Chapter 34
“A proper game requires wagering something.”
“…I have nothing to wager.”
“Let’s do this. If you win, I’ll grant you one wish.”
One wish—wasn’t that an extremely broad prize? Yun-seo imagined what wish he might make, then looked at Hwi with suspicious eyes.
“And if you win, my lord?”
“Then you must grant my wish.”
Considering the disparity in their ability to fulfill wishes, Yun-seo wondered if this was a fair bet. But Hwi wouldn’t overestimate him, so he likely wouldn’t ask for anything unreasonable.
“Fine. But let me go first.”
“Agreed.”
With Hwi’s ready acceptance, Yun-seo played the first tile and the game began.
Considerable time passed as he contemplated how to empty his hand while preventing his opponent from playing.
“I could plant a tree between your eyebrows.”
Yun-seo, deep in thought while holding his tiles, looked up at the voice tinged with amusement. Realizing that he was deeply furrowing his brow where Hwi was looking, he quickly rubbed between his eyebrows with his fingertips.
His heart fluttered at Hwi’s faint but gently curved eyes. Unable to concentrate, Yun-seo merely fidgeted with his fingers until the noise of men noisily entering and sitting behind them brought him back to his senses, and he played a tile.
“Hmph, they say robbing Peter to pay Paul will eventually collapse everything. Those who initially pay small interest and gradually increase it all think they’ll be able to repay diligently.”
“And there are shameless ones who go bankrupt and just lie down with nothing to pay.”
“For those too, there are methods.”
The meaningful laughter grated on his ears. The terms that popped up in their conversation were unfamiliar, but he could infer their meaning from context.
“Since you’ve found a new path, you have nothing to worry about now.”
“That’s right. There are plenty of sprouts on the field ridges.”
Sprouts on field ridges…? As Yun-seo pondered the man’s words, Hwi tapped the table with his fingertip.
“Even the wise make mistakes. Can you defeat me with that?”
His attention kept being drawn to the conversation behind him, making it difficult to focus. Since he needed to win to claim his wish, Yun-seo straightened his posture and examined his tiles again. Fortunately, the men changed topics, allowing him to concentrate on the game.
Tiles connected to other tiles, forming a snake-like line across the table. With only two tiles left in both Yun-seo’s and Hwi’s hands, the outcome would soon be decided.
Yun-seo stared intently at his remaining tiles, contemplating which to play first. If Hwi couldn’t connect to his tile, he could place both consecutively and win. He glanced at Hwi’s face, but his expressionless demeanor made it impossible to read anything.
From here, it’s up to luck. Yun-seo took a deep breath and played one tile. Hwi looked alternately at the tile in his hand and the one Yun-seo had played, then lowered his eyes as if in contemplation.
Seeing Hwi hesitate when he had always played without hesitation excited Yun-seo. He waited expectantly for Hwi’s move.
Soon, Hwi selected a tile and placed it face down. Discarding a tile meant he had nothing playable. Yun-seo quickly revealed his last tile and jumped up.
“I won!”
His excited voice echoed loudly, causing everyone to turn their heads. Yun-seo hastily covered his mouth and sat back down, checking the atmosphere.
“Yes. You won.”
Hwi smiled slightly and put down his remaining tile. Looking at the number, it could have connected after Yun-seo’s last tile, but couldn’t be played first.
“You know a man’s word is worth its weight in gold, right?”
“What wish will you make?”
“Hmm… I’ll tell you when I desperately want something.”
What wish should he make? Yun-seo emptied his rice cake bowl with a happy smile. After wetting his throat with sweet wine, Hwi stood up.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
Following Hwi, Yun-seo’s eyes suddenly caught the tile left face down on the table. Assuming that tile was also useless and thinking Hwi had bad luck, he casually flipped it over—and froze.
This wasn’t a tile that should have been discarded. On the contrary, if Hwi had played it, Yun-seo would have had no tile to connect, and Hwi would have won. Had he miscalculated? Or…
Yun-seo stared at Hwi’s retreating back before quickly catching up to him.
Leaving the tavern, the fresh air cleared his head. Feeling like the tobacco smoke had permeated his clothes, Yun-seo shook his garments while glancing at Hwi’s face.
Had he deliberately lost to him? To completely lift his spirits? Or because he could easily grant one wish? Or was winning desperately beneath his dignity?
Whatever the reason, the result remained that Hwi had let him win. It felt as though the animals made of rice cake were reassembling inside his stomach and running wild.
In the bright moonlight, Hwi’s pale fingertips extending beyond his dark blue sleeves gleamed white. To suppress the urge to grab them, Yun-seo clenched his fists and deliberately walked slowly, trampling down his turbulent feelings.
Only upon reaching the inn could he escape these unusual impulses. Yun-seo released a small sigh and sat in a chair. As his unsettled heart calmed, he recalled the conversation of the men sitting behind him in the tavern.
“My lord.”
“Mm.”
“Those men sitting behind me in the tavern… they’re involved in money lending, aren’t they?”
“Yes.”
Just as I thought. After hearing Hwi’s confirmation, he could guess that the man wasn’t a kind-hearted money lender. And…
‘Is your master a usurer?’
Why had that woman specifically suspected Hwi of being a money lender while searching for the child? The reason seemed somewhat clear. Someone who toyed with commoners’ lives using money might also trade in people.
“But why… did they talk about field ridges? Unless they’re farmers, they wouldn’t gain enough profit to consider it a new path.”
He sought an answer from Hwi, but he remained silent.
Yun-seo gazed blankly out the window, lost in thought, then suddenly stood up and approached the window. In the darkness where shadows covered everything, he noticed a shrine lit with yellow light.
The lanterns covered with moonlight-patterned silk depicted dragons descending toward the earth. Looking at them, Yun-seo mentally traced several characters. He then went to the writing desk, poured ink from the bottle onto the inkstone, dipped a brush into the ink, and wrote a character on paper with fluid movements.
「壟」(Long – field ridge)
After looking down at the character he had written, Yun-seo added another next to it.
「壟斷」(Longduan – monopoly)
Monopoly. If someone trying to monopolize profits had means other than usury, it wasn’t completely irrelevant. But more than that…
Yun-seo carefully examined the character 「壟」 (Long) and wrote two more characters below it.
「龍 土」(Long + Tu – Dragon + Earth)
Breaking down the character for “field ridge” gives “dragon” and “earth.” Dragon Earth. The shrine built upon it. If “sprouts” referred to young leaves just emerging, and if that was a metaphor for children…
Yun-seo’s eyes gradually widened. He quickly raised his head, searching for Hwi. Hwi showed no curiosity or questions about the characters Yun-seo had written. His attitude suggested he’d already guessed, prompting a soft sigh from Yun-seo.
“I need to visit the shrine tomorrow.”
Even if his suspicion was wrong, he wanted to confirm it. If his guess was incorrect, wouldn’t that be good in its own way? At Yun-seo’s resolute statement, Hwi remained silent briefly before nodding.
* * *
Following Hwi’s advice that most people would visit the shrine before morning meal, Yun-seo headed there with him at the appropriate time.
“I could go alone while you attend to your affairs, my lord.”
“Why would I send someone as reckless as you alone and risk trouble?”
“Reckless? You really exaggerate.”
Though he couldn’t claim to have a mild temperament even if his life depended on it, calling him reckless seemed excessive. Whenever Hwi treated him like a much younger child, he felt strange—certainly not in a good way.
Separated from other residences, the shrine was situated on elevated ground requiring stairs to access. Yun-seo observed the people coming and going as he entered through the wide-open entrance.
People gathered in the spacious courtyard, praying toward the dragon throne placed at the front. Seeing everyone praying with earnest expressions, he felt a pang of sympathy, wondering what they all desperately wished for. Yun-seo folded his hands, bowed deeply, then turned to Hwi.
“What should we do now?”
Feeling that Hwi’s steady gaze was reproaching him for proceeding without a plan, Yun-seo offered an awkward smile. Hwi tilted his chin slightly and began walking.
* Sik (息): Interest
* Jijailshil (智者一失): Even the wise make mistakes. National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Dictionary.
* Sikriin (食利人): Usurer
* Wolgwangdan (月光緞): Silk with moon or moonlight patterns. National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Dictionary.
* Longduan (壟斷): Monopolizing profit or rights. National Institute of Korean Language, Standard Korean Dictionary.
* Long (壟): Character meaning “field ridge”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
