Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 50

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 50. Departure!
For several days, the atmosphere throughout the Royal Palace had been unsettled.
It was the aftermath of the incident at Sung-gyeong Hall.
Chwisuondang, too, had fallen silent.
The King, who had left promising to visit within days, never came.
It was unavoidable.
With such a grave incident—his son nearly poisoned—he could hardly frequent the concubines’ quarters.
Though the truth was buried with the death of the Gwon Maid, that death alone resolved nothing.
The palace maids of Sung-gyeong Hall became the focal point of a merciless purge.
Yun Sang-gung and the other palace maids, along with the nursemaids, were dragged to Geumbu and subjected to brutal torture.
The reason: to determine whether they were complicit with the Gwon Maid.
Only after Suk-ui Park, despite her frail health, made the arduous journey to the Royal Chambers to plead for mercy were the maids of Sung-gyeong Hall finally released.
The fire at Chwisuondang, followed by the bloodshed at Sung-gyeong Hall.
Naturally, every palace maid was seized with terror.
Days passed as if walking on thin ice.
I, too, had been consumed by anxiety for some time.
With Chwisuondang’s atmosphere so bleak, groundless fear crept in relentlessly.
The King never returned to Chwisuondang.
Unable to bear her anxiety, Jang Hee-bin eventually established a shrine and began cursing the Queen.
Would history truly unfold as written, with Jang Hee-bin and the maids of Chwisuondang meeting their deaths?
Thus passed several joyless days.
“Hwang Bong-bong! Are you just going to lie there drooping forever?”
Early morning.
Seol-hyang’s voice rang out sharply as she suddenly snatched away the blanket I’d been huddled under.
“Just a bit longer, please…”
“No! Bong-bong, how long are you going to mope around like this? Everyone’s spirits are flagging because our precious treasure is wilting away. Where did the bright, cheerful Bong-bong go?”
“Mm…”
…Was that true?
Had I really been wandering about in such a gloomy state these past days?
I felt a pang of guilt toward Seol-hyang, who was trying so hard to lift my spirits.
I forced the corners of my mouth upward and smiled brightly.
“I’m fine, really. What’s the matter?”
At the sight of my smile, Seol-hyang’s face finally brightened.
“My goodness. Our little treasure is quite the schemer, aren’t you? Anyway, Bong-bong. Go wash up and get dressed!”
Washing, dressing, eating, and beginning the day’s duties as a palace maid—it was all perfectly ordinary.
…But Seol-hyang.
Why did she seem so suspiciously excited?
“I’ve brought the washwater! Hurry and wash up!”
Dragged along by Seol-hyang, I had to endure the indignity of washing my face hastily and even having my nose wiped with a snort.
Just as I was reaching for my maid’s jeogori as I always did, after drying my face with cloth…
In a flash, Seol-hyang snatched my jeogori away from me.
“Not that one. You need to wear this. This one!”
“Huh?”
I stared blankly at the jeogori Seol-hyang held out to me.
It was a garment I’d never seen before.
Which meant it wasn’t a Palace Maid’s uniform.
A pink jeogori and pale blue skirt—the kind an ordinary child might wear, though admittedly far more refined than what a common child would don.
“What is all this about this outfit?”
“What do you mean? It’s your clothes.”
“…My clothes?”
“That’s right. Jang Hee-bin is giving it to you as a special gift. She said with everything so unsettled lately, even you seemed to have grown anxious, and it pained her to see it.”
“…”
My eyes widened as I gazed upon the exquisite fabric.
“Go on, touch it. It’s silk. And not just any silk—the finest silk that came all the way from Qing.”
“Wow…”
Was this what they called damask silk?
The sensation I could only ever feel from Jang Hee-bin’s own garments—that silken smoothness that seemed to melt beneath my fingertips—spread across my skin.
“And that’s not all! Look at this!”
What Seol-hyang held up were a decorative dangle ornament for the crown of the head and a small child’s trinket.
‘All of this is mine?’
Though I always claimed to have no desire for material things, after seeing nothing but the same Palace Maid uniforms day after day, the sight of this new silk dress made my eyes light up.
“Come on, let’s get you dressed!”
Seol-hyang unfolded the jeogori.
“But why am I wearing this now?”
“Why, you ask?”
Seol-hyang, practically bursting with excitement, tapped my back.
“Today is the day our little blessing and I are going outside the Palace! So you have to wear it!”
“Outside?”
My eyes widened at this unexpected announcement.
“That’s right. I already got permission from Jang Hee-bin and Han Sang-gung, and I have our pass. Did you forget? Today is my day off.”
“Oh…”
Only then did I remember that Seol-hyang had requested time off for Lunar New Year and mentioned she’d be visiting her home today.
“So hurry and get dressed. While we’re at it, let’s go see the marketplace and buy lots of delicious things to eat.”
An outing, she said.
I was utterly bewildered.
Since I began living as Hwang Bong-bong in this world called Joseon, I had never once stepped outside the Royal Palace.
My entire world had been the distance between Chwisuondang and Jeoseungjeon.
The farthest I’d ever ventured was to the Back Garden or occasionally to Hee-jeong Hall.
‘That’s right. I’ve been living here completely forgetting that an outside world even exists…’
The bewilderment was fleeting.
My heart swelled in an instant.
My chest fluttered with the joy of finally stepping out into the world.
Not the grand and ornate Royal Palace, but the humble world where common folk lived their lives.
I was so desperately curious about it that I could barely contain myself.
But that aside.
Since I was going outside anyway….
I scurried over to Han Sang-gung.
“Han Sang-gung.”
“Yes, child. My goodness, our Hwang Bong-bong. You look just like a precious daughter from a noble household now.”
Han Sang-gung’s expression was deeply satisfied as she looked at me in my pink jeogori and pale blue skirt.
“Hehe. Thank you, madam. But I was wondering… while I’m out, could I visit my home?”
“Your home…? As you know, there shouldn’t be anyone there.”
“Still, I’m a bit curious….”
Han Sang-gung’s eyes narrowed as she watched me trail off.
She seemed to have misunderstood that I was missing my family.
In truth, it wasn’t that I missed my family—I was simply curious.
“So could you tell me where my house is? I don’t remember well….”
“Of course. I’ll give Seol-hyang detailed directions to your home.”
“Thank you, madam.”
This was a good opportunity.
I had questions about my own identity because of what the King said about some surname or other.
It wouldn’t be bad to visit ‘Hwang Bong-bong’s house’ while I had the chance.
If I was lucky, I might find some clues.
“Then I’ll be on my way.”
“Ah, Hwang Bong-bong. Take this. It’s a gift from Jang Hee-bin.”
“…Yes.”
The moment I accepted the silk pouch Han Sang-gung offered, I sensed it.
This wasn’t candy, medicine, or taffy—it was real coins!
Money!
I had money!
“Thank you so much!”
I spoke with a voice five times louder than usual, adding a respectful bow for good measure.
“Hwang Bong-bong, let’s go.”
“Yes, madam!”
I followed Seol-hyang, who had changed into plain clothes, and set off with a cheerful skip.
Where to?
Out into the world beyond the Royal Palace!
…When I stepped out of the Royal Palace in my new flower-patterned shoes, I never imagined.
That the world contained such a wonderfully diverse array of mad people.
***
Seol-hyang and I had quite a distance to cover.
We passed through Changgyeong Palace, beyond Gwanghwamun Gate, and all the way to Unjong Street past Yukjo Street—a long journey indeed.
Yet I felt invigorated.
The physical endurance I’d built through climbing in the Back Garden had become quite robust.
More than anything, I was too captivated by the vivid Joseon scenery I was encountering for the first time to feel fatigue.
True to its name—Unjong Street, meaning “where crowds gather like clouds”—the thoroughfare was astonishingly packed with people.
For someone accustomed to the quiet serenity of the Royal Palace, the sheer throng felt almost overwhelming.
Seol-hyang, gripping my hand firmly, navigated through the masses with surprising dexterity.
“Bong-bong, let’s buy some hwangjung taffy!”
“Yes! I’d love to!”
“Bong-bong, let’s get some okchundang too!”
“Yes! I’d love to!”
“Bong-bong, shall we try some hwajeon?”
“Yes, yes, yes!”
We decided to sample everything that looked interesting.
As a result, my belly grew distended despite it not being mealtime.
I was walking along, munching contentedly on snacks, when—
Gurgle—
‘…?’
An ominous sound emanating from very nearby.
“My lady, are you all right?”
“Ugh…”
The source of that sound was Seol-hyang’s stomach.
When I looked up at her face, it had gone pale as parchment.
“S-suddenly my stomach hurts terribly. Oh dear, this is dreadful…”
“Don’t you need to visit the outhouse?”
“Yes… ah…”
Seol-hyang hurriedly glanced around and led me beneath an ancient ginkgo tree that looked centuries old.
“Bong-bong, I need to visit the outhouse. You stay right here and don’t move. Understood?”
“Yes. Don’t worry.”
“And no matter who offers you something delicious, absolutely do not follow them…!”
Ah, so now even Seol-hyang saw me as a glutton.
Gurgle, gurgle—
“Ugh! I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere! You promised!”
Seol-hyang, her face ashen, rushed off toward the street lined with fabric shops and taverns.
‘Actually, this is rather convenient.’
Now alone, I had the leisure to observe my surroundings.
I watched the people around me with unhurried interest.
A kaleidoscope of humanity in all its variety.
Some strutted about in luxurious silk robes, while others begged in tattered rags.
Peddlers laden with bundles of goods piled high as mountains, as if performing feats of strength, wandered about hawking their wares alongside traveling merchants.
On one side, a gambling game was in full swing, while on another, haggling between merchants was in heated progress.
‘Sigh. My eyes are spinning.’
It seems I’ve become a true ‘Palace rustic’ who has perfectly adapted to Joseon.
As I was glancing about in all directions, the commotion around me intensified.
It appeared a disturbance had erupted at a small shell game being played nearby.
‘What’s happening?’
At that very moment, a thunderous, imperious voice suddenly rang out.
“This is unreasonable!”
Huh?
What on earth is that oddly extraordinary line?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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