Fake Concubine 74

“Sit.”

“Yes.”

As ​he ​sat ​down, ​Hae-min scanned the ​room. ​A ​white ​porcelain ​flask and flower pancakes ​were ​placed on the ​small dining table. ​Seeing ​two ​sets ​of ​cutlery ​and a single ​empty ​wine ​glass, it seemed ​he truly intended to ​drink with ​him. Hae-min ​had a ​feeling that ​today’s ​meeting ​would not end ​quickly.

“Are you ​perhaps a weak drinker?”

“I ​am not sure. I ​haven’t had much experience ​drinking.”

“Which means ​you ​can at least handle one glass. ​In that case, take ​a ​drink ​first.”

“Yes.”

He ​should ​have just said ​he was ​weak; ​he had been ​needlessly ​honest. Regretting it belatedly, Hae-min ​obediently accepted ​the ​drink. The clear ​liquor ​flowed ​with ​a ​soft sound, ​releasing ​a deep ​fragrance.

“So, have you been doing well?”

“Pardon? Yes, ​I have.”

It felt ​strange to be ​asked if he was ​doing well ​when they had ​seen ​each other yesterday, ​the day [unauthorized copy]before, ​and the ​day ​before that. ​In ​reality, Read on Read BL NovelsMoon ​Hae-min ​had been ​fine, ​and ​in terms of ​his ​circumstances, he ​was ​more ​affluent ​than he had ever been in his life.

“I suppose so. I hear there are many people who desire your calligraphy.”

“Yes.”

“But I also hear that few are actually able to obtain it.”

“It just happened that way…”

There were reasons for the current situation.

As the days passed, the reputation of the writer ‘Moon Hee-yul’ grew, and it was all well and good that Moon Hae-min’s pockets grew heavier as a result. However, Hae-min had no desire to become that famous.

Thus, he began rejecting the majority of requests. If ten people commissioned calligraphy from him, he would only accept one.

But who could have known? That actually served to increase the value of ‘Moon Hee-yul’s’ writing.

“As I mentioned before, it is a good strategy. The higher the scarcity, the greater the value.”

“I didn’t intentionally set a strategy.”

It was a situation that was both pleasing and awkward. It wasn’t Hae-min’s wish for his existence to become too prominent. Regardless, it was a relief that he had saved the target amount sooner than expected.

With his biggest worry resolved, he had been steadily solving other problems lately.

Thanks to consistent practice, his horsemanship had improved significantly. Since he planned to flee to the Great Plains, he was also self-studying the language of the Geumo Kingdom.

‘The problem is crossing the border secretly…’

He felt that this, too, would be resolved somehow. He had obsessively scoured every corner of the Namdaemun Market and found a group that took on all sorts of rough work. They were the type of people who would help a criminal smuggle themselves out of the country as long as they were paid. Hae-min intended to use their help to cross the border.

The risk was high, but it couldn’t be helped. Otherwise, there was no proper way to leave Yeomyeong. There were ways like sneaking onto a ship or joining a merchant caravan, but having had an experience where such a thing went wrong, he wasn’t particularly keen on it.

‘Once I leave Yeomyeong, things will work out somehow.’

The place Hae-min intended to go was the Geumo Kingdom, specifically the Great Plains. In the vastness of the Great Plains, even someone like Song Seol would not be able to find him. There, Moon Hae-min would finally be able to enjoy his freedom.

“How is the wine?”

“It is good.”

Hae-min tilted his glass, his eyelashes slightly lowered. In truth, he wasn’t quite sure what it tasted like, but the sweet aftertaste wasn’t bad.

“By the way, those who wish to possess your calligraphy must be quite anxious. To think you won’t sell even if they offer money.”

“Well, how can a person live having everything they desire?”

It seemed this topic wasn’t over yet. Hae-min set [visit our site]down his glass and turned his gaze to the plate. The snack was yellow rose flower [stolen content]pancakes; they looked so dainty and pretty that he found himself unable to pick them up with his chopsticks.

“And if one absolutely must have it?”

“Then they have no choice but to remain anxious. What other way is there when the seller refuses to sell?”

He really couldn’t eat the flower pancakes. How could he put something so pretty in his mouth? Just as he reached for the wine glass again, a foreign scent suddenly brushed against the tip of his nose.

“…”

It wasn’t the damp smell of rain, the deep scent of wine, or the savory aroma of flower pancakes. It was the scent of a winter wind out of season. A dry and cool fragrance.

Perhaps this was the real subject of the meeting. His head spun at the cold Chromatic Scent. Moon Hae-min decided to ask directly.

“Why are you doing this?”

Song Seol set down his glass with a look as if the air had been let out of him.

“You are surprisingly oblivious.”

“Was this a situation that required me to be perceptive?”

It must have been a seduction. Realizing this belatedly, Hae-min felt as if he had sobered up from wine he hadn’t even been drunk on. He had walked right into the spider’s web, but since there would have been no way to avoid it even if he had known, there was no need to blame himself.

Hae-min’s hand trembled slightly. Because of that, ripples formed inside the wine glass.

“I trust that you are not a man who goes back on his word, My Lord.”

“What did I say?”

“You said you had no hobby of plucking flowers with promiscuous scents.”

Of course, that guarantee had long since been broken. However, even so, that was the only thing Hae-min could cling to right now.

“I regret it a little.”

“Regret what?”

“Teaching you the knack of controlling your Chromatic Scent. And giving you the suppressant pills.”

“…I am grateful for those things.”

Song Seol grabbed the white porcelain flask and poured himself a drink. It happened in an instant, before Moon Hae-min could even offer to pour for him.

After draining the wine in one gulp, he murmured softly.

“You weren’t a flower anyway.”

“…”

“You are a butterfly. A butterfly that wishes to fly away somewhere.”

It was the same thing he had heard once before. Since the speaker was the same, it was only natural. However, the situation and the Moon Hae-min listening to it had changed since then.

“No, a butterfly? To compare me to such a fragile creature…”

“Do you think butterflies are fragile? If so, you are mistaken. Despite how they look, butterflies are creatures capable of crossing oceans.”

He was refuted as soon as he made the excuse. Lost for words, Hae-min cast his gaze beyond the open door. Rain was falling in diagonal streaks. The rain seemed to have grown heavier.

Silence settled in with the sound of the rain. While the very air sank into a humid stillness, Song Seol spoke quietly.

“I have no wish to forcibly keep a butterfly trapped.”

“Is that so?”

It was welcome news. Hae-min inadvertently looked pleased, then quickly corrected his expression.

Indeed, Song Seol was a man who observed etiquette in his own peculiar way. It was less about consideration for others and more about Song Seol’s own aesthetics. And those aesthetics included not forcibly touching an Eumin who said they were unwilling.

‘The problem is that he doesn’t always act that way, but still, he’s not completely reckless.’

In short, ‘it’s bearable.’ That was the conclusion Moon Hae-min reached.

“Just write one piece for me.”

At some point, the scent of the winter wind subsided. It seemed Song Seol had retracted his Chromatic Scent. He continued while looking at Hae-min.

“Even so, you wouldn’t reject my request, would you? I am not just anyone.”

“Yes, of course. What kind of writing would you like?”

“A love letter.”

“…”

A sudden downpour of rain crashed down. As if they had sunk to the bottom of a pond, the atmosphere became heavy in an instant.

“I’m joking.”

Song Seol said it in a much lighter tone. However, there was no way he could believe it. As he looked at Song Seol with suspicious eyes, Song Seol added, as if realizing his intent.

“Let’s just call it a joke.”

“…Yes.”

In any case, Hae-min had no intention of pressing visit our sitefor an answer. What if something he stolen contentcouldn’t handle popped out if he tried to dig into Song unauthorized copySeol’s inner thoughts? It was better to just close his eyes and look away.

Yet, curiosity sprang up like water droplets. With what intention had Song Seol said such a thing? Was it a simple joke, or was there a bit of sincerity mixed in? And if there was sincerity, what on earth was that feeling…

‘Is it lust?’

That was the most plausible guess. As far as Hae-min knew, Song Seol had spent nearly half a year of his Heerak-gi alone. If there were no Eumin around, it would be one thing, but it was quite unusual to take only suppressant pills when there was one within arm’s reach.

In fact, hadn’t they slept together several times in the past? For a yang-person with no issues with sexual function, that would be the norm.

‘Surely he didn’t suddenly develop a problem with his sexual function… no, that can’t be. After all, I confirmed it myself.’

As he inadvertently recalled the memory of that day, heat rose to his cheeks. Moon Hae-min fanned himself frantically with the hand not holding the wine glass.

“Are you drunk? Your face is flushed.”

“Yes, a little…”

“We should stop drinking here.”

Song Seol reached out and lightly took the wine glass from Hae-min’s hand. In the process, their fingers brushed slightly.

“…”

Hae-min lowered his head slightly. Perhaps he really was drunk, as unauthorized copyold [Read on Read BL Novels]memories surfaced again. The many nights when Song Seol had taken his body as if it were natural, and he had accepted him out of necessity while secretly feeling pleasure.

‘But why this time…’

It was certainly not that he hoped such things would repeat. He was simply, purely curious. Back then, he had treated him in a manner befitting the status of a ‘concubine,’ so why wasn’t he doing so now? Was it because it contradicted Song Seol’s aesthetics? Or because he felt no lust?

Somehow, the more he thought about it, the more his curiosity grew. Rather than finding an answer, he felt as if he were falling deeper into a labyrinth.

‘What are Song Seol’s feelings toward me?’

Suddenly, he wondered why he hadn’t felt even a shred of curiosity about it in the past.