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Chapter 15
After thoroughly erasing the character “Hwang” to destroy the evidence, I casually opened the book again as if I were studying Hangul.
Of course, pretending to practice writing was just an excuse.
Whenever Lady Hui-bin and Sukjeong spoke privately, the attendants of Chwiseondang were supposed to leave the room.
And since it was Lunar New Year’s Day, there were even fewer people approaching Hui-bin’s residence.
‘Meaning… I used that chance to eavesdrop on Hui-bin and Sukjeong’s conversation.’
Just hearing the name “Orye” alone had already made the risk worthwhile.
Because the shaman named Orye was one of the people executed for cursing Queen Inhyeon.
Which meant…
‘Jang Hui-bin, Sukjeong, and Orye. All the conditions are there.’
And the combination of those three inevitably led to one result:
A shamanic shrine.
There was no more time to hesitate. The answer was clear.
Still, even I hadn’t expected yellow to keep appearing one after another from the Obanggi.
‘I’m not really superstitious… but sometimes things happen that can’t just be dismissed as coincidence.’
The important thing was that Sukjeong had become obsessed with the character “Hwang.”
‘And it just so happens that my surname is Hwang.’
Wasn’t this the very definition of heavenly luck?
Just as that thought crossed my mind—
Sukjeong hurried out carrying the bundle of ritual objects.
Without thinking much, I looked at her.
But then…
‘She’s avoiding my eyes?’
Sukjeong hurriedly lowered her gaze.
With her head bowed deeply, she quickly headed west of Chwiseondang, and what I saw on her face was—
‘She’s… afraid of me?’
Fear.
A crystal-clear fear that left no room for doubt.
“Hm.”
Why was Sukjeong acting like that?
Soon, I came to a conclusion.
‘If Sukjeong’s afraid of me, then I should show her what real fear looks like!’
Good.
Just wait for me in the western quarters of Chwiseondang, Sukjeong.
***
West of Chwiseondang.
By now, darkness had settled in.
Sukjeong, barely managing to calm her anxious heart, stood there.
Yellow and black, the warning to beware the child spirit, the ominous little court maid…
For someone as deeply superstitious as Sukjeong, it had been enough to make her skin crawl all day.
‘I need to finish this quickly and go back…’
As she hurried her steps, Sukjeong suddenly froze.
‘What… is that?’
An unexpected shape.
Something bizarre sat alone in the darkness.
It looked like a bundle, or perhaps a small jar.
Then, at that moment, the figure began to wriggle.
‘…A child?’
Sukjeong realized the figure was a small child.
“When Mother goes to the island shade… to gather oysters…”
A slow, eerie melody drifted from the child’s mouth.
“Y-you… little court maid?”
Sukjeong asked in a trembling voice.
At the sound, Bongbong turned around.
There was no focus in Bongbong’s eyes.
Slowly, Bongbong raised all five fingers.
Staring fiercely at Sukjeong, she dragged the outstretched hand across one cheek.
Whatever she was holding left behind a long, pitch-black smear like ink.
‘…Black!’
Horrified, Sukjeong watched as the child suddenly began dancing grotesquely.
It looked like a sword dance.
Or perhaps the movements of a shaman performing a ritual.
‘What… what is that in her hand?’
Frozen in terror, Sukjeong finally recognized the object.
‘A-a curse doll…!’
Even while swaying and dancing, Bongbong suddenly glared sharply at Sukjeong and shouted:
“People who stick needles in Boomboomi! People who make Boomboomi hurt!”
For a moment, Bongbong stopped moving—
Then suddenly she charged straight at Sukjeong.
“They’ll be punished by heaaaaaven!”
“Aaaah!”
Screaming in terror, Sukjeong stumbled backward and crashed onto the ground.
Ignoring the pain, she desperately scrambled away from Bongbong.
Then—
Brrr.
Bongbong’s body trembled.
After blinking a few times, the child’s usual bright expression returned.
“Oh! Little Madam, hello. But why are you sitting on the ground? It’s dirty there…”
Acting as though nothing had happened, Bongbong greeted her calmly.
Sukjeong looked moments away from fainting.
“Huh? What’s that sound?”
“S-sound?”
“Yes. Little Madam, can’t you hear it? I hear a baby crying, and an old general grandpa talking too!”
“U-ugh…”
Sukjeong’s teeth clattered violently as her terror reached its peak.
“The baby and grandpa are really angry!”
Planting her hands on her hips, Bongbong shouted:
“Don’t come here! Don’t come west!”
For a brief moment, Bongbong’s eyes rolled white.
Then she pointed at Sukjeong’s shoulder.
“Oh… but, little baby?”
Staring at Sukjeong’s shoulder while the woman couldn’t even breathe, Bongbong muttered:
“Why are you hanging on there?”
“AAAAAAAAH!”
Sukjeong twisted and slapped wildly at her shoulder like a madwoman.
Leaving behind one final scream, she ran for her life.
***
“Haa…”
Once Sukjeong disappeared from sight, all my strength drained away.
I knew there was risk involved, but if you wanted to accomplish something big, gambling was necessary.
“I did it.”
I could already picture Sukjeong panicking every time she heard the words “west side of Chwiseondang” from now on.
“Well done, Hwang Bongbong…!”
Today’s operation was a complete success!
‘Hm?’
I wiped my dry face and lifted my head.
A long shadow stretched between the buildings.
…What was that?
“W-who’s there?”
Thunk.
It felt like my heart dropped to the floor.
‘Who is it? A court maid? Did Sukjeong come back? Or… Hui-bin?’
Whoever it was, the mere fact that someone was standing there was a problem.
‘How long have they been there?’
Ha, this is driving me crazy.
I bit my lip tightly, desperately trying to think of a way out—
Then—
“…Bongbong, are you alright? What do you mean by ‘I did it’ and all that?”
“Ah… Your Highness.”
It was the Crown Prince.
Even knowing the situation was bad, I instantly felt relieved.
…Right. Being caught by the Crown Prince was a hundred times better than anyone else.
“But… Your Highness, did you happen to see someone standing here?”
“Someone? I saw no one at all. Bongbong, are you truly alright?”
The Crown Prince’s expression grew even more serious, but I sighed in relief.
‘The Crown Prince just arrived. He didn’t see the grave-exhuming dance or Sukjeong.’
At most, he’d only heard a few muttered words to myself. I could just brush it off as nonsense.
“I’m okay, Your Highness.”
Come to think of it, it had become nighttime already.
Dark shadows had settled beneath the palace building where I stood.
“But Your Highness, what brings you to Chwiseondang…?”
I rambled vaguely while stepping out from the shadows—
“Gah!”
The Crown Prince suddenly let out a startled cry.
‘Ah. I smeared ink on my face.’
…Only then did I realize.
“Oh dear. Sorry, Your Highness. I got a lot of stuff on my face, didn’t I?”
“What exactly were you doing to get your face covered in black like that?”
The Crown Prince sniffed.
“Is that… ink?”
“Yes…”
How should I explain this?
“Well, um… there’s that saying about ‘smearing dirt on one’s face,’ right? I got curious about how people actually do it…”
I blurted out the first nonsense I could think of.
“Hah…”
A helpless laugh escaped the Crown Prince, as if he’d completely given up.
‘He probably thinks I’m a little insane, but it can’t be helped.’
I was genuinely thankful the Crown Prince was so lenient with me.
“Actually…”
I slumped my shoulders and made the most pitiful expression possible.
“I don’t have any friends, and today all the court ladies were gone too… so I got really bored and was playing by myself.”
“Ah… I see.”
Maybe he felt sorry for me as I blinked up at him with wide eyes, because the Crown Prince gently patted my shoulder.
Right then, hurried footsteps approached.
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, are you here? Lady Hui-bin asked that you come insi— Eek!”
…Ah, this was troublesome.
The newcomer was Seolhyang.
The moment she saw my face smeared black with ink, her eyes shot upward fiercely.
“Hwang Bongbong! I was wondering where you’d gone! And what’s all over your face—is that ink? Do you even know how precious ink is? Are you out of your mind?!”
“Ahem.”
At the Crown Prince’s low cough, Seolhyang hurriedly shut her mouth.
But I heard it clearly.
While glaring at me, she muttered under her breath:
“Stupid little brat, Hwang Bongbong. Always causing trouble.”
Am I going to die like this?
Cold sweat ran down my back.
Then—
“Court Lady Kim.”
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“Bongbong’s face became like that because of me. We were fooling around with ink and it got a little out of hand…”
“…Y-Your Highness made the child look like this?”
“Well… something like that.”
The Crown Prince was so excessively mature for his age that people worried about him.
The idea that he would play pranks like this?
Seolhyang looked utterly unconvinced.
“But since Your Highness says so, how could I dare scold her? Understood, Your Highness.”
…Crown Prince.
Could you perhaps be the heavenly blessing sent down to me?
For a moment, I could almost see gigantic white wings fluttering behind his dragon robe.
“Phew…”
Without realizing it, I let out a sigh of relief.
When our eyes met, the Crown Prince slyly winked one eye at me.
I secretly gave him a thumbs-up where Seolhyang couldn’t see.
Our Crown Prince is the best.
Seriously the best!
…That said, things didn’t end completely peacefully.
“Ahh! Cold! It’s cold! Blub blub! Save meee!”
That night’s “grave-exhuming incident” ended in tragedy—
A young child was forcibly dragged to the well by an adult woman and subjected to what was practically water torture disguised as face washing, her face scrubbed squeaky clean.
‘Ugh. I thought my skin was going to peel off.’
Well, anyway.
Thanks to the Crown Prince, I survived.
Crown Prince.
I’ll definitely repay your kindness someday, like the magpie in the folktales.
Promise!
