Chapter 47

Chapter 47 — Yeoni and Yeong (1)

Gochujang was now considered an everyday staple, but in Joseon, its value was on an entirely different level.

Before chili farming spread throughout the country, ordinary people could hardly get their hands on it.

You generally had to belong to a very wealthy household just to have the chance to taste it.

So Doyul could at least understand why Ayoung was making such a fuss over gochujang.

Still...

"What do you think? Isn't it great? Oh, by the way, Scholar, have you ever tried gochujang? Once you taste it, it really gets your appetite going, and it's delicious no matter what you eat it with!"

"..."

Doyul found Ayoung's nonstop chatter deeply exhausting.

"And don't tell Father, but I actually have my own special way of eating it. Aren't you curious? Should I tell you, just because it's you?"

"...That sounds interesting, but perhaps we should understand the situation first and then..."

"You dip rice cakes in gochujang!"

Ayoung leaned close and whispered into Doyul's ear.

"It's really delicious! Father always scolds me and says I shouldn't play around with food, though. So you absolutely have to keep it secret, all right? It's way better than dipping them in grain syrup! Oh, wait. Next time, should I try mixing grain syrup and gochujang together...?"

...That's just tteokbokki.

Then again, if this were the modern era, Ayoung would probably have been around middle- or high-school age.

There was nothing strange about a girl that age being obsessed with spicy food.

"...Very well. Since I'm indebted to your father for his hospitality, of course I'll help."

"Could you explain what happened?"

"Okay, okay! This is exciting! So here's what happened! I ordered some gochujang, but would you believe it, our servant Dongwoo must've eaten crow meat because he completely forgot that I told him to receive it! Ah, I don't mean he literally ate crow meat. It's something the servant children say when someone forgets something, and I thought it was so funny that I started saying it too! Hohoho! Oh... was that a little too improper of me?"

"......Excuse me?"

Ayoung's rapid-fire chatter left Doyul feeling as though half his soul had left his body.

...A formidable opponent.

He steadied himself and tried again.

"So you were supposed to receive the gochujang, but your servant forgot?"

"Yes, yes! Exactly! Wow! Scholar, you're really good at listening to me!"

Ayoung clapped excitedly.

When she was younger, Ayoung had lost a very close friend for certain reasons.

After that day, Seo Myeongjin became extremely protective of her, and she rarely had opportunities to go outside or meet people her own age.

Most of the people she could talk to were servants who attended her.

So Ayoung was delighted to meet Doyul, who was close to her own age.

"...Please continue."

"So, so! The servant's name is Dongwoo!"

"Not Dongwoo. Donggu."

Donggu suddenly joined in, thinking she was talking about him.

"Hm? Who are you?"

"Young Master's loyal servant, Donggu."

"Huh?"

The easily distracted Ayoung tilted her head and immediately took an interest in him.

Doyul felt the conversation drifting farther and farther away from the actual issue.

Please stop.

"Wow! Your name is Donggu? That's amazing!"

"That's right. Donggu."

"Wow, wow! Donggu and Dongwoo! You two could become friends! Oh my, if the servants become friends, does that mean you and I become friends too...? Hohoho! I'm joking! Anyway, that servant's name is Dongwoo, and..."

"......"

From that point until the meal was served, Doyul was effectively forced to listen to Ayoung's story.

By the end, he had learned the following.

First, Dongwoo was physically strong, but probably not particularly bright.

Second, a maid named Hyangjin had recently started acting strangely conscious of Dongwoo.

And finally, according to Ayoung, Dongwoo seemed to have feelings for Hyangjin as well.

...What does any of this have to do with gochujang?

"So anyway! Dongwoo, the one I said must've eaten crow meat! I wondered what could've distracted him so badly, and would you believe it? He completely forgot what I told him and went to see Hyangjin while she was doing laundry, then carried the laundry for her!"

"..."

Doyul ate the lavish meal while experiencing a kind of helplessness he had never known before.

Ayoung plopped down on the wooden porch and continued chattering.

"So I saw the two of them walking back together all sweet and cozy, and I said to Dongwoo, 'Hey! Why didn't you go get my gochujang? Why are you coming back with Hyangjin?' And then Dongwoo said he forgot! Oh! Come to think of it, did your servant Donggu eat crow meat too? Hohoho!"

"I've never eaten anything like that."

"Oh! That's not what I meant! Donggu, when I say someone ate crow meat, I don't mean they actually ate crow..."

It took an agonizing amount of time before Doyul finally grasped the actual issue.

"Creditor's delay."

Having finished his meal, Doyul threw open the door, desperate to bring the ordeal to an end.

"Oh! You're already finished eating? Perfect! I hadn't finished my story yet! So what happened next was..."

"No."

"I've already reached a conclusion."

"...Huh?"

Ayoung stared at him with innocent eyes.

Doyul spoke firmly.

"I think you'll have to give up on getting the gochujang."

"......!"

Ayoung's eyes widened.

No one in her life had ever rejected her so decisively.

"Hyung, has your health improved at all?"

"How could I not recover soon? I've returned to my hometown, I breathe fresh air every day, and morning and evening I get to enjoy the antics of my adorable only daughter. Hahaha!"

"..."

Seo Myeongjin had served as an official in Hanyang before returning to Daegu to recuperate.

But his condition had not improved, so his stay had grown longer than expected.

The fact that he avoided directly saying his health was improving revealed enough.

He was still unwell.

Choi Sihyeon sighed.

"I'm beginning to feel guilty for imposing on you."

"What are you saying?"

"Don't say such foolish things."

"You have no idea how happy I am that you've come."

"..."

Choi Sihyeon looked closely at Seo Myeongjin again.

There was a bright smile on his face, but his complexion was dark enough that it was easy to tell his condition had worsened.

...Hyung's condition is worse than I expected.

He's tried every medicine said to be good for the body, yet even gold and jewels cannot buy health.

I came partly to greet him, but now I can't tell whether coming was the right thing to do or a mistake.

Seo Myeongjin noticed his concern and spoke gently.

"Choi Sihyeon."

"What are you thinking about?"

"...Hyung."

"I served His Majesty in Hanyang, so as a subject, I have already enjoyed an honor greater than I deserved."

"My children have all grown up healthy, so I have fulfilled my duty as a father."

"And while I'm here recuperating, a dear friend like you has come to visit."

"What greater happiness could I ask for?"

Seo Myeongjin smiled warmly and joked.

"The only thing that worries me is whether I'll ever manage to marry Yeong off properly."

"After she lost her friend, I was afraid she'd be hurt, so I spoiled her terribly."

Now that he had said so much, Choi Sihyeon could hardly continue pressing him about his health.

So he changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, Yeong is already of marriageable age."

"...Ghh. Indeed."

For the first time, genuine concern appeared on Seo Myeongjin's face.

"I've heard hints from several families trying to establish connections, but none of them seem satisfactory."

"And with Yeong's personality, most ordinary men wouldn't be able to handle her anyway."

Seo Myeongjin sighed.

"Haah. If only some sharp, respectable young scholar from a good family would suddenly fall out of the sky."

"..."

For a brief instant, Doyul's face flashed through Choi Sihyeon's mind.

He immediately dismissed it as a ridiculous thought.

"...Huh?"

Ayoung was left speechless by Doyul's firm statement.

No one had ever treated her like this before.

Blink. Blink.

"What... do you mean?"

"O-Oh dear!"

Dongwoo, who knew Ayoung's personality well, hurried forward and tried to smooth things over.

But Doyul had already organized his thoughts.

Article 400 of the Civil Act, creditor's delay.

[Article 400 — Creditor's Delay. When a creditor is unable or unwilling to receive performance, the creditor bears responsibility for delay from the time valid performance is tendered.]

"S-Scholar! Um... perhaps you should rest for a while. We'll sort this out properly, so why don't you go back inside..."

"Are you Dongwoo?"

"...Yes!"

Doyul let out a complicated sigh as he finally met the servant who had featured in Ayoung's endless story.

...Thank goodness you finally showed up.

He cross-checked the facts with Dongwoo.

"Let me ask you."

"Is it true that the gochujang was being purchased from a man named Park Jaeho?"

"Y-Yes, that's correct."

"And is it also true that on the agreed date and time, when you were supposed to receive it in front of this house, you forgot the arrangement and left?"

"...Th-That's also true."

"I-I'm sorry..."

Dongwoo lowered his head.

"And when Park Jaeho's servant came and found you absent, he returned home."

"Then, just as he was trying to store the jar of gochujang again, a sudden shower came and ruined it."

"Is that correct?"

"...Yes."

That was the situation.

While Dongwoo had stepped away to help Hyangjin, Odol arrived carrying the gochujang and found no one there to receive it.

So Odol took it back home.

Then, just as he was about to store the jar somewhere safe, trouble struck.

His master urgently called for him.

Odol stepped away briefly before he had time to place the pressing stone properly on top of the jar.

Whoooooosh!

SHWAAAAA!

A sudden summer downpour swept in with violent winds.

"Oh my goodness! What's happening?!"

Crash!

The lid flew away.

Rainwater poured into the jar.

The gochujang was ruined.

"Things turned out like this, so we can't give you the gochujang."

"What do you mean you can't?!"

Naturally, the two sides strongly disagreed.

Ayoung and Dongwoo argued that they had already paid, so they should receive proper gochujang.

Odol, the servant of Park Jaeho's household, argued that none of this would have happened if they had received the goods at the agreed time.

Therefore, he refused to provide a replacement.

Once Doyul understood the facts, the answer seemed painfully obvious.

And more than anything, he wanted to escape this ordeal as quickly as possible.

It's a textbook case of responsibility for delay in acceptance.

That was why he had calmly told Ayoung to give up on the gochujang.

But Dongwoo, as Ayoung's servant, saw things differently.

I don't know why Young Lady is being so quiet for once...

But this is bad.

Gulp.

Dongwoo glanced nervously at Ayoung.

Normally, she would already be chattering nonstop about how unfair everything was.

He had no idea why she was standing there in stunned silence.

But if he let things end like this, he was certain he would be in serious trouble.

I have to persuade this scholar somehow.

Dongwoo cautiously spoke.

"S-Scholar."

"You say we should give up on the gochujang, but..."

"We already paid for it."

"Shouldn't we receive the goods?"

"I know I made a mistake by leaving for a short while, but saying we can't receive replacement gochujang just because of that seems..."

"...a little too harsh."

And Doyul's eyes lit up.

Finally.

A real conversation.

After being exhausted by Ayoung's relentless chatter, Doyul was genuinely delighted to finally have a calm, logical argument to respond to.

"...Young Master really isn't ordinary either."

Watching Doyul look pleased at being challenged, Donggu shook his head.

And...

"......"

Farther away, Yeoni stood awkwardly, looking back and forth between Doyul and Ayoung without knowing what to do.