Fake Concubine 69

Hae-min ​took ​advantage ​of ​the gap and ​rushed ​toward ​Song ​Seol. ​Amidst the crowd moving ​like ​waves, the man’s ​towering height made ​him ​exceptionally ​easy ​to ​spot. ​This was why ​dressing ​differently ​from usual was ​pointless. Even if he ​had intentionally ​disguised himself, ​Song Seol ​was the ​type ​of ​person who would ​still look ​extraordinary.

“Why are you so ​angry?”

Hae-min asked, finally catching ​up to him. However, ​Song Seol ​merely ​kept his lips tightly sealed. His ​expression was so solemn ​that ​Hae-min ​hardly ​dared ​to speak, yet ​at the ​same ​time, he looked ​like ​a pouting child.

“What is so ​important about ​a ​mere turtle-shaped paperweight? ​It’s ​not ​as ​if ​I begged ​you ​to buy ​it for me; I bought it with ​my own money.”

“……Just ​because.”

“Pardon?”

“I just felt ​bad.”

Song Seol spat out ​bluntly.

Hae-min looked ​up at him, ​stunned. ​‘I just felt ​bad.’ It was ​completely illogical ​and ​not the ​kind ​of answer ​Song ​Seol would ​typically ​give.

The ​lingering unease he ​had ​tried to ​erase ​crept ​back ​up. It felt as if a snake were winding its way up Moon Hae-min’s ankle.

‘Why on earth…?’

He felt he needed to contemplate this matter deeply. He couldn’t just dismiss it as a ‘coincidence’ for the sake of his own peace of mind.

However, Hae-min couldn’t maintain his train of thought. He kept bumping into passersby. This was an alleyway frequently used by pedestrians, so standing still like this was obstructing traffic.

“……Let’s go back, My Lord.”

Moon Hae-min took the first step. Song Seol followed him in silence.

A silence hung over them on the way home, much as it had on the way to the market. But this time, the silence was heavier and far deeper. Hae-min could easily tell that not only he, but Song Seol as well, was feeling unsettled.

Hae-min had no way of knowing [stolen content]why the other man was troubled. Yet, ironically, Song Seol himself [visit our site]seemed unaware of why he felt this way.

They arrived at the private residence amidst the sunken atmosphere. Just before passing through the main gate, Song Seol spoke as if in passing.

“I am sorry.”

“……It is nothing.”

Not long ago, Song Seol had almost said ‘I am sorry’ but stopped himself; today, however, he offered it readily. Hae-min figured that back then, Song Seol must have felt his actions were excessive, whereas this time, he didn’t feel he had done anything terribly wrong, making it easier to apologize.

“I hope the brushes you chose today are to your liking, My Lord.”

“I like them. I received two excellent brushes. In truth, one would have sufficed; was it too much of a burden?”

“How could this be a burden? The value of my life is not so light.”

“That is true.”

Only then did the corners of Song Seol’s mouth unauthorized copycurl up. But that smile—if it could even [stolen content]be called one—vanished quickly.

Something was definitely strange. Recalling the thought he had had four or five times today, Hae-min gave Song Seol a polite bow.

As he turned away to return to his quarters, a piercing gaze followed Moon Hae-min. But his mind was already saturated with his own worries, leaving no room to care about that.

Looking back, today had been exceptional, but there had been several suspicious occurrences. Hadn’t Song Seol been acting strangely since shortly after they reunited?

‘Have we met before?’

‘No. I have never met you, My Lord. I have lived in Hanseong all my life, and since you also resided here, we might have passed each other, but that is all.’

At the time, Hae-min had played innocent, acting as if nothing had happened. However, Song Seol seemed unable to fully resolve his doubts.

Sure enough, Song Seol asked again a while later.

‘It is a strange thing. When I smell your Chromatic Scent, I feel as if I am on the verge of remembering something.’

‘What is it?’

‘Something forgotten. Something I have forgotten so completely that I have even forgotten the fact that I forgot it.’

‘…….’

‘Does such a thing exist…?’

‘I wouldn’t know. But perhaps there is a reason for forgetting something? Perhaps it was something not worth remembering, or perhaps it was more beneficial to forget… I believe there is no need for you to force yourself to recall it.’

This was both Hae-min’s excuse and his sincere belief. What was the point of recalling a past that had ended in catastrophe? It was best for him to live as he was, and for Song Seol to live as he was.

‘But what if Song Seol is in the process of regaining his memories?’

If that were the case, all the suspicious events thus far would be explained.

Even just the other day, hadn’t he known that Hae-min was clumsy at removing fish bones? In reality, it was the first time they had eaten fish together since returning to the past.

Song Seol had explained it by saying, ‘Because you have a [unauthorized copy]clumsy nature,’ but that couldn’t be the only reason. Perhaps he had guessed because stolen contentHae-min was [unauthorized copy]from the inland regions. But even that felt somehow unsettling as an answer.

“It’s always been like this….”

It was strange, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was strange. Moon Hae-min had simply let it slide, telling himself, ‘It must be a coincidence,’ while remaining uneasy.

But he couldn’t do that today. The suspicions he had consciously or unconsciously ignored had grown far too large.

‘……Is it possible that Song Seol hasn’t truly forgotten the past?’

In his anxiety, Hae-min gnawed on his lower lip. He did it so much that he tasted blood from a small tear, but he couldn’t calm down. He began biting his thumbnail as well, only stopping when he realized his hand was trembling violently.

‘I’m scared….’

The emotion chilling his heart was nothing other than terror. Hae-min curled his body up like a coward. He felt as if the door would burst open at any moment and Song Seol would storm in. Yes, just like that night he was caught after trying to flee….

“…….”

He squeezed his eyes shut and then snapped them open. Right now, he was excessively terrified. In this state, his vision would narrow and nothing [unauthorized copy]would go his way. He visit our siteneeded visit our siteto summon courage, even if he had to force it.

‘Even if Song Seol remembers, the worst-case scenario won’t happen.’

For Hae-min, the worst-case scenario was losing Bok-deong-i again. But since Bok-deong-i wasn’t here this time, such a thing couldn’t happen. At most, he would be locked in the sarangbang and forced to live as ‘Moon Hee-yul.’

“Haa….”

While it might not be the absolute worst, it was still a horrific prospect. Just thinking about those days gave him goosebumps on his arms.

Suddenly, he felt exhausted. Rubbing his dry, parched face, Hae-min thought:

‘I want to run away as soon as possible.’

He had been too complacent over the past few days. Just because his body was comfortable, he had let himself settle in. To think he was idling around when he should have been meticulously planning his escape. He had to conduct himself with absolute precision.

Like tightening a loose bowstring, Hae-min braced himself.

The next day, Moon Hae-min gave a servant an errand.

“Deliver this letter to Young Master Yoon.”

It was a letter stating that he had recovered his health and was now able to write. Until now, he hadn’t dared to contact him out of embarrassment for the scene he had made at the Yoon residence, but now was not the time to be picky. He wanted to sell his calligraphy before Yoon Seung-hyeok changed his mind. That was the only way to secure funds for his escape.

That afternoon, the returning servant reported to Hae-min.

“Young Master Yoon was very pleased to receive the letter. He said that if it is alright, he would like to visit you tomorrow. What shall I tell him?”

“Tell him it is fine.”

Since he had no schedule of his own, any time was fine. However, he felt a bit bad about sending the servant, who had just returned from the Yoon residence, right back there again.

“I shall deliver the message then.”

“Wait a moment.”

Holding the servant back, Hae-min stepped [stolen content]into his quarters [visit our site]for visit our sitea moment and came back out. In his hand was a bundle of yakgwa.

“It must be tiring to travel back and forth, so have some snacks.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

The servant quickly took the bundle. He peeked inside and his eyes widened.

“I-is this yakgwa?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Am I truly allowed to eat something this precious?”

Since it was made with expensive ingredients, people like servants would usually only get to eat it on feast days. Having received such precious yakgwa, the servant was already swallowing hard.

“Yes.”

“Truly? Thank you, Young Master!”

As if worried that Moon Hae-min might change his mind, the servant clutched the bundle of yakgwa to his chest and hurried away. Hae-min watched his retreating figure with a bitter smile.

Yakgwa was delicious, but eating eight pieces alone was too sweet. Rather than forcing himself to finish them, it was better to give them to someone who actually wanted them.

Although the yakgwa wasn’t given out of pure goodwill, the effect was significant. The servant returned from his errand faster than before. With lips glistening from the oil, he reported:

“Young Master Yoon will visit tomorrow during the hour of Shin.”

“I see. Thank you for letting me know.”

“It is nothing. I shall also deliver the word to Grand Prince Byeokran.”

“Yes, please do.”

Hae-min had intended to tell Song Seol himself, but since the servant offered, there was no reason to refuse. Moon Hae-min slipped back into his quarters, like a snail retreating into its shell.