Fake Concubine 12

‘They’d ​probably ​have ​a ​great time playing ​among ​themselves ​even ​if ​I didn’t come, but…’

Moon ​Hae-min ​had always loved ​children. In truth, ​teaching ​them ​to ​read ​and ​write was more ​for ​Hae-min’s ​own sake than ​for the children’s.

Watching the ​children grow ​brought him ​a sense ​of pride, ​and ​when ​they laughed, he ​couldn’t help ​but smile along. Simply ​being with them was ​a joy. He couldn’t ​miss out ​on ​such precious time.

“Abba!”

Just then, someone tugged ​at the hem of ​Hae-min’s ​coat. ​Looking ​down, ​he saw a ​young child ​who ​looked to be ​about ​four years old. Bundled up ​in layers ​of ​thick winter clothes, ​the ​child ​looked ​absolutely ​adorable.

Meeting the ​child’s ​eyes, Hae-min ​beamed a gentle smile. But it was ​short-lived; a woman ​came rushing over ​and scooped the child ​up in ​her arms.

“Oh dear, ​I’m ​so sorry. My ​husband is also ​wearing a ​black ​coat. I ​think ​my child ​mistook ​you for ​his ​father.”

“Abba, ​Abba.”

“I told you ​he ​isn’t, Eun-sim.”

The ​woman ​coaxed ​the ​child. Despite this, the child visit our sitecontinued to reach out toward Hae-min, calling him “Abba.” The child was so lovely that [Read on Read BL Novels]Hae-min felt [unauthorized copy]an urge to just pretend to be the father and hold them.

“Honey!”

A man called out to the woman. Like Moon Hae-min, he was wearing a black coat. He appeared to be the child’s father.

“What’s going on?”

“Eun-sim thought this gentleman was you and called out to him.”

“Ah, is that so?”

The man looked back at Moon Hae-min. After scanning his attire, the man nodded as if he understood how the mistake happened.

And that was it. The husband, wife, and their lovely child continued on their way. Only Moon Hae-min remained standing there, watching their retreating figures.

A young child walking with small, toddling steps, holding tightly to the hands of a father and mother.

It was a sight so heartwarming it made his chest ache.

‘I wish…’

He had once wished to be born into such a stolen contentharmonious family. There was a time when he longed to call his father “father” stolen contentwithout hesitation and to be showered with a mother’s love.

But that was a wish doomed from the start. After realizing this painfully, Moon Hae-min shifted the direction of his desire.

‘I want to build a harmonious family of my own.’

It was impossible to be a child who exchanged love with parents. However, it should be possible to be a father who exchanged love with his own children.

He didn’t know who would accept him—the illegitimate son of a noble family, whose circumstances were in some ways worse than those of an ordinary commoner. Still, they say even a straw sandal has its pair, so perhaps he too could find a partner one day. If he dared to hope, he wanted to meet a good spouse, have a daughter and a son, and live happily together.

‘But first, I have to get away from Song Seol…’

As soon as reality hit, the forgotten cold rushed back in. Moon Hae-min shivered. To think that he, who had spent the previous night pretending to be an Eumin in the arms of a yang-person, was dreaming of starting a family. The dream was radiant, but the reality was utterly distressing.

“Brother, hello!”

When he arrived at the vacant lot behind the market where they always gathered, the children greeted Moon Hae-min. Hae-min smiled brightly and returned the greeting.

“Hello. You all arrived early, didn’t you?”

“N-no we didn’t. It’s not that we’re early, it’s that you’re late, Oppa.”

“Sorry, something came up on my way here.”

In truth, it was because he wasn’t feeling well. He had been delayed because he had to force his aching body to move.

Still, seeing the children gathered in this freezing weather made the effort worth it. Moon Hae-min looked over the children with pride. However, there was a face among them he had never seen before.

“That child is…”

A young girl wearing a snow-white coat and a skirt. The other children began chattering in his stead.

“I think she’s lost.”

“I think she can’t speak. She hasn’t said a word.”

“Everyone, hold on a moment.”

If she really was lost, he had to find her parents quickly. Hae-min approached the child and crouched down to meet her at eye level.

“Hello.”

“…”

The child blinked, and a strange light flickered in her bead-like [stolen content]eyes. Read on Read BL Novelsvisit our siteShe seemed to be peering into Hae-min’s eyes with curiosity. Since most people reacted this way upon seeing Hae-min’s jade-colored eyes, it wasn’t particularly unusual.

“What is your name?”

“…So-hee.”

Wow, she spoke. The children standing behind him whispered among themselves. Ignoring them, Hae-min asked So-hee.

“I see, so you’re So-hee. So-hee, did you perhaps lose your mother or father?”

“I don’t have a daddy, just a mommy.”

It sounded as though she had lost her father and lived with her mother. However, he couldn’t tell where that mother was or if she had even come to the market with her.

“Then we should go find your mother, So-hee.”

“No. I can find her myself.”

So-hee shook her head stubbornly. She looked bright and spirited, and based on her words, it seemed plausible that she could find her mother on her own.

“Alright, I understand.”

He decided to keep an eye on her [unauthorized copy]for unauthorized copynow. With that [visit our site]thought, Hae-min left So-hee behind and began the lesson.

After the lesson ended, the children scattered in small groups. The bustling vacant lot became quiet in an instant. Yet, So-hee remained sitting in one corner of the lot, motionless.

As expected, it seemed he would have to help her find her mother. Hae-min approached slowly so as not to startle her and asked.

“So-hee, shall we go look for your mom?”

“No.”

“Then? Are you going to stay here? Is there nothing else you want to do?”

“…”

Gurgle. A loud sound served as the answer. It was a sound so loud it was hard to believe it came from such a small body.

“Are you hungry?”

So-hee nodded.

“I wonder what there is around here that a young child could eat.”

At that, So-hee sprang up. She then began to trot away toward somewhere.

Curious about where she was going, he followed her silently until they reached a fairly large tavern. Peddlers sitting on the wooden platforms were eating gukbap.

“Do you want gukbap?”

“Mm-hmm.”

Wasn’t it a bit too hot and salty for a young child? However, since she specifically wanted gukbap, there was no need to stop her.

Hae-min sat down with So-hee and ordered two bowls of gukbap. Before long, the boiling hot soup arrived. So-hee gripped the wooden spoon and began scooping up the food.

“Eat slowly, or you’ll get indigestion.”

So-hee barely seemed to hear Hae-min, her spoon moving rapidly. Anyone watching would have thought she had been starving for three days.

‘…Is that actually the case?’

But judging by her appearance, she didn’t seem to be a poor child. Her cheeks were plump, and there wasn’t a single stain on her white clothes; if anything, she looked like a child from a wealthy home.

“So-hee, do you really not know where your mother is?”

“…”

“Alright, just eat comfortably. Let’s talk after you’ve eaten.”

Hae-min finished his gukbap along with So-hee.

After finishing the meal as quickly as a crab hides its eyes in a spring breeze, So-hee neatly set down her wooden spoon.

“I’m going.”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

Without answering, So-hee stood up. Despite her short stature, she was so nimble that she was already far away in the blink of an eye. Hae-min quickly paid for the gukbap and chased after her.

“So-hee! So-hee!”

So-hee wove through the crowds of people. Was she using some kind of teleportation technique? It was astonishing how fast she was, even though she wasn’t running.

“Huff, huff…”

Normally, he would have caught up long ago, but it wasn’t easy to run with his aching body. Only after leaving the main road was Hae-min able to catch hold of So-hee.

“What if you get lost running like that?”

“I won’t get lost. I’m going to my mom.”

“Do you know where she is? That’s good. Let’s go together.”

“No. I have to sneak in. Mom will be angry if she knows I came out.”

My mom is very, very scary when she’s angry, So-hee added.

“Still, it’s dangerous for a young child to wander alone. I’ll take you back, okay?”

“No.”

After replying quite firmly, So-hee glanced at him and said.

“I’ll tell my mom later. That the Oppa bought me gukbap.”

“Haha, alright.”

Indeed, regardless of how good the intentions were, it would be strange for an adult man to follow a young girl to her house. Realizing this, Hae-min waved his hand.

“Then get home safely.”

“Okay, Gukbap Oppa.”

Moon Hae-min let out a hollow laugh at the title he was hearing for the first time in his life. He watched So-hee’s retreating figure as she grew distant, hoping she would return home safely.

Upon returning to Grand Prince Byeokran’s private residence, the first person Hae-min encountered was the steward. The steward asked, his brow furrowed.

“Where did you go this time to return so late?”

He had sensed it vaguely before, but the steward seemed to find him unpleasant. It was likely because ‘Moon Hee-yul’ was the legitimate eldest son of the Geumcheon Moon clan, the political rivals of Grand Prince Byeokran, but even considering that, it felt excessive. A surge of resentment rose within him, only to fade at the steward’s next words.

“His Lordship has summoned you, Young Master.”

“Me? For what reason?”

“I do not know.”

“…I understand.”

Since he was summoned, he had no choice but to go. Moon Hae-min dragged his heavy feet toward the sarangchae.

He truly did not want to see Song Seol. [Read on Read BL Novels]It wasn’t stolen contentthat he hated Song Seol himself, but rather that it [unauthorized copy]was awkward and embarrassing.

For that reason, Hae-min hesitated even after reaching the front of the sarangbang. Such a thing had happened here just the other day; was it really a good idea to walk back in on his own two feet? Probably not.

‘Should I just pretend to be crazy and run away?’

The moment such a thought actually crossed his mind, a call came from beyond the door.