Chapter 25
“I cannot do that.”
My shoulders sank at his calm assertion. His answer implied that it was not simply a matter of will. Of course, that would be the case. How could such a thing be easy?
Fidgeting with my hands and tormenting my fingertips, I noticed in the distance someone on a small boat crossing the river, using a long pole to collect the remains of sky lanterns that had fallen onto the water.
Why do some wishes grow like thriving trees reaching the sky, while others break like branches falling before they can even sprout leaves?
Yun-seo looked up at the sky again, but the sky lantern he had released was nowhere to be seen. Only the stars remained in their places, softly illuminating the darkness.
Even if the sky lantern falls, the stars remain. Always there for wishes when the sun goes to bed.
The sadness that had been welling up dissolved like the moon reflected in water. As he gathered himself and pulled up the corners of his mouth, Hwi took out a box from inside his sleeve.
“I found something good at the market.”
Since it must be something precious for him to call it good, Yun-seo looked at the box with curious eyes. However, he couldn’t help but be puzzled when Hwi handed him the box.
“Is this for me?”
Hwi nodded, and Yun-seo alternated bewildered glances between him and the box before opening the lid. His eyes widened slightly when he saw what was inside.
“Yours was too worn out.”
The item in the box was a hairpin. It appeared modest at first glance, but the body was intricately carved with arabesque patterns, and most importantly, it was made of jade. Even if it was lower-grade jade, it must have cost quite a bit, so Yun-seo extended the box back to him.
“How could I accept something like this?”
“There’s no reason you couldn’t.”
“Even an inexpensive one would be sufficient…”
“Do you think I possess anything inexpensive?”
Hwi’s retort sounded neither spiteful nor arrogant, but rather matter-of-fact. Indeed, what could possibly be expensive to the heir of a merchant guild that owned such a large and luxurious inn?
Still, he hadn’t done anything for Hwi that warranted receiving such a gift, so he hesitated, just fidgeting with the box until Hwi remarked:
“Do you intend to attend to me with those hands of yours?”
At his somewhat irritated tone, Yun-seo flipped his hand to look at the cut on the tip of his index finger. It was a wound from when he had woken up and tried to fix his hair, scraping it against his hairpin.
The hairpin he was currently wearing was a servant’s pin made of carved wood, and because he had taken the most worn-out one, it was cracked and broken in various places. Indeed, it was something he needed. Though this gift was certainly more precious than necessary.
Regardless, what a perceptive man. Realizing that the gift came from thoughtful kindness, the cut on his fingertip suddenly began to throb.
“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”
Despite the cool riverside breeze, his cheeks flushed red.
Considering Hwi’s thoughtfulness, Yun-seo picked up the hairpin, intending to insert it right away. At that moment, Hwi snatched it from Yun-seo’s hand, strode over to him, and leaned his head close to Yun-seo.
For a moment, Yun-seo froze, thinking Hwi was going to embrace him.
However, he had merely removed the old hairpin Yun-seo had been wearing. The sensation of the old pin slipping out of his hair and the new one filling the gap in his twisted hair was vividly eerie. Hwi brought with him the scent of cold wind, making Yun-seo’s nose tickle.
After Hwi moved away, Yun-seo carefully raised his hand to feel the new hairpin. Suddenly, he remembered that today was his birthday. Under normal circumstances, he would have gone through his coming-of-age ceremony and inserted the hairpin prepared for him.
“Ah…”
A sound somewhere between exclamation and deep sigh escaped Yun-seo’s lips. Though Hwi wouldn’t have known, it was as if he had performed Yun-seo’s coming-of-age ceremony. And to Yun-seo, this was also a birthday gift.
Not something offered for any other reason, but simply a gift from one person to another, received as a person.
Every year on his birthday, his father would approach and ask: Had he not bloomed yet?
Since he had sprouted on his birthday, his father presumed that he might also bloom on the same day. Thus, every year on his birthday, Yun-seo was painfully reminded that he was a Yeong Chunhwa, and that his father was waiting for the day he would bloom.
A day when even the finest feast would turn his stomach. A day when he received quite precious gifts that he had never desired. And so, a day when all congratulations were erased.
Suddenly, or perhaps very naturally, a certain premonition settled on his shoulders: that even if he left this country and met countless people, or was captured and taken to the imperial palace to live there for the rest of his life, he would never forget this night.
Hwi’s gaze, which had been resting on Yun-seo’s hair secured with the new hairpin, came down. The moment their eyes met, Yun-seo smiled brightly, very brightly, like jade reflecting moonlight.
“I like it very much.”
Transparent tears formed and sparkled in his gently downcast eyes. Hwi stared blankly at Yun-seo, as he had done before, and the boat carrying the two drifted peacefully along the quiet night river.
* * *
Throughout the morning, there was no sign of Hwi. By the time Yun-seo rose from bed, he had already left the guild hall. Perhaps they would meet in the evening. Though he had nothing particular to discuss, he found himself waiting for Hwi’s return.
But this was unavoidable. As they say, you may not notice when someone is present, but you certainly feel their absence. Having traveled together for over two weeks, how could the absence of one person not be keenly felt?
With nothing to do, idleness became torturous, so Yun-seo looked for a task. Having offered to attend to Hwi but not having done much, he thought he might sweep and clean their shared room.
“Excuse me, would you happen to have a broom or a rag?”
When he went downstairs and asked the man, the man tilted his head. Upon explaining that he intended to clean the room, the man shook his head.
“Does that mean you don’t have any?”
“…”
“Ah, you mean I shouldn’t do it…?”
The man nodded in affirmation, so Yun-seo hesitated briefly before obediently withdrawing. Being an outsider to the merchant guild, it was better not to insist on doing something he was told not to do.
Still, he wondered if Hwi had told this man anything about him. The man’s attitude was strangely respectful, not something one would typically show to a mere servant.
It was highly possible that Hwi, out of laziness, hadn’t bothered to explain. Alternatively, perhaps the man was naturally polite, or it just seemed that way because he communicated only through actions, not words.
Nevertheless, the man’s relatively friendly approach encouraged Yun-seo.
“Um… might I ask just one thing?”
The man nodded with an accommodating expression. Despite his initial readiness to speak, Yun-seo paused momentarily before asking.
“Is there anything my lord particularly likes?”
Just as Hwi had given him the hairpin, and much help besides, Yun-seo wanted to give something back to him, even if only a little. Though he couldn’t afford something as expensive as what Hwi had given him, it would be nice to show his sincerity.
The man shifted his gaze elsewhere, as if searching through his thoughts. After a not insignificant amount of time, he wore a faint smile and shook his head.
“You don’t know?”
“…”
“Does that mean… there isn’t anything?”
Since the man didn’t convey his meaning with further nods, Yun-seo received only an ambiguous answer. If he didn’t know, he would have said so…
His initial enthusiasm to find something for Hwi waned, and Yun-seo thanked the man somewhat dejectedly. As he was about to turn away, he sensed that the man’s gaze suggested there was something more to say, so he stopped.
“Do you have something else to tell me, or, ah, convey?”
The man gave no reaction, just looked at Yun-seo before lowering his eyes. It felt as though he was deliberately cutting off the conversation, giving Yun-seo a strange feeling. Yun-seo lingered briefly before heading up to the second floor.
Organizing his unpacked belongings to pass the time, Yun-seo took only his money pouch and went outside as the sun was setting toward the horizon. Using alleyways as much as possible to reach the marketplace, he stood still for a moment, observing the atmosphere among the people.
Today too was peaceful. Had his father truly improvised successfully? Since it was neither easy to guess nor worth the headache to delve into, Yun-seo sighed and entered the marketplace.
Perhaps because the Spring Festival was approaching, there were still many people. Following the crowd and looking around the shops, he couldn’t find anything suitable to give to Hwi.
“What would be good…”
Trying to find something that could show his sincerity, even if he couldn’t afford a high price, made his brow furrow automatically. Carefully considering as he walked around, Yun-seo stopped in front of a shop selling pouches of various colors.
The colorful pouches ranged from those with elaborate embroidery to those with no patterns at all. Naturally, embroidered pouches would be expensive, so his eyes went to the plain ones. Perhaps he could buy one and embroider it himself, adding his effort and making it nice.
But his embroidery skills weren’t particularly praiseworthy. He was decent at copying existing patterns, but designing new ones…
He was deeply pondering this when someone bumped into his shoulder, pushing him aside, causing him to turn his head. His eyes met with those of a slick-looking man.
