Ch.131Miho 2

# Ilhwa Tavern

It’s the most Korean-style tavern in Yongin International Village.

This place is truly committed to its concept, with all staff wearing hanbok.

Thanks to this, tourists visiting the International Village make it a point to stop by the Korean-style Ilhwa Tavern and the Japanese-style Hikata Hotel.

That’s why Anna and Jeoksa were assigned to Hikata.

Meanwhile, my sister Jisoo and I were put in charge of Ilhwa Tavern.

“So this is the Korean Folk Village…”

Perhaps it’s because the day is growing darker.

Before I knew it, soft lanterns began to light up the folk village street known as the marketplace.

Most people on the street are in traditional attire, except for tourists.

Their colorful and rustic clothing catches my eye.

“Wow…”

Especially the warriors dressed in black with swords at their sides.

The attire of Joseon swordsmen is truly impressive, even to a man like me.

Coincidentally, their footsteps are heading toward Ilhwa, the tavern where we’re going to work undercover.

Thanks to this, I could leisurely follow them to the establishment while admiring their impressive figures.

I pass through the magnificent wooden gate.

Beyond it stretches a spacious courtyard bathed in moonlight.

The courtyard is surrounded by elegant pavilions.

The pavilions are already filled with tourists enjoying food and drinks.

Among them, the swordsmen I was staring at earlier have taken their seats.

“Siho.”

“Y-yes…?”

While I was absentmindedly watching the swordsmen, my sister called me.

Following her gaze, I notice a woman who appears to be the madam of the tavern.

Indeed, the madam is dressed in a beautiful hanbok like a Joseon-era gisaeng.

“You’re from Ilshim, correct?”

“Yes, we’ve been assigned to infiltrate today.”

My sister says, with her arm around my shoulder.

The woman smiles gracefully and bows elegantly in response.

“I’m Seolhui, the madam of Ilhwa. A pseudonym, of course.”

“I understand that since this is an undercover operation, we need to look as much like your staff as possible.”

“So you’ll need to follow our establishment’s rules and dress code.”

She gestures for us to follow her.

Before I knew it, I was entering the gisaeng quarters of Ilhwa Tavern with my sister.

As we step inside, a dreamy floral scent wafts through the air.

I sniffed curiously at the smell.

“Now, while you’re working here, you must use historical drama speech with the customers.”

“Historical drama speech…?”

We both wore dumbfounded expressions.

Suddenly, the madam’s gaze transformed.

Into that of a sharp and serious gisaeng house proprietor.

“So it is you two. The new arrivals at our gisaeng house today.”

“Pardon…?”

“Normally, you would receive several weeks of training, but we are short-staffed, so there is no choice.”

She stands with her hands behind her back, truly acting like a Joseon-era person.

Holding a fan, she lightly taps our shoulders.

“After a brief lesson, we must put you to work immediately.”

The madam claps her hands lightly.

At once, attendants waiting outside enter the room.

Of course, they’re not actual gisaengs, but part-time workers.

They’re all dressed in beautiful fusion hanbok.

However, I found their appearance rather concerning.

Because it meant I would have to wear the same outfit as them.

“Um… Gisaeng?”

“Tsk, address me as Bangjunim.”

“Do I have to wear a hanbok like that too?”

At my question, the madam tilted her head.

Her expression seemed to say, “Are you seriously asking that?”

“Is that not obvious?”

“Couldn’t I wear something like those sword dance outfits…?”

I cautiously raised my finger with courage.

Then pointed to the swordsmen sitting in the pavilion beyond the window.

“What swordsman would dare serve in a gisaeng house?”

I wanted to say, “What’s wrong with that?”

But before I could speak, two part-time workers had already arrived behind me.

Wait, this situation… feels strangely familiar.

A chill runs down my spine.

I’m scared as unpleasant memories begin to creep up.

“Siho, this will be fun, right?”

My sister, oblivious to my feelings, just smiled brightly.

She looked like she’d been wanting to try on hanbok all along.

Of course, I’d love to see my sister in hanbok.

She would truly… truly look beautiful.

But that doesn’t mean I want to wear one too!

“Looking at you, you’re clearly not even twenty yet.”

By “twenty,” she means the age of adulthood, right?

Who’s she calling a child…

“I’m actually twenty-two.”

At my answer, the madam and several gisaengs look puzzled.

“You still have such a youthful appearance…”

The madam mutters while looking me up and down.

Then, after observing my body line, she nods.

“How bewitching… truly bewitching.”

She particularly alternates her gaze between the fox ears on my head and my chest.

Finally, her eyes stop at my hips.

“Such a seductive aura at such a young age.”

“What…?”

“I’ve decided. Your concept.”

The madam’s eyes flash.

The two attendants tap my shoulders and gesture for me to follow them.

“Wait a moment. What about Jisoo?”

“That one has passed twenty, so she will be prepared separately. You follow those girls.”

The part-timers forcibly lift me up.

Feeling a chill, I stood up on my own and said:

“I’ll follow you. Being dragged doesn’t feel very pleasant…”

“See you later, Siho!”

Unlike my anxiety, my sister looks excited.

As if she’s here for a hanbok experience.

“Yeah…”

Right… no need to think negatively.

After all, what business does someone with my body type have wearing a sword dance outfit?

Let’s just think of it as trying on women’s hanbok.

I followed them into the room.

The attendants dramatically opened a large wardrobe.

And inside…

Were various colorful clothes and accessories.

Goblin horns, fake eyes, animal tails, and more…

Wait, there are several strange items mixed in…?

“Um… do I just choose something to wear from here?”

“No. We’ll dress you according to the concept the madam has chosen.”

Unlike the madam who’s serious about the gisaeng role, the attendants seem normal.

Their speech is modern, and their faces are kind.

“What’s the concept?”

“You’ll find out once you try it on.”

Soon, I would come to realize their madness from the answer I received.

They were all as committed to the concept as the madam.

“Wait, wait… why are you trying to undress me?”

“What’s that accessory? Where exactly are you trying to attach it?”

I urgently asked the approaching attendants.

But their eyes were already entranced by my fox ears.

“Just stay still, we’ll take care of everything.”

“That’s right, it will definitely suit you…”

They’ve lost their minds!

I tried to escape somehow.

But their hands had already descended upon me.

「—.」

“Indeed, quite beautiful.”

Madam Bangju nods with satisfaction.

Jisoo observed her face in a hand mirror.

A graceful and beautiful face.

And her brown hair, neatly combed with the front strands swept back.

Anyone would see her as a noble young lady of marriageable age.

“It seems you suit the role of a noble’s daughter more than a gisaeng.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Jisoo stood up firmly on the wooden floor.

Her beautiful navy blue skirt and white jeogori were clearly visible.

“Siho is taking a while…?”

“That child will take longer because of the makeup.”

“I see…”

Makeup… I’m quite curious.

Since he’s such a charming person, I’m definitely curious about how he’ll look in hanbok.

There’s something about him… a strange atmosphere that seems to enchant people even when he’s just standing still.

Jisoo quickly denied the thought she just had.

She decided to focus on the undercover work by serving first while waiting for Siho to come out.

From her graceful magpie steps,

To ensuring the tray doesn’t shake at all when she holds it.

“Order here!”

Men in sword dance outfits call out in booming voices.

Jisoo walks gracefully to the pavilion to take their order.

“Braised ribs and… clear rice wine…”

She writes the menu on the hanji paper she received earlier.

Even the pen is a brush pen, befitting the most popular tavern in the folk village.

While writing the menu, she suddenly felt a gaze.

Jisoo glanced up to check the source.

It was the men in sword dance outfits.

They were secretly admiring Jisoo, the prettiest among the tavern’s gisaengs.

Jisoo smirked at their gaze and stood up.

She was about to return with the order.

But…

“Please take our order too.”

Several men who wanted Jisoo to take their orders.

They all waved their hands at her.

Jisoo was flustered by the simultaneous calls.

For her sake, the madam smiled and took the men’s orders instead.

“I’ll take it myself. What would you like to order?”

“Ah, well… we wanted the other person to take our order…”

“Having the madam take your order directly is a ‘great privilege,’ my lord.”

Fortunately, the skilled staff moved in unison to ease Jisoo’s burden.

Thanks to them, Jisoo could relax a bit.

That’s how the undercover operation began.

While moving busily, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

Steam was rising from the braised ribs she was holding, but she paid no attention.

Because… everyone, including the men and even the women, had their eyes fixed on one person.

Soon, Jisoo also turned her head in that direction.

And…

She saw a woman dressed in white mourning clothes.

Black hair beautifully braided to one side.

Fox-like fur markings drawn on the cheeks.

Fox ears standing tall as if tense.

And a tail shyly protruding from behind the skirt.

It was me, disguised as a gumiho.

“Haah…”

With one arm shyly wrapped around myself, I leaned against a hanok pillar.

My braided hair now reached down to my chest.

I wanted to show my sister a cool sword dance outfit…

What is this…

I stared blankly into space with half-closed eyes.

“Siho!”

My sister, unaware of my feelings, approached.

Curious about my appearance, she asked in an excited voice:

“This is a gumiho concept, right?”

“Yes… that’s what they say…”

Jisoo circled around me curiously.

Then she suddenly noticed the silver tuft protruding from under my skirt.

“The fox ears were already there… but that thing sticking out below is a tail, right?”

“Yes…”

“It’s cute.”

She knelt down and stared intently under my skirt.

Then she tried to touch the silver tail with her finger.

She looked like a curious child.

“How did they attach this…”

Jisoo unconsciously muttered before covering her mouth with the back of her hand.

Soon realizing why she covered her mouth, my face turned red.

I hurriedly smoothed down my skirt and turned away.

“T-this is just detachable, okay? What are you thinking!”

“I-I wasn’t thinking anything! Really…”

She seemed to understand my meaning as her face turned red like mine.

She waved her hands frantically to reassure me.

Perhaps because it was too embarrassing,

I fidgeted with the ribbon ties of the jeogori covering my chest.

“It’s funny, right? This isn’t some fantasy…”

“No, it’s really pretty. I almost fell under your spell.”

At her words about falling under a spell, my fox ears perked up.

I tried to hide them by covering both ears with my hands.

“F-fall under a spell? No way!”

“L-let’s just get to work! We’re not here for a hanbok experience…”

I hurried ahead of her.

I frantically gathered menu papers to take orders.

“It’s okay, they say there are plenty of staff here, so we don’t have much to do.”

Jisoo tried to reassure me calmly.

But as soon as I stepped into the courtyard, customers began shouting loudly, making her words seem hollow.

“Order here!”

“Us too!”

“Let the fox lady take our order!”

Now they’re openly requesting me.

I was so confused that I couldn’t think straight.

I went to take orders from those who called first.

Then I tripped because of the unfamiliar clothes, causing quite a scene.

“Ugh…”

While my sister only gets called by men,

Why is everyone calling for me…!

I sniffled with frustration.

Geez… why does this skirt have to cling so much…