Attire
It was still early, before the sun had climbed to its zenith.
The streets of Chengdu were already thronged with people hurrying to and fro, raising their voices in the bustle.
"It seems rather crowded, what with the merchant caravan departing today," Seomun Hwi remarked as he surveyed their surroundings, but Cheongwol kept her head bowed in silence.
I've never been this close to a woman before, nor spoken with one at length. Aside from my sister Seol, you're the first in everything.
Strictly speaking, she could never truly be his first.
Her body alone had become that of a woman; her mind remained that of a man.
Surely Seomun Hwi knew that as well.
When Cheongwol glanced sideways, their eyes met, as if it were only natural.
"What are you thinking so hard about? You don't even answer when I call."
She couldn't very well admit she had been thinking of him, so Cheongwol whipped her head away again.
She wanted to treat this precious friend she hadn't seen in so long with more warmth.
Yet ever since he had stroked her hair at the Dang Clan, she found herself strangely unable to meet his eyes properly.
"...I wasn't thinking about anything. Anyway, where are we going right now? I'm starting to want a rest."
When she asked, feigning nonchalance, Seomun Hwi pointed toward a line of carriages waiting in a row.
"We're here. I'm not sure if you'll remember, but we've come to see someone you know as well."
"...Someone I know?"
Cheongwol tilted her head, and Seomun Hwi gave a slight nod.
"Ah, here he comes now. We're in luck. He was scheduled to leave for Anhui tomorrow."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a middle-aged man approached them, waving his hand.
"Young Master!"
At first Cheongwol was bewildered, unable to place the face even as she looked at it, but gradually a hazy memory she had forgotten began to surface.
"...Merchant Lord?"
The man Seomun Hwi had sought out was none other than Mo Wonpyeong, Merchant Lord of the Jin-o Merchant Guild.
He was also the one who had readily offered warm food and clothing when Cheongwol had first come out into the Central Plains and was wandering the mountain paths.
"I had thought something seemed off. So you were a woman all along, not a man."
Mo Wonpyeong had been a little surprised at first upon seeing Cheongwol, but upon hearing that she had had no choice but to conceal her gender due to circumstances at the time, he soon accepted it.
"Thank you for understanding. And for the kindness you showed me as well. Thanks to you, Merchant Lord, I was able to reach Mount Kongtong comfortably."
When Cheongwol offered a polite bow, Mo Wonpyeong smiled contentedly.
"You flatter me. Still, if I had known the two of you would come together, I would have delayed our departure a little. What a pity."
At that, Seomun Hwi also smiled faintly.
"In truth, I only ran into Cheongwol by chance yesterday myself. And we've only come today to pay a light greeting, so please don't trouble yourself over it."
Mo Wonpyeong still seemed to harbor some regret as he looked back and forth between the two.
"Very well. Catching up can be done anywhere. If you ever come to Anhui, be sure to visit our guild. We'll treat the two of you most generously."
Cheongwol and Seomun Hwi both inclined their heads slightly in reply.
"We'll be sure to visit once."
"I shall look forward to that day as well."
In the warm atmosphere, just as the conversation was about to wrap up appropriately—
Mo Wonpyeong suddenly clapped his hands as if remembering something and looked at Cheongwol.
"Ah, come to think of it, there was something more urgent than a meal. Fortunately, we still have about half a shichen before departure. Young Lady Cheongwol."
Suddenly called, Cheongwol looked at him in confusion.
"Yes, Merchant Lord."
"Seeing that you're still in martial attire, it seems you have no clothes for a woman to wear. As it happens, the guild has several fine garments, so why don't we go take a look together?"
Women's clothes, of all things.
At first she had meant to refuse outright, but at Seomun Hwi's words that rejecting a merchant's goodwill would be impolite, Cheongwol eventually nodded slowly.
She had thought that, now that she was a woman, she might wear them someday, but she never expected the moment to arrive so soon.
A short while later, women entered the room and began chattering as they tried various accessories and clothes on Cheongwol.
"As the Merchant Lord said, you're so beautiful that anything would suit you."
"Is there a particular style of clothing you prefer?"
"The young master who came with you will surely like clothes like these. Any man would, after all."
Even as she thought that it ought to be her own preference that mattered, not Seomun Hwi's, Cheongwol obediently put on and took off the clothes they recommended.
Before long, of the many garments, fewer than five remained as candidates.
"It seems that, being a martial artist before a woman, you prefer clothes that are easy to move in."
"In that case, something that can serve as both formal attire and martial attire would be good."
"If it's martial attire that a man would like, wouldn't something like this be best?"
After careful consideration, Cheongwol put on the last remaining outfit and lifted her head slightly to look in the mirror.
It was certainly a garment that wouldn't hinder martial arts movements while naturally revealing a woman's curves.
Except for one part.
Cheongwol lowered her gaze slightly to the chest area, which was open and exposed bare skin.
"..."
Reading the hesitation on Cheongwol's face, the women hurriedly exchanged glances.
Even to their eyes, the clothes she wore now suited Cheongwol perfectly.
"These days, it's rarer to see women wrapping themselves up tightly from head to toe. Especially martial artists."
"That's right. In particular, women of the unorthodox path prefer clothes far shorter than this. I've heard there's nowhere to rest one's eyes."
"There won't be a single man who would dare look elsewhere with the young lady wearing this."
I don't particularly need to please a man.
Even as she thought that, Cheongwol naturally found herself curious about Seomun Hwi's reaction.
...Since he told me to try them on, he won't laugh at me, right?
If he did, she resolved never to touch women's clothes again.
With a slightly anxious heart, Cheongwol turned this way and that, examining her appearance.
It's not bad.
Certainly, now that she was a woman, it looked far more natural than when she had worn martial robes or training clothes.
But it's only the outward appearance.
The sense of dissonance and loss she had felt countless times looking at her body after the great transformation.
As a similar emotion brushed past her again, Cheongwol smiled bitterly before the mirror.
"Thank you for your help. I'll go with this outfit."
While waiting for Cheongwol, Seomun Hwi was showing considerable restlessness in the adjacent room.
It was only his friend changing clothes, so why was he so tense?
Watching him fidget, Mo Wonpyeong spoke first.
"You must be pleased, Young Master."
"...Pardon?"
"To have such a beautiful beloved. I wonder what happened after you parted that day."
Beloved.
At those two words, Seomun Hwi's usually unchanging face was greatly colored with fluster.
"It seems the Merchant Lord has misunderstood something. Cheongwol is not my beloved, but merely a friend."
"Everyone starts as friends, after all."
At that, Seomun Hwi shook his head completely.
"It's not like that; I truly have no such feelings. Please never say such things in front of Cheongwol. I fear I might lose a precious friend."
"...Is that so? I thought the two of you suited each other perfectly and spoke out of turn."
No wonder he had been using honorifics not only with him but with Cheongwol as well; so that was what he had been thinking.
"Come to think of it, just as the Young Master has discussed marriage talks with Young Lady Dang Sohye, Young Lady Cheongwol might have done the same with someone. I spoke thoughtlessly. My apologies."
Cheongwol might already have discussed marriage with someone else?
Since she had said she didn't have feelings for Ak Seo-a, that couldn't be.
Moreover, aside from himself and Ak Seo-a, Cheongwol didn't really have any particular friends, did she?
Just as Seomun Hwi was about to let out a snort of laughter—
Suddenly, a certain man who had appeared particularly often in yesterday's conversation flashed through his mind.
The man who, unlike himself, had quietly stayed by Cheongwol's side for two years.
The man Cheongwol called senior brother and followed even while disregarding seniority.
Decisively, the man she had trusted and relied on even after becoming a woman.
As the good-naturedly smiling face of Unhak came to mind, Seomun Hwi's mouth instantly stiffened.
Even if her body had become a woman's, her mind hadn't changed, so such a thing wouldn't happen.
But even if Cheongwol truly were in such a relationship with Unhak, it was none of his business.
And yet, why—
Just imagining the two of them together made him feel so unpleasant.
...No way.
Through Seomun Hwi's serious expression, Mo Wonpyeong realized he had made successive blunders.
Not that kind of relationship, my foot. He makes such a terrifying face just at the mention. Wait, could it be that only the Young Master has feelings...
Just as their respective thoughts were about to scatter chaotically, Cheongwol's voice came from outside the door.
"Hwi, I'm coming in now, so don't laugh."