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Beom Sook’s eyes found Ni Na’s later that afternoon as he returned to the orphan house with his mother.  The young woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Lady Lee!” she gasped as she rushed forward to greet the older woman.  “I didn’t know that you were joining us for dinner!”

“Have you enough food, my dear?” that kind lady queried with a smile.  “You have so many mouths to feed now.”

“Of course, we will always have room for you, my lady!” Ni Na beamed at her.

“Oh, my dear.  You are such a darling!”  That noble lady embraced her as her eyes connected with her son’s.  Giving him a private lecture.

He refrained from rolling his eyes and turned aside to say hello to Ae Ri.  “Are the children still sleeping?”

Ae Ri tittered.  “Hardly.  They’re all running around out back.  Full of energy is that troop.  I don’t envy the two of you,” she glanced at her best friend, “trying to keep up with all of them in a classroom each day.  You’re going to have your hands full with those boys, my lord.”

“Am I now?” he asked in an amused tone.  He narrowed his eyes at her.  “What are you, seventeen?”

“Aye, my lord,” she bobbed her head.

“Ah, you must think me ancient then,” he scoffed.

“Hardly,” she giggled.

He glanced at her sharply.  Wondering what on earth that was supposed to mean?

She smiled up at the dashingly handsome man and sighed.  Lord Han was even more beautiful than Lord Lee.  But despite their engagement, she hadn’t seen him in ages.  And even when she had, it had been clear that she meant very little to him.  She feared a marriage to him.  Instinctively knowing that it would be the sheerest kind of torture to be in love with a husband who was indifferent to her.  Of course, right now, he was immersed in hwarang training.  She was beginning to think that his duties to the king might always steal him from her.

Lee Beom Sook stared at the young girl.  Her face had suddenly become bogged down by a thundercloud.  He wondered what was bothering her.

“Are you all right, Miss Sung?”

“Hmm?”  She glanced up at him while his mother chattered with her friend.  “Oh,” she pasted a fake smile on her face, “yes, I am perfectly all right.”

He frowned at her.  “I hardly think that that is true,” he murmured.

Alarmed by his perspicacity, she opened her eyes wide as she peered up at him.  She sighed and stood up before crossing the room to stare out the window.  Curious, he followed her.

“What is it?”

She turned to gaze up at him, “I am engaged to be married.”

“Are you?”  His eyebrows bounced up.  “Congratulations.”

“Hardly,” she whispered.

“What’s wrong?  An arranged marriage, I suppose?  You don’t like the gentleman?”

She shook her head.  “No.  My problem is the opposite.  The gentleman has no fondness for me.  But I cannot say the same of myself.”

Ah.

“You love him?”

She nodded as tears sprang to her eyes.  “What am I to do?  How horrible must it be to be married to a man who is indifferent to one?” she whispered.

A deep valley popped up between his midnight eyebrows.  “Are you absolutely certain that he is indifferent to you?”

Her head bobbed up and down.

“What makes you think so?”

“Well, for starters, he never looks directly at me.  And when he does speak to me, it’s only to correct my behavior.  He treats me like he’s my know-it-all, older brother bent on punishing me,” she pouted.

“Then why do you love him?” he queried in surprise.

“He’s beautiful,” she breathed.  “And has been since we were children.  He only grew in beauty as he aged.  Unlike me,” she muttered.  Staring down at her robes.  She tugged discontentedly on them.

“What are you talking about?” he quizzed her softly.  “You are quite beautiful.”

She lifted her eyes to his.  In utter shock.  “What?” she gasped.

He nodded as he smiled at her.  “You’re cute.  Your cheeks are always full of roses, and your dark eyes twinkle.”  Truthfully, she reminded him of an adorable four-year-old girl.  One he’d have carried around on his hip as a young boy.

Ni Na caught his last few sentences, and her heart sank.  Beom Sook was attracted to her best friend now?  How frustrating was this?  He was supposed to be in love with Soo Yeon.  Was he so fickle after all?  He felt no attraction to herself but found Ae Ri beautiful?

Disgruntled, she turned away and engaged his mother in further conversation.  “I think I shall go check on the kids.”

“I’ll come with you.  I can hardly wait to meet them all!”

“I need to do that myself.”

“What do you mean?” the older woman asked, perplexed.

“I need to record their names and ages.  Let me grab my parchment and ink.  Better yet, we should bring them to my classroom.  I can jot it all down easily in there.”

She took the arm of that noble lady and led her out back.  Where her children were.  Of course, Beom Sook and Ae Ri followed them.

–– 

Half an hour later, Ni Na sat ensconced at her new desk and faced the first family.  She was beginning with the eldest.  The fifteen-year-old girl, Na Mi, and her twelve-year-old sister, Na Bi.  Their seven-year-old brother, Na Bom, was still running around the courtyard with his friends and the noble lord.

Ni Na smiled up at the two girls.  “It’s just the three of you?” she queried lightly.  And disturbed the girls sharing a troubled look.  They both nodded.

“Yes, milady,” Na Mi mumbled.

“Very good,” Ni Na asserted.  But as soon as the words left her mouth, she had the feeling that it wasn’t very good.  Instead, something was very wrong.  “You girls may resume your former activities.”

“You don’t need to know anything else about us?” Na Bi asked.

“Well, I suppose you could list any household tasks that you excel at,” their teacher murmured as she jotted down their names and ages.

“We excel at everything,” Na Mi declared.  “Whatever you need us to do, we can.  Whether it be laundry, cleaning, or cooking.”

Ni Na glanced up at her in surprise.  “Truly?”

The girls both bobbed their heads. 

“We ran the household for our father.  Our mother died in childbirth.”

“Several years ago,” Na Bi filled in the blank.

“Ah.  I understand.  I too lost my mother,” Ni Na murmured softly.  “When I was eleven.”

Na Mi gasped.

Ni Na’s eyes careened into hers.

“I was also eleven, milady, when our mother passed.”

Ni Na’s face melted in sorrow for them all.  “I am truly sorry.”

“And we are sorry for you too, milady,” Na Mi responded sweetly.  “Please.  If there is anything that you need us to do, don’t hesitate to ask.  We’ve always been among the older girls.  We are used to taking care of the others.”

Ni Na’s heart now melted as she considered all these girls had been through.  And how relieved they must feel to have two adults now shouldering their burdens.  “I can assure you that it won’t be nearly as arduous a task as you have become accustomed to.  There will always be food on the table and a roof over your heads.  We’re surrounded by servants who can assist us.  But I will expect all of you to take on household chores.  To help with laundry, cleaning, and cooking.  We will, most likely, rotate duties so that all of you can learn to manage a household.  Not just the older ones.  And not just the girls, either.”

The sisters glanced at each other.  “Really?” they breathed in unison as they glanced back at their benefactor.

She bobbed her head definitively.  “Really.”  She smiled at them.  “Now.  Run along and play.  Enjoy your day.  Relax.  You have earned a rest.”

They bowed to her before they gave way to the next family.

Sae Bit stood before her, holding her little sister, Sae Neul, close.  Their brother, Sae Hyuk was outside with the boys.  “I am fourteen, milady.  My sister is five.  Our brother is ten.”  She spelled out their names and then informed the woman, “I can handle any task you give me.  As can Sae Hyuk.  We haven’t required much of Sae Neul yet.  Her being so tiny still.”

“I can cook!” that little one declared cheerfully.

Ni Na chuckled.  “Can you now?  Do you like kimchi stew?”

The tiny one frowned. 

“She hasn’t had any, milady.  Not for months now,” the older girl admitted mournfully.

“Then we must ensure that it’s on the menu tonight, mustn’t we?” Ni Na asserted kindly.

The small girl’s eyes grew round.  “Truly?  We get to eat kimchi stew?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Yay!  Unnie, we get to eat kimchi stew.”

Sae Bit’s lips curved into a smile.  “I heard, little one.  Come, let’s go find Na Mi.”

As they turned away, the next family stepped up.  This time a boy spoke for them.

“I am Ja Li.  I’m thirteen.  This is my brother, Ja Ri.  He’s eleven.  And she’s our sister, Ja Yeon.”

“I’m nine,” the girl uttered softly.

Ni Na smiled at her before turning her attention to the oldest again.

“Whatever jobs you need us to complete, we can all do them.  Even outside work.  Or fixing things,” Ja Li muttered.

“Good to know!” Ni Na jotted his words down next to their names.  “Thank you.  Now.  Off with you!  Go play!  Have fun!”

The children all looked at each other like they were unfamiliar with those terms.  Play?  Fun?  They had spent so long surviving that none of them recalled any days of ease.  The last couple of months had been spent finding enough firewood so that they didn’t all freeze to death.  That and food to feed two dozen hungry mouths.

A lone girl stepped forward.  “I am Jang Mi.  My brother is Jang Hwan.  He’s nine.”

“And you are…?”

“Thirteen, milady.”

“Ah.  One of the older girls then.”

“Yes.  And I’m used to running a household.”

Ni Na frowned.  “Your mother died when you were young?”

“Yes.  But not until last summer.  However, she was sickly most of my life.  Since Jang Hwan’s birth.  So I helped take care of the running of things for her.”

“Good girl,” Ni Na praised her.  “You are an asset to your family.”  She jotted something down.

“What does that mean, milady?” the girl asked as she studied the unfamiliar characters.

“This one means hard worker.  And this one means sweetheart.”

“Sweetheart?” the child breathed in astonishment as tears filled her eyes.

“You’ve taken very good care of your brother for your parents, haven’t you?”

“How do you know that?”

Ni Na smiled sadly.  “He’s still alive, isn’t he?”

The girl cleared her throat and blinked as a tear descended her cheek.  “Yes, milady.”

“Please, Jang Mi, go have some fun.  Find the older girls and play a game.”

The girl just stared at her like she’d sprouted wings and told her to fly without them.  Then she bowed and disappeared down the hallway.

A boy and a girl who appeared similar both in countenance and age stepped forward.

“I am Je Woo,” declared the boy.

“And I am Je Ha,” the girl finished his thought.

“We’re both twelve,” they spoke in unison.

“You’re twins?” Ni Na grinned.  “How delightful!  My best friend has twin sisters.”

“Really?” Je Ha’s eyes lit up.  “How old are they?”

“They’re fourteen.”

The girl frowned, looking deflated.

“And between you and me, they’re a couple of twerps,” Ni Na breathe conspiratorially as she leaned towards the girl with a smile shining in her eyes.

Je Ha grinned.  “Ah, but it’s so easy to be like that when you have a twin.  Are they identical?”

Ni Na nodded.

That grin stretched all the way across Je Ha’s face now.  “Even easier then.”  She giggled and met her own twin’s eye.  He burst out laughing.

“Go on with you two.  Find some fun.  But no mischief!” Ni Na admonished them mock sternly.

They ran off chuckling.

Dae Jong arrived next with his baby sister in tow.

“Hello, Dae Jong,” Ni Na bobbed her head at him before turning towards the tiny mite.  “Dae Hee.”

The little girl grinned up at her.  “Hello, Choi Ni Na.  Do you have a dolly?”

Ni Na’s heart instantly melted.  “I do.  Do you?”

The little girl shook her head sorrowfully.  “I left her at the cabin.”

“Ah.  We shall have to do something about that.”  Ni Na made a note on another piece of parchment.  Then she glanced back up at the girl.  “You are…four?”

Dae Hee nodded.

“And you are…?”  Ni Na peered expectantly up at her brother.

“Thirteen.  I’m the oldest.  Of the boys,” he admitted grudgingly.

He really should be the oldest of the group.  It chafed him that a few of the girls were older than he.

“I can handle any job you want to give me,” he announced boldly.

She smiled at him.  “Thank you,” Ni Na murmured. 

She glanced down at Dae Hee as she spoke again.  “I like to cook.”

“Do you?  So do I,” Ni Na whispered.  “Even if most of my acquaintance wouldn’t consider it ladylike.”

“Surely, you have a cook, milady,” Dae Jong remarked.

“I do,” she sighed.  “And she is, by all accounts, the absolute best cook ever.  Still, I like to cook.”  She grinned at the little girl who beamed back up at her.

“Run along now and play,” Ni Na encouraged her.

But Dae Hee frowned.  “Can I sit with you instead?”  She glanced at the parchment under Ni Na’s fingertips.  “I want to watch you write.”

“Do you really?” Ni Na queried, surprised.

The little girl bobbed her head. 

“Certainly,” Ni Na pointed at a chair nearby.  “Just pull that chair over here.”  She gestured to the spot next to her before peering up at the girl’s brother.  “It’s all right, Dae Jong.  She can stay with me.  We’ll see you at dinner.”

He looked a little uncomfortable as his eyes moved from her to Dae Hee.

“I promise, Dae Jong.  I’ll take good care of her.”

He looked at her again.  “All right, milady.”  He heaved a deep sigh and turned reluctantly towards the door.

“He’s always worrying about me,” the tiny mite commented in a small voice.

“Yes.  Older brothers are like that.  If they’re good ones anyway.  And you, Dae Hee, definitely got a good one.”  She smiled down at the girl as two boys approached them.

The taller one spoke first.  “Milady, I am Han Eol.  This is my brother, Han Bin.”

“How old are you?”

“Twelve,” competed with, “Ten,” as they both answered.

She jotted down their names and ages before convincing them to head back outside with their friends.

Behind them, two little girls were waiting.  Holding hands.

Ni Na smiled kindly at them as Dae Hee waved at them.

“Hello, Dal Bit and Dal Lae,” the tiny girl greeted the sisters.

“Hello, girls.  Did you enjoy your lunch today?”

Their faces brightened as they bobbed their heads.  They hadn’t had meat in so long.

“Good,” Ni Na intoned.  “How old are you ladies?”

“Seven and five, milady,” Dal Bit responded quietly.

“Would you two like to go back to playing?”

Their heads bobbed up and down. 

Ni Na grinned at them.  “You may now.”

But they waited for the next two children.  Two more girls stepped forward.  But one stood in front of the other.

“Dam Bi!” Dae Hee gasped in joy.  She looked up at the teacher.  “Dam Bi is my best friend,” she informed her proudly.

“Is she now?” Ni Na studied the shorter of the two girls standing before her.  “How old are you, sweetie?”

“Four.”

“Is that your sister behind you?”  But when the child shook her head, Ni Na frowned.  “No, that’s right.  You were standing alone yesterday.  You have no siblings.”

The small girl tossed her head from side to side again. 

But the girl behind her stepped up and slipped her fingers around hers.  “Dam Bi is my sister now.  We have only each other,” asserted that somber, little voice.

It belonged to the girl who had stolen Ni Na’s silver.

The woman made a point of smiling brightly at her.  “I have you to thank, you know.”

Confused, the child wrinkled her brow.  “What?”

“You’re the reason that I have twenty-four children now.”

The girl frowned.  Uncertain whether that was a good thing or a bad thing.

Ni Na continued to grin at her.  “What’s your name, sweetheart?”

“Saem.”

“What a lovely name!” she exclaimed.  “And how old are you?”

“Seven.”

“Ah,” Ni Na glanced then at the younger girl, Dam Bi, and then back at Dae Hee.  “You two are fairly close in age, eh?”

“A month apart,” Dam Bi informed her.

Ni Na’s eyebrows bounced up.  “Which of you will turn five first?”

“Me,” came Dam Bi’s quiet voice.

“Oh.  When?”

“Tomorrow, milady.”

“Tomorrow?” gasped Ni Na.

The girls all bobbed their heads.  And Dae Hee leaned towards her and tugged on her sleeve.  Ni Na bent towards her.  The tiny girl whispered in her ear.

“Can we make her a birthday treat?” came that sweet, little voice.

Ni Na grinned at her.  “Absolutely,” she breathed into that tiny ear.

And Dae Hee began to bounce up and down in her chair.

“Wanna come play with us, Dae Hee?” Dam Bi asked.

“Not right now.  I’m helping Choi Ni Na.”

That fine lady suppressed a giggle.  The little girl was so adorable.

Reluctantly, the two girls walked away from their friend.

Finally, three boys approached Ni Na. 

The smallest one spoke first.  “I am In Ho.”  His voice was just a wisp of a breath. 

“Are you six?” she asked, overinflating his age.  He was a very little boy.

He beamed at her suddenly and stood up straight.  “No, milady, I’m five.”

“Ah,” she smiled at him. 

He was the only one left of his family.  She held back the tears that had begun to attack her several minutes ago as she gazed into the faces of all these orphans.  The last more pitiful than the first.  For these had no one.  Each was the last representative of their families.

“I am Yun Gi,” the older boy behind him stated clearly.  “I’m eight.”

“And I am Ok Hyeon,” spoke the final boy.  “I’m nine.” 

He grinned up at the younger boy who, somehow, was two inches taller than he.  They were quite obviously the best of friends.

“You are all staying together in the same room, right?” Ni Na quizzed them.

They all nodded.

“Do you like that arrangement?”

“Very much, milady,” answered the two older boys.

“How about you, In Ho?”

He shrugged.  And she realized that all the other boys were quite a bit older than him.  She consulted her list.  Na Mi’s little brother, Na Bom, was the closest to this little guy in age.

“Are you friends with Na Bom?” she asked.

He bobbed his head enthusiastically.

“Would you like me to see if you can stay with him instead?”

The tiny boy’s eyes lit up excitedly.  “Yes!  Please!”

She chuckled.  “Let’s go speak with him and his sisters right now.  My list is complete.”  She stood up.  As did Dae Hee.

A moment later, the tiny girl slipped her hand into Ni Na’s as they went in search of the boy’s friend.

A few minutes later, Ni Na had arranged for the two little boys to share the room next door to Na Bom’s sisters.  And Ni Na breathed a sigh of relief.  Everyone seemed happy enough now.  Hopefully, things would continue to progress thus.