SMCM 05

chapter 05

“Hmm.”

Bihyeong snorted softly and gazed steadily at her. It seemed he had finally made up his mind, for he clapped his hands together.

“Then let’s go. I’ll personally guide our new retainer to Gyuhoujeo.”

“I refuse.”

Daom’s blunt refusal left Bihyeong puzzled.

“Why?”

“If I fall asleep where the Mountain Lord rests, my life won’t survive this time.”

“I see.”

Bihyeong waved his hands and chuckled.

“I won’t play any tricks this time, I swear.”

To signify his oath, he alternately placed his hand over his mouth and then his chest.

Daom watched him quietly for a moment before getting up. Truthfully, she had little choice.

Since Yujagyeom’s letter yielded no useful information, she needed someone to hand over responsibilities to.

“Let’s start at the sojubang. After all, isn’t the best part of Geumgangsan a meal?”

As they left the quiet courtyard, where only the occasional bird chirped, Daom thought to herself: Know your enemy, know yourself, and you will win every battle. Since she had decided not to run, it was important to understand the Mountain Lord and Gyuhoujeo properly.

“Do you happen to have a change of clothes?”

Walking with her long skirt trailing, Daom asked softly. Bihyeong, who had gone ahead like a dancer on light feet, turned and smiled at her.

“Indeed, that outfit isn’t very suitable for surviving here.”

Daom bristled at the words surviving. At that moment, Bihyeong added:

“If push comes to shove and you need to run, that skirt will get you caught before ten steps.”

“Run…?”

“If you anger the Mountain Lord, you must flee immediately to preserve your life.”

Bihyeong smiled as if imparting great wisdom. He pointed to a tall tree beyond the corridor and continued:

“By the way, Yujagyeom used to hang from the top of that tree four times a week.”

Then, clapping his feet together in mid-air, he moved forward. Daom could only gape, estimating the height of the maple tree, easily over twenty feet.

Bihyeong guided her first to the clothing hall before the sojubang. The hall had both large and small rooms. He led her into a small room and began rifling through the disordered clothing.

“Will this do?”

The outfit was made of plain gray fabric. The top reached the waist, and the pants’ length was suitable for work. According to Bihyeong, it was even suitable for running away.

Holding the clothes, Daom looked around the messy room and asked,

“Does no one own these clothes?”

“No one. They were originally worn by the Gyuhoujeo servants, but they’ve all fled. Not a single person remains.”

Indeed, it seemed everyone had left in a hurry, leaving traces of their escape on the floor. Daom felt increasingly unsettled.

“Change your clothes quickly. We need to prepare the meal before the Mountain Lord wakes, so hurry to the sojubang.”

“Is there no one to prepare the meal?”

“Didn’t you hear me? Everyone ran away.”

Bihyeong chuckled and closed the door.

Though they said the best part of Geumgangsan was after a meal, it seemed he was headed to the sojubang first simply because there was no one to cook.

Daom sighed softly and changed clothes, folding her beautiful retainer outfit neatly to the side.

“You were the most beautiful among the servants who wore that outfit!”

Bihyeong’s flattery did little to encourage her.

The sojubang was not far from the clothing hall.

There were several large hearths and many braziers where charcoal crackled. The neatly stacked dishes were all shiny brass, and the nearby open storage was full of ingredients.

“Typically, lunch is served around Misi and dinner around Neulsu.”

Indeed, as Bihyeong had said, the large sojubang was empty. The only people present were him and Daom—though whether Bihyeong qualified as a “person” was debatable.

He skillfully placed a flat pot over a brazier and poured in water. Listening quietly, Daom spoke:

“I will be leaving from Sinsi. Will you prepare the evening meal at Sulsi?”

Bihyeong tilted his head, puzzled at the question.

“How could a retainer leave here?”

“I’ve decided to stay from Sasi to Sinsi every day.”

Bihyeong laughed heartily.

“That’s impossible. Whoever decided that, a retainer cannot leave Gyuhoujeo from the moment they are appointed.”

He then cut the radish greens into suitable pieces, dropped them into the boiling water, and muttered,

“Unless you’re dead or about to die, that is.”

Knowing he meant it sincerely, Daom could not laugh. After all, wasn’t Yujagyeom almost like a corpse when he left the palace?

“In any case, now isn’t the time for such concerns. Make a few simple side dishes.”

But there was a problem: Daom had never cooked in her life.

Her family had never let her hold a knife or stand before fire. Before becoming a retainer, she had been a delicately raised noblewoman, always served meals by others.

Daom crouched before the piled ingredients in the storage and admitted honestly,

“I’ve never made anything before.”

Bihyeong, who had been seasoning the soup, looked at her in speechless disbelief. He then tapped her lightly with the back of a knife and said,

“Indeed. Yujagyeom didn’t even know how to pour water when he first came.”

He picked up a bunch of dried greens and handed them to her with a smile.

“Just soak them and stir-fry. It’s the simplest side dish. Cooking is something you learn… no, you learn by failing.”

Daom pretended not to hear his slip of the tongue.

“Use this brazier.”

From then on, Bihyeong focused on his own tasks. He boiled soup and cooked rice with such busy energy that Daom could not interrupt him.

Standing idly was not the posture of a retainer. She had to perform her duties somehow.

“What is this…?”

A little later, Bihyeong asked, eyeing the dishes she had prepared.

The stir-fry had a faint smell of both burning and fishiness. Daom could not lift her head.

“Looks like scorched pumpkin… charcoal.”

Bihyeong laughed at her ridiculous answer. Despite the chaos, she had separated and stir-fried the greens into three dishes. Bihyeong focused on the charcoal-colored dish that took up half the table.

“When I return to the Sasa family, I’ll learn the proper recipes.”

“Well, that’s up to you, retainer. You won’t be returning now.”

As he said this, he waved his hands in the air. The kindling, firewood, and straw bundles by the hearth rose up and, in a blink, transformed into human forms.

“We have no time today, so let’s use them.”

They emanated a strange energy Daom had never felt before, different from her divine power.

The humanoid forms busily began preparing new dishes.

“Who are they?”

Bihyeong cheerfully laughed as he brushed aside her burnt dish.

“Never seen dokkaebi before? All things in the world have spirits, and these are theirs.”

The dokkaebi came in various shapes: the one from the kindling was female, the one from the firewood was male. Even of the same gender, their features and body sizes varied. They wore the same clothes as the Gyuhoujeo servants and were quick and skillful.

“Do they take the place of the servants?”

Bihyeong moved the charcoal to a suitable brazier and replied,

“Not always. I control their energy, but I’m not very strong, so…”

If Bihyeong’s energy were equal to Daom’s divine power, he would be exerting himself heavily.

Feeling guilty for not even being able to make one side dish properly, Daom was apologetic toward him.

“In any case, we have no time. Let’s leave it to the dokkaebi.”