A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 313

313. Her Cuteness (2)

The history and tradition of cross-dressing are surprisingly deep. Especially in the arts, it’s a common practice for male entertainers to play female roles, needing no special mention.

“Try to relax a bit more.”

A middle-aged man said in a gentle voice.

This middle-aged man, who was looking at Sohn Bin up and down as if appraising him, was the living embodiment of that history and tradition.

“You can never express the soft curves of a woman with your whole body so stiff.”

Biyeon, who had left briefly to fix her makeup, returned with a middle-aged man. The middle-aged man with a receding hairline was wearing flamboyant clothes and had a strangely feminine demeanor in his speech and mannerisms.

I thought he was just an entertainer, but it turned out he had been specializing in female roles for decades since he was young.

And he was the ‘master of cross-dressing’ who would help Sohn Bin with his female disguise.

“Don’t think it won’t be seen just because it’s covered by clothes. Only when the lines of the body come alive will the clothes look their best.”

Sohn Bin was standing inside the screen, wearing only his underwear. Biyeon was naturally waiting outside the screen, but being with this middle-aged man was even more embarrassing.

But there was no choice. Biyeon couldn’t help with the underwear. And this task also required ‘professional’ help.

“Okay, all done.”

At the middle-aged man’s words, Sohn Bin hesitated slightly and lowered his head to look at his body. Then he let out a sigh of relief.

The underwear he was wearing was definitely not men’s. But it wasn’t the full-fledged women’s underwear that Sohn Bin had expected either.

If I had to say what it was like, it was like the slightly baggy underwear of a cute child?

The problem was that his chest was slightly bulging.

“Here, put this on.”

The middle-aged man handed Sohn Bin a thin, long overcoat. Then he immediately removed the screen.

“Wait a minute!”

Sohn Bin said, hurriedly putting his hands into the overcoat. But the screen was already being removed. Biyeon, who had been waiting for the result outside the screen, looked at Sohn Bin.

‘Ugh.’

Hurriedly closing the front, Sohn Bin avoided Biyeon’s gaze. But Biyeon looked at Sohn Bin up and down in detail, without paying any attention.

“…Well done.”

At Biyeon’s words, the middle-aged man bowed deeply.

“Thank you, Biyeon-nim [esteemed Biyeon].”

“Will there be any problems?”

The middle-aged man smiled.

“It’s fine as long as you don’t get too excited. If you want to prepare more thoroughly, there is a way to hide it inside the body altogether. That way, even if you touch it directly, you won’t be able to tell from the clothes…”

The middle-aged man suddenly turned to look at Sohn Bin. Sohn Bin, who had been listening to what he was saying, finally realized the topic of the conversation.

“I don’t recommend it because there is a risk of losing function.”

Sohn Bin felt a chill at the calm voice.

“Would you like to do it?”

The middle-aged man asked Sohn Bin. Sohn Bin quickly shook his head, making his refusal clear. The middle-aged man smiled faintly.

“When you go to wash your hands, you can solve it by following the method I told you. It will take some time, but that’s not really a flaw.”

‘Washing hands’ meant going to the restroom. At first, he didn’t understand, but since he had already heard the explanation from him, Sohn Bin nodded.

The middle-aged man turned to Biyeon.

“I think I’ll step down now.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re welcome.”

The middle-aged man bowed to Biyeon and lowered his head deeply.

“The grace I have received from Biyeon-nim is as vast as the sea, and it is not enough to give my life for it. I am only happy to be of help.”

His voice was trembling slightly. Sohn Bin couldn’t know what had happened, but he could clearly feel that this middle-aged entertainer was sincerely grateful to Biyeon.

The middle-aged man paid respectful respects to Biyeon and then carefully left the room.

Click.

As soon as the door closed, Sohn Bin finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Gongzi [young master], you’ve worked hard too.”

Biyeon said. Sohn Bin, who was somehow embarrassed, said, fastening his overcoat tightly.

“Um, but do we really have to go this far?”

It wasn’t just the problem below the waist that the middle-aged man had mentioned earlier. Although it was covered by a thin overcoat, Sohn Bin’s chest was slightly bulging.

When the middle-aged man first created this chest, Sohn Bin had inadvertently touched it over his underwear and was so surprised by how soft it was.

It was something called a ‘secret method,’ but it felt so awkward and unfamiliar that he couldn’t get used to it.

“There are many mischievous people in the Imperial Palace.”

Biyeon said with a bitter smile.

“If your identity is revealed due to the other person’s capricious prank, that would be absurd.”

Sohn Bin understood. But that didn’t mean he could get used to it easily. Sohn Bin looked at his unfamiliar chest once again.

“Don’t keep looking at it like that. It’s making me embarrassed.”

Biyeon said, scolding him slightly. Sohn Bin quickly raised his head. But because he had been looking at his chest until just now, his eyes unconsciously went to Biyeon’s chest.

‘Oh, mine is slightly more…’

“If you look at it like that in the Imperial Palace.”

At Biyeon’s cold voice, Sohn Bin was startled and raised his eyes. Biyeon was looking straight at Sohn Bin.

“You could be arrested for insulting the Imperial Family. Do you understand?”

That meant it was a crime. It was a great rudeness that couldn’t be excused even if it wasn’t the Imperial Family. He wouldn’t have anything to say even if he was slapped by Biyeon right now.

“I, I’m sorry.”

“Keep that in mind and be careful.”

Biyeon’s criticism was relentless. The sight of her shedding tears just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen.

I wondered if I had been deceived, but Biyeon’s still red eyes were telling me that what had happened earlier was not a lie.

Click.

Rustle, rustle.

The door reopened, and the seven young ladies who had gone out quietly came in. They stood to Sohn Bin’s left and right, bowed their heads, and waited for Biyeon’s command.

“Bring the clothes, accessories, and wig.”

The wig was a decorative hairpiece. In fact, most people wouldn’t be able to distinguish the gender just by dressing up the clothes and hair and putting on simple makeup.

However, considering that Sohn Bin was going to Changyin Hall in the Imperial Palace, there should be absolutely no mistakes. Paying attention to the underwear was not an option but a necessity.

“Keep in mind that you must follow the etiquette of the Imperial Palace, not your own tastes.”

“Yes, Biyeon-nim.”

The young ladies bowed their heads and answered politely. Sohn Bin had seen these young ladies laughing and chatting until just now, so their current appearance felt rather awkward.

“Then I’ll see you again in a little while.”

Biyeon bowed her head, paid her respects, and opened the door.

“Oh, um…”

Thud.

The door closed, and Sohn Bin was standing among the seven young ladies again. As an uneasy feeling slowly rose, Sohn Bin turned to look at the young ladies, and one of the sojus [palace maids] smiled brightly.

“If you want to put on clothes.”

The eyes of the seven young ladies were sparkling. As if they weren’t even trying to hide their excitement now, they approached Sohn Bin and said.

“You have to take off that overcoat, right?”

Sohn Bin was breathless. He unconsciously stepped back and said.

“Ah, wait a minute, wait a minute! Waiiiit―.”

Sohn Bin shouted in a desperate voice. But the seven young ladies had no intention of listening to him at all.

*

*

*

Biyeon carefully opened the door and entered the room.

She had just heard that the work of putting on Sohn Bin’s clothes, accessories, and wig was finished.

Swish.

As she entered the room, a woman with a pure and innocent atmosphere was sitting in the middle of the room.

The woman, who had a wig on her head and was slightly bowing her head with both hands neatly gathered on her knees, was honestly difficult to call a beauty to the point of being noticeably beautiful.

But the woman’s pure and innocent atmosphere and her seemingly empty and sad eyes captivated Biyeon’s gaze.

Even the fact that she was tall for a woman gave her a slender feeling.

“How is it?”

Suddenly, Biyeon came to her senses at someone’s voice. One of the sojus of Cheongmyeongjeong [a division of the Imperial Palace] was speaking to Biyeon with a proud expression.

“It turned out well, right?”

Not only her. The seven young ladies who were standing around could not hide their proud expressions.

Biyeon turned her gaze back to the woman in front of her. She had known in advance, but she couldn’t believe that this pure woman in front of her was Sohn Bin.

Since it followed the etiquette of the Imperial Family, the makeup was not excessive. Beautiful clothes and silky wigs were familiar to Biyeon, who had always dealt with many entertainers.

But even Biyeon, who had dealt with countless entertainers, couldn’t immediately recognize that the woman in front of her and Sohn Bin were the same person.

“Okay, stop being so down. It’s already happened, what can you do.”

The young lady next to Sohn Bin said, comforting him. It was easy for Biyeon to see that Sohn Bin was very depressed.

It couldn’t be helped. The seven young ladies had mercilessly violated Sohn Bin’s shame to their heart’s content.

So much so that it felt like he had lost something important that was invisible.

“You must be hungry, so eat some more of this too.”

The young lady picked up a piece of fruit with silver chopsticks and brought it close to Sohn Bin.

“You know? You can only open your mouth because you can’t smudge your lipstick. Here, aaaaah.”

Although he had a drooping and sullen expression, Sohn Bin obediently opened his mouth. The red light on his lips sparkled seductively.

The young lady hid her smile and put the fruit into Sohn Bin’s mouth. Sohn Bin sighed slightly and chewed diligently.

Being sullen was one thing, and being hungry was another.

It was already past lunchtime, and he was hungry because there had been so many things going on.

“Um, a little more…”

“No.”

The young lady holding the fruit shook her head, putting away the tray.

“If you eat too much, you’ll want to go wash your hands.”

Sohn Bin had already become familiar with the young ladies’ terms. Sohn Bin became sullen again.

He couldn’t even eat a piece of fruit as he pleased, Seorin or Dang Wora would have already run away.

“Then have just one more of this. This is really the last one. Got it?”

At the young lady’s words, as if she couldn’t help it, Sohn Bin quickly opened his mouth. And he carefully chewed the fruit that came into his mouth.

Biyeon, who couldn’t take her eyes off Sohn Bin’s appearance, was startled and came to her senses. And she met the eyes of the seven young ladies.

At their eyes, as if wanting praise, Biyeon cleared her throat and avoided their gaze.

“Ahem, yes. Well, it turned out well.”

Biyeon stuttered without realizing it. The faces of the seven young ladies brightened.

“Now then, let’s learn about the manners of a woman.”

As if blaming herself for being careless for a moment, Biyeon held her head high and spoke in a stern tone.

“No matter how beautiful the clothes you wear and how beautifully you dress up, you cannot be called an entertainer if your manners are not proper.”

‘Not me.’

Sohn Bin thought so inwardly. But there was no point in protesting anymore.

“Shall we start with the posture of standing up first?”

∴

“I don’t think it’s going to work?”

One of the young ladies frowned. Biyeon was the same.

“I guess manners can’t be learned overnight. There are so many things to fix, from the way you move your feet and hands to the way you handle your gaze. Maybe it’s because of the balance of your body, but your walk is also awkward. You’re also tall, so it looks even stranger.”

Biyeon looked at Sohn Bin and nodded. Sohn Bin, who was standing, said with an awkward expression.

“Um, is it stranger than before?”

At Sohn Bin’s voice, Biyeon looked at Sohn Bin with sharp eyes.

“I told you not to speak, didn’t I?”

Biyeon said to Sohn Bin, word by word.

“Just think of yourself as someone who can’t speak. Express your intentions only by covering your mouth with your sleeves and bowing your head lightly. Got it?”

The voices of men and women are very different. She said that it could be temporarily modified by using medicine, but Biyeon shook her head. She said that it was bad for the body.

In the end, Sohn Bin decided not to speak at all. Anyway, there weren’t many things to answer.

“And the way you handle your gaze. Don’t look directly into the other person’s eyes when you’re talking. You can’t look around here and there either. You should always look far away with a deep gaze, or just lower your eyes quietly.”

Sohn Bin sighed. He wondered how many things he shouldn’t do.

“Sighing should also be small and weak. Do it very lightly, like a gentle breeze in spring.”

Sohn Bin flinched at Biyeon’s sharp voice.

He kept making mistakes, so it was a natural reaction for him, but it was inevitable that a grown man, although he looked like a full-fledged woman, looked pitiful because he was so dejected.

Looking at that appearance, Biyeon sighed softly.

‘Was I too harsh?’

Seeing Sohn Bin’s dejected appearance, she felt sorry. She had forgotten for a moment, but Sohn Bin was not an entertainer.

It would be shameful for him just to cross-dress, but she also thought it was a bit too much to force him to have the strict manners of an entertainer.

“Let’s try playing a song in this state for now. We don’t have much time.”

Anyway, the important thing was the performance. At Biyeon’s gesture, one of the young ladies brought a seven-stringed zither [a traditional Korean stringed instrument].

Sohn Bin sat down in his seat with a slightly awkward gesture. Biyeon’s eyes twitched slightly, but she didn’t point it out.

Sohn Bin, who was sitting in front of the seven-stringed zither, was lost in thought for a moment.

‘What should I do?’

Gwangneungsan was too long. A song suddenly came to Sohn Bin’s mind as he pondered.

‘Ah, that’s right.’

It was the melody of the girl Gangrin that he had heard in Hangzhou a while ago.

He didn’t remember everything, but he thought he could play enough of it if it was just a part.

Swish.

Sohn Bin closed his eyes tightly and calmed his breathing. The long eyelashes of Sohn Bin, who was cross-dressed, fluttered, and his slender fingers gently rested on the strings.

‘He’s quite good.’

Biyeon thought that Sohn Bin’s posture was quite worth seeing.

The awkward appearance from just a moment ago was nowhere to be seen, and the momentum unique to an entertainer sitting in front of the strings was conveyed.

Besides, Sohn Bin’s fingers were as slender and long as any entertainer. It seemed to be because he was a scholar who had been holding a brush. Thanks to that, a fairly plausible appearance came out.

It wasn’t just Biyeon who felt that way, and the other young ladies waited for Sohn Bin’s performance with tension.

Pluck.

Soon, Sohn Bin’s seven-stringed zither began to sing a melody.

A lonely and desolate, but deep melody that captivated the listener filled the room.

The melody flowed continuously. In the midst of that changing and flowing melody, Sohn Bin also forgot everything and was only immersed in the performance.

How much time had passed like that? Sohn Bin’s performance ended with the last note.

Pluck.

Listening to the slowly fading sound, Sohn Bin closed his eyes and savored the afterglow.

When even the last note disappeared, Sohn Bin breathed softly and took his hand off the strings.

“How is it…”

Sohn Bin couldn’t continue speaking. It was because the young ladies were opening their mouths with surprised faces.

Some of the young ladies even had tears in their eyes, covering their mouths with their hands. Biyeon’s eyes, which were looking at Sohn Bin, were also shaking violently.

‘Ah, come to think of it, she told me not to speak.’

When he saw Biyeon, her point reflexively came to mind. Sohn Bin closed his mouth and quietly lowered his eyes as if he was embarrassed. Just like he had learned from her just now.

But the young ladies, who were already unable to hide their surprise, widened their eyes even more at Sohn Bin’s appearance.

“Oh my god…”

With someone’s soft sigh, Biyeon sighed softly.

“It’s done.”

Biyeon said in a voice that was even a little hollow.

“There’s no need to teach you manners. Some people may think it’s a little strange at first, but once they hear you play, no one will care about that.”

“But isn’t it a problem if you’re too good?”

Suddenly, another soju raised an objection.

“What if they look for you later and ask where you went? They’ll definitely ask us to bring you back.”

“It doesn’t matter. Just say you can’t come anymore.”

“Then shouldn’t we match the reason in advance? They’ll definitely ask us.”

Biyeon thought for a moment and then answered in a firm voice.

“First, say you don’t know, and answer whatever you feel like. Whether you say you went down to your hometown or got married.”

“Yes? Anything…”

“If you match the words, you may give them a chance to dig in. If everyone says something different, they won’t know what to believe, so that’s better.”

The young ladies nodded, saying ‘ooooh’.

Looking at that appearance, Sohn Bin was a little worried. He wondered what kind of rumors would spread about him in the Imperial Palace later.

But it didn’t matter since it was cross-dressing anyway. Sohn Bin thought so and moved on.

“You did a good job.”

Biyeon said to Sohn Bin with a smile.

“At this rate, there won’t be any problems. Thank you for your hard work.”

Sohn Bin smiled and bowed his head lightly to express his gratitude for her praise. Of course, he didn’t make the mistake of speaking. Biyeon put on a satisfied smile.

“You’re doing that very well now too. You’re very natural?”

“That…”

Sohn Bin, who was answering with a bitter smile, realized his mistake and quickly covered his mouth with his sleeve. He had been so relaxed by the praise that he had answered as usual.

Sohn Bin, who covered his mouth with his sleeve, blinked his eyes and looked at Biyeon and the young ladies. But no one pointed out Sohn Bin’s mistake.

“Haaa.”

A small sigh flowed out of someone’s mouth.

“Isn’t this too cute?”

Sohn Bin smiled bitterly again. It seemed that the way he was looking around was cute to these young ladies.

Then suddenly, Sohn Bin discovered someone standing behind the young ladies. He hadn’t noticed her coming in because she was in the corner of the edge where he couldn’t see well, and he was focused on the performance.

It couldn’t be helped. No Gun had said that even the masters of the outer palace would have a hard time noticing if Dang Wora decided to hide herself. Besides, Sohn Bin was completely immersed in the performance.

But even Sohn Bin didn’t expect Sa Suyun to be standing next to her with a flustered expression.

“Um, um, that’s…”

Sa Suyun stuttered in embarrassment as her eyes met. Her expression was a strange mixture of embarrassment and laughter.

Sohn Bin looked tearful. Sa Suyun said quickly.

“It’s okay! Still, Sohn Gongzi is… cu, cute.”

But soon, Sa Suyun avoided Sohn Bin’s gaze and said in a sinking voice.

“I, I’m serious…”

Maybe that was her own way of comforting him. But it was like the sky was falling for Sohn Bin.

Thanks to that, he didn’t even notice that Dang Wora’s eyes, who was standing next to him, were sparkling as if they would pierce through the veil.