Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 4 장: Off-Key

The morning was peaceful and quiet as Young Min sat at the table in his room, studying very scholarly things, and looking quite studious with his calligraphy brush in hand.  The book before him carefully outlined the Confucian Ethics, and he was in the middle of transcribing the Four Virtues to a separate page when there was a knock from the hallway.

“Enter,” Young Min called, setting the brush down and looking up to greet his visitor.

The door opened with a clatter and one of the male servants rushed in, bowing respectfully.

“What is it, Won Soo?” Young Min asked.

“Young master, there are rumors going around that you visited Lotus House last night!” Won Soo answered, voice trembling with barely-suppressed rage.  “How dare they say such things!  You would never do something so immoral!”

Frowning, Young Min stood up.  “Where did you hear this from?” he asked.

“I was going to the market to get some fresh vegetables, and a servant to the Gong family was talking about it to one of the vendors.  He says Gong Il Woo himself saw you leaving there this morning!  It’s nothing but a lie!  Why would he say that?”

At the mention of the Gong family, Young Min gave a sigh, finally understanding.  “No doubt Gong Il Woo is enacting his revenge on me for standing up to him the other day,” he explained.

Won Soo gave a horrified gasp.  “How could he dare to do such a thing?  Don’t worry, young master, there is no proof, and this respectable family holds more power than his.  There’s no way he could possibly succeed in ruining your reputation like this!”  The servant was practically shaking in outrage at the injustice.

Lips pressed into a firm line, Young Min slowly shook his head.  “There is always a way.  Because you are very loyal to my family, you forget that there are others who would be more easily persuaded with money.”

“You mean bribery?” Won Soo asked nervously.  He fidgeted, not liking where this conversation was headed.

“Yes.  In this case, if Il Woo thought things through carefully, he would have paid off at least two people—a gisaeng, to claim I was with her last night, and a servant of about my height, to don nobleman’s clothes and leave Lotus House in the direction of this estate.  If the servant hid his face well, anyone watching would have thought it was me, and Il Woo would have others’ testimonies to support this vicious rumor.”

“So we just have to find these two people and make them confess?” Won Soo said hopefully.

“It will not be easy,” Young Min warned.  “There may be others in on this plan who we do not yet know about.  For now, we must start with finding those two—the gisaeng and the servant.”

“But if you send someone to Lotus House, or even go there yourself, it would be as if you were confirming the rumor!” Won Soo objected.

“I am going to speak with Il Woo,” Young Min said.  “You will go to one of the rival gisaeng establishments to gather any information from the women there.  There must be someone who saw something.”

Won Soo bowed again and turned to leave, but Young Min had one more thing to say.

“Won Soo—tell the others that if anyone comes to visit, I am busy and not to be disturbed by any means.”  If anyone came to inquire about the rumor and found him missing, it might raise suspicion in Il Woo’s favor.

“Yes, young master.”  The door closed behind the faithful servant, and Young Min spun to pick up his hat and tie it firmly over his topknot.

Young Min made sure no one saw him leave, sticking to the shadows until he was on the main road.  Even there, he dipped the brim of his hat to hide his face when others passed.  No more than ten minutes later, he was standing in front of the gate to General Gong’s house.