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CHAPTER 4.2 - FATE, IT'S VAIN AND FETTERS (2)
“Uhh…”
Dan, who had tossed and turned several times, slowly opened her eyes. The blurry outline of the dim dawn light gradually became clearer.
“Ugh!”
For a while, she woke up surprised by the unfamiliar surroundings.
“Ah… right. It’s no longer the tea shop.”
Realizing she was in the house of the General, she exhaled the breath she had swallowed. She thought it would take her a few more days to get used to it. However, after sleeping deeply on the soft duvet, her tired body felt refreshed after a long time.
“I’m hungry.”
Her stomach, which she had not noticed, kept on grumbling, which was really embarrassing. It was because she had only eaten roasted barley for the past few days. Rubbing her hungry stomach with her palm, Dan slowly got up from her seat and headed for the door. She was wondering where to get something to eat this morning but it seemed that moving around rather than sitting would be better to forget her hunger. But Dan, who was opening the door, tilted her head in an instant with a sound of something heavy being felt beyond the door.
“What?”
She poked her head out and saw a small bowl covered with cloth behind the door. She slowly lifted the cloth and her mouth opened slightly. Inside the bowl was a glistening yakgwa (Korean honey cookie). It was a snack that she was able to eat before thanks to a customer from Chosun who said it would go well with tea. It was sweet and soft, and she kept being reminded of its subtle scent. Dan swallowed her saliva at its delicious appearance.
‘Since it’s in front of my room, it’s for me to eat, right?’
Dan immediately squatted down in front of the bowl and started eating the yakgwa. The deep sweetness that melted in her mouth almost made her eyes narrow. She was so hungry that she couldn’t stop eating.
“Cough, kek! Cough!”
She coughed while pounding her chest and her eyes met with a wandering old man holding a broomstick.
“Ahaha…” Dan smiled awkwardly and coughed once more. The old man handed her water.
“Now you see what I left for you to eat last night.”
“I was worried that I might be eating someone else’s food.”
“If you were following the Master, you would not have been able to eat properly.”
[PR NOTES: The old man is referring to their trip to Hanyang and he knows that during their travel they weren’t able to eat properly]
The old man had smiled at her kindly and Dan politely put her hands together and bowed her head in gratitude.
“Thank you for taking care of me. Thanks to you, I enjoyed the meal.”
“If you need anything, you are always welcome.”
“Yes, Haengrang**.”
“Huh?”
At the name that Dan had called him, the old man burst out laughing.
Why is he laughing all of a sudden? I’m just saying thank you…
“Just call me Grandpa Deokwon.”
[PR NOTES: Haengrang Abeom is a term used to refer to an old male servant. Though Dan speaks the Korean language well, she doesn’t know much about Korean customs or custom words, thought that the old man’s name was Haengrang.]
“Sorry, because I didn’t know…”
“It’s okay.”
Fortunately, the old man passed it on. Dan firmly vowed to herself that she had to be careful with her words. If she said something wrong again, they would learn that she wasn’t Korean.
“Did you say your name was Dan?”
“Yes, Grandpa Deokwon.”
“How did you meet the master?”
Dan told him about the story of the thieves and the army that had engaged in a battle at her tea shop. Because of that, her shop was burnt down and she had nowhere to go. Of course, she didn’t forget to add that she was ‘a person who ran away from Joseon following her parents’.
“So that’s why he brought you here.” Grandpa Deokwon, who listened quietly, nodded.
Dan’s eyes widened. Did he understand just after hearing her short story? Dan couldn’t contain her curiosity. “Why did the general take me away?”
“Huh?”
“Actually, I still don’t know why. He must have met a lot of people with the same situation as me when he went to war but there’s no way he’d get all of those people all the time. There are too many servants in this house, it’s not because there aren’t enough servants.”
“...”
Dark clouds suddenly fell over Dan’s cheerful face as Grandpa Deokwon didn’t say anything with nothing but a strange expression on his face.
“Ah no way… is it?”
“...”
“Am I going to be food?” Dan jumped up from her seat and asked in a hoarse voice. According to the rumors, the northern ghost would eat children and treat them like a living soother. But isn’t it only children? Dan was utterly stunned.
“I… so am I going to die now?”
“What?”
“Will he eat me right away? Or will he play with me and kill me when he no longer finds me fun? I’m not that funny…”
Dan was too panicked and continued to utter gibberish stuff. The more she talked, the more vivid her imagination became. Grandpa Deokwon couldn’t help but become more embarrassed when she suddenly burst into tears.
“No, first of all, to the Master, you…”
“First? Is he going to play with me first? What should I do so he’ll like it the most? If I boost his excitement will he mind letting me live a little longer? Whoa…!”
In the end, Dan couldn’t overcome her fear and sobbed harder.
“Master Seogyeol is back!”
“Hiccup!”
A loud hiccup followed after the cry announcing that the General had returned.
‘Ah, I’m done…’
Dan pouted her lips and shed a huge droplet of tears.
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