Escape.
It was a difficult request, quite literally.
If Ak Mujin were to disappear like this, even without Chun-wol’s help, he, as the owner of the House of Courtesans, would not be able to escape responsibility. The Demonic Cult would surely come down directly and stir things up. It was only natural that Madam Lou would change.
However, Chun-wol had received immense grace from Ak Mujin over the years. He had always hoped for an opportunity to repay everything he had given him, but the sudden news of his disappearance weighed heavily on his heart. Now that the time had come to repay him, why was he hesitating?
Noticing his inner turmoil, Ak Mujin used him as an excuse for his escape, yet he felt heavy-hearted despite having no other options. It was akin to forcing Chun-wol, who had just begun to settle in and live comfortably, to betray his faith.
He didn’t want to burden him, so he spoke quickly.
“But, you too will find yourself in a difficult position, so there’s no need for you to help directly. Just let me…”
But Chun-wol interrupted him.
“I will help.”
His face was clearly tense as he spoke those words, but it was also a reflection of his firm resolve. Ak Mujin felt immense gratitude towards him. At the same time, he felt a sense of discomfort and unease.
Only then could he relax the serious expression he had maintained all along. They say that even if the sky falls, there’s a hole to escape through; he had finally met a benefactor.
“…Thank you.”
“Compared to the grace you have shown me, this is merely a sip of water.”
Chun-wol blushed for some reason and smiled. Every time he smiled, Ak Mujin was reminded of his past reputation. It was indeed a smile as beautiful as a fully bloomed peony.
“Then… is there a way to escape without being noticed by Elder Yeo?”
“Hmm….”
If there was a problem, it would be finding a way to escape the House of Courtesans. Chun-wol pondered while adjusting his chin.
“The laundry from the House of Courtesans goes to the laundry station every early morning. I will place a basket in your bedchamber, so if you can hide there without being seen by the guards, I will send someone to move it. If you hide in the basket, you should be able to escape without raising any suspicion.”
Ak Mujin let out an “Ah!” of admiration at his words. Of course, avoiding the guards’ eyes would be crucial, but if that could be managed, the rest didn’t seem too difficult.
“However, isn’t my bedchamber shared with Elder Yeo? It would be hard to hide from him…”
“I can assign you a separate bedchamber. Elder Yeo has business to attend to all night, so you needn’t worry about him.”
“What do you mean by that…”
He was about to question him but realized what that business entailed. This was the House of Courtesans, and Elder Yeo was likely…
“It seems his cycle is approaching soon. He probably stopped by for that reason. He has already summoned several courtesans to his quarters.”
At his blunt words, the tips of Ak Mujin’s ears turned red. It seemed that Elder Yeo was also a Yang Person, given that most of the martial artists were Yang Persons.
Ak Mujin suddenly realized how little he had cared about others until now. Despite being an Ordinary Person, how could he have spent decades in the Demonic Cult without noticing the existence of Yang and Yin Persons? It wasn’t until he met Chun-wol that he became aware of the existence of Yin Persons. In fact, at that time, he hadn’t even thought of him as a Yin Person.
So, how many more Yang and Yin Persons were there within the Demonic Cult?
“However, if you escape, you will need to use the waterside, but I wonder if that will be alright in this season…”
Chun-wol spoke worriedly, pulling Ak Mujin out of his sudden thoughts. After all, if he had sustained a fatal injury that caused him to lose all his Inner Force, his health was likely not very good even now.
“It’s fine. That’s not a problem. But what about you… are you really okay? Even if you don’t get caught, you won’t be able to escape responsibility…”
“I’m fine. Honestly, staying in the House of Courtesans has been getting a bit overwhelming. I want to live quietly with my parents now.”
Even if that wasn’t his true intention, Chun-wol’s words somewhat eased Ak Mujin’s heavy heart.
Just as he was about to let out a small sigh filled with complicated emotions, a man’s voice came from outside the door.
“Madam Lou. The guards outside are urging you.”
“Tell them I’ll be out soon.”
“Yes.”
Only then did Ak Mujin realize that quite a bit of time had passed since he entered this place, and he got up from his seat. He was about to head to the dressing room to change his clothes.
“Let’s just go out. We’ve spent too much time inside, and it will raise suspicion. It’s better to say it took a while to fix my clothes.”
Ak Mujin nodded in agreement with his words.
“Then, rest well, Young Master.”
Chun-wol assigned Ak Mujin a separate room as he had mentioned before. The two guards assigned to him by Elder Yeo had also just entered the room with him.
The newly assigned room was slightly smaller than the space Ak Mujin had briefly occupied before, but it was spacious enough for one person to rest. He took the opportunity to lie down on the bed, using fatigue as an excuse, and noticed a large laundry basket next to the bed. It seemed he could hide there later to avoid the guards’ eyes.
To do that, he must not fall asleep. If he dozed off and missed the timing… he didn’t even want to think about it.
Once Ak Mujin lay down on the bed, the guards sat at the table, joking and chatting among themselves.
How much time had passed? Ak Mujin felt his eyes beginning to close slowly. Keeping his eyes shut to pretend to be asleep only made him feel sleepier.
This won’t do. I really can’t let this happen. He pinched his thigh with all his might, trying to keep his drowsy eyes open.
“Are you planning to go with Elder Yeo tomorrow?”
“If you need a guard, I suppose I must go. Are you not planning to go?”
Are they still talking? What could they possibly have to say? Do they really intend to fulfill their duties?
Ak Mujin glanced outside through the gap in the fabric. He was so sleepy that his vision seemed to overlap.
“Of course I’ll go. By the way, have you seen the Second Young Master before?”
“No. Today is the first time.”
“He was quite handsome…”
At that moment, one of the two men sitting at the table stood up and began walking toward him.
What’s going on?
Suddenly?
Ak Mujin was startled awake. The footsteps grew closer, and finally, a shadow loomed over him from beyond the fabric. Were they coming to check if he was asleep? Ak Mujin immediately squeezed his eyes shut and pretended to be asleep.
With a rustling sound, the light fabric covering the bed was pushed aside. The man’s shadow fell over Ak Mujin’s face.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
A voice from the table called out, but the man standing before Ak Mujin began to admire his face, ignoring the words.
His pale skin, prominent nose, and long eyelashes that curled beautifully made him look like crow feathers. The man’s gaze slowly traveled down to Ak Mujin’s neck, collarbone, and neatly folded hands.
“…You’ll be a dead man once you go to the cult anyway…”
He began to mumble.
“Should I ask the Cult Leader to give you to me? I’ll live well with you.”
“Are you crazy? Speak sensibly.”
Are you crazy? The same words echoed in Ak Mujin’s heart. He hadn’t thought much while bathing, but if he had known that this guy would be thinking such things, he would have been more careful with his actions. The memory of suddenly exposing himself in front of him made his hair stand on end.
“After all, you’ve lost all your Inner Force. Isn’t it okay to dream a little?”
The man grumbled as he let go of the fabric he had lifted. Once again, Ak Mujin’s face was covered by the fabric. It seemed he was about to return to the table, but then he stopped near the bed and began making some dull sounds.
“…Hmph.”
“Are you really out of your mind?”
“Smells good.”
Ak Mujin’s face turned crimson with shock. The laundry basket already contained several pieces of clothing, and he had also placed his outer garment inside. It seemed the man was rummaging through the clothes and sniffing them.
Could he really hide in that laundry basket? If that guy kept rummaging through it and sniffing, Ak Mujin would find himself in a very difficult situation. He anxiously clutched the blanket.
“Stop talking nonsense and come here. You’re really crazy.”
Just as the other man, unable to bear it any longer, stood up to bring him back, it happened.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, the man screamed and jumped up. Ak Mujin was startled awake and opened his eyes wide.
“What? What is it?”
The man who had been thinking rationally hurried over. He seemed to remember that Ak Mujin was still asleep and stifled his scream even with his eyes covered.
“I think there’s something inside…!”
As he whispered, the other man peered into the basket. At the very top lay the silver long robe Ak Mujin had been wearing, and beneath it were white undergarments piled high. One noticeable item was a round incense pouch. When the man picked it up, yellow powder stuck to his palm.
“…What is this…?”