{The Courtesan house, around 7 p.m}

 

 

Yoona was in the secret room, waiting to meet with the Princess. She sat like a statue. Her eyes were fixing at the floor and her mind was immersing in a deep thought.

 

 

That goguma girl, what does she want exactly? Does she just want to thank me? If she does then she would just have to write a letter to thank me. But she asked if I still remember her instead. What is her purpose? Yoona reasoned in her head. She exhaled a deep sigh. The thing is, she has a goguma in hand; if the Royal Palace finds out she would be in trouble. Would the King punish her as goguma is strictly prohibited. The King has said, anyone having a goguma without permission would be pleaded same as criminal and the worse punishment is to be poisoned until death. I must find that goguma girl before she is being caught by the Royal Palace. 

 

 

Yoona's thought got cut by a knocking sound. 

 

 

Yoona got near to the doors and said "Aligator"

 

 

The opposite answered "His tooth are so white. They glow in the dark"

 

 

Yoona slightly opened the doors "Miyoung. Come in"

 

 

Miyoung checked left and right to make sure that nobody was following before sliding in the room. 

 

 

Yoona also checked carefully one last time before closing the doors. 

 

 

"The Princess is not coming today. She has a message for you." Miyoung said.

 

 

Yoona just listened carefully, she didn't ask why the Princess couldn't come. Yoona thought if the Princess had a reason for not coming it was not her business to ask.

 

 

"You are not curious why she is not coming?" Miyoung moved closer to ask with a mischievous smile. 

 

 

"She certainly has a reason. It's probably not my right to ask for an explanation" Yoona said 

 

 

"Why do you always have that cold attitude? Do you care about people around you? I wonder of you know how to smile."

 

 

Yoona just stared blankly at Miyoung.

 

 

Miyoung got an idea to make Yoona laugh. She started to tickle Yoona but the last one didn't move at all.

 

 

Miyoung tried to touch different area of Yoona body in the hope of finding the tickle spot. She ticked with lots of enthusiasm. 

 

 

Yoona just stood unmoving.

 

 

After a few tries, Miyoung got tired. She gave up. "This is no fun." She said. She sat down and fanning herself. "Are you making by statue or what ?"

 

 

Yoona poured a coup of tea and handed it to Miyoung to take a sip. 

 

 

"What does the Princess wants me to do?" Yoona asked. 

 

 

"The Princess just met with Sooyoung this morning. You know Sooyoung right? The Minister of Cultural's daughter. She is so tall. I wonder what she has eaten to be that tall. I wish I can grow an inch taller" Miyoung said.

 

 

But if I grow one more inch, would I be taller than Tae? Miyoung thought. She took a sip of tea. She shook head. It's not a good idea. Miyoung concluded in her head. Then she lifted eyes back to Yoona.

 

 

Yoona didn't seem to be interested so Miyoung got back to the main subject. 

 

 

"The Princess heard that the Chinese Ambassador is making a trip to visit our country. So she wants you to find out if he has any hidden intention behind his trip. He is staying in the same Inn as you too" Miyoung said

 

 

Yoona nodded slightly "I got it."

 

 

"Ya Can you talk more than that?"

 

 

"I don't know what else I should say"

 

 

"You are really not a funny person. Whoever falls for you would get bore to death. Stop hidden in your room and cleaning your sword. Stop being alone. Try to socialize sometime would you? You could have asked how the Chinese Ambassador looks like, how many people are coming with him, if he has any weapon with him, etc"

 

 

"Well those things, I would know when I found him. Why should I ask now?"

 

 

Miyoung sighed and face-palmed herself. 

 

 

{The City Inn, Yiyun's room around 7 p.m}

 

 

Song Qian was helping Yiyun to adjust the band around the level. 

 

 

"We shouldn't make it too thigh, you may not be able to breath" Song Qian said

 

 

"We can never be careful enough. Just make it tight as you can. We would be in trouble if they find out that I'm a girl. I cannot tell how they would react if the Chinese Ambassador is actually a girl"

 

 

"Well not only for the Korea side, but we will have a bigger trouble to face the King of our country too." Song Qian said when pulling the band to the maximum.

 

 

Yiyun made a grimace to endure. She exhaled slowly to breath. 

 

 

Song Qian pulled again.

 

 

"Aiy!"

 

 

"Are you okay?"

 

 

Yiyun nodded and bite her lower lip. "It's fine." 

 

 

" I think it looks flat enought. But I'm afraid that the clips will fall off"

 

 

"Sew it if you can"

 

 

"It would be a very complicated when you have to bath"

 

 

"I will just clean body instead of bathing. Plus I don't bath more than twice per week. So it should be okay. But you will have to bring extra tissue just incase I need to change"

 

 

Song Qian took out her sewing kit and started to sew the band.

 

 

"Two per week, if we go one month then it's going to be 8 extra tissues. It will take lots of space. How about your internal cloth?"

 

 

"We can buy them on the trip"

 

 

"About the trip, do you think you will really find that goguma thingy?" Song Qian asked. She helped Yiyun to put on the cloth.

 

 

"Shttt, don't say it too loudly. Goguma is forbidden by the Royal Palace."

 

 

"If it's something forbidden then it must me very bad" Song Qian said innocently

 

 

"It's not a bad thing. I have heard from my father that goguma is a very good ingredient in medicine. It can make death people become alive or something like that. So people are crazy about goguma. They fight to have it. It made a chaos to Korean population 10 years ago so the King prohibited it. Since then, no more goguma was found"

 

 

"Hum, if it has been disappeared since 10 years ago how would you expect to find it? It would be hard"

 

 

"Well, I believe someone must have a bit of it since it's a such amazing thing. Hopefully I would have a hint of it during my trip. But don't mention it to our Korean friends okay? It's a secret between you and me"

 

 

Song Qian nodded with the last touch to adjust Yiyun cloth. "Got it"

 

 

Yiyun smiled gently. Then she gulped and said . "Dad is in a very sick condition, if I'm able to find that goguma. He may get a hope" She moved to windows side and opened them in order to look toward the direction of China sky.

 

 

Song Qian understood why Yiyun risked her life to make the trip to Korea. She stepped closer and hugged Yiyun from behind, resting head on Yiyun's back. "I'm sure he will be okay and wait until you get back home"

 

 

Yiyun learned backward. "I hope so"