A Lovely Night for a Pickpocket

On the other side of the market, in a small rented hut, Jin-Ri and Yeng were preparing for their new jobs. Jin-Ri could not let go of the fact that she was assigned to be a court maiden. "These will never sell. No one will believe, that I am a court maiden, I am too pretty for that"

With a glare, Yeng snapped back at her "Would you please shut up? Everybody from the village knows I am the pretty one"

"What? Are you blind or something?" Jin-Ri digs around looking for something, she pulls out a mirror from their belongings and uses it to see her reflection. But the moment that she did the mirror cracked for some unknown reason. She discreetly placed the mirror on the table "That wasn't me, the mirror was already cracked"

Yeng blew out air, tired of Jin-Ri's nitpicking "Fine…will it make you shut up if I say you're the pre…" Yeng paused as if something was caught in her throat "…the prettiest?"

Jin-Ri clapped her hands and giggled a bit after hearing what Yeng said. "I told you I was pretty," she told her friend after arranging their belongings. The truth was, though Jin-Ri was not the most beautiful, she was not ugly as well. Her face at the least was of average beauty.

She then put on her cloak ready to see the sights of the Pyeongchaek.

Yawning and stretching her arms, Yeng calls out to Jin-Ri, "Hey it's late, we should be sleeping not wandering off"

"I'll sneak in later, it's my first time out here in the capital…I'll go for a short stroll. Promise I won't take long" Jin-Ri said as she wore and tied her straw sandals. She inspects her footwear if they are secure, once satisfied that they are tied in place, she casually walks out of the house and onto the streets

Once she was outside, she turned her head left and right. "The sound there is livelier and louder, that's where I'll go," She said pointing to her left, excited Jin-Ri headed to her destination she skipped along the bustling streets of the capital.

Jin-Ri was taken aback by how the lively capital, bustles with people even at this time of the night "Don't people sleep in the capital?" she asked wondering if these people ever feel tired

She felt a tug on her pants, and she looked down to see a little girl maybe six or seven years of age, offering her some talismans "What's your name, little girl?" she asked the young vendor

"I'm Young-Ju…would you like some talismans or Jasmine garlands? It will protect you from bad luck and misfortunes and make you smell good" the girl said her big eyes, looking straight into Jin-Ri, it was like the little girl's eyes were begging her to buy.

"How can I say no, to such a cute little face?" she took a few coins from her pocket and gave them to the child asking "Which one of these will protect me from a broken heart?"

The little girl flipped through the talismans, till she found one with the character of love and heart written on it. "I don't have that talisman, but here, this talisman will make sure that you meet your dashing prince," the little girl said offering the red cloth to Jin-Ri.

"Are you sure, I'll meet my prince with this talisman?" she asked the little girl, as she examined the red rectangular cloth.

"Yes, just make sure you carry it with you at all times, especially when you start to fall in love with your prince," The girl said, instructing her on what to do with the talisman.

"Why should I have it with me at all times?" she curiously asked the little girl

"So you won't have your heart broken," said the girl. She smiled at Jin-Ri and ran towards some vendor friends looking for their next customer.

Jin-Ri smiled as she watched the children, approach other people, trying to sell their talismans. She folded the red cloth and slid it underneath her cloth arm braces.

She skipped and hummed while strolling the busy streets, she stopped when she heard the sound of music and singing. Curious about where the delightful sound was coming from, she followed her ear and the merry-making grew louder and louder.

She looked at the place where the music was coming from, it was the Cherry Blossom. "Huh…maybe it's someone's birthday" she mused to herself while treating her eyes to the majestic place "So this is a kisaeng house…see this where I would fit in, if only that old coot could see that I'm the pretty one" She thought to herself. Without much as a second thought, she marched herself into the Golden Dragon, determined to witness what goes on inside a kisaeng house.

Inside Jin-Ri was treated to the sight of men of different ages and social statuses, gorging themselves on exuberant food, wine, and other lavish amusements and vices. "My, my, my, no wonder Chiongsun is going to the trash," she thought, disgusted by things she witnessed. Shaking her head, she continued to stroll the grounds all the while avoiding the drunk people.

Meanwhile, in the secret room of the main building, Young Sik sits in front of a table filled with expensive food and wine. His right elbow rests atop the table while holding a cup of wine. His left arm rests on his flexed left knee.

An elegantly dressed young woman enters the room, she has a voluptuous figure, fair and delicate skin, a heart-shaped face with narrow eyes long lashes a button nose, and lips red with lipstick. She bowed to the man dressed in commoner's clothes and sat in front of him "I still can't figure out why a prince of Chiongsun would frequent a place like this" she said in a soft and humble voice.

Young-Sik grinned before drinking the wine and putting down the cup "I'm disappointed, I thought that should be obvious by now" he glared at the woman with a fierce look, and the glare soon dissolved into a sweet smile "How are you Lady Hu, my old friend?"

"Friend?" Lady Hu acted as if she had been shot by an arrow, clutching her chest. "How many times do I have to tell you? Call me Mun-He (Moon Ee)," she replied with a smile. "So what brings you here? It's been a long time since any of us saw you"

"I want somebody to talk to, someone intelligent someone with an open mind and a brighter disposition" Young-Sik answered with a pout on his lips

"Really? No one in the palace, not one…is a worthy conversationalist?" Mun-He asked skeptically "Tell me the truth…why are you here?"

Rolling his eyes "Fine, I was wondering if anyone from Minister Lim's household has been here recently," Young-Sik said, his voice's playful tone dissolving to a more serious one.

Mun-He shook her head and waved her left index finger "No, the Cherry Blossom is a place to relax and unwind, it is not a place for espionage and selling information"

"Whoa…" Young-Sik quipped as he waved an index finger "Who said anything about espionage?" He asked raising an eyebrow "All I wanted to ask is if you can keep an eye out for any fellow alcoholics from that place"

"So, you want me to let you know whenever anyone from Minister Lim's group is here, and probably to tell you which room they are using as well?" Mun-He replied sarcastically

"Well if you insist, who am I to say no" Young-Sik quickly answered with a smile. He took the wine pitcher poured Mun-He a drink and poured one for himself too.

Mun-He takes the cup and drinks from it before asking "At least tell me why you have your eyes set on the minister"

Young-Sik retold about his discovery "About a month ago, I accessed a restricted area of the royal library, reserved only for the royal family" he paused for a while to pour some wine "I wanted to find out where the former crowned prince got his sword, I want to preserve his weapon so I want to find out who made it to forge me a new one" He paused again to drink the wine

"I chanced upon some old records from fifteen years ago. A large cache of weapons suddenly went missing. I tried to trace what happened to these weapons but the trail ended after they arrived at the palace" Young-Sik pauses for a moment "Then I remembered that the weapons that the commoners used in their uprising were all military-grade weapons. Now these weapons vanished three weeks before the rebellion. It all happened when he was the minister of defense. There were no explanations, investigations, or inquiries made…why?"

"No one knows?" Mun-He asked quickly

Young-Sik shook his head "Not even the King knows, otherwise he would have told us"

Mun-He was taken aback by what she heard, she took a deep breath and looked around first before speaking "You think the minister was the reason behind the disappearance of those weapons? You believe he might have sparked the commoner uprising all those years ago?" She whispered; her voice barely audible

With a heavy heart the prince confessed his lack of knowledge "I know he did, I just can't prove it right now, that's why I need all the information I can get, even insignificant ones can be helpful"

"Why not just tell your father?" She asked the prince, wondering why secrecy.

Young-Sik sighed and answered "I thought about it, but without any evidence not even the King could do anything to punish him. In addition, it will only alert him and he will tie loose ends, which will make my investigation a hundred times harder"

Mun-He bows again and in a sad voice declines the prince's request "Forgive me, My prince…but I can't put my girls and the people who work for me in jeopardy"

"You know that what I'm asking for, will never be traced back to you or this place. It will not be official or recorded in any documents." Young-Sik stares into her eyes intently "I promise, you, your people and this place will be safe"

"Young-Sik, I know we are dear friends, but I just can't risk the welfare of the people under me. If it's just me, I would do it in a heartbeat no questions asked" Mun-He said with great regret. She stood up, bowed to the prince, and left the room. Young-Sik drank straight from the wine bottle and contemplated his mission, his fingers softly drumming on the table.

The scene shifts to the grounds of the Cherry Blossom, where Jin-Ri is having fun picking the pockets of drunk patrons. She would purposely bump into anyone and use the distractions to slide her hand into their pockets and steal the person's money bag. After her fifth money bag, she hid in a secluded corner and counted. She was in the middle of counting her loot when she saw another potential victim. The man was clad in expensive clothes and accessories and struggled to walk. Jin-Ri grinned and thought "Just like taking candy from a baby"