Ho-Orabeoni's visits became a regular occurrence over the next couple of years. Every year he escaped the capital to come to stay in the countryside for a dozen days, sometimes more, informing the old master well ahead of his arrival.
The young lord became their favourite topic of discussion for Soo-Ah, and she would be over-excited whenever he announced his visit. The experience of getting to know a stranger, as caring as he was, helped her put aside her fears about being ushered to a husband's home one day. A stranger could become a beloved friend, after all. She was not yet convinced to leave her childhood home, but at least Jung-In squeezed nothing from her with his teasing.
Ho-Orabeoni's arrival became Soo-Ah's boundless joy, his departure, the source of Jung-In's questionable deal with the gods that the Young Master may never return again.
Every time Ho-Orabeoni left, Jung-In dared hope to forget he existed. And every time his hopes went "Poof!" like smoke in the air because Soo-Ah made out of their occasional visitor a perpetual presence, in reminiscence and constant blabber.
Whenever Ho-Orabeoni visited though, Jung-In curtailed his resentment. The man's aura was too entrancing to be denied. Not to mention his refined gifts. The second time he came to visit, the young master brought him a pair of leather boots, painted black, with a patterned toe, like the ones Master Min-Jun wore on occasion.
On another occasion, Jung-In was gifted precious fabric, the like of which he might have never set his grubby hands on. But he had no patience to wait for it to be fashioned into an outer jacket. He used it as it was, draping it around himself. Paired with his new boots, he strutted in the courtyard, under Soo-Ah's nose, bragging about how he would one day buy such fineries. And because he had such a big heart, he was even willing to buy Soo-Ah a gift of two, but only if she would be forever nice to him and lavish him in gratitude.
Soo-Ah stomped her feet on his hopes, reminding him those things he soiled through the dirt were only afforded to nobles. "No matter how many coins are in your pocket, you are not a True Bone and merchants will never sell you such things," she ended, her chin rising heavenwards, proud to be the keeper of such knowledge.
Jung-In smirked. "And neither are you, but you have expensive clothes that you never wear and one day I will have them too."
Soo-Ah impaled him with a bashful stare and went inside, looking for her grandfather. There was an eagerness to keep him company lately; finding out if any of Ho-Orabeoni's letters had arrived. Sometimes she asked Min-Jun to read the older ones, over and over, like a chant in a religious rite of remembrance.
He read and she trailed the characters on the letters with her finger. Not long after Pretty soon she started to recognize them. Until Min-Jun decided to go against tradition. He had done it in the past for he was a teacher and a fine one at that. He would make a literate woman out of his granddaughter.
Jung-In came after Soo-Ah, first curious about where she was disappearing. He remained listening in on their talks, first just outside the room, then by the door, then slowly making his way inside, until the old master decided to do things properly.
Planning out their lessons implied the children ended up with a more organized day, with not so much free time on their hands, nor too many crazy ideas in their bubbleheads. The days around the manor slowly became quieter.
Their official teaching sessions began with a small house ceremony where they were each gifted with a set of writing brushes, a bamboo ruler containing texts from the Book of Great Learning and a couple of notebooks waiting to be inked in their first attempts at writing. Master Min-Jun also graciously shared his ink stick and inkstone with them, promising to give one each if they proved worthy.
The main sitting area was transformed from breakfast to lunch into a classroom. Soo-Ah and Jung-In took their places at the table, next to each other and absorbed everything Master Min-Jun was telling them, their proud expressions, exuding self-importance. Ha-Rin Noona burst into laughter every time she passed by and saw their smug faces.
After learning the symbols used in writing and the numbers, the old master brought out the priceless abacus, turning the classes into an unforgettable event. Jung-In was the first to learn how to use it, attracting Min-Jun's vocal appreciation.
"I must say Jung-In, I am most impressed. Well, done my boy. You have a talent for calligraphy as well." Min-Jun added when passing by his bench, patting the boy's head, something he had begun doing quite often lately.
Soo-Ah looked at Jung-In's pages, then at her own and pouted. She threw the brush, pushed herself from the table and ran out of the room.
Jung-In had been showing a lot of talent when it came to taking in and applying the teachings of her grandfather. Such talent made the Old Master give praise to the young lad, much too often for Soo-Ah's taste. Obviously, Jung-In took this praise to heart since he ended up bragging about how smart he was compared to Soo-Ah, and how his wit made him always right in their disagreements. And this strained the relationship between them. Slowly envy replaced a part of the affection Soo-Ah had for him.
Feeling overshadowed in her grandfather's eyes became overbearing for the little girl. And Jung-In's obnoxious attitude added to her frustrations. The only means she had to protest against the boy's achievements, her grandfather's compliments, and her miserly fate to remain behind Jung-In, was to sulk in a corner somewhere.
There was no dealing with Soo-Ah when she was in one of her moody dispositions, especially one triggered by that knucklehead Jung-In.
Jung-In saw the rift between him and Soo-Ah growing wider. And he could not understand what he did wrong. She no longer responded to his jokes like she used to, no longer laughing like a silly girl until she understood the joke was on her, no longer yelling and cashing him around. He even missed her threats.
How he tried to go back to the way they were so he hatched a plan. With the nightfall and his big plot being set into motion he lurked around her room, waiting for Soo-Ah to go to sleep.
After she just had a bath, Soo-Ah went to bed, ignorant of Jung-In's plan but watching him with suspicion as he made himself busy near her room, although it was their curfew. She gave him the eye and slammed her door behind her. After Ha-Rin came to brush her hair and help her change she got comfortably tucked in bed. Ha-Rin left with the usual good night greeting and prayers for good fortune.
As she leaned to put out the lights, the last serious discussion she had with her grandfather was still playing in her head. Suddenly, she felt something cold creeping over her hand under the covers. She recoiled from the sensation and watched in horror how the sheet moved by itself.
A pair of antennas menacingly swung their way from under it, followed by a dark green head with two glossy marbles, big enough that Soo-Ah could swear she saw her reflection in them. Her eyes grew wide with horror as the insect crawled closer. She could not contain the girlish scream that came out, at a high-pitched volume.
"There is something in my bed! Help, grandpa!" Soo-Ah jumped quickly from the bed straight to the door.
With tiny hairs sticking up everywhere on her head and a comical look of horror on her face, Jung-In forgot all about his chivalrous intent. The image was too whimsical not to allow himself to laugh his heart out.
Finding Jung-In still where she had last seen him, Soo-Ah screeched, "Jung-In-ah! It was you! You did that, didn't you?!" she accused him, pointing her finger straight at Jung-In's nose, then at the evidence crawling on her bed.
Being accused was not in his plans. "I do not know what you are talking about," he shrugged his shoulders. He could not keep his seriousness for long though. "Oh, you should see your face. Pu-ha ha!"
"Stop laughing like an idiot! I am talking about that huge bug in my bed."
"Oh, no!" the boy mocked. "Are you scared by a huge bug in your bed? I thought you usually looked like this when you go to sleep – Pu-ha ha-ha!" Forget playing the hero. The urge to tease her coursed through his veins as naturally as his own blood. He missed having her react to his jokes. It meant they were effective. It meant he had a partner once again.
With all their commotion, the old master exited his room, expecting the worst when it came to those two, "So much uproar so late at night. Why aren't you two sleeping?"
"Grandpa, Brother Jung-In put something in my bed to make fun of me," Soo-Ah whined, shrugging and dancing with her feet, grossed out by the thought.
"Why am I to blame if some grasshopper jumps into Sister Soo-Ah's bed?" asked Jung-In, feigning innocence.
"Aha! I never told you it was a grasshopper, so it really was you! Grandpa, please take that thing out. I am afraid to go back to sleep," pleaded the girl.
Her grandfather slammed his hand over his face and looked at the heavens. "Only the Venerable Lord Tao knows what pranks Jung-In is trying to pull, but I do not want my granddaughter to fear a simple insect. Let us see what this is all about. I will deal with you later, Jung-In," he said in a serious tone, which made Jung-In swallow hard.
Master Min-Jun caught the grasshopper in his palms and gestured for Soo-Ah to come closer. She shimmied along the wall, looking more scared than the chickens coming face to face with a fox in their coop.
Her grandfather sat on the bed and patted the mattress for Soo-Ah to take her place next to him. "I understand how we can be afraid of what we do not know. Or of the things we know to be dangerous. But why fear a grasshopper? Come, let's get to know him together." His gentle hands showed her the insect, sitting placidly in his palm. "These are his legs. The bigger ones at the back are what he uses for his jumps. Do you remember how they leap from leaf to leaf? And these are the antennas he uses to feel the world around him." He sighed, "Child, understanding is the first step to conquering your fears. And remember, when you show someone that you are afraid of something, you give them power over you."
Her grandfather was indeed wise. He painted a new perspective and Soo-Ah stopped scrunching her nose at the insect.
"Right now, Jung-In found out you are afraid of grasshoppers, and he might use this to tease you again. Do you want to allow him to continue, or do you want to overcome your fear?"
"I do not want to be scared anymore," replied Soo-Ah firmly, bitter about always being the boy's target for pranks and silly jokes.
"Why don't you make this grasshopper your friend? I have something that could help with this."
Taking the insect with him, Min-Jun went out of the room. When he returned, in his hand he had the beautiful carved wooden box where he used to stack his old letters. He placed the grasshopper inside and handed the box to the girl asking, "You decide. Either let go of your fears and keep the grasshopper as your friend, or you keep your fears. What does this say?" he pointed to her heart.
"I do not want to let go of my friends, grandfather." She nodded once to reinforce her decision and reached for the box with shaking hands. "I will call him Pow-Pow. Yes, Pow-Pow the grasshopper."
"You choose wisely, my child," he praised her earnestly, making Soo-Ah boast. She was sure this was the first time she had been called wise.
"Now you can go to sleep," and Min-Jun kissed the girl goodnight.
Soo-Ah placed the box on a table near the window, the farthest place possible from her bed. Most of the night she spent waking up and watching over Pow-Pow, in fear it would escape and come to torment her again. This is how she learned letting go of her fears was not as easily done as deciding to let go of her fears. And, like everything else in life, it was yet another aspect that would require her to practice.
Soo-Ah also had to practice forgiveness.