Namesake II

Jin had been watching Nam Mu while he was eating and had assessed that the boy needed a lot of training before he could be 'presentable'. When Jin first laid eyes on Nam Mu, he had wondered for a few minutes as to what he could be. Nam Mu's looks were too ambiguous. He was too beautiful to be a boy but also too masculine to be a woman. Jin was wondering if they should cut Nam Mu's hair to make him more 'manly' when Mule came back with the new clothes. 'It can wait. Let's focus on this first. When they leave I should make a to-do list.' He thought by himself before standing up and examining the items. He was glad he had asked Mule to do it. Mule had gotten clothes that were not too new, making it more believable that Nam Mu had traveled for a few years before coming to the capital. Jin was wondering what kind of story he should think of. He also needed to find out if the royal examination was known in Goryeo. That would be a good task for Mule. After explaining each item and their origin to Nam Mu he sat down again.

"Alright. The royal exam is three months away. I think that is enough time to turn you into a young master. Before that I would like to ask if you want to change your style?" Nam Mu looked confused. Jin scratched his head making his hair look even wilder. "You... look neither male or female. Don't get me wrong. It's an asset we will keep but for now you might have..." Jin had just given an answer to his own question. "Never mind. You don't have to say anything." Nam Mu understood what Mr. Jin was trying to say. He had heard it many times before. Instead there was something more pressing than his looks. "Master Jin... I have a little money. What... I'm trying to ask myself, how do I repay..." Jin's hand went up, when he saw Nam Mu pull out a worn out pouch from his pockets. From the clicking sound Jin knew that there was practically nothing inside. "Put that sad looking pouch away. Ping will fix all that. You don't have to worry about money. All you need to focus on right now is becoming a young master and passing the exam." Nam Mu didn't say anything but he silently vow to repay Ping tenfold for everything.

Jin stood up again and walked to the door. "Mule! Come here." A few seconds later Mule came running to the door. "Nam Mu, this is Hoa Yu but everybody calls him Mule, because he is stubborn as one. He'll be your servant starting from today. He'll help you with everything you need. This will also help create your image as a young noble." Mule gave Wan Nam a bow, which he returned straight away. "No. no." Jin stopped him. "You don't bow to your servants." Nam Mu scratched his head. "But... Can't I just do it. I mean... I've been bowing for 17 years. I don't know if I can stop doing it in just a few days or months." Jin crossed his arms thinking about his words. "If I might say something. This might score him points with the palace. How many nobles do you know are willing to bow to their servants? It would show that he has compassion and empathy." Nam Mu’s eyes grew big.

He was shocked to hear Mule talk. Hearing Mule talked made him feel like he was standing inside a cave. Jin, used to Mule's voice, leaned back in the chair while tapping his fingernails against each other. "Indeed not a bad idea. Mule! You cunning fox." A big smile appeared on Jin's face. "Alright! We'll just make adjustments with each problem. Mule, for now take him to the washing bay." He turned to Nam Mu. "No respected noble would be walking around looking like this. Make sure you clean up." He turned back to Mule. "Then take him downtown. Let him meet people from Goryeo first. If you see that he needs anything, just buy it. Nam Mu, I'll see you tonight for dinner." He gave Nam Mu a big smile. "Young master... follow me." Mule grabbed some clothes and walked out the room. Nam Mu bowed to Jin before following Mule. With the door open he stopped. "I nearly forgot! I have to be back at Master's Ping sister's house for dinner." Jin gave Nam Mu a dismissive wave. "I'll take care of that. Now go. Have fun and try to blend in." Jin stared at Nam Mu's retreating back. What started a giggle soon turned into a burst of laughter. "Ping, you rascal! You haven't changed one bit. This is going to be so much fun.

Mule and Nam Mu walked toward the back of the guild building and entered a pebbled courtyard. "You'll probably be housed on the second or third floor over there. That building is called Lian. It means lotus. There are four other buildings like that." Mule pointed to a three story house on stilts. It was a bright red wooden house with a jet black tiled roof. "Each is named after a plant or flower and has their own colors. They housed the merchants who lived in the city and their families. There are also smaller houses for guests and travelers. They are on the other side." Mule pointed to an archway opposite where they were standing. "Master Jin will tell you tonight where you're staying. I'll show you around tomorrow... If we have time." Nam Mu's mouth fell open at the sight of the building. They slowly walked towards it. Giving Nam Mu the chance to study the house in detail.

You couldn't call it a house, it looked more like a mansion. It looked like it was made of woven bamboo, while the roof wasn't tilted but made of timber. Nam Mu was wondering how long it would have taken to build a three story woven house. Instead of going up the stairs, Mule led them under the house. Nam Mu was amazed by the sight and the heat coming from everywhere. The whole place was covered in a light mist. Upon looking closer Nam Mu could see that the mist was actuel steam. The steam came from hot springs underneath the building. Nam Mu squinted his eyes to see more but the steam made it difficult to see everything clearly. "Behind each wall are hot springs. Each spring is different.” Mule pointed at each different structure dotted around the grounds.

Nam Mu's brow knitted when he saw that there were indeed low walls under the house. Mule pointed further to the back where Nam Mu could just make out two walls. “And over there we have the cold springs but for now I would recommend this one." He pointed at the wall nearest to them. "The sand in the spring works as an exfoliate. You’ll find small round green pebbles in basins in the walls. Those are soap. You can use them to wash your hair. When you're finished you just have to pull the lever, that will clean and refresh the spring." He had no idea what Mule was talking about but walked towards the opening anyways. "Inside you'll find small rooms. You can undress there. Here are your clothes." He gave Nam Mu his new clothes and towels. "You can leave your old clothes and the towles inside the room. Someone will come and take them. I'll be waiting at the entrance for you. Take your time." Nam Mu stopped Mule from leaving. "What does exfoliate mean?" Mule blinked before laughing. Nam Mu felt shiffers down his spine. "You use the sand to clean yourself. You have to rub the sand over your body. Your body will become cleaner." Nam Mu nodded, finally understanding what Mule meant. "Any more questions?" Mule looked at him patiently but he shook his head. "No, thank you for explaining." They both bowed to each other.

Nam Mu walked towards the spring Mule had pointed at. Inside he found small rooms with benches. Each room had fabric covering the entrance. He walked into one of the rooms. He hesitated before putting his new clothes on the bench. He was wondering if he should pull the fabric but nobody was there. He decided to just undress. He gave his old clothes one more glance before leaving the room. He stood in front of the spring wondering how to get in. This was his first time being in a hot spring. When he dipped his feet in he was amazed to feel that the spring wasn't boiling but felt pleasantly warm. He slowly got in and waddled away from the edge, until the water up to his waist.

He submerged himself before grabbing a handful of sand. Nam Mu looked at the sand in his hand. It felt grainy but still soft. It had a bluish color to it and smelled faintly fruity. Nam Mu rubbed the sand over his body. He skipped his face, he wasn't sure if the sand was made to clean his face also. He decided to ask Mule later. After washing the sand off he noticed that his skin was indeed softer but also that the water had turned dark brown. He looked around and saw the pebbles Mule had talking about. He got out of the spring and grabbed 4 pebbles.

They felt like jelly and smelled like mint. He returned to the spring and began washing his hair. After rinsing his hair, he shuddered when he saw the water had turned black. He waddled out of the pool again to pull the lever. There was no mirror to see how clean he was. So he got back into the water and washed himself again and again until the water didn’t change color. After 30 minutes he finally got out of the spring and dried himself. He quickly got dressed and ran towards the entrance. “Sorry, I made you wait.” Mule looked up. His mouth fell open and a blush came across his chubby cheeks. “It’s... It's alright. By the way you looked before, I had expected that it would take much longer.”

Mule scanned Nam Mu up and down. Nodding with improvement. “You... You look really nice. Sit down.” It was now Nam Mu's turn to blush. It wasn't the first time he had heard those words but Mule's deep voice made him shy. Mule pointed to the chair in front of the gate. “This is called a Sangtugwan and this pin is called a Binyeo. Young master's usually have their hair in a top knot. I’ll do it for you now and tonight we’ll practice in front of a mirror but don't worry, you'll be able to do it yourself in a few weeks and I'm sure there will be servants who will help you dress when you enter the palace.

Both the sangtugwan and the binyeo were made of ivory and were adorned with dragons and phoenixes. Nam Mu felt cold sweet down his back. “It’s… Isn't it too expensive?” Mule gave a deep laugh but didn’t say anything. He walked around to stand behind Nam Mu. He braided Nam Mu's long hair before twisting it up, making a topknot bun. He tucked in a few lost strands before covering it with the sungtugwan. Afterwards he used the binyeo to hold it all together. Mule stood in front of Nam Mu again. He made an approving hum. “You look like a real young master.” Nam Mu smiled back feeling shy. “Alright. Let’s go to Shinwonmat.

It’s a populair tavern where people from Goryeo stay. We can get information about the land. Also Master Jin wants us to find out if there are more people participating in the exam. If not we need to come up with a story as to how you found out about the examination. Let's go!” Mule turned to walk out the gate. Nam Mu took a deep breath before following him. His training was officially starting.