episode_0022

[Episode 022] Cliché

It was extremely tiring to resist the stubborn foreign merchant who insisted on having me.

“Why is that? Doesn’t my exotic beauty appeal to your heart?”

“…You are very beautiful.”

“Then, is it this ignorantly large lump of land here that bothers you? Well, the women in this country seem quite feeble; perhaps they have changed according to the beauty standards here. Was it evolution?”

Nodding in agreement, I found my eyes involuntarily drawn to her seductive gesture as she caressed her chest with her hands.

Were Arabian women, or rather Arab women, defaulting to a more closed-off attire that enveloped their entire bodies? Why are they so revealing?

The enchanting woman, with her pretty abs clearly exposed on the top made of soft silk, massaging my chest, had a captivating presence that mesmerized men like a mythical creature, drawing my gaze unknowingly.

“Hey! Look up, you rascal! What are you doing!”

Ah… Men, the pitiful creatures…

Did she catch my gaze?

“Oh? Fortunately, you seem to really like it, don’t you? You’re drooling at the corner of your mouth. Wipe it off. It’s natural to like someone who can handle such a big thing well. Ha-ha, then what seems to be the problem?”

Oh! Startled, I quickly wiped my mouth with my sleeve and spoke.

“Ahem… I’m sorry, but I have things to do. Besides, there is a woman at home eagerly waiting for me alone.”

That wasn’t a lie. However, the beautiful foreign woman still seemed reluctant to let go.

“If there’s work to be done, you can do it yourself, and can’t a woman take some responsibility too? Judging by your posture, you seem like a man who can handle things well,”

Startled, I looked down at my pants only to find my alter ego fully charged.

“When did this happen?”

I turned my body quickly out of embarrassment.

“Ahem! I apologize. Your figure is so outstanding… But shouldn’t a nobleman like yourself return to your homeland? I have no intention of leaving this country where I grew up, and I believe marriage should be based on mutual love.”

“You truly are a boring man. You can think about the consequences later after letting loose… You seem to be quite thoughtful. The woman waiting at home must be feeling quite frustrated.”

She sympathetically mentioned Heeseon, whom she had never met, as if it were a pity.

“It must have its own special taste to break such a stiff man. Alright, I understand now. I probably won’t be able to have you even if I force it. Let’s just conclude our deal.”

“Break? Special taste? I understand for now?”

Although some oddly unsettling words slipped in, I was too mentally exhausted from the ongoing intense stimulation and wanted to end the transaction quickly.

“A thousand nyang.”

“What?”

“I’ll buy you for a thousand nyang.”

“Suddenly?”

It was too generous a price.

Thinking it might be a joke, I looked at the woman’s face, finding her serious without a hint of laughter.

“But, there is a condition.”

‘Of course. I don’t think an axe is worth less than a thousand nyang, but it would be strange if I gave more than what I offered.’

“…Please tell me what the condition is.”

“Haha, it’s nothing much. Just listen to the stories you have. Whether they are interesting or not, true or false, long or short, any story that I am unsure about.”

“Stories?”

“Yes, anything.”

“Uh…”

What should I say? Should I tell her a fairy tale-like story? The Tortoise and the Hare?

“Rabbit and…”

“Turtle, Rabbit and Tiger, Rabbit and Zara, not the fairy tales of this country.”

“……”

Or maybe Hong Gildongjeon?

“In the old days during the Sejong Dynasty, Hong…”

“Not the history of this country.”

What is this person? Is it Wikipedia? How does an Arab know all this? And was Hong Gildongjeon a history book? I didn’t know that…

Hmm… The one thing this woman definitely doesn’t know is…

“…… Smartphone?”

“……”

You don’t know this? Well, you definitely wouldn’t!

“What are you doing, not continuing the story.”

“…There is a device called a smartphone. Basically, it allows conversations from a distance with the other party…”

I explained about smartphones for a while.

The woman listening to me found this dry information about smartphones extremely interesting and fascinating, sparkling with excitement as she listened to my story.

And that pure look was my favorite face.

More than her graceful figure or beauty, I was drawn to that shining purity, so I passionately began explaining about smartphones to her.

At some point, she only asked questions, and I diligently searched my mind to slowly provide answers.

About the internet, photos, MP3s, games…

*

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In one trade, I received a sum of 1,000 nyang.

After finishing such a difficult and exhausting trade, there wasn’t much satisfaction.

Even if you have a lot of money, you need to have a purpose for it.

There’s no point in flexing here.

Maybe the only place worth spending big money is on a house?

So, I briefly considered buying a house in the village.

But I had to send the fairy back home, find a way back home myself, and it seemed pointless to attract attention and worry about others around me, so I gave up on the idea.

I can always buy a house later.

Let’s just think of it as activity expenses. A bit too much activity expenses.

Until Heeseon goes to heaven, let’s make her suffer a little less, repay the kindness of those who helped me a bit, and also find a way back home for myself. That should work.

When I thought about spending it, I realized that there were many places where the money could be used.

That’s why they say money is like a monster. When you don’t have it, you don’t know what to do with it, but when you have it, needs suddenly arise everywhere.

As I pondered my future plans, Gil Yong approached me.

“How did things go? I sold some items to find a merchant without wealth or connections.”

“Well, it’s tiring, but things went well. Oh! By the way, Gil Yong, take this.”

“Oh, a brokerage fee? Just put in a reasonable amount, hahaha.”

“Who else would receive such a good deal? Take it here.”

“Why is this so heavy? How much did you put in there?”

“It should be around three hundred nyang.”

Gil Yong’s eyes widened at the amount.

Suddenly, he became angry and started complaining again.

“Last time, a woodcutter sold a golden axe for three hundred nyang, and you’re saying you put in three hundred nyang here? Hey, Sang-a, are you out of your mind? This is way too much even if you’re naive! This is why I wanted to get married quickly! Would you do this if you had a wife?”

“Oh, that talk about marriage again! It’s driving me crazy! Just take it, I’m tired. The merchant is from Dae Sikguk, so he offered a good price, so it’s fine to give him that much. He helped us when our father passed away, and he’s been good to us until now, so stop nagging and take it.”

After my persuasion, Gil Yong hesitated for a moment, then shook his head as if to refuse, indicating that this was not acceptable.

“Sang-a. Still, this is too much. I am a poor villager, what could I possibly lack? I’ll take only fifty nyang, so take back two hundred and fifty nyang. You should get married soon and you won’t be able to spend money recklessly just because you’re young.”

Just take it easy, man. This frustrating gentleman. No way!

“Why are you writing to Gil Yong Ajae like that? He’s practically my uncle, and I’ve seen him selling goods and pawning things while my mother cries her eyes out! What! Stop with the preaching just because you wore a priest’s robe! It’s time to stop making my mother suffer! And what about Ajae’s son? Are you not going to educate your smart son? It’s a sin not to educate such a bright child just because he doesn’t have money! If Ajae is my uncle, then isn’t Mr. Ahjussi’s son like my cousin? Can’t my brother even afford this much for education?”

“Sa.. Sang-ah… You little…”

Oh dear, the bearded man was on the verge of tears at my sarcastic remarks.

Why were the priests so harsh in the past? Wasn’t it because they covered up their lack of offerings in this way?

Even though they knew, they turned a blind eye to the priests’ exploitation because they didn’t want to give them offerings.

But this stubborn human survives on a mere pittance without exploiting anyone, causing only his family to suffer.

I’ve heard my mother lamenting more than once.

If you participate in independence movements, only your family dies, yet you claim to be clean to achieve that?

You need to be a bit more flexible and compromise a bit for your family to breathe. Because being so upright and clean leads to inferiority complex, and the petty samurai keep harassing you.

And how intelligent is Gil Yong Ajae’s son? If you don’t educate this one properly, you’ll face divine punishment.

If you’re wondering who this guy is, once he forced Gil Yong Ajae to bring him wild strawberries in the middle of winter, even though there couldn’t possibly be any on the mountain, no matter how hard we searched.

But this guy boldly went to the samurai and claimed that his father got bitten by a snake while picking wild strawberries.

Quite a character.

But where would a snake be in the middle of winter?

So when the samurai scolded him for lying,

He argued, “If there are wild strawberries in winter, why aren’t there any snakes?”…

Wow… Whoever this clever younger brother is, he’s really sharp! With his wit and eloquence, it’s clear he’s destined for greatness; he must be educated no matter what!

“Oh, this naive Ajae is crying again. Anyway, tell my mother to prepare a hearty meal later; I should enjoy it once. Hehe.”

“Sob… Alright… Tell her to prepare my favorite dish! Sob.”

Tears and snot…

I comforted the man for a long time.

“By the way, Sang-ah.”

“Yes, Gil Yong Ajae.”

Finally, the true Ajae spoke to me with a serious expression.

“Did something happen with that lumberjack?”

I felt guilty for no reason.

“Why?”

“Well, not long ago, that grandmother from over there came and said you made her son go crazy! It was a big mess. But you’re not the kind of person who messes around, and her son’s behavior is usually questionable, so I had to believe you. I just calmed her down and sent her back.”

Hmm… Hannamukun…! You’re alive? The cliché is so strong, huh?

But if you survived by sheer luck, why do you keep causing trouble?

Hannamukun! Do you really want to become fermented fish sauce?

“Wow… Did she say that over there?”

“Was there some kind of incident?”

“Aren’t people stupid even when they’re dumb? Or maybe that guy took off all her clothes and dragged her away in the dead of night. He messed up, but he doesn’t think it’s his fault and goes around bragging about it?”

“What! That guy! So he left her and she came to the government office and caused a scene before leaving!”

“Isn’t it funny? If it were me, I’d be hiding in shame and living like a mouse!”

“And the woman? What happened to the woman?”

Thinking about it, I can’t even call her a fairy. What should I do about this?

Yeah! It’s a cliché after all. Actually, I wanted to try using this.

“I managed to get her, but maybe because I was too surprised, I couldn’t remember the way back home. So, I brought her home, but she seems like a nobleman’s daughter from a neighboring village. We need to ask around to find her.”

Upon hearing that, Gil-yong’s face suddenly turned sinister.

“Haha, is this what you were doing behind my back?”

“Oh, I didn’t touch a single hair. How could I treat a startled lady like that?”

No, did I touch at least the tip of a hair…? No… I must have touched more than just the tip… Ugh… My conscience pricks me.

“Hey, even if you didn’t touch a single hair, she might still want to be touched. Do you think so little of your handsome appearance? If I were that woman, I would have captured and devoured you just by looking at your face. How can you say your face isn’t pretty? Huh? Look at this guy blushing? Hey, you! You seem quite attractive. Well done!”

“Oh, Ajae! Stop it! We should at least deal with that lumberjack guy first. He probably has money anyway. We should bribe the magistrate a bit and settle this matter.”

“Oh, you’ve come into some money, huh? Are you going to spend it all recklessly?”

“No, what if the magistrate gets annoyed and releases him for no reason? Our Hee-sun will be shocked. I have to take the lead.”

“Our Hee-sun? Haha, alright, I’ll talk to the magistrate. No, I’ve received the money, so I’ll bribe the magistrate a bit and tell him to resolve it quickly.”

“Oh, have you come into some money? Are you going to spend it recklessly? Since you have much more than that gentleman, handle it with this amount. Oh! Before initiating legal proceedings, promise that the household is repentant and living as if rats have died. Then, they’ll forgive. In that case, bribery won’t be necessary, so use that money to buy books for your son.”

“Alright, I got it. So, when are we having noodles?”

“Oh, Ajae!”

*

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Inside the shed where the hunter had left.

There, an exotic beauty exuding a strong fragrance was closing her eyes, furrowing her brow in deep thought.

“Lady, it’s time to go back now.”

Perhaps lost in contemplation, one of the attendants waiting behind her snapped her out of her reverie.

“Oh, I’ve been lost in thought for a while. I’m sorry! I made you wait.”

“You even proposed marriage… Was there something special about that young man?”

At the attendant’s question, her eyes suddenly flashed with madness.

“Young man? Special? That person, no, that individual is not someone who can be described in such terms.”

“What?”

“I finally found him… Ah, I finally found him… He was in such a small country… Haha! They seemed troubled, so I let them go for a moment… Hmm… I’ll never let them slip away next time… My… savior!”

“Lady! What in the world…”

The attendant’s bewildered face. However, the woman paid no attention to his expression and concluded her statement.

“I’m going back to Persia for a while. After sorting things out there, I’ll move our base here. I must return fully prepared next time. Prepare the ship immediately…

Sindbad.”