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East Wind
Jeonggwan’s voice trembled though it seemed calm. The man was the one whom Gaedol, who worked at the Park household, had directly introduced as the eldest young master. This meant he could be from a family even higher than the Military Minister’s family, high enough that he could be falsely introduced as the eldest son of that household. If so, from the beginning—no, even if he couldn’t say it at first—he could have revealed his identity afterward. At the very least, after they kissed, no, even before they first kissed, he could have told him. Why had he hidden his identity to such an extent?
‘Aren’t you mixing bodies with that 7-foot young master every day and coming back at dawn?’
Perhaps he was just someone to be used physically a few times and then discarded. Perhaps the man hadn’t revealed his real name because he feared Jeonggwan would be heartbroken and tell Juhwan, which would damage his reputation.
‘Is it the moonlight brightening your eyes, or is it your clear eyes reflecting the moon?’
‘Young master… such flirtation is a bit excessive…’
‘…I ask in all sincerity.’
Were all those words he spoke while kissing his forehead also lies? Even yesterday, they had held hands and walked around the riverbank, and his eyes were full of affection for him. Were all those things lies as well?
He knew that countless servants were played with and discarded by noblemen every year. But he had thought, “That won’t happen to me.” Because such things usually happened in lower-ranking noble families. In households like the Kyung or Park families, everyone knew which servant belonged to which household and which son, so there was a cautious atmosphere, and he thought it wouldn’t happen to him. But this man seemed to think that because he was a lowborn, he would never know the name of the Park family’s eldest son, treating him with such disrespect.
“…Jeonggwan.”
“I asked who you are, young master?”
Sensing the look in Jeonggwan’s eyes, the man urgently tried to take his hands to explain, but Jeonggwan hid his hands behind his back, stepped away from the man, and clearly asked him to identify himself once more. In truth, he should have run away immediately in case this was a dangerous person, but the fact that he had come to the man for direct confirmation, even after knowing he wasn’t the Park family’s eldest son, meant he had already given his heart deeply to the man. He was frustrated with himself, and he hated that his feet wouldn’t easily move away despite knowing this.
“Just listen to my explanation once.”
“…”
“I didn’t deceive you intentionally. It’s true that I was wrong to deceive you, but I was afraid you would be shocked if I revealed who I am…!”
“If I hadn’t asked who you are, would you ever have told me?”
“That’s…”
“Can you tell me now?”
At Jeonggwan’s direct question, the man’s eyes wavered greatly.
“…”
And Jeonggwan’s eyes, catching that moment of hesitation, also shook greatly. Honestly, he wanted more to hear whatever excuse the man would make and understand it. Perhaps he had no choice but to hide his identity. Perhaps he was going to tell him today.
But the man had never intended to tell him, ever. He had planned to hide it for life as long as Jeonggwan didn’t know. It became even more certain seeing him hesitate to reveal who he was even at this moment. The man had no intention of revealing his identity.
“…”
So he truly was just a lowly servant of the Kyung family’s second son, lured for a mere fling. If he conceded here and accepted it, saying he understood the young master and couldn’t let go of his feelings, he would simply be used for his body momentarily and then discarded. Jeonggwan felt the heat rising to his eyes and his numb heart cooling down calmly.
“I will go now.”
“Jeonggwan…!”
“You might have found it easy because I’m a lowborn, but I am still a person.”
“That’s not it. If I tell you who I am and why I deceived you, I will seem like a really strange person—”
“You already seem strange enough! If you won’t tell me, don’t come looking for me anymore!”
Jeonggwan forced his body, which felt as if it had heavy sandbags attached, to turn around and head back home. He heard the man trying to grab him from behind, but perhaps revealing his identity was too troublesome for him, as the man did not grab him until the end, which made Jeonggwan’s heart feel even more torn. He said not to come anymore, but the man didn’t even try to stop him…?
In the end, until Jeonggwan closed the side door and entered, the man did not grab him, which caused Jeonggwan’s face to contort completely as he sat down with his back against the door. Water streamed from his eyes and nose as he cursed the man with words of resentment, but Jeonggwan wanted the man to come after him so much that he would have run to him immediately if the man had called him now.
“…Damn it.”
Honestly, Jeonggwan was regretting now. He should have pretended not to know until the end. He should have just tried to please the young master by pretending not to know. Such spiteful thoughts kept surging up.
Jeonggwan had lost so much weight in the past few days that people said he must have had a child. Juhwan had been skeptical but was so surprised to hear that the man wasn’t actually the Park family’s eldest son. Moreover, he never revealed his identity and didn’t even try to stop Jeonggwan… Though he was relieved that Jeonggwan didn’t say he had been mistreated, seeing him so sad was still distressing.
‘Young master… I will leave with young master Taekun.’
‘…All right.’
Like someone who had been rejected in love, he didn’t eat and just sat blankly in front of Juhwan’s room. Knowing that Jeonggwan had indeed been heartbroken, Juhwan left him alone to sort out his feelings rather than trying to comfort him.
With the sudden start of the Crown Prince’s bride’s first selection and the marriage ban that had fallen, and with the daughter of the Right State Councillor entering the palace for the second selection as a formality, Jeonggwan would have little time to be alone once he left with Taekun. So Juhwan thought Jeonggwan needed time to sort out his feelings and thoughts alone before that, and didn’t make him work separately.
Jeonggwan leaving with Taekun, in the end. Though Juhwan didn’t show it, he was very bitter, but it was the last gift he could give to Jeonggwan, who would be left alone when he departed for the palace, so he readily agreed. After contacting Taekun, he came running with joy, which was quite annoying. Still, it seemed that Taekun cared only for Jeonggwan, which was also reassuring.
“Young master! Jeonggwan! Young master!”
At that moment, Maksamyi, who always put sincerity into his running even for trivial matters, appeared before Juhwan and Jeonggwan, panting heavily as if delivering an important message that was also not important.
“Jeonggwan too! Jeonggwan too can go to the palace…!”
“…What?”
“…Me?”
And the news he delivered was indeed important, unexpectedly.
“Originally, bringing servants wasn’t prohibited, but it was discouraged…! Because servants don’t know the laws inside the palace!”
“And?”
“But now, they’re officially allowing the young ladies entering the palace for the second selection to bring one servant each! If they make it to the third selection, the servants they brought can become palace people!”
“Is that true? You’re saying Jeonggwan can really be taken to the palace? That he can become a palace person?”
“Yes! The Crown Prince himself! He personally requested it from His Majesty!”
Juhwan didn’t understand why the Crown Prince was suddenly accommodating the convenience of the prospective Crown Princess candidates, but it was good news for Juhwan and Jeonggwan. If Jeonggwan entered the palace with him, Jeonggwan could rise in status from a servant to a palace person, and Juhwan wouldn’t be lonely in that stifling palace.
However, the decision for Jeonggwan to leave with Taekun had already been made. Going with Taekun meant he could live freely in a wider world, but going to the palace with Juhwan meant he would be confined in the palace for life. So Juhwan couldn’t just say, “You must go to the palace with me!”
“…Jeonggwan.”
“…Yes?”
“What do you want to do?”
A total of seven palanquins passed through the palace gate. All were carrying young ladies entering the palace for the Crown Prince’s bride’s second selection, and the second palanquin was Juhwan’s. The first was carrying the daughter of the Right State Councillor, who had exchanged wedding dates with Taekun, and its exterior was so splendid that anyone looking might think the Crown Princess had already been decided.
After getting out of the palanquin, Juhwan rotated his arms back and forth, as if his shoulders were stiff from being hunched up for so long. At times like this, the quick-witted Jeonggwan would have massaged his arms and shoulders without being told, but Juhwan smacked his lips in regret.
“This is where the young master will stay until the third selection. And I am Court Lady Heo, who will serve the young master until the third selection.”
“…Pleased to meet you. I look forward to your guidance.”
“Yes. Then I will guide you inside.”
Juhwan, who was as big as a door and nearly 7 feet tall, looked down at Court Lady Heo and followed her into the quarters. He had thought they would just give him a corner of a room, but the quarters were much more beautiful and spacious than expected. There were rooms arranged in a perfect square around a courtyard with a small tree in the middle, surrounded by many chrysanthemums. It was too beautiful for temporary quarters.
He couldn’t tell if it was because he was the son of the Minister of Justice, or if all the young ladies for the second selection were given such nice quarters, but it seemed better than the small men’s quarters at his home, and Juhwan’s mouth fell open.
“Wow…!”
“You’ve arrived? Nice, isn’t it?”
“Yes…! It’s amazing…!”
And Jeonggwan, who had arrived a bit later carrying supplies distributed by the palace, also opened his mouth wide upon seeing the quarters where they would stay.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
