Kim Hong Do begs to the officials to cancel the punishment but they don’t want to hear his reason. Jeongjo enters and he looks like still upset because of the painting. He interrogates Yoon Bok himself. Kim Hong Do looks distraught.
“Painter Shin Yoon Bok, are you still using your brain to paint? That painting... Why do you paint women bathing on Dano Day?” Jeongjo looks at him angrily.
“That is... That is actually gisaengs from Songdo Gibang. Shouldn’t we, painters, be your eyes to see lives outside the palace?”
“Gisaeng from Songdo? Do you mean Hwang Jin Yi?”
“Yes, yes Jeonha. I only want to draw them, including Hwang Jin Yi. If it’s my fault, I will take the punishment,” Yoon Bok wails.
Jeongjo is a bit calmer when he hears Yoon Bok reasoning and he no longer upset. He then proceed to cancel the punishment. The officials and ministers protest right away, but Jeongjo waves his hand and tells them to shut up. He also orders Yoon Bok to meet him later. Yoon Bok bows and thanks Jeongjo many times for his grace.
Meanwhile Dong Soo just hears that Yoon Bok escapes heavy punishment because Jeongjo. He goes straight to Yoon Bok to asks him his feelings. Yoon Bok is actually a bit confused because the king suddenly became calmer the moment he said about the gisaengs from Songdo Gibang. Dong Soo asks him why, but Yoon Bok is also not sure. He promises to look for the reason when he meets Jeongjo later. Dong Soo can’t believe Yoon Bok will meets the king tonight. He wishes him good luck and excuses himself.
“Okay then. Good luck! I’ll leave first!” Dong Soo waves his hand to Yoon Bok.
“Hey, where are you going?” Yoon Bok asks.
“Where else but to my training! I just check if you’re okay today,” Dong Soo cheekily smiles.
Dong Soo trains hard with his fellow friends. He’s determined to be the best swordsman in Joseon. Lastly, he has to face off Yeo Woon. He tells him to just attack him, but because Yeo Woon knows him best, he relents and lets Dong Soo beats him. Dong Soo smiles at his friend while showing good sword skills. Both of them seems enjoying the training.
Meanwhile Jin Yi is in Gibang and she has to greet government officials at a banquet. One of them is Minister of Arts, Kim Jung Han. Jin Yi gives her best to dance beautifully, making the audiences in awe with her. All eyes are on her and she makes no mistake in dancing. She shows great movement, making people fall in love with her. Jung Han only sits in silence, his heart is still breaking every time he sees her.
Jung Han smiles at Jin Yi and approaches her after the performance. He wants to take a walk with her. Jin Yi is uneasy to reject him, so she agrees eventually. They go to forest nearby and chit chat. Jung Han talks to her very carefully, tries not to remember the past. However Jin Yi knows well that Jung Han still likes her. They go to riverside and rest for a while.
“Jin Yi-ah, are you happy now that you’re known as famous courtesan?”
“My Lord, it’s always my dream to serve people with arts. An artist’s goal is not to gain popularity. It is to convey feelings,” she explains.
“You seem to know arts than myself,” he praised her.
She blushes a little but then excuses herself. She thinks it won’t be good to stay with him longer. He sees her back from afer, clearly affected by her.
Just then, at the palace Yoon Bok meets Jeongjo. He brings along his teacher, Kim Hong Do just in case he can’t defend himself against the king. Jeongjo smiles and praises them as the best artists in Joseon.
“Jeonha, why do you summon me here?” Yoon Bok asks.
“It’s nothing important, but as you said yourself I want you to be my eyes outside the palace since I can’t go outside easily,” Jeongjo says.
“What I have to do?”
“I’m really curious with Hwang Jin Yi, the famous gisaeng. Can you at least report to me how she is? This is my order.”
Yoon Bok raises eyebrows at the strange request. He doesn’t reply soon and looks at Hong Do to look for an agreement. Hong Do slightly nods.
“What is the reward, Jeonha?” Hong Do asks
“3000 nyang for you!”
Hong Do and Yoon Bok gape at the large reward. It’s really big sum of money so they can’t easily reject it. They both agreee to conduct the request and excuse themselves from Jeongjo. When they leave, Jeongjo wonders to himself if he really do what’s the best interest for him or his curiousity takes over.
Dong Soo takes his horse and goes to Songdo with light heart. He’s happy that his training goes well and now he wants to meet his sweetheart. He gallops the horse and even imagines Jin Yi races beside him. He’s only sad that it’s only his imagination.
Dong Soo comes to Songdo Gibang and makes request to stay with Jin Yi that night. Jin Yi looks at him and can’t help but smile. He also looks at her and he lights up upon seeing her. He goes to her room and notices something different than before. He pouts that it seems many men have come by to the room.
“What do you expect from lowly gisaeng? Do you want me to lose the customers?” Jin Yi asks him.
“Well, just that that I don’t like it. As a man, if I see you with another man should I be happy? Of course not.” Dong Soo says honestly.
“I’m sure it’s just your jealousy.”
They pass the night by gayageum music and Dong Soo seems to enjoy it a lot. He closes his eyes as the music sounds poke his ears. He really doesn’t want to leave the room and want to stay with her forever. A while later, Jin Yi asks him if he’s sleeping, she pokes him but he doesn’t respond. Jin Yi smiles at him and notes that he’s cute.
She puts a blanket to cover him, but as the blanket touches him he slowly wakes up and looks at her innocently. She looks away because she’s shy but Dong Soo grabs her hand and tells her to sleep beside him. She refuses him but his force is stronger and he pulls her to his side. She falls on his side and their eyes meet each other. A strong tension felt between them. She can hear his breath and her own heart also beating so fast. He leans on her, she’s embarrased and closes her eyes. His lips touches hers and she can feel the stings, the sensation. They kiss each other passionately and Dong Soo continues to kiss at her cheek and her ears. Dong Soo removes her top slowly...
Meanwhile outside there’s Kim Jung Han and he demands to meet Jin Yi. But the Head Mistress says he can’t because she has another guest that night. Jung Han says he will pay double to see her. The Head Mistress asks the money up front and Jung Han gives her. She then goes to Jin Yi’s room and knocks it. She peeps on the room and tells Jung Han what happens.
But Jung Han doesn’t like it, he barges the room suddenly. Dong Soo and Jin Yi are startled and Jin Yi wears her clothes as quickly as possible. While Dong Soo is only on his undergarments.
“Hey, what are you doing here, Mister? Why do you disturb me? Do you wanna die?” Dong Soo balks at Jung Han.
“Sorry, I already pay her for tonight. So you move out! How dare you to touch Hwang Jin Yi!!”
Yoon Bok also comes to the scene but they’re already in argument. He calms down Dong Soo because Jung Han is high-ranking official.
“Dong Soo hyung, stop it! He’s Minister of Arts, Kim Jung Han!” Yoon Bok tells him.
“So what? Why is it matter even if he’s the minister? I come here first!” Dong Soo says.
“Just stop it, he’s close to the king. What are you doing here, anyway?”
They’re still in heated argument until Jin Yi feels enough is enough.
“Just stop it all! I won’t serve any of you anymore!!” she leaves her room.
Dong Soo and Jung Han follows her to persuade her to change her mind. But Jin Yi won’t listen to them. While Yoon Bok secretly draws the fight scene and gives it title “Who Will be The Hero at The Brothel?”
***
To be continued...
Writer: kanz
Pictures credit: as tagged, to owner
0 comments:
Post a Comment