Yoon Shik and Hani reached the market place. For the first time, they got to see a market. The colored clothes with flower patterns encircled around the two poles at the market entrance. There were many shops in the market. Yoon Shik was holding his sister's hand tightly so walked inside the entrance. The sellers were shouting about their goods so that people could buy things from them in the market.
Some small sellers had placed the goods on a small wooden table while the big merchants have a fully furnished shop. Rare beads shops, antique shops; clothes shops, dress shops, small and big restaurants; jewels shops, etc could be seen in the market. Every shop was full of people purchasing things from there.
There were separate shops for upperclassmen too where rare varieties of clothes, jewels, shoes, etc were being sold. Both the kids seeing such a big market place got excited and happy as they wanted to explore more.
As they walked ahead, Hani stopped before a small cart, on which women's accessories can be seen. She took a bracelet in her hand. Showing the bracelet to her brother she said, "Orabani (brother), I want this. It's pretty." The seller looked at Yoon Shik and said, "buy it. I'll give it at a lower rate."
Yoon Shik took the bracelet from Hani's hand and put it in its place. Turning to the seller Yoon muttered, " Ahjussi (uncle) I don't have money right now. Maybe later." Saying this he held Hani's hand and they left from there.
"Orabani, Orabani I want that bracelet," insisted Hani and got teary-eyed. Yoon Shik turned to Hani and promised her that he would give that bracelet to her on her upcoming birthday. Hearing this Hani became happy and smiled.
They both came out of the market and started walking on the pavement which was quite cleaner than the rest of the streets. There was a huge official building which was the 'Office of Justice'. The people who were walking across the officiated building stood sideways with their bowed heads. Yoon Shik turned his head to look back and saw a palanquin, carried by four people and followed by some guards, coming in that direction.
Yoon Shik kept his gaze intact on an open palanquin that is without roof, (seems like a chair) when an old man whispered. "Hey kid, bow your head down. He's the minister of Law." Hearing that Hani instantly bowed her head while Kim Yoon Shik didn't bow his head. He was curious to know how people could bow before a person. The minister stepped down the palanquin and started walking towards the officiated building.
The old man made Yoon Shik's head bow before the minister could see him. The minister passed across Yoon Shik when Yoon Shik looked at him, slightly raising his head. He glanced at the kid but didn't say anything and walked inside the office. The people got dispersed once the minister walked inside the Justice Department.
Yoon Shik who was holding his sister's hand ran behind the old man. "Ahjussi, ahjussi," shouted Yoon Shik. The old man stopped and turned to him. "What happened?" asked the old man.
"Ahjussi, I want to ask something from you. How can people bow before him?" asked Yoon Shik with curiosity.
"Because he's the top bureaucrat of this kingdom, the Minister of Law. To show our respect to him we bow before him," stated the old man.
"Can I be like him?" asked Yoon Shik with a glow in his eyes. Hearing this the old man started laughing loudly. Yoon Shik looked at him confusedly. Controlling his laughter he looked at the boy and said, "only a yangban (upper class) can reach there. We can't be there, kid." Saying this the old man walked away. Hani looked at her brother and asked him why he was asking about this. Yoon didn't say anything and left from there with her.
Walking through many streets, crossing small huts, fields, gardens, small playgrounds they both reached the Yangban class residential area. The trees on one side of the pavement were giving a spectacular view of that region. Kids were playing on the left side of the pavement on a huge ground that has green grass all over it.
Yoon Shik observed that the houses on the right side were also different - Big houses, two guards standing outside those big house entrances. Those houses have broad walls on both sides depicting that the Yangbans live in quite spacious places, isolated from the city's noise with cleanliness in the entire region.
Yoon Shik raised his head to look inside one of the houses and found a huge balcony in front of the houses. Many servants were going here & there in that house along with maids. The guard standing outside the house looked at Yoon and said, "Go away from here. You aren't allowed in this region."
Unable to understand, Yoon Shik was going to ask about this when Hani released his hand and ran towards the ground where many kids were playing. Yoon Shik ran after her and shouted, "Hani, this place isn't for us." But Hani didn't listen to him and kept on running. Seeing a girl coming towards their direction several kids looked at her.
Hani stopped before them and looked at the beautiful kites in their hands. "I also want to play," said Hani to the kids there with her innocent eyes. Among the kids, a boy came forward who was the same age as Yoon Shik.
"Who are you kid?" asked the boy in silk robes.
Hani didn't say anything and tried to grab the kite from him. But before she could she was pushed by the boy and fell on the ground.
"Hani...," shouted Yoon. He helped her get up and asked her whether she was fine. Yoon became angry seeing her sister's bruised hand. He went to the boy and grabbed his robes to throw a punch on him when a guard came there and held him tightly. "Leave me," screamed Yoon Shik.
The boy glared at Yoon Shik. He looked at him thoroughly from head to toe. "Judging by your clothes it seems that you're a low class(Sangmin). Did you not know that you can't touch an upper-classman son? You can't even step the foot in this residential area," asserted the boy and then grabbed Yoon's robes.
Yoon Shik was giving a deadly glare to the boy but he was caught by the guard so he wasn't able to do anything.
"Sung Tae, leave them. They're just kids," said the other boy among them.
"Yeong-aa you're saying right. Moreover, I shouldn't touch a low class and impure myself," said Sung Tae. He gestured to the guard to let them go.
"How dare you say to me that I'm a low class," yelled Yoon Shik at Sung Tae.
"What?? Then what are you? Look at your clothes, dull faces, and your shoes. Isn't it obvious that you're a low class," mumbled Sung Tae and glared at Yoon. Yoon looked at them and indeed the kids there were completely different from him in the dressing style. Their attire depicted that they were from some rich families.
Hani held her brother's hand tightly as this was frightening for her. "Orabani" whispered Hani. Yoon looked at Hani and understood that her sister was scared by all this. He was ready to leave with her when Sung Tae said, "Hey, do not ever come to this place. This place is not for the low class. Consider yourself lucky that you are not caught by any soldier here else it would have been an end for both of you." He was smirking at them.
Hani hid behind her brother. Yoon glared at him and walked away from there holding Hani's hand.
As they were walking Hnai questioned Yoon. "Orabani, are we low born?" asked Hani while following her brother's steps.
"We ain't lowly. The boy called us low class is actually of low mind," stated Yoon, and walked towards the home.
"Eomma," shouted Yoon as soon as he entered his small house with Hani.
"Oh! You both have returned early," said Yooki and stopped working. She sat on the bench there.
"Where's eomma?" asked Yoon and took water from the earthen pot there. He gave water to her sister first and then drank himself.
"She has gone to the fields," answered Yooki and made Hani sit on the bench.
"Grandma, I want to study," said Yoon. There was a different glow in his eyes and he looked determined.
"That's great but we low class can't study," said the grandma and caressed Hani's head lovingly.
"A low class?" murmured Yoon Shik.
"We are from a peasant family so, we have a low status in the society," stated Yooki and then got up from the bench. She checked the dried grains and then walked inside the kitchen.
Yoon Shik felt bad hearing about this. He has made up his mind already to be an official and minister like him. He wants to be a scholar who can be respected by everyone and who will be known for his good deeds.
"Grandma, I'm going out. I'll see you in the evening," saying this, Yoon Shik left the house. "I want to be a scholar," murmured Yoon Shik as he walking.