The rooms were beautifully decorated, on the walls hung paintings of all sorts of flowers, the Jindallae being most prominent, the small shrub budding with pink flowers all over. Although it struck Dohyun for being a weird flower to base the name of the place off, the Jindallae was beautiful but was also poisonous.
The faint sound of music filled the air as the other women were playing their instruments outside for the practicing dancers. A while later, one of the ladies brought refreshments to their rooms, the scent of rose tea engulfed the room. The tea was mild and fruity, not quite to Dohyun's preference but somewhat similar to the kind he had at the palace.
He had never expected such a place to stop by on their way. With that, he soon fell asleep on the soft bed they had prepared for them. Sleep and fatigue taking over his being. The next thing he knew he was being slowly shaken by Jaeyong, "Dohyun, Dohyun-ah…" Blinking open his eyes, "Ah, what time is it hyung?"
"The celebration will start in a while, I can wake you up again then", he said.
"No, no it's alright, I guess I was just tired earlier", Dohyun said standing up, straightening out his robes. "Then, shall we join the rest outside?" he said with a smile.
Behind the house were long benches surrounding the area creating a large circle in the middle, some of the ladies were already positioning their instruments. Large lamps surrounded them making the area bright and vibrant, flowers grew everywhere and the overall sense of festivity consumed the atmosphere.
To the right sat Minhye, Byung Ho and the rest of the wonhwa; Dohyun and Jaeyong walked up to them taking their seats. As he neared them, the ladies seemed to be smiling more than usual, with pink blushes on their faces. When he finally got a clear look, he could tell why, they all had their hair done in pretty braids tied with ribbons at the bottom, their eyebrows were all neatly cleaned and subtle hints of makeup was on their faces. No wonder why.
Jaeyong also seemed to notice stopping for a second, his expression was more confused rather than in awe. "Jaeyong-ah, don't you think the kisaeng sisters did a good job? Come, come, look at us, don't you see any difference?" Ji Ah said.
"Uh… noona's look very nice", Jaeyong said, almost sounding forced to say so.
Just then, Moon Daseum walked out with four other men, "Dohyun-ssi, I'd like you to meet Yim Seojun, Ye Juni, and Jung Jiho. They're also our guests tonight, they always help us when we need things from the capital and they also scout for lost children on the streets and bring them here."
"Pleased to meet you", Dohyun said with a bow which the others returned.
Moon Daseum turned around, "I'll leave you guys to talk while we finish preparing things inside", she said with a smile, walking back in.
Yim Seojun and Ye Juni were both older men that seemed to be in their late forties, they both had long beards and dressed humbly with kind expressions on their faces. Jung Jiho was very much younger, around the age of Byung Ho and Minhye, like the other two, he harbored a kind smile on his face.
"Ah, this is Baek Jaeyong, Yang Minhye, and An Byung Ho", Dohyun siad introducing the three. "My companions", he added. They again exchanged bows, he then moved on to the wonhwa introducing them one by one, during their trip he took the chance to learn their names and the things they liked as well as their unique aspects.
"Jang Ji Ah, Eun Jin Kyung, Park Chung Hee, Park Hee Young, Kim Kang Dae, and Lee Kwan; we also travel to the same destination", he said to give them a bit of understanding why there were so many women.
Yim Seojun, "How is it you've come to Jindallae? Not many people know this place."
"We were lucky enough to have met Sam Mee Yon-ssi along the way, thanks to her we were able to rest well here for the meantime."
"Sam Mee Yon noona?" the younger boy Jung Ji Ho piped up, "Mee Yon noona is here?" he asked.
"Yes, do you happen to know Mee Yon-ssi from before?" Dohyun said to the wide eyed boy. He was also quite handsome compared to Minhye and Byung Ho, they all had distinct features, his was a pair of deep set eyes and confident posture.
"I do", Ji Ho said, looking for words to say, "By any chance is Seonghwa also here?" he said, his eyes glistening with curiosity.
Dohyun nodded his head, "Indeed, Seonghwa is also here, I believe he and Mee Yon-ssi will also be performing later; you must have known each other as children?"
"Yes, we were close as children since we all played around here and grew up here." Ji Ho said happily, taking a seat beside Byung Ho.
Dohyun smiled, "It seems Mee Yon-ssi and Seonghwa were highly appreciated here."
A few minutes later Moon Daseum walked out with a smile on her face, she looked more put together than earlier and wore a different dress as well. "Ladies and gentlemen, we celebrate this night as the founding day of our humble household as well as the eighteenth birthday of one of our ladies, Lee Jihyoo."
With that those in the audience clapped their hands as the ladies walked out in their charming dresses as they carried big fans in their hands.
Among them was Mee Yon, stunning as could be and Seonghwa, wearing the same dress as the others with his hair tied in braids like them as well. For some reason, he emitted a stronger aura than the others, his beauty overshining them. Those in the crowd watched in awe, Dohyun glanced once towards Minhye whose jaw was touching the ground once he realized it was actually Seonghwa.
"He- It's- Seo-", he mumbled to himself.
"It's him", Byung Ho confirmed, his voice calmer than the others but his eyes never left him.
"Beautiful", Jung Ji Ho said, just loud enough for them to barely hear.
Music started playing and so did the dance, the large fans combined together formed a flower, the way that and the way their dresses swayed in the air combined created a breathtaking effect.
They leaped and swirled like fawns and sparrows, one wouldn't even be able to tell that Mee Yon or Seonghwa hadn't danced like this in years; it seemed to be something memorized by the heart.
When the dancers connected to form the flower some disappeared to the back only to return to the front when the flower turned, the dance ended with Mee Yon being center in the back and Seonghwa being center in the middle, after the beat ended he opened his eyes.
Their ears and eyes were met with a standing ovation, the wonhwa seemed to have greatly enjoyed their performance, complimenting "Beautiful!", "Amazing!", and other shouts of awe.
The ladies bowed and accepted the applause, later they all proceeded to the seats and tables around as the rest began to serve dinner, Mee Yon and Seonghwa made their way to where Dohyun and the rest were seated. "Congratulations" Dohyun said, "You both performed beautifully."
Sam Mee Yon chuckled, "Now, now enough with the flattering."
"Seonghwa!" Jung Ji Ho said as he pulled the other into a hug, "Ji Ho hyung?" Seonghwa said, still confused.
"Yes! It's been so long, how have you been?" Ji Ho said, hugging him tighter. "I've been well hyung", Seonghwa replied, pulling out of the embrace. Ji Ho chuckled, "Aren't you going to ask me?" "I'm sure hyung has been well too", Seonghwa said with a smile.
Moon Daseum called out to them, "Let's continue the chatter here at the table, come everyone, dinner has been served."
Two long tables were prepared inside, the wonhwa and the other women all sat at one table, already carried away with laughter and giggling. Dohyun and the rest sat at the end of another table while the other guests occupied the opposite end. Mee Yon, Yim Seojun, and Ye Juni already seemed to be immersed in their conversation while Ji Ho caught up with Seonghwa.
Seeing them up close like this, it only seemed natural for Mee Yon to be leisurely conversing with others, all dolled up and adorned with various hair pins and accessories. And Seonghwa also seemed to be in his element, confident and unrestricted by other means.
Moon Daseum sat beside Yim Seojun as she batted her eyelashes and smiled at him as they talked; as usual, Minhye and Byung Ho were the silent ones, Minhye was still taking in the thought of Seonghwa crossdressing and Byung Ho was being his usual self, sitting bitterly at the side.
Dohyun only found it natural to converse with Jaeyong. As they all finished eating Moon Daseum excused herself from the table, Yim Seojun following shortly after. Ye Juni also returned to his room later on. Jung Ji Ah approached Jaeyong as she bowed and asked, "May we retire to our rooms for the night, the area is secluded and-"
"You may, only those who are welcome here would know the place, so don't worry and enjoy tonight", Jaeyong said.
Ji Ah gave a huge grin, "Thank you!" she said, returning to the group of women as they also proceeded to their rooms.
Jung Ji Ho suddenly brought over a small porcelain bottle of wine, "Would anyone care to drink? Seonghwa, you surely must, alright? I haven't had a chance to drink with you in forever", he said returning back to Seonghwa's side.
Dohyun smiled at the gesture but declined, "I'm sorry Jung Ji Ho-ssi, I'll have to decline your offer, we still have to travel tomorrow."
'Ohh, I guess it's just us then", Ji Ho said to the others.
Byung Ho suddenly stood up, "I'm… going on a walk", he said before walking out.
Dohyun and Seonghwa watched as he left before they were called back to converse. "Um, excuse me, Ji Ho-ssi, are there any ponds nearby?" Dohyun asked.
Ji Ho nodded his head, "There are quite a lot actually, you won't get lost outside because this place is surrounded by one big rock formation on all sides so feel free to wander around, there should be some pleasant areas to stroll by."
"Thank you", Dohyun said, now facing Jaeyong, "Hyung, I also feel like taking a walk, would you like to go with me?"
"Sure thing."