As I opened my eyes, I could only see half of the ceiling.
What? Did I pass out?
What happened? Why can I only see half? Is something wrong with one of my eyes?
Huh?
I could hear someone exhaling like smoke had entered and left their lungs. The once-visible ceiling disappeared behind a thick, hazy mist.
Only then did I understand the situation.
It wasn’t my eyes that were the problem. I was lying on someone’s lap.
“Get up if you’re awake.”
“Oh no!”
I hurriedly tried to get up at Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s voice, but my face was blocked by the ceiling, making me fall back down on my knees.
Emergency escape! Emergency escape!
I sprang from my spot with a roll that could make a blue hedgehog proud.
“What an interesting scene!”
“Where is this? Ah!”
As I looked around, I spotted Hong Ran and Jeon Gil-san, who seemed unconscious. We were on the highest floor of the tea house.
Right! I remembered now. I had been subdued by Gi-mun Hyang-ju!
My last memory before passing out came flooding back.
Was Hong Ran struggling for breath because of the gag, or was it the impact from being flung to the floor just before Gi-mun Hyang-ju walked in that made her faint?
Upon seeing that, Gi-mun Hyang-ju flew into a rage without giving me a chance to explain. With a loud screech, I was sent soaring through the air.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine.”
Fortunately, upon checking, I found no injuries. Gi-mun Hyang-ju nodded at my response and took another puff from his pipe.
Huh…
“Ha ha. Gi-mun Hyang-ju…?”
Something about the atmosphere felt off. Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s expression was like that of a veteran looking at a mischievous rookie who had caused a big accident.
It seemed he was trying to scold me rationally but wanted to calm down first.
“I’ve seen all manner of trouble as I’ve lived my life.”
“It’s a misunderstanding! I was just trying to stop her from—”
“Two men overpowered one courtesan and gagged her, binding her hands and feet. Any kid under my care would want to end their life in despair.”
…
I couldn’t argue that point. I could feel the unfairness welling up within me.
Huh… If it weren’t for you, I would’ve believed you were truly trying to cross the line into dangerous territory.
I saw Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s gaze through the mist, still full of faith in me.
“There’s a complicated backstory here.”
“Fine. Tell me what kind of chaos made you create this mess.”
Desperate to clear up the misunderstanding, I began my explanation.
—
“I came here at the request of the inspector.”
“I heard that girl is pregnant with the inspector’s child.”
“I thought there might be some undisclosed details regarding that, so I came to hear more, but I never imagined things would escalate like this.”
I looked at Hong Ran as if to emphasize how unfair this was.
“It’s not the first time boys couldn’t control themselves. Once a flower falls, you must treat it with care.”
Bringing in a delicate girl in the early stages of pregnancy was nothing short of reckless. Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s scrutinizing gaze pinned me down.
“How did you end up here, Gi-mun Hyang-ju? As far as I know, Hae-wol Ru doesn’t belong to you.”
Gi-mun Hyang-ju does own several tea houses, including the most renowned Hua Yue Lou in Wuhan, but Hae-wol Ru is not among them.
“I came after hearing you were causing a ruckus at Hae-wol Ru during a gathering with the other ladies. And the sight I saw was just as I expected.”
Ha ha.
So, Gi-mun Hyang-ju was attending a meeting where Hae-wol Ru’s owner was mentioned.
“Right. Thinking about it, I might have overreacted.”
“It’s all right. It was a situation where anyone could misinterpret things. By the way, Gi-mun Hyang-ju, I think Hae-wol Ru’s owner is getting up to something.”
If Hong Ran was not at fault, then the only one left was Hae-wol Ru’s owner. I waved my hands dismissively at Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s apologetic expression and continued.
“There’s no scheme really, just trying to profit by selling her at a high price. It’s only natural she’ll need to pay a price since the flower was plucked before it could be bought.”
“No! That’s…!”
From behind, a strained voice, almost as if being squeezed, denied Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s words.
“Hong Ran?”
“Are you awake?”
Hong Ran struggled to her knees, trying to gather herself.
“You’re calling this a crime?! No way! It’s a huge misunderstanding!”
“A misunderstanding? Are you siding with the man who plucked the flower?”
Gi-mun Hyang-ju scoffed in disbelief.
“That’s not it! If anything, my older brother did absolutely nothing wrong!”
Hong Ran looked as if she might burst into tears any moment under Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s gaze.
“Seems like there’s more to this than I thought. Speak.”
I was curious too. If the inspector was innocent, what on earth was going on with her?
So, was it a plot between Hae-wol Ru’s owner and Hong Ran? Or was it Hae-wol Ru’s owner’s scheme? How did this situation unfold?
With trembling eyes, Hong Ran bit her lips hard, staring at Gi-mun Hyang-ju before finally speaking.
“The truth is…”
“The truth is?”
“I… I assaulted my older brother.”
What?
—
“Every day felt like a struggle to survive. Every time I went to the tea house, I thought it would be better to just jump off. But on one of those days, I met my older brother.”
A stream of love watered the dying flower.
“Only he treated me genuinely. Not as a courtesan, but as a woman.”
Jeong Mun-won had treated her like a younger sister from his hometown, but perhaps that made it more complicated for her.
“He promised to grant me a miracle if things went well, but honestly, I didn’t believe that. I only wished my connection with my older brother would last.”
Memories from when she was undercover. When the inspector was on the verge of being dismissed, he had consoled her. Love unmistakably bloomed on Hong Ran’s face.
“Not long ago, my older brother visited me looking more suave than usual. He succeeded in capturing the head of the branch. I should be congratulating him, but I was too scared.”
Her happy expression didn’t last long.
“Scared?”
Hong Ran nodded at Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s comment, her voice trembling as she continued.
“The other girls at the tea house were saying the inspector was going to be taken to the capital. Then he’d probably be with more beautiful courtesans. Would he even remember someone like me? I understood the jealousy veiled in their words, but it was hard to shake off.”
Tsk. So that’s why you acted out?
“Because he’s responsible. If I could spend just one night with him secretly, he wouldn’t be able to abandon me. But I never thought… not after just one night…”
Tears brimmed in her eyes.
“The child is real.”
“It’s all my fault! I made him desire me and did this to him! My older brother is truly innocent!”
“You always learn to be careful! And yet, you did that?!”
“I don’t care what happens to me. It’s my fault. I can’t let my foolishness ruin my older brother’s life! Please, at least my older brother… sob, sob.”
Finally, tears streamed down Hong Ran’s face, and she broke down into uncontrollable sobs, unable to continue.
“…Get out.”
—
“Love is a forbidden fruit for courtesans. No matter how long you teach them, it’s useless. Ha…”
A bitter sigh escaped Gi-mun Hyang-ju as thick smoke surrounded him.
“The inspector is quite a decent man, though.”
He gives off the scent of a widower, and you could imagine him waking up on a fold-out bed, having a hangover soup before heading back to work, yet he seems loyal to home.
“It’s like all men are the same, missing the point completely. They just want to show off their goods while spending money right in front of you, making assumptions.”
“The inspector is trying to save her until the end, so this time might be different.”
…
A sharp gaze was suddenly focused on me.
“Ha ha.”
My apologies. Gi-mun Hyang-ju must have his own struggles, so I failed to gauge the mood.
Gi-mun Hyang-ju sighed softly at my laughter and looked at me.
“I understand the chaos you caused at Hae-wol Ru, and the circumstances between the two involved. So, what do you want to do about it?”
“Well, if possible…”
Can I have it for free?
“If you think you can brush it over with some niceties, don’t even start that conversation.”
…
Found out.
“It takes over a decade to raise a snotty kid to become a proper courtesan. Didn’t you realize how challenging it is to drop a single girl in the past six months?”
That sounded rather tough.
“How about just a third of what the miracle costs?”
“That won’t do. Whether the flower was forcibly plucked or willingly offered its neck, if you make an exception, it’ll only lead to more chaos. Regardless of the circumstances, they must pay the price.”
“Gi-mun Hyang-ju.”
Please, I looked at him with earnest eyes, but Gi-mun Hyang-ju subtly averted his gaze and continued.
“Strictly speaking, the owner of Hae-wol Ru is the victim here. There aren’t many courtesans as valuable as Hong Ran in Hae-wol Ru, and losing her would be a significant blow to the already shaky establishment.”
He was right on the money.
I was hoping for a plot twist, but alas. Given the clear blunders made by both parties, there wasn’t much I could argue in logic.
Was there no alternative?
“This courtesan has already tried to take her own life once. Allowing her to remain in this state would bring no benefit to Hae-wol Ru.”
“That’s not unusual.”
Was Gi-mun Hyang-ju just one of countless courtesan cases? My appeal to compassion was swiftly stifled.
“I’d like to meet the owner of Hae-wol Ru. I want to discuss this directly with her.”
Gi-mun Hyang-ju, please let me take part in negotiations. I’ll find a way to deal with the owner.
“She ran away.”
A tone full of disappointment rolled off Gi-mun Hyang-ju’s lips.
“What?”
“She claimed she couldn’t face you because of your growing fame.”
Ha ha…
Running away without being caught in a headlock—what a coward!
“Since you’re not keen on giving up, I do have a proposal.”
Despite my awkward laughter, I seemed determined not to give up, which might have prompted Gi-mun Hyang-ju to take a drag from his pipe and offer a proposal.
“A proposal?”
“I can’t make the crime disappear. However, I’ll let you know the terms under which both parties can make concessions.”
—
“Ouch, my back.”
In the office of the main branch near Hae-wol Ru, Jeon Gil-san lay on a bed in one corner, groaning in pain.
“Are you okay?”
“I can’t say it hasn’t been unfair, but there aren’t any serious injuries. I’ll take good memories over pain.”
“Good memories?”
Jeon Gil-san sparkled at my question.
“Who would’ve thought the famous Hua Yue Lou owner would lay another man down on her lap? If anyone knew her as the top courtesan in Hubei twenty years ago, they’d probably faint!”
Did you see that too?
That guy pretended to be knocked out until I got up.
“How do you know her?”
Jeon Gil-san regarded me like a colleague who had discovered a secret office romance.
“I got to know her through Im Ha-yeon’s incident.”
Let’s avoid grandma-level weird imaginations.
“It’s more than a friendly chat, isn’t it…? Anyway, what did Hua Yue Lou say? Was it the fault of the inspector or Hong Ran?”
The proposal from Gi-mun Hyang-ju was straightforward.
“They’ll discount the penalty threefold. You either take your money or don’t.”
“Take it back?”
“She says both the inspector and Hong Ran were at fault, but they won’t stiff you on the fine.”
Out of respect for Hong Ran’s wishes, Gi-mun Hyang-ju would return all the money entrusted by the inspector if she wanted. Not a bad offer considering the two were at fault.
The only problem was…
“That’s great! It’s a chance to clear a name from the ledger, isn’t it? Let’s convince the inspector to get the money back right away.”
“Do you think the inspector will do that? He’ll probably ask for a loan instead.”
Meaning the inspector wouldn’t be getting any money back.
“Is that so? So, is the inspector’s case over here?”
“Perhaps. Do we end it here…? But something feels off.”
Since their wrongdoings had been revealed, I had no other recourse.
It was nice to resolve the matter in less than a day, but it would have been better if I could get the inspector’s problem settled and recoup the funds too.
Such a shame.
“Club leader, sorry for interrupting, but we just received urgent news from the Yichang print shop.”
One of the newly appointed staff hesitantly approached me.
“What’s going on?”
“The paper supplier in Wuhan is delaying shipments. Since we use a lot of paper, it seems they’ve plotted to raise the price.”
“Have you looked into other suppliers?”
“I don’t think that’s a possibility.”
Jeon Gil-san shook his head.
“Huh?”
“There are several paper mills in Wuhan, and they’ve likely colluded to raise prices. No matter where you go, it’ll be the same.”
This was a crucial remark for the heir of Man Geum Bookstore.
“That’s true. There isn’t any other place that can supply the same quality and quantity as our current supplier. I wanted to ask what we should do.”
“They think they can take hostages since we’re making good money.”
The paper produced at Wuhan was of high quality and a competitive price, which was transported to Yichang via waterway. The Seocheon Post Office made it even cheaper by covering the shipping costs.
With Da-seo-gak doing well, I’d have to buy it at a reasonable price. But taking raw materials hostage was troublesome.
Huh? Wait, hostage?
A fleeting thought from Man Geum-jeon crossed my mind.
“Wait a moment.”
I might have a plan.
“Why do you want to visit the paper mill?”
“Not for that. Have the inspector come over.”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s about the courtesans. I think we might have something worth pursuing.”
I wasn’t ready to give up yet!
