一
“Do I have to calculate it like this here?”
It had been that way since that day.
Whenever he had time, Gojin would go deep into the forest where no one was around and personally unfold formations. There was no practice better than actual combat, but formations were the exception.
Formations required mathematically exact values to exhibit their proper might. To block light and create illusions, one had to know the precise positions of the Nine Palaces, the Eight Trigrams, and the Five Elements.
However, the positions of the Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams, and Five Elements were not always fixed. Depending on the location, they could differ; depending on the time, they could change. That was precisely what the positions of the Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams, and Five Elements were.
The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets had established certain laws between these things and expressed them mathematically. Those were numbers such as thirty-six and seventy-two.
Gojin called these numbers the numbers of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets. In any case, if he could discover the secret of these numbers, the *Paljin Cheondohae* would no longer be an impenetrable book.
But the problem was that no matter how much he calculated and recalculated, he could not derive values identical to the numbers the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets had spoken of.
“I thought if I changed locations and calculated, it might be different, but still, the numbers of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets do not appear!”
Gojin let out a long sigh and flopped down on the ground. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead.
The forest clearing was completely filled with numbers and geometric shapes. Just looking at them made one’s head spin. They were all things that had arisen while Gojin tried to derive the numbers of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets.
Formation calculations changed slightly depending on the angle of the sun, as well as the time and place.
In other words, Gojin had been calculating the numbers of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets in the forest for several double-hours.
“The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is truly an amazing person. Did such high-dimensional mathematics exist even back then?”
Gojin clicked his tongue.
Mathematics and geometry had developed more in the Western Regions than in China.
Gojin had given up on calculating using Chinese mathematical formulas and ultimately chose the mathematics of the Western Regions. At first, he thought it would be solved quickly, but the situation was not so. Even with the mathematics of the Western Regions, he could not completely undo the seal of the *Paljin Cheondohae*.
Gojin wondered if he should give up at this point. If even the mathematics of the Western Regions, where mathematics was most developed, could not solve it, it meant there was no possibility forever. Clinging to an impossible task was foolish as well.
Even if he gave up here, it would not be embarrassing at all. In fact, everyone who had studied the *Paljin Cheondohae* until now had grown disappointed and given up during such a process.
Among those many people, Zhuge Liang was the only one who had studied the mathematics of the Western Regions. Though even he had given up at the last moment.
However, Gojin’s pride would not allow him to give up like this. The moment he gave up, he pictured the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets laughing at him.
“May the capable one undo this seal.”
This was an expression of confidence that no one could undo the seal. Had he lacked confidence, he could not have spoken so arrogantly. Therefore, Gojin absolutely could not lose.
“I will definitely break that arrogant nose of the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets.”
It was sheer stubbornness, if nothing else.
If the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets had not committed a fraud against the world, there had to be an answer. If the mathematics of the Western Regions did not work, he resolved to learn the mathematics and geometry of another country to undo the seal of the *Paljin Cheondohae*.
That was simply who Gojin was.
He was the type to never give up when blocked by something, but rather strive tirelessly day and night until his questions were answered.
But that thought lasted only a moment.
Ugh.
“Do other countries even have mathematics?”
He was worried.
If the combined knowledge of China, where scholarship was most developed in the world, and the Western Regions, where mathematics was most developed, could not solve it, which country could possibly hold a clue to undoing the seal?
Even he thought it was a foolish notion.
Still, nothing ventured, nothing gained. It didn’t seem so bad to try, counting it as a loss. In doing so, he would naturally study the scholarship of other countries as well, so perhaps it was a good opportunity.
Just then, a soft exclamation reached his ears.
“Goodness, what is all this? As if someone wasn’t enough of a bookworm already.”
“Hm?”
Startled, Gojin turned his head.
There stood a woman of about twenty years of age. She stared at the mathematical formulas and geometric shapes covering the forest clearing with a bewildered expression.
Gojin rose from his spot.
“What brings Elder Sister Ran here?”
“Tch, I knew it would be like this. You’ve completely forgotten the promise to meet today!”
“Oh no!”
Gojin scratched his head with an embarrassed expression. Now that he thought about it, he recalled that his academy peers had unilaterally set a plan to celebrate his admission to Cheongun Academy.
“I-I’m sorry, Elder Sister Ran!”
Seo Yuran smiled brightly at Gojin scratching his head. It was hardly the first or second time he had forgotten an appointment because he was immersed in study. And that was precisely part of Gojin’s charm.
二
Seo Yuran was also an academy peer of Gojin’s.
She was the only daughter of Seo Muryong, the head of the Hwaryong Merchant Group, and was two years older than Gojin. While the Hwaryong Merchant Group was not particularly large when viewed across the entire Central Plains, it was the greatest merchant group in Hwaryong County, and Seo Muryong possessed considerable wealth.
An oval face with skin like white jade. Eyes that sparkled like crystal and a pert nose.
Certainly, Seo Yuran was a beauty rarely seen in Hwaryong County. Thus, she received the love of all the men at the academy. Marriage proposals had flooded in like the tide since a few years ago. With beautiful looks and a wealthy household, it was only natural.
Seo Muryong was a man who placed great importance on face.
He had absolutely no intention of marrying Seo Yuran off to an unremarkable family. If a proposal came from a family that did not meet his standards, he rejected it outright.
And he tried his hardest to marry Seo Yuran into a prestigious family.
However, every time, Seo Yuran firmly opposed it. She did not want a marriage without love.
Her mother was the perfect example. Her mother had married Seo Muryong for political reasons and lived unhappily her whole life before dying a few years ago.
Her mother had always held her hand and said:
“Yuran, you must marry someone you love.”
Even if it had not been her mother’s dying words, Seo Yuran knew all too well how unhappy one became in a loveless marriage.
She obeyed Seo Muryong in everything else, but the moment marriage was mentioned, she became stubborn. As a result, the marriageable age passed, and before she knew it, she had turned twenty.
Seo Yuran had harbored feelings for Gojin for a long time. Gojin was clearly two years younger than Seo Yuran.
Most women were not interested in men younger than themselves. Seo Yuran was no different.
However, Gojin was precocious beyond his years, having worked and studied since he was young. People who have suffered hardship inevitably possess a higher mental age than their peers.
Moreover, Gojin was so intelligent that when you were with him, you couldn’t tell who was the elder sister and who was the younger brother.
Gojin was an undeniably outstanding existence at the academy. Teach him one thing, and he would master ten. Whenever there was an exam, first place was always Gojin’s.
How great did the skill gap need to be before one even thought of surpassing him? It was so overwhelming that “one-sided” was an insufficient description.
The academy’s students had given up on catching up to Gojin from the start.
And even Cheon Gwanpyeong, the head of the academy, said there was nothing more to teach Gojin, and from two years ago had let him study on his own. Cheon Gwanpyeong merely helped him a little from the side.
It was natural for her heart to be drawn to someone who studied well, was intelligent, never lamented his difficult circumstances, and was always positive.
Whenever Seo Yuran was with the younger Gojin, she always felt he was dependable.
But Gojin knew nothing but study. While most of the men at the academy wasted the majority of their time trying to win her favor, Gojin never even gave her a proper glance, let alone tried to win her heart.
At first, she had found it so detestable and upsetting that she had been curt with Gojin.
But she soon realized that only she was losing out by acting that way.
There were a few other women at the academy besides her.
Most of them were daughters of fairly well-to-do families in Hwaryong County. They too had secretly harbored affection for Gojin, whose talent was extraordinary from a young age.
One day, one of them mustered her courage and confessed her feelings to Gojin. Although Gojin was good at studying, he was utterly clueless when it came to male-female relationships.
Not knowing how to respond, Gojin asked for a few days to think and sought Seo Yuran’s help.
Even until then, she had been treating Gojin coldly. Gojin didn’t even know she was angry with him.
*Oh, come on!*
How could someone be so oblivious to male-female relationships?
Seo Yuran was so dumbfounded she couldn’t even get angry.
She had thought that if she treated him coldly, Gojin might come around. Isn’t it true that when someone who is usually kind suddenly changes their attitude, interest blooms where there was none?
But she realized that such romantic tactics were useless on Gojin. If anything went wrong, she might lose the first man she had given her heart to to another woman. Since things had come to this, though it was infuriating, she had to make the first move.
Seo Yuran told Gojin to try dating her.
Naturally, Gojin showed reluctance. He hadn’t even finished reading all the books he wanted to read; where would he find the mental energy to date a woman? It was an absurd notion.
*Tch, I knew Jinje would say that.*
Seo Yuran let out a sly laugh inwardly. She threatened and coaxed Gojin with all sorts of logic. That a man who trampled on a woman’s heartfelt confession was no man at all; that a woman scorned in love had no more hope of living; that perhaps that woman might die from a broken heart. Listening to her, it seemed as though that woman might drop dead at any moment.
Gojin innocently believed everything Seo Yuran said. But when he actually thought about dating a woman, he had no idea what to do or how to do it.
That was precisely what Seo Yuran had wanted. She promised to help Jinje and the confessing woman get along well, acting as a go-between.
“From now on, Jinje, just trust me. I’ll teach you everything about love. As a bonus, I’ll even teach you what women are usually thinking.”
Men apparently had to lead women actively when dating. That the heart of woman was impossible to know, and without knowing it, one would fail a hundred times out of a hundred—this was Seo Yuran’s theory. In other words, she meant for him to use what he learned from her to do well with the woman he would date in the future.
Gojin, believing her words to be true, felt nothing but gratitude.
However, little did Gojin know that this romance meant to help his own love life was in fact Seo Yuran’s true feelings.
三
“Women love looking at trinkets and pretty clothes at the market.”
Seo Yuran couldn’t wipe the smile from her lips the whole time she spoke, she was so happy.
*What is Elder Sister Ran so excited about, I wonder.*
At this point, Gojin was truly clueless about women. No matter how uninterested he was in anything but study, this was practically an incurable disease. Being smart didn’t necessarily mean one was perceptive.
“Anyway, I’ll explain in detail as we walk around.”
“Walk around? Wasn’t this just going to be an explanation?”
“Jinje might be able to explain it easily because you’re a genius, but I’m an ordinary person, so I can’t explain with words alone. Did you think reading a woman’s heart was so easy?”
“I know it’s difficult, but I still have books to read…”
“Tch, what? Here I am, squeezing out time I don’t even have to help you because I want you to do well. If Jinje doesn’t like it, I’ll stop too.”
Seo Yuran put on a cold expression and pretended to be angry.
“Ah, no, Elder Sister!”
Gojin was startled.
He thought Seo Yuran was truly angry and quickly begged for forgiveness.
“Hmph! My mood isn’t very pleasant, but since Jinje admits his mistake, I’ll forgive you. But from now on, no talking back.”
Ugh.
“Ah, I understand.”
Gojin tilted his head at a side of Seo Yuran so different from her usual self.
“From now on, I’ll teach you in detail what women like and what they want, so prick up your ears.”
That was the beginning.
Starting from a trinket shop, she dragged Gojin around to clothing stores, jewelry stores, and anywhere else women went. She explained what kinds of jewelry women liked and disliked, as well as the currently fashionable clothes and accessories.
*So this is what it feels like to go shopping with a man!*
In truth, she had only dreamed and imagined such things; this was her first time actually being in a relationship.
She put all her usual thoughts into action. She bought clothes, tried on accessories in her hair, and walked side by side with Gojin through the market streets.
Gojin, unaware of all this, followed her and listened carefully to her words. But having never experienced such things even once until now, his expression was incredibly awkward.
“Not all women are moved by expensive jewelry or accessories. Sometimes cheap jewelry moves a woman’s heart more. That’s how important atmosphere and sincerity are.”
“I see.”
Gojin clicked his tongue.
Why was the heart of woman so difficult and complex? The more he listened, the more endless it became. Just walking around the trinket and jewelry shops took more than half a day.
“We’ll stop here for today, and tomorrow I’ll teach you how to drink tea with a woman.”
Gojin was startled.
“This isn’t the end?”
Seo Yuran replied with an innocent expression:
“What do you mean? There are so many more things left to teach! Actually, I feel like I’m taking up too much of Jinje’s study time as it is, so I’ve already compromised a lot.”
Gojin was aghast at the thought of having to do this for several more days.
“Couldn’t I just politely refuse her tomorrow?”
“I told you that’s not an option. What if something goes wrong?”
“Even so, it’s not like I have to marry her, do I?”
“W-who said anything about marriage?”
Seo Yuran jumped at the word marriage.
At the time, romantic relationships were rare, and once you dated, you soon had to marry. It wasn’t entirely unreasonable for Gojin to mention marriage.
Gojin looked at Seo Yuran strangely.
“If I’m the one getting married, why is Elder Sister Ran jumping?”
“Th-that’s because Jinje is saying such nonsense, that’s why.”
Seo Yuran’s face reddened like a peach, as if her inner thoughts had been exposed. It was a situation where most people would have noticed.
However, Gojin just scratched his head in embarrassment.
“I suppose I am getting ahead of myself.”
*Phew!*
Though relieved, Seo Yuran was at the point of laughing at Gojin’s appearance.
*Fool! Just like a silly bear.*
But perhaps it was because of this simple and inflexible side of Gojin that her heart was drawn to him even more.
She spoke emphatically:
“Anyway, tomorrow I’ll explain how to date over tea, so keep that in mind.”
And so, for several days, Gojin learned about the hearts of women from Seo Yuran.
The heart of woman—that is, what women want and what they think.
No matter how much of a playboy one was, reading women’s hearts would be impossible. Little did Seo Yuran know that she had proposed an impossible task to Gojin from the start.
However, for Gojin, it was by no means meaningless time. He had been at an incurable level when it came to male-female relationships. But after spending several days going around with Seo Yuran and learning this and that, his eyes opened to some degree.
*I see! In this kind of situation, women like it when you drink this kind of tea and tell them this kind of story!*
These were things he would never have known if Seo Yuran hadn’t kindly taught him. But even knowing these things, he had nowhere to use them.
As Gojin began to read women’s hearts to some degree, questions started to arise.
*Then why did Elder Sister Ran treat me so coldly before?*
Only now did Gojin recall how Seo Yuran had treated him coldly in the past. At the time, he had known nothing because he was interested in nothing but study, but it was something he could have noticed with just a little attention.
*Strange as that is, that’s not all. For someone teaching me about women’s hearts, Elder Sister Ran seems far too happy.*
How could the suspicious points end there?
When he had brought up marriage with another woman, Seo Yuran jumping up was even stranger.
If what Seo Yuran taught him was correct, this was surely because she liked him.
*No way… that can’t be.*
Gojin soon shook his head and strongly denied it.
Seo Yuran was beautiful, kind, and proud, with a wealthy family; she was popular among men. There was no reason for such a woman to like an unremarkable nobody like him.
Seo Yuran researched every night with a fluttering heart what she would do with Gojin the next day. Though she spoke as if she knew everything in front of Gojin, the truth was everything was her first time too, so it was by no means easy.
She asked the household maids and nannies, or read novels filled with beautiful love. Though she spent every night with eyes wide open, she didn’t know fatigue.
Rather, she counted the moments until sunrise when she could go out with Gojin. Though she had set up this sly scheme to get close to Gojin, it wasn’t simply play.
Whenever she had time, she taught Gojin what women wanted and what was in their hearts. Since this included the household maids and nannies and not just herself alone, it represented women’s hearts to some degree objectively.
That was because she was afraid that if they just played around, even someone as oblivious as Gojin might catch on to her sly intentions.
But regardless of the reason, in the end, it became a lesson greater and more precious than any learning Gojin had received in his entire life.
四
When a young couple strolls through the streets every day, people are bound to talk. In a small town like Hwaryong County, it went without saying.
News travels fast.
Rumors quickly spread throughout Hwaryong County.
Seo Yuran had been waiting for the rumors to spread. From the moment she said she would teach him about romance, she had been aiming for this situation.
However, she put on an upset expression and stomped her feet.
“Since it’s come to this, there’s nothing I can do. Jinje has to take responsibility for me.”
“What?”
Gojin shouted in surprise.
“R-responsibility?”
“Surely, after making a person like this, Jinje isn’t thinking of going to another woman?”
Gojin was dumbfounded. He hadn’t done anything. Yet listening to Seo Yuran, it sounded as if he had committed some terrible act.
“Anyway, Jinje, handle it yourself. Either accept that woman’s confession, or… t-take… responsibility for me…”
At this moment, even Seo Yuran’s voice trailed off in embarrassment. Though her last words were barely audible, Gojin could roughly understand what she meant.
Ugh.
*For some reason, that sounds even scarier.*
Gojin grimaced inwardly.
He too had not disliked the past few days he spent with Seo Yuran. In the end, Gojin politely rejected the woman who had confessed her love to him.
She seemed to have somewhat expected his answer. She could not have failed to hear the rumors, having ears as she did. Though she was greatly disappointed and shed tears, she did not forget the kind heart that wished for Gojin and Seo Yuran’s happiness.
Meanwhile, the rumor that Gojin and Seo Yuran were dating reached even Seo Muryong’s ears.
Naturally, Seo Muryong jumped in anger. For an unmarried woman to walk the streets openly with a man was itself absurd, and the other party was a youth from a poor family. He would never permit their relationship.
When it came to marriage, Seo Yuran would not yield either. She declared that if Seo Muryong continued to oppose them, she would rather leave home.
After that, a chill flowed between father and daughter. Neither would yield an inch.
Seo Muryong was a greedy, avaricious man who thought only of forming ties with families with slightly more money and power. Seo Yuran was wholeheartedly devoted to love. Their personalities could not have been more different. Until Gojin entered government service and made a name for himself, no point of compromise could be found between father and daughter.
In any case, recently, Seo Yuran had been waging war against Seo Muryong every day. Though it was exhausting and draining, when she met Gojin, new strength would well up.
“Elder Sister Ran, let’s go to the banquet now.”
Gojin, having already erased the mathematical formulas and geometric shapes from the ground, stood before Seo Yuran. At his words, Seo Yuran came to her senses.
“I can keep waiting for Jinje, right?”
Seo Yuran asked cautiously.
“Then did Elder Sister Ran not plan to wait?”
“Th-that’s not it… They say the women of the capital are all sophisticated and beautiful.”
“Surely you don’t doubt me?”
“I’m just a countrywoman of no consequence. So I’m somehow afraid and worried.”
Gojin held Seo Yuran’s hand tightly.
“Tsk tsk, you needn’t worry about such things. If I succeed and return, the first thing I shall do is propose to you.”
“R-really?”
Seo Yuran’s eyes glistened with tears, overcome with emotion. Just hearing those words seemed to give her strength.
“Hehe, you can trust the words of the man who will become your husband in the future.”
“Ah, I understand.”
Seo Yuran nodded, her face reddening. Gojin’s words, little different from a proposal, made her heart endlessly sweet and happy.
Around the time of the first night watch.
The celebration banquet was held modestly. In a pavilion overlooking the lake, there was only alcohol and tea.
But even that was enough for Gojin to be grateful. The pure hearts of the people reached deep into his chest. Once he went up to the capital, he might never have such leisurely time again.
The men mainly drank alcohol, while the women sipped tea, recited poems, and sang songs.
Before anyone knew it, time had passed the third watch, but no one rose to leave. This time of being together like this was the last.
At that time, being around twenty years old was by no means young. At Gwanpyeong Academy, only Gojin would continue his studies; the rest had to find their own paths in life.
For the women, it was mostly preparing to marry a good man. The men were too busy trying to find employment at trading companies or military supply offices, or else farming.
“I heard you were hired as a scribe for the Hwaryong Merchant Group this time?”
“Is that true? If there was such good news, you should have contacted me sooner.”
“Sorry. I feel ashamed for being the only one to pass.”
“Hahaha! What nonsense is that? In my case, if I can’t find a job in the end, I can inherit my father’s ironworks, but aren’t you in a position where you must support your widowed mother?”
Among the men, employment was by far the hottest topic.
The economy was in a slump, and with scholars giving up on the civil service examination and boldly jumping into the job market, finding work had become even more difficult.
Perhaps that was why.
Even in the small rural town, the Hwaryong Merchant Group’s competition rate was rising sharply every year. This was not only because of the local youths but also candidates from other regions applying.
If the men’s interest was employment, the women’s conversations centered on marriage.
If someone had received a marriage proposal, they could not help but envy her. They were at an age brimming with dreams. A steady personality and decent looks. If you added a wealthy family to that, it was a condition one could want for nothing more.
“Girl, I heard you got a marriage proposal from Yongdu County a few days ago?”
“H-how did you know that?”
“I may not look it, but I’m the official busybody of Hwaryong County. But what kind of person is he?”
“Ugh, don’t even mention it. He’s in his mid-twenties, and all he owns is a few paddies of rice fields. Goodness, my pride is wounded. Just what do they take me for…?”
“Will you accept the proposal?”
“Have I lost my mind? You think I studied for all these years to become the wife of a man with a few paddies?”
“Haha!”
The women burst into laughter together.
But they could not entirely laugh it away; a corner of their hearts was heavy.
It was an era when a woman’s fate was determined by what kind of man she met. Therefore, for women, finding a spouse was nothing less than the entirety of life.
The women looked at Seo Yuran with envious eyes.
“It must be nice for Elder Sister. You don’t have to worry about marriage proposals coming in anymore.”
“Right? Who knew Elder Sister Ran and young master Gojin would get together? The quiet cat climbs the stove first, as they say.”
“If young master Gojin passes the civil service exam, won’t Elder Sister Ran’s status rise much higher than it is now?”
This was precisely the life the women had always dreamed of and wished for.
Especially the woman who had confessed her love to Gojin and been rejected felt her insides twisting with regret. It wasn’t that he disliked her, but because he was dating Seo Yuran—how could she not feel regret?
Seo Yuran joked that they shouldn’t make a fuss since he hadn’t even passed the exam yet, but in her heart too, she spread the wings of various sweet imaginings.
*Oh my, what am I thinking…?*
She blushed inwardly.
Letting her imagination run too far ahead, she had ended up picturing her wedding night.
And so, the final celebration banquet with everyone together gradually approached its end.