6. Jokes and serious matters were tossed around, and finally, a bottle of liquor sealed with a red ribbon appeared.
"What's that?" A woman in her late twenties, who I had never seen before, replied with a bright smile.
"It's top-quality Dugangju."
"Top-quality? Really?" "Of course. Let me pour you a glass."
As I received the opened Dugangju in my cup, I responded, "You wouldn't be playing tricks with the liquor on Jomsui, would you? It smells too strong."
At the mention of Jomsui, the woman's face stiffened slightly.
She maintained her composure and said, "Why would we play tricks with liquor? Absolutely not. By the way, are you looking for a girl?" "Yes, Chaehyang. Is she here?" "She should be. I'll check on her."
"She must be busy. It won't take long."
"Of course. She's the busiest. If Chaehyang isn't available, would another girl be alright?" "Not alright."
"While I serve drinks, I'll bring Chaehyang if she has a moment. There are many guests eager to hear her sing."
"I don't want to hear singing; I just want Chaehyang to come for a bit. By the way, do you not know who I am?" "Who are you? I mostly stay here."
She pointed at my eyes with her finger.
"Can't you see?" "You have a bruise, don't you?" "I'm the infamous Jomsui from the Jaha Inn, who has been saving money like a miser to spend a night with Chaehyang. That's me."
"Ah... So that's why it was a bit noisy downstairs."
The woman's expression changed moment by moment.
Her eyes narrowed, and a hint of scorn flickered in her gaze.
"So today is the day, huh? But do you really want to see Chaehyang?" "Why? Is that not allowed?" "I just thought Lord Ruj might get angry. I heard he got a bit rough a few days ago. I thought it might mean not to look for Chaehyang at the Meihwa Tower. Have you not considered that?" She spoke in a calm tone, skillfully.
"Oh, I hadn't thought of that. By the way, our middle-aged lady speaks quite eloquently."
"Middle-aged? I'm not even thirty yet. And wasn't it a joke? I thought it was a joke. I'll go and let her know. Please wait a moment."
"Wait! You thought it was a joke?" The woman stared at me blankly and then nodded.
"Yes."
"Then why did I get hit?" "Maybe you got hit for joking."
As she smiled, a deep dimple appeared on one cheek.
I pointed at her.
"You really are a sly woman pretending to be innocent."
"Please see me in a good light. Just kidding."
A joke was treated as serious, and what was actually serious was taken as a joke.
The meaning of words often changes at will.
That's why words can be frightening.
After the chatty woman disappeared, I caught a whiff of the Dugangju.
They claimed it was top-quality, but it was of a quality that didn't even reach the third tier.
Yet, they still had the audacity to charge top-quality prices.
A joke treated as serious, and a counterfeit treated as genuine.
This is generally how those who live for their own convenience behave.
"Starting with a joke, huh?" This is definitely not top-quality Dugangju.
How dare they play tricks with the inn's Jomsui...
The ways of the martial world have truly fallen.
I filled my cup with the third-rate Dugangju, making a clinking sound as I drank.
When the liquor had gone down my throat for the third time, I heard heavy footsteps in the hallway.
It seemed the news that Jomsui from the Jaha Inn had come to Meihwa Tower had finally reached the ears of those who had participated in the earlier assault.
The footsteps carried a rough emotion.
The door creaked open, and as someone recognized me, they immediately spat out curses.
"Hey, you bastard. What are you doing crawling in here? Are you crazy?" I couldn't help but sigh.
Is it such a crime for Jomsui to come to the inn? Why do they keep calling me a bastard instead of using my proper name? Still, the fact that they didn't insult my parents made me think they were certainly better kids than the monkeys of the Demon Sect.
I recognized the face of the man.
I knew him well, both his face and name.
I had kept tabs on the guy who had hit me, as was my habit.
I gestured for a man named Donggak to come in and said, "Why are you all acting like this when I'm just trying to drink some liquor with my own money? Come in. I'll give you a drink."
The man was momentarily at a loss for words.
It was understandable.
A guy who had been beaten up a few days ago was now offering drinks in a casual tone, so it was only natural he would be taken aback.
Donggak entered and plopped down across from me.
"What did this bastard eat today?" "Bibimbap."
"What?" As I poured him some Dugangju, Donggak grabbed the cup and said, "Just drink this and get lost quietly before things escalate."
After pouring the Dugangju, I called out to Donggak, "Donggak, you bastard."
Mixing casual speech with curses, I called him, and Donggak immediately stood up, swinging his right hand toward my cheek.
I caught his hand with my left and placed it on the table, simultaneously stabbing my chopsticks into the back of his hand.
"Thud!" "Ugh."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Why are these chopsticks so sharp?" I hadn't intended to go this far.
It was a reflex born from living as a martial artist for so long.
Donggak needed a moment to understand the situation.
Even with his twisted expression, he struggled to grasp what was happening.
Only then did I take out a sickle and tap the chopsticks embedded in his hand.
Tap, tap.
"The hole in your hand can heal, but if your wrist gets cut, what can be done? I'll cut it off for you."
"Ah, don't."
"Don't?" "Don't do it."
I pointed the sickle at Donggak.
"Why are you acting like a rabid dog, making a fuss when I'm just trying to drink quietly and see Chaehyang for a moment? Do you think Meihwa Tower will collapse if I meet Chaehyang?" At that moment, the door burst open again, and the girl Chaehyang appeared, looking at the scene around the table.
"Donggak oppa, please leave. I'm here now."
I looked at Chaehyang. 'It's been a while.' She was rumored to be quite pretty here, but having seen all the beauties of the Central Plains, she now looked like a girl from the countryside, relying solely on her looks and acting prickly.
Given the anger on her face, it seemed she had come in with orders to collect the liquor bill.
However, since Donggak couldn't move, I kindly pulled out the chopsticks for him.
"Ugh."
As the blood gushed from his hand with a scream, I held out my cup to catch the blood.
It was a meaningless action.
However, it held significance for Donggak.
Without saying a word, he left, clutching his wounded hand, and Chaehyang sat down across from me as if taking over his shift.
The moment I saw Chaehyang, I couldn't help but smile.
"Why are you laughing?" Chaehyang asked, her voice tinged with annoyance.
I never thought I would end up saying the same words I had said to the left envoy of the Demon Sect to a courtesan like her.
"You should laugh when you want to. Why? Does Jomsui have to manage her expressions even in a place like this?" "Is the situation funny right now?" "Oh, it's funny."
"Why did you make Donggak oppa's hand look like that? Do you think Seongtae oppa or Lord Ruj will just let this go?" "Do you think the men of Il Yang Hyun will just sit back? They won't."
"Just so you know, since I came in, the price has gone up. The liquor is Dugangju, so it's quite expensive. And I think you'll also have to pay for Donggak oppa's medical expenses. Just pay the money and leave, okay? I'm saying this for your sake."
Why was she so angry? "Stop being so snappy. Do you think I have a lot of money?" "You don't have much, do you? The rumors about the tasteless noodles have spread widely."
A laugh escaped my lips.
"I don't understand why you're so popular. Your face is decent, but your thoughts, speech, expressions, and gaze are all... how should I put it?" "..."
I had no intention of threatening such a fragile woman, but I conveyed my inner thoughts in a calm tone.
"Don't get too cocky just because you have a decent face. You're not worth it."
Chaehyang's eyes widened, and she flared up like a master of the Amifa.
"Worth? Did you just say I have worth?" "Your tone is uglier than any ugly woman rumored to be unattractive. Haha."
To my surprise, Chaehyang burst into laughter.
"Are you that upset about getting hit a while ago? You wasted all the money you saved up as Jomsui just to say something like this? Why would I sleep with you in the first place? Even if you brought a bundle of gold and jewels, I wouldn't. Do you think I'm the kind of woman who sleeps with just anyone? I've never worked like that here. Do you think a courtesan sleeps with just anyone?" Chaehyang shouted.
Ah, so that's why she was so angry; it seemed there was a position for a woman named Chaehyang.
"You mean you sell your skills but not your body?" I asked, meaning that she sells her talents but not her body.
Chaehyang shook her head.
"Don't write that."
"I'm sorry."
"Anyway, that's how I've lived. Not all courtesans are prostitutes."
I offered Chaehyang some Dugangju, still angry.
"Alright. I never thought of you as a woman who sleeps with just anyone. I'll give you a drink as an apology."
As Chaehyang extended her cup, I filled it and said, "Let me make it clear. I never said I was saving money to sleep with you. All I wanted was to hear you sing a song. You're a courtesan, after all. Even that was just a joke to make people laugh at the inn, and in reality, it was clearly a joke. I never had that intention or the means to do so."
"What? I heard..."
"Don't interrupt me. The joke seemed to spread more and more. In fact, everyone except you probably found it funny. It was a funny joke, so it spread even more. But the joke gradually became a serious matter that I couldn't change back. It's the kind of power words can have. And I was someone who lacked the power to turn that serious matter back into a joke. This is a case where words can kill. Look into my eyes; I almost went blind because of it."
I wasn't speaking to Chaehyang but rather reflecting on my past.
When I said this after coming here, Chaehyang's expression turned bewildered.
No matter how she thought about it, she must have felt that I had changed.
"Drink."
I shared a glass of Dugangju with Chaehyang, appearing emotionless.
"However, the idea of selling skills but not the body is ridiculous. You shouldn't have come to the inn. The reason I called you is that this is the end, so leave."
"What?" This time, I poured Dugangju only into my cup and repeated, "Leave. Before I drag you out by your hair."
Chaehyang suddenly noticed the sickle on the table.
Then she checked my expression and gaze.
She was a perceptive woman.
"Yes, I understand. But coming to the inn wasn't my choice."
"Stop with the nonsense."
"It's true."
At that moment, the sound of Chaehyang's footsteps mixed with the heavy footsteps of men echoed.
Since Donggak's hand was injured, it seemed the other participants in the assault had heard the news and were excited.
Sensing that a knife fight was about to break out, Chaehyang hurriedly left the room.
In no time, three healthy men arrived and roughly opened the door again.
Why were they so angry? They looked so pleased when they were hitting me.
A guy named Won Hanyeol asked me, "Jaha, do you think a sickle will be enough? It looks like you came here to die. Why didn't you bring a long knife or something? Ah, did you not have money for a knife?" Another guy chimed in, "Let's go outside. It'll be hard to clean up if blood splatters here."
I didn't respond and poured the third-rate Dugangju into my cup, taking in the aroma.
Suddenly, it felt like top-quality Dugangju.
The taste of liquor indeed changes with the atmosphere.
After all, if Jomsui remained silent and drank, fists would surely start flying, just like yesterday.
Even as I swallowed the Dugangju, my gaze was fixed on the three men.
Reading their expressions, it seemed they were debating whether to kill me or not.
I spoke to the excited men in a calm tone.
"You all must be confident enough to kill me, right? Let's finish our drinks and then head out."
Everyone, there’s no need to rush. 'Calm down...' In truth, I thought that if I struck them with a calm mind, it might end less brutally.
Killing the local riffraff would only dirty my hands.