By Zephyria 
Cheong-aeng, who had been waiting outside the main hall, quickly began to follow Jin Geum-ryeon as he strode down the corridor. Several servants trailed behind her in a line. Jin Geum-ryeon asked as he walked.
“Who are all these people?”
“That is…”
Cheong-aeng tilted her head slightly at his question. Noticing something was amiss, Jin Geum-ryeon glanced at her.
“I have searched the nearby markets, but I could not find anything called ‘Tonkatsu.’ Is it truly ‘Tonkatsu’ that you desired, my Lord…?”
Hearing that, Jin Geum-ryeon sighed, utterly disappointed. It seemed even more so because it was Cheong-aeng’s first failure.
“Yes. I said Tonkatsu. You couldn’t find it?”
“……”
Instead of answering, Cheong-aeng gestured, and one by one, those behind her stepped forward. Looking down at them, Jin Geum-ryeon saw each of them holding a dish.
Dongpo pork, made by braising thick slices of pork belly with seasoning; Oyukjangchae, chilled pork simmered in soy sauce flavored with five spices; Gyeongjangyuksa, shredded pork stir-fried with spring bean sauce, along with bamboo shoots and shredded scallions…
The sheer variety made Jin Geum-ryeon chuckle wryly.
“Though I’ve never heard of it, I assumed that since the ‘Don’ in the name likely means ‘pig,’ I brought everything made with pork. But no matter how I think about it, these don’t seem right… Perhaps the dish you seek is not made with pork.”
“…I’ll go ask. You’ve worked hard, so go and rest.”
In the end, Jin Geum-ryeon nodded, as if there was no other choice, at her uncertain question. And, unable to ignore her hard work, he accepted what she held in her hands and headed toward the detached palace. Cheong-aeng bowed respectfully and disappeared to where she belonged, leaving the servants as they were.
*
As Jin Geum-ryeon walked through the garden lined with bamboo, he pondered deeply. Certainly, he himself had never seen anything called ‘Tonkatsu’ while growing up, so he had found the word uttered by Ak Mujin quite unfamiliar. He had simply assumed it was food since he said he wanted to eat it.
He tilted his head, passed the bowing guards, left the servants holding the dishes outside the inner chamber, and entered. Ak Mujin had already woken up and was sitting on the edge of the bed, tidying his long hair. At the sight, Jin Geum-ryeon rushed over and took the comb from Ak Mujin.
“Are you awake? How do you feel?”
“…Not very good.”
Because of you.
Ak Mujin’s expression, as he added that, was not very good, indicating that his body was somewhat strained. Feeling a little sorry, Jin Geum-ryeon diligently moved his hands, gently pressing his scalp with the comb as he brushed his hair. Seeing the jet-black hair shining with luster, he was once again subtly moved, but he needed to give Ak Mujin some breathing room.
“Where have you been?”
“I went to the main hall for a while.”
“Hmm.”
Jin Geum-ryeon gathered the combed hair together, then rose from his seat and leaned toward the display case. Opening the peony jewelry box, which looked quite heavy at first glance, revealed it to be filled with silver, gold, and intricately carved jade ornaments. Jin Geum-ryeon seemed to ponder for a moment before picking up a Hwajeon jade ornament and returning behind Ak Mujin.
Ak Mujin glanced at Jin Geum-ryeon, who was busy touching his hair, and gauged his mood. He was inwardly curious about how he would handle the martial alliance lord matter. Of course, immediately after waking up, he had been too busy cursing his endless energy, but as his head cleared, he began to worry about the pending tasks.
Of course, he had also been contemplating his own future. Now that there was no longer any group chasing ‘Ak Mujin,’ he had to think carefully about what he would do for a living. He couldn’t just do nothing and live off being the evil cult lord’s lover, could he?
Drawing on his experiences from the real world, he even considered writing a fantastical novel about another world, but he soon dismissed the idea, unsure how they would receive the story.
Finally, as Jin Geum-ryeon finished arranging his hair, Ak Mujin turned to face him.
“So, the martial alliance…”
Having uttered that much, Ak Mujin paused and rephrased his question.
“So, did you have a good trip? Was there anything unusual?”
There was a proper order to things. Since Jin Geum-ryeon didn’t particularly like talking about other people, Ak Mujin wanted to appease him first, give him some candy, before discussing the still lingering matter.
As Ak Mujin asked that, Jin Geum-ryeon eventually chuckled and nodded. Then, he took his hand and pressed it against his cheek.
“You’re becoming more and more accustomed to me as the days go by.”
Replying happily, Jin Geum-ryeon gently stroked Ak Mujin’s hand with his thumb before looking into his face and asking.
“So, what do you intend to do after handing over this evidence to Namgung Eui?”
No sooner had the question been asked than Ak Mujin’s eyes widened with delight, and he grasped his hand.
“If Namgung Eui knows that the martial alliance lord has colluded with the Demon Cult, he will surely bring him to justice.”
Jin Geum-ryeon pondered deeply. Ak Mujin tended to trust Namgung Eui to an excessive degree, but honestly, Jin Geum-ryeon, having experienced Namgung Eui himself, couldn’t deny that he was a trustworthy person.
He nodded lightly and gazed into Ak Mujin’s eyes.
“There are quite a few factions within the martial alliance. If they learn of the lord’s misdeeds, they will try to cover it up internally without revealing it to the outside world. If that happens, there will be no all-out conflict.”
“That’s right. It would be best for everyone to leave this matter in Namgung Eui’s hands. Of course…”
Ak Mujin nodded in agreement, then stared intently at Jin Geum-ryeon’s face. Jin Geum-ryeon raised his eyebrows as if asking what was wrong, and met his gaze.
“Unless you have any desire to take control of the Central Plains.”
Ak Mujin himself had asked the question almost as a joke, but since this Jin Geum-ryeon was certainly different from the Jin Geum-ryeon in the original story, it was possible that he harbored ambitions he didn’t know about. If that were the case, how should he act? His mind was about to become complicated.
“Haha, I find such things incredibly bothersome. Even being in the position of Lord is quite troublesome.”
At the answer that came with a soft chuckle, Ak Mujin unknowingly sighed in relief and looked at Jin Geum-ryeon. He was grinning from ear to ear.
“Now that I have you, what else could I possibly want? I’m hurt that you would say such a thing.”
At the word ‘hurt,’ Ak Mujin’s face flushed for no reason. He hurriedly began to make excuses.
“No, I didn’t necessarily assume that you had such thoughts. But, people’s minds can change at any time, can’t they? I…”
“My heart will never change.”
Jin Geum-ryeon interrupted Ak Mujin, blurting out the words. His face, which had been smiling all along, was now very serious, and having seen that expression, Ak Mujin could no longer say anything.
“…Yes, that’s right. …I trust you.”
That was all.
Having gained that assurance, Ak Mujin’s heart felt much lighter, and he was soon smiling gently. Having roughly grasped his intentions from Ak Mujin’s expression, Jin Geum-ryeon placed his hands on his thighs.
“Then, meeting Namgung Eui should be the priority now.”
Ak Mujin nodded happily.
“How do you plan to contact Namgung Eui?”
Having received the question, Jin Geum-ryeon pondered for a moment. Then, he raised his head and looked at Ak Mujin.
“Going directly to Hunan again would be like stirring up a hornet’s nest, wouldn’t it?”
“Of course. If you leave the headquarters in this situation, the martial alliance will have an excuse to make a fuss.”
As Ak Mujin hurriedly replied, looking dumbfounded, Jin Geum-ryeon glanced at him. It was clear that Ak Mujin’s demeanor strongly suggested that he wanted to be given this task, which made Jin Geum-ryeon’s stomach churn.
Sending him was not a bad idea. However, Jin Geum-ryeon was very, very displeased with the idea of ‘Namgung Eui’ and Ak Mujin meeting.
So, he eventually rose from his seat, called the servants standing outside, and sat down close to Ak Mujin.
“Ahn Do-hyun, is the food you mentioned here?”
Suddenly talking about food in the middle of discussing a serious matter, Ak Mujin was a bit taken aback, but he was also an adult, so he wasn’t completely clueless. He must still be conscious of Namgung Eui. He chuckled at Jin Geum-ryeon’s cute behavior and noticed the servants, each holding a large food container, entering in a line.
Ak Mujin was a bit dazed by this overwhelming procession.
“What did I say? What did I ask you to bring?”
“You said you wanted to eat Tonkatsu. However, it seems that when I sent Cheong-aeng on an errand, she couldn’t find anything specifically called Tonkatsu. I think I’ll have to go and look into it again later…”
At the word Tonkatsu, Ak Mujin was somewhat bewildered and didn’t properly hear the rest of the words. He must have been talking nonsense in his sleep. It was something Do-hyun used to eat every three days in modern Korea, so it was only natural that it wouldn’t exist in the Central Plains. Still, Jin Geum-ryeon had been willing to find what he wanted, so Ak Mujin smiled as he looked at each of the dishes that the servants opened and showed him.
“They all look delicious.”
Seeing Ak Mujin’s face, smiling and gently patting his stomach as if he were hungry, Jin Geum-ryeon’s somewhat displeased expression softened.