FSLSRE C2

Chapter 2. The Flowers of Ihwawon

It was the third month of spring.

Spring had come into full bloom everywhere. From the moist, fertile earth, every shade of green had begun to sprout. The season carried the fresh, invigorating scent of new grass on the mountain breeze.

Under the bright midday sun, a neatly dressed scholar appeared in the middle of Jungchon. His steps came to a halt in front of the gates of Ihwawon.

In one hand, he carried a heavy bundle, clearly filled with clothes and books. A scholar dressed like him was not an uncommon sight in Jungchon. In this area stood several guesthouses, including Ihwawon, that accommodated examinees preparing for the state examination.

The scholar stared intently at a notice pasted on the gate.

< (Vacancy Available).>

After a long moment of hesitation, he finally made up his mind and reached out toward the gate. He meant to knock, but the door slid open on its own.

“Is anyone here?”

At his call, the door to the gatekeeper’s quarters opened, and a middle-aged man poked his head out.

“An examinee, are you?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Here for a long stay?”

“Yes. I saw the notice about the vacancy.”

“I wrote that myself. It hasn’t even been a full day since I put it up, and already we have our first guest.”

The man glanced at the bundle in the scholar’s hand. A book protruding from it caught his eye.

“Preparing for the civil service exam, I see.”

“Yes. I am preparing for the regular triennial examination.”

“I see. All the examinees who stayed here before passed the last exam and packed up to leave. As it happens, there are three rooms available.”

“That is why I’ve come, to rent a room here—”

Before he could finish, the sound of the gate creaking open came again from behind.

“Oh dear, another one has arrived. Here to find a room as well?”

“That’s right, but…”

This time, the newcomer was dressed as a martial artist. The man’s eyes narrowed when he noticed the long sword in his hand.

“Oh ho. A military examinee?”

“Yes.”

“It’s been quite a while since someone training in martial arts stayed at Ihwawon. This place is usually filled with bookish scholars.”

“Is that so?”

While the middle-aged man conversed with the martial examinee, the first scholar stood by, blankly watching them. Seizing a pause in the conversation, he spoke again.

“I would like to rent a room, sir.”

The man looked at him as if puzzled, then let out a short laugh.

“My apologies, but I am not the owner. I am an examinee as well.”

“…Pardon?”

The scholar, taken aback by the words of a man who looked well into his forties, asked again.

Then again, what was forty? There were cases of men passing the examination at fifty, even beyond sixty. This man must be one of those long-term examinees one only heard about.

“In that case, where is the owner?”

“Stepped out briefly. If you wait, they’ll be back soon enough. But first, let’s introduce ourselves. My name is Yukho. And yours?”

“I am Jeong Yuha.”

As the first scholar gave his name, the martial artist followed.

“Kang San.”

“Surname Kang, given name San? A single-character name?”

“Yes.”

At that moment, the gate opened once more.

“What on earth is going on? That makes three in such a short time…”

Yukho muttered under his breath.

“Greetings. I have come to rent a room. My name is Kim Siyul. I am preparing for the civil service exam, and I am seventeen this year—”

“Seventeen? You look older.”

“Haha. Perhaps I already carry the bearing of a man? In any case, sir, I would like to rent a room—”

The newly arrived scholar was rather talkative. As his endless introduction went on, Yukho frowned.

“I told you, I’m not the owner! I’m an examinee too!”

“My apologies, sir. You looked so mature that I spoke out of turn… Then where is the owner?”

At yet another sound of the gate opening, all three scholars and Yukho turned their heads at once.

But this time, it was not a man.

A young girl, no more than fifteen or sixteen, stepped lightly over the threshold into Ihwawon.

“It seems you are looking for the owner of Ihwawon.”

“Yes. Where is the owner?”

Someone asked again.

The girl walked calmly to the center of the courtyard and faced them.

“Here.”

“…What?”

“Yes. I am the owner of Ihwawon.”

The gazes of the three scholars, who had been standing in a row, turned toward her at once. Seeing their astonished expressions, a faint, knowing smile curved her lips.

“Nice to meet you. I am Yoon Dano, the owner of Ihwawon.”

Dano’s eyes slowly moved across the faces of Yuha, San, and Siyul.

She had no idea.

That man—whose lips she had stolen on that unforgettable night that still crossed her mind from time to time—was standing right before her.

They say youth flows like a leisurely river, slipping away in the blink of an eye. Time at the guesthouse Ihwawon had also passed swiftly, and now, the third spring had arrived since they first welcomed new examinees.

“So this is Ihwawon?”

On a spring day much like three years ago, two youthful scholars stood before the gate, their hat strings tied neatly beneath their chins.

“That’s right. This is the famous Ihwawon. ‘Ih’ meaning two, ‘hwa’ meaning flowers—a guesthouse said to have two blossoms in bloom!”

“Ah, so this is the place with the beautiful proprietress they say is like a flower.”

“They say it’s a prestigious guesthouse with over thirty years of history. After the grandfather and father passed away, the daughter inherited it.”

At that moment, a young woman approached quietly from behind them.

Having listened in on their conversation, she stepped forward.

“Gentlemen, have you come to take the state examination?”

“W-we have.”

Her boldness in addressing strangers so directly was striking. Yet, upon seeing her radiant face, the two scholars nodded as though bewitched.

“If you are examinees, you must be seeking a guesthouse. You must have come all this way after hearing of the renowned Ihwawon of Hanyang, with its proud thirty-year tradition. Did people tell you this? That Ihwawon has two women as lovely as flowers?”

Again, the scholars nodded.

“That is quite a useless thought.”

Suddenly, her voice rose.

“What do two flowers matter to examinees? What matters is—!”

She lifted a finger sharply.

“First, passing the examination. Second, passing the examination. Third—!”

She pointed directly at one of the dazed scholars, raising one eyebrow as if demanding an answer.

“P-passing the examination.”

The scholar answered hesitantly, and she nodded in satisfaction.

“Exactly! Let me ask you one more thing. Do you know how many years it usually takes for an examinee to pass?”

“Well… ten years?”

She shook her head slowly, as if he had guessed far off the mark.

“Fifteen years! On average, it takes fifteen long years. But Ihwawon is different. Ihwawon leads its scholars to success faster than any other guesthouse.”

“H-how long does it take?”

“Five years.”

She raised her slender arm and spread all five fingers wide.

“With Ihwawon, you will pass in just five years and receive the royal flower.”

“R-really? In just five years?”

“Selective enrollment, full lodging and meals, the shortest path to success, and the highest pass rate! That is the pride of Ihwawon.”

“Then—we must enter Ihwawon at once!”

The scholar looked ready to burst through the gate immediately. Watching him, a confident smile spread across her lips.

“I regret to inform you, but Ihwawon is currently full and cannot accept any more examinees. Perhaps the year after next, rooms may become available. It has been exactly three years since we admitted the current residents.”

“…Ah.”

Disappointment spread across the two scholars’ faces.

“I understand your regret. Please try again another time. I wish you success in finding a good guesthouse—though, of course, none will quite compare to Ihwawon.”

“B-but who are you, miss?”

“Me? I thought you already knew.”

She lowered her gaze slightly, her long lashes casting shadows over her peach-tinted cheeks.

“Did you not just call me one of the flowers of Ihwawon?”

With that, she disappeared inside the gate, leaving the two scholars standing in stunned silence.

“Goodness… I think I was bewitched.”

“My thoughts exactly… She must be the second daughter they call the flower of Ihwawon. Dano, was it? Truly remarkable, just as the rumors say. Her looks, her confidence…”

“Ah! Now I remember! I heard other examinees talking about it. They say Ihwawon is harder to enter than passing the exam itself.”

“That’s right. Three young scholars have occupied rooms there for three years straight, so there are no vacancies. And they say there’s even an older examinee staying there—one you’d mistake for a tutor.”

“Well, it can’t be helped. We’ll have to find another place…”

The two scholars trudged off.

After walking for some time, they heard the gate open behind them and turned back.

This time, it was not Dano but two young scholars stepping out of Ihwawon.

“There they are!”

“The fellows who’ve been occupying Ihwawon all these years?”

“That’s them. They say three young scholars always stick together… though one seems to be missing today.”

“They’re all tall as poles—and rather delicate-looking, almost like women.”

One of the scholars frowned as he watched them.

“That’s why they’re given a rather unpleasant nickname.”

“A nickname? What is it?”

“A man should have a bold, dignified bearing—but those fellows are slender and pale, almost feminine…”

With a sly smirk, he said:

“They’re called the Flower Scholars—the Flower Scholars of Ihwawon!”