CHAPTER 06…………………………………………
It was definitely a familiar voice.
But that couldn’t be.
In this unfamiliar land of Sinuiju, she didn’t know a single person. There was no way she could recognize a voice here.
Chohee tried to dismiss the sound as she got up. She must have misheard.
As she tried to sneak out of the unlit room, she froze at the tone of a voice that seemed eerily familiar.
{Isn’t having sake among geishas the fastest way to unwind?}
Hearing it a second time confirmed it. It was someone she knew.
But she didn’t know who the owner of the voice was.
Caught between curiosity and anxiety, curiosity won.
She crept closer to the thin paper sliding door that separated the next room. Gently, she poked a small hole with her finger and cautiously peered through.
Through the tiny hole, she could see the people inside. The thin man sitting directly in front of her seemed to be Japanese.
Two geishas clung to him, barely distinguishable as to whether they were wearing clothes or not. One of them giggled and pinched his arm.
{Minamoto-san! You’re so naughty!}
Seeing that, Chohee clicked her tongue in disapproval.
‘Men, really…’
She diverted her gaze from the Japanese man to the person sitting with his back to her.
In contrast to the man in front, this one had broad shoulders and a tall frame.
A geisha sat beside him too, but she didn’t touch him—she was just serving drinks.
Wait. That back… it looked familiar.
‘Where have I seen that back before…?’
As she tried to recall by matching the voice to the silhouette, the man spoke.
{By the way, did you hear, Minamoto-san? Martha & Co. from America is entering the railway business.}
“Gasp!”
The voice was unmistakable. Chohee pressed her hands over her mouth. Fortunately, the noise from the adjacent room masked her reaction.
That voice…!
“Since I helped you, can you stop talking like such a shameless scoundrel?”
That voice. That shameless voice.
Yes—those broad shoulders before her were the same back she had seen repeatedly on the way to Sinuiju Station.
But why is that scoundrel here?
Chohee took her eyes off the hole in the paper and pressed her ear closer.
The two men continued their conversation.
{So you wanted to see me just to talk about that, Mr. Ri?}
The Japanese man sounded irritated this time. Something had clearly displeased him.
{Not at all, Minamoto-san. You know how interested I am in the railway business.}
The scoundrel responded calmly, without flinching.
Railway business? The man had called himself an “ordinary businessman.” But mentioning the railway business suggested he hadn’t lied entirely.
{It’s a government project led by the Governor-General. What can you do, even if you’re interested?}
{Not everything is limited to government projects. If given the chance, I’d like to try.}
{I’m sorry to say, but it’ll be difficult. Mr. Ri, you’re a talented man of the Empire, but your background is… somewhat lacking, isn’t it?}
{You know my loyalty to the homeland better than anyone, Minamoto-san.}
{Indeed. But haven’t you heard? The incident in Jongno?}
‘Jongno?’
Chohee perked up. Jongno was where she had lived.
{What incident are you referring to?}
{A few days ago, a group of Joseon men threw a bomb at the Jongno police station. Everyone’s keeping it quiet, but on that day, Sinuiju Station was blown up as well. Those vermin Joseon men!}
Chohee bit her lips so hard that her sharp canine pierced her lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood.
Brother… what is that smell?
Her brother had carried a faint scent of gunpowder.
No… it couldn’t be.
He wasn’t reckless enough to throw bombs at the Jongno police station. And he wouldn’t break his promise to her.
Yet, despite her doubts, she leaned closer to the paper door, hoping to catch any information about her brother.
{I didn’t know such a thing had happened.}
{Those slippery bastards… in the end, they weren’t caught.}
Hearing the refined Japanese man speak, Chohee unconsciously sighed in relief.
It probably wasn’t her brother—but still, maybe…
While she quietly reassured herself, the Japanese man’s voice rose in anger.
{I’ve always said, I should have crushed those cockroach-like bastards from the start… Anyway, I will never do business with Koreans again. Never!}
{But Minamoto—}
{Bah! Forget it. Let’s stop this nonsense. Isn’t there enough to enjoy here?}
{…Of course, Minamoto-san.}
The man laughed heartily, and the women giggled along.
{Oh my, you shouldn’t do that, Nari!}
Hearing the revelry, Chohee finally pulled her ear away from the paper.
Relaxing her clenched hands, a tingling sensation ran through her fingers.
The scoundrel’s laughter reached her even through the paper.
She shivered as if she had seen something dirty and stood up.
That shameless man—lewd, even surrounded by geishas.
I’m glad I’m not involved.
There was no point in listening further. Chohee quietly slipped out of the dark room.
“Ugh…”
Dowoon opened his eyes to sunlight streaming through the blinds.
Last night’s meeting with Minamoto, painstakingly arranged, had yielded little.
All that remained was a crushing hangover.
“Awake?”
Joseph, sitting across the sofa, offered him water. Dowoon sat up to settle his stomach.
Drinking greedily, a drop ran down his neck.
“Michael, somehow you made it back to the office.”
“…I couldn’t spend the night at the giru.”
“You drank so much—you could’ve just slept there.”
“…Too much work to do.”
“You’re practically made of steel.”
Joseph shook his head, watching Dowoon try to shake off the hangover with cold water.
“Damn it! The Jongno bombing had to coincide with us!”
“Wasn’t it someone from the Provisional Government? Or a member of the Uiyoldan?”
“Michael, you’re uncanny. A man named Sung Chi-hoon of the Uiyoldan was behind it.”
Dowoon groaned and shook his head. Joseph asked cautiously:
“And did you get anything from Minamoto?”
Instead of answering, Dowoon sighed and leaned back. One hand covered his eyes, and his head throbbed.
“So what do we do now? George’s info route is completely blocked.”
“…Damn it.”
“Minamoto’s loose-lipped. Couldn’t we approach him another way? He’s central to the railway project; peripheral info won’t help.”
“Exactly. Shige Minamoto… Minamoto…”
Dowoon ran his hands through his hair. There must be a way to extract the info. He just needed to find Minamoto’s weakness.
{Ha! Finally, someone who understands me! Keep it secret from my wife, as you know our reputation.}
Dowoon suddenly recalled Minamoto’s words from yesterday.
He leaned forward sharply, eyes gleaming with strategy.
“Joseph, what’s the reputation of the Minamoto couple?”
“Reputation? Nothing special, just a prominent Tokyo family married off. That’s it—”
“Right. Their marriage was arranged. The wife was said to be more capable.”
Dowoon snapped his fingers.
Minamoto consulted his competent wife on trivial matters.
“Jackpot.”
He recalled Minamoto’s face buried in the geishas’ chests yesterday and smirked.
Chohee sighed heavily as she confided in Bok-i at the counter.
“Bok-i, why is everyone in Sinuiju so harsh?”
Despite working daily at the giru, her funds were insufficient.
To make matters worse, the innkeeper discovered she had napped briefly two days ago while working.
He accused her of being lazy and threatened to kick her out. Chohee knew she had erred, but it still felt unfair. After working so hard, couldn’t she rest a little?
Seeing Chohee’s distressed face, Bok-i furrowed her brows as well.
“Miss Gyeongseong, menial work doesn’t pay well. How about finding something else?”
“But no one wants to hire me.”
Chohee despondently surveyed the wall of flyers.
In the past few days, she had checked daily, but to no avail. No one wanted to hire a Korean woman.
“Look… today too, nothing new… huh?”
Her eyes fell on an unfamiliar red flyer.
She had memorized the wall of flyers from checking it daily. This one was new.
She tore it off and scanned the text:
[Urgently Hiring a Private Tutor
Subject: English
Requirements: Korean woman in her mid-20s
Salary: Negotiable]
Her eyes widened as she read it.
Unsure, she read it again—and once more. Same words.
A faint smile spread across Chohee’s face.
“This is for me, Bok-i! Look! The salary is negotiable!”
Unlike Chohee’s joy, Bok-i looked skeptical.
“Miss Gyeongseong, doesn’t that seem suspicious? Specifying a Korean woman in her mid-20s is odd.”
“Perhaps they have a young girl at home. Private tutors usually teach children. And Koreans are cheaper to hire.”
“True, Miss—”
“No, not now.”
Chohee pocketed the flyer and grabbed the jacket draped over the counter.
“I have to go see this place, Bok-i. I’m heading there now!”
“Miss Gyeongseong!”
Bok-i called, but Chohee rushed out of the inn.
She quickly boarded a tram, heading to the address on the flyer.
Still unfamiliar with the area, she had to ask directions along the way.
When she finally arrived, it was indeed the wealthiest district in Sinuiju, as locals had said.
Magnificent houses lined the street, enclosed by grand walls, a testament to their owners’ wealth.
She took a deep breath and silently repeated her words.
Thump-thump…
Smiling politely to appear friendly, she knocked twice on the luxurious gate.
