Fake Concubine 70

Following ​yesterday, ​Hae-min ​remained ​shut inside his ​quarters ​today ​as ​well.

With ​nothing in particular to ​do, ​he was bored. ​To kill time, ​he ​simply ​toyed ​with ​the ​turtle paperweight.

“No matter ​how ​I ​look at it, ​it looks ordinary…”

Of course, ​being a ​high-grade piece, ​it was ​luxurious. It ​had ​a ​clear, lustrous celadon ​hue, and ​the turtle’s appearance was ​quite cute. However, that ​was the only thing ​unique about ​it.

‘Exactly ​what part of this turtle paperweight ​does Song Seol dislike ​so ​much?’

Even ​he, ​who ​had committed suicide ​using this ​very ​paperweight, felt nothing ​special ​toward it. Even if his ​memories had ​vaguely ​returned, Song Seol’s ​reaction ​seemed ​somewhat ​excessive.

Somehow, ​the world ​was ​full of ​things he couldn’t understand. While he was ​rolling the innocent ​paperweight in his ​hand, a call came ​from outside ​the door.

“Young Master, ​Young ​Master Hee-yul.”

“What is ​it?”

Hae-min opened the ​door. There ​stood ​the stolen contentservant ​he ​had unauthorized copy[visit our site]run ​an ​errand for ​yesterday.

“The ​Master ​has summoned you.”

“For ​what ​reason, so ​early ​in ​the ​day?”

“I do not know, sir.”

The servant looked completely crestfallen. Yesterday, he had been beaming after receiving the package of yakgwa; had something bad happened overnight? Hae-min tilted his head in curiosity.

“I understand. I will go now.”

He wasn’t keen on it, but since he was told to come, he had no choice. Hae-min set down the turtle paperweight and left his quarters.

Upon entering the guest house, he saw a man standing on the wooden veranda. It was Song Seol.

“Did you call for me?”

There was no way he hadn’t sensed someone’s presence, yet Song Seol did not look back at Hae-min. He simply stood there, straight as a bamboo stalk.

“Master.”

Only when called a second time did Song Seol react. [unauthorized copy]Even Read on Read BL Novelsthen, he didn’t turn his body, but merely cast his gaze slightly downward.

Moon Hae-min was flabbergasted. It wasn’t as if he had barged in unannounced; he had simply come because he was summoned. What was with this attitude, as if he were treating an unwelcome guest?

“For what reason did you call me?”

“I heard that you are meeting Yoon Seung-hyeok today.”

“Yes, that is correct.”

It seemed that was the problem. Now that he knew the cause, he felt more at ease. At least he didn’t have to agonize in ignorance as he had yesterday and today.

“Since the weather is not cold today, it would be fine to meet at the pavilion.”

“…Do you perhaps intend to meet Young Master Seung-hyeok with me, Master?”

Only then did Song Seol turn his body. The look he gave Moon Hae-min was quite chilly.

“Is that not obvious? Did you perhaps intend to meet Yoon Seung-hyeok alone? And where, exactly?”

“Well…”

Hae-min hesitated. He had actually been worried about where to meet Yoon Seung-hyeok. Since there stolen contentwere no suitable places outside, they [visit our site]had tentatively agreed to meet at Song Seol’s Read on Read BL Novelsprivate residence, but that didn’t mean there was a suitable meeting spot within the estate.

“Um, in my quarters…”

The moment he spoke cautiously, Song Seol’s eyes sharpened. Hae-min hurriedly tried to fix it.

“Ah, no, or perhaps in front of the main gate…”

“Stop it. Just how far do you intend to drag my reputation through the mud?”

“…My apologies.”

Hae-min dropped his head low.

Indeed, it would be strange for a concubine to meet a yang-person alone. It wasn’t that he didn’t know that when he sent the letter to Yoon Seung-hyeok.

“I went through the trouble of buying yakgwa, only for you to hand them over to some random fellow…”

“…”

How did he know about that? No, putting that aside, why did he even care?

For some reason, he suspected the servant’s [unauthorized copy]crestfallen look was related to Read on Read BL Novelsthat incident. He suddenly felt sorry for the servant.

While Moon Hae-min stood there awkwardly and embarrassed, Song Seol called the steward and gave instructions. The order was to prepare for a guest arriving at the hour of the Monkey.

“Why are you standing there blankly? Come inside.”

“…Yes.”

First of all, he had only stayed still because he hadn’t received permission from Song Seol, the owner of the room. Separately from that, he had no desire to step into Song Seol’s space. Swallowing his dissatisfaction, Hae-min entered the guest room.

However, he continued to stand blankly even inside the room. Since there was absolutely nothing for him to do, it was a natural conclusion. Moon Hae-min simply pretended to be occupied by staring at the landscape painting on the folding screen.

‘Oh, plum blossoms.’

Beneath a grand, high mountain, a small plum tree was in bloom. He hadn’t observed the screen closely before, so he hadn’t noticed, but the branches were covered in snow. The season in the painting must be winter.

“Plums in the snow.”

Song Seol’s voice resonated as he approached. Not having sensed his presence, Hae-min started and turned to look at him.

“A commendable flower that blooms regardless of the falling snow.”

“It’s pitiful.”

At the words he murmured unconsciously, Song Seol asked.

“Why is that?”

“If it were to bloom anyway, it would be better to bloom in the warm spring. Yet it happened to bloom in the cold winter.”

“That is because it is a flower that does so by nature,” Song Seol replied indifferently. He seemed unable to empathize with why a mere flower would be pitiful.

“Since it was created that way from the start, is it not natural for it to live that way?”

“Just because it was created that way doesn’t mean it has to live that way, does it? Those who appreciate the arts praise the snow-plum as the finest of plum blossoms. They say the integrity of maintaining one’s loyalty even amidst the snow is beautiful. I’ve even heard there are people who grow them indoors to force them to bloom in winter; I find such a trend quite bizarre.”

He had rambled on too long. Hae-min shut his mouth tightly as if nothing had happened. He felt a heavy gaze on his cheek, but he didn’t bother to meet it.

“You are correct. Enjoying the arts is all well and good, but obsessing too much over something like a plum blossom is not a good look.”

“Yes.”

At a glance, it seemed he agreed with Hae-min’s opinion, but the atmosphere didn’t suggest he actually understood the intent. Regardless, Moon Hae-min added nothing more.

What profit would there be in engaging in a wasteful argument with Song Seol? He was already [stolen content]quietly regretting Read on Read BL Novelshaving said anything unnecessary.

“Moon Hee-yul, I will ask one last time.”

“Please ask.”

“Do you truly intend to accept Yoon Seung-hyeok’s proposal? Even if I offer you twice as much to do what I command?”

“Yes, I will accept. The reason is not solely for the money.”

“And what reason is that?”

Because I want to escape the Master’s influence.

“Because I want to make a name for myself.”

Hae-min answered while hiding his true intentions. Strictly speaking, this wasn’t a lie. Making a name for himself had once been Moon Hae-min’s dream. Though that was strictly in the past.

“I see.”

Song Seol did not press further. However, as if unable to completely let go of his lingering attachment, he exerted a subtle pressure on Moon Hae-min. Hae-min tried his best to ignore it.

‘I probably aren’t such a coveted talent anyway.’

In the past, he had thought that Song Seol recognized his abilities. He had been under the illusion that what the man praised was not the legitimate eldest son of the Geumcheon Moon clan, but ‘Moon Hae-min,’ who was quick with calculations and skilled with letters. But in the end, the one who could remain by Song Seol’s side was ‘Moon Hee-yul.’

There were times when that fact had made him profoundly sorrowful. But not anymore. Whether Song Seol recognized him or not, Hae-min wanted to live as himself.

Come to think of it, that was the reason he wanted to run away. To continue the life of ‘Moon Hae-min’—neither the pathetic concubine’s son of the Moon family nor the fake concubine of Grand Prince Byeokran—he had to leave for a distant place.

‘It’s better for both him and me if I don’t work under Song Seol.’

Hae-min concluded his thoughts thus.

Yoon Seung-hyeok arrived exactly at the appointed time. Hae-min greeted him along with Song Seol.

“Welcome.”

“It has been a while. Have you been well?”

“Yes, and you, Young Master?”

“Ah, I have so much to tell you. I’ve been to Hanseong recently…”

As if he had been waiting for this moment, Yoon Seung-hyeok began to unravel his bag [visit our site]of stories. He Read on Read BL Novelsspoke in a continuous stream [Read on Read BL Novels]about why he had visited Hanseong, whom he had met, and what he had seen.

Hae-min listened intently, nodding with his mouth slightly agape. It was his first time seeing someone respond to a greeting with such sincerity. Rather than disliking it, he found it fascinating and somewhat amusing.

“You are from Hanseong, aren’t you, Young Master?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

“Then this past Lunar New Year must have been the first holiday you spent away from your hometown. You must have felt lonely not being able to go to your family home.”

“Not really.”

He was sincere. Both in the past and now, Moon Hae-min had not spent the Lunar New Year at his family home, so he actually felt relieved. In fact, until Yoon Seung-hyeok pointed it out, he hadn’t even realized that he had spent the holiday away from his hometown for the first time.

“Indeed, Moon Hee-yul’s home is here now,” Song Seol interjected.

While that wasn’t the only reason he hadn’t been lonely, Hae-min didn’t bother to correct him.

“Actually, I encountered a tiger, so I had no time to feel lonely.”

“What? A tiger? Is that a metaphor, or is it real?”

“How wonderful if it were [stolen content]a metaphor! It [stolen content]is real. I ran [unauthorized copy]into a tiger on Nupjeok Mountain. Twice, in fact.”

“My goodness, such a thing… Nupjeok Mountain isn’t even a place where tigers appear frequently; you’ve been through a great ordeal. But seeing as you are so healthy, it seems you managed to survive both crises safely?”

“Yes. Once, I survived thanks to tumbling down a cliff…”

Hae-min told him about the incident. Because Yoon Seung-hyeok listened with such genuine excitement, he couldn’t stop. Thanks to that, they continued chatting for a long time even after entering the pavilion.