Shin Yun Bok /// Jeong Hyang

《 part 1 》

그리워하는 연인

The moved swiftly and quickly across the paper, like carps leaping in a fluid motion over a clear stream, seamless, effortless. In a matter of a few minutes, a figure had been carefully illustrated, that of a slender woman, her curves nicely accentuated in the traditional long dress, her delicate features lightly concealed beneath a hat. She was breathtaking, her eyes alive with sorrow, and one could see her heart through that simple drawing, the pain that encapsulated it, engulfed it. The crowd cheered as Shin Yun Bok completed the painting and carefully hung it on the drying rack, waiting for a potential buyer before layering it with colour. "5 nyang!" "12 nyang!" "18!" "I call dibs on it with 20!" The young male yawned. Typical street market auctioning for one of his paintings. He liked it better here than in Dohwaseo, where he was too caught up in the mundane routines of the institution to even paint freely. He let out an involuntary shudder when he recalled almost having his hand crushed under a falling rock for painting a scene in everyday life, that had been deemed as "obscene" by the officials. The market was alive, even though it was barely early morning. Steamed buns were for sale, their delicious meaty smell permeating the entire street, and vendors were peddling their goods in loud, throaty shouts. It had been an uproar when he left the Dohwaseo 5 years ago, many artistic professionals deeming it a foolish move by Chona to banish this talented young artist from the place of highest artistry honour. But he knew, all that Jeong-Jo did was for his own good. He knew his cover had almost been blown, that he would be discovered to be a girl and would never be able to paint again. He thanked the King for that. He had waited for the shocking news to die down for 3 months, painting in secret, before he dared come out to sell his paintings for a living. He feared others would recognize his style and brushstrokes. 3 long months had been enough, he decided, every 3 months, a single Dohwaseo artist had to create a new batch of 40 paintings each. His old works would be buried in the myriad of new drawings.

Settling for a hasty deal of 40 nyang, he filled in the colours with a skillful hand, and sealed the painting with his pen name. He had to abandon "Hyewon", the pen name so commonly associated to his old identity as Shin Yun Bok. He smiled to himself as the chop was pressed down, his new pen name was now "Little Bean", as his teacher Kim Hong Do had jokingly given him ages ago, saying that he was as small and insignificant as a green bean. Due to the crude nature of the name, no one had thought of him to be the mighty Shin Yun Bok, simply as a peddler who replicated his paintings well. Finishing with a flourish, he handed the painting over to the customer. He sighed in content. It had been no more than three hours since he set up stall here, and he had made about 100 nyang, more than enough to sustain him for a month or more. Closing his stall and watching the people disperse away into the bustle of the market, he let his thoughts wander.

Three days ago, he had received a letter from his mentor. Kim Hong Do had been issued a decree to come back to the palace by Chona, having his title as Grand Imperial Painter reinstated. He was fine with this arrangement, and he good-naturedly joked that he was once again back to teaching a new bunch of monkeys like Yun Bok himself. The last sentence had been slightly sorrowful. "Although you might not be able to reply to my words, I hope they shall transcend distance and reach you, touching your heart, like our paintings have been able to." It was true. If Yun Bok tried to write back, his address would be traced and he would be in trouble, but he was plainly glad to know that his teacher was fine.

He weaved in and out of the crowd, his sack full of brushes, ink and paper bumping against his back as he looked around. He was instantly attracted to an ornament stall, delicate and fragile objects painstakingly carved from jade and fashioned with a ribbon, each bearing lifelike animals or flowers. He ran his fingers across the smooth edge of a jade butterfly. Memories, of being a girl. Of Father teaching her how to draw the fluttering wings of a butterfly. And then, thoughts of Jeong Hyang. It had been exactly 5 years since they last met, since he had left Dohwaseo and she was led to a distant unknown place by the merchant who owned her, Jo Nyeon. Ever since then, all he had painted, was her. The woman that appeared in his every painting, that haunted his dreams. He remembered her every curve, the every rise and fall of her jawline and her body. What could he do? He was just a lowly painter, a street peddler. He couldn't claim her as his own. A long sigh left his lips as he paid for the ornament. He would meet her, someday, if fate allowed. He'd like to believe it would.