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The Rise of a Scholar

"Why should I bow before that man?" asked a kid. "He's a top aristocrat of this kingdom. Kid, we're low class-men, born in lower class families. That's why we have to bow before him," answered the man. The kid became curious to know more. "Can I be like him? I also want to be respected by people," the kid said with an affirmed tone. The man started laughing hearing the kid's talks. "Hahaha. You're good in joking, kid. A low-class can't become a Scholar like them," stated the man and walked away. Determined to become a Scholar like the man described, the kid named Kim Yoon Shik decided to become a respected Scholar like the one he saw on the very first day in the Kingdom capital city. Lost his mother & father; pushed away his lover, the protagonist Kim Yoon Shik negotiated all the difficulties in his path and finally achieved the dream that he had seen in his childhood. ~~~~~~~~ Cover photo is taken from Pinterest so the copyrights are owned by its owner. The editing is done by me.

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58 Chs

Don't ever come near Sungkyunkwan

"Stop now. Your hand is bleeding. The wound will be deepened and you might lose your hand," Cheung Shin asserted. Yoon Shik put down his hands and then put the bow on the table there.

"I am grateful to you for teaching me this. This is my first time seeing a teacher working upon me," said Yoon Shik with a lowered head.

"You don't need to bow," Cheung Shin stated with a displeased look. "Go to your dormitory. It is late and give rest to that hand for sometime," he added. Yoon Shik gave a nod and walked away. He came to his room and quietly went to the bed.

In the morning, one loud drum beat was heard and all the disciples in the academy woke up. After doing their morning business some went to the library while some stayed in the academy only. Since the day was a laundry day, so there would be no classes. Yoon Shik on the other hand went to the nearby stream with a few servants where he had to wash the clothes.

Do Yeong and Park Sunwo tried going with him but were stopped by an instructor named Changuel. "No one is allowed there today except Yoon Shik. Please return back to your dorms," asserted Changuel. They both looked at each other and went back.

"What now? He has to wash that many clothes himself! We should have stopped him that day," Sunwo muttered as they kept walking towards Eastern dormitory. "I am going out. Do you want to come?" Sunwo asked Do Yeong.

"No, I will not. I have to complete essays for tomorrow's classes. Moreover, I think Yoon Shik might need help," Do Yeong proclaimed.

"We can't help him. If we tried to then, we can get punished." Sunwo worriedly said and moved his fan near his right face. "This scorching heat!!" he mumbled. "Okay, I am leaving. I have heard that the famous Kisaeng (Courtesan) beauty has returned to the capital and I must meet her," stated Sunwo with a smile and closed the fan.

"Come with me. You will have fun. Don't worry about Yoon Shik. Let him grow," said Sunwo to Yeong who agreed with him. As they walked past the gate, they saw some ten people were going inside Sungkyunkwan when his eyes fell on Jangmi. "New books have arrived?" Sunwo asked him.

Jangmi greeted the both. "Yes, young masters. The policies and laws are changing with time so, they are also incorporated this time." Jangmi told them. Do Yeong's eyes fell on a man who was hiding his face by putting his palm at his face.

"We have got so much to study," murmured Sunwo. Jangmi told his men to follow him. Those men followed Jangmi when Do Yeong pulled the man behind who was hiding his face from him.

Sunwo was startled by it so was the man. Clearing his throat, the man told him to leave his hand to Do Yeong who was smiling at him. Dae Jung on the other hand walked inside but did not find Hani behind him. He panicked and looked around when Jangmi shouted at him. "Where is this girl left?" Dae Jung muttered, panicking.

"Do Yeong, what happened?" Sunwo asked him and he looked at the man's face. He started laughing seeing the face when Do Yeong started walking down the stairs along with that man. Sunwo too followed them, after controlling his laughter.

They kept walking till they were quite far from Sungkyunkwan. "Yeong, this way," said Sunwo and they turned left. "Leave my hand," the man growled at Yeong who told him to stop taking out that voice. Sunwo on the other hand was laughing looking at his face. They reached a place where several houses were made but the place was isolated.

They went inside one of the room when Sunwo closed the door behind him. Yeong left the person's hand.

"Hani, may I ask what are you doing here? You were going to enter Sungkyunkwan," Do Yeong muttered in anger.

"So? I want to meet orabani," Hani told him when Sunwo hit her forehead from his fan. "It is not your house where you can come and go anytime you like to. This is Sungkyunkwan where women entry is prohibited," asserted Sunwo.

"But I am a girl," Hani said back.

"What?" Sunwo chuckled. "Your joke was not good at all. Did I not tell you not to raise any kind of problem for Yoon Shik? And what is this you have put on your face? Anyone would look at you be suspicious of you," Sunwo scolded Hani.

"Why are you scolding me?" Hani shouted at him when Sunwo grabbed her ear and twisted it lightly. "Hani, your orabani treats you like a flower but I won't. Instead of Yoon Shik, I, as your elder brother will make you understand today," Sunwo stated and pinched her earlobe.

"Ahh, leave me. You are hurting me," Hani loudly said when Yeong told Sunwo to not do that. Sunwo released her earlobe and stepped back.

"Yoon Shik is doing good. Do not worry about him and don't ever come near Sungkyunkwan. That place is strictly prohibited the entry of women. I will be honest with you. Your brother might have not told you many things because he does not his sister to see the world a bad place but it is not good either. If you have entered there today then you would not have been punished but it was Yoon Shik who might have been punished.

You see, he has worked hard to reach till here. Do not spill water on his hard work. You know better than us the miseries he have gone through. Another important thing I would like to tell you is that don't create fuss or argue with people especially men. You are a grown woman and men eyes on women always. That day you fight with an upper-class men which is not good at all. The country's law did not punish the upper ones but the ones who are powerless." Do Yeong explained her everything.

Hani lowered her eyes. "I miss Orabani. I did not know he has to bear all this," Hani said in a low voice.

"It is fine. Just don't put yourself in trouble. Yangbans just want a chance to throw Yoon Shik out of the academy. Don't let them take that chance through you. Even Yoon Shik misses you but he believes his sister will wait for him. We also miss home and people close to us but it does not mean that we will break rule," Do Yeong pronounced.

Hani nodded her head. "We are waiting for you outside. Wipe off your face," Do Yeong stated and walked out of the room.

"Yoon Shik wants to be a prestigious man in the kingdom so aid him in every possible way instead of becoming an obstruction. Yesterday when you fought with the Yangban, you were lucky to have me nearby but every man isn't same. Even if you are a girl they will going to punish you. Clean your face and then come out," Sunwo stated and walked out.

Sunwo stood beside Yeong. "Yoon's sister is a troublemaker. Luckily, you saw her," Sunwo said.

"Else Yoon would have received more severe punishment this time," Yeong asserted. Sunwo hummed when they heard the sound of opening of door. They both turned and saw Hani had cleaned her face.

"Let's go," said Yeong and started walking. Sunwo and Yeong followed him. After walking for a few meters, Hani asked, "Why is my orabani not here? Why do you people always come out of Sungkyunkwan? Is he not allowed to go out?"

"He has some work to do. He can go out as well but he mostly spends time in library. Things are not as easy as it seems. He needs to put more efforts than us in the academy," Sunwo proclaimed.

Hani gave a nod. "Orabani is doing this to give justice to our late mother and grandmother. He wants to punish the landlord who threw me to the Kisaeng house when I was little," Hani said.

Yeong and Sunwo both halted at their places. "You were thrown to Kisaeng house?" Yeong asked her.

"Yes. The day my mother and grandmother died, the landlord of the village sent his two men for taking me away. From there he sent me to Kisaeng house. But a gentleman helped us. That day was the darkest day of our life. That day I decided to not afraid of men and trained myself with Orabani. I am enough to handle men around me but I never thought that Orabani might get a punishment because of my recklessness," Hani asserted.

"No such thing will ever happen again. Yoon Shik has reached a position where even a Yangban will think before harming his family but many of those don't know he has a sister also. So, Just do not let yourself get into a trouble," Yeong told her. Hani gave a nod and smiled.