My Lordship's Alliance

Chapter one - The Damsel in Disguise

Somewhere in Joseon, a lavish hanok stood in the middle of a vast green pasture. It is the house of one of the Gimhae clan officials, Lord Gim Dong-geun, a higher official of the Gyeongsang Province. He has two sons and a daughter from his late wife. The eldest son, Gim Seokjin, is serving in the Royal army, while his Second son Gim Taehyung is studying for the Gwageo (state-sponsored civil service exams). The youngest child is a girl named Gim Da-hee. Rumour has it that the lord has a fourth child, an illegitimate one from one of his loyal servant ladies, and this child is also staying in the house. No one knows about it; at least no one from the outside has ever seen the child. Lord Gim Dong-geun has been an influential figure in the Yangdong village and a focus of many corruption-related speculations. No one has ever dared to go against him or his family.

The grand hanok is surrounded by a tall rock wall with doorways on four sides; east, west, north and south. Two figures are peeking through the western gate from the outside. They are dressed in shabby and messy minbok and are of Nobi class.

"Sunwoo..." The tall guy hiding behind the rock wall called, "Sunwoo! where are you?"

"Heeseung Hyung! What is it?" the short guy asked as he nervously stood behind the former.

"I'm calling for Sunwoo," Heeseung said, "where is he? Did he forget about our bet?"

They were tenant farmers on some Yangban lord's Land. Heeseung and Jungwon had been cultivating rice and barley for over a year, going after their parents and grandparents.

Suddenly someone tiptoed out from the inside - a girl in her late teens wearing a beautiful hanbok. Her skin shone in the morning sun with a slight shade of rosy pink, her eyes dark and deep like the ocean, and her lips gushed a smile that could melt even the heart made of iron. Who could this damsel be? Both the guys stood there astonished at her beauty.

"Hey, hyung! Why do you look flustered? Laughed the beauty, "it's me, Sunwoo!"

"Wow" Heeseung flabbergasted. Sunwoo in girl clothes looked astonishingly beautiful to Heeseung.

"Why are you still motionless? Aren't we going to the Yeongcham (tavern)?" Sunwoo asked the boys and ran ahead to the village square. Breaking from the spell, the boys followed him!

The boy in the girl's clothing is Sunwoo. He has a mother who is a servant of the Gim family. Since he can remember, he and his mom were in the Gim family household. From childhood onwards, these three boys were best friends. Since nobody in the Gimhae household cared about Sunwoo, he always sneaked out to play with the others. They go to the village square and make mischief. That was their pastime shenanigans.

Today is no different. The three boys had a bet on a rabbit they found in the forest nearby. Heeseung and Jungwon (the short guy) wanted to cook and eat the rabbit, but Sunwoo wanted to spare its life and maybe make it a pet. The bet was to do a dare. If Sunwoo can buy free meals from the village inn for both Heeseung and Jungwon, Sunwoo can make the rabbit his pet.
He dressed like a girl because, according to his mom, he was prettier than any beauty in Joseon, and anyone could fall for him at first sight. Although those are just words, Sunwoo just wanted to test his charms on the cook in the village inn for some pork dishes for his friends.

Sunwoo, in his girl's costume, reached the kitchen stall of the inn and looked around. The other guys were hiding behind the big old oak tree beside the wood house while Sunwoo stood in front of the entry to the kitchen work area. The cook was busy inside preparing lunch for the guests in the inn. Usually, the village inn used to serve pork to the tourists, traders and scholars staying there. But today, there was something special about the kitchen air.

"Wow! It's beef!" Jungwon cried, gulping, "Jongsaeng is making beef!"
Jongsaeng is the name of the village cook's apprentice. He would be in charge of all the washing, peeling and cutting the stuff needed in the kitchen. He was in the work area cutting the beef pieces into thin slices and washing them in cold water collected from the forest stream.

Suddenly, Sunwoo started crying, garnering the attention of Jongsaeng.
"Who's there?" He asked as he came out of the building. He saw Sunwoo standing in the backyard crying. When he saw the boy in hanbok, he was startled and taken aback by the beauty the girl held. Of course, he doesn't know it was Sunwoo. Jongsaeng knew who Sunwoo was but never guessed that it was the same one in front of him in disguise.

"Who are you, my beautiful lady?" Jongsaeng bowed at the girl. Heeseung and Jungwon couldn't hold their laugh while witnessing the flirty demeanour of the young apprentice. They laughed in silence behind the tree, occasionally looking at each other and the sight in front of them.

Jongsaeng slowly approached the girl and asked, "Why are you crying?"
Sunwoo looked at him with a pitiful face. He wiped his tears and said, "I'm coming from afar. I came to visit my uncle, who is in Gyeongju. I have lost my way. Would you kindly help me?" Sunwoo stood there, moving his torso from left to right and back; with a sweet voice, he said, "I haven't eaten anything for a while, and I am starving to death. I caught the fragrance of your delicious meal and followed its direction. You are an excellent cook, for I haven't experienced such a wonderful aroma of food ever in my life."
Sunwoo, in between the sweet talks, looked at his friends behind. Heeseung gestured for him to continue.

When Jongsaeng heard those sugary words from such a beautiful girl, he got lost in some thoughts. He felt a kind of pride at her words and felt the urge to boast some more. "I have been in this field for a decade now! I was born to be a cook." He said, "I always prepare my food with at most dedication, and I want nothing but perfection in the dishes I create."
Sunwoo slightly rolled his eyes, hearing the other's brag.

As the conversation continued, Heeseung and Jungwon slowly sneaked into the work area and looked around. They saw the neatly prepared beef and a big bowl of pork covered in seasonings for marination. Heeseung was adamant about picking up only the beef, while Jungwon wanted both beef and pork. The two took hold of the meats and slowly tiptoed back to the giant oak tree when someone got hold of their collars from behind.

"Stealing! Aren't you!?" The guy said. Heeseung and Jungwon both looked back, shivering. The man was astonishingly handsome, and he had a kind of sophisticated air to him. His face was chiselled, sharp and with a profound jawline. His eyes were fierce looking. He said, "You can't escape so easily from my grasp!"

"Let go of us, please! We are sorry!" Jungwon threw the seasoned pork slices on the man's face, instantaneously releasing him and Heeseung from the guy's grasp as his eyes burned due to the pepper in the pork. Jungwon ran fast in the other direction while Heeseung ran to Sunoo and cried loudly, "Run! Escape! We have been exposed!"

Jongsaeng looked confused as he saw the girl panicking. Heeseung jumped across the fence and sprinted towards the village square. Sunwoo panicked, grabbed his skirt with both hands, lifted it and was about to run when he tripped on a stone. He was about to fall when suddenly two hands got hold of his waist. He looked up and saw the guy from before, tears still coming from his eyes due to the peppers. He looked back at Sunoo but was astonished at the beauty of the girl in his arms. How can such a beautiful girl be part of this vile act? He thought to himself. He was going to ask her name, but the girl stepped on his feet, escaped from his grasp and ran fast as she could.

Jongsaeng was still standing there without understanding what was happening the whole time. The guy was still mesmerised by the beauty of the girl. He slowly moved towards the small well situated near the oak tree. He used a handful of water from the well to wash his face. Unexpectedly the guy got hold of a piece of fabric from the girl's skirt, a soft silk fabric with a floral stamp.