As True as a Dream

She thought, enough with the search for a man with an overwhelming presence that makes her heart beat faster.

 

One of the most beautiful mountains in all of Jingsheng, she’d rather not have to use this means of escape.

 

Hae-Joo just hopes he doesn’t bite her in the ass for lying about her address.

 

She shrugged and raised an eyebrow.

 

She glanced over and found a piece of paper and a house key under the futon.

 

Hae-Joo fumbled in her pocket and found the key.

 “Ah…” 

This is her key.

 

With a confused face, Hae-Joo checked the contents of the paper.

 

The joy of being free of the bizarre rash was short-lived.

 “…That’s impossible! How can—?” 

She looked at the paper and felt like she was going to vomit blood.

 

It was a so-called

“debt statement”

.

 

At the end of the paper, it said,

“Creditor Song Yue Pavilion, President Ban Yi Ho,”

and below it,

“Debtor Yeon Hae-Joo”

.

 “Loss of sales on March 21… Half of 4,320 won? Repayment of 15 won a month for 12 years? Are you crazy?” 

Hae-Joo was outraged.

 

Being a taxi driver is a very popular and well-paid job in Gyeongseong.

 

She came to Jingsheng a year ago, but within a few months she was in need of a steady income.

 

The cost of living in Jingsheng was so high that she couldn’t survive making and selling jewelry.

 

So, she took driving lessons at the Gyeongseong Driver Training Center and became a taxi driver.

 

Her monthly salary at the Iori Automobile Association is 30 won, but she usually earns 80 to 1,000 won after taxes and tips.

 

But these 15 yuan is an amount of money that a normal person would never be able to take out every month.

 

Eun-sil’s monthly salary at the textile factory is 20 yuan!

 

Eun-sil, your family eats, sleeps, and dresses for 20 yuan a month!

 “This is domineering…!” 

Hae-Joo glared at the name Ban Yi Ho written next to the creditor.

 

That’s the bastard’s name, isn’t it?

 

After staring at the name on the paper for a while, Hae-Joo suddenly turned her attention to her luggage in the corner of the room.

 

The urge to run away from home instead of living like this for 12 years came up again.

 

But the thought was fleeting.

 

Her heart was still racing at the thought of the rash that had spread all over her body yesterday.

 “What am I going to do with this?” 

***

 “What about this?” “It’s been a while, enjoy your meal.” 

Mrs. Na, the owner of the noodle restaurant, stirred the soup on the table with a spoon and took a bite.

 

Her mind was racing as fast as her hands and mouth were working.

 

Rent, living expenses, electricity and radio…

 

Add to that the debt she owes to Song Yue every month, and the taxi income isn’t enough to cover it, but it doesn’t leave much.

 

She can’t spend the money she makes from selling her jewelry because she’s saving it as capital to leave the country in the future.

 

But she doesn’t want to stay in debt for 12 years.

 

The more she thought about it, the more nervous she became, so she shoveled the soup into her mouth and soon emptied the bowl.

 “What’s wrong, you look like shit.” 

When she was done, Mrs. Na came to the table and sat down.

 “I was just wondering if money was falling out of the sky.” “Do you need money?” “I always need money.” 

Mrs. Na chuckled and leaned forward to lower her voice as Hae-Joo clenched her jaw.

 “Do you want me to introduce you to a good job?” 

Hae-Joo rolled her eyes and looked at Mrs. Na.

 “I told you I won’t forget; it was your father’s will.” 

Mrs. Na is an acquaintance of her stepfather, an acquaintance of the acting studio.

 

When she first came to Gyeongseong, she had followed her foster father’s lead and looked for Mrs. Na in order to get a job.

 

But she didn’t find her then, and only found her by chance after she left the village.

 

Since then, she’s been coming to Mrs. Na’s soup kitchen to eat.

 “Didn’t you inherit all your father’s skills? Are you just going to let them rot?”

Mrs. Na said in a seductive tone once again.

 

Yangbu, her father, was once a famous forger in downtown Jingsheng.

 

Anything that passed through his hands, whether it was a painting, an ancient book, or a piece of porcelain, became two authentic pieces.

 

But his skill became a poison.

 

After selling a fake to the wife of a high-ranking Japanese official, he was hunted down by the Japanese army.

 

As he fled Gyeongseong, he met her while she was burying her mother in the ground.

 

Yangbu took her with him to Gongju, where they lived as father and daughter for 12 years.

 

Until he died.

 

In those 12 years she learned a lot from him.

 

She wasn’t a genius like her father, but she wasn’t stupid either, so she could make jewelry and copy paintings.

 “I’ve told you many times, my lady. I don’t have my father’s skills.” “I’ve heard that you make jewelry and sell it to the highborn, aren’t you good at that? How high the eyes of women are.” “Counterfeiting and jewelry making are two different things, aren’t they?” “Stubborn.” 

Instead of answering, she chuckled quietly.

 

Hae-Joo knows that

“good things”

are good to earn, as Mrs. Na sometimes asks.

 

But that

“good deed”

can also have dangerous consequences, like when Yangbu and she had to run for their lives from the city of Jingsheng.

 

Money is nice, but life is more important.

 

That’s why Hae-Joo didn’t do it in the first place.

 “Mrs. Na, two bowls of soup!” 

At that moment, a customer entered the shop and shouted.

 

Mrs. Na hurriedly got up from her seat, and the customers sat down at the table next to hers.

 “Do you know this painting, “Guishan Dao”? It’s worth 5,000 yuan in gold.” 

Hae-Joo hesitated as she tried to stand up.

 

Guishan Dao?

 “I haven’t bet on this floor in a long time. What kind of painting is it that’s worth so much money?” “They say it’s a painting of a turtle-shaped mountain in the sea. I’ve heard about it, but I’ve never seen it.” 

Hae-Joo’s mouth dropped open, stunned by the familiarity of the conversation.

 

She remembered the conversation she’d overheard a few days earlier in a side room of the banquet hall.

 

-Did they really pay me 5,000 won?

 

-Guishan Dao is a painting of a tortoise-headed mountain in the sea.

 “I’m leaving, ma’am! Thank you for the food.” 

Hae-Joo put 20 won on the table for the soup and shook her head as she left the restaurant.

 “…Guisan Dao? Guisan Dao… I’ve heard of it… What is it?” 

Hae-Joo wiggled her eyebrows.

 

How much thought had gone into this.

 “Turtle… sea…? Um…” 

Hae-Joo, who had been walking to the top of the taxi, suddenly stood upright.

 

She remembered what Guishan Dao was.

 “Guishan Dao!” 

She was half crazy at that time, so she listened with one ear, which she shouldn’t have done!

 

Isn’t it possible to pay off Song Yue’s debt all at once with these 5,000 yuan?

 

There’s even money left over!

 

A sly smile flashed across Hae-Joo’s eyes.

 

She knows Guishan Dao! She’s even seen him before!

 

Hae-Joo licked her lips with her tongue and pondered.

 

She licked her lips and pondered,

“I know there’s someone looking for Guishan Dao, and I know there’s a huge reward.” 

‘But who is looking for this painting? How can I contact them?

’

 

If the rumors have spread this far, there’s no way that Mrs. Na doesn’t know.

 

Mrs. Na’s noodle shop is not an ordinary noodle shop.

 

It’s a place that distributes and brokers black market, auction, and other shadowy information that never sees the light of day.

 

Hae-Joo thought about going back to find Mrs. Na, but then changed her mind and decided to visit the entertainer Ying-Yue, who told her the story in the first place.

 

This attitude was due to the fact that she had refused Mrs. Na’s offer of a

“good job”

several times, so she was determined to go through with it.

 

***

 

Song Yue Pavilion Hongo’s office.

 “Mister Hongo, are you here?” 

A shadowy figure appeared in the sky, accompanied by a soft voice.

 

Hongo, who was sitting at his desk, raised his eyebrows.

 “This is Ying Yue, I have something to tell you, may I come in?” 

“Come in.”

 

Soon, the sliding door opened and Ying Yue, ready to serve, walked in, wearing a watercolor skirt and a collar embroidered with gold thread.

 “What is it, Maiden Ying Yue? Shouldn’t you be in the middle of something?” 

Entering the office, Ying Yue smiled and sat down on the red sofa, leaning back.

 “You told me to tell you if I heard or found out anything about the painting called ‘Guishan Dao’. Is Mr. Hongo the one looking for it?” “No. I’m just a middleman.” “Then we can talk.” “What did you hear that made you stop here?” “I’m not doing this because I heard something important. I trust you, Mr. Hongo, and I want you to deliver it well.” 

Hongo Wu smiled as usual, his face full of kindness.

 

Just today, the number of people who had visited this room because of the Guishan Dao had exceeded five fingers .

 “So, what has Maiden Ying Yue heard that she’s so subtle about?” Visit my Ko-fi for discounted advance chapters!!