By Zephyria 
“…….”
Seo Yi-kyung stared at the sword Butler Do presented before eventually reaching out with both hands to take it. They said it was a sword used by a hero of war, and indeed, its weight was considerable.
“I am sorry, Young Master.”
Butler Do bowed his waist again, unable to lift his head as if he didn’t know what to do. The face of a man who had returned from a distressing ordeal was grief-stricken. Seo Yi-kyung looked at him and spoke.
“From now on, do not answer even if Hyung contacts you.”
“Pardon?”
Butler Do, who had been keeping his head lowered, straightened his upper body. He didn’t seem to understand Seo Yi-kyung’s words immediately, but Seo Yi-kyung added further, as if it didn’t matter.
“Father too.”
“But still……”
Butler Do’s voice trailed off. Seo Yi-kyung stared at him blankly before turning away.
“I think you should treat your face first.”
He could guess how Butler Do felt. Though they weren’t blood-related, they had been together for a long time, so it would be difficult to cut ties so readily.
However, even though Seo Yi-kyung had gone to the main house yesterday and personally met the bedridden Lee Se-hee and Seo Young-hwan, who looked more anxious than before, no sense of pity, sympathy, or compassion arose in a corner of his heart.
In the past, he would have asked Han Seung-jae for a favor or requested help as they wished. And perhaps that was what Han Seung-jae had wanted as well.
‘I intended not to ask for anything.’
But in the end, Seo Yi-kyung had pleaded with Han Seung-jae to accept the painting, and Han Seung-jae had accepted it as if he had been waiting for it.
Furthermore, wasn’t that painting drawn while waiting for the marriage? He had intended to convey his feelings through it. Thus, it was only natural for Han Seung-jae to misunderstand.
Entering the painting studio, Seo Yi-kyung looked around. There was no suitable place to put the sword. Had he not known its price, he would have simply placed it on the work table alongside the art supplies.
Seo Yi-kyung looked down at the sword he was barely holding with both hands. Seeing it in person felt distinctly different from seeing it in a catalog.
Since Han Seung-jae said he would pay for the painting, he would likely do so if asked to pay for this sword as well.
Clack. Seo Yi-kyung set the sword down on the work table. No matter the price, it was a sword that held no meaning or use for him. It wasn’t something he needed to cherish. Moreover, what Seo Dong-hu wanted was an insatiable greed. If he took that money, he would come rushing back demanding even more. Knowing that, how could he give him the money?
And besides, he had no money to give.
* * *
Seo Yi-kyung stayed on the second floor all afternoon and only came down to the first floor toward evening. A helper passing by greeted him. However, Seo Yi-kyung’s gaze was fixed like a nail in one spot. Toward Han Seung-jae, who was entering the house.
The refined suit and cold features were so frigid that it was doubtful if this was the same man who had kept him awake until dawn.
“I told Butler Do to rest because he isn’t feeling well.”
As Han Seung-jae drew closer, Seo Yi-kyung blurted out words he hadn’t even asked for. Until a moment ago, Seo Yi-kyung had been sitting on the second-floor terrace. He had come down to the first floor upon hearing the sound of the car engine. If Han Seung-jae saw Butler Do’s face, he might wonder what had happened at the main house. He was a sharp man with keen intuition.
“I think he has a cold. I thought he might pass it on.”
Seo Yi-kyung added the excuse he had thought of, but Han Seung-jae replied indifferently, as if he had no interest in the first place.
“I see.”
Then he asked.
“Have you thought about what you want to receive?”
Seo Yi-kyung had agonized over that part as well, but there was nothing he wanted from Han Seung-jae.
“Do you need more time to think?”
“…….”
“It doesn’t matter what it is, so tell me when you find something you want.”
Seo Yi-kyung blankly watched Han Seung-jae’s back as he brushed past. When he suddenly turned around, Seo Yi-kyung turned his head and entered the kitchen.
“Do you need something?”
Seo Yi-kyung shook his head at the approaching helper.
“It’s okay. I’ll do it.”
Seo Yi-kyung tilted the kettle on the table to fill a glass with water. He drank the water as if to moisten his parched mouth.
He had to resolve the matter regarding the sword somehow. But if he met Seo Dong-hu outside, Han Seung-jae would notice. He always had people following him. What should he do?
Seo Yi-kyung lowered the glass he had been tilting against his lips. Then, looking at Han Seung-jae, who had changed clothes and entered the kitchen, he turned around the table.
Throughout dinner, Seo Yi-kyung felt that his stomach was unsettled.
“Why are you eating so little?”
Han Seung-jae looked down at Seo Yi-kyung’s bowl, which wasn’t even half empty.
Seo Yi-kyung’s mouth tasted bitter. Was it because he had been agonizing over Seo Dong-hu all afternoon? He felt as though the porridge he ate during the day still hadn’t digested.
“I ate lunch late.”
Seo Yi-kyung fiddled with his chopsticks. There was no food that appealed to him.
“What did you eat?”
Slowly lifting his head, Seo Yi-kyung looked at Han Seung-jae and opened his lips slightly.
“Porridge.”
It would be better to tell the truth than to be caught lying.
“…….”
Suddenly, Han Seung-jae looked around. He seemed to be looking for Butler Do, but then stopped, as if remembering what Seo Yi-kyung had said. His brow furrowed slightly, clearly showing his displeasure. Instead, Han Seung-jae called the chef.
“Did you call for me?”
The chef approached the table and lowered his upper body. Han Seung-jae asked Seo Yi-kyung.
“What did you say last time? Soy sauce.”
“……?”
Seo Yi-kyung looked at him with puzzled eyes.
“Soy sauce egg rice?”
Seo Yi-kyung filled in the end of Han Seung-jae’s sentence.
“Yes. That.”
Han Seung-jae told the chef to make it. Seo Yi-kyung examined the rice, the small dish of soy sauce, the butter, and the fried egg that were placed before him. Until a moment ago, he had no appetite at all, but seeing this, his mouth began to water.
Since it was a simple yet delicious late-night snack, it was something he used to enjoy.
Seo Yi-kyung picked up the spoon and drizzled the soy sauce over the steaming rice. Then he added a bit of butter and topped it with the fried egg.
Just as he was about to scoop some into his mouth, his eyes met Han Seung-jae’s. Seo Yi-kyung hesitated for a moment before putting the rice in his mouth.
Until just now, his mouth had been bitter and he hadn’t wanted anything. For some reason, this was delicious.
* * *
The next day, Seo Yi-kyung greeted Jin Seon-yu as he entered the house.
“Welcome. I will prepare some tea.”
Butler Do greeted him and turned away. Jin Seon-yu’s gaze flickered toward Butler Do’s face. There was a wound on Butler Do’s cheek. Jin Seon-yu started to say something but stopped and walked toward the painting studio following Seo Yi-kyung. The shopping bag in his hand swayed back and forth.
“What’s this sword? You had something like this?”
Jin Seon-yu looked down at the long sword on the work table with a bewildered expression.
“It’s not mine. I’m just keeping it for a while.”
“I’ve seen this somewhere before.”
While Jin Seon-yu examined the sword as if searching his memory, Seo Yi-kyung turned his head and scanned the surroundings. The hat and pocket watch necklace in the glass case, and now the sword on the work table. It wasn’t an illusion that objects contrasting with a painting studio were beginning to accumulate.
Just then, the door opened and Butler Do entered. He paused upon seeing the sword on the work table, then carefully set down the teapot and a plate of cookies.
“Please, carry on with your conversation.”
Butler Do closed the studio door and disappeared. Seo Yi-kyung picked up the teapot and filled the cups. Jin Seon-yu lifted his teacup while staring at the sword.
“I have something to give you too.”
Jin Seon-yu stopped just before drinking the tea and set the cup back down. He then held out the shopping bag in his hand.
“Take it.”
“What is it?”
“Open it yourself.”
Seo Yi-kyung took the shopping bag and pulled out a box. It was light. Compared to its size, it didn’t feel very heavy.
Seo Yi-kyung placed the box on the work table. As he slowly opened the lid, Jin Seon-yu leaned in. The necklace he was wearing hung down long.
“I caused a mess last time, and if it weren’t for you, I almost married Gyu-ho. Thinking about how I followed that kind of guy around without knowing who he was.”
As he spoke, Jin Seon-yu tilted his head. Seo Yi-kyung, holding the lid of the box and looking down at the baby clothes inside, said nothing.
Jin Seon-yu looked at Seo Yi-kyung’s profile. Just as he was about to speak, the words came first from Seo Yi-kyung, whose gaze was fixed on the box.
“Seon-yu, are you pregnant?”
Jin Seon-yu spoke as if he understood a bit late.
“What are you talking about? More importantly, I thought about it carefully. You have everything. I thought you wouldn’t have this, so I prepared one.”
Jin Seon-yu wore a smile.
“They said it was a limited edition, so I bought it without hesitation.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s hand slowly lowered. He looked at Jin Seon-yu, who was smiling brightly and touching the baby clothes.
“Tell me if you need anything else. I’ll gift it to you. When I went to look, the shoes were small and cute too. They’re only as big as my finger.”
Seo Yi-kyung’s heart pounded. Why did these clothes come here? Buying baby clothes would have been a planned action for Jin Seon-yu in the original work. Because Jin Seon-yu was pregnant when he entered the wedding hall to marry Ham Gyu-ho. But because Seo Yi-kyung stepped in, the relationship between the two had fallen apart.
Suddenly, a chill ran down Seo Yi-kyung’s spine. His complexion turned pale in an instant.
‘When was my last heat?’