The Story Of A Small Fox Who Has A Star - Chapter 5
Ho-Chi was in a Gibang*.
*Place for a night life entertainment.*
Turning his back on the house that Master YMang gave him, Ho-Chi walked into the world of human.
It was very easy to hide the short tail, so Ho-Chi’s appearance wasn’t that much different from a regular human which made him easy to blend in among humans.
Although Ho-Chi did not pack any of what Master YMang gave him, he was able to make money off one of his own spare clothes.
Ho-Chi was determined to buy a house with his own money someday.
However, again, the rough world did not leave Ho-Chi in peace.
Humans who saw Ho-Chi’s beautifully merchandises of silk clothes followed him with the bad intentions.
Noticing Ho-Chis clean clothe, skin, and androgynous appearance, the men were attracted to him.
Thinking that some rich junior was there to play around, the men followed Ho-Chi into the place of least traffic and kidnapped him.
When the men undid their binds on Ho-Chi, they were shock to find a small tail on him.
So, with some contemplation, they sold Ho-Chi to the Gibang.
It was no surprised to the men when they received so little for Ho-Chi.
After all, many evaded fox kinds because of their ability to absorb living energy.
The female owner of the Gibang welcomed Ho-Chi as her play thing.
She dressed Ho-Chi in fine clothes and exposed his tail to bring him around in drinking parties as a spectacle.
Guests who possessed much curious minds sometimes made mean jokes about Ho-Chi but, because they did not wanted to get their living energy stolen from them, they dare not request Ho-Chi as a night partner.
When there is free time, Ho-Chi made himself useful by clean after the gisaengs* of the Gibang. Occasionally, Ho-Chi also made ornaments and embroidered silks.
*Gisaengs are girl entertainers who worked in Gibang.*
Rumors spread about a fox who tells wondrous stories about the Dong-Lang mountain and the black palace. Thanks to Ho-Chi, a constant stream of guests visited the Gibang.
What’s more, the gisaengs received praises from their guests. The guests found that the services of the gisaengs were much exceptional compared to the services of the gisaengs of the other Gibangs which increased number of guests even more.
Believing that Ho-Chi brought luck into her business, the female owner started to take care of Ho-Chi prudently.
Because Ho-Chi gave them beautiful ornaments and things, the gisaengs of the Gibang also took care of Ho-Chi like he was their little brother.
Even thought Ho-Chi was a fox, he was not like the other foxes who were clever and deceptive.
One day, a roughneck came into the Gibang.
The roughneck was the second son of a rich family that was well-known for their calligraphy. This roughnecked young master was famous for throwing away his money everywhere he went and doing whatever he pleased.
That young master met the rumored Ho-Chi.
The young master called for Ho-Chi from one of the guest rooms in the Gibang. When he saw Ho-Chi, he mocked Ho-Chi’s appearance.
According to what the young master heard, Ho-Chi was a beauty unlike any other. Ho-Chi was supposed to be much splendid then Mo-Ran* of the west, and his voice was supposed to be so beautiful that it can quiet the singing birds. But it seemed, everything was just a baseless rumor.
*Mo-Ran is a Korean name for Peony. In this content, the name refers to a woman who is well known for her beauty.*
In front of the young master, Ho-Chi felt uncomfortable. Accompanying a guest was something that Ho-Chi grew used to these past few months, but the problem was with how he did his hair. Ho-Chi did not like having his star-shaped scar showing on his forehead, but the female owner insisted that, for today, Ho-Chi part his bangs to show off the star.
To the young master, however, Ho-Chi’s scar was the only attribute that left a strong impression.
As few more gisaengs entered the room, they arranged themselves beside the young master while Ho-Chi settled himself little further away.
“Nice to meet you. I am a fox named Ho-Chi.”
To Ho-Chi’s introduction, the young master laughed loudly.
“Ho-Chi, you say a disgrace of fox, it is just like what name says.”
“You are too much, young master.”
The gisaengs lightly scolded the young master while smiling, but the young master did not quiet down.
The young master continued his teasing but noticed that something was not right. Ho-Chi was just too quiet in his seat.
That is when the young master saw Ho-Chi’s redden eye rims. Without doing anything, Ho-Chi was silently taking in what was said about him. The young master’s mood plummeted.
“Tell me what it is that you are good at.”
“What do you want me to be good at young master?”
To the quietly answering voice, the young master could not make himself come up with anything offensive.
Without anything to say, the young master drank down his liquor consecutively. After a moment, he shooed away the gisaengs by his sides out the room.
“For today, I would like to listen to your story.”
Silently, Ho-Chi obeyed.
Whenever the Gisaengs used the corridor near the room where Ho-Chi and the young master was in, they made sure that Ho-Chi was not in any danger by quietly listening in through the door.
As the time passed by, the female owner became very curious on what was happening in the room, so she personally brought additional foods and drinks to the room.
As the night drew on, the portions of the foods and drinks did not diminish but the subjects of their conversations grew. By the time they realized their weariness, it was already a daybreak.
Early morning arrived and a junior gisaeng came in the room to tidy it up.
When the junior gisaeng was about to bring out the food tray that was pushed aside in the room, she noticed the bulging blanket in the room.
Inside the blanket, the young master and Ho-Chi were asleep embracing each other.
Since there were no discarded clothes about the room, they must have spent the night simply talking.
Seeing the peaceful smiles on their faces, the junior gisaeng lowered the blinds in the room and quietly tip-toed out the room.
A gossip spread throughout the capital city.
A fox named Ho-Chi successfully turned a roughneck into a proper young master.
Starting from the they first met, the young master and Ho-Chi met almost daily. The young master always brought along different types of books to the Gibang for Ho-Chi.
Books had no place in the Gibang, so gisaengs and friends teased the young master for bring them.
The young master did not order any liquor. Instead, he ordered bunch of foods and always requested for Ho-Chi. It wasn’t particularly good for business, so the female owner wore a wry smile whenever the young master came for a visit. But she liked watching Ho-Chis smile whenever the young master requested for him, so all was well.
Whomever knew of the young master’s eccentric behavior made up bad jokes about it. After all, it was possible that the young master was bewitched by a fox.
In reality, the young master was teaching Ho-Chi how to read and write.
Their thoughts for one another was like that of good siblings, or that of an awkward couple who do not know how to date. Whatever the feelings were, it was enough to bring out a warm smile from those around the two figures.
The young master who was fluent at sweet-talking to women and who habitually lifted the skirts of virgins became flustered when he accidentally grabbed Ho-Chi’s hand while teaching him how to hold a brush. The young master who occasionally gave cold glares or flirtatious smiles to women became bright red when he came too close to Ho-Chi while he pointed at words for Ho-Chi to teach. The view would have melted any frozen heart.
It was not clear whether Ho-Chi was aware of the young master’s feelings, but he waited for him nevertheless. At least it was clear that Ho-Chi liked the attention and affection that the young master was giving him because, whenever it was the day for the young master’s visit, Ho-Chi set out in front of the Gibang to wait for him.
And then one day, the young master came in with a dark expression.
The whole time he was in the Gibang, the young master looked at Ho-Chi’s face and then sighed, again, looked at Ho-Chi’s face and then sighed. The cycle continued.
Ho-Chi asked with worry if there was anything the matter, but all the answer Ho-Chi received was a sad smile.
From that day forward, the young master’s visit to the Gibang stopped.
According to the rumor, the young master’s father was furious about his son associating himself with a fox.
The young master’s father who was worried for his family’s reputation prevented his son from meeting the fox.
The gisaengs comforted Ho-Chi by saying ‘it is always this way around here’, and ‘the likes of us who rolled in mud can not climb up’.
TN: Thank you for reading and your comments!
