From what Cheon Sa had seen, the establishment didn't look anything like Ara described. If anything, it seemed refined, lavish, even. But he wasn't the type to judge by appearance alone. Perhaps the opulence was a necessary mask, a stage set to dazzle clients and stay ahead of competitors and
From what he could gather, the only establishment other houses seemed wary of was the House of Stories, a name he'd heard more than once since arriving in town.
He felt no curiosity toward the House of Stories. It was clearly just a Gibang, perhaps with performers skilled in leisure and charm, offering a safe and pleasant escape.
Ara gave him a subtle nod, her hand lifting in a graceful gesture that guided him toward the woman she referred to as Madam.
He stepped forward without hesitation.
He already knew what they wanted from him, entertainment, beauty, charm but he needed to hear it from the Madam herself.
There was something about her presence, a commanding air dressed in velvet and silence, that demanded caution if not reverence. But Cheon Sa did not bow easily.
He moved forward, one foot after the other, until he stood close enough for a direct conversation.
The woman who was introduced as the Madam didn't acknowledge him at first. Her attention went to Ara, to whom she gave a small, approving nod.
"A fine face indeed. And such piercing unique eyes," she said, narrowing her own with satisfaction. "Well done, Ara and Lady Sook..." Her gaze went over to the other woman. "..for bringing him in."
Cheon Sa noticed that the woman who brought him in was called Lady Sook and for the Madam to address her with the title Lady could only mean she held her in high regard.
"Thank you, Madam," Ara replied with a perfectly measured curtsy, flawless, practiced, hollow and sweet seductive voice resuming her usual role.
The other woman, Lady Sook stepped forward, silent until now. She positioned herself slightly to the side, ensuring the Madam could see her clearly. Then she began to sign, her hands moving with the fluid grace of someone long fluent in a second, silent language.
Cheon Sa understood instantly.
He recognized the signs. Understood every gesture. He had been taught long ago how to speak without words.
But now was not the time to reveal that.
Power rested in perception. And mystery, when wielded carefully, was a weapon far sharper than any blade. So he held his expression steady and watched as the real conversation unfolded between the supposed Madam and the silent interpreter. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. Though her back was to him and her hands mostly hidden, there was an odd precision to her movements, too controlled, too intentional.
"As you can see," said the Madam after watching Lady Sook sign for a moment, "this is an entertainment house. What do you think you can offer us?"
Cheon Sa's face was impassive. What a question to ask someone who had been sought out, dressed, and paraded in. "What do you think I can do?" he echoed, his eyes fixed on her. He didn't believe an establishment like this survived solely on good looks and soft voices.
He shifted his hand to the tassel dangling from his belt. With a flick of his finger, he let it fall. The tassel hit the floor softly, timed perfectly to when Lady Sook had resumed signing.
And just as it hit the ground, the Madam's eyes snapped to it. Then to him.
He bent down, calmly picked it up, and reattached it, fully aware that none of them realized the tassel had fallen by his design.
The Madam smiled tightly. "From your build and the fact that you're traveling with a friend, I'd guess at least one of you knows your way around a sword."
Embarking on a long journey without knowing how to fight or without someone to do the protecting would be a death wish.
"Exactly," Cheon Sa said, voice flat. Not the conversation he wanted, but he had already confirmed what he needed.
"What can you do to add to our establishment's prosperity, then, perhaps sword dancing?" she asked, her tone shifting with artificial gravity. "I've heard about the debt you and your friend owe me. Quite the sum, actually. So large, I doubt you could repay it in a month, even breaking your back with manual labor."
Cheon Sa raised an eyebrow. "Owe?"
"Yes," she replied sweetly. "The money Ara used to 'buy' you and your friend freedom from that tavern or inn, or whatever that building - was mine. A generous loan, you could say."
She leaned in slightly, her voice dropping to a soft blade. "Now, I'm not forcing you to work here. But it would be a shame to waste that face. In Jo's Town, beauty is currency. And that is what we sell at our Orchid Song Hall. If you stay and work with us, your debt will be forgiven. Your friend too, he'll have decent work. Guard, cook, server. You, however..."
She smiled.
"...will be paid handsomely. Double, if your presence draws popularity. And if you choose to sell your body? You'll be wealthier than you've ever dreamed. We are a safe house, and we let our workers choose their boundaries. Our clientele enjoys... variety."
Cheon Sa didn't flinch.
He wondered how many times she'd delivered this pitch. How many men and women had heard those exact words, offered like coins tossed at a beggar.
He tilted his head.
"If someone were kidnapped... where would they be taken?"
The Madam blinked, caught off-guard. Lady Sook quickly relayed the question, but Cheon Sa noticed something off about her movements. They weren't the gestures of interpretation anymore, something was wrong. She wasn't translating; she was instructing. And not in a suggestive or advisory way, but with the firmness of command.
He couldn't quite grasp the nature of their relationship, but it was clear the woman called Lady Sook was more than just an interpreter and certainly more than a senior maid. There was something else about her. Still, he didn't care who held the authority in the establishment, as long as he got what he wanted and found the answers he was looking for.
Cheon Sa kept his expression neutral, pretending he hadn't noticed. He had no intention of revealing that he understood the silent language.
The Madam hesitated before answering, her eyes flicking briefly to Lady Sook, who gave a subtle nod.
"Most people come here for work, for entertainment, or to live on the streets. Since the new Magistrate arrived, slave trading has been mostly eradicated, at least publicly. If someone is taken now, there's only one place they'd likely be sent... the capital, I will stop at that." She said as she took a deep breath.
"Why do you ask?"
Instead of replying, Cheon Sa said, "I want to make a proposal."
Lady Sook began to sign again, but Cheon Sa turned to her.
"Do you really need to do that?"
The room stilled.
It was already irritating - how the seated Madam pretended not only to be the solely one in charge, but also to be deaf. What were they hiding?
It was obvious they were waiting for him to speak. Lady Sook could have translated in real time, but she didn't. Instead, she waited, letting him speak first, then used the pause to issue instructions to the woman pretending to be in charge, disguising them as translations. Yet at that moment, her hands were still, her gaze fixed on him, as if trying to gauge whether he had noticed the subtle shift in roles.
He took a slow breath and said, "When the tassel fell, the sound made you turned which is impossible if you're really deaf." he should at least get rid of the interpreting that prolong their discussion
"Eh?." Ara blinked, her composure flickering like she doesn't understand what was going on.
Cheon Sa assumed Ara was in on it too, since she was in the room with them. But judging by her expression, it seemed she had no idea the woman called the Madam wasn't actually deaf.
"Ara," said the Madam calmly, "you may leave us."
With a confused glance between Ara to Lady Sook, she dipped into a practiced bow and exited, silent as a breath.
"That couldn't have given it away when it's normal for the eye to catch a movement, what gave it away?"
"You reacted to sound," Cheon Sa said plainly. He already guessed before his tassle test but he wasn't about to explain that and when the madam turned due to the tassle there was no way she could have caught his movement unless she heard it.
She smiled. A real one, thin and sharp. "Go on, then. What's your proposal?" She didn't deny or confirm it.
Cheon Sa could tell they had no idea he'd already seen through their act. Now, he was curious - how would the seated Madam manage without her silent instructor guiding her? He needed Sook to stay silent - just this once - and let the Madam make her own decisions about what he was about to say. If she was going to keep up the act, she should at least be convincing enough for their thinking to align seamlessly.
"I want to represent Orchid Song Hall in the upcoming competition. The one that selects who goes to the capital for the High Season."
Silence.
Then laughter, sharp, incredulous laughter that filled the chamber and echoed off its walls. But Lady Sook wasn't laughing. And the moment the Madam noticed, her laughter died in her throat.
"You think that face and body will get you there?" she said firmly. "Do you even understand the High Season? I've trained girls for years...years. Not one has ever passed. Not one. And you, a stray dressed in silk, believe you can do it?"
"It's been my dream," she said softly. "To see someone from Orchid Song Hall walk the grand capital. But it won't be you."
"It will," Cheon Sa replied with quiet certainty. "I'll win. I'll take your name to the capital. Make Orchid Song Hall the most talked-about entertainment house in the realm."
He stepped closer, his tone cool and unshakable.
"And in return, I want to be paid not just handsomely, but enough to secure a life for myself and my friend in the capital. Permanently."
The sole purpose for the winners from the Gibang was to travel to the capital during the high season to perform - an opportunity that would surely attract large crowds eager for entertainment. With so many visitors flocking to the city, the promise of exposure and profit made the offer all the more tempting.
She studied him.
"And why," she asked finally, "do you think you have what it takes?"
"Because I can dance better, sing better, and play the zither better than anyone you've trained."
He didn't mention he could play every instrument known. It would be nothing but a pain for them to bring every instrument available and let him play each one just to see the one he excelled in most.
"It seems you have no idea what this competition truly involves. Even if you could do that, it's impossible because you're a....."
"Madam, let us allow him to try," Lady Sook interupted quietly. Without waiting for a reply, she turned to the tall wardrobe tucked into the corner of the room. With deliberate care, she opened its lacquered doors and retrieved a zither - a large, elegant instrument with a gleaming, dark wood body and strings that caught the light like threads of silver. She carried it with both hands, reverently, and set it gently on the floor before Cheon Sa.
"We'd like to see everything you claim you can do. Sing, dance, and play the zither," Lady Sook said sharply. "Better if you sing in a feminine voice but that is impossible but if you play the zither well and dance well.. then."
Cheon Sa could tell she had likely grown tired of letting the Madam speak for everyone. Now, she had decided to take matters into her own hands but he couldn't help but notice how she ended her sentence abruptly.
He didn't say a word, he simply lowered himself onto the floor with quiet grace, settling in as if this was his rightful place. His hands moved instinctively, familiar with every curve of the instrument, every nuance of sound it could offer. He positioned it with precision, adjusted the tilt, and let his fingers hover just above the strings for a moment. It had been years since he last played.
The Madam gestured to Lady Sook to close the windows because they weren't about to allow any unpleasant zither sound to leave the room and spoil their reputation.