By Zephyria 
I called my family together to discuss how to handle this matter, and everyone involved gathered in one place. Everyone sat around with grim expressions, speechless and shocked by Joo Min-hyeok’s bombshell revelation. My brother, who already knew, was relatively calm, but Dad seemed quite shaken. Of course, I felt the same.
“He said that… His Majesty said that…”
Dad repeated the same words over and over, stroking his chin with a very serious expression. Our relationship here is an absurd story to anyone who hears it. That is why we had all lived in silence, hiding it, but Joo Min-hyeok had found out.
Despite four people being present, a heavy silence filled the living room, and no one dared to speak rashly. Everyone’s minds were likely racing. None of us could have predicted that Joo Min-hyeok would discover our past.
I hadn’t realized Joo Min-hyeok’s intelligence network was this formidable. I can say that this is by far the most shocking blow I’ve received so far. Whether it was through background checks or cameras, regardless of the means and methods he employed, it was truly impressive.
And there is something more important than the fact that Joo Min-hyeok vaguely knows about this. It is the timing of when he noticed. The period. I want to know when Joo Min-hyeok first learned of my past and since when I have been playing right in the palm of his hand.
“It’s certain that he found out while you were in the palace, but you’re saying you can’t tell when? Because His Majesty didn’t let it show at all?”
“Yeah. I really had no clue. It’s definitely after Hyun-wook arrived. He only started mentioning things from before I was brought back to life after I met Hyun-wook again in the palace.”
Yes. It’s certain that things progressed after meeting Hyun-wook. Until then, far from mentioning this matter, I lived quietly in my Imperial Pavilion, barely breathing. It was a time when I didn’t easily strike up a conversation with anyone. Therefore, there was nothing to be caught.
I am well aware that Joo Min-hyeok installed cameras in my pavilion. I don’t know when those cameras were put up, but there is a time that seems suspicious. It certainly happened starting from the day I reunited with Hyun-wook.
From their first meeting, Joo Min-hyeok suspected the relationship between Hyun-wook and me with an animal-like instinct. His intuition was so sharp I thought he was a complete lunatic. He wasn’t just intuitive; he was quick-witted. When I called out Seo-joo’s name in my sleep while delirious with fever, Joo Min-hyeok immediately sensed something was off.
When I brushed it off by saying it was a cat I used to raise, he only frowned slightly and said nothing more. But it’s clear that the suspicion had already begun then. They say there’s nothing a man can’t do if he sets his mind to it, but how on earth did he find out about someone coming back to life…?
What had Joo Min-hyeok been thinking while watching me all this time? How did he feel when he learned about the relationship between me, Hyun-wook, and Seo-joo? He might have wondered if we were all collectively insane.
“He didn’t say anything else? Just that?”
“Yes, Dad. He just teased me to the point of driving me crazy and then backed off. That’s why I’m like this.”
Actually, that part is also puzzling. The tone of Joo Min-hyeok’s voice when he whispered in my ear wasn’t one intended to provoke me or signal that he held a weakness over me. It was more like, ‘I know too, you know?’ How should I explain this?
Since there was no clear answer, I sighed and looked around at my family. Each of them looked quite serious, lost in their own thoughts. I felt sorry for causing them such worry. If it weren’t for me, they would have been living their own lives diligently and without worry… Then, Seo-joo’s disgruntled voice broke the silence.
“No, but why do we have to sit here and agonize over this?”
A look of incomprehensible displeasure appeared on Seo-joo’s face.
“Of course, our situation isn’t typical. I know we’ve lived in hiding because everyone here has a status, and it would be tiring and uncomfortable if people started gossiping. It’s not something that necessarily needs to be dragged out.”
Before I could say, Seo-joo, this is something that would be headline news on a broadcast, Seo-joo continued bluntly.
“But so what?”
“Huh?”
“I’m asking, what of it? Did we do something illegal, or is there a moral problem? The reason we ran away was because of the situation with His Majesty and Brother, not because our past lives were a problem.”
“No, that’s true, but…”
“Brother, Dad. This is strictly a family matter. A private matter. Why is His Majesty knowing about it and making us anxious? What on earth is the problem with us meeting again after nearly dying?”
I stared at the somewhat agitated Seo-joo with a blank expression.
“It’s not like we swapped the original Grand Imperial Concubine for Brother; we just regained memories of our past lives, so what’s the problem? Because my personality changed due to the returned memories? Or because I don’t just have the memories of that Grand Imperial Concubine who married His Majesty at a young age? Because I deceived His Majesty? If you think about it, it’s not even deception; it’s just a deeply personal matter that we didn’t mention. Do we have to tell His Majesty everything?”
Dad and Brother just listened quietly to the excited Seo-joo. He fired off his words without pause, leaving no room for a response.
“Of course, if we were still in the palace, the situation would be different. It would be a headache if anyone found out. There’s Brother’s position, and it’s awkward to explain such an absurd thing. But that’s all. It’s just awkward and complicated, but there’s nothing wrong with this relationship. This isn’t something to be this shocked and afraid of.”
Had Seo-joo been thinking this all along? I couldn’t accept my situation as resolutely as Seo-joo did. Our situations were different. Seo-joo had no memories for a long time, but I did. I knew exactly how the life of the Grand Imperial Concubine unfolded here, and I was desperate to change the situation out of fear for the coming future.
I struggled to avoid dying at Joo Min-hyeok’s hands and to avoid falling into the schemes of the Movie Palace. To escape those situations, I had to hide. I was cautious and overly careful, fearing that even a hint of my knowledge of the future would slip out unconsciously. I hid it desperately because I couldn’t be caught.
But as Seo-joo said, the situation is different now. Everything is over, and the circumstances have completely changed. Completely. While it’s a bit unsettling that Joo Min-hyeok came for me at the age the Grand Imperial Concubine died, one thing is certain. Unless there’s an accident, I won’t die at Joo Min-hyeok’s hands again.
If so, wouldn’t it be okay not to hide it anymore, as Seo-joo suggested? There’s no need to be this serious simply because of things from a past life. If it were the despicable grandfather who found out, it would be a different story, but if it’s Joo Min-hyeok, it might be better than I thought.
“Hae-joo. Dad actually thinks this is for the better. It was a relationship that was difficult to explain first. Things like how we met and what our relationship is. But if His Majesty already knows everything, there’s no need to explain.”
Dad agreed with Seo-joo. We didn’t do anything wrong; we just died tragically and met again.
“Hae-joo, did you really not expect that, given His Majesty’s personality, he would dig into our relationship somehow?”
“I thought he would look into it since he knew who the person I ran away with was. But I didn’t expect him to find out this.”
Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulder as I mumbled in a small voice. I wondered how much of a headache this was for him too.
“If he knows, as I said before, there’s no need to explain, so I don’t think it’s a bad thing. Like Seo-joo said, it’s surprising, but we haven’t done anything wrong.”
Right. Since there was no answer anyway, I should think positively. I’ll have to meet and talk to him eventually, and at least it’s no longer difficult to bring up the subject.
“However, what Dad is worried about is whether Hyun-wook faced any difficulties during the process of His Majesty finding out.”
“H-Hyun-wook?”
At the mention of Hyun-wook’s name, Seo-joo and I flinched simultaneously. Hyun-wook is essentially our Achilles’ heel.
“Yes. Whether he gathered information through the cameras he installed as you suspected, or used other methods, he likely had the final confirmation through Hyun-wook. With the party involved rolling right in, would His Majesty miss that chance?”
“…True.”
It was obvious what Hyun-wook’s situation must have been without even seeing it. His Majesty would have pressured Hyun-wook while knowing everything, and in the process, Hyun-wook would have searched for answers to ensure we wouldn’t be in trouble. There’s no way Joo Min-hyeok would have left Hyun-wook alone.
My heart aches wondering how he’s doing since I haven’t seen a trace of him. But since there’s no other way to meet him now, I have no choice but to believe Joo Min-hyeok’s words that he is doing well.
I gently took the hand of Seo-joo, who was looking down and fidgeting with his fingers. He was the one who would have been more anxious than anyone about Hyun-wook, yet I hadn’t considered that.
“Seo-joo. Don’t worry too much. Joo Min-hyeok liked Hyun-wook quite a bit. So, he probably didn’t torture him by beating him up.”
Probably.
Since I’ll be faithfully spending the divorce deliberation period, I should ask to contact Hyun-wook once. While I’m at it, I thought it would be good to find out how Hee-sung is doing as well.