Chapter 8: The Voice
As the boat drifted farther from the shore, the number of vessels gradually thinned, and faint singing could be heard in the distance.
Seated at the bow, Onyeon watched the group surrounding Gye-gu aboard another boat.
Ordinarily, it would take three or four days of following someone to distinguish their voices clearly. But by luck, those arrogant and violent men had drunk several cups of wine, their voices growing louder and louder until they carried across the wind straight to where Onyeon sat.
Having gained what she needed so quickly, Onyeon was in a good mood. Even as the Gok brothers flattered Gye-gu while insulting her, she found it no longer so infuriating.
At dusk, Onyeon returned home and arranged to meet the boatman again the next day.
Hwang Mama, who had been waiting anxiously, smiled in relief upon seeing the two return safely and asked about the scenery on the lake.
Se-rang answered with a few cheerful words, but when she turned her head, she saw Onyeon holding a cat, whispering softly into its ear.
“You’re talking to Heukdan-ah?” Se-rang asked.
“Can it understand you?”
The cat was entirely black. Se-rang had initially thought of calling it “Black Charcoal,” but she had refined the name to something more elegant.
“I told it to catch a few live mice.”
Onyeon gently patted Heukdan-ah’s back.
“It understood.”
Skeptical, Se-rang approached to play with the cat. But Heukdan-ah leapt to the ground, glanced back at her, licked its claws, stretched its body languidly, and then walked off. Left behind, Se-rang stamped her foot in frustration.
“Is it angry?”
Onyeon chuckled at her.
“I’m going to rest as well. Tomorrow evening, I’ll show you an entertaining play.”
Her words filled Se-rang with anticipation and curiosity, leaving her unable to sleep that night.
The next afternoon, Onyeon handed Se-rang a silver note and gave her detailed instructions.
Se-rang’s heart ached. They were far from wealthy, and yet her mistress was investing what little they had.
She had to ensure the money was not wasted.
That night, Onyeon disguised herself as a man and slipped over the wall.
The object in her hand was wrapped in black cloth, concealing whatever lay inside.
“My lord, let me carry it,” Se-rang offered.
“There are three live mice inside the tube. Will you still carry it?”
At her words, Se-rang shuddered and shook her head in fear.
She had never imagined Heukdan-ah would be like a spirit—understanding commands and truly catching mice.
The dock was still bustling.
After Onyeon boarded a small boat and waited for about a quarter of an hour, Se-rang arrived.
“Did you trick him?” Onyeon asked.
“I did. When I showed him the pierced ears, he believed me immediately. He was overjoyed and boarded the boat we prepared without hesitation. But why did you put Gye-gu on that boat? Just to tease him? Or to scare him with the mice?”
“No need to rush.”
Signaling the boatman to depart, Onyeon sat at the center of the boat.
“The stage is set. You just watch.”
Though the night breeze was slightly chilly, Gye-gu’s excitement burned so hot that he felt no cold at all.
Urging the boatman forward, he soon transferred from the small boat onto a pleasure boat.
Such arrangements were common—secret meetings between men and women, or officials and merchants avoiding attention by meeting on the lake.
But tonight’s guest had made no arrangement for a return.
Standing on the deck, Gye-gu straightened his robes and looked around.
The boat was not large, but it was well decorated. Gauze curtains layered around the cabin fluttered in the wind. The dim lighting gave it a unique, hazy atmosphere.
Warm wine had already been prepared, its rich aroma filling the air.
“Is this the boat Miss On prepared?” Gye-gu asked. “Has she arrived?”
“Yes.”
The attendant nodded.
“Please go inside and enjoy some warm wine. The young lady will arrive shortly.”
After confirming once more that it was indeed the “third Miss On,” Gye-gu felt satisfied.
An invitation from a beauty—even if she was late, he felt no impatience.
He had a female boatwoman sing while he drank, his thoughts filled with Onyeon.
She was truly beautiful. The moment he saw her in the carriage, her eyes had fallen into his heart like a meteor shower.
Whether she had once been a companion to a princess, or a dutiful daughter who had lost her parents—none of it mattered to him.
He liked her face. He liked her eyes.
The more he thought about it, the more his heart burned.
Soon, intoxication crept onto his face.
Growing impatient, he asked the boatwoman, “Why hasn’t she come yet? The boat seems to have moved. What if she can’t find us?”
“The boat is following the route the young lady instructed. Please wait a little longer,” she replied hastily.
Gye-gu waved her away and drank alone, thinking irritably that he would make Onyeon drink three penalty cups for being late.
Finally unable to sit still, he rose and lifted the gauze curtain to look outside—
And suddenly, a mocking voice rang out.
Gok-ho?
How could Gok-ho’s voice be heard here?
On the windward side of the pleasure boat, a small boat had been anchored, barely visible without a lantern.
Seated upon it, Onyeon quietly observed.
When Gye-gu emerged, she let out a laugh—completely different from her usual voice.
Se-rang was stunned.
This was not the boyish voice Onyeon used in disguise…
Gesturing for silence, Onyeon began speaking freely.
“Look at that fool—he really thinks he has a date with a beauty! What a waste of time, dreaming empty dreams!”
“I told you he was a fool. Send a girl, and he falls for it immediately!”
“He thinks he’s something special. If he hadn’t been born into a good family, would he even dare speak in Im-an?”
“That’s right! If not for his great-grandmother, who would give him the time of day?”
Her voice shifted seamlessly between several distinct tones.
It was a skill she had learned in her previous life—imitating others.
As expected, Gye-gu flew into a rage.
Throwing aside the gauze curtain, he scanned the lake wildly.
“Come out! I’ll bury you alive!”
“Your voice is too loud! We’ve been discovered—let’s get back to the big boat!”
At Onyeon’s urgent command, the boatman rowed away.
Gye-gu could only stomp helplessly as the small boat retreated.
Enraged, he pointed and shouted, “Chase them! Ram them!”
But the pleasure boat was harder to maneuver, and soon the small boat disappeared among many others.
Drunk and furious, Gye-gu stormed onto another boat where the Gok brothers were drinking.
“Didn’t you say you had a date with a beauty?” Gok-ho laughed.
Before he could finish, Gye-gu kicked him.
“You dare trick me?! Useless trash!”
“What are you talking about?” Gok-ho shouted in shock.
But Gye-gu, unable to listen, threw a punch.
Chaos erupted.
Drunk, the two sides exchanged blows. Servants tried to intervene but failed. Amid the confusion, someone fell into the water with a loud splash.
The scene grew even more chaotic.
Nearby, Onyeon’s small boat approached quietly.
Se-rang peeked out, her mouth agape.
Just as her mistress had said—it truly was an entertaining play.
Onyeon glanced at the tube.
Should she release the mice… or not?
At first, she had planned only to provoke them verbally. But now…
“Mm. Might as well release them.”
Pulling away the black cloth, she revealed three large mice trapped inside.
With a flick of her dagger, she weakened the tube and tossed it onto the pleasure boat.
The mice burst free, squeaking wildly and scattering across the deck.
Onyeon raised her voice and screamed—
“A rat! A huge rat!”
Se-rang, who had been waiting for the mice’s effect, nearly jumped out of her skin at the sudden scream.
