Becoming a man was more troublesome than expected.

Jwa Woo’s eyes scanned the clothes Hong Woo Geon had handed over.

Her quarters were lined with equipment that a man was said to necessarily carry.

Two sandbags, one to be worn on each arm, right and left.

Two more sandbags to be worn on both legs.

And a thin armor to be worn before putting on the inner jacket.

Even a guard to protect the lower abdomen.

All of this together seemed like it would easily weigh as much as a sack of rice.

Although she was skeptical of Hong Woo Geon’s claim that men always had to wear all this.

Right now, Hong Woo Geon was the only source of information for Jwa Woo in this place.

In the end, Jwa Woo put on the armor made of several layers of Korean paper over her upper body as Hong Woo Geon had instructed, and wore sandbags on both arms and legs.

Over that, she put on pants and a jacket, and finally donned the cheollik worn by warriors.

After tightly fastening the waist strap and putting on the deep-necked boots, she seemed to have quite a manly appearance.

“But why are these boots so heavy?”

Thanks to the unusually high-heeled boots, she looked taller, but walking was quite uncomfortable.

It seemed Jwa Woo wasn’t the only one uncomfortable.

“You there, why are you walking so strangely?”

It was the short man who had shown Jwa Woo to her quarters at dawn.

A spark suddenly flashed in Jwa Woo’s eyes.

Noticing that momentary spark, the man raised both arms and waved his hands.

“Ah, what happened at dawn wasn’t intentional. I truly thought that room over there was the eighth gahap’s quarters.”

“…”

“But… nothing happened, right?”

The man asked, looking over at Hong Woo Geon standing not far away.

“What could have possibly happened?”

Jwa Woo forced a smile.

How could she possibly tell all the detailed events that had occurred?

She absolutely couldn’t say that for the crime of mistakenly entering someone else’s room, she was caught in a net, lost consciousness while falling, and in the midst of it all, groped a man’s body.

When there was too much to say, or when one didn’t want to speak, simply smiling was the best policy.

Perhaps Jwa Woo’s smile didn’t meet the short man’s expectations.

The short man who had been full of anticipation passed by Jwa Woo with a face devoid of interest.

“Hurry up. If you’re late, forget about breakfast, you’ll have to run up to the peak of that mountain over there.”

“Surely not.”

Jwa Woo shook her head, looking at the dizzyingly high mountain peak.

But as always, the unbelievable tends to come true.

Because of that disbelief, Jwa Woo ended up experiencing mountain climbing, something she never thought she’d do.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was already noon (osi) by the time they climbed up and down the mountain as punishment for being late to the plaza.

Boom boom boom boom.

The sound of drums came from somewhere.

Wondering what the sound was, she looked around, and a passerby tipped her off.

“It’s the drum signal for lunch.”

Perhaps because she had missed breakfast.

Her stomach was a battlefield.

Jwa Woo hurriedly followed the others to the dining hall.

Already accustomed to life here, the others were sitting in their respective seats.

Jwa Woo was the only one who hadn’t managed to find a seat, looking confused.

Where would be a good place to sit?

As Jwa Woo was frantically rolling her eyes, Hong Woo Geon’s voice reached her ears.

“Over here, over here!”

Jwa Woo pretended not to notice Hong Woo Geon gesturing to the seat opposite him.

She found a spot in a particularly quiet area and sat down.

Jwa Woo bowed her head to the man sitting across from her.

“May I sit here?”

The man had a likable face, but his sharp eyes gave a chilling impression.

With a solid frame and long, slender limbs, he looked like the epitome of a warrior.

The man silently stared at Jwa Woo, who had boldly sat down in front of him.

Feeling his gaze, Jwa Woo cautiously asked.

“Is it not okay for me to sit here?”

“It’s not that, but…”

After a moment of silence, the man spoke again.

“I’m a bastard son.”

At this sudden confession, Jwa Woo met the man’s eyes.

His cool eyes seemed to have a thin layer of ice over them.

A silent pressure in his gaze that said not to come close.

Jwa Woo understood the meaning of that gaze but pretended not to notice.

In fact, when the man said, “I’m a bastard son,” she almost said, “I’m a woman.”

A bastard son or a woman.

It seemed they were equally outcasts.

“I dislike crowded places. I like it here because it’s quiet.”

Indeed.

Except for where Jwa Woo and the man were sitting, the gahapins were packed tightly together.

To her, who showed a kind smile, the man indifferently pushed the small table in front of him.

“Thank you.”

Gratefully accepting the table, Jwa Woo picked up her spoon.

That’s when it happened.

“Hey you, look here.”

The short man suddenly called Jwa Woo to a corner of the dining hall.

“What is it?”

Jwa Woo asked, following the man to a corner of the dining hall.

“Do you know who that person is, to be sharing a meal with him?”

“Isn’t he a gahapin like us?”

“Oh my, I’ve never seen someone so ignorant of the ways of the world. Not all gahapins are the same. That man is…”

“…?”

“A bastard son.”

“I know that.”

When she made a face that said, “What’s wrong with that?”, the short man beat his chest.

“That man’s nickname is Viper. They say he got that nickname because he killed his mother when he was born, or because once he bites, he never lets go, like a viper.”

“Is that so?”

“Aren’t you scared?”

“Rumors are just rumors.”

“Oh my, what an oblivious person. Well, birds of a feather flock together. What could be expected from a gahapin recommended by a eunuch? You inadequate people should get along well.”

With a tsk, the short man returned to his seat.

Jwa Woo also returned to her seat.

As she picked up her spoon again, the warrior opened his mouth.

“Aren’t you… going to move?”

“Should I?”

“You must have heard about me?”

“They say you’re a viper that never lets go once you bite.”

“…”

“Then from now on, should I call you Viper…”

“My name is Lee Gyo Young.”

“I’m Kwon Jwa Woo.”

How often in Joseon would a woman be called by her own name?

Usually just someone’s daughter, someone’s sister, someone’s wife, or someone’s mother.

Perhaps that’s why.

She wanted to be called by her own name, at least while staying here.

“Jwa Woo… not a common name.”

Lee Gyo Young muttered.

“It’s a fair name.”

That’s when it happened.

A familiar voice interjected between the two.

Jwa Woo didn’t even turn her head. She didn’t need to look to know.

Hong Woo Geon sat down right next to Jwa Woo, as if to show off, and stared at Lee Gyo Young.

“I’m Hong Woo Geon.”

“…”

“…”

No one answered.

Even without a response, Hong Woo Geon’s mouth didn’t stop.

Hong Woo Geon suddenly put his hand on Jwa Woo’s shoulder and continued speaking.

“This friend and I spent the night together.”

The gazes of everyone in the dining hall, including Lee Gyo Young, turned towards Jwa Woo and Woo Geon.

“…!”

Jwa Woo gritted her teeth. She glared at Hong Woo Geon with a murderous look.

Should I kill this bastard and then kill myself?

[This is the timeline separator]

She couldn’t remember if she had swallowed her food through her throat or her nostrils.

Jwa Woo, who had left the dining hall, moved quickly.

Hong Woo Geon followed behind her.

“Please don’t come close.”

Jwa Woo’s honorifics towards Hong Woo Geon became extremely polite again.

This wasn’t because her heart had become more respectful, but her own way of trying to distance herself from Hong Woo Geon.

“Why are you acting like this?”

Hong Woo Geon followed closely behind Jwa Woo with a puzzled expression.

Those watching the two of them let out mocking chuckles.

It seemed only Hong Woo Geon didn’t understand the meaning behind those laughs.

“I don’t want to be misunderstood because of you.”

“Again with the ‘you’. I’m telling you, I’m a righteous scholar.”

“Whether you’re righteous or out of your mind, it doesn’t matter. I’d be truly grateful if you could just stay far, far away from me.”

“Then we can’t talk about secret things.”

“Secret… things?”

Quickly covering Hong Woo Geon’s mouth, Jwa Woo continued in a low voice.

“What secret things could there be between us?”

“Hey, why are you being so cold? We’re not just ordinary acquaintances. We’ve spent two nights together.”

“Please speak accurately even if your mouth is crooked. One night I was kidnapped, and the other night I was unconscious.”

“Whatever the details, we’ve spent two nights together, which shows how deep our connection is. With this level of connection…”

“It must be a bad connection.”

Fearing that the word ‘fate’ might come out, Jwa Woo quickly cut off Hong Woo Geon’s words.

Hong Woo Geon’s face was full of disappointment.

Unnecessarily licking his dry lips, he spoke to Jwa Woo again.

“What are you doing tonight?”

“I’m going to sleep. Thanks to someone, I didn’t get much sleep, so I’m tired.”

She responded coldly, clearly implying not to disturb her.

“Then I guess it won’t work?”

Hong Woo Geon turned away, seeming genuinely disappointed.

“What won’t work?”

This time, Jwa Woo was curious.

“What won’t work?”

“It’s nothing much…”

“Nothing?”

“I was thinking of going to the Saheonbu archives tonight…”

“It works!”

Jwa Woo shouted before Hong Woo Geon could finish his sentence.

Confused, Hong Woo Geon said to Jwa Woo.

“Didn’t you just say you were tired?”

“We’ll sleep plenty when we’re dead. What harm could one more sleepless night do?”

“Then…”

“Let’s go to the archives tonight.”

“Alright then.”

Nodding, Hong Woo Geon started walking.

Behind him, Jwa Woo followed closely like a duckling following its mother.