***
"Stay a while at Seokgajang." This was not merely a simple suggestion to spend a few days and be on my way.
At an estate of Seokgajang's stature, the word "stay" was often used with a different meaning.
The true meaning of those words was to become a guest.
Guest.
It was a representative culture of the Central Plains, and one with deep traditions indeed. A long-standing culture that had existed even before the continent was unified under a single dynasty—that was the guest.
It referred to a host going out of his way to honor, feed, house, clothe, and accommodate a capable individual.
It was different from the relationship of a vassal who pledged ordinary loyalty. If their intentions did not align, a guest could leave his master at any time, so long as he did not stray from the path of morality. None would point at a guest who had left his master and call him disloyal.
It was a somewhat more comfortable arrangement, and thus a more convenient means of retaining talent.
Of course, the guest also had obligations to his master. Whenever the master requested, he had to display his talents to resolve the master's problems.
Here, too, lay a great difference from vassals who worked constantly and were loyal to the clan.
If vassals were familiar tools used daily, guests were special tools brought out only in important moments.
Therefore, the wealthy—those with considerable fortunes—always brought guests of many talents into their homes as if collecting curios.
- I did not do this expecting a reward.
- Just being invited here is already...
Thus began several formal refusals, ending with several persuasive exchanges:
- Please, do not refuse. It is so that I may honor and treat my benefactor with dignity.
- If I were to simply send away the benefactor of Seokgajang, what would become of my face?
That was the conversation with Seok Duwon, after which our conclusion was that I would enter Seokgajang.
Right now, my livelihood was in immediate peril. The money I had been scraping by on from selling my belongings was now running out.
This proposal was nothing short of a heaven-sent opportunity for me.
"Is this all your luggage, sir?"
"It is humble, but that is all. Ah. Could you wait a moment, please?"
"Please, take your time. I shall wait outside."
I packed my belongings from the modest hut with the servant dispatched from Seokgajang.
All my luggage amounted to was a small bedding roll and a few articles of clothing.
The servant said it was good that there was little luggage, stretched his back, and went outside to wait.
I took out the leather bag I had kept beneath the bed, dusted it off, and opened it.
'Shaker, mixing glass, hydrometer, jigger, bar spoon...'
The bag was full of things rarely seen in this land. When I had sold everything else, I had not dared to sell these. They were my most precious possessions.
Having carefully packed these items that could be called the hands and feet of a bartender, I was finally able to leave the hut.
Returning to Seokgajang, I was guided to the guest hall where I would stay.
The third room among the guest halls prepared for guests.
The building marked "Samho Guest Hall" was now my home.
Though called a guest hall, it was a fairly large building with its own courtyard. Standing before it, I could only stand there with my mouth agape.
"I am to use this alone?"
"Of course. Please feel free to use the courtyard and the rear garden as well."
A guest chamber so large that comparing it to the hut I had just left felt almost offensive greeted me.
The roof was covered with premium tiles as if it were only natural, and the pillars were thicker than the door of the hut I had lived in.
Moreover, the room was furnished with all manner of luxurious furniture. To think all of this was for a guest.
It was in that moment that the bedding I had packed thinking I might use here suddenly became embarrassing.
"Indeed, the estate lord has had blankets and clothing prepared for you, young master."
Right about when the expression of a businessman stepping into a cramped boarding room for the first time was settling over my face.
The servant approached and handed me silk clothing and bedding embroidered with thread.
If only he had told me beforehand. I found myself resenting him for no reason.
"I am deeply indebted to the estate lord."
"Not at all. All guests staying at Seokgajang are treated this way. If you need anything more, please feel free to stop any passing servant and ask. Ah. Shall I have your meals sent to your room when the time comes?"
"...You provide meals as well?"
"Hehehe. You are quite the jester, young master. We feed you; is that not what makes you a guest? The food of Seokgajang is famous even in Hangzhou. If there is anything you wish to eat separately, just send word and it will be prepared."
The treatment of guests was no ordinary matter. I wondered if I alone was receiving such treatment, but that did not seem to be the case.
Currently, there were three guests staying at Seokgajang, and all three were said to receive the same treatment.
On the surface, it might look like a complete reversal of fortune. However, being a guest had its own hardships.
As time passed, one had to prove one's worth to the master. The master spent money to feed and house the guest. The guest had to show that he could be of use at any time to match that investment. A guest who could not prove his talents would soon be cast out.
'At least within a month...'
I would have to show something. For the moment, I had justification to remain for about a month, but beyond that might be difficult.
With that thought, after settling in at Seokgajang, I looked around diligently for something I could step forward to do.
But.
'There is nothing...'
There was nothing in particular for me to do. That was what I felt after a week of walking around Seokgajang.
I had briefly considered peeking around the brewery and offering a word or two if there was one. A brewery was a top-secret facility in this era; it was not a place even a guest could enter freely.
Since my only talent was related to alcohol yet I could not approach anywhere near it, I had no way to display it.
As I felt so helpless, merely eating the lunches provided to me in an idleness that was practically like being fattened up for slaughter,
"Is the young master present?"
A familiar voice rang out from beyond the guest hall. It was the servant named Chobok, who served Seok Duwon.
"Is this not Steward Chobok?"
"Hehe. Young master, please do not speak so formally. I am but a lowly servant."
Having not yet acclimated to either the savagery or the romance of this place, I found it difficult to speak casually to others. Perhaps it was an aftereffect of having worked in the service industry.
"I will do so when I become more comfortable. What brings you here?"
"Were you in the middle of a meal?"
"Yes. I was just about to begin. If you have not eaten, please join me."
"Oh my! What are you saying! No! I have only come to deliver a message! Yes!"
"Is that so? Then, what is it? Is it something requiring my assistance?"
Fortunately, this demeanor seemed to be viewed favorably by the servants. The only thing I had gained while staying at Seokgajang was getting along with them and earning decent evaluations.
Chobok, the servant of Seok Duwon, especially liked being called "steward."
"It is nothing like that. The elder simply asked if you are free this evening."
"I have nothing in particular."
"Excellent! Then I shall come for you around sunset this evening."
"Where are we going?"
"Today is the day of Seokgajang's monthly meeting. On such days, the estate lord always hosts the guests for dinner as an after-gathering. Most likely, that is the reason."
"Is that so? Then will the other guests also be attending?"
"There are only three of you at the moment. For your reference, in Ilho Guest Hall resides a beautiful musician, and in Iho Guest Hall resides a scholar of fine stature."
Chobok strained to tell me one more thing. In this place where servants were generally looked down upon simply for being servants, he showed friendliness to me, who treated him with respect.
"Very well. Then I shall prepare to be ready on time."
"Yes! I shall come to escort you when it is time! For your reference, tonight's dinner will be at Seokhoru! Hehe."
Chobok proudly threw out those last words and left the door.
The words that tonight's banquet would be held at Seokhoru.
Seokhoru was the name of a pavilion directly operated by Seokgajang—the most luxurious-looking establishment in Hangzhou, which had opened around the time I arrived here.
I had seen Seokhoru several times while coming and going. However, my circumstances had never allowed me to dare step inside.
No, from the very beginning—I, who could not even afford a small bottle of yellow wine at an inn, how could I have dreamed of entering a pavilion?
Hearing that there would be a banquet at such a Seokhoru, my mouth could not help but water.
Surely they would not serve only plain rice at such a place.
I eagerly waited for evening to come.
***
Upon reaching the entrance of Seokhoru, the thick fragrance of wine assailed my nose.
Smelling that familiar scent again, something forgotten seemed to surface, and my heart felt as if it were beating once more.
With a not-unpleasant excitement, even my steps felt lighter.
"This way, young master."
Chobok led the way with all his heart, guiding me into Seokhoru.
The exterior of Seokhoru had been luxurious even from afar. That exterior became even more pronounced as we approached.
It stood five stories high, not inferior to any other pavilion in Hangzhou, and its pillars were gilded and painted with pictures.
Moreover, the roof tiles were glazed to a sparkling shine.
The setting sun happened to be descending, decorating the red-hued background so splendidly that I could not tell if this were a separate heaven and earth.
Upon entering, the spacious scenery of the first floor unfolded.
The structure with the second floor and ceiling opened up so that the top was completely hollowed out naturally evoked the word "majestic."
The scenery unfolding beyond the windows was equally breathtaking. The structure, with all the large windows occupying one entire wall thrown open to reveal the sunset settling over West Lake, was more than enough to make one's jaw drop.
'Hmm.'
Of course, aside from such structure, there were other things I noticed. That would be thanks to my former profession as a bartender who had managed an establishment.
A bartender is not simply someone who sells alcohol, but a self-employed manager of the entire establishment.
Therefore, there were things I could see. After all, it was business and commerce; there were certainly aspects that connected to a pavilion as well.
The first thing that caught my eye was the empty seats scattered here and there despite the bustling interior.
Granted, the interior was vast and the prices were high, but for a place built with such money, with such a view, at such an hour—that many empty seats was definitely not a good sign.
'Things aren't looking good.'
Passing the first floor and reaching the second revealed yet another scene.
The second floor was structured with railings allowing one to look down below.
The center was hollowed out, so the space was not as wide as the first floor, but being able to look down at the first floor gave it a slightly different charm.
Having looked around even the second floor,
'As I thought.'
I could not erase my earlier thought.
While I was endlessly evaluating Seokhoru with my eyes, Chobok pattered up to the third floor.
Upon reaching the third floor, Chobok's face beamed.
"Young master! Please, come quickly. Hehe. From here is the true face of Seokhoru. From here, it is not a place just anyone can ascend to. Yes."
Chobok puffed up his shoulders and strode across the third floor. The third floor, where nothing was visible, consisted only of corridors.
From one side came sizzling sounds; it seemed to be entirely used as a kitchen.
"From the third floor up are individual rooms. All areas without a view of West Lake have been turned into kitchens."
"Did Lord Seok decide that? It is a bold choice."
"Yes. There is no corner of Seokhoru untouched by the estate lord's hand. Seokhoru was his lordship's long-cherished desire."
"It certainly looks like considerable effort was invested."
"Oh, it is still too early to be surprised. The place you are going today is even higher."
"You mean we must ascend further?"
"Of course! The elder always uses only the top floor! It is all the more so when hosting precious guests like today!"
Leaving a brief explanation for me as I looked at the structure in wonder, Chobok climbed endlessly higher.
He puffed out his chest as if pride in his master were pride in himself.
He climbed two more floors in that momentum before finally stopping.
When my steps reached the fifth floor, what greeted me was a single firmly closed door.
This meant the entire fifth floor was one room.
'What a groundbreaking...'
Do such structures even exist? As I was thinking that, letting out an admiration that was not merely admiration,
"This is as far as I go. Please enjoy your time. Hehe."
Chobok bade me farewell. He said servants spent their time separately on the first floor, and he seemed unable to wait any longer.
"Thank you for guiding me."
"Oh, what are you saying! I am going! Please do not do that!"
At my bowing figure thanking him for the guidance, Chobok waved his hands as always.
It seemed he was not used to someone bowing to him, a servant.
After Chobok disappeared, I straightened my clothes for a moment. For some reason, the atmosphere of Seokhoru made me feel I had to.
What scenery awaited inside?
With such anticipation, I pushed the door and entered.
- Creeeeeak.
The door slid aside with a heavy sound. And what greeted me was a feast of deep crimson light.
At the scenery I encountered upon entering, I could not help but lose myself.
'What kind of scenery is this...!'