CHAPTER 5

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars

TRANSLATED BY JESSMIE

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The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars

CHAPTER 5 (This is the first night at Sungkyunkwan. Jae Shin return with an injury in his thigh, they didn’t know where has he gone to. Just thinking he’ll be living with Yoon Hee and Sun Joon, he can’t stop to rage. But he didn’t really dislike Yoon Hee, he let her take a look at his wound but Yoon Hee was so embarrassed. Then Yong Ha came to help, and he tells them the origin of his nickname “Yeorim” and tell them he has a wife and they haven’t seen each other for three years, but he still doesn’t know when did he get married. Young Ha still there chatting then Jae Shin drive him away.) After he drives him away, only three of them remain in the room. Yoon Hee suddenly keeps on repeating Soondol’s name. “Soondol…he…” She remembers he should bring the mat and blanket today, but until now he still doesn't show up, if he she doesn’t have a mat and blanket to sleep on tonight it will be serious. Sun Joon can’t understand her anxiety, he composedly says to her. “It seems he won’t come today It may take him a while to get them ready. So let’ just share mine for the mean time.” “Sha-share…!? share what?” “The mattress and blanket. Although it may be a bit small but if we stay close together we’ll both fit. The only problem will be the pillow…” The pillow is not the problem, but sleeping close to him is the problem. A single woman sharing a room with two men, and on top of that sharing a mat. If anyone found out, she could be expelled and lose her designation of virginity, and be sold as a slave. She is filled with mental anguish. She is originally planned to come to Sungkyunkwan to study and to pass the exam, but she never thought she’ll be put in that situation. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself, by repeating. “I am a man…. I am a man….” She calms down as soon as she opens her eyes. “Aah!” The moment she open her eyes, she sees Sun Joon remove his top. She closes her eyes again, but it’s no use. The image is already burned into her brain, and she sees Sunjoon removing his top over and over again in her mind, even with her eyes closed. She shakes her head, but it’s no use. She opens her other eye and see Sun Joon finished clothes. Her heart beat so fast and she blushed. She didn’t know even though she saw more of Jae Shin’s body, she’s even more nervous seeing Sun Joon in his underclothes. 25

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars “Damn!, how can three men share such a small room? The Noron should be with the Norons!” “All dorm rooms are already filled. Haven’t you given up?” “Hey! Are you going to sleep with your dopo on? You’re so slow, come here, I will take that off.” Yoon Hee frightened, so she starts to take off her clothes too. She looks at Sun Joon. What if her body also shows through her underclothes? But she can’t sleep with her dopo. Little by little she removes the ribbon on the top part, and she remembers that she has another layer of clothes between her outer garments and the bands across her breast, so her body won’t be seen. Jae Shin, looking at her, spits. “Are we going to wait for you to change until the sun comes up? Since you look like a girl, are you going to act like one too?” Yoon Hee frightened she quickly removes her outer clothes, and quickly slides between Sun Joon and the door. “Where do you think you’re sleeping? Come here next to me!” Yoon Hee stick herself even more at the door. “No, I’m the youngest so I should sleep next to the door.” He thumps his fist and yell. “Lie down over here quickly, do you want me to sleep next to a Noron?” “Then, do you expect me to sleep with a man on either side of me?” She really wants to burst into tears. Yoon Hee look toward Sun Joon and signal him to help her, he gently says. “I think too it’s best. Your health isn’t good and the draft from the door may not be good for you. The center will be warmer.” She sighs. She was an idiot to expect anything else from him. “It’s not really cold, it’s warm, so warm….” “Come here quickly before I get violent.” Because of his threat she has no choice but move in the middle. The room is so small that there’s no room after laying down the mats. There’d be no place to lay down an additional mat even if Soondol would bring it. Fortunately, due to Jae Shin’s injury, he lies on his side with his back to her. It’s probably because he doesn’t want to face Sun Joon, who’s lying on his back. Sun Joon 26

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars as usual, lie down properly. Yoon Hee contain her tears and lie down properly. Sun Joon gave her a blanket. Jae Shin turns off the light. The room is now so dark, she heard the friction sound of the mattress, the sound of their breath. It makes her feel suffocated. Also, she feels as if her arm, which is touching Sun Joon, will soon be paralyzed. She was worried, just a slight move she’ll touch his hand, or even more she’ll touch his chest. So she decides not to sleep. Not only today, she estimated that she really can’t sleep in her stay at Sungkyunkwan. Jae Shin turn over and calmly say to Sun Joon. “What’s your reason for staying here, Noron?” Sun Joon who still close his eyes, say. “The west and east building were assigned according to Jinsa and Saengwon, I am both so it doesn’t matter whether I reside in either section.” “That’s just more surprising, among Jinsas and Saeng-wons, Jinsas are well known. So you should have gone to the Seojae where the Jinsas are.” Yoon Hee still closed her eyes, pretending to be sleeping. She heard everything they are talking and she agreed to Jae Shin. Sun Joon didn’t answer, Jae Shin gets no response. “It seems that you hate Norons, but they are famous.” “Senior Geol-oh, you seem like to discuss political parties than to people.” Because of his words Jae Shin gets angry. He pulls Sun Joon that makes him close to Yoon Hee. He grabs Sun Joon by his collar, Yoon Hee was pressed between both of them. “Who do you think you are calling Senior!? I’m a Soron I’m not your Senior. I don’t talk political parties with the filthy mouth of any Norons. Isn’t the political conflict were promoted and manipulates by the Norons?” Jae Shin raised his voice. Yoon, he doesn’t want to get involved in this situation, still closed her eyes and try to calm herself. But that doesn’t last long, the two has glare at each other, Jae Shin pulls Sun Joon even more, Yoon Hee was stuck between them even more. Her face almost touching Jae Shin’s chest. Yoon Hee, trying to distance herself turnover, facing Sun Joon. But this is indeed a wrong move. Because Jae Shin pulls Sun Joon even more toward him. Her face almost touching Sun Joon’s chest. She suddenly opens her eyes wide. She feel that small and warm thing in his chest. When she finds it is his nipple brushes her lips, her face turn so red that even her head heat up. She completely 27

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars don’t hear anything, that even Jae Shin cursing and Sun Joon’s response she can’t hear. “Ahhh!” Yoon Hee screams, and her fist hit Jae Shin’s chin. From her back, he feels a chilly wind, a frightening one. “You!, you dare to punch me with your fist!?” She was frightened, there’s no way she could escape now, Sun Joon laugh. Yoon Hee cover herself with a blanket. Although Jae Shin could easily punch Sun Joon, but he can’t do that to Yoon Hee. Jae Shin starts yelling in anger, and the other students heard it, although they heard Jae Shin and Sun Joon quarreling, but they were surprised to hear that Yoon Shik dared to hit Jae Shin. Yong Ha also heard it, and although he was surprised at first, he begins to laugh out loud. That small and look like a girl scholar unexpectedly dared to hit Jae Shin, Nothing is more surprising than this thing. “Hahaha, Kim Yoon Shik! He’s really a big shot. He’s a Daemul, a Daemul hahaha.” From that time her nickname was Daemul. But she didn’t approve it so she went to the library and stay there for a half day to think a good nickname, but it’s no use. All the students could do was to imagine what really happened that night in the east building. The students have spread the incident that night in multiple versions. The next morning Sun Joon after washing in the wash basin outside the room. The servants quickly throw the water and bring a new one. Yoon Hee feel embarrassed with her night clothes, she didn’t want anyone to see her. She takes her clothes and goes to a corner near the door, her back to the rest of the room and very carefully begins to wash her face and other parts of her body. She is so concentrated in what she’s doing that she doesn’t see Sun Joon behind her. After washing, she put the basin at the hall. She turned back to the room and shut the door. Then she turned. How come the floor becomes slippery? Suddenly Yoon Hee falls to the floor. Sun Joon is completely nude. Yoon Hee completely unconscious, With her eyes wide open, she absorbs everything that she sees. His wide shoulders, his arms, his back, his slender waist. Her face heats up. He quickly covers his hips with underpants, and fix his hair with his finger. He turn around and find Yoon Hee blankly staring at him. He smiles, embarrassed and say to her. “Could you pretend you don’t see anything, how can you keep staring me like that?”

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The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars Although she wanted to tell him she didn’t mean that, but her face is so red, and she couldn’t speak. Sun Joon is about to take his clothes, but he stops, he looks toward her face. Her expression seems wrong, he quickly turns toward her and kneel. Yoon Hee, even she want to scream voice won’t come out, and can’t take her eyes off of him. Seeing his nude chest and only makes her blush more. Although he has covered his bellow with pants, but the memory still repeats over and over again. Yoon Hee can’t breathe. Sun Joon touches her forehead and feels her face burn. Thinking she’s not feeling well he become worried. Now she sees everything up close her soul seems slipped away. Sun Joon’s eyes were filled with worry. “It seems like you have a fever. Why your face is so red and … why you’re sweating cold?” Yoon Hee contain herself from saying to him “It’s all your fault!”. She turns away and buries her head in her arms. “I’ll be fine, in the meantime, put your clothes on.” “Are you sure you’re alright? Do you want me to call a Doctor to take a look at you?” “Hurry up, put your clothes on!” Sun Joon quickly put his clothes on. Yoon Hee tries to calm down. How many times should she have to see a naked man in this place? What she should do if that happen again? When that happens, how could she handle that her face won’t turn red? If it were that way, pretending to be a man is not enough. Unless she starts seeing herself as a man. After Sun Joon is completely dressed, he returns to the Yoon Hee’s side and look at her face. Even though she sees him already have a clothes, she can’t calm down. She raised her hand and signal him that she’s fine. She managed to sit, he stared at her so worried. He noticed how smooth her skin is. Her face is too beautiful to be a man. He doesn’t want to insult her by telling her she looks like a woman, so he keeps his thoughts to himself. His hands accidentally caress her sangtoo when he gets up to put up his hair. After they get dressed an awkward atmosphere engulfs them. The silence is broken by the sound of the gongs, they heard the servant calling all the students to breakfast. After the breakfast Yoon Hee and Sun Joon go to practice archery. Yoon Hee and Sun Joon lead the Bicheondang with their bows and arrows. The place is so open, almost nobody except a few Sooboks and ministers. She recalls the first time they met and how did she fight against the crowd to arrive at this place to take the exam. At that time she could imagine to herself being a student in that place. But in front of Sun Joon she still a man.

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The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars Sun Joon help her to hold and adjust her bow string, then he also adjust his. Sun Joon carefully ties his sleeves and gets up on the platform. Yoon Hee also ties her sleeve and look at his rear view. Perhaps it’s because his body is stretched out, that he seems tall. Suddenly Yoon Hee’s face blushed. She unintentionally imagines his naked body again, she tells her it’s not right and shakes her head. But it’s already carved in her mind and can’t be easily to get rid. Sun Joon without knowing what she was imagining concentrate on shooting an arrow. The arrow accurately hit the bull’s eye, seems it proves the outcome of his longstanding practice. He grabs another arrow and shoots. Her worries disappear because of his stern look. She looks at his eyes, his eyes focused on his target and don’t have even a slightest tension. After he shoots ten arrows, he stops and wipe his sweat. Yoon Hee looks at his sweaty look and was surprised, she thinks that archery is fun. She thought it would be easy, so she try to shoot an arrow. But when she stretches the arrow, then she understands why Sun Joon was so sweet. She really needs a lot more than normal strength of this, which is expected from a man, so in her case she has to try even harder. She put all her strength to pull an arrow, Sun Joon approaches her from behind and holds her with both his arms and say. “Don’t force yourself, just use your normal strength.” Yoon Hee suddenly loses all her strength because she feels his warm from his hand holding her arms. Before she shoots an arrow she returned to her primary position, Sun Joon put his hands on her shoulders and said… “You can’t shoot an arrow just by stretching the bow” “Then?” He pushes her body with his body, chest and stomach, pushing firmly and said “Archery is one of the six arts that a scholar must master. First, you need to learn the proper posture to control your breathing, if you can’t do this first step, you can’t shoot an arrow. ” Yoon Hee was so tense because of the touch of his hand. This time he put his foot between her leg and it her even more rigid. He adjusts her position and say… “You should stretch your feet to your shoulder’s width.” He bent her body slightly, their face almost touched, he placed his hand on her face and adjust her head so she can face the target. “You see the target, it’s your time now to rest your eyes from reading books… ” His finger moves to her eyelids and say… “When aiming the target you should open your eyes and look clearly at the target. ” 30

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars Sun Joon suddenly stops, he noticed Yoon Hee’s smell was different from the smell of a man. Isn’t it an artificial fragrance? Or a natural fragrance? Although he knows men have different smells, but he can’t understand it. He can’t distinguish what kind of smell is that. He tries to avoid this strange sensation and grab her hand and stretch so she could aim the target with the bow. His other hand stretching the arrow she was holding, he helps her in her right movement, including how to let go the arrow from the bow. “Try not to pull the bow with your wrist rather with your abdomen, chest, and arm… ” Sun Joon hand, unintentionally went to the Yoon Hee’s chest. “Try to imagine your lungs is filled with air, your heart is filled with fresh blood, then take a deep breath.” While explaining his hand was on her chest, Yoon Hee was surprised, she remove his hand. “After you stretched the bow, hold your breath, then send the arrow toward the target. Then, while letting go the bow try to breath out.” Yoon Hee concentrates on what he instructs her. Sun Joon drew back from her. But his expression and voice is distinctively alarming. He closes his fist tightly and then opens it again. He looks blankly at his palm, thinking of what body he has just touched. He doesn’t know, but it’s much softer than that of any normal man. Her shoulder, arms, abdomen, back, even her chest is so soft. A strange tingling sensation roams in his body. His tickles a little in his neck. He can’t understand this sensation, he shivers in his neck and he clenched both of his hands. In his mind, he concludes that’s not soft, it’s because she doesn’t eat enough that way compared to him her muscle were thin and nothing more. (Jae Shin arrived, Sun Joon wen in front and shoots the target. Jae Shin shoots an arrow toward Sun Joon’s direction, he just glanced at the arrow he shoots, Yoon Hee get angry with him. Jae Shin just laughed at her and leave. Sun Joon comforts her saying that Geol-oh was an expert in archery, but she still angry and seems she will cry.) (The first day morning is Dr. Jang class, he’s strict that even Geol-oh got scared of him. Dr.Zhang let Sun Joon and Yoon Hee answer a question. After class Dr. Yoo asked him about his impression toward the two scholars, he said Sun Joon is so rude, Dr.Yoo asked and he said “If I don’t stop him from answering, he might lecture me until the class end.” Dr.Yoo got so tense, afraid that he might be humiliated at afternoon class. Dr.Yoo is the afternoon class, that class is so difficult, everybody can’t understand it even Yoon Hee. Moreover the books are so thick and have many volumes.) 31

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars The class has ended at dinner time, the students exit the door hold a bunch of books in their arms. Yoon, he sighs and arranged her books, then tell to Sun Joon… “Did you understand everything? I really don’t understand what’s going on.” “Do I have an ability in particular? I have a hard time in following as well.” Yoon Hee doesn’t know where this conversation will go, but she knows he certainly understands everything, so she said on purpose. “You’re so annoying!” Sun Joon was surprised by her tone so he thought he’s with a woman. Yoon Hee startle of this. She remembered Jae Shin said to her, she’s like a girl in front of Sun Joon. No matter how careful, she is, her true self always exposed when she’s with this man. Fortunately Sun Joon can’t sense it, but if it’s Yong Ha it might have already exposed. “Let’s all go back to the east building together.” She heard Yong Ha’s voice from behind, she feel shiver all over her body. She forgot he was in the same class with her. She turns around and saw him smiling at her, though he doesn’t know what she were thinking. His smile makes her feel uncomfortable. “The books seems quite heavy, should I help you?” Yoon Hee feel his words were barbed so she become extra careful with her words. She deliberately says… “It’s not really heavy, it seems yours was more heavy, should I help you instead?” “Then, thank you very much Daemul.” He put his bundle of books on the top of Yoon Hee’s books. Pretending he didn’t see her surprised expression. He turns toward Sun Joon and say… “I heard your morning class is Dr. Jang then the afternoon class is Dr.Yoo . You are really unlucky. I warn you prepare yourselves. These two professors’ classes are the most difficult.” Sun Joon just smiles and takes Yong Ha’s stacks of books from Yoon Hee and puts them on top of his. Yoon Hee remember today Yong Ha called her “Daemul”, she carefully thinks of it. It seems she heard quite a few times she was called “Daemul” by the students. “Wait, wait. Did you call me Daemul?” “Yes, it seems like that.” “How could you! I have a nickname I have thought of, that is….” “It’s too late, all the students already know you as Daemul.” 32

The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars “But what does that means? If it is Garang I think it’s a good nickname, but Daemul… I can’t accept it.” “Wait! Garang is that referring to me?” Sun Joon also remembers today everybody called him Garang. He looks at Yoon Hee and say “It seems like you also called me that…?” “Ah, I- I just naturally called you that way since everybody already called you that…” “I know Daemul.” He turns his back to a stammering Yoon Hee and leaves with that answer. Yoon Hee follows him. “Hey, are you mad? I just feel your nickname suits you, I just naturally…. But don’t call me Daemul.” “I also feel your nickname suits you.” Yong Ha opens his fan and follow them. “Daemul! Garang! Let’s walk together.” “Hey, so noisy!” Jae Shin hearing Yong Ha’s voice comes out of the west building. Yong Ha hugs him that makes him irritate. “There’s no one here as noisy as you are.” Jae Shin twists his arm and throws him down onto the floor, hooking his neck. “Stop touching me, it’s so embarrassing!” “Ah! Let me go!” Sun Joon put Yong Ha’s books on the floor, Jae Shin saw it and hook Yong Ha’s neck more tightly. “How many books did you made these students to carry?” “That’s not it, It’s only right that we should help him carry his books.” Sun Joon’s voice was serious. “I’m just teasing Daemul, I’ll carry my own books next time.” After Yong Ha apologized Jae Shin let him go. Yoon Hee really want to sleep already because she haven’t slept well last night, but maybe she couldn’t sleep well tonight as

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The Lives Of Sungkyunkwan Confucius Scholars well. Her shoulder droops. Sun Joon takes the books from her hand and put it down, and sits her down. He called to the servants who sitting in the courtyard. “Child, could you bring some water?” A lad went to the dining hall and bring a jug and bowl. Sun Joon holds the bowl as the lad pours the water, and Yong Ha is thirsty and is about to reach for the bowl, but Sun Joon’s hand extends and gave the bowl to Yoon Hee. “Drink this, it will make you feel better. You look unwell.” She takes the bowl of water and gulp it. Sun Joon takes away the bowl and said. “Don’t drink too much! Leave some room so you can eat later.” Yong Ha stares at them, Sun Joon’s unaware his action makes Yoon Hee to see more like a girl. “I’m telling Garang, Daemul is a man too, why do you treat him like your woman?” “No, he’s like a younger brother to me.” Because of Yong Ha’s question she becomes thrilled, but Sun Joon smiles and his answer make her feel like there had a hole in her heart. Although she didn’t expect this, but she’s not happy Sun Joon did not suspect her as a woman even a little. She hang her shoulder in disappointment.

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