Fake Concubine 61

Transparent ​sunlight, ​filtered ​through ​the paper doors, ​poured ​in.

Even ​though ​the ​light was blinding to ​his ​closed eyes, Moon ​Hae-min did not ​get ​up. ​He ​simply ​pulled ​the duvet over ​his ​head.

“…….”

It ​was utterly humiliating. ​If he could, he ​wanted to ​carve yesterday’s ​events entirely ​out of ​his ​memory. ​Even if he ​did, it ​wouldn’t undo what had ​already happened. Hae-min let ​out a groan.

‘If I ​end up ​getting ​pregnant, there will have been no ​point in returning to ​the ​past…….’

Song ​Seol ​also ​seemed not to ​want a ​child. ​Recalling the words, ​‘I ​have no intention of seeing ​a child ​from ​you,’ made it ​certain. ​But ​if ​that ​was the ​case, ​he should ​have ignored Hae-min even while he was ​making a fool ​of himself under ​the influence of the ​aphrodisiac; why ​on earth did ​he ​have to touch ​him? Regardless of ​Hae-min’s own ​foolishness, ​Song Seol’s ​actions ​were not ​intelligent ​either.

Song Seol’s ​absurd ​behavior ​didn’t stop there.

‘When ​you ​show me ​your ​back, ​it ​makes me want to chase you.’

‘…….’

‘Chase you, and catch you.’

Thinking about it again, it was ridiculous. When he first heard the words, ‘Do not show your back before me,’ he had sneered inwardly, ‘Does he think he’s some kind of king?’ But it would have been better to sneer, ‘Does he think he’s some kind of dog?’

“I cannot become prey for a dog.”

Moon Hae-min steadied his heart.

He couldn’t throw the precious opportunity given by God into the mud. Yesterday’s events were unavoidable, but if he kept his wits about him from now on, he wouldn’t repeat the mistake…… probably.

“Sigh…….”

For once, he couldn’t find any confidence. After floundering in self-loathing for a long while, Hae-min finally pushed himself up. He couldn’t stay in the guest house forever, so he intended to return to his quarters quickly.

“……My clothes are gone.”

However, he faced a crisis even before leaving the room. The clothes he had taken off last night had vanished. To be honest, he wasn’t sure if he had taken them off himself or if Song Seol had stripped him. Regardless, he was certain he had been wearing clothes when he entered the guest house, yet not a single ribbon was in sight.

Hae-min stopped tossing the duvet and looked devastated.

“What do I do…….”

At this rate, he would have no choice but to wrap himself in the duvet [visit our site]and move. It would be incredibly humiliating if someone saw him, but surely it was better than exposing his naked body. Since he had already built a stone pagoda of [visit our site]shame, adding one more pebble to the top wouldn’t hurt…….

“Are you awake?”

Just then, the door opened without warning. Startled, Hae-min spun around.

Standing there was Song Seol, perfectly dressed in full attire, unlike himself.

“G-good morning.”

The habitual greeting slipped out automatically. In reality, it wasn’t good at all; it was merely awkward. Hae-min gathered the duvet to cover his naked body and asked.

“Are you not going out today……?”

“Why, are you dissatisfied?”

“Dissatisfied? No, that couldn’t be, it couldn’t.”

“……So you are dissatisfied.”

It was exactly as he said. Instead of making excuses, Hae-min just fidgeted with the edge of the duvet.

“Is your body alright?”

“Yes.”

“If you are not, tell me now, and I shall call Physician Kim.”

The words implied that he shouldn’t go looking for some random physician. Shaking his head vigorously, Hae-min answered quickly.

“I am fine.”

“……I cannot tell if you are saying you are fine or not.”

Song Seol muttered skeptically and set a bundle down on the floor. Only then did Hae-min realize he had been carrying something.

“What is this?”

“Clothes for you to wear.”

“Ah…….”

Hae-min hesitantly reached for the bundle.

“……Thank you.”

Since he had been in a predicament, he was grateful that the clothes had been brought to him. It would have been even better if the man had left the room so he could change in peace. Hae-min listlessly toyed with the knot of the bundle.

“Right, Yoon Seung-hyeok sent a servant early this morning.”

He added as if he had suddenly remembered. But in truth, that was likely the real purpose of his visit. At the mention of the name ‘Yoon Seung-hyeok,’ Hae-min’s heart sank, and he looked up at Song Seol.

“What was the business? If he reprimanded me for my rudeness, I will visit him later and apologize formally.”

“No, while he did mention yesterday’s events, it was not for that reason. He expressed concern for your health.”

“……I see.”

“Also, he said he wishes to discuss your writing in detail. He mentioned that he must visit Hanseong soon and wants to finalize the conversation before then.”

“…….”

Even after seeing such a disgraceful side of him, he was still interested in his writing? As expected, he was not an ordinary man.

‘Or perhaps he liked my calligraphy that much.’

He felt a strange mix of gratitude and embarrassment.

“What will you do? The Yoon family servant has not yet departed.”

“Ah……. Then, I am sorry, but could you please tell him that I will discuss it with him again after I have recovered my health?”

“Did you not say just a moment ago that you were fine?”

“That was, of course…… an excuse.”

Since it was a somewhat petty thing to do, he answered in a small voice. However, Song Seol didn’t seem to mind. If anything, he looked intrigued.

“Do you intend to reject Yoon Seung-hyeok’s proposal?”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…… I can’t bring myself to meet him right now.”

“Is that so.”

This isn’t bad either, Song Seol murmured softly. His voice was so low that Hae-min wasn’t sure if he had heard correctly, let alone what it meant.

“If you can’t bring yourself to do it, wouldn’t it be better to just reject it this time?”

“I cannot do that.”

Moon Hae-min answered gloomily.

This was not the time to worry about whether he was embarrassed or not. In truth, he wasn’t just making excuses to delay the meeting with Yoon Seung-hyeok; he was in a position where he had to be proactive. Otherwise, it was realistically impossible to save up enough money for his escape.

“Do you need money?”

“No.”

Hae-min replied instantly. It was a lie, but what did it matter? There was no benefit in giving away a clue. Yet, Song Seol asked persistently.

“Do you truly mean you do not need money?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did you accept Yoon Seung-hyeok’s proposal?”

“Because it is not a difficult task.”

“Hmm.”

Song Seol’s gaze pierced through him like a spear. [visit our site]He wished the man would just unauthorized copyleave so he could get dressed, [unauthorized copy]but the conversation showed no signs of ending. Sure enough, Song Seol made a proposal.

“I will give you double.”

“……Pardon?”

“Whatever price Yoon Seung-hyeok pays to buy your writing, I will give you double that amount. If you do the work I assign.”

It was a proposal he had received in the past as well. Hae-min asked cautiously, just as he had back then.

“What kind of work would you have me do?”

“Something similar to what you did as my right hand.”

Hae-min hesitated. In his honest heart, he wanted to reject it flatly. It wasn’t just because of his grievances toward Song Seol, but because spending time with him felt dangerous.

Whether emotionally or physically, he felt that something bad would happen if he stayed close to Song Seol. At the very least, it would interfere with his plans to escape. However, even considering all that, the offer of ‘double’ was quite tempting.

“What will it be?”

This was the first time—no, the second time—in his life that he felt reluctant despite being offered more money. He remembered that in the past, he had agreed after much deliberation. But this time, his answer was different.

“I am sorry.”

Hae-min bowed his head slightly.

It was a shame to miss a chance to make money, but he felt he would regret it if he accepted Song Seol’s offer. He just had a feeling.

Hae-min didn’t usually think of himself as having great intuition. But since he had died and come back to life, perhaps he had acquired some kind of supernatural sense. In any case, there was no need to shoulder an unnecessary risk.

“I understand.”

Song Seol did not press further. He simply left a final word as if in passing.

“If you change your mind, tell me anytime.”

Soon, Song Seol turned around. Once the door closed, Hae-min finally opened the bundle.

The jacket, pants, padded coat, and undergarments were all neatly folded. But something was strange. These were not his clothes.

“Eh?”

He unfolded the clothes one by one. They certainly weren’t his, but the size seemed to fit his body. When he tried on the jacket, it was indeed the case.

“This is…….”

Hae-min carefully touched the padded coat. A fluffy sensation met his fingertips. However, the memory it evoked was far from fluffy or warm.

‘This is the padded coat Song Seol gave me in the past.’

The spotless white color and the generous fit were exactly the same as the coat he had received back then. It wasn’t just similar; it was the exact same garment.

At the time, Song Seol had covered him with this padded coat the day after their first night. Come to think of it, from Song Seol’s perspective, this time was also a first night.

Did he have a habit of gifting padded coats whenever he slept with someone for the first time? If so, Song Seol possessed a truly bizarre and obscene habit.

Hae-min let out a hollow laugh. He hadn’t expected to receive the padded coat he thought he had left in the past in this manner.

While wearing the padded coat would be warm, Moon Hae-min felt a strange emptiness in his heart.