WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Oblivious

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◈ Murim in my Hometown ◈

Chapter 13: Simhyang Pavilion

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Gusam puffed himself up, looking proud.

“I won, right? It’s fine, Great Hero. Victory and defeat are part of war... you give someone a sickness, then the medicine, don’t you? I always knew a day like this would come. It came a little sooner than I expected, so I’m a bit flustered, but what can I do? It’s only natural for the waves in front of the Yangtze River to be pushed aside by the waves behind...”

TN: A river in China

As I listened in dumbfounded silence, I was instantly treated like some old man shut away in a back room.

“You’re a supreme master when it comes to flapping your gums. Even the Abbot of Shaolin Temple, with all his spiritual power, would suffer qi deviation and start killing if he argued with you.”

“Ha ha, you flatter me.”

“Shut your mouth and do Lan-Na-Cha.”

“Yes, I’m on it!”

This time, I did not counter him. I merely watched from the front.

The end of Gusam’s staff moved slowly, with barely any force behind it. It lacked any sharpness, but it was not bad for carefully examining the sequence.

Lan-Na-Cha was truly a troublesome combination to deal with.

It deflected outward, then immediately coiled inward before thrusting. It was impossible to simply redirect it with the flow.

Trying to resist and knock aside the spear strike was no good either. A saber or sword could not overcome the raw force of spear techniques. If I moved back or to the side, the spearhead would immediately follow.

It would be nice if I could cut the shaft, but if I failed, my torso would end up with a hole in it.

From a safe distance, I focused on the staff tip as it moved without pause.

Its path, sweeping outward and inward before advancing, resembled waves curling and crashing against a cliff.

The strange rock formations I had seen in Hangzhou. The hot, salty wind blowing beneath dazzling sunlight. The sea rolling as though it were dancing. Fishing boats riding the waves...

As I recalled that sight, it felt as though I had found a thread to follow.

After fixing its trajectory in my mind, I kicked off the ground and rushed in.

Rather than block or redirect the thrust coming straight at me, I angled my bamboo practice saber and laid it against the bamboo staff.

Following the staff’s motion as it rolled like a boat riding the waves, I used footwork to close the distance in an instant.

When my practice saber nearly touched the fingers gripping the staff, Gusam cried out in alarm and let go.

“Let’s try again. I won’t hit your hand, so don’t let go of the staff.”

This time, I slipped past the staff tip, struck the shaft, and changed its path. The practice saber sprang upward like a waterbird kicking off the surface, then came to rest beside Gusam’s neck.

“Whoaa...”

Gusam, who had been going on about surpassing his master, stared wide-eyed and shivered.

It was a bold and exquisite move, but I was not all that satisfied.

It only worked because Gusam had held a bamboo staff for the first time today.

A proper spearman would have struck me with the shaft or retreated before I had a chance to press my saber against it.

Still, I felt a little relieved to have gained a hidden move. The more I practiced it, the more familiar and faster it would become.

I set down the practice saber, dusted off my clothes, and washed my face with cold water.

As I untied the cloth bundle and opened the lunchbox, Gusam finally noticed the escort uniform and cheered.

“I knew it! I knew you’d pass!”

“Don’t bring my meals from tomorrow onward.”

“Ooh, Simhyang Pavilion...”

“Don’t get your hopes up. I still don’t know where I’ll be assigned.”

I did want to see how impressive Simhyang Pavilion was, considering how excited everyone became over it.

But for actual work, a quiet warehouse or merchant company would be much better.

The most exhausting and meaningless thing in the world was dealing with stubborn drunks.

If that drunk also had money and power, even making a fist was not easy. The saber at my waist would be useless too.

All I could do was lower myself shamelessly and watch their mood.

No martial artist wanted to live like that.

At least, I did not.

* * *

Early the next morning, I strapped on my Willow Leaf Saber and left home.

I did not wear my escort uniform because I did not want to draw attention. Instead, I wrapped it in a cloth bundle and slung it over my shoulder.

Since it was still before sunrise, Yongcheon Escort Agency was quiet. When I showed my temporary identity card at the main gate, the guard looked me up and down.

“You’re the one who passed yesterday?”

“That’s right. Did anyone besides me pass?”

“No one else, I think. Go to the escort agency hall.”

When I went to the escort agency hall, the middle-aged man who had given me the uniform and temporary identity card yesterday told me where I would be assigned.

“Simhyang Pavilion?”

“That’s right. Night duty. Hm? You don’t like it?”

“...It’s fine.”

Perhaps my response was unexpected. A strange curiosity appeared in the middle-aged man’s eyes.

“Have you ever been badly burned by a woman?”

“No.”

“Were you perhaps a novice monk who returned to secular life?”

“How could that be? Is there some problem?”

“No, well... there’s no problem. Everyone lights up when they hear Simhyang Pavilion. They’re desperate to work there, so I was wondering why you seemed so reluctant.”

“Wouldn’t it be rather miserable to suffer humiliation from drunks in front of beautiful women?”

The man snickered as though he understood.

“Simhyang Pavilion is different from an ordinary tavern or pleasure house. You may not even see many customers while standing guard. No one walks there, after all.”

After hearing several instructions, I left the escort agency and headed into town.

The morning sun rising midway up the eastern mountain was already rather harsh. Summer had fully arrived, with lush vegetation covering the mountains and fields and the fresh scent of grass filling the air.

I had a simple breakfast of white porridge at Pungcheon Inn, filled a bamboo tube with tea, and returned home.

After leaving it alone for a few days, weeds had sprouted everywhere in the once-clean yard. Vines were creeping up the walls as well.

I pulled up the vines and weeds, threw them on the mountain behind the house, and practiced the Nameless Saber Art along with techniques for countering Lan-Na-Cha.

I swung my saber until around noon, when the sun hung directly overhead. Then I took off my top and washed my sweat-soaked face.

After catching my breath with some cold tea, I lay down on the wooden porch.

As I chewed on tough, foul-smelling cheap jerky and looked up at the blue sky beyond the wall, I somehow felt like a goat in an open field.

I spent a leisurely afternoon, then left home when the sun began to linger near the western mountains.

After having an early dinner at Pungcheon Inn, I got up before it became too late. I shook off Gusam, who said he would see me off, and headed down the broad road that ran through Seochon.

Simhyang Pavilion’s eight-story building was the tallest in Seochon, so it was easy to spot from anywhere. Finding it by following the road was easy.

Its walls stood taller than those around it. Two escorts guarded the closed main gate.

When I approached, the gatekeepers, who had been watching passersby with bored expressions while chatting, stared at me with wary eyes.

Once I stated my purpose from beyond sword range and showed my temporary identity card, their expressions finally eased.

“New recruit? What happened to your escort uniform? Don’t tell me you never received one.”

“I brought it separately in case someone picked a fight.”

“Hm. Follow me.”

One of the guards opened a side gate beside the main entrance and gestured to me.

Inside the walls, everyone was busy preparing to open.

Servants swept the stone-paved walkways, while cooks carefully checked the ingredients behind the supply carts.

The buildings, large and small, had plain exteriors.

If not for the eight-story building that had not yet hung its red lanterns, I could have believed this was an estate rather than a pleasure house.

“That building is Simhyang Pavilion?”

“That’s right. It’s the main building.”

“It doesn’t feel much like a pleasure house.”

“It’ll be different after night falls.”

The gatekeeper led the way to the lodgings, glancing at the building as though it were nothing important.

There had been an interviewer at the escort agency yesterday who had not approved of me.

The one who opposed my hiring because I might lose my head at the scent of the courtesans’ powder and cause trouble.

Despite our never having met, the man had been so wary of me that I had thought I would see him often in the future.

As expected, that middle-aged man was Simhyang Pavilion’s chief of security.

Head Escort Jo Gyeongjik.

He had a sturdy build and a sullen face. For a martial artist, his features were fairly ordinary, but his deeply furrowed eyes were sharp.

A faint, arrogant confidence unique to someone who had gone through every sort of hardship seeped from his expression and gestures. If we ever crossed blades, he would not be easy to handle.

Jo Gyeongjik made me stand before him while he sat in his chair and silently looked up at me.

His face was full of dissatisfaction, as though he disliked the entire situation.

As I quietly endured his unfriendly gaze, Jo Gyeongjik stroked the Broad Saber resting on the table and slowly opened his mouth.

“It’s been over two years since I took responsibility for security at Simhyang Pavilion. Many men have passed through here during that time. Some harassed the courtesans. Some were caught stealing in the building. What do you think happened to them all? Did we hand them over to the authorities? No. I’m not kind enough to grant that sort of mercy to men who drag Yongcheon Escort Agency’s name through the mud...”

The purpose of his long-winded intimidation was obvious.

When using a swordsman whose background was uncertain, even once or twice, one always had to watch one’s back. That went without saying when keeping such men under one’s command.

How many sound-minded people would there be among those who chose to kill and take with a blade rather than work honestly and sweat for their keep?

Most martial artists were criminals with warped hearts or sinister motives. No one knew when their human masks would slip or where their blades would turn.

If I caused trouble here, it would not end with me alone being punished.

As chief of security, Jo Gyeongjik would not escape being held accountable either.

He would not welcome taking escorts off guard duty to send them on escort jobs, then filling the vacant positions with random wandering martial artists.

If Pung Gangik, who had declared there would be no problem after sparring with me once, had been sitting in Jo Gyeongjik’s place, he likely would have answered differently.

What flickered deep beneath Jo Gyeongjik’s fierce tone and intimidating expression was not hostility toward me.

A head escort’s martial skill was not low, but it seemed he was not capable of overpowering me either.

He seemed troubled over whether he could control a young man skilled enough to fight Pung Gangik evenly.

There was only one thing I could do in this situation.

“I will bear it in mind.”

I gave a respectful fist-and-palm salute and bowed my head.

Only when I responded obediently without showing displeasure did Jo Gyeongjik let out a sigh and wave his hand.

“I’ll be watching. Change into your escort uniform and relieve the day shift.”

* * *

As the sun set and dusk descended, lit red lanterns were hung from the eight-story building.

It was decorated splendidly like a flower blooming at night, yet without vulgarity. Still, it was a pleasure house.

Watching people busily prepare to receive customers, I suddenly became curious.

What sort of people came here to drink?

Seochon had prospered enough to become unrecognizable, but not enough to support a pleasure house of this scale.

Fortunately, my curiosity was quickly answered.

“Not one of Simhyang Pavilion’s customers is from Seochon. They’re all men with some clout from nearby cities. They come for an outing, then become regulars.”

“Is that so?”

“I’m telling you. There are rich merchants from trading companies, and plenty of young masters from martial families. Somehow, even the Prefectural Magistrate and other high officials stop by sometimes. You know how the Black Night Gang squeezes protection money out of merchants?”

“I’ve heard of it.”

“The officials all know. They know and pretend not to, since part of that protection money goes to the government offices too. But Simhyang Pavilion is an exception. The officials pay special attention to this place, in case something displeasing reaches the Prefectural Magistrate’s ears. That’s why even the Black Night Gang bastards can’t come near here. It makes our shifts much easier too...”

The senior escort assigned to the night guard with me looked around forty and had a shrewd face.

His name was Bang Join.

He was an ordinary chatterbox who lived for tall tales and glib banter, the sort of person every group had one or two of.

Bang Join and I threw open Simhyang Pavilion’s main gate, stood on either side, and began our night duty.

Where was I from? How old was I? Bang Join’s questions never ended.

I played along just enough, then only escaped his barrage after probing him about Simhyang Pavilion.

As though he had been waiting for it, Bang Join licked his lips and began talking at length.

“That building to the left of the eight-story pavilion is the ingredient storehouse. The employee lodgings are behind it... and the annexes stretch out along the back. You can snoop around most places without any trouble, but don’t even go near the annex against the corner of the wall on the right.”

“Is there a problem?”

“That’s where the guest retainers stay.”

“Guest retainers?”

Bang Join looked over the open gate and lowered his voice.

“They’re men the Pavilion Master took in, all martial artists from other regions. Their job is to eat, then practice cutting things with swords in the annexes. They’ve got vicious faces and rotten tempers. They say that even if you merely pass nearby, they’ll accuse you of spying on their martial arts and try to gouge out your eyes with a sword. Fuck, the walls are so high that you can’t even see over them. They just want to torment people by picking fights over nothing.”

“Then why did the Pavilion Master entrust security to Yongcheon Escort Agency when there are guest retainers here?”

Bang Join snorted.

“Have you ever seen one of those men playing at being guest retainers who was steadfast and hardworking? If men with murderous faces guarded the front of a pleasure house, even the customers who came would run away. The Black Path is nearby, so they keep them on hand.”

Thinking back on the gangs and martial families that had hired me as a blade-for-hire, I could understand why.

Even if one was weak enough to seek outside help, one still needed enough force to defend oneself.

Otherwise, one would be devoured.

I did not know what relationship the Pavilion Master had with Yongcheon Escort Agency, but relying on an outside force for protection could not be welcome.

One wrong move, and the Pavilion Master could lose Simhyang Pavilion.

Keeping several reliable masters close at hand, men who could be commanded freely, was only natural.

“Want to see something interesting?”

Bang Join’s voice suddenly turned conspiratorial. When I silently watched him, he took something out of his clothes.

“Do you know what this is?”

“...It looks like a gambling tile.”

“That’s right. Do you play gambling tiles?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on. What fun is there in life if a young man doesn’t play something this good? Do you know how many kkeut this is?”

“Five kkeut.”

“Right. Five kkeut. Open your eyes wide and watch carefully.”

Bang Join put the gambling tile in his right hand, kneaded it a few times as though he were about to show me something incredible, then took it out.

It showed eight kkeut.

“How about that? Amazing, right?”

Bang Join grinned proudly at my incredulous laugh.

Among the people who got cut down and killed for getting under others’ skin, there were always one or two chatterboxes. Among those who died screaming while reaching for another person’s money pouch, there were always one or two gamblers.

Bang Join was both.

A chatterbox and a gambler, proudly showing off a pathetic trick that would not work even in a gambling den in some rural backwater.

Footnotes:

Kkeut is the point value used in Korean gambling-tile games.

“Sickness and medicine” is Gusam’s deliberate mangling of an idiom. He begins the saying that victory and defeat are normal in war, then veers into another expression about causing harm before offering a remedy.

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