Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 20 장: Crescendo

For the first time since the spell had been cast, the stone was lighter.

The difference wasn’t immediately apparent, except for when Jimin kicked at it in anger—as she did every day—the object skidded across the floor of her room a handbreadth farther than it had the previous day.  Still, Jimin figured it mattered little in the long run.  That thing always got in her way, and was proving to be quite an eyesore; a constant reminder of her impulsive revenge.  When she had sent Sujin to the shaman the previous night, the servant had come back with very little helpful information on how to get rid of it.  Maybe, though, this slight change meant that there was hope, after all?  Perhaps Sujin’s meeting had been more fruitful than the servant had let on.  If that was the case, Jimin would be sure to reward her with some extra gimbap from the kitchens.

“Jimin?”

“Just a moment!” she called to the person waiting outside.  She snatched up her fan and turned to leave—only to nearly trip over the stone at her feet.  It had moved, as usual, to a spot right in her way.  Sighing, the noblewoman picked it up and tucked it away in her hanbok, wincing at the added weight.  It wouldn’t do to have the cursed rock follow her around all day at her heels, again.

Once outside, Jimin slipped into her shoes and stepped off the porch to greet her visitors.

“Hello, Abeoji,” she greeted her father, then turned to the older man beside him with a look of feigned innocence.  “Who is our guest?”  Of course, she had already heard from Sujin and the rest of the family servants all that she needed to know.

“Seok Ji Hoon, this is my daughter, Jimin.  Jimin, this is Seok Ji Hoon.  He will be visiting with us for a few days.”

The corners of Ji Hoon’s eyes crinkled in a smile.  “How wonderful it is to meet the daughter of an old acquaintance.”

Jimin bowed respectfully.  “Would you happen to be the same Ji Hoon—the famous master of ceramics?”

The man laughed in pleasant surprise.  “My, your daughter is smart!” he told Jimin’s father before turning back to answer her.  “Yes, I served the king and made pottery for the royal family for over a decade before finally retiring to the countryside to teach my craft.  Now I live in a small peaceful village at the base of Joryeong Mountain.  Lots of traders pass by that area, and many are interested in buying my products.”

“Whatever brought you to our small town?” Jimin asked, but her question was met with a reproachful glare from her father.

“Don’t pry, Jimin,” he reprimanded.

“It’s quite all right,” Seok Ji Hoon assured him.  “It’s understandable that she be curious about the matter.”  Jimin’s lips pressed into a dissatisfied line at the feeling of being talked about like a child.

“Well?” she prompted, and her father’s eyes widened in shock at her boldness.

“I must apologize for my daughter, she—” he was interrupted with a short, loud laugh from the ceramics master.

“Quite curious indeed!” Ji Hoon exclaimed.  “Very well, I shall give you a hint, if you promise to keep it a secret,” the man said.

“Oh, I promise,” Jimin fervently replied, though she was just barely able to stop from rolling her eyes.  The man really did think her a child!  It was one thing for her father to treat her this way, but this man?  She was no longer a little girl who obediently did as she was told.  She would decide for herself whether the information she received was worth sharing or not.

“I am here to search for someone,” Ji Hoon finally told her.  Jimin could have groaned.  She had managed to figure out that much, what with Sujin barging into her quarters last night and rambling on fearfully about a strange man who had been going around stopping young women in the street before letting them go again.