjoyed such luxury in his life. Under Ju Wolay’s downward gaze he could only keep scratching his cheek, at a complete loss.
“A chivalrous hero who has saved a woman in crisis multiple times deserves proper reward, don’t you think?”
A woman’s voice laced with mischief. When Ju Wolay lightly rested a hand on his forehead, the rather handsome man resignedly laid his head back down. She patted his shoulder as if to say he’d made the right choice. With Silver Young Master briefly away, she had decided to tease him—and never imagined it would be this much fun.
“I waited quite a long time, you know, for you to come looking for me, Young Master.”
Ever since he had saved her back then, it had felt like nearly several years of waiting. Unlike the other men who hung themselves around her neck, this man never visited unless he had business. Even the one time he had come was only to borrow her face for that client’s problem—Neungsam, was it? In short, he had never once taken a single step for her sake alone. For Ju Wolay, called the greatest courtesan in Beijing, that had been a rather fresh shock. The one whose insides burned was not the man—it was her.
In the meantime this troubleshooter named Dan Mujin had been racing around solving every problem in Beijing as if something were chasing him. Eventually he had reached the Transcendental Peak Realm and begun to shake the entire Central Plains with his reputation. Only then did the women around Ju Wolay start showing serious interest in the young, capable man—as if they had finally recognized his value.
It’s unfair. I knew him first.
Ju Wolay had been eyeing his potential and upright character since the days people dismissed him with “Troubleshooter? Isn’t that just some evil-path trash?” She had even cooked for him with her own hands back when he was guarding Cheonhwaru, stamping her seal on him over and over—or so she had believed.
How can he never come looking for me even once?
She had heard he wasn’t short of money. After various exploits he had earned considerable fees, and she would have run out to meet him even without payment. Yet Dan Mujin had brought an attractive female martial artist into his office and started getting entangled with various women across Sichuan and the Central Plains. Ju Wolay had been collecting every report of his activities through her information network, so she knew it all. Jo Harang was a fellow Transcendental Peak martial artist, and in Sichuan he had even caused an incident to save a woman named Dang Yeohye.
At this rate I have no choice but to make a move myself.
In the end she had been unable to endure it and had lured him out of his office into her own space in the form of a request. And now, though her conscience pricked her a little, she looked down at the flustered Dan Mujin and thoroughly enjoyed the present moment. Of course she did have several men who were excessively obsessed with her. Some of them were genuinely dangerous, but the “beast ears” had been pure invention on her part—a device to draw in this man who thought of himself as a hardened troubleshooter yet was, in truth, a little naive and dense.
“Young Master, the sweets of Cheonhwaru are truly delicious. Ah—open your mouth.”
“……I said I’m fine. I’ve got hands too.”
Before entering the room he had been arrogant and insolent; now he looked slightly bashful. At that rare sight Ju Wolay tugged the corner of her mouth into a small smile.