NTH 51

“A Pyonangdo?”

The young man wearing a gat tilted his head, a small liquor cup in his hand. Another young man, sitting across from him with a table of drinks and side dishes between them, nodded.

“Yes. They use the characters for fast, pocket, and thief.”

“Does it mean a thief who quickly picks your pocket?”

“That is correct. In short, they are pickpockets. I hear that these days in Hanyang, Pyonangdos are rampant in places where many people gather, like the marketplace.”

“How on earth do those people take others’ belongings?”

“They slice open a sack or a money pouch with a knife and take what’s inside. Their hands are so fast and their feet so swift that they say the deed is done and they’ve fled in the blink of an eye.”

“Hoh. I see.”

“Those who look noble and wealthy at a glance, like you, Euntaek, are easy targets for them, so always be careful. Especially with this precious sword.”

Euntaek, Jeha’s past self, who was called ‘Euntaek’, gazed blankly at the dagger in his friend Choi Chanmyeong’s hand. That sword was imported through the Qing dynasty, a very valuable item that Euntaek’s father, a wealthy man from the provinces, had barely managed to obtain for thirty dat nyang of pure gold.

Having heard the news, Chanmyeong had been so eager to see the sword that Euntaek, who had come to Hanyang from his hometown for a short while to handle a few errands his father had requested, had risked carrying it on his person.

“I was worried about leaving it at my lodgings, so I always wear it. No matter how elusive they are, how could they possibly steal something kept so close to my body?”

“You never know. You might be in for a big surprise if you’re too confident. I heard that the most notorious Pyonangdo of late, ‘Heukyeong’, can smell money like a ghost and steals anything in an instant.”

Euntaek’s hand, which was about to pick up a side dish with his chopsticks, paused in midair. He frowned slightly and asked back.

“Heukyeong, you say?”

“Yes. He was given that nickname because he is said to approach and disappear silently, like a black shadow. No one knows his true identity, but there is something that all his victims say in unison.”

“What is that?”

“They say an incredibly deep plum blossom scent wafted by, and they thought they saw a face of unbelievable beauty, but by the time they came to their senses, their valuables were gone and they could not clearly remember the person’s face at all.”

“A plum blossom scent and a beautiful face. Then is Heukyeong a woman?”

“No. They all say that although he has a beautiful and nimble body, he was definitely a man.”

“But they cannot remember his face?”

“That’s right. As if they had seen a phantom.”

“That is a strange thing indeed.”

“There is even a bounty on Heukyeong, but because the victims cannot properly remember his face, they cannot even create a composite sketch of his features.”

“Then it must be even harder to catch him.”

“Indeed. But these days, the number of people trying to catch him for the simple reason of wanting to see Heukyeong is increasing, rather than for the purpose of catching a criminal.”

“What? Is that really true?”

“Well, since he is said to be such an unparalleled beauty. It’s gotten to the point where there are even people who carry money or treasure that could serve as bait in their pockets and walk around ostentatiously.”

“Good heavens.”

“But he doesn’t appear when they are on guard like that, and when they let their guard down for a moment, he shows up as if to mock them, snatches only their belongings, and leaves. Isn’t it just maddening? Now, there are even pathetic fools who cheer for Heukyeong, hoping he will not be caught by some pretentious nobleman.”

“Chanmyeong, have your family members suffered any harm?”

“Fortunately, not yet. But now I personally want to meet Heukyeong once myself. Perhaps he is not of this world. What if he turns out to be a nine-tailed fox that bewitches people?”

Chanmyeong chuckled to himself and offered Euntaek his liquor cup. As their cups clinked, Euntaek mulled over the words ‘nine-tailed fox’ that Chanmyeong had uttered.

If I ask Gu Minho, maybe he would know of the existence of another nine-tailed fox.

The day after leaving Choi Chanmyeong’s house, Euntaek, dismissing his male servant’s attempts to stop him, went to Gu Minho’s residence alone. When he fumbled inside the moss-covered stone pagoda and stroked the jade toad seven times, Hwon came out to greet him. Euntaek greeted him as he silently bowed his head.

“It has been a while, Hwon.”

Hwon, without any particular reply, guided him inside the tile-roofed house. Several fox cubs that had been rolling and playing on the lawn glanced at Euntaek as he entered, then, as if ignoring him, went off somewhere among themselves.

“Hey, you’ve been reborn again? You look quite sharp this time, too. I swear you get more handsome with each passing life.”

Euntaek smiled and replied to Gu Minho, who always greeted him with the same face.

“Well, the last time you saw me, I was an old man with a full head of white hair, so seeing me young like this again must make me seem so. Have you been well?”

“I am always the same. So how old are you now?”

“I am twenty-three. You must be well over seven hundred years old now.”

“Am I? I do not live by counting every single day, so I would not know. Did you not bring anything?”

“Of course I did. I brought this much.”

Euntaek handed over to Hwon the bundle filled with high-quality traditional sweets, rice cakes, jeon, fruits, and other things he had brought. After taking the bundle, Hwon soon brought out a table of drinks and side dishes, and they sat leisurely on the main wooden floor of the house, sharing stories.

“Come to think of it, yesterday I heard an interesting story from a friend who lives in Hanyang.”

“What kind of story?”

Gu Minho, who was always fighting boredom in his endlessly long life, looked at Euntaek with sparkling eyes. Euntaek told Gu Minho the story he had heard from Chanmyeong yesterday about the Pyonangdo named ‘Heukyeong’.

“So my friend said that he might not be a human, but a nine-tailed fox that bewitches people.”

As Euntaek finished his story and looked at Gu Minho, a strange smile appeared on his face.

“What do you think?”

“I have never met this thief called Heukyeong, so how would I know? But the fact that no one can remember his face properly means he is no ordinary person, does it not?”

“And so?”

“If you meet such a person, it would be natural to feel as if you were possessed by a ghost. Besides, they said a strong plum blossom scent came from his body, even though it is not spring.”

“Hmm.”

“What are your thoughts? Do you think that person, Heukyeong, is really a nine-tailed fox or, well, something of that sort?”

Gu Minho smiled a ghastly smile.

“Have you ever heard of me stealing something from the marketplace?”

“Well… no.”

“Why not? And how do you think I can live so comfortably like this without doing any work at all?”

“Come to think of it, that is true.”

Thinking about it anew, he had never seen Gu Minho do anything during all those countless years. And yet, his storehouse was always amply filled with grain, and whenever he visited, Gu Minho would have Hwon serve him delicious, high-quality food.

“I did not tell you because there was no reason to, but in truth, I have quite a number of followers.”

At Gu Minho’s somewhat arrogant words, Euntaek asked with a bewildered expression.

“Followers?”

“It means there are those who believe in the fox god, building shrines and offering tributes.”

“They offer tributes?”

“Yes. They offer grain or cotton cloth and perform ancestral rites.”

“Then what do you do for them in return for that?”

“I appear in their dreams in the form of an ancestor to tell them of good and bad fortune, and I subtly intervene so that their descendants can avoid accidents. Of course, it is only possible within the scope permitted to me.”

“I never knew. You should have done that for me, too.”

“Hoho, you are quite greedy. With each reincarnation, you are born with so many abilities and blessings that are incomparable to ordinary people. What else is there for me to do for you?”

“Is that so.”

“Anyway, the point of what I am saying is this. For a being of the level of a nine-tailed fox, there is absolutely no reason to go through the trouble of being a pickpocket.”

“Because the humans who believe in the power of the fox god bring rare and precious things to you on their own?”

“That is right.”

“Then is it more likely that Heukyeong is just a human?”

“In my opinion, yes. As for things like the plum blossom scent that makes him mysterious or the trick that confuses one’s memory of his face, I have a rough idea of how it could be done.”

“Really? What kind of method?”

As Euntaek’s eyes widened, Gu Minho shrugged his shoulders once.

“The plum blossom scent, well, he could simply apply something like an artificial perfume. The problem is the face, but I think he uses a hallucinogen.”

“A hallucinogen, you mean something like hemp?”

“Either that or opium. He could prepare it by capturing the smoke from burning it in a bottle or mixing it with water, then approach the target he intends to pickpocket and spray it on them.”

“Hmm…”

“The smell of the hallucinogen would be diluted by the strong plum blossom scent, and the human who inhales it would experience a mild level of confusion, making them unable to remember Heukyeong’s face accurately.”

“Hearing you say it, that sounds like a very plausible method.”

“But considering he has never been caught while approaching a target in such a short amount of time, putting them in that state, and even stealing their belongings, you have to admit that fellow’s skills are anything but ordinary. And well, you said he was beautiful?”

“Yes, that is what they said.”

“Then perhaps he is using his beauty as a lure. I myself am becoming curious as to how pretty the fellow might be.”

Finishing his words, Gu Minho stuffed a rice cake into his mouth and chewed it, mumble mumble.

Thinking that no matter how beautiful Heukyeong’s appearance was, a petty thief was nothing more than a petty thief, Euntaek quietly tilted his liquor cup.

The incident occurred on the third day after Euntaek’s visit to Gu Minho. Euntaek had gone to the market to buy a hwangmopil, a high-quality brush made from weasel tail hair, when he met with misfortune.

He was looking at brushes in the crowded marketplace with his male servant, Soe-sim, when a man wearing a gat and a light blue dopo approached his side.

Just as Euntaek was about to pick up a brush, the man suddenly cut in and reached out his hand, causing Euntaek to inadvertently grab his hand.

“Oh, my apologies.”

As Euntaek quickly let go of his hand and spoke, the man looked at him, smiled sweetly, and held out the brush.

“You should look first, my lord.”

“I am fine. I will look later.”

“Do you dislike taking something another’s hand has touched?”

the man said in a playful voice. Only then did Euntaek turn his head and glance at the man’s face, and he unknowingly gasped, heok.

His face was much smaller than that of an ordinary man, his skin was as white as snow, and under his neat eyebrows were long, lush eyelashes that looked as if they had been attached. His dainty and well-defined lips were red and plump like camellia flowers, and the neck visible below them was so slender and long that anyone would have thought it belonged to a woman.

Among all these features, what captivated the eyes most was his eyes. The large, dark pupils that filled his big eyes sparkled with clear and transparent light, and the corners of his eyes, which tilted slightly upwards, exuded an extremely provocative charm.

Euntaek, who had never seen such a beautiful person in all the days he had lived, failed to even notice the scent of plum blossoms slowly spreading to the tip of his nose.

“It is not that…”

“Then please take this. Aack!”

The man, who had placed the brush in Euntaek’s hand, suddenly clutched his forehead and leaned his body towards Euntaek. Euntaek instinctively grabbed his waist. It was so slender that it was hard to believe it was a man’s waist; half of it could fit into a single handful.