〈 Jade Scales 〉
Author: Gomnae Gom (곰내곰)
A subtle sensation that began at her fingertips slowly spread throughout her body, gentle yet sharply tingling. At the same time, the tension in her body melted away, leaving a strangely warm feeling of relaxation. The scent, which had seemed acrid at first, had now completely become familiar and was gently lulling her into drowsiness.
The other person whispered, narrowing their slanted eyes.
“Do you like it, my lady?”
“Mmm.”
Susu let out a weary sigh.
When her friend Dalrae had insisted on going to the courtesan house for a nighttime outing, Susu had hesitated. Even though it was a place that everyone else went to, Susu had always had someone in her heart until now. However...
〈Susu and I are not a suitable match.〉
...The moment she recalled that memory, a dull ache throbbed deep within her chest. Susu, shaking off his voice, quickly opened her previously lowered eyes. As she did, her gaze instantly met the man, who had been watching her intently.
"Is there any part of your body that feels uncomfortable?"
Susu silently shook her head. As Dalrae had said, coming here would at least provide a change of mood. Although her melancholy hadn't entirely dissipated, the dark, quiet space, the man's low voice, and his touch had definitely made her feel at ease.
“Haa.”
The touch gliding up the back of her hand was slow and ticklish, causing another sigh to slip out. It was around this time, lost in careless thoughts, that she wondered if receiving this every day might cause her to melt away and disappear.
Bang!
The paper-covered [1] door slid open with a sound as if it were being ripped off entirely.
“Who’s there?!”
The man instinctively shouted, shielding Susu with his body as she, too shocked to scream, trembled in fear. Behind him, Susu, with her back turned, adjusted her dishevelled clothing with shaking hands. This was said to be a place every woman in the capital — no, in the entire Mo Kingdom — dreamed of visiting at least once. How could something like this happen?
“...”
For some reason, the intruder hesitated momentarily, seemingly caught off guard by the scene in the room, before striding forward and seizing the man shielding Susu by the collar.
"What on earth are you doing, Jakya?"
Was that person's name Jakya? Now that she thought about it, he had introduced himself as such when they first met.
But instead of getting angry and pushing him away, Jakya responded with a laugh, as if he found it amusing.
"Could it be that you're disappointed because it's not what you expected? Or is it that even you, young master, are feeling embarrassed?"
“...Get out now.”
Something was definitely off. The way the two were casually conversing made it seem like they were quite familiar with each other. Plus, despite the numerous armed guards she had seen when entering, not a single one came rushing in. Furthermore, while the intruder's voice was intermingled with ragged breaths as if he had hurried over, it was unsettlingly familiar.
Susu cautiously raised her gaze from the floor. Although all she could see was the back of the man pushing Jakya out of the room, that was enough. There was no way Susu couldn't recognise him.
“...Gio... oraboni?”
His broad shoulders visibly flinched. He froze, unable to turn back, and at his reaction, Susu’s wide, round eyes began to tremble.
“Why are you here, oraboni?” [2]
He was the person who had solely occupied Susu's heart for her entire life.
But that very person was also the one who had rejected her.
・・・・・
It might be hard to imagine from her current appearance, but in her childhood, Susu was a very frail and sickly child who often suffered from illnesses. Due to her poor health, her temperament became irritable, and she had difficulty falling asleep. This, in turn, led to a vicious cycle where her health continued to worsen, causing her parents great distress.
It was during this time that Gio appeared in front of Susu.
The two mothers were childhood friends, and one day, after a long time of meeting and chatting, Susu’s mother, who was lost in nostalgia, suddenly found it strange that her daughter’s crying had stopped. When she went to check, she discovered...
"Oh my."
Susu was sound asleep, holding onto Gio tightly, who was at a loss as to what to do.
Her tiny hand, as small as a maple leave, gripped Gio’s sleeve so firmly that when she woke up and found him gone, she cried her heart out. For several days afterwards, she refused to eat or sleep, only searching for Gio.
Eventually, her family pleaded with Gio's household to bring him back, and when she saw him again, she smiled brightly as if she had never cried. Seeing this, her older brother Suwon, who was the same age as Gio, rubbed the back of his neck, feeling awkward.
This was a topic that would come up every now and then in the Eok family, so for Susu, it was a memory she could never forget.
By the time Gio had his coming-of-age ceremony, Susu had grown healthy and it was no longer necessary for her to hold his hand to fall asleep. However, this did not cause their relationship to grow distant. Gio never left Susu feeling lonely and would bring her anything her gaze fell upon.
It was as if they shared a bond of affection.
Though they never confessed their feelings or made any promises, their hearts were clearly connected... or so she thought.
Therefore, Susu was not surprised by her brother's fuss about their parents calling Gio to discuss a marriage proposal. It was the custom in the Mo Kingdom to wait until adulthood to arrange a marriage, so the Eok family had simply been waiting quietly for the right time, knowing that they were destined to be together. Still, she was curious about Gio’s reaction.
‘Will he suddenly get nervous and leave? Or will he smile because he's happy?’
So, with her brother leading the way, she secretly perked up her ears to catch the soft voices flowing from the living room.
"...has come of age, won't you truly become a part of our family?"
“If you agree, I will send a matchmaker.”
Just then, their parents were in the middle of asking Gio about his intentions. Susu, acknowledging her brother's impeccable timing, gave a faint smile and gently tugged at the hem of his coat in praise.
But for some reason, even after her brother blinked rapidly and placed his finger over his lips to signal her to stay silent, Gio's answer still didn't come. As the eerie silence lingered and the expressions of the siblings began to mirror each other in concern, Gio finally spoke — his voice at least three hundred times heavier than usual.
“...As always... I am deeply moved by your unwavering thoughts and kindness. However, Susu and I are not a suitable match.”
The strength in her grip on the hem of his clothing suddenly faded, and Suwon cautiously turned around. When he saw his sister’s vacant, unfocused eyes, he felt a wave of guilt for having unnecessarily coaxed her into coming here. If he was having trouble processing Gio’s words, how must Susu have felt?
But they couldn’t stand there forever. If Gio suddenly stood up and left, it would be obvious they’d bump into each other and it would be awkward. Just as Suwon was about to call out to Susu to avoid that situation, she suddenly spun around and, without saying a word, ran off, disappearing into the distance. The soft sound of her bracelet, which she always wore on her wrist, clinked as it faded away, eventually disappearing entirely like its owner.
"Susu..."
Suwon withdrew his outstretched hand and pressed his forehead. This was as unexpected as Gio's refusal. If it were Susu, she would have barged in through the door and demanded to know why he didn’t like her, and that wouldn’t have been strange at all.
Suwon had often clicked his tongue, saying that Susu's personality had become strange because she had been indulged and pampered due to her frailty as a child. But when he saw Susu running away like any ordinary girl, he felt a pang in his heart.
Gio was also his close friend. Normally, he would have been able to maintain a good balance between the two of them, but Suwon himself was one of the people who had spoiled Susu too. Given how shocked Susu was, it was only natural for him to feel sympathy and bend towards her.
‘How dare you reject our little girl like that, Gio?’
As soon as Gio came out, he would grab him by the collar on behalf of Susu and shake him up. Suwon snorted with frustration and glared at the door.
Meanwhile, near the residence of Lord Eok, where the incident had occurred, rows of grand, tile-roofed houses stood closely packed, each house large like the back of a whale. [3]
Among them, there was a separate pavilion with a wind chime hanging from the edge of the eaves. It was in that very pavilion that Dalrae, while preparing to go out, became flustered upon hearing that an unannounced guest had arrived at dusk, without so much as a prior notice.
As a precious daughter of the prestigious Jin family, it was customary to dismiss such an impolite visitor at the front gate. However, if the guest was a close friend with tears streaming down their face, the situation changed. Despite having waited three months for the invitation from the capital, Dalrae tossed it aside and ran out barefoot.
“What’s this? Susu, are you crying? Why are you crying? Who made you cry? Captain of the Guards! Immediately seize the person who made Susu cry and tear out their eyes...”
Susu quickly covered Dalrae’s mouth.
“I’m not crying. I just... I just came because I was feeling down.”
“Does that mean seeing me makes you feel better?”
“That’s why I’m spending time with you.”
Although she responded cheerfully, it seemed as if tears would roll down from her big eyes at any moment. Dalrae quickly pressed a handkerchief to Susu's eyes. At the same time, her gaze carefully examined her friend's appearance.
Her attire and appearance did not suggest that she had planned to go out. It seemed that something had happened that made her so sad or shocked that she cried and impulsively ran out of the house.
Although Susu had an honest personality, she was not a child with big mood swings. It was natural since she grew up in a family where everything she wanted was granted. Dalrae, who had grown up in a similar environment as the daughter of a prestigious family, was able to quickly figure out the reason.
‘If anyone could make Susu like this, it would probably be him.’
The only son of the Gok family.
Everyone in the Eok family, including Susu, liked him, but Dalrae did not. It wasn't that she disliked Gio himself, but rather because of his father, Gok Jeongrang. Although everyone kept quiet about it, rumours had spread that he treated his wife and son like tools and abused them. It was said that the reason his wife passed away at a young age was because of that. Moreover, the fact that their son, Gio, was involved in such ‘things’...
‘Hmm.’ After thinking for a moment, Dalrae asked directly.
“Is it because of Gio oraboni?”
“That’s...”
"Why? Did he say he doesn’t like you anymore?”
“...”
Susu kept her mouth firmly shut. Above all, Dalrae was momentarily speechless at the clear sign of affirmation.
‘I had a feeling, but it's really true? Could that person really do such a thing?’
It was just the other day that he had cast a watchful gaze at Susu, who had been his long-time friend but also a woman. Had their relationship soured? It was true that people's feelings could shift in an instant, but having observed the two of them over the years, Dalrae’s intuition strongly told her that wasn't the case. Rather, it felt more like…
‘Perhaps he’s refusing because of his father.’
No one in the capital of the Mo Kingdom was unaware of Gok Jeongrang's greedy nature.
Susu kept her head lowered, absently twirling the bracelet on her wrist. Dalrae, knowing that it was a gift given to Susu by Gio right after she came of age, stared at the jade beads, which were delicately crafted like scales that captured the moonlight, for a while before gently taking her friend's hand.
"Susu?"
"I was getting ready to go out, and since you’ve come, it’d be nice if we went together."
At Dalrae's gesture, the maidservants approached and began holding up various silk skirts for Susu to try on.
‘Going out at this hour?’
Susu asked, her eyes wide in surprise, "Where are we going?"
"To a good place. A place where every woman in the Mo Kingdom would want to set foot."
A place overflowing with handsome flowers, where those flowers bring joy to women. After explaining this, Dalrae glanced back, and one of the maidservants quickly opened the door and stepped out.
‘If I set the stage like this, I should be able to know his true feelings.’
Dalrae didn’t know what he had said to Susu, but if he truly disliked her, he wouldn’t care where she went. If not, he would chase after her without hesitation, as if consumed by urgency.
Come to think of it, no matter how much of a scoundrel someone like Gok might be, his life wasn’t going to last forever. They said that curses could extend one’s lifespan, but who had ever lived forever? Even Emperor Qin Shi Huang [4] couldn’t achieve immortality. Well, if things got tough, she could always ask her mother to hasten his journey to the afterlife. What did it matter if she hadn't been entirely pleased with him all that time when her one and only close friend was on the verge of tears?
So, Dalrae took Susu to the most famous courtesan house in the capital.
〈Hwaonru〉
The owner of this establishment was none other than Gok Gio. Judging by the way Susu was looking around with wide eyes, it appeared she still didn’t know. Anyway, he had always been a cunning and obnoxious guy.
"Dalrae, there are so many people even at this late hour."
In the Mo Kingdom, where queens had reigned for generations, women not only held government positions but also inherited a fair share of inheritance from their parents. As a result, establishments catering to women thrived. Although Susu knew of their existence, she had never paid them much attention.
‘I've never even talked about night outings with Dalrae.’
The ornate red lanterns swayed beneath the eaves, casting an alluring light. However, Dalrae, seemingly a frequent visitor, didn’t even spare a glance at their beautiful appearance and walked inside with ease, as if it were second nature. It was a stark contrast to Susu, who was distracted by everything around her.
Still, Susu, being Dalrae’s closest friend, couldn’t help but wonder with whom Dalrae had visited such places. It left her both surprised and slightly disappointed. More than anything, unlike others who strolled leisurely, she felt that she didn’t quite belong in this place. Dalrae tugged on Susu's cheek, who was pouting her lips.
"What are you thinking? No matter how much I call, you just cover your ears."
"Just... I was wondering if it's okay for me to be here."
"What do you mean by that?"
Just then, a group of men passed by, greeting them. So that was what 'handsome flowers' meant. Every one of them had striking features, like the finest beauties of Mo Kingdom. It was as if all the handsome men from Mo Kingdom had gathered here.
‘But I don’t see anyone like Gio oraboni.’
Unknowingly, Susu thought of Gok Gio, and her face darkened. Noticing this, Dalrae quickly grabbed her arm.
"It's pointless to think about someone who doesn't like you, right? Since we're already out on a night trip, let's change our mood."
Susu didn’t even have a chance to make an excuse. After Dalrae whispered something to one of her maidservants, two elegantly dressed men soon appeared.
"She is my best friend, so I ask you to look after her well."
"I will keep that in mind."
Among them, a man with long, flowing hair responded, and Dalrae, linking arms with the other person, turned to walk away. Surprised by the sudden situation where she would be left alone, Susu jumped in shock.
"Da-Dalrae?!"
"Don't be nervous and just enjoy yourself. He will make you feel good."
With that, Dalrae waved her hand and disappeared. Susu was left staring in shock. The man who remained by her side, Jakya, gave her a kind smile.
"Would you like to do something enjoyable, my lady?"
"...Well, I'm not sure. I came here suddenly, so I don't know what I would like."
Jakya, leading the flustered Dalrae towards the room, began listing off things that might entertain her — poetry, painting, instrumental performance, singing, dance... Of course, the women who frequented such places usually enjoyed alcohol and sweet caresses, but since Susu was the woman Gok Gio had cherished like a goddess for a long time, Jakya couldn’t suggest those things.
But Susu was much bolder than Jakya thought.
"Dalrae said that you would make me feel good."
Jakya, who had been serving tea instead of alcohol, paused and looked up. The gentle curve of Susu’s lips now carried a clear resolve to forget someone.
Translator's Corner:
[1] I translated it as "paper-covered" for simplicity, but the material used is actually called 'changhoji' (창호지), a traditional Korean paper often made from mulberry trees. Historically, changhoji was commonly used in Korean architecture for doors and windows. It is typically affixed to a wooden frame and has a screen-like texture, allowing light to filter through while offering some privacy.
[2] 'Oraboni' (오라버니) is the old-fashioned (traditional) and formal equivalent of 'Oppa.' Used by a younger sister to refer to her older brother in Korean. In this case, it is used to address an older male friend or a close childhood friend, not just a blood brother.
[3] 'Back of a whale' (고래 등 같다) is a common Korean metaphor used to describe something large, smooth, and imposing, in this case, it refers to the tile-roofed houses. (Source: https://wordrow.kr/basicn/ko/meaning/23423_%EA%B3%A0%EB%9E%98%20%EB%93%B1%20%EA%B0%99%EB%8B%A4/)
[4] Emperor Qin Shi Huang was China's first emperor who searched for the elixir of life. (Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-42477083)
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