Chapter 70
Deng Soso rummaged through her belongings and pulled out three rings that shone brightly.
They were rings made of jade so white they hurt the eyes.
Hongseol’s eyes widened.
“Wow… it’s beautiful!”
“Tch, as expected of a rich girl, you even prepared something nice.”
Dojin said this too, but in truth, he looked embarrassed for coming empty-handed while visiting.
“Here.”
Yang Dojin, who was grumbling with his fingers interlaced behind his head, was surprised.
Deng Soso held his rough hands and slipped the rings onto them.
Dojin, bewildered, lifted his hand to see the ring glinting in the sunlight.
“I brought these so the three of us could each wear one.”
Deng Soso said seriously,
“These are friendship rings. Dojin, you better not sell this.”
“Why would I sell this?”
“Because, being a beggar, you might want to sell it to buy food.”
“Really…”
Dojin shook his head in disbelief and muttered,
“Hmph… if I wear this, I don’t think begging would work so well.”
Even a disciple of the Gaebang school was still a beggar. Begging was unavoidable, even to gather information.
“That’s right!”
Hongseol, taking Dojin’s words to heart, clapped her hands.
“I have something for you too!”
She scurried over like a little squirrel and whispered into the ear of Sibi Maeran, who was standing nearby.
Maeran smiled and soon returned with a small box.
Inside were three blue silk cord bracelets, handmade by Hongseol herself.
The thin cords had been twisted multiple times by hand.
Deng Soso’s eyes widened.
“Wow, this is pretty!”
“Dojin, give me that ring.”
Hongseol threaded the jade rings onto the blue silk bracelets and tied them around his wrist.
Dojin’s face immediately turned bright red. Unaware, Hongseol even chuckled.
“There, isn’t that better?”
“Well, not bad.”
He teased as usual, but Dojin couldn’t meet Hongseol’s gaze.
“…I’m the only one who didn’t bring anything.”
Deng Soso, ignoring Dojin’s muttering, shouted,
“As long as we have the jade rings and silk bracelets, our friendship will last forever!”
“Hehe.”
Hongseol, smiling, suddenly asked,
“So, what do we do now?”
Deng Soso immediately answered,
“What else! We listen to each other’s worries. That’s what friends do when they meet. Didn’t you know?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Alright, Dojin, you go first!”
“W-Why me!”
“Your life seems the toughest right now.”
“Being a beggar doesn’t necessarily mean life is tough…”
“And you didn’t bring a gift! Instead, tell us what’s on your mind.”
“Ah… I really can’t live like this…”
Unable to resist Soso’s push, Dojin covered his eyes with his hands.
But Soso’s words had already piqued Hongseol’s interest.
“Alright! Tell us. We’ll help!”
Hongseol, making her first friends outside of the Namgung family children, clenched her fists.
It felt like her whole body was burning with determination to help her friend.
“…Do I really have to tell? Really?”
“Of course!”
“Definitely!”
Hongseol and Soso answered as one.
Resigned, Dojin began.
“Alright. Actually, there’s a gireu I often go to.”
“What’s a gireu?”
Hongseol tilted her head, puzzled, while Soso’s face turned bright red.
“You… you shouldn’t be going to places like that yet!”
Hongseol, not knowing what he meant, interjected,
“What exactly is a gireu?”
“It’s a place where people drink and meet pretty women.”
“Is drinking and meeting pretty women bad?”
Hongseol asked innocently.
She couldn’t understand it. Even Namgung Ho, her grandfather, or Namgung Uigyeol, the Grandmaster of Changcheon, were seen drinking occasionally.
Besides, wasn’t the Namgung On family head married to a beautiful medic?
Hongseol had never met anyone prettier than Bing Yuhwa.
“What’s so bad about that? Isn’t it normal to drink, meet a pretty woman, and then marry?”
“This kid’s talking nonsense. He meets a different woman every time! Doesn’t marry. Just meets them.”
Hongseol’s eyes went wide like apricot seeds.
“Ehh, that’s a bit bad. Dojin’s in the wrong! That’s unfair!”
Hongseol joined the scolding, and Dojin looked at Soso in disbelief.
“I go there to beg.”
“Huh?”
“Ehh?”
Hongseol and Soso were instantly awkward and tried to distract themselves.
“You’re working hard, Dojin.”
“Yeah, I’ll become rich.”
Dojin sighed, knowing he couldn’t fool them.
“In any case, that gireu is famous. All the notable martial artists who come to Hapbi stop by once. There’s a kind gisaeng there, Mae Okreng. She’s good at playing the pipa.”
“A pretty lady?”
“Dojin, you like her, huh?”
“What are you talking about! If you’re going to interrupt, stop it all!”
“Oh, as expected of a beggar, you get excited. Go on, continue your story.”
“She thought of her younger sibling back home, so she was quite kind to me. Every time I went, she gave me coins and food…”
They had been like that for over a year.
“But recently, one of her finger joints got cut off.”
“What!”
“How did that happen!”
“There was a fight between martial artists at the gireu, and accidentally a dagger flew toward the youngest gisaeng. She tried to block it and…”
Hongseol and Soso’s eyes filled with tears. Unaware, Dojin continued bitterly.
“The finger that was cut was the index finger she often used to play the pipa.”
Because of that, Mae Okreng could no longer play the pipa.
“She trusted her cooking skills and opened a humble inn… but when I visited recently, it was empty.”
Dojin couldn’t bring himself to check inside and turned away.
He asked around, but the <Minstrel Inn> gave no answer.
“There are too many inns in Hapbi, so competition is fierce. It’s hard to get fresh ingredients, and without special dishes, <Minstrel Inn> will soon fail!”
Dojin finished his story with a gloomy face.
“What should we do!”
While Soso sighed with him, Hongseol was deep in thought.
After a moment, she looked up.
“Hmmm… maybe I can solve Dojin’s problem!”
Soso brightened.
“Hongseol, do you have a clever idea?”
“Maybe. Not completely sure yet.”
“Please lend wisdom to the lady! I beg you!”
Dojin bowed his head.
“Lady Okryeong is really kind. If the inn fails, the younger siblings left in her hometown will starve.”
Those words made Hongseol’s small heart ache.
“Okay, I’ll make a plan! But to succeed, you two need to help too.”
“You need our help?”
Soso and Dojin brightened. Soso pounded her chest energetically.
“Anytime!”
“Just say it!”
Hongseol looked at Soso.
“First, Soso, remember the story you told about the fisherman?”
“Ah! Using point bleeding to anesthetize the fish!”
“Can you contact them to get fresh fish?”
“Hmm… probably! My dad never refuses my requests.”
Deng Soso straightened her shoulders.
“But to transport fish regularly, you’ll need a trading guild.”
“I know a guild that can help. They’ll surely support us.”
Hongseol said confidently, but then hesitated.
She remembered Elder Namgung Muyeong, who rarely acts without benefit.
“Thinking about it, we should send fresh fish to the guild master during the holidays at least.”
Soso smiled.
“No problem!”
Hongseol whispered additional requests to the children.
“If it’s to help Lady Okryeong… I’ll try to make it work.”
Dojin said resolutely, and Soso brightly added,
“Then, while everyone prepares, Dojin will handle communications! He moves most freely.”
“…Thank you, guys!”
Dojin truly looked moved.
“You’d better. If we couldn’t even do this, the name of our Eight Faithful Friends would be ruined.”
“Eight Faithful Friends?”
Hongseol asked.
“It means eight trustworthy friends at ten years old. Isn’t it perfect for us three?”
Hongseol traced the letters in the air and nodded.
‘Eight Faithful Friends… we are Eight Faithful Friends, hehe.’
For the first time, she felt a sense of belonging and happiness.
Dojin, however, looked somewhat reluctant. Soso quickly asked,
“Dojin, do you have anything to say?”
“…No, nothing…”
In the meantime, he missed his chance to admit he was ten years old and gave up.
Hongseol, her face firm with determination, shouted,
“Alright! Then we’ll meet at <Minstrel Inn> in one month!”
