Ballad of the Mountain Fox

제 9 장: Campfire Tune

Young Min slid off his horse, biting back a hiss of pain as his feet hit the ground.  If the vagabond girl noticed his discomfort, she gave no indication of it, and he was thankful.  No doubt it would send Won Soo into a panic upon discovering that his master was unwell.

And it was only getting worse.

Fighting against the ache in his legs, Young Min offered a hand to help Mi Nam—or whatever her real name was—down from the horse.  Young Min felt that if he were accusing the girl of thievery, the least he could do was keep her gender a secret as she wished.  So although Won Soo had protested, Young Min had insisted that she ride with him instead of his servant.  Won Soo might have been clueless at times, but he was bound to notice something off if they shared a horse for several hours.

Besides, the girl had been fairly well behaved thus far.  Although she still protested that she was not a thief, Young Min couldn’t shake the suspicion that something was off about her.

Aside from the fact that she was disguised as a man, of course.

Hesitantly, Mi Nam took Young Min’s hand and began to edge off the horse, only to lose her balance and topple forward, sending both her and Young Min crashing to the ground.

“Young master!”  Predictably, Won Soo was suddenly at his side, rushing to help him up.

“I’m so sorry!” Mi Nam said, scrambling to her feet.

“Why I oughta—” Won Soo muttered, faking a punch in the girl’s direction.

“That’s enough, Won Soo,” Young Min reprimanded.  Thief or not, he wouldn’t have his servant hitting anyone.

“I wasn’t really going to hit him, young master,” Won Soo muttered, stepping back and taking the horse’s reins.  “Rest here, I’ll tie up the horses and set up a fire in a bit.”

Wincing, Young Min headed to the base of a large pine and sat down.  It had been several hours since the encounter with the bandits, and nightfall was rapidly approaching.  Judging by their altitude, he guessed that they would reach the top of the mountain by the following evening, and the small town that was built there.  Then he would be able to hand the mysterious girl over to the magistrate, who would be able to determine whether she was a thief or not, and he and Won Soo could continue down the other side of the mountain, to Miryang.

Having nowhere else to go, Mi Nam followed after the young noble and sat down under a neighboring tree.  Young Min noted with a bit of amusement the leaves stuck in her hair from the tumble off his horse.

“What?” the girl scowled, catching his gaze.

Young Min raised his hands innocently.  “It’s nothing.”

“You were staring at me.”

“Just wondering if you were okay after the fall.”

The girl snorted in a very unladylike way.  “Thanks for asking.  I’m not okay, but it’s because I’ve been wrongfully arrested, not because I fell off a horse.”  For a moment, she glanced up.  “Sorry about that, by the way.  But my hands are tied, so it was a bit difficult.”

“It’s all right,” Young Min said.  “But you understand I can’t just let you go.  Your whole situation is very suspicious.  A girl traveling alone, dressed as a man, spying on a robbery?  And you refuse to give any answers.  Can you really blame me for wanting to bring you in to the magistrate?”

“I…”  The girl frowned, thinking over his argument.  “I guess not,” she finally sighed, surprising Young Min.  “Thanks for not telling your servant that I’m a girl, at least.”