By Zephyria 
117
The cloth shop wasn’t that big, but it had everything one needed. Ho-eun took a deep breath as he faced the numerous clothes, including Jeogori, skirts, and Durumagi. Then, as if possessed, he approached them. His eyes were sparkling like never before.
Ho-eun chose clothes without rest. At the same time, his mouth didn’t rest either. Tae-muk knew that Ho-eun wasn’t exactly a man of few words, but this was the first time he realized just how talkative he could be.
“I haven’t bought clothes myself very often, so I don’t know if I can choose well. I sometimes followed my mother when she went to get clothes made—oh, how about this yellow skirt? Jeong-i looks so good with a yellow Hair Tie. So, this yellow skirt will surely suit her well too.”
“…….”
“Hmm… I wish the silk was a bit thicker than this. I also want the Jeogori to be thick. It’s winter clothes after all… Oh, there are Beoseon here too. Since we’re buying, we should buy Beoseon too, right? Hmm… which one would be the warmest… It would be good to buy ones with different embroideries. So we don’t get them mixed up.”
“…….”
“Yes? Ah, are you the owner here? You have gloves too? Good. Show them to me. Ah… these look like the wind will easily seep through. Don’t you have any that are padded with cotton or made of fur? No, isn’t that a Nambawi? Yes, of course, I have to buy a Nambawi too. Show me all the colors you have.”
“…….”
“General, how about this? It’s for Jeong-woo… I’m most worried about Jeong-woo. He’s still young, so he’ll grow a lot in the future, but I can’t guess how much he’ll grow. What if he grows a hand span every year? How much extra size should I buy? But if I buy something too big, won’t he be uncomfortable? And his legs aren’t comfortable either… Hmm… I can’t help it. I’ll have to buy three sets so he can wear them differently each year. This one for now, this one for when he’s eight, and this one for when he’s nine.”
“…….”
“It would be nice if I could buy him new clothes every season, every year. Oh my, look at these Hair Ties. Aren’t they so pretty? I should buy each of the children a Hair Tie too. No, two would be good. It would be nice for them to choose a different one to wear depending on their mood. No, three would be good.”
Ho-eun acted as if he would buy all the clothes in the cloth shop. Yet, he didn’t ask about the price at all and only looked at the quality. He estimated the thickness, rubbed it with his palm, and pondered what would effectively block the winter wind.
The shop owner smiled so wide his mouth was about to tear at such Ho-eun. Tae-muk also smiled. It was a smile with only one corner of his mouth raised, but anyway.
Thus, Ho-eun showed an amazing talent for choosing eighteen Jeogori, ten skirts, four pairs of pants, fifteen Hair Ties, six pairs of gloves, nineteen pairs of Beoseon, and six Nambawi, all in different colors and sizes.
Tae-muk, who had been silent since entering the cloth shop, finally spoke for the first time.
“Why don’t you just buy the whole shop?”
It was said with sarcasm, but Ho-eun’s eyes sparkled as if it was a welcome suggestion.
“Can I do that?”
“…….”
Tae-muk was briefly speechless at the unexpected reaction, and Ho-eun continued with a serious expression.
“My brothers often buy necessary shops or buildings, but I’ve never bought a shop before.”
“…….”
“S, shall we try it this time?”
“…….”
Tae-muk turned his head without answering. He felt like he shouldn’t mix words any further. Ho-eun stared blankly at him, waiting for an answer, when the shop owner asked if he was going to pay. Ho-eun nodded.
The shop owner busily tapped on the abacus. There was so much to calculate that his fingertips turned red. Meanwhile, Ho-eun took out a silk pouch from his waist. But at the same time, he froze stiffly.
Because the pouch was… too light.
“…….”
A light pouch. It was an uncommon occurrence. No, it might have been the first time ever. But he wasn’t puzzled. It was because Ho-eun had spent it himself.
He had given a handful to the doctor at the Ramjae Town hospital and another handful as a thank-you to the house where he stayed overnight, so it was natural for the pouch to be thin.
But he was embarrassed. It seemed like this money wouldn’t be enough.
As Ho-eun only fiddled with the silk pouch without daring to open it, the shop owner, noticing something strange, pulled his chin in and looked at him.
“What’s wrong?”
His eyes, which had been gentle and kind all along, turned cold in an instant. Ho-eun swallowed hard. Then, he looked at Tae-muk with anxious eyes.
“Um… General.”
“What.”
“I… I don’t have enough money.”
“So.”
“Please lend me some money.”
“What?”
“I’ll pay you back when we return to the garrison.”
“…….”
“I’ll definitely, definitely pay you back.”
Ho-eun said pleadingly.
“…….”
But Tae-muk didn’t answer. Growing anxious, Ho-eun took a step closer to him and began to say things he hadn’t even been asked.
“A, as you may or may not know, I am a Choi from Gyeongju. The family owns tens of thousands of Pyeong of land, lives in the second largest house in Hanyang after Gyeongbok Palace, and the stable has horses…”
Ho-eun trailed off. It wasn’t because he forgot how many horses were at home. It was because Tae-muk’s eyes had become too cold. Startled, Ho-eun unknowingly bit his lower lip.
“So.”
Tae-muk said as if urging him to continue. At that, Ho-eun swallowed again and continued.
“It means I always pay back borrowed money. I, in fact, have never borrowed money before, but, um, anyway, I will never cheat you out of your money, General.”
“…….”
Tae-muk still didn’t answer. Ho-eun silently waited for his answer.
In the midst of the strange silence, the shop owner was looking at the two of them strangely.
That was because the young master in the jade-colored silk clothes looked much richer. The soldier, who looked not only fierce but also like a beast, didn’t seem rich enough to pay for all these clothes.
Not that he looked like a beggar, but, well, like a tiger, that is, a tiger is the beast of beasts, scary, and ferocious, but not rich. It was roughly that kind of feeling.
It was just when the shop owner was thinking that Tae-muk didn’t want to lend money not because he didn’t want to, but because he didn’t have any, that Tae-muk leaned his upper body diagonally towards Ho-eun.
“I have a lot of money too.”
“…….”
At those words, Ho-eun slowly blinked. Then, he retorted with a look as if asking why he was saying such an obvious thing.
“Of course. You are a General, after all.”
That was why he was trying to borrow money from Tae-muk. He knew that the salary of a General was not small. He didn’t know exactly how much he received, but it must be a considerable amount. He could buy a few of these clothes without any problem.
Tae-muk chuckled at Ho-eun’s brazen reaction. Then, he leaned his body further towards Ho-eun. He also gestured towards the pile of clothes.
“So, I mean, it’s okay if I don’t get back this small change from you.”
At Tae-muk’s words, Ho-eun nodded with a face that finally understood.
“Ah, that’s what you meant.”
He thought he knew why Tae-muk was angry. His pride was hurt. He was borrowing such small change, talking about paying it back… He was insensitive. Ho-eun, who had figured it out, understood, and agreed on his own, spoke clearly with his unique neat face.
“Then please give me some money.”
“……What?”
Tae-muk asked back as if he had misheard. But Ho-eun continued without paying attention.
“No, give me a lot. There are many things I want to buy.”
“…….”
Tae-muk, who was so dumbfounded that he lost his soul, was stiff, so Ho-eun urged him.
“Quickly.”
“Haa…….”
Tae-muk tilted his head back. This wasn’t the conversation he wanted. He was embarrassed because Ho-eun’s reaction was completely different from what he had expected.
What to do now. He had said with his own mouth that he had a lot of money, and he couldn’t say he didn’t want to give him money. If it was just extravagance, he would have scolded him, but he couldn’t ignore it because it was all warm and tender-hearted.
In the end, Tae-muk had to take out his pouch with a reluctant face. But before he could even open the pouch, Ho-eun took the whole pouch in one go. Then, he shook the pouch up and down, estimating the weight.
Soon, a subtle smile spread across his lips. He seemed to like the heavy and thick pouch very much.
Ho-eun opened the pouch and checked the densely packed bills with his own eyes. Then, he gave the shop owner a bright smile and said.
“Do you also sell Norigae here?”
Ho-eun came out of the cloth shop with an extremely satisfied face. The shop owner said he would deliver the purchased clothes to the inn. Ho-eun wrote the inn on the address line and carefully wrote Jeong-i’s name on the name line.
Ho-eun, imagining how surprised and happy the children would be to receive the surprise gift, finally couldn’t help but let out a thin laugh, hee hee.
“Are you that happy?”
Tae-muk, who was walking alongside him, asked. At that, Ho-eun nodded his head wildly.