Chapter 6
Translator: penny
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Azure Moon Pavilion
Yeon-i had left the clan.
She had followed behind the female Daoist named Baek Soeun, heading to the Mount Hua Sect.
The banquet was winding down, and I was looking for that rascal Jeong Mutae to head to a brothel...
"Jieun, Yeon-i seemed really happy. You did well."
The trinkets I'd bought from the market stalls had caused quite a stir.
My stoic father had even praised me, saying I'd done well.
And that wasn't all.
"Is this for me?"
Even my second sister, who had only stepped out briefly to see Yeon-i off, spoke to me.
I was a bit flustered because of it.
"Uh, yeah... Sorry, I'll get you some later."
Mok Jieun gave me a dissatisfied look at my words.
But it wasn't like I had none to give.
'So even my second sister is a girl, after all.'
For her to react like this over some cheap market trinkets.
I'd have to remember to get her something nice when I followed the Sword Queen later.
After the brief commotion died down, I met up with Jeong Mutae outside the banquet hall.
He pulled up his chubby cheeks into a grin.
"Jimyeong, my friend, are you prepared?"
Prepared? What was there to prepare?
We just had to go.
But he seemed to have high expectations and rambled on by himself.
"I've heard that you can't believe what the courtesans say. They exist to please their guests with false words of love, so you must never...
It was the most obvious advice in the world.
As if I knew less than him.
"Hey, enough. Where do you want to go? Got a place in mind?"
When I cut him off, he frowned slightly.
"Jimyeong, your speech has changed so much. It's like... um..."
He trailed off.
But I could guess what he meant.
"Like what? Some unorthodox thug? An illiterate bum?"
"Hey now, I didn't say it was that bad."
He looked flustered, as if I'd hit the nail on the head.
But there was nothing for it.
'I've spent years living among the unorthodox.'
In the Red Serpent Sect, no less, where the dregs of society gathered.
These days, trying to mimic the flowery speech of those hypocritical orthodox fools made my skin crawl.
"Tch, don't act so guilty. Anyway, that's not the point—have you picked a place?"
"...I was going to decide while wandering around."
"Yeah? No place in mind, then?"
Fine, I'd choose.
I'd already sampled plenty of brothels in Taiyuan.
I led him to Azure Moon Pavilion.
It was my favorite spot back in my Flowery Playboy days.
'I wonder if Somwol is around at this hour...'
I couldn't remember my friend's name, but the courtesan who had caught my fancy back then came to mind crystal clear.
Even her looks and features.
As we entered Azure Moon Pavilion, the courtesans swarmed out.
A wave of perfume hit us at the same time.
"Oh my, what a handsome young master."
"I prefer this young master over here, personally."
Most of the faces were familiar.
'Hmm... this is awkward.'
My heart wasn't stirring.
Partly because they were courtesans, but mostly because they were all flavors I'd tasted before.
I'd do it if I had to, but this wouldn't build up the inner energy I wanted.
As I scanned the surroundings, Jeong Mutae blushed beet red and declared sternly,
"Ahem. I'm planning to have a drink with this friend tonight, so set up a table for us."
Surrounded by courtesans and at a loss, yet he was trying hard.
Thinking he was the one paying, an older-looking courtesan hooked her arm through his and cooed,
"Do you have a particular girl in mind?"
His face looked ready to explode from the sudden contact.
"Uh, a-anyone..."
He was about to do the dumbest thing possible in a brothel.
I quickly cut in.
"Is there a girl named Somwol here?"
That pompous speech I used to despise came out naturally.
I startled myself saying it.
'Must be habit.'
Coming to a brothel after so long had brought back my Flowery Playboy speech patterns.
One of the courtesans beside me answered.
"My apologies, but Somwol is quite busy tonight. If you're planning to visit again, let us know in advance, and we'll reserve her for you."
Figured as much.
I'd half-expected it.
Somwol wasn't like the other courtesans selling their bodies here.
She was Azure Moon Pavilion's star, a true gisaeng who played the qin.
With her stunning beauty and masterful qin skills, she was always summoned for official banquets.
So it was hard to see her without booking ahead.
I'd hoped for a lucky break, but no such luck.
"Do you have any other gisaengs you'd like?"
"No need. Hmm... that girl looks good."
I glanced around and pointed to one who caught my eye.
She was the prettiest among the unfamiliar ones.
'Not that it makes much difference...'
There was a reason I'd singled out Somwol.
Grandly put, she was the one who stirred my heart; frankly, it was because I hadn't bedded her back in my Flowery Playboy days.
To reiterate, Somwol was a gisaeng, not a prostitute.
The other gisaengs could be seduced for a night with some effort, but her pride was sky-high, making it impossible.
I'd tried hard back then, showering her with gifts, but just as things were progressing, she left for Beijing, and we never consummated.
"Then, young masters, allow me to guide you."
The courtesan I'd chosen led us to a room.
In the meantime, there was a bit of a commotion among the girls, and then a familiar face followed us in.
'Huh? Who is that?'
Her face was so familiar it felt warm and welcoming.
But I couldn't place her.
As I racked my brain, the table was set.
Once it was ready, the two courtesans sat beside us.
Across from me sat the familiar courtesan and Jeong Mutae.
Seeing them together jogged my memory.
'Ah! It's Jin-ae!'
Why hadn't it come to me sooner? Because I'd never slept with her.
But why so familiar, then?
'She's Jeong Mutae's first love, isn't she?'
She was the courtesan he always called for whenever we came together.
Then one day, Jin-ae fell for another man and got married.
That was the day Jeong Mutae swore off brothels and straightened up.
Long-forgotten memories flooded back.
Along with the sight of him lecturing me earlier.
-They exist to please their guests with false words of love, so you must never...
'Right.'
Now I remembered—he was the one who'd floundered in that false love.
As I smirked at them, the courtesan beside me asked timidly,
"...Young master, am I not to your liking?"
Maybe because I'd ignored her so much.
She looked a bit downcast.
I'd committed quite the faux pas.
Even if they were courtesans, ignoring the one right next to you was rude.
"Sorry, I was lost in thought. What's your name?"
My speech had slipped back to normal without me noticing.
This felt more comfortable.
"You can call me Choyeonn."
Choyeonn—first connection.
I knew it was a courtesan's stage name, but it suited perfectly as my first partner post-reincarnation.
"Choyeonn? Nice name."
As we chatted, Jin-ae across from us suddenly chimed in.
"You were looking for Somwol earlier, young master... Choyeonn here is quite skilled on the qin as well. Would you like to hear her?"
"Oh, really? Mind giving us a tune?"
I feigned surprise, but I wasn't expecting much.
She was a courtesan, not a true gisaeng, after all.
Whatever they'd learned was just superficial imitation of real gisaengs.
"Of course. I'll prepare shortly."
Guessing she was fetching a qin, both courtesans left the room.
Alone with Jeong Mutae, he whispered to me,
"Jimyeong, have you been to a brothel before? You seem so natural. And who's this Somwol?"
He'd been gauging me all this time and suddenly got chatty.
Come to think of it, this was his first time too.
I considered giving him some advice but felt too lazy.
"Just looked it up after hearing you talk earlier."
"Ahem, so tonight you're..."
Drag-
A qin must've been nearby; the two returned quickly.
They carefully placed it in a corner and took their seats.
"Have some drinks while Choyeonn prepares."
Jin-ae sat next to Jeong Mutae and poured our cups.
Jeong Mutae stiffened up again because of it.
In the meantime, Choyeonn began slowly plucking the strings to tune the qin.
Moments later, the tuning finished, and the performance began.
Pling—ding-
Her skills weren't empty words; she was surprisingly good.
'Still disappointing.'
She had technique, but no soul.
It sounded pleasant, but it couldn't touch the heart.
I stopped appreciating and stood up.
"Hold up a sec."
The sound filling the room vanished with my words.
The performance cut short midway.
I felt three puzzled gazes on me.
Ignoring them, I smiled brightly and said,
"Listening to you made me want to play too."
It had been ages since I wanted to show off my qin skills.