Part 2 - What if we trade?

     It felt like it had been hours and the moon was still high. Taecheon swiveled his head to the side to check on the old man. He still hadn’t stirred at all. A calming night breeze rustled the grass and trees around them. Blinking tiredly, the young noble looked down at the bow in his hand. He wondered if it would do any good at his current archery level if they were attacked by a wild animal.

     Pulling him from his thoughts, he heard the sound of the old man scratching at his beard and mustache. Barely a glance was given before Taecheon noticed the facial hair had moved down from where it was originally. He squinted in the darkness and leaned closer to better see what had happened. Without warning, the old man sat up with an outstretched arm which struck Taecheon on the face, knocking him over.

     “Oh my! Was that a person?” the old man gasped in a high pitch, “Who are you?!” Holding his face, Taecheon regained his sitting position to face the cause of his current pain. “I'm Kim Taecheon. I've been waiting for you to wake up so that I could make sure you weren't dead. I'm sorry, but I almost shot you while I was practicing archery.” The person eyed him with discernment, “So, you weren't trying to kill me? Why would you be practicing at night? I find it hard to believe.”

     Taecheon simply stared back. When he had made a silent resolution, he finally replied, “Well, I feel that we are in a similar situation. We're both hiding something, miss.” He reached forward and removed the fake facial hair from the person's face. In a wild frenzy, the girl shot up from the ground with her hands blocking her face and backed away. “H- How did you know?!” He smiled at her reaction. “It wasn't too difficult. It was falling off of your face already, and your voice didn't help at all.”

     Infuriated, the girl began to make a run for it when he caught her sleeve just in time. “Don't worry. I'm not going to tell anyone. I also have my own secret,” he explained. She quirked an eyebrow in skepticism. He dropped his hand to his side as he prepared his thoughts on what to say. “My father hid me in my own house, and I live in disguise as a daughter so that I won't have to deal with the royal army. I also have a forbidden love with chicken.” There was relief he hadn't known by finally telling someone his lifelong secret.

     The reaction wasn't what he expected. First, there was confusion written on the girl's face which was followed by interest and comprehension. Lastly, the corners of twisted into a grin as she started laughing while hitting her leg. Taecheon blinked while trying to understand what was going on. She settled down while wiping a tear from her eye, “That was the most hilarious story I've heard in a long time.” Taecheon crossed hishis a, “So, what's your story? You still haven't told me your name yet either when I've already given mine.”

     Looking slightly bewildered, the girl's face fell. She stubbed her toe into the ground before answering. “I'm sorry. I'm Bohee. My life isn't that interesting. I have no family and work all day. Selling restored items is my trade, but I was recently in a disagreement with some bad men who wanted me to steal goods to sell. I declined, and they've been after me every day to kill me.” Looking into the distance awkwardly, Taecheon almost felt cruel for even asking.

     It was in an instant that a great idea came to him. He turned back to Bohee, “Hey, if you'll hear me out, I have a plan.” The girl nodded for him to continue. “What if we trade?” “What do you mean?” “Well, I don't want to live in my house all the time, and you don't want to be chased. So, trading places could help us both.” He hoped she would go for this.

     Contemplating the offer, Bohee knew this could be the only chance to change how she was living now. Nodding again, she answered, “Okay, I'll do it. However, I haven't had any experience as a lady. I might ruin it.” Taecheon let out a breath before putting his hands on her shoulders. “Don't worry. I practically do nothing all day. It's a very luxurious but boring life for me. No one will be able to tell the difference even if we switch.”

     Without being noticed, they had successfully been able to get back to Taecheon's room. He had helped Bohee cover the cart in a safe place nearby. Now, she gawked in awe, mouth agape, at the surroundings. Taecheon couldn't help but notice and scratched at the bridge of his nose to hide his grin. It was apparent to him that she had never seen the inside of an expensive house before.

     Turning from a vase she had been admiring, Bohee cocked her head to the side, “So, what do I do first to be you?” Taecheon picked up a colorful hanbok and handed it to her. “You'll need this. The rest of the layers are in that chest over there,” he pointed to a corner in the room. Nodding with an understanding look, she held up the hanbok to examine it. She realized that she hadn't held something which looked this expensive before in her life. “Well, I'll go wait outside while you try it on,” Taecheon started out the window. “Ah, okay,” she acknowledged, “I'll hurry.”

     After a short time, she was ready and called Taecheon back in. As she stood there, he didn't say anything because he was speechless. The servants around him wore a lower quality of hanbok due to their rank. He had never seen a girl wearing this kind of hanbok before because he had not been outside his home.

     “So, does it look okay? Do I look like a lady now?” she brought him back to the present. He blinked in surprise, “Oh! Yes, you're pretty.” He almost fell over from what he had just said. Bohee snickered quickly and bowed, “Thank you, sir.” He had never been called this and stuttered, “Y- You're w- welcome.” “You seem to be having trouble. Are you okay?” “I'm fine. It's just that there have been too many things happening for the first time for me at once for today,” he smiled sheepishly.

     After giving a few more instructions, Taecheon was ready to leave for the forest. They had agreed on him taking the cart, and Bohee gave him her old robe. He would, of course, have to return and switch places again in a week when his father visited. In the meantime, he would practice his archery, and she would be safe from the people chasing her. The two waved to each other and bade each other stay healthy. In no time, Bohee could barely see Taecheon as he disappeared into the darkness.