Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 28 장: Sonota Happy Reunion

Jimin was tired. Il Woo was a nuisance, the stone in her pocket was awkward and heavy, and she did not know what had happened to Young Min after the magistrate and his men had gone to arrest him. No longer in the mood to buy anything from the fabric store, she and Sujin slowly made their way back to the Oh household.

Seok Ji Hoon, who in Jimin's opinion had quite overstayed his welcome, was pacing in the front yard when they arrived. The fact that the ceramics master had once served the king, or that he was currently involved in a great mysterious scandal no longer seemed important or particularly exciting to Jimin, and so she walked past him wordlessly. It was only once they were inside the house and Sujin had shut the door behind them that Jimin let her façade drop.

"Can you believe the nerve of him!" Jimin exclaimed, collapsing onto the cushions in her room.

"It was very wrong of Gong Il Woo to accuse you of lying," her maid said softly. "And it was not his place to suggest indecent things about your character."

"That's right!" Jimin exclaimed. "Besides, I only made up that one story, and only for some harmless entertainment! Il Woo's the one who makes vicious lies to intentionally hurt people."

"True, milady," Sujin said. "But perhaps it is best to be more cautious in the future. After all, your story was the foundation for Il Woo's misdeeds. Some things can manifest themselves as more hurtful than they were originally intended."

Jimin opened her mouth to protest, and Sujin cringed. But after carrying around that bothersome stone all day, Jimin wasn't in the mood to scold, and besides, she realized, her servant had a point.

"I suppose I should be a bit more careful with what I say," Jimin admitted.

Sujin slowly raised her gaze. "Pardon?" She seemed a bit stunned that there hadn't been more to the reply. Jimin paid no mind, however, and launched into another tirade against the general's son.

"And how dare he insinuate that I am a loose woman, simply because of my ties with Young Min!" Jimin slammed a fist down on the table before her, only to draw it back with a pained hiss. "Ow."

"Milady!" Sujin rushed forward.

"I'm fine." Jimin sighed. "Go fetch some tea, or something. I need a moment alone."

"Of course, milady." Sujin gave a hurried bow and rushed out of the room.

Jimin sighed again as the door clacked shut behind her maid. Though it was tempting to wallow in self-pity in the ensuing silence, Jimin decided on a more productive use of her time.

Jimin took the stone out of her pocket and set it on the table before her. Though her mother often told her it was unladylike to do so, Jimin set her elbows on the table and leaned forward, frowning at the bothersome product of her attempted revenge. The longer she stared at the smooth black surface of the stone, the more Jimin regretted having ever met that old shaman who had given it to her.

"How do I get rid of you?" she mused aloud, glaring intently at the cumbersome rock. It was impossible to crush to pieces—she and Sujin had tried several times already. Burying it or throwing it off cliffs or into ponds didn't seem to have any effect either—Jimin would always turn around to find it sitting at her feet, as if nothing had happened. Running away had the same result—Jimin would turn, and the stone would always be sitting just a few paces behind her, no matter how far or fast she ran.

"Bothersome woman!" Jimin grumbled. "I tell her to curse Young Min, and she curses me with this abomination instead! No wonder she offered a discount. She must have known she had messed something up!"