The Twenty-Second Stanza - 관습도감 (Royal Stanza)
Read from the beginning.
NOTE: AN ENGLISH-KOREAN GLOSSARY HAS BEEN PROVIDED FOR REFERENCE AT THE END OF THE ENTRY, AS WELL AS ADDITIONAL READING.
-THE TWENTY-SECOND STANZA-
“I need to talk with you.”
Sooyoung hesitated. “About what?”
“About Yonghwa.” Hyun crossed her arms and looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening.
The two of them were sitting at one of the corner tables inside the darkened jumak, a little removed from the hustle and bustle of the restaurant.
Hyun glanced warily at the waitress, then leaned forward. Sooyoung leaned back a little.
“What do you know about him?”
“What do you mean?”
“Like, his history.”
Sooyoung chewed thoughtfully on a piece of samgyeopsal. “Well, he was born in Busan.”
Hyun leaned against the table, surprised. “Really? I didn’t hear an accent in his voice.”
Picking up some lettuce, Sooyoung started making a wrap. “That’s because he moved away when he was young. But the accent’s there if you listen closely.”
“Hmm. Why did he move?”
“His father. He was reassigned to a post in Seoul.”
“I’ve never heard him talk about his father.”
Sooyoung chuckled. “I’m not surprised. They don’t like each other very much.”
“So…what happened next?”
She frowned. “I’m not quite sure, actually. He always avoids the question whenever I ask about it.”
“What does he tell you?”
Sooyoung drew quotation marks in the air. “Apparently, he’s here to ‘build for his future’.”
“Is that what he says?”
She just shrugged and turned back to her food, occasionally throwing a piece to Gildong, who had taken up residence under her chair.
Hyun leaned forward. “Doesn’t it worry you that he’s keeping things from us?”
“Not at all. It’s his problem; he must have a good reason.”
“That’s bullshit.”
Sooyoung choked slightly before daintily wiping her mouth. “Enough with the cursing.”
“Fuck you.”
---
Yonghwa whistled to himself as he strolled across the campus grounds. He was getting out late after staying behind for a few minutes to ask a couple of questions about the finer points of baritone theory.
Across the gardens, he could see a familiar face sitting on a stone step, bent over some sort of…thing.
He frowned, then jogged over. “Hey.”
Shinhye was, to say the least, surprised to see him standing in front of her. She straightened up quickly and brushed her brown hair out of her face. “Oh, hello.”
Yonghwa bent down so his face was even with hers. “Shinhye, right? The Administrator’s daughter?”
She laughed nervously. “That’s me.”
“I never thanked your father after that other day.”
Shinhye fidgeted with her hands. “I’m sure he knows of your gratitude.”
Yonghwa nodded, then noticed the object in her hands. “What’s this?”
She held up the gayageum that she had recently repaired. “I’m trying to learn it.”
Yonghwa sat down next to her. “Huh.” He brushed a finger along the grain. “May I?” He looked at her questioningly.
Nodding slightly, Shinhye handed it over, then folded her hands together and coughed nervously.
He silently turned it in his hands for a minute. “Did you repair this yourself?”
“I did.” She said, with a hint of pride in her voice.
“The strings are the wrong way around.”
She flushed. “Oh…”
He laughed at her expression. “Don’t worry, it’s a quick fix.” He started to take apart the instrument. Shinhye watched as his fingers expertly dissected the strings and put them back together. She unconsciously leaned closer.
Yonghwa glanced at her. “Do you know how to play?”
“Well…no. Not really.” She said halfheartedly. “I’m trying to learn, though.”
“Hmm.” He said thoughtfully. “It isn’t something that you can pick up in a day or two.”
“I know.” Shinhye said dejectedly.
Yonghwa thought about it for a while. “I could teach you, if you want.”
She brightened. “Will you?”
He shrugged. “I think I’m pretty good at teaching people.”
“I’m a quick learner.” She said enthusiastically.
Yonghwa laughed. “I bet you are.”
---
Minhyuk woke up to find Taeyeon staring intently at him.
“Good morning.”
He immediately rocketed back a couple of meters, ramming his head on the wall. “Don’t do that!”
She sat down across the room from him. “Did the others leave?”
He scratched his head. “Yeah.”
“You must be pretty bored these days.”
Minhyuk shrugged noncommittally. “I keep myself busy.”
“With what?”
“Well, I practice my buk, or I go down to the river, or I…”
“You’re bored.”
He sighed. “That pretty much sums it up.”
She clapped her hands together. “Want to go to Seoul with me?”
Minhyuk gaped. “Now?”
Taeyeon shrugged. “Why not?”
“Why?”
“Sightseeing. And I have to deliver a few parcels that my mother wants to give to her friends. You can tag along if you want. Have you ever seen the capital?”
He could have mentioned that he had been a wandering sorrikkun for the better part of five years, and he had seen Seoul far too many times to count, but he decided to hold back that piece of information. “No, of course not. Is it big?”
She immediately perked up. “It’s big, beautiful, and there’s so many people there. I’ve been there twice.” She said proudly.
He chuckled to himself. “Sure. I’d love to.”
Taeyeon immediately stood up and pulled him up with her. “Come on. Myongryong’s been dying to see you.”
---
Glossary
관습도감: A government institution founded in the waning days of the Koryeo Dynasty and re-established by King Sejong, which focused on the musical arts. It supplied all music for royal use, including Royal Musicians, royal concerts, and parties, and trained its own in-house musicians, for which the competition was fierce.
Buk: a drum that is set vertically on the ground, with the drummer sitting with it between his legs and beating on both sides of the drum with heavy drumsticks.
Gayageum: a traditional Korean stringed instrument and a member of the zither family. It was usually crafted out of wood and had 12 strings, although modern variants can have up to 25.
Jumak: a combination of a hotel and a restaurant/bar.
Samgyeopsal: thick, fatty slices of pork belly meat, usually grilled and eaten on the spot. One of the best food items currently known by modern humanity.
Sorrikkun: wandering minstrels, who would travel around the country performing Korean music and ballads. They were often very poor and subsisted on what they were able to make through their music.
---
Related Readings
A map of the campus.
