Fake Concubine 72

Just ​then, ​the ​celadon ​paperweight holding down ​the ​sheets ​caught ​Song ​Seol’s eye.

“You ended up ​using ​that paperweight after ​all.”

“Yes, since I ​bought ​it, ​I ​should ​make ​good use of ​it.”

Moon ​Hee-yul ​spoke while stroking ​the turtle-shaped paperweight. At ​that, Song ​Seol’s thick ​eyebrows twitched.

This, ​too, was ​utterly ​absurd. ​It wasn’t as ​if he ​had made a difficult ​demand; he had simply ​asked him not to ​buy a ​single ​paperweight, yet he had refused.

What was ​even more infuriating was ​the ​fact ​that ​he ​felt annoyed every ​time he ​looked ​at that paperweight. ​Song ​Seol glared at the turtle ​paperweight as ​if ​he had encountered ​an ​irreconcilable ​enemy.

However, ​quite ​naturally, the ​turtle ​paperweight seemed ​to harbor no ill will toward Song ​Seol. The turtle’s ​blank expression only ​served to irritate him ​further. Why ​did he dislike ​this ​paperweight so much?

Song ​Seol searched his ​inner self ​once ​more. But ​again, ​no reason ​came ​to mind; ​only ​an ​instinctive feeling of ​displeasure ​surged from ​deep ​within ​his ​chest. He felt that if he dug through that emotion—which felt like thick, sticky mud—he might find the reason, but…

“My Lord, are you by any chance going to the government office tomorrow?”

Moon Hee-yul’s question broke his train of thought.

“I am.”

“Then may I accompany you? It will only take a moment. I will return immediately after tending to my business.”

“Are you planning to deliver a message to Yoon Seung-hyeok?”

“Yes.”

“That will be difficult.”

The words flew out before he had even processed the thought. For a moment, Song Seol was flustered himself, but he naturally added a reason.

“Tomorrow is an important day, so outsiders must not enter.”

“Ah, I see.”

Hee-yul nodded. In reality, far from being an important day, it stolen contentwould be a day [visit our site]no different from any other, but since Moon Hee-yul had no [stolen content]way of knowing that, he seemed to accept it.

Song Seol lightly clenched and unclenched his fist. He had ended up using a petty excuse, but in the end, it worked out well. He didn’t want Moon Hee-yul to meet Yoon Seung-hyeok.

…He didn’t know why this was the case either. Song Seol had never experienced so many inexplicable things in his life, but lately, something had been suspicious. Results without known causes kept occurring. Because of this, Song Seol found himself flashing with irritation even when nothing was happening.

“Then I shall see Young Master Seung-hyeok separately later to deliver it.”

Yes, it was happening now. It was only natural for him to be diligent in his duties, but for some reason, it made his blood boil.

Having failed to control his heart, Song Seol spoke brusquely.

“Just give it to me. I will deliver it.”

“Ah, but…”

Moon Hee-yul hesitated, not readily handing over the message. Since it was an important matter, he seemed to want to see it through to the end himself rather than entrusting it to another. While understanding that sentiment, Song Seol pressed him, pretending not to notice.

“It is not a troublesome task, so why do you hesitate?”

“…Then I leave it in your hands. Once the [unauthorized copy]ink stolen contentis dry, I will put it in the tube Read on Read BL Novelsand give it to you.”

“Very well.”

With that, the business was concluded. In other words, there was no longer any reason to remain in Moon Hee-yul’s quarters. Nevertheless, Song Seol did not return to the guest house.

Hee-yul glanced at Song Seol from the corner of his eye. He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the look clearly asked, ‘Why isn’t he leaving?’ To this, Song Seol blurted out the first thing that came to mind.

“Are you throwing those papers away?”

He was referring to the piles of paper scattered haphazardly in a corner of the room. There were countless discarded sheets, as if he had written and rewritten until he was satisfied. Even if it was just practice, it couldn’t have been easy to write that much.

“Yes, I should.”

“What a waste.”

“I apologize. I did not wish to waste paper and ink either… but I believe they can at least be used as kindling.”

That wasn’t why he had called it a waste, but Song Seol did not correct the misunderstanding. He bent down and picked up a sheet of paper.

“You have written well.”

“…Thank you.”

Hee-yul answered in a voice that barely reached him.

He was always like that. Despite usually being calm, it was obvious that he didn’t know what to do with himself whenever he received even a small compliment. Song Seol himself was not one accustomed to exchanging praise, but Moon Hee-yul was even worse.

Was he naturally a shy person? Come to think of it, he had seemed excessively shy on their wedding night as well.

“…”

Song Seol briefly recalled the events of that day. Moon Hee-yul, flushed red and completely intoxicated by the aphrodisiac… Now that he thought about it, quite a few nights had passed since the day they had slept together. A normal couple would have had their second encounter long ago. No, why stop at two? It wouldn’t be strange to press their lower bellies together during the day as well as the night. Coincidentally, his own Heerak-gi was not far off…

“My Lord?”

Finding the prolonged silence strange, Moon Hee-yul called out to Song Seol. His face, appearing to know nothing, was almost innocent. It was a look that made one feel sorry to touch him, yet simultaneously made one want to provoke him.

“Since you’re throwing it away anyway, I will take this.”

“Yes, please do.”

Moon Hee-yul answered readily.

Now, there truly was no business left. And no business meant that the reasons or excuses to stay in Hee-yul’s quarters had run dry.

Song Seol left the room. After closing the door, he suddenly looked down at the paper.

People love only the outward appearance of the flower

And truly do not know how it became a flower

On the crumpled paper, those poetic lines written in an elegant hand caught his eye.

Before long, Gyeongchip had passed.

Like the warming weather, vitality returned to Hae-min’s daily life. It began with the task requested by Yoon Seung-hyeok going well.

‘As I thought, my eyes were correct. It is a waste for the Young Master’s calligraphy to remain only in a report. It should be mounted on silk and displayed.’

He had heard many compliments about his calligraphy being beautiful in his life, but this was the first time he had received such praise. Hae-min was very happy, but he couldn’t be entirely stolen contentrelieved. Read on Read BL NovelsRead on Read BL NovelsEven if it pleased Yoon Seung-hyeok, whether it met his grandfather’s standards was a separate matter.

Furthermore, though he felt sorry for Yoon Seung-hyeok, the man was such an optimistic and positive person that Hae-min couldn’t fully trust the praise. Thus, Moon Hae-min waited for Old Man Yoon’s seventieth birthday banquet with a nervous heart.

The result was beyond Hae-min’s expectations. He heard later that Old Man Yoon was so impressed by the gift his grandson had prepared that he even asked for the name of the writer.

Thanks to that, the fame of ‘Moon Hee-yul’ spread, which left a bitter taste in his mouth, but regardless, it was a sufficiently satisfying result for Hae-min. Above all, he received generous payment.

“There was a time when I earned money by transcribing day and night, but to earn more than that all at once…”

Moon Hae-min muttered as he counted the money he had received.

Of course, the effort put into transcription and the effort put into writing a poem for Old Man Yoon were poles apart. Still, he felt strange. While he thought he had been foolish in the past when there was such an easy way to make money, he also felt that he had done his best given the circumstances of that time.

‘Could it be that I was unlucky until now so that things would work out this well?’

Hae-min stopped counting the money and stepped outside. He sat on the porch, lost in thought.

Not long ago, he had heard from Song Seol that the ship carrying the trade goods had safely departed for the Geumo Kingdom. Moreover, the markers established based on ‘Moon Hee-yul’s’ suggestion were effective in reducing maritime accidents.

Hae-min had been overjoyed upon hearing that. He was pleased that accidents that would have cost lives and wealth were prevented and that his [visit our site]suggestion had been well-received, but the best part was that he had confirmed the possibility. unauthorized copyA ship that had been shipwrecked in the past had now sailed safely toward the open sea, so it was certain that his own life would sail smoothly like a ship with its sails unfurled.

A warm spring breeze blew from somewhere. Under the wall, the forsythias swayed by the stem. Watching the scenery, Hae-min smiled faintly.

Then, he suddenly realized. It had been a long time since he had smiled like this.

Lately, he had been in a state of tension, like a soldier standing guard before an exhibition. Even when nothing was happening, he couldn’t let his guard down. So, it was natural that laughter didn’t come. He had managed a few smiles or smirks, but it had been ages since he had laughed from the depths of his abdomen out of genuine joy.

“…Haha.”

Since it was on his mind, Hae-min consciously burst into laughter. It was a very awkward laugh.

“Hahaha.”

Moon Hae-min tried laughing out loud again. This time, too, it was somewhat unnatural. Suddenly wondering what on earth he was doing, he felt his own appearance was ridiculous. Only then did a real laugh burst out.

“Ahahaha.”

It was closer to a chuckle, but laughter was laughter nonetheless. Having laughed heartily, Hae-min looked up. The sky was exceptionally blue and beautiful today. It was a color that looked as if it would be soft to the touch.

Just as he was taking in the deep blue sky, he felt a gaze from somewhere.

“…Ah.”

As soon as he looked down, he knew the reason. Song Seol had appeared at some point and was standing tall, facing him. The distance was not close enough to discern his expression, but it was certain that he had been watching him.

“My Lord, you have arrived.”

He felt awkward, as if he had shown a shameful part of himself. Hae-min wiped the expression from his face and stood up.

“What were you thinking about?”

Song Seol asked as he approached. Moon Hae-min answered vaguely.

“Nothing in particular… I wasn’t thinking of anything special.”

It wasn’t a lie. He had been letting go of some bland thoughts that were ambiguous to define.