Snow Light

The tinkling, rattling bell echoed through the dark forest. A young man shivered as he climbed the mountain path, clutching his donkey’s rope. His cheeks were as red as a child’s with mumps from the constant blizzards.

 

The four seasons of the north were said to be perpetual winter, and it was true. Even though it was almost the beginning of spring, the cold wind was still blowing as if it was the middle of winter. No matter how many layers of winter clothing were worn, the wind felt chilling. And there was so much snow that it seemed like there was enough snow for one’s lifetime.

 

In the distance, smoke wafted over the ridge. Madam Choi glanced back at the palanquin carriers.

 

“We’re going to take a break over there, so hurry up.”

 

Soon, a lantern marked with the word ‘liquor’ came into view. Up the hill, under a persimmon tree, there was a wooden table with a whole pig’s head. It was a mountain lodge. Before they could even cross the threshold, the carriers abandoned the palanquin they were carrying. They sat down on a flat surface under a canopy over a bonfire and called out to the lodge-keeper.

 

Soon, a drinking session ensued, and Madam Choi sighed loudly, as if tired of the disgusting behavior that had been going on for days. It was no use scolding them any further as they always replied with “I don’t want to go anymore,” in unison.

 

Despite being a professional arranger all her life, she had never experienced such a mess. Who would have thought that finding a palanquin carrier would be such a challenge? Even after much searching around, she finally recruited some, but it didn’t go well.

 

“Ma, Madam, what about the gentleman in the palanquin over there?”

 

The young servant who had escorted his master inside the tavern asked, glancing toward the palanquin. Madam Choi sighed heavily for what might have been her umpteenth time.

 

“By the looks of things, we’ll have to spend the night here.”

 

“Well, in that case…”

 

“I’m going to rest for a while. You’ll have to take care of him.”

 

“Yes? But, I… I mean, I…”

 

Madam Choi waved her hand and closed the door, indicating that she didn’t want to talk anymore. With his head bowed toward the closed door, the young man approached the palanquin that was left alone on the front lawn.

 

The palanquin was still and silent. He wondered if the person inside was still breathing, or if he had fainted. There was no way anyone inside could be unharmed if the palanquin had been discarded in such a way.

 

He pulled aside the veil and peered inside and found the bride crouching inside the palanquin. His shoulders and body rose and fell slightly, but his breathing was regular.

 

“Excuse me, are, are you alright?”

 

The bride looked up. Up until now, it had been up to Madam Choi to assist him in and out of the palanquin. The old saying goes that one shouldn’t look at a bride’s face too closely because it’s not meant to be seen, so he didn’t bother to steal a peek. He just assumed that the palanquin carriers were complaining about it because they thought the bride’s face was ugly.

 

But he was beautiful. Even if one didn’t have an eye for beauty, it was clear that this person was beautiful. His mouth opened spontaneously, and an exclamation of admiration hung on his white breath. His lashes were so dense, his eyes were delicate. Even his ears were neatly shaped.

 

But it was the two eyes beneath those fluttering lashes that caught his eye. They looked like precious jade, damp and deeply colored, like the color of moss on an ancient tree. He couldn’t take his eyes off the mysterious color. It was almost mesmerizing.

 

“…Where is this place?”

 

After a moment of silence, Yu Won was the first to speak. Only then did the young man frantically draw back the veil and bind it with a string.

 

“’Th, This is a lodge.”

 

“Then I take it we’re not going any further today?”

 

“Yes, y, young master—no! I mean, uh, young lady…”

 

After accompanying them for ten days, he still didn’t know what to call him. Since he came from a noble family and wore women’s bridal clothes, he automatically called him a lady in public and was reprimanded by Madam Choi. In addition, the palanquin carriers laughed at the idea of a man in a skirt being referred to as ‘master’.

 

Fortunately, Yu Won didn’t seem to care what they called him. He stood up straight. The moment he stepped out of the palanquin, he stumbled slightly as he stepped on the wrong foot.

 

“Be, be careful!”

 

The young man hurried to catch him. Yu Won looked pale as he managed to nod gratefully. It must have been hard for him to have been crammed into this small palanquin all day. He rummaged through his belongings on the ground and retrieved a long coat, which he draped over Yu Won’s shoulders.

 

“Th, the wind is blowing hard, and it’s cold, so please put this on.”

 

“What about Madam Choi?”

 

“S, she’s resting in that room.”

 

Yu Won nodded at the sight of the unlit room. His dizziness eased as he was helped to sit on one of the seats. He shivered from the chill that his coat couldn’t keep out, but it was much better than sitting curled up inside the narrow palanquin.

 

The young servant approached Yu Won seated on one of the stools and asked if he would like something to eat. The palanquin carriers were busy munching on boiled pork head meat, steaming cabbage, and steaming rice cakes.

 

The sight of them reminded them of the hunger he had forgotten. The only thing he’d eaten since yesterday was a big bowl of cold rice and half a bowl of soy sauce. His stomach made a gurgling sound, but he refused to order. He had no money, and the little money he did have was only enough to pay for renting the palanquin and appeasing the palanquin carriers.

 

“I’ve been in this business for twenty years, and I’ve served all kinds of rich and famous people, but I’ve never encountered someone with a charred flower palanquin.”

 

The owner, who brought out fresh orders of liquor, spoke skillfully to the carriers. The drunken carriers laughed happily. He gestured with his hand to the seat next to him and the owner smoothed across it, then asked casually as she filled their glasses.

 

“So, where did you people come from?”

 

“Us? We came from Okyang.”*

 

“Okyang? Isn’t that where the king is? Oh, my, you traveled all the way to this mountainous region to bring such a pretty noblewoman?”

 

“Noblewoman? Do you mean that one wearing a skirt?”

 

“Well, since he’s wearing a skirt and acts like one, I suppose we should call him young lady.”

 

Everyone laughed out loud at what the other carrier said. The sarcasm was clear in their conversation. Yu Won pulled the robe around his shoulders tighter without realizing it. He didn’t know what was going on, but he couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable with the way they were talking about him. A part of him wanted to throw his clothes at them and stab them in the chest to see if they would like to be the bride.

 

But what could he do? If he stood his ground, the carriers might take offense and turn their eyes to the palanquin. It would certainly ruin the wedding, and the news would surely reach his grandfather, who might take it out on his mother for not performing well enough before he returned home.

 

“In any case, you’ve gone through a lot of trouble to get here. It must have been difficult for outsiders to get here because of the beasts.”

 

“What about the beasts? We didn’t see even a single wild beast cub passing by.”

 

The carrier drank from his bowl in gulps. The lodgekeeper clapped her hands together.

 

“You’re very lucky, you’ve done well traveling up the mountain. It’s safe over here, but the valley over there is full of pitfalls, and if you take a wrong turn, you may never come back.”

 

“Hehe, is that how it is?”

 

“Yes, that’s how it is. A few days ago, a peddler who passed by this way, who believed he could make a fortune here, came without preparations and was confronted by a beast, and cried and wailed that he had lost his horse, his luggage, and everything. He was lucky to come back alive. No matter.”

 

She clicked her tongue and shook her head in disbelief.

 

The beast was a so-called peculiar beast, a monster with multiple limbs that started appearing everywhere and causing harm one day. It looked like an ordinary beast at first glance, but it performed strange tricks and even harmed people. It was more troublesome than the wild boars that often roamed the fields, and more difficult to deal with than a tiger.

 

“Those horrible creatures have made it so hard to even get a glimpse of a single butcher down there, let alone a village, and a few years ago it became completely deserted so we thought everyone in our village would perish.”

 

“That’s true, but you’re still alive and well despite what you say.”

 

“’Twas all thanks to the magistrate who arrived three years ago.”

 

“A magistrate?”

 

“Yes, yes. The Lord himself periodically goes out on patrols. We used to have to hire people from the villages every season, but now that he’s here, we’ve been able to relax.”

 

The palanquin carriers exchanged glances at the lodgekeeper’s muttering. There was a hint of sneer in their eyes.

 

“How could such a great man be so fortunate as to have the misfortune to have such a disgusting young bride*?”

 

“What? A young bride?”

 

The lodgekeeper’s eyes widened at this unfamiliar statement. The palanquin carrier jerked his head toward the other side with a grim expression.

 

“You see, the one sitting behind you is the one who’s going to marry that magistrate, but only you know that. That great magistrate doesn’t deserve to be married to that person at all.”

 

Leaning his lips close to the lodgekeeper’s ear, the carrier whispered.

 

“Cause she’s got a penis.”

 

“Good Lord.”

 

The lodgekeeper covered her mouth in disbelief. She couldn’t believe it.

 

“So it’s no wonder that the lord is in trouble now, you see.”

 

The palanquin carriers laughed out loud. It was a loud conversation that could hardly be called discreet.

 

The young servant who was watching the gossiping carriers, glanced anxiously at the room behind them. He wondered if he should tell Madam Choi, but Yu Won spoke up.

 

“Leave them alone. They’ll be quiet when they get drunk.”

 

There was no point in hiding the fact that it was a palanquin procession to marry him off to Lord Do Baek Hoon. It was also unmistakable that he was a male bride.

 

The sign on the lodge entrance had the name of the pass written on it. Jangseok Pass. According to the sign, after Jangseok Pass, there were three more passes to go over before reaching Wonhye, the largest city in Wonyangdo*.

 

Wonhye was the destination that Yu Won needed to go to.

 

As the wedding approached, the servants, busy with preparations, gathered together and whispered among themselves. They muttered about how a lowly man, who just happened to have the surname Hong, was trying to take the place of Lady Yeon Seo, the daughter of a prominent family, and act like he was their daughter, but whenever they spoke of the man who was to be the groom, they would become frightened and would drop the subject. 

 

Although they had exchanged letters, he never saw his face, not even a portrait. The only thing he knew of him was the three characters of his name.

 Okay okay here we go with this story. Sorry it took a long time! Notes:Okyang - In literal translation, it translates to Jade Yang (yang is a term for a place, like a city ig), but I used the Korean term which is Okyang. Wonyangdo - Apparently there is a historical place called 'Wonyeongdo' in Korea in the past. That place is situated to the northern part of Korea and is apparently a strategic point. (It's a mountainous area, where several mountain passes are situated for military purposes). I instead used 'Wonyangdo', not sure if this was a typo and supposed to be 'Wonyeongdo' in accordance to the real place but let's just go for 'Wonyangdo'. Additional note:Magistrate - i'm not exactly sure with this official position, some translation translates to 'Duke', heck there's even 'taoist'. So I've gone and used this term since this is the closest to Do Baek Hoon's job description. Ehe.