Chapter 3
Back when I lived in the modern era, I was a “history geek”—a huge fan of history.
“Not that I actually wanted to fall into the Joseon period, though.”
On top of that, the body I happened to possess was that of a girl with no family. It was bitter, but…
“Bongbong-ah. What are you doing, not coming out?”
“Ah, I’m coming.”
Seolhyang’s voice broke through my thoughts.
What’s the use of dwelling on a past life? I need to focus on surviving right now.
It seemed the palace maids had gathered to celebrate the first day of spring (Ipchun). I could hear their murmuring voices outside the door.
The atmosphere among the palace maids must be terrifying, right?
Just thinking about facing the maids of Chwiseondang for the first time made my whole body shrink.
At this point in time, Jang Huibin (Lady Jang) had not only suffered the humiliation of being demoted from queen to concubine, but her relationship with King Sukjong had also grown distant.
Naturally, the maids serving Lady Jang must have been walking on eggshells as well.
Everyone will be on edge, so I have to act carefully and read the room. I just hope I don’t get beaten…
The cruel Joseon customs that could be called child abuse came to mind, making me anxious, but I forced myself to calm down.
Let’s not forget. The goal is survival.
If there’s one thing about me, I was trained under a famously finicky professor.
I took a deep breath and reached for the door handle.
The debut stage of little court lady Hwang Bongbong as she stepped into the world of Chwiseondang.
I hoped it wouldn’t be a disaster from the very start.
Something was wrong.
Having braced myself for a frozen, terrifying atmosphere, what greeted me as I stepped outside was…
“Oh my my! Are you Bongbong?”
“Goodness, look at those chubby cheeks!”
“How can her eyes be so big and round? She’s tiny but absolutely adorable!”
“You said you’re about to turn four, right? It’s been so long since a child this young entered as a court lady, hasn’t it?”
The palace maids were beside themselves with delight upon seeing me.
Someone pinched my cheek, someone stroked my head, and someone popped a honey confection (yumilgwa) they had hidden in their sleeve into my mouth.
“Helwo.”
As I chewed the yumilgwa and bowed my head in greeting, the maids burst into cheers: “Kyaa!” “So cute!”
Honestly, I couldn’t understand the situation at all.
Is this really Chwiseondang?
Had I come to the wrong residence?
By my calculations, the time left until Lady Jang’s death was a mere one year and nine months.
At this time, Lady Jang was in what could be called the darkest period of her life.
She had lost King Sukjong’s favor, her backing Southerners faction had virtually collapsed, and even her brother, an ally, had been exiled.
But the maids of Chwiseondang…
How can they all be so cheerful?
Soon enough, after Queen Inhyeon’s death, a bloody storm would rage.
And that storm would sweep most of these maids to their deaths.
“Bongbong-ah! Look over here!”
“Look at that loose jeogori!”
“She reminds me of our youngest. So cute…”
But my thoughts couldn’t continue for long.
Because I was being pushed and pulled like a rag doll by the maids’ hands.
…This is exactly a disaster.
Anxiety played a part, but above all, I could no longer stand being touched everywhere. As if my mind had also become a child’s, irritation surged in an instant.
This is how it goes.
In this situation, there was only one escape method a little child like me could use.
Hic.
Hic.
“Waaaaah!”
…I hadn’t intended to burst into such loud sobbing.
Anyway, once the waterworks started, the maids were flustered for a moment. Though soon they began laughing again, saying even that was cute.
Regardless, thanks to one big cry, I escaped their relentless hands and could settle down on the wooden floor. Someone had even put a stick of taffy in my hand.
“Did you hear the news from the Middle Palace (the queen’s residence)?”
At one maid’s words, my crying instantly stopped.
If I wanted to survive here, gathering information was top priority.
My ears perked up immediately.
“I heard. Apparently she got a huge boil on her leg, and a tremendous amount of pus is draining out.”
“They say the royal physicians can’t do anything anymore.”
“It seems like she really could die any day now.”
There was no respect or sympathy in their words toward the queen, the person who would posthumously be called Queen Inhyeon.
From the perspective of a maid of Chwiseondang, that was only natural.
This was the palace, where the power of the queen’s faction determined one’s fate.
To these maids, Queen Min (Inhyeon) was practically the enemy who had dragged Lady Jang down from the throne of queen.
In the end, both Queen Inhyeon and Lady Jang are just victims…
A bitter thought crossed my mind, but what could I do?
Joseon was a world especially harsh to women.
“Anyway, when the queen passes away…”
Someone whispered softly.
“Then Lady Huibin will surely be reinstated as queen. We’ll return to the Middle Palace too.”
“Right. It’s ultimately a race against time.”
…Excuse me? Folks, you are seriously mistaken.
Only then did I realize why the maids were so carefree.
They all firmly believed that when the Middle Palace became vacant, Lady Huibin would take that seat again.
“Phew…”
I put down the taffy stick I’d been sucking on.
I felt so frustrated I wanted a bowl of cold water instead of taffy. Or even better, some soju.
I stealthily rose to my feet.
In my little hand, I picked up a few scattered spring calligraphy sheets (chuncheopja) lying on the floor.
Let’s move, for now.
Attaching chuncheopja to every pillar of the palace was an essential task on Ipchun (the start of spring).
From now on, I planned to faithfully fulfill my duty as a court lady welcoming the spring.
Of course, that was just an excuse. My real goal was to explore Chwiseondang.
The maids were still deep in chatter.
No one noticed the little court lady, who had been huddled in a corner, slipping away.
Ugh!
I almost despaired at the fact that my legs were too short to reach the ground on my own, but I managed.
Tip-toe, tip-toe.
Soon, I left the inner courtyard and started running, pitter-patter.
The goal was clear.
I didn’t know the exact location, but history had left a clear record.
The west side of Chwiseondang.
The place where a shamanic shrine (sindang) was set up to curse Queen Inhyeon, which became the trigger for Lady Jang’s death.
I intended to go find that shrine.
There’s nothing here.
Chwiseondang was a larger space than I had expected.
I ran around until beads of sweat formed on my forehead despite the cold wind, but I found no suspicious place.
There was a close call where I almost got caught scurrying about. Because two young court ladies were whispering suspiciously as they looked around.
Luckily, my small size allowed me to hide.
Anyway, I think I’ve searched enough.
Empty halls, maid quarters, near the bathhouse…
Except for private places like Lady Huibin’s bedchamber, I had checked most of the area.
There was no sign of rituals or shamanism anywhere.
“Ha…”
Catching my breath, I sat down on a stone step.
The decisive charge that led to Lady Jang’s execution was that she had built a shrine to curse Queen Inhyeon.
But if the shrine hadn’t been built yet…?
For the first time since being dropped into this era, a glimmer of hope arose.
If I can prevent the shrine from being built, can’t I also prevent Lady Jang’s poison ending?
Prevent the building of the shrine.
→ Stop the act of cursing Queen Inhyeon.
→ Prevent Lady Jang’s death.
→ The maids of Chwiseondang, who were slaughtered after Lady Jang’s death, will survive.
→ Conclusion: Hwang Bongbong survives!
“That’s it! This is it!”
I clenched my fist and shouted.
It felt suffocating to think that I had to achieve survival in this tiny body, but what could I do?
The sky had fallen, so I had no choice but to find a way out myself.
Just as I steeled my resolve and tried to bravely stand up…
“Hey! What are you doing here?”
“Already slacking off when you’re no bigger than a mouse’s bladder?”
Suddenly, two little court ladies around ten years old appeared and stood right in front of me.
I recognized their faces immediately.
These are the ones who were lurking around nearby earlier.
In fact, even when I first stood before the maids, those two hadn’t looked at me kindly.
No matter how rude they are, it’s our first meeting. Why are they glaring at me like that?
As I was staring blankly at them, lost in thought, the taller one spoke abruptly.
“You’re weird-looking.”
…Me?
“Your eyes are so big, it’s creepy. And your cheeks are all puffy. What’s so cute about something like this that everyone’s making a fuss?”
“Right. And your status is obviously low. You’re a servant, aren’t you?”
Gasp. I was momentarily at a loss for words at the sudden barrage of venom.
…Let’s understand. Until I came, they were probably the youngest at Chwiseondang. They must be jealous.
I decided to exercise mature, adult-like generosity.
So just one verse, okay? Just one verse.
“How old did you say you were?”
I wasn’t a pushover. Nor was I in the mood to answer meekly.
“What’s it to you?”
“Ha, what kind of creature is this?”
The little court lady who was glaring at me spoke arrogantly.
“We’re ten.”
“Ah… Really?”
I replied without any enthusiasm.
I’m busy right now thinking of ways for all of us — me and you two included — to survive.
So please don’t bother me…
“Ha. You don’t understand words, do you?”
The taller one let out a scornful laugh, as if dumbfounded.
“Hey. Back in my day, when an elder passed by, we were too scared to even lift our heads. Yet here you are, staring straight at us?”
Oh.
A boomer? (Lit. an old-timer)
“Exactly! Just like a lowborn, you’re so lazy!”
“I’m not playing! I’m in the middle of putting these up!”
I fluttered the chuncheopja, but only cold mockery came back.
“Oh, is that so?”
The taller little maid snatched the chuncheopja from my hand. It instantly crumpled. She threw the crumpled paper at my face, and the shorter one burst out laughing.
This isn’t school violence; it’s palace violence. Nasty kids exist everywhere, regardless of era…
I watched the giggling tall ten-year-old and short ten-year-old with a complicated heart.
But hey, you two… that’s not okay.
You guys are in huge trouble right now.
