Chaotic Nights — Chapter 117. Tightrope

Translator: Atlas

Weekly Chapter 6/6

When she opened her eyes, the first light of dawn welcomed her. She heard noise on the roof. Eunha, who woke up with a dazed expression, opened the window.

Then the cold air invaded the room.

It was no longer snowing.

When she peeked her head out, a few raindrops fell on her forehead.

“Sister, it’s raining.”

Eunha softly spoke to the slumbering Yongi.

She especially liked the rain because when it rained, customers didn’t visit the courtesan house, so they could rest well.

Yongi rubbed her eyes at Eunha’s whisper.

“Really? It seems like spring is on its way.”

Eunha smiled. She replied that winter wasn’t over yet, because the flower buds hadn’t formed. The sky was dark. The sounds of the bustling attendants’ footsteps and the chirping birds were absent.

The present atmosphere felt like a different world.

“I should be grateful for your hospitality.”

Yongi, who sat next to Eunha, gazed at the damp mountain.

She was worried that she had not greeted the Prince, who had allowed her to stay in his house. When a cold wind blew, she immediately got goosebumps. Eunha closed the window and walked over to the brazier to rekindle the embers.

“We can visit him together. Maybe he’s sensitive because he hasn’t slept well.”

“He seems to suffer from insomnia.”

“But he sleeps well when I read a book to him.”

It had been two days since her sister came, so she hadn’t been able to read at night. Despite several distinguished-looking visitors, Jihak remained in his room.

Why did Jihak seem so dangerous?

At first she was afraid. She felt she could not understand Jihak. But now her heart was uneasy, as if she had witnessed him balancing on a tightrope.

No. Yuljae, Kim, and Heein are worried about his well-being.

Eunha lay back down under the blanket. Yongi’s warm embrace felt strange, perhaps because it had been too long. Her embrace didn’t feel as big as before.

She probably got used to Jihak’s embrace. He not only had a broad chest, but his great weight filled her with relief.

She closed her eyes as her hand caressed her back. The rain lulled her to sleep.

***

“If you go over that mountain, through three towns, and then over another mountain, you’ll reach a place known as the sea. I’ve never been there, but I heard it from a merchant.”

Yeom, who was near them, interjected.

“They lie so much that I cannot believe them. The merchants say that a monster lives there with ears as big as a woman’s skirt. How can that exist?”

“I don’t know. Sometimes they bring seashells, they are everywhere in that town. They made a precise cut to extract the nacre.”

“Wow.”

Yeom, astonished, placed the five potatoes she had taken out of the oven into a basket. When they peeled the potatoes, they exclaimed that they were hot.

“You two resemble each other.”

Yongi shyly smiled.

“Really?”

“Yes. It would cause quite a commotion if Eunha were in the courtesan house.”

“I know.”

“But women should never walk a mountain alone. You may encounter bandits along the way. It is also dangerous for women to rent a room alone in a tavern.”