Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 71

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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 71. Hwang Bong-bong’s Fight
“…Hwang Bong-bong?”
The young boy echoed the name back.
Hwang Bong-bong, was it?
It was certainly an unusual name.
Yet I could not deny that it bore a striking resemblance to “Hwang Bong-mok.”
“What did this child look like?”
“Her eyes were remarkably large. Her cheeks were rosy and chubby—quite adorable, really—and her lips were perfectly pouty. She looked just like a squirrel.”
Park Moon-soo’s face softened into a vacant smile as he described Hwang Bong-bong’s appearance.
But the young boy had gone rigid, his breath caught in his throat.
Large eyes. Plump cheeks.
A four-year-old girl resembling a squirrel.
Could this “Hwang Bong-bong” truly be Bong-mok…?
Park Moon-soo continued, his grin widening foolishly.
“In all my ten years, I’d never met a child with such a gift for words. And so clever, so sharp—her age seemed impossible! But that’s not all—her skill with a slingshot was nothing short of miraculous!”
“….”
The boy’s mouth fell open.
Confusion crashed over him in waves.
The description of the child’s appearance matched his sister perfectly.
But….
‘A gift for words? And she used a slingshot…?’
The boy shook his head.
His sister Hwang Bong-mok was a timid child who grew shy around strangers.
She had never even touched a slingshot in her life.
“It must be…. a different child with a similar name. My sister was nothing like that.”
“Ah…. I see. I had hoped, but it seems not. My apologies, brother.”
Tsk, tsk.
Park Moon-soo clicked his tongue like an old man, then suddenly slapped his knee.
“Ah! That’s right! There was something peculiar about Hwang Bong-bong. Between her wrist and elbow, there was a red mark—shaped just like a flower petal….”
That was the moment.
The boy shot to his feet as if propelled by springs.
Park Moon-soo stared at him in bewilderment.
The boy’s pupils had dilated to twice their normal size.
His lips trembled uncontrollably.
He thrust his face inches from Park Moon-soo’s.
“Where did you see her?”
“What…?”
“My sister! You said she had a red mark. That girl you called Hwang Bong-bong—where did you see her?!”
Park Moon-soo blinked in alarm before managing to respond.
“On Yukjo Street. But it was long ago…. It was spring then, so perhaps a hundred days have passed?”
“A hundred days…?”
“Indeed. That child, Hwang Bong-bong, was dressed in the finest silk. She looked quite wealthy. A maidservant attended her, addressing her respectfully as ‘young lady.'”
“A maidservant…?”
The mystery only deepened.
He had distinctly heard that his sister had been sold to a gisaeng house.
Yet the title “young lady” was used only in the households of the nobility.
Fine silk garments and a maidservant—what could this possibly mean?
“But elder brother, that child said she wasn’t from Hanseong.”
“…What did you say?”
At the young boy’s question, Park Moon-soo nodded with a pitying expression.
“I asked which household’s daughter she was, since I owed them a debt of gratitude. She said she wasn’t from Hanseong but had come from far away. Perhaps she belongs to a prestigious gisaeng house in another region?”
“If she came from far away, where could it be?”
“That, I don’t know either.”
“….”
The young boy stared blankly at Park Moon-soo, then covered his face with both hands.
Thump.
He collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given way.
“If that’s the case…. If Hwang Bong-mok is somewhere other than Hanseong….”
The young boy bit his trembling lips.
“Where do I search for her? How can I find Hwang Bong-mok….”
“….”
Park Moon-soo watched the boy in silence.
Park Moon-soo blinked slowly.
Park Moon-soo was an orphan.
A foundling with no siblings whatsoever.
His parents had passed away long ago, so he lived in his uncle’s household.
For someone like Park Moon-soo, it was not easy to understand the anguish of a boy desperately searching for his sister.
And yet….
The loss of family.
In a world where everyone had parents, siblings, and blood relatives, the isolation of standing alone—he knew this feeling all too well.
Park Moon-soo understood it better than anyone.
“…You will find her.”
Park Moon-soo spoke quietly.
“What does it matter if she’s not in Hanseong? Search through all Eight Provinces of Joseon if you must. Isn’t that right, elder brother? You will surely find her. Don’t lose heart like this.”
“….”
“Tsk. If it were me, I wouldn’t waste time sitting here—I’d already be out searching for my sister!”
The young boy stared blankly at Park Moon-soo.
“…Yes.”
The young boy murmured.
Words spoken not to Park Moon-soo, but as if to himself.
The young boy clenched his fists and rose from his seat.
“Yes. I can find them.”
I will find you no matter what.
I will keep my promise.
“Elder brother, when you find my younger sibling, please contact me without fail. I am Park Moon-soo, the nephew of Lee Tae-jwa through my mother’s side! Without fail, I promise!”
The young boy nodded silently.
“But surely you should at least tell me your name before you go?”
Park Moon-soo called out to the departing boy’s back.
The tall young boy turned his head.
“My name is Hwang Jin-gi.”
With those words, the young boy Hwang Jin-gi rapidly disappeared from Park Moon-soo’s sight.
***
Jang Hee-bin, having returned to Chwisuondang, had barricaded herself in her private chamber.
A strict order had been issued that no one was to disturb her, as she wished to rest quietly.
The palace maids, who had been holding their breath watching Jang Hee-bin’s mood, finally let loose the frustration they had been suppressing.
“No matter if she is the Queen, this is too much. That position was ours just a few years ago! And yet she dares call us deceitful, says we paint our faces… This is infuriating!”
“Even the high ministers and judges rarely use the word ‘concubine’ in front of her, yet how can she be so disrespectful?”
“Did you see how stiff-necked those Inner Palace attendants were? I swear, I wanted to tear out their hair.”
“And that great official who claims to be the Queen’s brother—the way he tramples down on Jang Hee-bin is like watching a viper strike! Absolutely venomous!”
For a long while, the conversation continued with the maids condemning the Queen.
The palace maids of Chwisuondang had shared life and death with Jang Hee-bin.
They were the very people who had witnessed not only the days when Jang Hee-bin was queen, but also the moment she was demoted to concubine.
The maids of Chwisuondang, demoted from Inner Palace attendants to concubine’s servants, felt the same pain that Jang Hee-bin experienced in her sudden fall to concubine status.
“….”
I quietly distanced myself from the maids venting their rage.
Sitting in the corner, my heart felt strangely heavy.
I felt anger too.
I was deeply furious at the disrespect Jang Hee-bin had endured.
I understood Jang Hee-bin’s pain.
The desolation of having to bow one’s head before the woman who had taken everything one once possessed.
Yet at the same time, I also understood Queen Min.
A life consumed by a terrible illness that ate away at body and mind, filled with the fear of being deposed again.
This contradiction of understanding both left my heart in turmoil.
The feud between Jang Hee-bin and Queen Inhyeon, spoken of throughout history for centuries.
Yet that feud was nothing but an illusion.
For in truth, the real protagonists of this struggle were not them.
King Sukjong.
He was the true protagonist of this struggle, the one who manipulated the court by favoring Jang Hee-bin at times and Queen Min at others.
As a student of history, I had held a critical view of King Sukjong.
But as Hwang Bong-bong living this life, my heart grew complicated whenever I thought of the King.
The more time I spent by his side, the more I discovered his humanity, and the more conflicted I became.
At this moment, the King was my steadfast shield.
Yet simultaneously, he was the sword that might cut down me and those I had come to love.
He was a ruthless monarch who had built his reign upon the backs of women as mere instruments, and yet a fragile human who revealed his regrets before a child.
‘But I cannot remain torn like this forever.’
I had to be cold.
If necessary, I had to be biased.
I am Hwang Bong-bong, a palace maid living in this era.
I could not live as a detached observer, understanding and empathizing with everyone.
Because I shared the same boat as Jang Hee-bin.
And….
Because I had come to love Jang Hee-bin and the people of Chwisuondang.
I recalled the various figures around me.
Queen Min, Suk-bin Choi, Gwi-in Kim, Min Jin-won, and even Suk-jeong, whose whereabouts remained unknown.
‘They are my enemies.’
Jang Hee-bin, the palace maids of Chwisuondang, the Crown Prince, Suk-ui Park.
‘These are clearly my allies….’
And then there was King Sukjong, the final boss of this inscrutable world.
He was someone I absolutely had to make my ally by any means necessary.
Finally, Prince Yeonning and Yi Hwon….
Whether they would be allies or enemies remained unclear, but they were people I needed to avoid making into enemies if possible.
And so I made my decision.
I was no longer a history student observing the era from the sidelines—I was now a character on this stage.
Just as Min Jin-won had published a book called “Danam Manrok,” filled with the arguments of the Noron, so too must Hwang Bong-bong’s struggle be.
I could not defeat my opponent through fair and objective means.
Only through a biased struggle—one for Jang Hee-bin alone.
That was the path I had to walk.
“Bong-bong, where are you going?”
“Just taking a brief walk.”
Leaving Seol-hyang’s question behind, I departed Chwisuondang.
My pace quickened with each step.
Before I knew it, I had crossed into Changdeok Palace from Changgyeong Palace, and my feet came to a halt at—
Hee-jeong Hall.
Where the Royal Chambers, the King’s residence, stood.

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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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