Fake Concubine 50

“Why ​did ​you ​go ​play by yourself!”

“I ​didn’t ​go ​by ​myself! ​I went with the ​other ​kids!”

“Then why did ​you leave me ​out!”

The ​young ​girl ​shouted. ​Her ​face looked somewhat ​familiar. ​It ​didn’t take long ​for Moon Hae-min to ​recall who ​she was.

‘That ​child is ​definitely the ​one ​who ​used to persistently ​follow Dong-sik ​around…’

That was why he ​remembered her, despite having ​no direct connection to ​her. Furthermore, ​as ​far as Moon Hae-min knew, Dong-sik ​and that girl had ​become ​inseparable ​best ​friends ​after a period ​of bickering.

“Haha.”

They ​say ​a quarrel between ​husband ​and wife is like cutting ​water with ​a ​knife—meaning it’s easily ​mended—and ​fights ​between ​children ​are much ​the ​same. They ​would fight like that and then make ​up in an ​instant as if ​nothing had happened. Hae-min ​let out ​a chuckle, finding ​the ​children cute and ​amusing.

“Ah! So I ​asked why ​you ​called me!”

On ​the ​other hand, ​Dong-sik ​seemed to ​have ​lost ​his temper while ​arguing ​with the ​girl. ​As ​he ​stomped his feet and yelled, the girl let out an even louder scream.

“I called you to give you this, you dummy!”

“What?”

The girl threw something. Something sparkling in the sunlight flew through the air and landed in Dong-sik’s hand. Catching it reflexively, Dong-sik let out an exclamation.

“Oh, my treasure!”

“Dummy. If it’s a treasure, you [Read on Read BL Novels]should keep it safe. Why unauthorized copyon earth would you [unauthorized copy]bury it in the ground?”

“That’s my business! But why do you have this?”

“There’s a reason!”

With a loud shout, the girl turned around and ran away. The hem of her skirt fluttered in the wind. Watching her retreat, Dong-sik muttered in bewilderment.

“What’s with her?”

While the boy himself seemed completely clueless, Moon Hae-min felt he understood the child’s psychology. She was clearly using the ‘treasure’ as a way to get closer to Dong-sik. Perhaps she had noticed the twig Dong-sik had stuck in the ground to mark the spot and had sneakily dug it up.

Moon Hae-min considered telling Dong-sik his theory but decided against it. He couldn’t simply go around exposing such innocent, budding feelings.

“Guys! I found my treasure!”

Overjoyed, Dong-sik ran back to his friends. Soon, the children huddled together to unauthorized copyadmire visit our siteDong-sik’s treasure.

“Whoa!”

“It’s pretty.”

In truth, as Dong-sik had said, it probably wasn’t a grand treasure, but the children breathed out sincere admiration. Moon Hae-min stepped back and quietly watched the pure scene.

‘Cute. …I wonder if Bok-deong-i would have been that cheerful if he had grown up safely.’

The thought occurred naturally. It was all futile to regret and grieve now, but Moon Hae-min found himself missing Bok-deong-i from time to time.

“Then again, how could a father ever forget you,” Hae-min whispered like a sigh. It was a lonely whisper with no one to hear.

“Hee-yul hyung! Do you want to see my treasure too?”

Just then, Dong-sik turned to Moon Hae-min and shouted. Despite the smudges of dirt on his cheeks and unauthorized copythe bridge of his nose, he had a face that Read on Read BL Novelslooked happier than anyone else in the world.

“Sure, I’m curious. Shall I have a look?”

“Here!”

Dong-sik approached Hae-min and proudly held out his treasure. On his small palm lay a polished, glossy jade stone.

“Wow, it’s really beautiful!”

Hae-min exaggerated his admiration on purpose. It wasn’t entirely an exaggeration, though. The treasure looked like ice jade. Its color was lovely and it sparkled clearly; it was more beautiful than he had expected.

“I think some noble person might have dropped this. Perhaps it was part of a norigae or a hairpin?”

“Huh? Then do we have to find the owner?”

“No, of course it would be good if we [Read on Read BL Novels]could, but that’s unauthorized copypractically impossible. stolen contentIt’s yours now. Your treasure.”

“My treasure…”

“Yes, so you must take good care of it so you don’t lose it again. Understand?”

“Yes!”

Dong-sik answered vigorously, and then added just as vigorously:

“This time, I’m going to put a stone instead of a twig!”

“…You’re going to bury it in the ground again?”

It seemed he hadn’t understood (or chosen to ignore) the advice. Still, Hae-min didn’t nag him further. Dong-sik likely had his own reasons, and above all, Hae-min felt that even if he lost the jade stone again, that girl from earlier would find it for him.

“I’m confident I won’t forget this time.”

Dong-sik walked toward a tall oak tree. He squatted beneath the tree and began to dig into the earth.

Like a squirrel hiding an acorn, Dong-sik buried the jade stone and covered it back with soil.

“Dong-sik! Here.”

One of the children picked up a stone from somewhere and handed it to him. It was long, like a radish, and looked perfect for sticking into the ground.

“Thanks!”

Taking the stone, Dong-sik firmly planted it right above the spot where the jade stone was buried. It looked almost like a tiny tombstone.

Dong-sik dusted off his dirty hands and chattered away.

“This is how you mark it. To let people know my treasure is underneath here.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Hee-yul hyung, if you have something you need to hide, try doing it like this. As long as you mark it properly, nothing will go wrong.”

“Mm-hmm.”

He wondered if that was truly the case, but it certainly seemed like a good way to mark a location as long as the stone didn’t disappear.

‘…Eh?’

Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind like lightning. Moon Hae-min stopped dead in his tracks and looked down at the stone.

The soil. The jade stone buried beneath it. And the stone marking the location.

‘I could mark dangerous terrain this way…?’

It was a simple idea. But if refined, it could become a great insight.

He felt as though he had finally found a clue to prevent the accident that would occur at Yesong Port. Perhaps it was a clue that could prevent not just that specific accident, but maritime accidents in general.

He suddenly felt a sense of urgency. He felt he should hurry back to his desk. Before that, Hae-min expressed his sincere gratitude to Dong-sik.

“Dong-sik, thank you.”

“For what?”

“For playing with me today.”

“That’s what you’re thankful for?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll play with you next time too!”

“Yeah, I’d like that.”

Moon Hae-min waved to Dong-sik and the other children. He didn’t know if he would actually be able to meet them again, but he hoped there truly would be a ‘next time.’

As soon as Moon Hae-min returned to his quarters, he sat at his desk.

He scribbled down the thoughts racing through his head. Not only the idea that had just occurred to him, but also the thoughts derived from it. No matter how absurd the concept, Moon Hae-min recorded it meticulously without omission.

The white paper gradually became filled with dense black characters. To an outsider, it would have looked like scribbles on expensive paper.

However, Hae-min didn’t feel the paper or the ink were a waste. What he was doing now was worth that much. Even before completing a concrete plan, Moon Hae-min did not doubt this.

“That should do it for now.”

Eventually, Hae-min muttered as he looked down at what he had written.

It was still insufficient, but he lacked the time to dwell on it further. He had to hurry before the accident at Yesong Port occurred.

Moon Hae-min opened the window. The sky had already turned a deep, dark blue. By now, Song Seol should have returned home.

“Excuse me.”

“Yes, young master. Did you call?”

“If the Master has returned, please tell him that I request an audience.”

Hae-min called a servant and made the request. The servant bowed deeply and withdrew.

After a while, the servant returned and spoke.

“Young master, he tells you to come in now.”

“I understand.”

Moon Hae-min rose from his seat. He took one suppressant pill and gathered the writings he had prepared. It was no longer a collection of haphazard scribbles, but a document where he had logically organized his opinions based on those notes.

Leaving his quarters, Hae-min walked quickly. This private residence was as vast as a whale’s back; it took quite a while just to get from his quarters to the guest house. The path he usually traversed leisurely felt long today.

Once he stood before the guest room, he hesitated to step forward. Perhaps sensing his presence, Song Seol’s voice drifted from behind the closed door.

“Enter.”

“Yes.”

Moon Hae-min checked once more to ensure he wasn’t emitting [stolen content]any Chromatic [Read on Read BL Novels]Scent, then opened the sliding door.

“What is your business?”

Song Seol asked. Was it just his imagination, or did his voice sound colder than usual today? It wasn’t exactly frosty, but it simply lacked warmth.

Though his shoulders instinctively tensed, Moon Hae-min spoke.

“Master, there is something I have thought of since returning from Yesong Port.”

“And what is that?”

“First, please accept this.”

Hae-min handed the paper to Song Seol. Song Seol raised an eyebrow slightly as he took it. He seemed curious about what it was.

It felt more like a negative curiosity than a positive one, but Read on Read BL Novelsregardless, it was better than unauthorized copyindifference. Moon Hae-min began his explanation.

“I have heard that ships often run aground on sandbanks along the coast. To the extent that sand is sometimes a bigger problem than reefs.”

“That is true.”

“It would be difficult to completely avoid sand that shifts with the currents. Even so, what if we placed marker poles at appropriate locations?”

“Marker poles.”

“Yes, placing marker poles where there are reefs and sandbanks. Or perhaps anchoring small boats would also be a good method. If we do that, perhaps maritime accidents could be reduced, even if only slightly.”

Song Seol merely looked down at the paper Moon Hae-min had given him without responding. However, Moon Hae-min took his silence positively. It didn’t seem as though Song Seol was silent because he had nothing to say, but rather that he was seriously considering the proposal.