Part 4

Yoonshik's Sister, Part One

Yoonhee, after what happened with the seonjupkuns, stays home for the entire week after--she wants to shake off what happened to start working again, but her days are shadowed by nightmares of what happened that night. Her mother has been doing sewing work so they could get by with porridge on their table, and thankfully Yoonshik's illness has not worsened. But Yoonhee is pained that her mother is carrying all of the burden because of her fears.

Her mother comes in and sits in front of Yoonhee. "I heard on the way here that the names of those who passed have been posted up."

Yoonhee hangs her head--she's sure that the name Kim Yoonshik will not be on there, anyway. Her mother looks at Yoonhee's face, which has only now healed, and tells her not to go, that it's dangerous.

"I'm okay. I'll be alright soon, and I'll start going to the bookstore again--"

"Stop it! What if they're waiting for you there? Don't even go near that place again. I'd rather go around begging."

Yoonhee doesn't say anything and touches the sewing work her mother has been doing. She's sorry that she can't help; even though she is skilled in calligraphy, she is poor at sewing, a woman's work. If she tried to help her mother, she would just get in the way. She touches the cloths and thinks about Sunjoon. Even though the name Kim Yoonshik wouldn't be on the list of names, she's sure that Sunjoon's will be. And therefore he would be there. She thinks about what he said.

"That day, I'll wait for you. I hope I will see you there."

His voice still rings in her ears. Now that she knows it is likely she'll never see him again, it seems that the voice rings clearer than ever. That night, Sunjoon and Soondol had insisted till the end that they'd accompany her back to her home, but she had refused, and so none of them know where each of them lives.

His voice rings again in her ears. Will he really be waiting? He could be. No, he will be. Yoonhee suddenly grabs the tattered 쓰개치마 sugaechima (its the cloth the women cover their heads with, you saw Yoonhee hiding with it from Sunjoon in episode 1) next to her mother, and her mother is startled. "Where do you think you're going?"

"I'll just check the names real quick and come back."

Yoonhee slips out of the room before her mom can grab her. "Yoonhee, you can't!"

"They'll be looking for a man. So if I'm covering my face with this (the sugaechima), they won't know."

She covers her face and starts walking. Her mind is in a hurry--what if he left after checking his name? She starts running. She's completely erased the fear of that night and filled her head with Sunjoon.

Yoonhee sees the crowd in front of Yehjo and checks for Sunjoon's face. She can't find him. But she sees his name the first in the list posted up.

And then she sees a familiar name. In the middle, she sees the name "Kim Yoonshik". She can't believe her eyes. Maybe it's someone with the same name? She has to go in and check. But as soon as she is about to set foot in Yehjo, she stops. She forgot that she was in women's clothing. Kim Yoonshik may be able to go in, but she can't. She contemplates on going back to change, but that would take too much time. While she is thinking about what to do, she hears the name Lee Sunjoon.

The crowd is talking about Sunjoon--it's no surprise that the son of the left court minister Lee Sunjoon would be up first on the list; how much does one have to study to get such an honor?

Yoonhee feels her heart sink with the shock of the news. The left court minister? Lee Sunjoon? The left minister is the center of the noron faction and power. Before Yoonhee can sort through all of this, she sees Sunjoon come out the door. Startled, she turns and covers her head. Sunjoon sees her turn around, and looks at her for a moment but passes by, not recognizing her. Sunjoon doesn't leave, but looks around the wall the names are posted, as though he is looking for someone. He's looking for a man--Yoonshik.

Yoonhee zones out all the noise. She turns around. Nothing else comes into her eyes, only the sight of Sunjoon far away.

He's looking at Yoonshik's name on the list, happily. He's glad that he'll have a friend to share the learning experience, and glad at the idea that the two will surely help each other improve and grow.

Sunjoon suddenly turns his head and gazes at Yoonhee. First, he thinks it's strange that there's a woman here, but then he feels that she's been looking at him, so he approaches her. A startled Yoonhee tries to leave, but he catches up. "Excuse me. I want to ask you something."

Yoonhee tries to walk faster, but he follows. "Just please answer me this. Do you know Kim Yoonshik?"

She stops, and Sunjoon does, too. Yoonhee doesn't answer. She looks down at her tattered clothing and hides her face deeply into the sugaechima, but she can't hide her old skirt or the state of the sugaechima. She's ashamed to stand in front of him this way.

"I know that it's not proper for a strange man to just start talking to you like this, but please, at least give me an answer."

Yoonhee, worried that he might recognize her voice, just nods her head. Sunjoon brightens. "You really know Kim Yoonshik?"

As soon as she nods again, he asks, "is he okay?"

What does he want to hear? What does he mean by is he okay?

"Ah! I meant his health. He wasn't well to begin with, and he was hurt that night, so I suspected that he might not be able to come here himself today..."

Yoonhee nods. Sunjoon realizes that she's not comfortable answering, so he decides to ask so that she only has to nod or shake her head.

"Is he very ill?"

Yoonhee nods.

"Are you his family?"

Yoonhee nods again. Sunjoon straightens up and properly bows to her.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Lee Sunjoon. Kim Yoonshik helped me out a lot during these past exams."

She doesn't nod or shake her head--she thinks to herself that she was the one receiving all the help.

"Are you his sister?"

She nods.

"I see--he had a sister. We don't know each other very well yet, so I'm sorry to have greeted you this way. If you are his sister, you are a sister to me as well. I want to formally greet you again."

He bows again.

"Please let me visit him."

Yoonhee shakes her head violently. She is out in this garb--what would happen if he were to go home with her? He is taken back at first, but decides to comply. "Ah right! I made sure that the name on the list was Kim Yoonshik's. His father's name is Kim Lee Young, right?"

Kim Lee Young! Her father! That means she made it through both exams. She can't believe her ears. She suppresses the hurrah she would have otherwise outwardly expressed and starts walking away, but is followed by Sunjoon. She stops and shakes her head to tell him that he should go home.

He tells her that he'll accompany her home, but Yoonhee shakes her head. Sunjoon stops, and realizes that he must have made a mistake. "I apologize." He thinks that he stepped over the line, offering to accompany a woman alone. "I hope you don't take this the wrong way." She gestures that it's okay by nodding.

"Please, let Kim Yoonshik know this. Those seonjupkuns and their masters were all taken away and jailed, so he doesn't have to worry."

Yoonhee nods, and quickens her pace back home, to let her family know the good news.