Historical · Completed

At the far end of Pungwolgol in the capital, Yura Chae sat in the Chae Family String Shop, three days after reopening, counting out two nyang in rent. Five years earlier, her father had been driven out after a geomungo string snapped during a royal banquet. All Yura had left was a skilled hand for twisting strings, a younger brother, and one month.
Then, at dusk, a musician from the Jangagwon (the Court Music Bureau) walked in carrying an old string. Instead of paying the five pun fee, he played one phrase and left. "I'll be back tomorrow with another old string."
From that day on, he came every day to leave a string, play a phrase, and pay his due.