[Guest Writer: Krb] The Crash Course - A SKKS Fanfic

Title: The Crash Course
Genre: Angst, Romance
Characters: Gu Yong Ha, OFC (Original female character)
Words: 3502

Summary: Both parties in the relationship go through a crash course on each other… all in a day.

[This is the final part of Yong Ha’s love story. Please read (1)AT THE CROSSROADS and (2)SURPRISES ALL AROUND first in order to enjoy this piece at its best.]

o.o0o.o

The previously-quiet Yoon Household had been injected with life. Ever since the wedding plans had been finalized, Gu Yong Ha had begun to call on them regularly.

This morning’s visit, however, was strictly for business. Despite Yong Ha’s assurance to Min Jin that she would be more than adequately provided for, the stubborn girl had still insisted on carrying on with her production.

‘Embroidery was her passion’, she had reasoned with Yong Ha, and subsequently offered him a discount since he was now her betrothed.

Yong Ha consented for two reasons. Firstly, he wanted to indulge her as much as possible and couldn’t bear to deny her something as simple as this. Secondly, in truth, there was no one in the entire region whose embroidery works could even come close to hers.

Just a few days ago, an old business acquaintance of his father’s had openly remarked on the beauty of the stitches and complimented Yong Ha on his eye for fashion. He requested Yeorim to specially design a chima-jeogori (hanbok for females). The Old acquaintance had intended for the garment to be a son’s gift to the mother, and it was a request Yong Ha could not turn down.

Min Jin’s last batch of fabric had long been traded off, and Yong Ha approached her to request for more as well as to elicit her input on his latest design. An efficient thinker, Min Jin had the business meeting wrapped up in under an hour—far shorter than what Yong Ha had wished for.

Unwilling to relinquish her company so soon, and without much reason to linger on, Yong Ha asked her out instead. Her face lit up in delight at that prospect and she readily agreed.

o.o0o.o

Yong Ha and Min Jin walked alongside each other in comfortable silence while Nak Ra trailed a few steps behind, near enough to vouch for her Agassi’s modesty, yet far enough to allow the couple some privacy.

Yong Ha, with a closed fan in one hand, and both hands clasped at his back, broke the silence first. Without turning his head or missing a step, he asked the question that had been nagging at him for some time.

“How did your embroidery come to be so good? I know it’s common for girls of nobility to be trained in such an art. But yours is really…” He couldn’t find the appropriate word, so shook his head and smiled as substitution.

Min Jin considered her answer for a moment before replying.

“I guess it’s because of my mother.” A faraway look appeared in her eyes. “My mother used to love embroidery and she taught me.”

“And?” Yong Ha prodded.

Min Jin lowered her voice, almost as though she were talking to herself.

“She died of a lung infection when I was 14. I missed her so much then. So I embroidered all the time. Somehow, doing that made me feel as if she was still by my side, teaching me. The more I did it, the better I became. Around the same time, our family clan started its decline. I still wanted to wear pretty clothes, but that became a luxury that was hard to afford, and so I started to make my own intricate designs instead.”

Yong Ha’s chest tightened at this confession of hers.

“Then where does that horrid Merchant Song come in?”

Min Jin sighed. “My father became ill. No doubt we could afford the physician and medicinal herbs, but our finances became even tighter. And my brother likes to gamble. He does care for me, but that’s one of his many weaknesses.

“Anyway, one day I just wondered if perhaps I could help change my family’s fate by trading my works. I knew it was unorthodox for a Yang-ban lady to be doing so, but what I didn’t expect was for the merchants to be so unwilling to do transactions directly with a girl.”

She paused for a beat to recall Yong Ha’s question and continued.

“Merchant Song was the last merchant I approached. I didn’t like him at all, but I didn’t have a choice. He agreed to buy my fabrics, but only if I adhered to his harsh conditions.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Almost 3 years have passed ever since.”

Not wanting to dwell on the painful past, Min Jin took a deep breath and lifted her face to bask in the warmth of the sunshine. “Well, I do suppose everything worked out for the best.” And her face broadened in a smile.

Her smile widened further when she looked ahead and realized that Yong Ha was leading her towards the mercantile district.

o.o0o.o

When they were nearing, he nodded his head in the direction of the marketplace.

“Come, let me show you around the place I grew up in.”

It was noon, and the marketplace and bustling with activity. The aroma of hot snacks fresh from the steamer was in the air. Merchants were hollering out to passers-by and one another, proudly out-doing each other with their newest wares and prices. On the streets, commuters were hurrying to and fro in both directions. A few stopped to look.

All these were fascinating to Min Jin, who hardly had the chance to experience commerce up this close. But more than anything, Min Jin was fascinated with the way Yong Ha conversed with the stall-tenders. He seemed to know everyone personally and they all greeted him enthusiastically, dishing out freebies to him and teasing him in good humor.

Yong Ha suddenly touched his fingers to Min Jin’s forearm in a gesture to stop her in her tracks. She glanced down at her forearm before turning to look up at him in question. When he didn’t elaborate, her eyes followed his line of sight.

Right in front of them lay a display of female accessories, embroidered ribbons, and mirrors. Reaching out to the display tray, Yong Ha picked out a blue ribbon embroidered with butterflies and held it up against her. He took half a step back to better assess the match, and smiled his approval.

Min Jin raised her eyebrows. “My handiwork is so much better than that. If you want a hair ribbon that much, I can always make one for you.”

With his eyes still examining the embroidery, he replied as a matter-of-factly.

“I know.”

He then reached into his coin pouch to pay the shopkeeper anyway and handed the ribbon to her.

Amused, but nonetheless appreciative, Min Jin accepted it. To Yong Ha’s surprise however, she didn’t tie the ribbon onto her braid, and neither did she keep it in her sleeve. Instead, she held it in her hand, occasionally entwining it around her fingers subconsciously.

Yong Ha’s throat constricted as he wondered to himself how long it had been since she had received a gift from anybody.

“Gomapseumnida.” Min Jin suddenly mumbled, interrupting his thoughts.*

o.o0o.o

Enjoying the poignancy of the moment, Yong Ha and Min Jin resumed their walk wordlessly—two individuals wrapped up in their own world. A few moments later, however, their attention was drawn to a commotion up ahead. Coming towards them, a gang of five youths was chasing a young boy down the street. Too anxious to flee the bullies, the young boy didn’t take heed of his surroundings and slammed right into Min Jin. He stopped momentarily to bow an apology before continuing his getaway. Min Jin was too stunned to do anything else but nod in return.

Yong Ha, on the other hand, was more than familiar with the workings of the marketplace. In that split-second, he registered what had just taken place, and sped off to give chase, leaving Min Jin to look on in complete puzzlement.

A minute later, Yong Ha returned, dangling the boy—kicking and flailing, by the back of his collar. He released the boy into a heap on the ground right in front of Min Jin.

Yong Ha fixed his eyes pointedly on the boy, who looked no older than 10.

“Return it.” He ordered firmly, but not unkindly.

Scrambling to his knees, the boy meekly pulled out a purse from under his shirt and offered it back to Min Jin. Comprehension dawned on her as she instinctively felt for her empty pocket with one hand and took her purse back with the other.

“Do you have a family?” she asked.

The boy shook his head. “Just a younger sister. But please don’t punish her too. She’s only 5.” Tears started streaming down his face, and his bottom lip quivered.

Min Jin took in his rags and chapped lips, then stunned everyone into immobility with her next action. She crouched down to the boy, unfastened the brooch from her hanbok, and pressed it into the boy’s open palm. The brooch wasn’t priceless, but it wasn’t worthless either.

Min Jin helped him to his feet and her voice was gentle.

“You’ll have to stop stealing then. If you get caught and locked away, who will take care of your sister?”

The boy, thrown into a state of utter disbelief, looked towards the fancily dressed Young Master. Yong Ha broke out of his dumbfounded stupor, and reached forward to give the boy his fan in exchange for the brooch. That silk fan had been a collector’s item from Qing, and was infinitely more valuable that the silver brooch, but Yong Ha’s mind was intent only on retrieving Min Jin’s bauble.

Unable to believe his good fortune, the little boy quickly got up and ran off before his benefactors could change their mind.

o.o0o.o

“You didn’t have to do that, you know?” Min Jin remarked as they continued on their way.

“What? Catch the thief?”

“No. Give away your fan. That must have been awfully precious.”

“Not as precious as your brooch.”

Min Jin misunderstood that statement. “Ah! You were mistaken. I’m sorry for the loss of your fan. But thank you anyway. You are very kind.”

Yong Ha somehow felt ashamed of the fact that she thought so highly of him, and he tried to clarify things.

“I think there’s something you need to know.”

Min Jin smiled. “What is it?”

“That is… Ah… Ah… Aishhh, this is harder than I thought.” Yong Ha massaged the back of his neck to reorganize his thoughts and continued. “You see, I did use to hang out in… certain places… very often.”

Min Jin blinked, not understanding what he was trying to say.

He continued anyway. “In some circles, I’m known better by my nickname, Yeo—“

His sentence was cut off by a unanimous squeal of delight that erupted out of the blue. It was none other than the entourage of gisaengs from Moran Gak passing through. And they had spotted Yong Ha. A flurry of activity ensued all at once. Eyelashes and fans alike started to flutter flirtatiously in his direction. And Yong Ha—with his old habits that die hard—winked back at them in acknowledgment.

Evidently, that was all the encouragement they needed to come flocking over. In their eagerness to attract the attention of the resident playboy of Joseon, the gisaengs had conveniently overlooked Min Jin’s presence. As the beautiful ladies crowded round her fiancé, Min Jin found herself nudged out of their little circle. She became the picture of an outsider looking in— at a woman curl her arm around her betrothed’s neck, and another clinging on to his elbow, and another…

Nak Ra hurried forward to her mistress…

“Agassi, this…”

…but left her sentence unfinished when the Agassi made no indication of having heard her.

Yong Ha was in an awkward spot. He had after all, at one point or another in his life, spent his nights in the arms of these ladies before. Rebuffing them there and then would have been completely churlish of him. He was, after all, a gentleman. But it wasn’t until they each started to address him personally that he realized how much of a humiliation he was creating for Min Jin.

“Young Master Yeorim, have you forgotten what you told me that night when you insisted on taking my petticoat home?”

“Young Master Yeorim, can you recognize this hairpin that you gave me? I was waiting for you last night.”

“Young Master Yeorim, how could you be so naughty...”

“Young Master Yeorim…”

Yong Ha stretched his neck above the colorful crowd, trying to locate Min Jin, but her face was nowhere to be seen. What he did see was the back of her head among the sea of people at the market, and it was getting smaller by the second. She was leaving him.

Yong Ha panicked, and disentangled himself from the arms of the gisaengs at once. He broke out from the pack with his shoulder and chased after her, only to step on something familiar along the way. He glanced down, picked it up, and turned it over in his hand; it was the ribbon he had bought for her moments ago, by now soiled and tattered from the many shoes that had trampled on it.

Increasing the span of his strides, Yong Ha closed the distance and overtook Min Jin. He planted himself firmly in her way and turned around to face her.

“Yeorim.” Her lips pursed. “So that’s what you were trying to tell me. I’m guessing the innuendo isn’t a coincidence.”

Never in her 19 years had she ever been so utterly humiliated—not even when the merchants spat at her 3 years back. Her eyes ached with unshed tears. But she managed to deliver her next lines without betraying a hint of any emotion whatsoever.

“The betrothal has already been confirmed, and I won’t renege on that. I will see you on our wedding day.”

A single tear escaped and Min Jin dabbed the back of her hand to her cheek.

With a bow of her head, she brushed past Yong Ha and walked off without looking back. And Yong Ha finally understood what it felt like to die inside.

The ribbon clenched in his fists, he stood rooted to the spot, watching her disappear into the distance.

It was broad daylight, but Yong Ha headed over to the local tavern nonetheless.

Once again, he was drinking alone. He poured himself a glass, downed the contents in a single shot, and allowed a bitter smile to escape his lips. From the looks of things, “happily-ever-after” wasn’t intended for him after all.

Involuntarily, his fingers traced the rim of the cup as he contemplated the day’s events.

He recalled the emotion in Min Jin’s voice as she related her life story to him and the way she had mumbled her thanks for the gift. He remembered his surprise when she started to unpin her brooch. And finally, in his mind, he replayed the disappointment he had seen in her eyes as she repeated his nickname back to him.

Unfortunately for Yong Ha, the cheery atmosphere at the tavern was doing nothing to soothe his ache. He left his payment on the table and stood to leave. With no destination in mind, Yong Ha simply put one foot in front of the other aimlessly. Then stopped.

“Aye, Gu Yong Ha. This is pathetic. You are THE Gu Yong Ha. If you want her, go and get her back!”

o.o0o.o

With a newfound resolve, Yong Ha made a run for the Yoon Residence.

The Gu Yong Ha, whose only idea of exercise was that practiced in bed. The Gu Yong Ha, who hated rushing anywhere. The Gu Yong Ha, whose normal disposition was cool and collected. The Gu Yong Ha ran.

When he finally reached the main gate of the Yoon Residence, he bent over, hands resting on his knees as he fought to catch his breath. Still panting, he haltingly asked one of the passing servants to inform the Young Mistress that he had come.

“I’m sorry, Young Master Gu. Agassi isn’t home yet.”

The color on Yong Ha’s face drained off and he straightened up immediately.

“ What do you mean she isn’t home yet?”

The servant sensed something was amiss, but all the same, refrained from replying more than what he was asked.

“Since Agassi left with you this morning, she hasn’t been back. Nak Ra isn’t back yet either.”

The sun was beginning to set and Min Jin still wasn’t home! It was impossible for the walk home to last four hours!

Yong Ha’s heart started to pound in his ears and he kicked himself for allowing her to walk off on her own.

What happened along the way?

Worry bubbled in Yong Ha. He tried to gather his wits but all he could think of were the thousand and one frightful possibilities why Min Jin wasn’t home yet.

And that’s exactly how she found him when she arrived—pacing up and down with worry. He stopped when he spotted her approach, and the jumble of emotions exploded.

“WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN? DON’T YOU KNOW THERE ARE OTHERS WORRYING ABOUT YOU?”

As if in reply to his question, she looked down. He followed suit and regretted his words instantly. Grasped in her hand was the ribbon that he had bought for her, except that it was clean and new. Without thinking, he stepped forward and grabbed her in a hug of relief.

From the back, Nak Ra raised her voice; loyalty towards her mistress had eclipsed the awareness of her own inferior social status.

“Yaa! You crazy bastard. Jugulay-yo?** How can you shout at Agassi like that? For whatever reason I’m too stupid to understand, Agassi regretted throwing her ribbon away! She tried to retrace her steps, but couldn’t find it no matter what. So she went to buy another one. And now you dare to…”

“Nak Ra.” Min Jin hurriedly interrupted her maid’s outburst and pushed herself away from Yong Ha’s embrace. “Go in first. I need to speak to the Young Master alone.”

Nak Ra sucked her breath in at the sudden realization of her words. She hastily bowed and made herself scarce.

o.o0o.o

Neither party knew where to begin. So Yong Ha started by retrieving the original blue ribbon—muddy and tattered, from inside his sleeve. He then proceeded to produce another ribbon…this one made of THE red silk, embroidered with the black flower dropping its petals. Planting both ribbons in her hand, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’m sorry about the humiliation I put you through at the marketplace. I know you don’t approve of my past, and I don’t expect you to. But regardless, I can’t change what has already happened. I can only promise you this. From now on, you’ll be the only woman I ever look at. I don’t want to have to ever see you walk away again.”

For once, instead of his usual wit, Yong Ha had relied purely on sincerity.

Min Jin remained silent for a while, and to Yong Ha, it was the longest wait he had ever experienced.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, and finally spoke.

“That’s the ONLY thing you can promise me? I can easily think of so many more!”

She turned to look at him squarely in the face and started her list.

“One! No more visits to Moran Gak, or any other brothel for that matter!” She jabbed her finger at his chest.

“Two! I don’t care whether you are in the fashion business or not. But after we’re married…no, scratch that. From NOW ON, when dealing with the gisaengs, I MUST be around!” Jab.

“Seriously, you’re way too good-looking for your own good,” she commented under her own breath.

Yong Ha tried to throw in a clever reply to what he had just overheard, but she resumed her list before he could open his mouth.

“Number three! No more winks! Did you think I didn’t see that? I don’t care if the playboy’s old habits die hard!” Jab. Jab. Jab. “You can’t even wink properly anyway, for goodness’ sake.”

“Four! Hand over that awful woman’s petticoat.” She rolled her eyes, and removed her finger from his chest.

Gosh, how he loved this woman.

“Five! Wear this conspicuously. ALL. THE. TIME!” Yong Ha looked down at his hand just as she, in one fluid motion, slid a ring onto his finger.

Yong Ha couldn’t help himself. Placing his hand on her shoulder, he lowered his head such that his nose was only mere inches away from hers. All the wind in Min Jin’s sails died in an instant at the sudden proximity and Yong Ha murmured intimately to her.

“Nega yaksokay.” I promise.

Then tilting his head to the side so his hat wouldn’t be in the way, he pulled her close and kissed her fully and passionately on the lips.

o.o0o.o

“Min Jin ah…”

“Hmmm?”

“Since you dislike the nickname Yeorim, how about you change it to Yeobo instead?” ***

[The End]

Footnote-

* Gomapseumnida: Thank you.

** Jugullay-yo: Do you want to die? By adding the –yo at the end, Nak Ra was saying it in a more ‘polite’ way.

*** Yeobo: Sweetheart/Honey. It is used only between spouses.

o.o0o.o

Author’s note:

OK, I’m guessing a few of you might be wondering…

Just why on earth did Yong Ha wink at the gisaengs?????!!!

To tell you honestly, I myself started swearing at Yong Ha when he pulled that trademark action of his out of the bag.

But thinking about it, it does make sense, really. He’s been a playboy ever since… well, ever since a long time. And if there’s one thing we know about men, it’s that old habits die hard, seriously. I have to keep reminding my boyfriend to put that darn toilet seat down. And flush! Goodness me! Sorry, I’m digressing.

Anyway, another reason I suspect why Yong Ha winked at the other girls was because much as he’s in love with Min Jin, he’s suddenly aware of the magnitude of the step he’s taking. It’s not just a marriage in name anymore. We’re talking about giving his heart totally to her. That wink of his might have been his attempt to hold on a little to his old lifestyle. Not much of an excuse, but ah well, what do I know?

I have to say, though, I’m really glad with how Min Jin turned out. She’s softhearted, yet headstrong at the same time. And she had a heart big enough to forgive Yong Ha for all his past conquests… of course on HER terms. And Girl’s got some huge initiative.

I do believe they’re in for a really really really happy marriage. If there’s anybody who could keep Yong Ha on a leash, it’ll be her.

But at the end, this is just my perspective.

p/s. I usually don’t like ending off with obvious clichés. But after watching the Youtube clip of Song Joong Ki’s kiss, how could I resist? =P