As True as a Dream

She brings her hands together in front of her and gently rubs her sore fingertips.

 

She doesn’t know why she’s been pounding and cracking like that lately.

 “Mr. Policeman, I’m innocent. I really don’t know anything about it, I just thought it was a lyre box when he said it was a lyre box. If I had known it was a weapon, I would never have…” 

Hae-Joo, who had been tugging at her hair, suddenly raised her eyebrows.

 

Something caught her eye.

 

Dark gray pants.

 

A police uniform… or was it?

 

Looking further, she saw a vest of the same color.

 

Confused, Hae-Joo raised her head a little more boldly.

 “Was it a fox?” 

A tall, slim, and noble-looking man stood there, wearing a fox mask.

 

Beneath the mask, the red corners of his mouth curled up in amusement.

 “Who—?” “You again.” 

The man’s eyebrows rose in response to the words that seemed to come out of nowhere.

 

The tone was deep and cold, yet soft with a hint of familiarity.

 “Do you know me…?”

Hae-Joo tried asking.

 “I don’t.” “What?”

Hae-Joo swallowed her confusion.

 

He pointed as if he knew her, and then immediately said he didn’t.

 

Hae-Joo stared in disbelief at the man sitting on the tatami mat, propped up on one knee in front of a small table.

 

Where else would she have seen a man with such a flowery appearance?

 

His towering body, straight back, lean, broad shoulders, flushed tongue, white skin under a fox mask and red lips…

 

A thought suddenly flashed through Hae-Joo’s mind like lightning as she vaguely connected the dots.

 

A fox mask?

 

A story popped into her mind,

“The owner of Song Yue Pavillion, whose surname is Ban, wears a fox mask.”

 “Mister…, are you the owner of… of Song Yue Pavillion?” 

The man’s lips twitched in response to her question.

 

‘Oh my God, I’ve met the Living Gold Mountain! Isn’t he the figure in the clouds that I’ve never seen, never dared to see, even though I’ve been in and out of Song Yue Pavilion so many times!’

 

She was overwhelmed beyond belief.

 

Then she marveled at the man’s appearance, which was much younger than she had imagined.

 

So much depends on what kind of ancestors one has!

 

The Song Yue Pavilion has been around for over twenty years, and this man, the owner, looks quite young, so he must have inherited it from his ancestors.

 

How glorious his life must be, to be born with a mountain of gold in his hands, and to have strong support.

 

‘I envy you! But why does he wear a fox mask? I can’t take my eyes off her just by being there. What’s wrong with her face? It’s like a giant bear, or his eyes are the size of kernels, or he has scars….’

 “What are you thinking?”

Yi Ho asked.

 “He must be so ugly he wears a mask.”

Hae-Joo, who had been hypnotized, quickly closed her mouth.

 “What?”

 

The smile on the man’s face deepened.

 

He lightly tapped his fingers against the mask he was wearing and rested his arms on his knees.

 “So, I mean, uh, that, uh, yeah, you said you were a sphere… a sphere, and I was wondering when you saw…” “Mmm.”

The man hummed slightly, and after a pause spoke again.

“I need an explanation for what happened today, can you explain?” 

His tone was soft, as if he didn’t care that she had called him ugly.

 

Sweeping her hand over her chest, Hae-Joo moistened her dry lips and soon spoke.

 “Um, yes, I’m Yeon Hae-Joo, a taxi driver for the Iori Automobile Association, my Japanese name is Tsujirei Goyo, and I picked up that… male guest at Gyeongseong Station at sunset today.” 

Hae-Joo recounted the events of the evening to Song Yue’s owner.

 “I really didn’t know there was a long gun in that box, believe me, I’m innocent. I’m innocent, and I wouldn’t have even let him get into the taxi if I knew he was involved in something like this.” “Yes. I believe you.” 

After all the pleading, Song Yue’s owner replied bluntly.

 “That’s how the man in the next room explained it.” 

Hae-Joo’s heart, which had been afraid that she would be taken to the Sun Temple and falsely accused, was now at peace.

 

Fortunately, the owner of this Song Yue seemed to be a man of many words.

 “Then there’s no problem, can I go back now?” “Yes. After I finish my work.” 

Work? What work?

 

Hae-Joo’s face flushed at the thought that the almost disastrous situation was over.

 

***

 “What… work…?” “Yes. It’s about compensating Song Yue Pavilion for the damage it suffered in today’s accident.” 

I was stunned by his unexpected words.

 “Yes?” “But I— I’m… I’m not… We’re not in cahoots…” “Yes. You may not be a part of it, but you brought the gun to Song Yue Pavilion. Even if you’re not guilty, you’re still responsible for your actions.” 

Hae-Joo’s chest tightened at the bluntness of his words.

 “Or you can go to the police station… and prove your innocence on your own. The Shunsas seem to think you’re in on it.” 

The tone was soft, but the meaning was threatening.

 

Hae-Joo swallowed hard.

 

Yes, the owner of the Song Yue Pavilion, who controlled some of the money in this great city of Jingsheng Province, was not to be trifled with.

 

According to the owner of the Song Yue Pavilion, because of this

“accident”

today, he has closed down the business of the other buildings besides the main building, which is far away.

 “What do you want to do? Take responsibility for your actions or follow my order?” 

If she takes responsibility for her actions, an unimaginable amount of money will be on her head.

 

When she followed him, she realized that her life was worth more than his.

 

It was even more precious because she would have died not long ago.

 

It was a precious life.

 

Either way, her mouth would burst into song.

 

She walked slowly to the man who was sitting motionless like a statue.

 

Then she knelt down and prostrated herself before him.

 

Then she scraped up all the tears in her heart and spoke in a desperate voice.

 “Mister, I am a poor citizen who drives a taxi and can barely make ends meet. What can I do to make up for Song Yue’s loss? My salary doesn’t even allow me to have a meal in Song Yue.” 

Hae-Joo cried as pitifully as she could.

 “Please have mercy on me. There are only three of us at home, my sickly old mother and my younger brother. If I’m taken away by the police…. My family will all be dead without me, so please just look at me and think you’re sparing someone’s life.” 

I spit out the words as they came out of my mouth.

 

Of course, she doesn’t have a sick old mother or a young brother, but there’s nothing she can say to make things better.

 “…Well, does that mean you don’t want to pay for the damages, and you don’t want to follow the police?” “Of course, I’d like to take responsibility for my actions if I could, but I’ve never learned anything, and the only thing I’m good at is driving, so how can I possibly pay for all the damage I’ve caused?” “I didn’t say pay you all at once.” 

Her voice, relaxed and soft, cut off the pleading, in contrast to the passionate tone of her crying and pleading.

 “You can pay me back little by little. I’m not that naughty, you can sign a contract and pay me back for the rest of your life, don’t make it hard.” 

The sweet tones of the words that fell from above her head plunged her into a pit of ice.

 

‘I will pay him back for the rest of my life?’

 

That’s slavery.

 

How much is enough to pay him back for the rest of her life? Why would she do that?

 

She had never realized how scary it was to be asked to take responsibility for her actions.

 

Her heart pounded in her chest with fear.

 

She crouched down, her eyes rolling frantically.

 

He’s going to get her back?

 

I’m going to duck out of here, pretend to pay back for a few months, and then run away from Gyeongseong?

 

I don’t have to be a bouncer to make money.

 

Hae-Joo quickly calculated whether this idea was feasible.

 

After all, the reason she gave up her life as a princess and came to Gyeongseong was to make money and leave this land of hardship.

 

As her adoptive father, who had died a year earlier, had told her, she would travel to Boulanger (France), England, Italy, Miri Gow (USA), New Zealand, and Farsa (Persia).

 

She wanted to walk on her own feet through the vastness of the world, a world she could never see in her lifetime.

 

It was a hope and a dream she could barely find in her homeland, a country drowning in heartbreak and despair.

 

Hae-Joo clenched her fists and turned to the Master of Song Yue Pavilion.

 “Mister, I am definitely not guilty, so I cannot follow your order.”

With a broken and bitter face, Hae-Joo sobbed and added

“So the compensation for the damage you said… how much money do you think I owe you…” “Yeon Hae-Joo.” 

At the suddenly called name, Hae-Joo closed her mouth.

 “Twenty years old, a princess from Chungcheong Province, and has been in Gyeongseong for a year.” 

The information flowed freely from the owner’s mouth.

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