| Evil Bears Sour Fruits (Part I)

[Chapter theme - "KINGS GAMBIT" from playlist (copy paste tinyurl.com/hofsotsound in your browser ]

The days went by one by one, monotonous and dismal for Soo-Ah. It did not take long for her to miss Jung-In's company, every day a little more. She passed by his room and stared, trying to find signs that Jung-In was still there, that she was to come back... one day... None of her games or adventures was any fun without a companion. Not even her grandfather's lessons held her interest anymore.

She never asked or talked directly about him. But whenever correspondence arrived for her grandfather, she would lurk around his study, too proud to ask yet eager to hear news about him.

Noticing her, the old master would begin to read aloud, commenting on the details in his letters about Jung-In. "Well, well, it seems our boy is already settled in and making advances with his studies. He will soon be able to write his own letters. I wonder to whom his first letter would be addressed," and he offered his granddaughter a knowing look as her face slowly peeked through the open door. So, he continued to read. "Oh, it says here that he had a cold with a fever some time ago. The poor boy was so delirious that he started calling a name his master did not recognize. Luckily, he got better in no time and is now doing well. I hope our boy is getting stronger." Leisurely licking his finger, he continued thumbing through the pages, paying attention to the passages related to Jung-In. "They write to me that Jung-In is out at the market almost every day. I wonder why. Maybe he is looking for some gifts to send next time. Hmmm." He winked at the girl, making her blush and hide her face again behind the door frame.

As he took another glance over all those papers he concluded, "My, my, if I did not know it was about Jung-In I would not believe all the praise in this letter. By the way, he sends his regards to everyone and asks if you still cry after him every day." After a long pause, while not getting anything from Soo-Ah he asked louder, making sure the question would reach her ears, "What should I write back to Jung-In, Soo-Ah?"

"Pfft… Stupid Jung-In," Soo-Ah's voice was heard then her quick steps, as she ran out of the room, not letting her grandfather add anything more.

The only thing that had the power to lift the girl's spirits was the news that Ho-Orabeoni was planning a new visit.

"Finally, I won't die of boredom anymore," she said when hearing the news. She suddenly found herself in the mood for finding something to play with. And singing her song all day long.

Every morning she counted down the days until his arrival as the first thing she did before getting out of bed. Soon the count was done.

*

The day scheduled for Ho-Orabeoni's arrival had come. By sunset though there was no sign of Ho-Orabeoni.

Master Min-Jun tried to be reassuring but a tinge of agitation could be felt.

For months now, all around unrest could be almost tasted in the air, almost heard. Drums sounding for war were thudding harder, coming closer. There were rumours the rebellion from the neighbouring kingdom had spurned troubles around their region as well. However, Min-Jiun had to keep his thoughts to himself for now and settle everyone else's spirits.

"Traveling the distance between Seorabeol and that is no easy business. It can take up to a week with the weather acting up as it does now," Min-Jun said, looking out the window at the lead-like clouds that became a usual presence lately. "I am sure they had to make an unexpected stop somewhere along the way. Tomorrow they should be knocking at our door, I am sure," and he patted his granddaughter's head.

Soo-Ah's worries were pushed aside by a glimmer of hope. She went to sleep earlier, praying to the spirits of the forest to help Ho-Orabeoni travel faster to her. By midnight it had already started to rain, with thunder and lightning, so much so that Soo-Ah woke from all the noise, and was tossing in bed, finding it hard to go back to sleep. On nights like these, she would bring her multi-legged friend in a box, on its countless iteration, in bed with her so he would not get too scared. Thinking she had to be brave for him helped her overcome her fear.

That night the thunder was accompanied by a strange thud. It took some time, along with the commotion outside, for Soo-Ah to notice that what she was hearing was not only the sky rumbling. Someone was banging at the main gate.

She jumped out of bed and cracked open the door to catch a glimpse of what was going on outside. After hearing someone wailing and other people's voices, the girl stepped out of her room and into the courtyard, her bare feet slapping against the cold mud.

The roar of the heavy clouds felt heavy over her head, as heavy as the lump in her throat. The rain came down the same way it always did in the Month of the Rooster. It patted her forehead and dripped all around her eyes and down her face, making her nightgown cling to her tiny torso. A shiver coursed through her. She did not know why, because the water droplets were warm and soothing to the touch.

In the pitch-black surroundings, only the lightning flashed brightly. Though not long enough for Soo-Ah to get a clear picture. She had to struggle. Through the flashes of light, what could be distinguished was an injured man being carried to the main house. Hearing the name "young master" was enough for her heart to sink to her stomach. The anguish and the shock sent her sprinting in that direction.

Noona and the old master were bent over someone who was clearly hurt. She recognized Ho-Orabeoni's manservant standing near the entrance, all drenched, with bloodied clothes, and helplessness etched on his face.

"Ho... Ho-Orabeoni? Is that Ho-Orabeoni? What happened to him?" asked Soo-Ah, following with her gaze the drops of blood on the floor, leading to Ho-Orabeoni's face.

They had placed him on the long table where they had their meals, in the main room. His head leaned unnaturally on one side, looking pale with eyes closed, and a grimace of pain on his beautiful face. Soo-Ah clenched the gown close to her neckline, in angst.

Her grandfather's urgent tone made the words resonate throughout the room, "Someone, get her out of here!"

Ho-Orabeoni's manservant focused his attention on her and did not wait for more instructions. He took her in his arms and carried her outside.

"No! What happened to Ho-Orabeoni?" screamed Soo-Ah, crying and struggling against the man's hold. He was taking her out of the main room, while her heart remained agonizing next to Ho-Orabeoni.

"Calm down, Young Mistress, he is injured only a little. Your Noona and the old master are gonna' make him feel better," said the aide, trying to calm down the agitated little girl.

"No! Take me back! I want to be with Ho-Orabeoni! He must be in so much pain! I need to hold his hand so he will not be scared!"

"Ho-Orabeoni is a very strong young man, and he is also very brave." He was carrying Soo-Ah through the courtyard, but she would not sit still in his arms. "Don't worry about him. Why don't you say a little prayer for him? I am sure that would help." The servant reassured her, though the anxious tone of his voice belied his words.

"A prayer? Are things so bad that Ho-Orabeoni needs a prayer?" thought Soo-Ah, still fighting her despair as the man gently put her down in the opened door to her room, wiping her feet of mud.

She remembered hearing about Ha-Rin saying prayers when Jung-In had that great fever that was not coming down, so she knew prayers meant things were bad.

When Ho-Orabeoni's servant left, urging her to go to sleep before closing the door, she lay on the floor but was too afraid to pray. Only shamans prayed. What if she would anger the spirits or the gods?

In the end, she took Pow-Pow's box in her arms and sat on the bed waiting for news. In the end, this is how sleep eventually claimed her.

The next morning, she woke up startled. Jumping out of bed, she would not wait for sleep to clear away from her head. Soo-Ah threw open the door, heading straight to the main house. Everything was cleared. No bandages on the table, the chairs sitting neatly one next to the other, the floor swept. And no trace of blood. All she had witnessed last night, could not have been a dream.

"No, is he dead already?" whispered the young girl, drawing on her breath, ready to cry. "Noona, where are you? Grandfather?" she called for them until she saw Noona coming out of what was normally Ho-Orabeoni's room.

Soo-Ah came running to cross Ha-rin Noona's path. Her mouth would not stop blabbering and asking about Ho-Orabeoni.

Ha-Rin Noona, caressed her face and Soo-Ah bit down on her lips to keep her mouth shut. Her heart beat too fast.

"He will be in good health in no time, Young Mistress. Look at your little worried face. He needs to sleep to regain his strength. What do you say you help me call on the ancestor spirits to look after him?" Ha-Rin asked.

"I don't know how. Jung-In used to do that," Soo-Ah lowered her head, feeling useless.

Ha-Rin ushered her towards her chamber. "Nonsense. The ancestors listen to whoever calls on them. Come one, you will see."

Soo-Ah stopped at Noona's open door. She needed convincing to enter but after she did, she joined Ha-Rin by the altar. With an incantation, Ha-Rin smudged the girl's forehead with a sacred balm.

"Now, you talk to the spirits, You have their ear. Tell them what you want."

"I want – I want for Ho-Orabeoni to get healthy again. They can take from my life to make him better. A couple of months, if they need it."

Ha-Rin smiled at her. "The spirits heard you. You wait and see," she whispered and Soo-Ah hoped with all her heart it was true.

*

At the breakfast table, Soo-Ah picked up parts of a story about peasant robbers from the Northern Kingdom who were fleeing their villages because they were attacked, turning to robbery to survive. It seemed that Ho-Orabeoni and his servant had to face six of them to defend themselves. They were unwilling to let go of their possessions and in the end, barely escaped with their lives and nothing else but the shirts on their backs.

Ho-Orabeoni had been stabbed in his left shoulder and lost consciousness halfway to the house. Luckily he was in the company of his servant who had to carry him all the way, on foot. Old Master and Ha-Rin Noona, with her skilful hands, managed to close his wound and bandage it.

The young master woke up late in the afternoon before Soo-Ah passed in one of her regular rounds to check on him. When she peeked through his door to see he had already opened his eyes she started to fidget not knowing what to say or do.

Ho-Orabeoni looked at her, from where he was perched on the simple bed, and smiled but the smile on his pain-stricken face looked unnatural. "They've told me you were quite my little helper. Always coming to check up on me and make sure I have all I need. Thank you, my young lady, of the house," he said, patting the cover that kept him warm and inviting Soo-Ah to sit.

"I also said a prayer to the spirits for you…" mumbled Soo-Ah, sulking and pursing her delicate lips. She sat on his bed, embarrassed to look at him.

"A prayer? Yes, I am sure that was the magic trick that saved me," the young man said, adjusting his posture, and grimacing from the sharp sting in his shoulder.

"Yes, I gave up two months of my life to the gods to save you," said she, pouting, after the tumultuous emotions she had been through since midnight.

He squeezed her hand harder after hearing her timid confession. "Two whole months? This means I owe you a debt for my life now. And I thought that Old Master Min-Jun's shrine talisman was making me feel better." He took out a small folded paper from under the pillow and showed it to her, then placed it on the side table.

She peeked at Ho-Orabeoni's hands, coming to hold her own and felt her cheeks burning a little so she only glanced at him and allowed his timid smile to catch on her lips.

*

By the time the young master recovered enough to move without assistance, only days remained before his scheduled departure.

He could finally join them at the dinner table where the alcohol intake was a lot more than usual, trying to compensate for all the missed dinners from before. With spirits high and the lips loosened the conversation took a turn to more delicate matters.

"We shared no words yet about your married life. Isn't it hard to be away for so long from your consort? Or are you not missing the benefits of married life, you rascal of a man." He went to squeeze his injured shoulder and stopped since the man instinctively moved away. But the old man's face still held an all-knowing smile, looking hilarious from the exuberant state he was in.

"With all that I have been through lately and the pain in my left shoulder, those benefits of marriage are the last thing on my mind. And that's my honest reply."

"How can I send you back to your wife with your manhood limp like this?" The old man looked genuinely concerned, lifting his arms as if puzzled. "The Noble Young Lady will never let you come and visit us again. We need to do something to put some life back in that body of yours before you return home." A wide grin was plastered on his face as he poked Ho-Oraboni's shoulder, making him wince.

"I am sure by the time I am home I will be fully recovered, and no one would complain," the young man said, his face flushed.

"Nonsense. I remember how it was to be in my prime with blood running wild in my veins. I understand what it is like to be away without much companionship. But no worries, for I have a plan for you."

The young man's eyes grew wide, clearly not expecting the direction their conversation took, "Master, if you are implying what I think you are, then I am growing weary of how far you went."

By now, Master Min-Jun was heavily inebriated. And alcohol only pumped up the responsibility he felt towards Ho-Orabeoni's well-being in every aspect. "Heh. Let us discuss this over between the two of us. I have a surprise for you tonight," winked the old man and added, "and if you do not like it, you do not have to take it. It's simple. But I am sure it will be to your taste. I do remember how you eyed the plump form of that Noona in your father's house. You understand my meaning..." and an all-knowing chuckle escaped his mouth.

Under Soo-Ah's perplexed gaze, Ho-Orabeoni struggled to respectfully refuse what Min-Jun was pushing on him. She was all forgotten about and happy for that matter, having the time to eye the two men, head tilted and eyes squinting, trying to understand the meaning behind their strange words.

Until her gaze locked with her grandfather's. "Soo-Ah, why are you still here? It is time to go to sleep. Hurry now, girl!" he almost jumped from his seat. All of Min-Jun's gestures were exaggerated from the alcohol it seemed.