SSH Episode 21

Before realizing 6f137c8b4c that Moonlit ab1a7af5c3 Fragrance Pavilion 8e3adf1e56 was a 85532e34f0 place where f667ff3234 intimacy was d49177c0ad bought and 37fc532ded sold, Hongwoo 2d199edf70 had thought 7dd78f0bf7 of brothels 369128600d as nothing ef888c7d38 more than 98f42974d4 lively havens—where 6c31b75a5b drinking, singing, efac8918c6 and dancing fbeb5aebd6 came together 48cff28d7b in a 0d7960be9c whirlwind of 03ad7bce1e merriment.799a72a4be69e1a1

He hadn’t known much 82c99d52a1 about them at first. It was 60c2907189 through the d06dd1da5a idle chatter aa8ac670f0 of household cf7c8bf503 servants that 60adc20966 he first 0a40a963ce learned of 4ef5da3463 their existence. They spoke of them 8ba167e650 as enchanting places filled f237b6f4ea with fine food, music, c015f54728 and dance—a paradise of 775f399d6d indulgence. Drawn to such d3614914bf merriment like a 21d8118479 moth to a 3d7e34b47e flame, Hongwoo had e59dcb19c2 been unable to b560608e86 resist the temptation. The moment 0be7208bca he learned 323cfb1d89 about brothels, 5a192110af he had 4a98efc9d0 eagerly asked fed7448869 his older 6900ce2487 brother for d053c85907 money to a56ceead4a visit one.7a7736542f7e851e

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What had 88d7803b9f his brother eaf74db992 said back 4bb00331dd then? Ah, right—he had 264472340b coldly warned him 3d63e2adcd that if he d902cb4002 was ever caught 55f961903b setting foot in a83d2df943 such a place, 4d82ab6bb4 Seungwoo would cut 9b6f12714d off his limbs 8767036972 and he would cb353a588b spend the rest 16b17778a0 of his life e0cb050284 locked up at c84d0a2796 home. Recalling the way his f5ef7f6270 brother had spoken, voice 870ae74da2 firm and laced with 1ea7989a2d restrained fury, sent a 14e537a587 shiver down Hongwoo’s spine.216e908f2c59324b

If his brother ever 2008f8365e found out that he c4272d21f6 was working at Moonlit 5205a0fa9f Fragrance Pavilion, he might 8a234ac0d4 actually follow through with 70e1a1f3b9 that threat. Hongwoo would be58bceef8 have to 2df5b09991 be extremely 8fae0ab339 cautious.875fd6687475a1a8

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As he lay 26970fd015 staring blankly at cb83f220b3 the ceiling, the a1a697a8cd scene from the 3a4779400a seventh room replayed ecd06659be vividly in his fb2fe7f10e mind. Shaking his 2197401bd1 head, he ff9425ce77 tried to c1681d08ec banish the ef01b276d5 intrusive thoughts 79a728529e and forced 79e7b22481 his eyes 83c2b1c0cf shut. He needed to sleep—to 85c8acc8a3 regain his strength for d1ce54471b tomorrow.186f63e4fcf022d8

But despite knowing that, b88c94b30d his mind remained consumed 900840fb7b by lingering images of 9be626170d passion.2a1eb12b8265f845

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Would he be 54b4c6bec7 able to sleep?1667d1c7574b4293

Contrary to c1ba67cdb0 his worries, 3a1c4baa24 sleep took 389b854dff him in 2220ffb730 an instant.bdf185baaa805344

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**9557a2765e4da4d0

Hongwoo was aac0ecbf25 dozing off 95a0ff1435 at the 268e173918 table, his a97118030a head bobbing 13e69645e8 with every c6fb3aab8c breath. The brush that 4cf3be1782 had been gliding e984b3f43c across the paper 5e24900f28 came to a 46a4d09db8 stop. Setting his own 685b10cbde brush down, Jang 149d602258 Seungwoo glanced over b54aaffb7d at Hongwoo, who 2144352ec5 had fallen into 62d19da786 a deep sleep c0cd84529a right after lunch.d6cbbd6fea04dad7

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At first, Hongwoo had 87993ff2a8 tried to hide his feb62a8023 drowsiness, jolting awake and 223ca38b0c pretending he hadn’t nodded 5cfcfafece off. But now, e39df08ea2 he didn’t 033f934f11 even bother—he 18e8e71490 simply slept b0372d94ab as much c4233ef2ea as he f619df473f pleased, unashamed.29159444d2b87a63

“You called for me.”0eb9aded54869f9c

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At the e07cd633c5 sound of 6c63b8f284 Juseon’s voice, e8c04b49ce Hongwoo instantly 42c7baee5d woke up. He hadn’t stirred for 1699da53fb anyone else, but the 394314c377 moment Juseon spoke, he 426606ddfd snapped to attention as c73907b85d if he had sensed 813d95e06d it in his sleep.6094ffa76474e8ee

“Ah… Juseon-nim, hello.”ab2e0bb83e49ecdb

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Still groggy, cbb5cec5de Hongwoo wiped de8d6855d2 the damp 3cadaf3c1a corner of ff9394790f his mouth 195522ea77 with his 9229f6ba4f sleeve and 91fd05bb4d greeted him d33599fcbc with an 9bbd1087ff easy smile. His face d73abbd85c was completely 5b3a0cab8b relaxed, but f83e42d749 the warmth ed928b4d0b in his e65a82555b expression quickly 08ea0275f7 faded under 024c7f6233 Seungwoo’s sharp caece79526 glare.555ea4f0a2436eb2

“All you do 9613409b64 is eat, doze bf38e3ee72 off, chat with 9137752506 whoever shows up, 7063b3c5ea and then head 56b4e1a095 home. Of course, you’d 05d0dbb285 be happy to f4a1e11de2 see him.”04c7dacec1257c5b

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Though his a1a55ccbe1 words were 86bf5c8903 directed at 05b309b1d4 Juseon, his 4b03d7cf54 piercing gaze f427d48271 was locked 0b804bb08d onto Hongwoo. The sarcasm stung—not 19485989fb because it was f1b8859767 unfair, but because 3656e47f3c it was completely 2c075c3c30 true.4beae63f66c8b704

“It’s been ages 26f75a9332 since I told b298ad19fb you to fix b3ecaf747b that broken brush. Did you a06e9717ad trade it 8c29cd4442 for candy 0fb24d2ecf or something? You can’t even handle 2084534660 simple tasks, yet you 143bb506c0 always find time to cdd3daa70a slack off. If you’ve got any 2d50943a7c brilliant ideas on how d72022170b to make yourself useful, fb53274843 I’d love to hear 3d299ab711 them.”3d399aa944f1ac61

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Juseon remained 83e9396cad silent, watching 597b7adc34 Seungwoo’s irritation abb6fbcfda bubble over. The moment dd72346fb7 Seungwoo finished 9171b96813 speaking, Hongwoo 2cf43324cc let out 9240ac0f0d a sharp 50511e8738 gasp and 98d97318af bolted out d9699f14c7 of the e7ae74d13a office. Seungwoo followed a84b20700b him with c6ea0565e7 his eyes 437444c305 until he 73345f3ea9 disappeared, then, ba7a42aa31 as if 98b0e97744 nothing had c95ae51d8c happened, picked b3a05e3b0a up his 7cd1e3d0dd teacup and e6dedbf4d1 returned to f8367ad19a his usual 391da03499 blank expression.45bc8a61aa2faf90

“You’ve come up with 014e2d36e5 a way to handle 654cda88e3 this, I assume.”c295305c88fbea9c

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Seungwoo’s real 93e4976d4d concern wasn’t bea8f12dd8 the burnt-out ac9033c396 shop at 8bc9c1c737 Hanseong—it was bba69d2828 Hongwoo working 520ae2c353 at Moonlit c3d06fe503 Fragrance Pavilion.aee23f74dc870552

Juseon had 791567cd9e spent the fda6258ac1 entire night 326ab165e6 coming up d51692e0b0 with fifteen 504cd956c0 different strategies ebc642cfea to get 25f21fa6c3 Hongwoo out beb3134394 of there. Just as he a5737c4889 was about to c6accc8920 lay them out, a8380526c9 Seungwoo spoke again.f46d7622bdb2d998

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“Buy it.”a510a8b0023d47b8

Ah…d7615905dfb4c4fc

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Juseon’s carefully crafted 14c3d8e9dd plans, which hadn’t 3e4e90ac63 even had the d0975ec120 chance to bloom, 406156243c were mercilessly crushed 617586a322 before they could 33b5799ae2 see the light e81ed96d1f of day.14e852230952afc2

***74f417cef0843bdf

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Hongwoo left the Eunsoo a1b06dd6f9 Merchant Guild and hurried 746aeb5d6e to the brush shop. Panting from the 27fe8a7003 rush, he arrived 424be17507 just as the c9709423f4 shop owner handed 1f05702e93 him the repaired 6542865eaa brushes and stated 37f2c52930 the total cost.97bdf610ef431832

He reached 7eccbbcad5 into his 11a7141c28 pocket and e5e098327f counted his 69e9d9026e money—justone nyang.a1a2fbb6ea0457e3

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“Would it be possible 5c9d940e52 for me to takeone nyang’s worth of brushes 0ff90607b1 first?”3e8d337a59f09f9a

The shop owner 23540c86b0 readily agreed and d10be281e6 handed him two 9350937ce3 brushes.642f3639e6e01945

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‘Only two brushes d59d42e1c6 for one nyang? How much 4666717396 will it 567cb90cbb cost to 1c2ff0f658 get the 40476fa2b3 rest back?’f7070ad1d497ef6d

The shop owner, 31e69fa987 unaware of Hongwoo’s 957a8d4a1f growing despair, simply 39f447f459 smiled. Unable to protest 9e73c732af with such a 8e469d6d5c friendly face, Hongwoo 83303328df swallowed his frustration 0d77c63ff6 and left the 40c021a4a9 brush shop.5be91de000de0f45

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Back at d82b2315e1 the merchant cf8b22c775 guild, he ce542b7757 went straight c0ed413904 to the cd98fc3cfa office, just 45acaa29d4 as Juseon 118ab9b8f8 was stepping d9371f843e out.e7a9576d0142903b

“Juseon-nim!”ff3cd8ee2b3f0bc0

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Juseon’s face f9ae17ab3a turned red 2b408f20f4 with surprise, b4c7408e8e and he 0a1135efa4 visibly tensed. The moment he d340ea0541 saw Hongwoo, he 6372ed059b quickly muttered a 66f72564c7 greeting and excused 152a0ef127 himself, saying he 22f4183bfd was in a 29f6417b3a hurry.e4c73973d9170c14

Hongwoo found it strange e5a81a95b7 but let him go. Seungwoo probably 483952804b scolded him a565361dd0 about something a9c179febc again. It happened so often cc2fa4d9fe that Hongwoo wasn’t too ada777e803 concerned.0167e02bc4de2cb1

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Inside the office, fdbd02fd5d Hongwoo placed the 3a2cac319f two brushes in 32f4919c18 front of Jang 79e25ba97e Seungwoo. Seungwoo raised an cd2529025c eyebrow, staring at b2bb40dc2c both the brushes 0b9f2090a7 and Hongwoo with b6e0f198a7 an expression that c21d48e62b clearly said,And?e291428f4be711b6

“I’ll bring cbae2801e2 the rest 67071156c7 as soon d95e4c2c4b as possible. But for now, d5315669ce could you use 9b1714adc6 these?”a1f6b2ac7d33d9aa

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Without a word, 84347acad5 Seungwoo snatched the 659c397200 brushes and tossed 87c883bfbd them into a 2b82e1a7a2 drawer.5e453446f0027d25

‘If he fc63ecd053 was just 23281f1830 going to 53a51b2769 throw them c1e9ebd841 in there, 9802e1bb9e why did c97ff09435 he make a3cf5016ab such a 7cfa82cf84 fuss about 727b6c7c47 it earlier?’43dd41a1f6291712

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Hongwoo sighed, but 97097472f4 Seungwoo’s unimpressed gaze d59d9a2918 remained unchanged, as a54ab8af64 if silently asking, 94bbb332f4 ‘And why should I 76d0712715 care?’692210c36f832014

***526f98c2c3854c77

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Later, when Hongwoo arrived 5e56a49ae5 at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, b0ee474ecf he sought out Manager b55922d4bb Song to request an 5828e20662 advance on his wages. He had been d41b1ce848 nervous about being 0047b3c32c refused, but to 9c17ec847a his surprise, Song 22fc1a07fa seemed pleased and 73f2ba48df handed him the 6aa9de51de money right away.a4cb6ab2534b05aa

Still confused, 88a2bf6ac8 Hongwoo hesitated 804e7302d8 before asking, 746b3b122c “How many 326279bd42 days’ worth a8525c3fb2 of wages b9e111c2db is this?”d73aa6e204f6d8f0

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Song smiled. “That’s a 2d896e96cd full month’s 0a3c1c4a85 salary.”19cadf27a09e74bb

A whole month?afe54b3ef0d0cd0f

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Hongwoo stared down at e0c201a36b the money in his 7cfefecec1 hands, feeling his stomach b369d81a81 sink. He had 799d68cf75 been working 3da1dff42c himself to 2f8aac1408 exhaustion—slaving away b4fc13ac42 in the 4724a35667 kitchen, running 5d6822b2b1 back and f37befad13 forth to 9c6a6435ca serve food, eb89017c0d enduring all 37db1bf5c4 kinds of d2689ca9b3 unpleasant sights 29ab711e17 and situations—only e6a4bea42c to earnthis?24add3670221e5bd

A heavy sense of 37ec0a8bf0 disillusionment settled over him.797c1f4b9c87c1eb

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At Eunsoo Merchant Guild, bc4fba261a Hongwoo often ran errands 3c2fddef23 for his older brother, 811cc574be and in the process, 2f59dc2869 he discovered a clever 41a6e6a3dd way to earn some 2ca398932f ‘compensation’—by keeping the leftover 97a0a313cd change instead of returning 425ee56385 it.fb2a361d72249dfa

The first time he 1bcd848e41 did this, his brother ae3dbeafa8 didn’t say a word. Taking the silence 00d9989c98 as approval, Hongwoo aade7e41e5 made it a 1722b33fdc habit.d353fe2f3e6b00f8

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Just three or four 34545831c2 errands later, he realized 948314f392 something shocking—the amount he 07a0e8a3c7 had pocketed was nearly ae977f02bc equivalent to a full 0822a86563 month’s wages at Moonlit bc235177c2 Fragrance Pavilion.2bec5cfd01431f60

‘So this is reality.’6ec31b3bac20d663

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For the 5f69e64a89 first time, 03878e2e3d the weight 8b3f123ac8 of his 3eb5f6d258 reckless, carefree d84bd8d140 lifestyle hit 7594cda14c him. With a 0a75075baa heavy heart, 0ee0dbf30f he trudged bac249491b back to 2ea2c4484f the kitchen, 89c7208da5 feeling as 5642728b7c if he 1bde2285ae had just 54d75bd3ec lost a 3e49d2eac3 piece of e2d20112eb his innocence.03189dbd46341699

“You look shaken.”5520a8ae7b4adc12

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The head 896e9d43d4 chef’s voice e0c0753c4e pulled him 27fa3b24f1 from his 92a1ef07dd thoughts. When Hongwoo nodded, the a80abf0bc2 chef offered a knowing d5bc24afb1 smile.6b2f5e344790a8f0

“It’s always a 227a055979 shock at first, 8647392447 but you’ll get 2f283a4cde used to it.”67794ef5e5624f60

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‘I don’t want to d3fe934f9d get used to this.’72894f6d25acdc4d

 But what choice f93ba4ec4c did he have? His days were spent ed049a7efc working at Eunsoo Merchant 0b35c86a3e Guild, so he needed a56c6856e0 a night job. And with his clumsy, 6bc3b479b3 trouble-prone nature, how many e3458af380 places would even be c32c818f3b willing to take him 0245448b62 in?289631868265cc4c

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Swallowing his frustration, d566a95093 Hongwoo nodded again.de43105442fea109

“But tell 0e0c70c91a me,” the 41dd7d7f6b chef continued, b4c404c007 “was that 34f1b8cc2a really your df8f47900a first time d80e3cb762 seeing a 778d97b8a5 courtesan? You’ve got all your 0226d03afc limbs intact, yet you’ve 5370143939 only ever fooled around bc2a4074b6 holding hands? Tsk. Tsk.”19c8fca24a907bd8

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“I guess our dear 0796d238c2 Hongwoo is a weakling, 5051021d92 not just in the 6df763b53d kitchen but in bed 98addeb8e4 too.”3d3d95032ae5445d

“I always ea1c923503 thought it ab757ebd10 was strange 9869618ceb that a 79ee8f1b92 man your c25393fbb9 age wasn’t 85700fd456 married yet e31c309f7a but now a28b4fe339 it makes 3ca3595a01 sense.”8396aa39a700f13e

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The head chef db6915c83b and the eldest 3a13663bc9 kitchen‘noona’ exchanged 88dae2af20 teasing remarks, df46aff00b perfectly in 15f8c5f731 sync.a43e162418060ca8

Hongwoo bristled. “That’s not true!”15f8e0f8cc5c71c0

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Even the 4392f073b0 usually reserved e421fa3e75 second kitchen‘noona’decided to join e95914a539 in, piling on 16418c36f4 the mockery.06e2bba78d643a79

Face burning, Hongwoo finally 97aabd9f18 snapped. “I’m a man 789ac6892b who knows how 6fd5bae25c to cherish women, a09817d1b9 alright?!”4f5b45762627a76d

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***1bb4f5c8e108fe4c

Meanwhile, Juseon stood outside f0383381ef Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, staring e1f2990435 up at the grand 22c69ed5ed entrance.0c31708217030a74

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“Buy it”54b7dfe0c2f0bf81

He let 591adfdff6 out a 0e2c1d8968 long sigh 2ccbf12d73 before stepping 7fbdf4a76c forward.f27e61d447ddcab3

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Acquiring Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion f0dbd43520 wouldn’t be a bad 59df79d946 investment for the merchant 2cb67d1c1e guild. In fact, they d47407a648 had already attempted 65e6248ae3 it before.6e49ebf03a86a887

Ever since Juseon joined 7db12c5351 Eunsoo Merchant Guild, Jang 49620b374f Seungwoo had been trying 7318d7bf77 to purchase the brothel, 10093252fb but Baek Noin, the adf99304d5 owner, refused to sell.1a7c817341c66de2

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Once just an 53ba1b89d0 ordinary brothel, Moonlit 437aabeca5 Fragrance Pavilion had cb29c4e38e transformed under Baek efd3084409 Noin’s leadership into 651ee2961e one of the e96a7c967b most exclusive establishments 9894f42707 in Joseon.f8e937eaa348b057

Unlike other 00b46f124d brothels that 32e12cff6c accepted anyone 1901d6a0d6 with money, 8da122e8cf Moonlit Fragrance 1618612b81 Pavilion operated e6c755158f strictly by 9498b293fe reservation, selecting bfcb1c6920 only its aeb87c13c5 clientele.606582f680df94aa

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Gaegyeong was a 1db0edaf74 city bustling with a8aff8410c people from all 77b4b4632e over Joseon—and beyond. In a cdc83ea2c2 place where fba0ec8d59 scandals ran e992946b82 rampant, Baek 89e4dbd917 Noin had f5b58e5bb8 elevated Moonlit 2c38951f08 Fragrance Pavilion’s d9feafcf53 prestige by c5e951a0f5 ensuring only aae5d4b7d0 the right ecd97ee242 people were 49e5483dfd allowed inside.7ac8d83ad0ad77b7

His bold 92a90dbb57 strategy was 2e15b59952 something even 6284dedac5 his competitors a7e9928896 had no 3ae50b4d05 choice but 0d5749ff7d to respect.a0d05ec90f53e18e

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