| Metamorphosis (Part 2)

Feeling a little drowsy, Soo-Ah followed Do-Yun to one of the tents in the camp. Inside she found a clean bed, a clean towel cloth laying with care on a simple chair, and a tub filled with hot water. On a modest overused table sat an extravagant item: a small-sized mirror. No drapes for privacy, no paravanes.

Do-Yun left her alone but not for long. Two middle-aged ladies entered, one carrying a big wood box painted in vivid colours, the other a neatly arranged pile of what turned out to be a lavish dress.

"Good morning to you, dearie." a couple of high-pitched, cracked voices greeted her. Upon entering they offered, nor expected none of the traditional greetings. They did not even mention their names. It was as if they had descended from a world of their own making and were unaware of the rules of this one.

"Let's take a look at you. We were told to make you look like a real young lady." said one of the women who had a yellow flower in her hair, coming too close for Soo-Ah to feel comfortable. The other one kept going in circles to assess her. "Well, would you look at the state you are in? Such a waste of a young body and a pretty face. What is your name?"

"Soo-Ah… Lady Soo-Ah." she tried to keep up with the woman's fervent movement and words.

"Soo-Ah...hmm. Soo-Ah?" The matron tested her name on her tongue as if pondering on something.

"Oh...did you see her eyes... of course, you didn't. You are as blind as a bat, you old crone." taunted the other old woman.

"Eyes? Let me see." The woman with the yellow flower came even closer. "Oh, your eyes glaze like water, dearie. Ha-ha! Yes. Yes, indeed, your name makes sense - Soo-Ah. Oh, dearie." Then she turned her mouth in a sympathetic frown. "Such a waste of a pretty face and pretty eyes to look so sad."

"Why are you so filthy, my dear? Did you go fighting with the men?" joked the second woman, making her vivid red cheeks rise unnaturally high on her face.

"I did, in a way," Soo-Ah answered seriously at their unserious question, triggering them to look puzzled at each other. Having the two old ladies prowl around her Soo-Ah felt like a ripe exotic fruit on a market stand. Awkward from the attention and anxious she would be eaten alive.

"Well anyway, we need to hurry so let's get you in the bath, dearie." And they opened their box revealing bottles and smaller boxes filled with powders, wash oils and perfumes. They helped Soo-Ah undress, almost having to rip the clothes off her back from her unwillingness to show her bare flesh in front of strangers. Forcing her into the bath, they scrubbed her skin like it was never scrubbed before.

"Did you sit too long with your face in the sun, dearie? No worries, we have something for that. We need to make you look fresh and charming, don't we? And we must not forget that magic place either," said the woman with the red cheeks as she launched at Soo-Ah's crotch, taking the young woman by surprise as she shoved the foreign hand away.

The almost violent reaction made the daring old woman giggle in the most unnatural manner. "Oh my! Why are you acting so coyly, dearie? Don't tell me you have never been touched by a man. What a treasure the general has found. No wonder he is showing so much interest in you."

The one adorning the yellow flower came from behind her companion to share secrets in a hushed tone. "The handsome general is not much of a client of ours. And in the few times he called on us I do recall a girl we had. Yes, a girl with the same look in her eyes. He took her for the night and by the next morning, she came to tell us she was going away to the capital. I am sure he set her up real nice. But such an ungrateful girl. She never sent word to let us know how she was doing. Ntz!"

Her companion continued as if they were having their usual morning gossip, while her hands were still preoccupied with Soo-Ah. "Yes… I do remember that one. She was really pretty, wasn't she? And such a great earner. He did us a great disservice by sending her away. Though I think that he must have not liked her that much. She said he only talked to her because she reminded him of someone. If he would have liked her, he would have kept her close and enjoyed her every night." Both women started laughing in an eerie manner.

The matron with her flower addressed Soo-Ah again. "But I guess now he found you."

"He does have a kink, our general, for strange girls." intervened the other one, grinning. Stopping from washing Soo-Ah's hair she forced the young woman's head to turn and face her. "But listen, girl, if nothing comes out of this affair with the general, we will be happy to take you in. I am sure you would be a star among our girls."

Soo-Ah already knew who the women were and what was their business around the general's camp. She felt creeped out by every single one of their words. Shrugging her head from the old, pruned hands she retorted, "Ugh! Stop talking. There is nothing like the sort between the general and me. Only you folks could think so lowly..."

"Oh, so feisty, dearie. You must be named for water to keep that fire of yours tamed. Now, don't you judge us for being flowers of the night?" She pursed her lips and patted the flower in her hair proudly, offering a smug look instead of a genuine smile.

Soo-Ah scoffed, hearing the pompous name for their lowly profession. Her ironic smirk was sealed on her lips when she met the scrutiny of the other wrinkled old Matron.

"We women might hold more power than any of the men out there would dare to admit. Look at them, trying to rule this world with one head on their shoulders and one between their legs. But control one head and you control the other, dearie." Sighing, she caressed with her fingers the lacquer beauty box. "What a pity we must use our power only between the sheets. Don't underestimate us. And don't underestimate yourself," she advised with wide piercing eyes, flinging open the lid.

The one with the red cheeks, looser with her morals, seemed to agree with what her friend was saying but set to alleviate the serious atmosphere. "Perhaps dearie looked so appalled at your suggestion because she is related by blood to the general. Although for some people that would not be a problem."

They both started to laugh their weird laugh again while Soo-Ah was even more repulsed by their discussion and the sounds they were making.

"Anyway, we need to have you ready for anything, dearie. Money buys what money buys, after all." Forget good sense. Forget honor. It was apparent what the old woman valued most. Not surprising for her line of work.

They continued washing her hair with soap and her body with fragrant oils. In the end, one of them pulled out a small box containing a special fragranced pomade.

"Your inner flower is barely dressed, dearie," she eyed the small patch of hair showing under her navel. "It would serve you if it looked fuller to make a man eager to unwrap it like the gift that it is. You do want to show you are ready to bear healthy children, don't you? We have a special poultice to help grow your hair." The matron took a scoop from the strange box, moving with the intent to her crotch.

Watching in horror and understanding the woman's final goal, Soo-Ah fought her with gritted teeth and finally won, keeping those strange hands away from her privates. The old woman laughed making her cheeks appear redder under the heavy layer of red rouge, but she allowed Soo-Ah that small victory and had one final thought to share.

"You are shy from the ground to the sky, dearie. Don't you be so shy in front of a man, you hear? If he is interested, even without clothes, you should never feel naked," and she eyed her crotch again, "If you have your flower ready for the taking you are already adorning a promise."

Soo-Ah had already made up her mind that these women were lunatics, but it seemed they kept babbling nonsense. She let them babble away as they kept toiling around her, drying her down and then arranging her dress and hair.

"You have beautiful skin dearie, but you must keep it fair and fresh looking. Let us powder it a little to brighten it up. And a natural color on the lips."

The woman with her red cheeks took a small container from the box, made the lid drop with a twitch of a finger, dipped the silk powder pad and dabbed Soo-Ah's face. All was done in fast succession, with practised moves. Her other wrinkled hand held the rouge brush. In two quick strokes, Soo-Ah's lips resembled a fresh ripe peach. "Oh my, you are a vision," she exclaimed, proud of her work, and showed Soo-Ah a polished mirror.

"Now, don't slump, dearie. Straighten your back, chin up. Look more feminine. There you go." The matron with her yellow flower came from behind and smiled at Soo-Ah's reflection in the mirror while adjusting her posture.

Soo-Ah could not believe it was her face staring back from the polished surface. She never had a chance to dress and adorn herself to look like a young woman. If she would ever consider herself beautiful now would be that moment. But that scared her out of her wits. If she looked like the mirror showed her, she would draw the attention of every man around.

A lot of time was spent on Soo-Ah to have her ready according to what the matrons knew to be Sung-Ho's standards. Do-Yun was waiting patiently outside of the tent to take her to see the general. When she came out, he almost fell from his stool before quickly standing up.

"Aa… You... You look good. Yeah! You look good. I think you should definitely keep this look, My Lady. Yeah, no need to go back to the men's clothes," he said with a dumb look, trying to act cool.

Draped in an elaborate dress, with her hair styled in a fashionable half-updo, Soo-Ah metamorphosed into a nymph, emerging for the first time from her shell. The same delicate features, and the same shy and awkward manner, though perhaps not what some would deem conventionally beautiful.

Soo-Ah felt embarrassed and a little annoyed by Do-Yun's admirative stare. Plus, the other men passing by, turned their heads to eye her up and down. Her journey to the camp had been long and hard, but the walk to the general's tent would be more difficult yet.

Do-Yun walked alongside her, amusingly studying her from time to time. Until he leaned over and whispered. "Why do you still walk like a soldier, My Lady?"

Soo-Ah became self-aware her movements remained crude, as she continued to step from heel to toe in large soldierly strides. But it was the only way she knew how to walk.

Going through the encampment of men, she was a rare sight, catching everyone's attention, and being measured up and down. This was one of her worst nightmares. And now she must face this mighty general, a man among a sea of men, in such a fragile form. No matter how she walked or talked, without her exterior armour and without her boyish mental set as a shield, she felt exposed.

She entered General Sung-Ho's lavish tent but stopped near the entryway, ready at any second to make a run for it.