Opening the Gates - 6
A pink letter.
The envelope, dyed with such loving care, always stood out among the stack of fan letters. Of course, that might have been because each one came with fan art enclosed — the kind that brought an author nothing but joy.
It was fan art of a caliber that would startle a celebrated painter. In time, the sender even began to torment herself over how she could never quite capture the characters' charm — and the drawings she sent only climbed higher in quality with every letter.
Thank a fan letter even once, and you owe a thank-you for every letter that follows. Better, I had decided, to simply receive them in silence. If I ever told someone that even I — a man who had made that very resolution — had ended up sending a letter of thanks all the same, they would understand just how formidable the pink letters' sender was.
I gazed at the woman standing there, both fists clenched tight.
The sender of the pink letters. Jegal Hyang.
And the heroine to whom she had shown the deepest affection, the one who had received the greatest share of her fan art, was Sichuan's Number One Beauty — Gu Suk-jeong.
"What did you say?"
Lim Hayeon's face hardened as though she had just heard something no sane person should say, and she glared at Jegal Hyang.
"Eep! W-well, Dang Jeong's true wife is obviously Sichuan's Number One Beauty, Lady Gu Suk-jeong, isn't it?"
"Hmph. And here I find yet another pitiful soul pushing Sichuan's Number One Beauty as the true wife."
"Lady Hayeon, isn't that going a little too far?"
"Stay out of this. She's spouting outright falsehoods right now!"
Not merely a different opinion — falsehoods, apparently.
The standoff wasn't shaping up well.
On one side stood Jegal Hyang, who had mailed off dozens upon dozens of devoted fan art pieces of Sichuan's Number One Beauty. On the other stood Lim Hayeon, whose own life had so closely mirrored Hubei's Number One Courtesan's that she had become her most fervent fan.
"It's n-not just because she's pretty!"
"It isn't?"
"Lady Gu Suk-jeong is the woman Dang Jeong fell for at first sight. And she isn't merely beautiful — she's the very reason he honed his martial arts to perfection, the goal of his entire life. So of course she's the true wife, isn't she?"
"Hah! Textbook Sichuan's Number One Beauty Faction logic. Dang Jeong never loved Gu Suk-jeong — he loved a false image of her, nothing more."
"A false image?"
Jegal Hyang's eyes went perfectly round as she stared at Lim Hayeon.
"How much time did Dang Jeong ever actually spend with Gu Suk-jeong? He loved an imagined version of her, dazzled by her beauty alone. Which is exactly why he discarded her like a worn-out straw sandal and walked away."
"Th-that's not true! He promised her he would come back — he did!"
She had a point. That was harsh. What kind of protagonist abandons his own heroine?
"Heh. And what about Lady Du Eung-hyang, then? At first she couldn't open the door to her heart, but little by little, as she came to know Dang Jeong, she opened that closed door and the two became lovers. So isn't Lady Du Eung-hyang the true wife?"
Lim Hayeon took a single step toward me, one corner of her mouth curling up at Jegal Hyang.
"Tr-true love means feeling destiny from the very first glance!"
Lim Hayeon's logic was ironclad. But Jegal Hyang's counterattack was no pushover either.
"What did you say?"
"That is what fated love is. Like being struck by lightning at first sight. Dang Jeong and Lady Gu Suk-jeong swore eternal love to one another. What Du Eung-hyang had was nothing more than an ordinary romance."
Jegal Hyang stole a fleeting glance my way, then ducked her head and murmured, as though embarrassed:
"Th-that's—!"
So the fated-love argument had struck home. Even Lim Hayeon wore a rare look of fluster.
"And besides, Du Eung-hyang is a courtesan!"
"And what of it? If anything, having risen out of a courtesan's station, she will now support Dang Jeong alone and become the true mistress of his house."
"Wh-when it comes to running a household, Lady Gu Suk-jeong will do it better — she has her clan's backing, after all!"
"Grr!"
"And Lady Gu Suk-jeong is the prettier one, too!"
"Are you belittling the looks of Hubei's Number One Courtesan right now? A woman who earned that title in Wuhan's pleasure houses, where the finest beauties in the land stand in rows! You think some mere Sichuan girl could outshine her?"
It looked as though Lim Hayeon's glare alone might skewer Jegal Hyang on the spot.
"Eep! Sh-she's still Sichuan's Number One Beauty!"
"Hubei's Number One Courtesan is prettier!"
Jegal Hyang was losing the battle of bluster.
In the war of logic she seemed to hold a slight edge, but she couldn't withstand the sheer momentum of Lim Hayeon's fury.
At last, Jegal Hyang turned a pleading gaze on me.
"Y-Young Master Kang, who do you think the true wife is?"
Lady Jegal. You know my true identity — ask me that, and my answer becomes canon.
"That's right. What do you think?!"
Lim Hayeon wheeled on me as well, her expression promising no mercy for a wrong answer.
Whichever I picked, it felt like the wrong choice.
"Weren't we debating who to draw beside Dang Jeong, rather than who his true wife is?"
First, defuse the mood.
"Same thing."
"I-I also think it's strange to draw anyone but the true wife first!"
I regarded the two disgruntled faces for a moment, then let out a quiet chuckle.
"I've already decided."
Neither choice was safe here. One misstep, and I might well be split in half.
And for moments like this, there is a trick.
"Pardon?"
"Let's put Saekma on the opposite side of Dang Jeong."
There's no rule saying it has to be a woman, after all.
Even by my own reckoning, a flawless verdict. Solomon-grade judgment, sparing the child from the sword.
When I beamed in triumph, both women stared at me, struck dumb.
What now?
"So you're into that sort of thing..."
"Don't tell me the reason Dang Jeong hunts Saekma is..."
What absurd misunderstanding were they cooking up now?
"He's Dang Jeong's arch-nemesis. Drawing the two figures who carry the entire series is far better. Let's make the first illustration a showdown between our Dang Jeong and Saekma."
With a small sigh, I barely managed to bring the mediation to a close.
"Form a line! Get in line!"
"At last, we can read Dang Family Storm in Wuhan too!"
"My cousin in Yichang carried on about how my life would be a waste if I never read Dang Family Storm!"
"F-finally, Dang Family Storm in Wuhan!"
It was opening day at the Daseogak Wuhan branch. Thanks to the renown of Dang Family Storm and the flood of promotional flyers we had scattered in advance, the branch was already a human tide.
"What a crowd."
One scholar remarked to his friend, pointing at a line with no visible end.
"Let's come back later, then."
His friend answered with a listless look.
"Isn't today the very day the famous Dang Family Storm goes on sale? You were the one singing 'I want to read Dang Family Storm, Dang Family Storm' — and this is your reaction?"
"I already got my hands on it. Read it, too."
"What?!"
"I have a friend in Yichang. Got all three volumes from him."
"Then you should have gotten me a set as well!"
"I'm finished with them. Shall I lend you mine?"
"Deal! Say, there's an incredible painting near the entrance."
The scholar stared at the great hanging scroll just inside Daseogak's doors and let out an awed gasp.
"One look and anyone can tell — that's Dang Jeong and that fiend Saekma! Did they commission a famous painter? Magnificent!"
Even the listless friend, once his gaze found the painting, couldn't stop exclaiming in admiration as he looked this way and that.
"Looks like the line ends over there."
"You go stand in it. I'm heading up to the second floor to admire the qipao and Meidu uniforms over a nice cup of tea."
"So that was your plan all along?! We agreed to read it together!"
"Think of it as me saving us a table. Off I go."
"That rat! Next time, I'm never treating him to a meal again!"
The scholar muttered, feeling wounded, as he watched his friend stride off in high spirits, snorting through his nose.
"Hah... hah..."
Just as the scholar took his place at the tail of a line so long he couldn't even see the entrance and settled in to wait, his friend came hurrying up, breathless.
"What is it? Why did you come back?"
"C-can I stand beside you?"
"What's gotten into you all of a sudden? You want to buy the book now?!"
"G-good heavens! They're giving out lottery tickets for an autographed copy with every purchase of Dang Family Storm in Wuhan!"
"What?! An autographed copy by Author Hopil?!"
"The autographed copy of Author Hopil — the one no one has ever claimed to hold — handed out at the branch! I-I absolutely cannot miss this!"
"Sir, get to the back of the line!"
"I told my friend here to hold my place while I stepped away! This is my spot! My apologies!"
"Th-thanks."
"You're buying the iced Americano later," the scholar said to his friend with a wry smile.
"The branch has been packed day after day."
It was the tenth day since the Daseogak branch had opened its doors. Contrary to our early worries, Daseogak was bustling without pause.
I brought the happy news to Lim Hayeon, who couldn't stir from the shop during business hours because of the surveillance on her.
"The autographed-copy strategy paid off. Even people who've already read it are lining up to buy again, they say. By the way — the autographed copies will arrive in time for the drawing, won't they?"
"I sent word ahead. They'll be here before long."
"You did? What a relief. But you're getting off work rather early today?"
"After what happened with the Demonic Cult, I've realized I truly must build up my martial arts. So I set aside time for a long training session with you, Lady Hayeon."
A man needs to keep his escape skills sharp, after all.
"..."
Lim Hayeon. Why was her face darkening?
"It was nothing serious, so don't make such a grave face. Thanks to you, Lady Hayeon, my skills are advancing by leaps and bounds."
It wasn't your fault.
"These days you can even land hidden projectiles while running the Light Body Art."
When I said it as though it were nothing, her displeasure seemed to dissolve; her brow smoothed, and she said:
"Until recently it felt as though your upper and lower halves were each going their own way. But a few days ago, the two parties — upper and lower — finally hammered out a dramatic negotiated settlement."
The Shadowless Body Art truly is the supreme art of ascent. To think it meshes so well with the Tang Clan's techniques.
"Ahh!"
I was discussing the day's training with Lim Hayeon when a familiar shriek rang out behind us.
"Lady Jegal!"
Had she tripped while carrying an armful of paper? Sheets and a brush lay scattered before the fallen Jegal Hyang.
"You're here!"
"I do believe I told you not to come near while I'm training."
"She must have known we were on a break and came to say hello — don't be too hard on her. Lady Jegal, let me pick those up."
"Hmph!"
Leaving behind Lim Hayeon, who turned her head away in displeasure, I hurried over to Jegal Hyang and gathered up the papers strewn in every direction.
"Thank youuuu."
"Lady Jegal. Is the work coming along smoothly?"
Since she was already drawing the official illustrations, I had taken the opportunity to ask Jegal Hyang for Sichuan's Number One Beauty, Hubei's Number One Courtesan, and the Two Flowers of Blue and Red as well.
"You really must come and see them."
"I'm in the middle of training, but I'll come take a look after dinner."
"Hng. Yesss."
Perhaps it was the joy of drawing official illustrations sanctioned by Author Hopil himself.
Jegal Hyang flashed me a look brimming with drive, then made for her room.
Shall we resume training, then.
When I turned my head, Lim Hayeon was staring at me, her lips oddly jutting out.
"..."
"Lady Jegal isn't wandering about out of malice, so don't let it sour your mood."
"Really?"
"Ahh!"
Lady Jegal. It seemed you had fallen again.
"Look at that."
"...Go help her, then come back."
"Something is wrong."
Something was definitely wrong.
Deep into the night, in the detached quarters of the estate, Lim Hayeon fidgeted and muttered, unable either to sit in her chair or lie down upon her bed.
"Why does it feel as though the distance between those two has narrowed?"
It was hard to put into words, yet she was certain of it. Kang Yunho and Jegal Hyang — the gulf between them had closed in the blink of an eye.
"And that woman has been strangely overflowing with confidence of late."
The two of them had each caught on to the other's feelings for Kang Yunho.
Lim Hayeon had used martial training as her pretext to monopolize Kang Yunho's time at the estate, and she had even taken a small pleasure in watching Jegal Hyang pull tearful faces.
Lately, however, Jegal Hyang had been inexplicably at her ease.
Every now and then she would aim a brimmingly confident smile her way. It wasn't the smile of a cunning fox, nor that of a puppy — a raccoon's smile, perhaps, was the closest name she could find for it.
It grated on her in a way she couldn't explain, and she couldn't for the life of her fathom what the smile meant.
"They're hiding something. What on earth is it?"
What suffocated Lim Hayeon even more was Kang Yunho's habit of glossing everything over.
Ask, and he would not answer. He would awkwardly steer the conversation elsewhere. Both of them were unmistakably hiding something — of this, Lim Hayeon was certain.
What in the world had happened? Why had they traded those loaded smiles again today?
To Lim Hayeon, it felt as though she had scaled a wall, only for her line of retreat to close in around her before she even noticed.
"Something definitely happened. That much is certain."
A woman's instinct was sounding the alarm.
It warned her this could not be left alone. If she did not know what it was, then she would have to find out.
After days of agonizing, Lim Hayeon finally nodded and reached her conclusion.
"I'll be back shortly."
She knew exactly how to relieve this suffocating feeling.
"Ngh... Y-Young Master, nooo... we can't... ngh..."
What sort of dream was she having? Lim Hayeon wanted to shake her awake and tell her to dream no such dreams — but she had to hold back.
I can't get caught.
For Lim Hayeon was, at this very moment, inside Jegal Hyang's room.
The room was a mess. The maids had surely tidied it that afternoon, yet paper, brushes, and ink lay strewn about in disarray.
So where was the clue hiding?
In a neatly ordered room or a strewn-about one alike, Lim Hayeon knew exactly how to hunt down what she sought.
Where people keep the things they use often and treasure... Found it.
Within easy reach of the hand — yet not a place one would rummage through often.
In the very bottom drawer of the desk, Lim Hayeon discovered what she had been searching for.
Exchange Diary
The diary Kang Yunho had given her, not yet passed back to him. The clue had to be in here.
With a trembling heart, Lim Hayeon began racing through its pages. What on earth had happened between those two?
Three days ago.
A week ago.
Half a month ago.
What is this?
Having read through half a month's worth of entries, Lim Hayeon found herself face to face with a shocking truth.
To think Young Master Kang was really Author Hopil. It feels like a dream.