If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 71

Protagonists in novels who acted carelessly and had everything they owned taken away were common. Yirok, who never forgot his own circumstances, turned his phone off every time he left his room and hid it deep in a drawer, in a place only he knew. Anyway, when evening came, be it Butler Halmeom or Sarira, they would be too busy greeting guests to pay any attention to the servants’ quarters where Yirok was staying. The one most dissatisfied with the time during the day when Yirok’s phone was unresponsive was that young lady.

The end of the year was passing at an unprecedented speed. Yirok came outside wearing a black mask. When the morning sun rose, the sated Yogwis would enter the shadows and caves where light could not reach and go to sleep. This meant Yirok could move about freely until the sun set.

However, the bloody smell of animal entrails was strewn about the edges of the paths. He could take a wrong turn and run into a Yogwi having a late meal. If he was unlucky, there were often cases where a Yogwi would attack a person, and the number of servants who had accidents each year was on a steady rise.

This was because the worse Sarira’s mood and health became, the larger the year-end Event was held. Yirok, pretending to be on a light jog, ran around the vicinity of the quarters where Butler Halmeom lived. It was a place most servants frequented because of the year-end Event. Even though Yirok had entered without permission, everyone was so busy that they seemed to just assume it was fine. With his lips firmly sealed, Yirok passed through the middle gate, searching for someone. Although it looked like he was running randomly, his feet had a precise target.

In the main hall, where servants who had finished their work gathered to eat snacks and chat, was the person Yirok was looking for. A woman, holding up her skirt and standing there, swallowing her tears. Yirok stopped running and placed a hand on his rapidly beating chest.

“Oh dear, you have to find it quickly.”

“How am I supposed to find it? Please, tell Halmeom and do something about it.”

The crying woman’s whimpering voice was accompanied by several red lines drawn on her calves. This was because Butler Halmeom called her every single day to torment her. And at the heart of that reason was the ballpoint pen that Yirok had stolen.

It had been Sarira’s mistake to forget the pen that day while she was entertaining a man. She had angrily scolded Butler Halmeom, telling her to find the trash bag containing the pen, and Butler Halmeom, having been called in and reprimanded, passed her anger down to the servant. Some of the trash bags had disappeared, and some had been incinerated. Butler Halmeom knew it was impossible to find, yet she still summoned the servant who had thrown out the bags to take out her frustrations on her.

What Yirok checked by showing up at the servants’ main hall every day without fail was that passed-down anger. The fact that Butler Halmeom’s anger had not subsided was unfortunate for Sarira, but fortunate for Chaehwa. Having finished today’s observation, Yirok could manage a faint smile. Sarira still had not found the whereabouts of the pen. The cute and adorable ballpoint pen was safe for one more day.

After his brief check, Yirok ran back the way he came and returned to his quarters. As soon as he arrived, he first made sure the pen and his phone were safe, then went to the calendar hanging on the wall. He took a black marker and drew an X on today’s date.

The year-end, which was detestable at every moment, was shrinking more slowly than before. Looking at the approaching January calendar, Yirok closed the marker cap tightly. Today was another day of consoling himself, if only with an X mark.

🌹₊ ⊹

As the sun in the sky grew bright, the spring flowers finished their preparations to bloom. Even though such a beautiful spring day was coming, Chaehwa’s expression was not very bright. Today, too, Chaehwa’s hands, having finished making masks, were splotched with paint. While everyone was busy with the Narye ceremony that would take place at the beginning of the year, only Chaehwa was lazing about in bed like a grasshopper.

“Look at this, just look at this. What is he doing during the day…”

As soon as she opened her eyes early in the morning, she informed Yirok that the snow had gone and the flowers had come. She had sent a text full of excitement, saying that in just one more day, spring would finally arrive in Nanjubeol and flowers would be in full bloom, but it had received no reply. She had no way of knowing how other families spent the end of the year, which only made her frustrated. Chaehwa let out heavy, hot breaths onto her unresponsive phone.

“Young lady.”

The door to her quarters opened, and the savory smell of oil rushed in. Chaehwa, who had been struck with a bout of laziness since Yirok left, only tilted her head to see who was entering. Seeing Yeonrye’s face as she came in holding a plate of various jeon, Chaehwa became sullen.

“Get up and have some of this.”

“I told you I don’t have an appetite.”

“Her ladyship even let you use your phone freely so you could be happy at the start of the year. Or would you like to go on an outing?”

“What outing.”

Pouting, Chaehwa rolled and tumbled out of bed. Though her words were gruff, her hand naturally reached for a piece of pollack jeon. Chewing on the savory and delicious jeon, Chaehwa asked peevishly.

“Other families make jeon at the start of the year too, right?”

“I would think so. Doesn’t everyone eat lavishly?”

“Maybe he’s not answering because he’s busy making jeon…”

Muttering to herself as she tried to understand Yirok’s situation, Chaehwa was about to pick up a donggeurangttaeng when she suddenly froze. Spring was supposed to be Chaehwa’s season. But it had never felt less like spring than it did these days. Yeonrye’s suggestion to go on a spring outing brought another thought to mind.

“Yeonrye.”

“Yes, young lady. By the way, why are you eating so little?”

“The other Haenangs don’t go home, so why only Yirok…”

At the question she had already asked several times, Yeonrye answered as if she had prepared for it.

“The other Haenangs say that Nanjubeol is more comfortable than their homes.”

As she spoke, a frank sense of superiority appeared on Yeonrye’s face as she put down her chopsticks. After all, Yeonrye had lived with the pride that Nanjubeol was the best among the Jeongmusa. But Chaehwa, not in the mood to play along, picked up the world travel book she had hidden under the sofa. It was a silent pressure, telling her not to disturb her while she read. When Chaehwa read her world travel book, she found even being spoken to annoying. Winking once, Yeonrye showed she understood, gathered the plates, and stood up from her seat.

“Yirok Haenang is an outsider, so he probably hasn’t grown attached to Nanjubeol yet. Please don’t worry about it too much, young lady.”

Yeonrye added another drop to Chaehwa’s already overflowing heart of turmoil. By the time the sound of the quarters’ door closing was heard, Chaehwa’s gaze was directed out the window. Putting down the travel book with its worn pages, Chaehwa bid farewell to winter with her eyes.

Yeonrye, who was a hundred times perceptive, probably knew the reason why Yirok, an outsider, had left Nanjubeol without a trace. Chaehwa also knew all too well that there had been an order from her ladyship. It was her fault for collapsing due to Sarira’s scheme. Chaehwa gathered her silk skirt, stood up, and opened the window wide. She surrendered her hand to the winter wind that was vanishing away and opened her mouth.

“Come here.”

A two-headed magpie that had been playing on a tree branch immediately flew over and landed on the back of her hand. Chaehwa brought the magpie into her bedchamber and went to a table she had set up beforehand. On the table were various tools prepared for fortune-telling. They were grains of rice left for the magpie and word cards.

The Jeongmusas liked superstitions, so they each had their own way of telling fortunes. For Chaehwa, the method of having the two-headed magpie pick up a word card had a rather high accuracy rate. Her fingers had been itching to tell a fortune ever since she woke up in the morning and saw the flowers. Chaehwa smiled with satisfaction, thinking it was worth having Yeonrye make the preparations.

“Alright, pay the price first.”

The reason for feeding it a handful of rice first was because the two-headed magpie, though small, was a spiritual creature. When it was hungry, its temper soured, and there were cases where it would bring a 2 when the result was a 1. After eating its fill of rice, the two-headed magpie would bring one of the word cards that had been laid out. The truth was written on the word card chosen by the clever magpie.

“Magpie. Tell me how Yirok is doing.”

The magpie, tilting its two heads, flew unsteadily and landed on one word card. Its two heads simultaneously held one card in their beaks and flew back in a precarious posture. Feeling newly tense, Chaehwa wiped the smile from her face and flipped the card over. In these times when everyone was waiting for the spring to arrive in Chukjangji, how was Yirok spending his flower-like new year? After reading the word on the flipped card, Chaehwa’s pupils shook, short and sharp.

Tears

There were cases of crying from joy, but the tears this word spoke of were those of sorrow. At the fortune that he might be spending the end of the year in tears, Chaehwa’s hands lost their strength. Tsk, she clicked her tongue and sent the suddenly detestable magpie flying out the window. The magpie had only told her fortune, yet it cried for a long time as if resentful of Chaehwa for sending it away without any praise.

Flick, flick. Chaehwa, who had been repeatedly folding and unfolding the word card until it creased, bit her lower lip. Just as she had finally solidified her firm resolve and was about to call for Yeonrye, her phone vibrated. A welcome name appeared on the phone screen resting on her skirt. The corners of Chaehwa’s lips became honest, her mood improving as if she had received a bonus.

「The flowers aren’t here yet」

The photo he sent with it showed dry ground. It was clearly a picture taken in front of what seemed to be Yirok’s quarters. However, Chaehwa’s smile, having discovered the hidden hint in the corner of the photo, greeted a belated spring.

The pink ballpoint pen she thought he was not using was pictured, as if it had tagged along. Happy to see the pen, which was only poking its head out to avoid being obvious, Chaehwa buried her phone in her chest. It felt as if spring was not tomorrow, but today.

“Yeonrye!”

Chaehwa’s voice, brighter than in the morning, called for Yeonrye cheerfully. Since Yirok had returned her spring, it was now her turn to wipe away his tears.