Chapter 117
“What’s wrong? Why?”
Miyu asked, reacting to Boksil’s words about chaos in the streets.
“Posters and talisman papers,” Boksil replied.
“Eh, that happens all the time.”
“It’s not just that,” Boksil waved her arms like wings in frustration and shouted, “It’s not just one or two places—it’s every street!”
“And they’re spending so much money. Do you know how expensive paper is…?”
Miyu pursed her lips and shook her head slightly.
“Besides, even the palace is in turmoil,” Boksil continued.
“The palace?”
Miyu’s eyes widened at that. If the palace was involved, it could have something to do with Yiwoon.
“Yes. Officials from the Saheonbu and Saganwon submitted a petition to the king together.”
“What did it say?”
“That they should remove His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and make Grand Prince Hyean the new Crown Prince instead.”
“Really?”
“Yes! At this rate, it looks like the Crown Prince might actually be dethroned.”
Miyu fell silent.
Was it the Heavenly Sect Leader who was moving the Saheonbu and Saganwon? How far did his power reach?
A sudden fear gripped her. If they couldn’t uncover the Heavenly Sect Leader’s identity quickly, the current Crown Prince could really be deposed.
If it was the Heavenly Sect Leader who manipulated the Sungkyunkwan students and controlled the Saheonbu and Saganwon, that was a huge problem.
Even if Yiwoon became Crown Prince, he would still be playing in someone else’s hand.
“No, this is absurd,” Miyu thought.
Sungkyunkwan students, the Saheonbu, and the Saganwon!
It was the last solar term of the year—the Winter Solstice—the day with the longest night and the shortest day of the year.
Morning of the Winter Solstice
The Bunjeon family gathered under the lantern light, eating steaming bowls of red bean porridge.
“Ah, this is the taste!”
Boksil blew on the hot porridge and gulped it down, letting out an exclamation.
“Wow! It’s delicious,” Baekmi said, wiping some porridge from her mouth in admiration.
“You two really like red bean porridge, huh?”
Miyu looked down at her untouched bowl with a neutral expression.
In truth, Miyu hadn’t planned to make porridge. But under Boksil’s insistence that red bean porridge must be eaten on the Winter Solstice, she had cooked it. Still, it wasn’t a food she liked. She hadn’t eaten it even once since her mother passed away.
Every year on the Winter Solstice, Miyu ate red bean porridge. It had been her mother’s favorite, but it was also a day to force Miyu—who disliked red beans—to eat them.
“Jo Miyu, eat just the rice dumplings,” her mother’s scolding voice echoed in her mind. Those were cherished memories now. Still, she avoided the porridge and picked out the rice dumplings.
“Do you hate red bean porridge, unnie?”
“It tastes bad. And the color’s weird,” Miyu frowned.
“There used to be people like you in China,” Boksil said, taking a spoonful of porridge.
“People like me?”
“People who hate red bean porridge,” Boksil said.
“Do you know why we eat red bean porridge on the Winter Solstice?”
“To chase away ghosts?”
“Red bean porridge doesn’t chase away ghosts.”
“Well, partly because of the red color, but there’s also a very credible story behind it,” Boksil said with a meaningful smile.
“What story?”
“In China, a man named Gonggong’s son died on the Winter Solstice. But the son couldn’t ascend and became a ghost spreading disease.”
“My goodness! He became a ghost?”
Baekmi shrank her small body.
“Yes. Can you imagine how scared the villagers were? They couldn’t go outside, just trembling in fear. But if the ghost hides in a house, can you really not find it?”
“So… did all the villagers die?”
“Of course not. Seeing the situation, the father, Gonggong, took action.”
“How?”
Boksil and Baekmi finished each other’s sentences perfectly.
“He gave the villagers red bean porridge.”
“Red bean porridge? It’s not medicine.”
Miyu, quietly listening, found this strange and asked.
Boksil looked around at Miyu and Baekmi with a spooky expression and continued,
“Because Gonggong’s son, when alive, hated red beans the most, just like you. So Gonggong made porridge with red beans to drive away the disease ghost. So, if you don’t want to be caught by a ghost, eat your red bean porridge quickly.”
Terrified, Baekmi blew on her porridge and stuffed it into her cheeks. Miyu found Baekmi adorable and was grateful to Boksil for insisting she eat it, even if forcefully.
“If I’d heard this story when I was little like Baekmi, maybe I’d have eaten red bean porridge without complaint,” Miyu thought.
She took a deep breath and pushed the spoonful of porridge into her mouth. Usually, just eating the porridge made her feel nauseous, but now it was bearable. Still, she didn’t like it. She finished the porridge quickly, as if completing an unpleasant task.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Who could it be at this hour?”
Boksil put down her spoon, having finished her second bowl, and stood up.
“I’ll go see. Don’t worry and just eat,” Miyu said as she left the small room.
Outside, Wuyu was sniffing at the door and wagging her tail.
“Wuyu, is it a welcome guest?”
As Miyu opened the latch, a flurry of snow mixed with cold wind flew into Bunjeon.
Standing outside was a disguised Yiwoon. Miyu’s heart fluttered just seeing his face.
Yiwoon held out a yellow-paper-wrapped package.
“What’s this?”
Miyu looked at him, puzzled. Yiwoon’s cheeks flushed.
“Socks. In the Song Dynasty of China, it was customary to make socks on the Winter Solstice and give them as gifts to pray for good fortune.”
“I’ve never heard of that before.”
“You know the Winter Solstice is the longest night of the year, right?”
“Yes, I know that much.”
“It’s not just that the night grows longer—the shadows do too. They grow a full span compared to the day before, and that’s called jangji.”
“Oh!”
Miyu looked up at Yiwoon with interest.
“There’s a belief that if you step on your shadow while wearing new socks on the Winter Solstice, your life will be long. Won’t you walk with me, wearing these socks?”
Yiwoon’s expression was earnest.
“Walk with you… to live a long life?”
Yiwoon nodded firmly.
“Wait a moment,” Miyu said, taking the socks and returning to the small room.
“Unnie, who is it?”
Boksil’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at Miyu’s flushed expression.
“It’s snowing outside,” Miyu changed the subject, embarrassed.
“Snowing?”
The children put down their spoons and ran out. They met Yiwoon waiting outside.
Boksil smiled knowingly and greeted him. Yiwoon’s face flushed as if caught doing something wrong but returned her greeting.
“Wow! Snow!”
Baekmi and Wuyu rolled around in the snow.
“There’s already a lot of snow piled up.”
Boksil made a snowball and threw it at Baekmi.
Miyu changed into the new socks Yiwoon had given her—they fit perfectly.
‘Is it because he’s a gardener? He must be very observant,’ Miyu thought.
Dressed in a padded winter coat and wearing a traditional cap, Miyu felt as if she owned the world, walking out to meet Yiwoon.
As she stepped outside, Yiwoon smiled at her with deep, gentle eyes.
They walked along Unjongga, listening to the joyous voices of children having snowball fights, under the heavy snowfall.
Normally quiet in winter, the street was lively with the first big snow of the year.
They turned into a secluded alley.
“I missed you,” Yiwoon said shyly, placing his hand gently over Miyu’s. Just holding hands, Miyu felt completely connected to him.
“There’s a saying that if the weather is mild on the Winter Solstice, there will be many illnesses and deaths the next year. Conversely, heavy snow and cold weather signal a good harvest,” Yiwoon said, catching snowflakes with his hands.
“Joseon has so many Winter Solstice superstitions. Red bean porridge, socks, snow…” Miyu looked up at the sky.
“After the Winter Solstice, even vegetables start anew,” Yiwoon said.
“What does that mean?”
“It means the days begin to grow longer again. At midnight on the Winter Solstice, the yin energy recedes, and the yang energy starts to return.”
“It’s like welcoming a new year,” Miyu said, smiling.
“Yes. In folk tradition, the Winter Solstice is called a ‘small New Year.’ So even the vegetables, having curled up, prepare themselves for rebirth,” Yiwoon explained.
“So the Winter Solstice is a day for both humans and nature to adopt a new mindset,” Miyu said brightly.
Yiwoon gazed at her gentle eyes. Her lonely past melted away, replaced by warm love.
‘One person can fill another so completely…’
Being with Miyu made Yiwoon feel fulfilled.
He decided not to think about the future. For them, there was only the present. If it snowed, they would feel it; if it rained, they would be wet.
At the end of the longest darkness, Yiwoon was determined to move into the sunlight.
“Hahaha, it’s been so long since I shared a drink with the Grand Prince! This old lady couldn’t be happier,” the Queen Dowager laughed heartily. The world was indeed in upheaval—Yu-so, Yang-sa Book Complex, the talisman papers, and posters—and that shake-up was exactly what the Queen Dowager wanted.
“You said a donkey?”
“Yes, Grandmother,” Yiwoon replied warmly, raising his cup.
“This old lady will try. To the precious meeting between you and me!”
The grandmother and grandson shared a hearty toast.
“Hahaha, how did you know this, Grand Prince?”
“My companion told me,” Yiwoon said.
“Companion? The translator and the police officer you mentioned before. Very interesting companions indeed,” the Queen Dowager said.
“Yes,” Yiwoon remained silent about Miyu.
“You say companion… you are close with the Choi family, the mining entrepreneurs?”
“Not particularly,” Yiwoon replied. The Queen Dowager clicked her tongue in mild disapproval.
“My mistake then. I should have known the Grand Prince wouldn’t seek them out first. I’ll summon the Choi family here soon, and you should be present as well. The more companions, the better, right?”
“I’d rather not, Grandmother. The companions I have now are enough. I even have the strongest among them.”
“Companion for a subject? Nonsense! You are too kind-hearted, Grand Prince. Anyway, I will summon the Choi family soon, and you should attend,” the Queen Dowager said firmly.
“If commanded, I shall,” Yiwoon replied with a smile.
“They are very important.”
A sharp light flashed in the Queen Dowager’s eyes.
“If they are important to you, they are important to me as well,” Yiwoon said with a half-smile.
“They are a talent more important than me to the Grand Prince,” the Queen Dowager asserted, raising her cup.
After a brief pause, her voice grew heavy.
“The era of bright light will come soon, won’t it?”
“Crown Prince Geonho will create that era of bright light,” Yiwoon answered with a smile.
“Do you speak without knowing the current situation?”
“Grandmother,” Yiwoon looked at her calmly, as if persuading her.
She raised her cup and drank.
“He will be king,” the Queen Dowager said, her tone heavy and clear.
