Surviving as Jang Hee-bin's Child Court Lady - Chapter 89

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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 89. The Squirrel and the Wolf
I fell silent for a moment.
The hollow despair of discovering that finding Hwang Jin-gi—which I’d thought would be resolved by meeting Park Moon-soo—had slipped back into mystery weighed heavily on me.
I pressed my lips together, lost in thought.
What I could reasonably assume at this point was that Hwang Jin-gi had likely left Hanyang.
It wasn’t Park Moon-soo’s fault.
After all, it was I myself who had mentioned coming from another province.
I owed Park Moon-soo an enormous debt of gratitude.
Had he not pursued me all the way to Dongmyo and revealed the truth, I wouldn’t even have known that my brother was alive.
‘I’ve made a mess of things by spouting nonsense.’
Yet I couldn’t afford to spend all my time blaming myself.
Time was not a luxury I possessed in abundance.
Within the time I was permitted, I needed to extract as much information about Hwang Jin-gi as possible.
That was my objective for today.
“Didn’t my brother mention where he was headed? A region, or at least a direction….”
“It’s regrettable, but he said nothing of the sort.”
“Or perhaps where he was staying in Hanseong….”
“Unfortunately, he didn’t mention that either.”
Park Moon-soo shook his head with a troubled expression.
“Your brother spoke of nothing except searching for his younger sister. Since we happened to meet on the road, I didn’t feel right pressing him for details….”
….
I nodded silently.
Park Moon-soo, renowned throughout his life for his righteousness and chivalrous spirit.
Though he spoke in an oddly formal manner that I could never quite get used to, his actions on my behalf thus far revealed his admirable character.
The Royal Palace was a place most people would struggle to see even once in a lifetime.
Yet how easy was it for someone to freely give their time for another’s sake?
I could only reach one conclusion.
“So what you’re saying is, my brother most likely left Hanyang and went to another province.”
“That would be the reasonable assumption.”
“But we can’t know whether that province is Gyeonggi Province, Chungcheong Province, or Pyongan Province.”
Park Moon-soo, who had been thinking for a moment, spoke up.
“What if we tried to narrow down the region? Your brother firmly believed you had been sold to a gisaeng house. So if he left Hanyang, wouldn’t he have gone to a region famous for such establishments?”
“Ah….”
It was a logical deduction.
He hadn’t earned his reputation as a secret royal inspector for nothing, it seemed.
“Which regions are famous for gisaeng houses….”
I hadn’t really directed the question at Park Moon-soo, but he shook his head firmly.
“Despite how dignified I may appear, I’m only ten years old. I know nothing about gisaeng houses.”
Ah, that’s right.
Even seeing his youthful face, I often forgot he was just a child, so firmly had the name “Secret Inspector Park Moon-soo” been etched into my mind.
My elderly manner of speech certainly played a part in that too.
In any case, unlike Park Moon-soo who was still only ten, I possessed a general knowledge of all Joseon.
If I were to name regions historically famous for gisaeng…
‘The gisaeng of Jinju and Pyongyang were the most renowned, and Haeju and Uiju also had considerable fame.’
Sigh.
Narrowing down the region seemed utterly pointless.
Jinju, Pyongyang, Haeju, and Uiju were all impossibly distant places.
‘Could Hwang Jin-gi really have traveled all that way?’
I imagined Hwang Jin-gi’s appearance based on the stories I had heard from Park Moon-soo and others over time.
A boy with a towering height.
Someone who blended well with warriors.
And the blood of the Chuk clan flowing through both him and me, which was certain…
‘He probably doesn’t look like an ordinary fourteen-year-old.’
Now that I thought about it, I had forgotten to ask something important.
“Young Nobleman.”
“Hmm?”
“What does my older brother look like?”
“Your older brother? Why are you asking me that?”
“I can’t remember his face. We parted when I was so young that nothing comes to mind. Don’t I need to know at least his distinctive features so I can recognize him later?”
“Ah… well… I see. So you’re saying you don’t remember your older brother at all. Sigh… my heart aches…”
“You’re forbidden from aching.”
“…Understood.”
Park Moon-soo closed his eyes gently, as if trying to recall memories.
“He had quite a striking appearance. So much so that you couldn’t help but notice him. His face looked like he hadn’t yet reached his twenties, but he was easily six feet tall or more.”
Ah… so he inherited the warrior’s build after all.
“His eyebrows were thick as if drawn with ink… Ah. His nose bridge was remarkably high. Even though he was crying, his gaze was extraordinary, and his lips were unusually red…”
…What is this.
Did you fall for my older brother?
Park Moon-soo, who had been rambling on, let out a small cough.
“In any case, he was quite the handsome man. With such bold facial features, even if you can’t remember him now, I think you’d recognize him immediately if you met.”
“…I hope so.”
“Regardless, he looks nothing like you. If you’re a squirrel, then your older brother is a tiger? No, that’s not right. A very fierce wolf. Yes, that suits him better.”
“…”
Having already accepted my own squirrel-like fate, I didn’t protest the comparison.
I simply fell into thought for a moment.
Handsome. Tall with thick eyebrows.
A prominent nose bridge and an intense gaze…
‘Hwang Jin-gi… perhaps he resembles my older brother.’
Everything Park Moon-soo described sounded like he was depicting my brother from my past life.
Of course, it was an absurd thought.
“In any case… my heart feels unsettled. Ah, but please don’t forbid me from saying this. I speak with complete sincerity.”
“What’s troubling your heart, sir?”
“Because I carelessly let slip those words, your older brother’s whereabouts have become unknown… and that weighs on me.”
“How is that your fault, Young Nobleman? The fault lies with me for not revealing that I was a palace maid from the start.”
Park Moon-soo, who had been gazing at me intently, broke into a gentle smile.
“You… possess a rare and admirable nature—one that does not blame others. Such integrity in a child is uncommon. You are honest, sincere, and forthright….”
I realized far too late that I should have forbidden that particular habit of speech from the beginning, but I held my tongue for now.
“Is there anything else you wish to ask? If you have any requests of me, speak them.”
“A request… well….”
Now that Hwang Jin-gi’s whereabouts had become unknown.
Was there truly anything I could ask of Park Moon-soo…?
“Ah. There is one thing, actually.”
“Tell me.”
“Young Nobleman. Do you have a good memory?”
“Excellent! I read the Elementary Learning at four years old, mastered the Analects and Mencius by six, and by seven I had already completed the Doctrine of the Mean….”
“That’s sufficient.”
I cut off his words with absolute decisiveness.
“If I give you the location of my house, could you go there and leave a letter for me? You need only fold it carefully and tuck it into the gap between the floorboards.”
“That is hardly any trouble at all.”
I gave Park Moon-soo the location of the house where I had lived.
“What should I write in the letter?”
“Well….”
What should I write?
I paused to think for a moment.
“Hwang Bong-bong. A young maid at Chwisuondang in Changgyeong Palace. And….”
I spoke the most important words with deliberate clarity.
“You must come find me.”
***
Even after our lengthy conversation, I still had some time remaining.
Though my schedule was tight, I decided to follow through with my original plan to show Park Moon-soo around Changgyeong Palace.
“You must have entered through Hongwhamun, so naturally you passed Myeongjeong Hall. Have you seen Munjeong Hall?”
“I have. My uncle kindly allowed me to explore its interior as well.”
I fell into brief contemplation.
Young as I was, I could hardly show an outsider the quarters of the royal concubines.
Then a splendid idea suddenly occurred to me.
“Young Nobleman, would you like to see the Geumwi Military Guard Station?”
“Oh. The Geumwi Military Guard Station—isn’t that where soldiers gather?”
“Yes. There will be horses and Gold Guards there. Come along.”
I myself didn’t know much about the Geumwi Military Guard Station.
I had only passed by it once or twice.
But boys Park Moon-soo’s age were invariably fascinated by anything resembling military games.
It was as I was leading Park Moon-soo toward the southeastern section of Changgyeong Palace.
I spotted a familiar face approaching me from a distance.
“…Bong-bong, what brings you to this area?”
“Prince Yeonning, my greetings to you.”
I bowed respectfully to Prince Yeonning.
Now that I thought about it, it had been quite some time since we last met.
‘He must be absorbed in preparations for Sungkyunkwan entrance, so he has no leisure time for idle wandering.’
Prince Yeonning was scheduled to enter Sungkyunkwan next year.
True to his reputation as this district’s logic master, Prince Yeonning was frantically occupied with advanced studies.
For me, this was most welcome news.
“However…”
Prince Yeonning opened his mouth with a displeased expression.
“Who is that Young Nobleman standing awkwardly behind you—the one who, even if you wiped your eyes clean, shows not a shred of courtesy?”
This was a crisis.
It seemed Park Moon-soo had failed to greet him properly, offending the logic master’s sensibilities.
“I beg your pardon, Prince Yeonning. I am Park Moon-soo, a scholar of the Park Family. I was so startled to encounter a presence I could scarcely have imagined in my narrow understanding that I committed a grave discourtesy. I humbly beseech your forgiveness, your magnanimity, and your forbearance of my inadequacies…”
…I watched it clearly.
Prince Yeonning’s eyes growing wider and wider as he listened to Park Moon-soo’s verbose apology.
‘He was taken aback.’
The fastidious loudmouth of the palace had met the eloquent loudmouth of the outside world with his eyes gleaming softly—of course he would be startled.
‘But I hope this doesn’t turn into mutual disdain between kindred spirits.’
I was watching Prince Yeonning with equal parts worry and anticipation.
“Ho. Your eloquence is truly remarkable. Such fluent speech that reveals profound learning. Your name is Park Moon-soo?”
…What?
Prince Yeonning seemed to have taken a liking to Park Moon-soo.
“I am honored beyond measure by your words, Prince Yeonning. Yes, I am the nephew of Lee Tae-jwa, librarian of the Crown Prince’s Institute, and my great-grandfather served as Minister of Personnel during the reign of King Hyeonjong…”
The conversation between the two loudmouths showed no signs of stopping.
It was then that a fact I had carelessly forgotten suddenly came to mind.
‘Park Moon-soo’s activities as a secret royal inspector took place during King Yeongjo’s reign. Park Moon-soo was a retainer whom King Yeongjo held in extraordinarily high regard….’
Could it be that the meeting between these two was accelerated because of me?
The encounter between the two boys was certainly a fascinating event.
However, there was a grave problem for me….
‘My ears feel like they’re about to bleed. I desperately need earplugs.’
What demanded my immediate concern was not the altered flow of history I had caused, but my own precarious hearing.

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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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