The Inn (1)
Jimin led So-un to an inn with a large signboard that bore the word banjeom written boldly across it.
They went inside to the first floor and took a seat, and she immediately began ordering food.
She ordered generously, enough to be fully covered by the gold coin they had taken.
Before the waiter could even ask, she rattled off dish after dish without hesitation.
So-un, who had planned to settle for a single dumpling, rolled his eyes and calculated silently.
These were dishes he would never have dared to consider with his own money.
They said leaving home meant hardship, and it was true.
Since leaving, he had never held a decent sum of money in his hand.
He could barely remember the last time he had eaten his fill.
So he worried whether it was really all right to order so freely in an inn like this.
It felt as though he were committing some grave mistake.
He could not even estimate whether they would truly be able to pay.
When the food arrived, Jimin picked up her chopsticks first.
Her cheeks puffed out, filled with food, yet her eyes were serious.
The contrast made her overall expression appear cautious.
She glanced around once, wary of others overhearing.
With a faint frown, chewing as she spoke, she lowered her voice.
Her tone was quiet, but her expression was grave.
"Do you have a plan, Young Master?"
Even as she spoke, Jimin scanned their surroundings.
She had rushed after him and clearly had not yet heard the news in the capital.
She did not seem to know that So-un had already finished the task.
"What plan?"
"Good heavens!"
Jimin set her chopsticks down with a sharp clack.
"You set out without any plan?"
Her voice was low but firm.
"Do you have thoughts behind this or not?"
Her voice rose again.
She seemed like a different person overnight.
As though transformed entirely.
Something must have happened with the Cheonsan Wanderer.
She was nothing like she had been just the day before.
The quiet maiden who answered only yes or no to his decisions was gone.
Now she stood as a fiery heroine of the martial world.
Her words carried force.
Her gaze held no retreat.
Did they not say that a woman's heart shifts its light depending on where it turns?
"Then from now on we make a plan. I will be your strength, Young Master. And I know the geography of the capital well."
Jimin clenched her fist.
Seeing that, So-un smiled faintly.
He understood roughly what had happened.
She had come chasing after him when he left alone.
Since Cheonsan would not involve himself further, she must have chosen on her own to follow.
This was no longer about Cheonsan.
She had come in her own name.
When we stand in our own name, we become true martial artists.
He did not need an explanation.
Even without words, the direction of a person's choice revealed itself.
One's heart always left traces somewhere.
Now that current was clear to him.
The truth of the world felt almost within reach.
"What… are you saying?"
So-un blinked, as though puzzled.
At moments like this, he looked foolish.
"The imperial palace. You said we would strike the palace, did you not?"
Jimin lowered her voice.
Yet she enunciated each word clearly and firmly.
It was almost a whisper, but without hesitation.
So-un smiled slyly.
That smile no longer comforted Jimin.
Behind it there was always something shabby, something absurd waiting to unfold.
After that casual grin, there was always a situation to clean up.
She knew that from experience.
Whenever they encountered bandits shaking down travelers, So-un chose negotiation.
He would spin endless words and drag things out.
It looked ridiculous.
He would not simply strike once and move on.
He restrained his use of force more than necessary.
When asked why, he always gave the same answer.
He was learning how to live.
He said one must not display strength everywhere.
Which made it sound as though they themselves flaunted strength recklessly.
But his so-called "way of living" was unbearably shabby.
It meant detouring again and again.
Lowering himself instead of using the power in his grasp.
That foolish smile he always wore.
Jimin had grown tired of it.
And yet, this time, the playful grin felt different.
What was it?
A faint tension crept in.
Another shabby scheme?
Was he planning to beg the Emperor to die?
To negotiate with the Chancellor instead?
Surely not…
She could not guess.
So-un smiled faintly and explained in a hesitant tone.
"Ah, that… It's already finished."
"What did you say? Already?"