The Eternal Flower Beggar King Chapter 60 – On the Eve of Twenty-Four

 The Eternal Flower Beggar King Chapter 60 – On the Eve of Twenty-Four

Several days had passed since Jinhwa signed his standing contracts and announced his intention to leave. He was still at Chwihyang-ru.

He was ready to go. But he wanted to observe the situation a little longer. Was his judgment too hasty? Might the inn's condition improve? It was observation laced with hope, yet a corner of his heart already knew the answer.

What Jinhwa witnessed over those days was not improvement. It was deterioration.

The main hall was still packed with people. No—as the name Geumsoo Eulsaeng spread further, the crowd had actually grown. But the food coming out of the kitchen had shrunk. The fatigue on the faces of Jang Ikho and Yu Gapyeong was plain—not the weariness of labor, but the weariness that comes from people.

Guests who ordered a single cup of tea and occupied a table for two si at a stretch. Because of them, customers who had come to eat found no seats and turned away. Even during the dinner hour, spectators outnumbered diners.

Jinhwa looked down at the scene from his window. His chest grew heavy.

He had already told Jang Ikho days ago. That his staying was harming the inn. The harm had not lessened—it had deepened. The hundred-and-twenty-nyang financial debt was paid. But if he continued to damage his benefactor's livelihood like this, was that not another form of debt?

'I can't… put this off any longer.'

Jinhwa exhaled slowly. Jang Ikho had said, "Let me know when you're ready." He was ready. He had regular income now. Both contract venues were in the area.

That night, Jinhwa steeled his resolve. Tomorrow at dawn. He would leave.

The eastern sky was turning a pale grey. Jinhwa was already awake, packing.

He wrapped Heuknoe in soft cloth and tied the straps so it could ride on his back. He packed only the barest change of clothes into a bundle. He weighed the silver pouch in his palm. Heavy. Enough.

He looked around the room. He had stayed here for a fair stretch of time. The worn coat hook on the wall. The teacup by the window. The table with its edges rubbed smooth. All of it belonged to Chwihyang-ru. The only things that were Jinhwa's were Heuknoe and the bundle.

But that was enough. All a musician needed was one instrument and a road to walk.

He stood at the window and looked down at the courtyard. It was still quiet—the guests had not yet risen. Only the faint sounds of Yu Gapyeong preparing breakfast in the kitchen reached him.

Listening to those familiar sounds, Jinhwa thought of the time he had spent here. When he first arrived, he had been a bankrupt carrying a hundred-and-twenty-nyang debt. Jang Ikho had taken him in without asking a single question. Yu Gapyeong had treated him like a brother.

'It's time… to step out.'

Jinhwa picked up his bundle and opened the door. He did not look back.

He descended to the first-floor hall. Jang Ikho was wiping a table. He looked up at the sound of Jinhwa on the stairs, but there was no surprise in his face. He seemed to have been expecting it.

Jinhwa approached and bowed deeply.

"Boss, I'm leaving now."

Jang Ikho set down his hand and looked at Jinhwa. Regret and gladness crossed in his eyes, but a calm smile rested at the corner of his mouth.

"I watched for a few more days… but the situation hasn't improved. If anything, it's gotten worse."

Jinhwa continued, his voice steady.

"I have standing engagements at two places, both in this area, so I plan to wander nearby. I can't go on causing trouble for the inn."

Jang Ikho looked at Jinhwa in silence for a long time, then nodded slowly.

"If you'll be in the area, I won't worry too much. Do stop in now and then when you pass by."

Jinhwa bowed deeply once more.

"I will never forget the grace of the ledger you burned for me, Boss."

Jang Ikho gave a rueful smile and gestured for Jinhwa to sit. When Jinhwa took the seat across from him, the boss brought out two cups and poured warm tea. Steam curled upward.

After a sip, Jang Ikho spoke.

"You know, you've… become very cautious."

"…"

"That's not a bad thing. You took a hard fall—of course you'd be careful. After what happened at the clothing shop, being guarded is only natural."

A pause. Jang Ikho took another sip, then looked at Jinhwa again.

"But you know… I said this before."

Jinhwa smiled inwardly. He had said something similar just days ago. Perhaps the boss was getting on in years. Saying the same thing twice.

"Caution and indecision are separated by a hair's breadth. Isn't that what I said?"

"Yes. I've kept it in mind."

"You say you've kept it in mind, so why are you still walking with your eyes on your feet?"

Jang Ikho's voice turned firm. Jinhwa raised his head.

"If all you do is play it safe, you'll never seize an opportunity. Even if silver is lying on the side of the road, a man who never lifts his head will stare at his feet and walk right past it."

Jinhwa could not reply. Jang Ikho looked out the window and went on.

"I remember the day you first knocked on that door. A young man hunted by creditors. And now he's a master that people compete to invite."

"It's because of you, Boss."

"What did I do? You stood up on your own."

Jang Ikho patted Jinhwa's shoulder gently.

"You've already proved yourself. You fell and you got back up. You came here carrying a hundred-and-twenty-nyang debt, made a name as a musician, and built a steady income. Do you know how remarkable that is?"

Jinhwa lowered his head. Something hot stirred deep in his chest.

"It's time… to trust yourself and move forward."

Jang Ikho's gaze was earnest.

"There's no need to fear failure. At your age, you should be crashing into things. Caution matters, but sometimes boldness is what the moment demands."

He had said it twice now. Jinhwa felt the weight of it. Once is advice. Twice is a charge.

"…This time I will truly keep it in mind, Boss."

Jang Ikho gave a rueful smile and nodded.

"Good. You'll figure it out."

Jinhwa rose and bowed deeply one last time.

"I'll stop in when I come and go. My engagements are all in this area, so I expect we'll see each other often."

Jang Ikho nodded.

"Good. You're always welcome. Chwihyang-ru is your home. Don't forget that."

Yu Gapyeong came out of the kitchen. He saw Jinhwa's bundle, smiled, and walked over.

"You're finally heading out. Good for you. With your skill, you'll do well anywhere."

Jinhwa tapped Yu Gapyeong's shoulder.

"Take care of yourself, Brother. I'll drop by now and then."

"I know. I'll be waiting."

A brief farewell. Between the two of them, no more words were needed. Yu Gapyeong returned to the kitchen. Jinhwa shouldered his bundle.

Jang Ikho followed him to the door. The eastern sky was fully bright.

Jinhwa stood on the road before Chwihyang-ru. He looked back. Jang Ikho stood in the doorway, raising a hand. Jinhwa raised his in return.

Before rounding the corner, he looked back one last time. Jang Ikho was still standing there. Jinhwa bowed low. Jang Ikho inclined his head in answer.

And Jinhwa turned the corner.

Half a day's walk east of Chwihyang-ru lay the village where one of his contract inns stood. Jinhwa did not hurry. He walked slowly.

Walking with Heuknoe strapped to his back felt awkward at first, but he adjusted quickly. Birds chattered among the bare branches, urging spring along.

As he walked, Jinhwa looked back over the past two years.

Twenty-one. The day he touched a geomungo by chance at an inn. A drunk guest had left behind a worn instrument. Jinhwa had picked it up out of curiosity, and a strange tremor passed through his fingertips. Fingers that could never learn martial arts seemed to come alive on the geomungo strings.

Twenty-two. The day he met Punggaek. "Won't you come with me?" the old man had asked. The time they shared was an unbroken chain of lessons.

'If you listen with your ears, you're too late. Listen with your chest.'

Punggaek's voice lingered in his ear. And at Baegungak in Imgang, he had been given the name Geumsoo Eulsaeng.

'I could not become a martial artist. I could not become a merchant. But as a musician… I seem to be not bad.'

When the sun reached its peak, he stopped at a small tavern for a bowl of gukbap. In one corner, two musicians were eating. One carried a bipa. The other held a tungso.

They talked and laughed together. Watching them, Jinhwa thought of his time with Punggaek. He could manage perfectly well alone. But the joy of playing with someone—that was something else entirely.

'Mingling with other musicians, like them… that might not be bad.'

A passing thought. But it settled in a corner of his heart like a small seed.

The boss's words returned. If you walk with your eyes on your feet, you'll miss the silver on the roadside. Until now, he had walked alone, cautiously. Perhaps it was time to lift his head and look around.

By afternoon, a village appeared in the distance.

He arrived as the sun tilted west. Jinhwa found a small tavern near the inn where his contract performances were held.

"Looking for a room?"

"Yes. I'd like to stay about a month. How much would that be?"

The proprietor named a price. Jinhwa nodded, took out silver, and paid upfront. He had grown used to this sort of thing.

The room was small but clean. Open the window and you could look down on the village street.

Jinhwa unpacked his bundle and leaned Heuknoe against the wall. He sat by the window and watched the village below. It was evening, and people moved to and fro in a busy stream.

He drew from his coat the paper on which he had written his performance schedule. The fifteenth and last day of each month at the trading house. Every mid-ten-day evening at the inn. A regular rhythm. The rest of his time was his own.

'This much… is enough.'

From somewhere outside the window, the faint sound of a geomungo drifted in. Clumsy playing, but earnest. Jinhwa smiled.

'I was like that once, too.'

Night deepened. Jinhwa placed Heuknoe across his knees. Tonight he did not play. He simply looked.

The black-lacquered wooden body. Six silk strings. On the back, the four characters Geumsoo Eulsaeng, carved deep and clear.

Jinhwa traced the letters slowly with his fingertips.

'Geumsoo Eulsaeng…'

At first, the name someone else had given him felt foreign. Now it felt like part of himself. Not the castoff of Mount Hua. Not the bankrupt of the clothing shop. A musician who plays the geomungo—Geumsoo Eulsaeng.

Jinhwa stroked Heuknoe and whispered low.

"A new place. For us."

He leaned Heuknoe against the wall and lay down. He stared at the ceiling and retraced the day.

He had left Chwihyang-ru. Heard the boss's words. Arrived somewhere new. Everything had gone smoothly, yet at the same time everything felt unfamiliar. But he was not afraid. He had done this once before.

Jang Ikho's words returned.

'If all you do is play it safe, you'll never seize an opportunity…'

'Trust yourself and move forward…'

The two musicians he had seen at the tavern that afternoon surfaced in his mind. The bipa player and the tungso player, laughing together over a meal.

'Mingling with other musicians… that would be a kind of boldness too.'

A small resolution. Not a grand plan. Not a towering ambition. Just lifting his head a little and looking around. That much, he thought he could manage.

Jinhwa closed his eyes slowly.

When twenty-four comes, let me try being a little different. As the boss said—sometimes boldness is what the moment demands.

And at last, sleep came.

The young man on the eve of twenty-four thought.

Maybe, as the boss said, I'll try being a little bolder.

Mingling with other musicians… that might not be bad at all.

(End of Chapter 60)