The Old Man Under the Moon (4)
I smiled faintly at those words.
"That's right. Didn't Gong Rae say she'd sing for us?"
"Yes."
Gong Rae smiled shyly, then quickly assumed her posture and sang with a serious expression.
Whoa...
She sang so well.
Palgap and the two guard warriors were completely entranced by her song.
But I had heard that song before—in my previous life.
While handling the merchant group's business, I often visited pleasure houses.
Once, in a gisaeng house in Honam Province, I met a gisaeng named Anghwa—cherry blossom.
Anghwa was exceptionally talented and well-read, so she mainly entertained high-ranking guests.
Her greatest talent was singing.
She sang so beautifully that even the noisy birds would fall silent when she did.
One day, I saw her sitting alone in the garden behind the gisaeng house, singing.
But that song was different from the ones I'd heard before.
It was incredibly simple, yet warm.
I asked her about it.
"I've never heard this song before."
"You wouldn't have. I composed it myself when I was a child."
"I see."
"My apologies. Today marks the day I was sold to this gisaeng house. Thoughts of my parents and brother overwhelmed me, and I fear I made a fool of myself."
"I understand."
Pity stirred in me, and I offered, "Shall I look into news of your parents for you?"
She shook her head at my proposal.
"No, thank you. Hearing anything would only stir false hopes and bring more pain. No news is good news, I'll tell myself."
That was the last time I saw Anghwa.
A brawl broke out among martial artists there, and she lost her life caught in the chaos.
Like her name, she had bloomed and withered all too quickly.
The song she sang then was exactly the one Gong Rae was singing now.
No!
This doesn't make sense!
Anghwa said she'd composed and sung it herself.
No, wait—it does.
There had been something familiar about Gong Rae when I first saw her. If she grew up and applied heavy makeup...
She would look just like that gisaeng Anghwa I knew.
Damn it.
Whoa, Jin-gyeon Merchant Lord. You dog of a man.
You worked Gong Mil to death from overwork, and sold Gong Rae to a brothel?
Jin-gyeon, already executed, had died far too mercifully.
It was truly fortunate I'd turned back time.
In this life, I'd make Gong Mil and Gong Rae happy.
The next morning.
As always, I practiced swordsmanship.
"That's enough for today. Starting tomorrow, we'll move on to new forms."
"Ah!"
My face lit up, and Master smirked.
"You seem pleased."
"Of course. Learning something new is always a joy, isn't it?"
Lately, Master seemed much brighter than before.
I could tell from how he smiled more often.
"Starting today, my son Hyeong-jin will study under the Inner Chief Steward."
"Under the Inner Chief Steward?"
"Hyeong-jin has just begun the Analects. I lack the scholarship to teach him properly, but the steward offered first. He wants to teach him alongside the boy Seok Il-song under his care."
"I see."
"So I accepted."
"Wise choice."
I'd wondered what the Inner Chief Steward had discussed with Master—it was this.
And he'd proposed it himself?
Seok Il-song must have impressed him more than expected.
He'd probably done it to give the boy a friend.
"The Inner Chief Steward passed the civil exams in his day, so he'll make an excellent literature tutor."
"I'm truly grateful."
Jin So-mi returned to the Eunhae Merchant Group with trembling heart.
The day she'd met Jeong Ho's parents, she'd been terrified. What if they called off the marriage?
To her worried daughter, her father, Pavilion Lord Jin Jin-hak, said warmly, "No need to worry. They're not the type to break such a promise."
"But will they truly accept me as family?"
"If you're curious, make a deliberate mistake."
"Pardon?"
"Merchants are kind only to those they've given their hearts to—or coldly indifferent otherwise. If they scold you, take it as reassurance. It means they've accepted you as family."
Following his advice, she made a small slip on purpose.
Jeong Ho's mother gently scolded her while comforting her, and So-mi felt relieved.
It meant she was truly family now.
But today, she trembled even more.
She was to meet the Jegal Supreme Patriarch.
To her, born and raised in Hubei Province—especially as the daughter of a martial clan—he was like a star in the heavens.
"You've arrived?"
Following the polite maid, she headed to the patriarch's pavilion.
"Supreme Patriarch, Lady Jin has arrived."
"Come in."
With his permission, the door opened, and she entered cautiously.
"Jin So-mi, daughter of Jin Jin-hak, Pavilion Lord of Jin Clan Martial Hall, pays respects to the mountain of the Jegal Clan."
He nodded, accepting her bow.
"Good, come sit here."
"Yes."
She sat where he indicated.
"How go the wedding preparations?"
"Well, thanks to the efforts of both families' parents."
With light small talk warming the mood, the patriarch said, "I am the Supreme Patriarch of the Jegal Clan—a position that brooks no falsehoods. Thus, my offer to be your guardian is no empty words."
He would truly be her patron!
Her heart raced.
He explained the support he could provide.
It felt like a dream.
"I don't know how to thank you."
"Just keep striving as you are. And if asked whose merit it is, say the Jegal Clan—that's thanks enough."
"I'll remember."
"Have you thanked Young Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho? He brought you and Jeong Ho together, playing the Old Man Under the Moon. Gratitude is due."
"Of course. I thanked him sincerely."
"Well done."
She'd hidden her martial prowess because her clan was minor.
Outstanding skill and talent were luxuries in a weak house—envied and crushed before blooming.
Fearing this, her father had told her to conceal it.
Even in the spar with Eun Jeong-ho and Wi Seung-jeo, she'd hesitated.
Eun Seo-ho had drawn her out.
Eun Jeong-ho fancied her, he'd said.
Even bought her a hairpin in Beijing.
Truth be told, she'd long harbored feelings for Eun Jeong-ho.
It was at a Eunhae Merchant Group banquet, accompanying her father.
Kindly guiding the lost girl, he'd captured her heart that day.
Thanks to Eun Seo-ho, she'd wielded her sword confidently and shattered Wi Seung-jeo, who mocked her crudely.
She'd worried it'd cause trouble.
But it turned into a blessing.
Eun Jeong-ho proposed, and the Jegal Supreme Patriarch present became her guardian.
With his backing, no one in Hubei would dare touch her.
Leaving his quarters, she suddenly longed to see Eun Seo-ho.
"I'd like to see Young Branch Leader Eun Seo-ho."
"I'll guide you."
Soon, she reached his office.
Hyunpung Bureau (賢風局)
She'd heard from Eun Jeong-ho.
Eun Seo-ho was now managing the newly created Hyunpung Bureau, directly under the Merchant Lord.
Through the wide-open window, she saw him.
A strikingly handsome young man, by any measure.
Though her heart belonged solely to Eun Jeong-ho.
Watching him work busily, Jin So-mi thought:
If I can help him, I'll do anything.
And those who hinder him will converse with my sword.
Ching ching ching ching!
With the clamor of instruments, Jeong Ho hyung and Lady Jin So-mi's wedding began.
In that short time, my branch leader announcement hall had transformed into a perfect wedding venue.
Two lions danced to clear the path, and Jeong Ho hyung, in red wedding robes, rode toward Jin Clan Martial Hall on horseback.
To fetch the bride.
Customarily, weddings were held at the bride's home, but it couldn't accommodate all the guests.
So they'd bring Lady Jin So-mi here for the ceremony at Eunhae Merchant Group.
When her palanquin arrived, the waiting guests erupted in cheers.
Ear-splitting and raucous, but my smile wouldn't fade.
The louder, the happier the marriage, they say.
In my past life, Jeong Ho hyung's wedding—as the eldest son's—had been modest.
Circumstances forced scaling back the feast.
Not this time.
Countless guests celebrated them.
And as Lady Jin So-mi's—no, sister-in-law's—guardian, the Jegal Supreme Patriarch attended.
Now her path would be unhindered.
Jeong Ho hyung and sister-in-law tied the knot without heartache.
My role as Old Man Under the Moon had been worthwhile.
Dusk fell.
The formal rites, following tradition, ended only after darkness settled.
Then the feast truly began.
Darkness mattered little.
Red lanterns illuminated everything.
And for today's feast, I'd prepared something special for Jeong Ho hyung.
"For my eldest brother Jeong Ho and sister-in-law's bright future, I've prepared modest song and music."
I took my seat with the geum, and Gong Rae, prettily dressed, stood beside me.
I began playing the geum.
One of the basics, I'd learned it young.
Thanks to that, I could deliver a decent performance.
As I played, Gong Rae sang—a song blessing the couple's future.
As expected, the guests were captivated.
Jeong Ho hyung and sister-in-law listened with happy faces.
The song ended.
Amid cheers, I presented the gift I'd brought.
"What's this?"
"A wedding present."
They opened the box. Inside were a pair of dolls in wedding attire.
"It's the new self-playing jaakgeum."
I explained how to use it, and they turned the key together.
The dolls slowly rotated, filling the air with clear music.
"Oh!"
"Such a thing!"
"Incredible!"
Just as I'd been amazed first seeing it, others marveled too.
I'd recognized its value instantly and decided to sell it as merchandise.
Of course, this first jaakgeum was made by Gong Mil for me.
To honor that, I numbered them.
The ones for Jeong Ho hyung and sister-in-law were numbers two and three.
I gifted them here, at this well-attended wedding, for promotion.
The reactions suggested it worked.
As the feast continued, Father's attendant and Mother's maid approached.
"Time for the bride and groom to retire to the bridal chamber."
Jeong Ho hyung and sister-in-law blushed.
They knew what that meant.
"What are you waiting for? Go on!"
At Jin Ho hyung's urging, they rose.
Then a whisper: "Shall we go too?"
"Can't miss the show."
I smirked at the murmur.
Planning to peep, are you?
Mother's maid asked sister-in-law, "What's that in your hand?"
"Ah, a tube of hidden weapons. The Supreme Patriarch taught me how to launch them."
Sister-in-law smiled sweetly.
"In case peepers show up on our wedding night."
The perfect match for kind, gentle Jeong Ho hyung.
I approached the lord of Wi Clan Martial Hall, a guest.
And got straight to it: "Entrust your son's education to an academy I know well."
I explained Jeongin Academy, and soon his seal was on the enrollment form I'd proffered.
The next day.
Wi Seung-jeo was dragged to the academy by its instructors.
Seeing it cooled my satisfaction.
See you later—when you're human again.