Fake Concubine 48

“On ​the ​surface, ​it ​looks like an ​ordinary ​pill.”

“Because ​it ​is ​an ordinary pill. There ​is ​nothing particularly different ​about it compared ​to ​others.”

“Still, ​it ​is ​fascinating ​that one can ​safely ​get ​through a heat ​cycle just by taking ​this.”

Hae-min felt ​he should ​take one ​right away. ​Just ​as ​he was about ​to swallow ​the pill absentmindedly, Song ​Seol interrupted with a ​short, “Wait.”

“Bring some water.”

Song ​Seol called ​for ​a servant and gave the order. ​Before long, a servant ​arrived ​and ​presented ​the ​water.

Moon Hae-min swallowed ​the pill ​with ​a gulp of ​water. ​Song Seol watched Hae-min intently ​and murmured.

“You ​look ​like someone who ​has ​been ​waiting ​for ​a suppressant ​pill. ​Since you ​were in such a hurry, how did ​you manage to ​live without one ​all this time?”

“I wonder ​that myself.”

“Then ​again, a suppressant ​pill ​isn’t strictly necessary.”

“Why ​is that?”

Hae-min felt ​a flicker ​of ​anticipation, wondering ​if ​there was ​some ​secret technique ​he ​didn’t ​know about. Since ​Song ​Seol had ​been ​a ​sexual-person ​since birth, he likely knew more than Hae-min did.

“One could simply share their Chromatic Scent with a yang-person.”

“…….”

Given the current situation ‘Moon Hee-yul’ was in, the only person available to share Chromatic Scent with was Song Seol. Wondering if that was what he meant, Hae-min gave Song Seol a long, sidelong glance.

“If you wish, I can help you.”

Song Seol maintained an air of feigned innocence. Despite proposing an act of utmost carnal desire, his expression remained as pure and untainted as if he harbored not a single shred of lust. He was a man who seemed one way but was surprisingly sly. Then again, in the past, he had pretended not to be, yet had called Hae-min to the guest house to spend the night time and time again.

“It is fine even if you do not help.”

Still feeling uneasy after refusing, Moon Hae-min declared firmly, as if driving a nail home.

“If you so much as lay a finger on me, I will certainly not stay still.”

“‘Certainly not stay still,’ you speak quite strongly. I am almost curious to see what measures you intend to take.”

Those words were essentially a sneer, meaning, ‘What use is it if someone like you doesn’t stay still?’ Or perhaps Song Seol was simply reminding him of reality. However, that was not how Moon Hae-min took it.

“Even a mouse bites the cat when backed into a corner.”

“I wonder if what you bite would be a cat, or a tiger.”

“And I wonder if the one biting you would be a mouse, or a venomous snake?”

Having snapped back in a surge of emotion, a flicker of displeasure crossed Song Seol’s face. He dropped his enigmatic facade and spat out.

“Far from a venomous snake, you seem more like a grass snake—no, a flower snake. Regardless, put your worries to rest. Do you really think I intend to lay a hand on you?”

“I am glad if it was merely my worry.”

He should have stopped there, but once his mouth had opened, it was hard to close. It would be better to just leave. Even if Moon Hae-min were Song Seol, he wouldn’t have let such an arrogant person be.

Clutching the bamboo tube tightly, Hae-min stood up.

“My Lord, I shall take my leave now.”

Song Seol merely gave a silent nod. It seemed his mood had been thoroughly soured. Only then did a sliver of guilt creep in, and Moon Hae-min stammered out a greeting.

“Um… thank you for providing the suppressant pills, My Lord.”

“There is no need for thanks. Is it not a yang-person’s duty to ensure their Eumin gets through their heat cycle safely?”

“Yes.”

“In my case, the method is simply a suppressant pill rather than sexual intercourse.”

“…….”

There was a sting to those words. A sting as sharp as a dagger. Moon Hae-min hesitated, unsure whether to respond or to simply retreat quickly. Then, Song Seol commanded haughtily.

“You may leave.”

“Yes, My Lord.”

Moon Hae-min obediently bowed and hurried away. He didn’t know if this would improve Song Seol’s mood, but if his words couldn’t be kind, he figured his attitude should at least appear submissive.

Tak. The sliding door closed carefully.

Inside the guest room where ‘Moon Hee-yul’ had departed, Song Seol let out a sigh of disbelief.

“Haa…”

Truly insolent and brazen. He hadn’t realized the boy took after his father, but seeing how he teased him so subtly, he was indeed Lord Moon’s son.

Soon, Song Seol brushed the thought aside. Regardless, comparing Moon Hee-yul to Lord Moon was going too far. Unlike Lord Moon, who was good for nothing but acting dignified and making useless petitions, Moon Hee-yul was easygoing and clever.

Yet, at times, it felt as though Moon Hee-yul was more wary of him than Lord Moon ever visit our sitewas. From their first meeting until today, Moon Hee-yul had consistently avoided him. unauthorized copySong Seol was almost impressed by such steadfastness.

As someone who had done absolutely nothing wrong to him, Song Seol found it utterly incomprehensible. If anything, hadn’t he been quite generous to Moon Hee-yul? Not only had he never punished him for his impudent behavior, but he had even granted him various conveniences. Despite this, far from being docile, Moon Hee-yul never let down his guard.

Suddenly, a conversation he had shared with Moon Hee-yul in the not-so-distant past came to mind.

‘You are making a frightening misunderstanding.’

‘A “frightening misunderstanding,” is it… In any case, there is no way such a misunderstanding will become reality. I have no hobby of plucking flowers with loose scents.’

‘You must not let that heart change. For I have no hobby of being plucked by someone who calls me a flower.’

Moon Hee-yul had been disgusted even then. As if he couldn’t even bear to imagine having sexual intercourse with him. At the time, Song Seol had simply thought him brazen, but now, curiosity surged within him.

Was Moon Hee-yul disgusted by the act of ‘having sexual intercourse’ with anyone, or was it specifically ‘with him’?

In truth, it didn’t matter to Song Seol which it was. But if it were the latter, it was simply unfair.

“…….”

Suddenly, Song Seol frowned slightly. For some reason, he felt a sense of déjà vu. He felt as though he had had a similar thought before…

…But no memory surfaced. He must have been mistaken. Shaking off the strange, unpleasant sensation that clung to him, Song Seol muttered through gritted teeth.

“As if someone like him would actually want to sleep with me.”

Song Seol had no hobby of indiscriminately touching Eumin. Of course, Moon Hee-yul fell into that category of ‘Eumin.’ It was true that he was fairer than other Eumin, his Chromatic Scent more fragrant, and his personality more interesting, but did that mean he would just take him to bed? That was Moon Hee-yul’s delusion, getting ahead of himself.

The more he thought about it, the more insolent Moon Hee-yul seemed. Yet, even as he felt a surge of irritation, his anger subsided the moment he pictured Moon Hee-yul’s eyes.

Those jade-colored eyes, staring back with determination.

Those eyes, which looked as hard as jade if touched, held a truly solemn resolve. That was why Song Seol had not scolded Moon Hee-yul. Before the anger could flare, he was simply curious as to why Moon Hee-yul acted so sensitively.

However, Song Seol did not bother to pry into the circumstances. He intended to leave him be, if only because Moon Hee-yul was so insolent.

Hae-min felt the effects of the suppressant pill about an hour after taking it. The Chromatic Scent that had been wafting from him naturally subsided. Moreover, controlling his scent became much easier.

“I can’t believe I’ve only started taking this wonderful thing now.”

He felt he should take them regularly from now on. After securing the suppressant pills, Moon Hae-min took out his emergency funds, which he had hidden deep inside his clothing chest.

Having finished preparing to go out, Moon Hae-min left his quarters. As he was crossing the yard, a servant sweeping the ground recognized him and asked.

“Young Master, where are you going?”

“I am going to the Namdaemun Market. If the Lord looks for me, tell him I have gone out to get some cotton clothes made.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The servant resumed sweeping. Moon Hae-min left him behind and walked as if he were flying. It wasn’t necessarily because he was excited to go to the market or because time was tight. It was simply because it was so cold that he wanted to finish his errands quickly.

“Whew, it’s cold.”

Not long after leaving his quarters, he already wanted to go back. Still, the shivering from the cold would soon be over. As long as he had thick cotton clothes, he would be able to get through the rest of the winter.

As he drew closer to Namdaemun Market, the crowds grew. While pushing through the people to find a fabric shop, he spotted a group of children.

‘Those children are…’

They were the children Hae-min used to teach reading and writing in the past.

Though he had run into them by chance not long ago, he felt a fresh wave of happiness. Forgetting the cold, Moon Hae-min stopped in his tracks and gazed at the children.

“Oh? It’s that hyung!”

Sensing his gaze, one of the children looked back at Moon Hae-min and recognized him. It was Dong-sik.

“…Hello.”

Was it okay to greet them? Hae-min hesitated for a moment before speaking. Though his voice was too quiet for the boy to hear, Dong-sik ran toward him. The other children followed in a swarm.

“Hello, hyung! Hyung, you’re that hyung from back then!”

“The hyung who let our kites fly!”

“The hyung who likes climbing trees!”

The children chirped one after another like sparrows. Moon Hae-min replied, feeling inwardly flustered.

“Yes, that’s right.”

He didn’t particularly like climbing trees, but… he swallowed the rest of the words.

“But hyung, why are you here today?”

“You used to be somewhere else!”

Perhaps because they were still young, they found it fascinating that someone who had been in one place was now in another. Moon Hae-min answered kindly.

“I came to the market today because I have some errands.”

“What errands?”

“I’m going to a fabric shop. I need to get some cotton clothes made.”

As he spoke, Moon Hae-min looked around at the children. He had a feeling, and as expected, So-hee Read on Read BL Novelswas nowhere to be stolen contentseen. Seeing as he hadn’t encountered her once since that day, [unauthorized copy]perhaps she had left Songdo to be with her mother.

On the day they parted, he had a premonition that they would never meet again, but thinking that it was truly the case made him feel regretful. So-hee had been an incomparable benefactor to him, and now he would be unable to repay that kindness.