He was a man impossible to understand. Seowoo quietly observed Eunsung, who smiled docilely with his eyes curved like a puppy’s. Men whose true intentions can’t be read are dangerous. People accustomed to hiding themselves. And additionally, people accustomed to adorning themselves. Such men were the ones to be most cautious of.
But what did it matter? Seowoo could make any man his own. His environment had shaped him that way, and Seowoo himself had made such choices.
Seowoo’s eyes sparkled.
“Is the prison tolerable?”
“If I think about you… it’s manageable?”
Eunsung smiled again with a submissive face. It was a smile whose true meaning was unfathomable. Despite having been confined in the underground prison for quite some time, he maintained the composure he had shown in the interrogation room. Does he have something to rely on? Seowoo gauged his intentions while looking at his face.
“It seems the Flower Bin is taking good care of you.”
“I’m a man popular in many places.”
“Does His Majesty visit often, I wonder?”
“Since he lives in my heart… there’s no need for him to make the trip.”
He evaded the answer again with an ambiguous response that could be either affirmation or denial. With Eunsung, it was impossible to speak indirectly or to probe his thoughts. Having realized this, Seowoo sat down to meet his gaze.
“Let’s stop the wordplay here.”
Seowoo’s eyes glinted with greed. They were dark, intense eyes where anyone could notice the desire lurking within. Seowoo’s hand slowly extended through the iron bars.
“When did the Flower Bin visit this place?”
A quiet tension flowed between the two men. Somewhere in the underground prison, the sound of water dripping could be heard. It was the sound of accumulated water settling onto the floor drop by drop.
Seowoo’s touch slowly moved from his cheek toward his neck. His hand slithered like a snake along Eunsung’s skin. A cold chill transferred through their touching skin.
“The Flower Bin came by this afternoon. He proposed a deal to me.”
“A deal?”
“Yes. With my life at stake.”
Without being startled by the coldness, Eunsung brought his cheek to Seowoo’s hand. He nuzzled Seowoo’s hand like a well-trained pet. He looked up at Seowoo like a puppy begging for attention.
“He said he’d get me out of here if I became his man.”
“…That was the deal?”
“That’s right.”
Seowoo fell into contemplation for a moment as Eunsung focused solely on him like an obedient dog. He had already confirmed through the gatekeeper that Doha had indeed visited. It wasn’t a lie. The question was why this man was giving information to him.
‘It’s not a lie, but… why is this person helping me?’
Seowoo’s eyes narrowed. There wasn’t a single reason for him to help Seowoo. Due to Seowoo’s lies, he had been dragged to the interrogation room and imprisoned until now. Life in the underground prison couldn’t have been smooth, so he must have suffered considerably.
What could he gain by helping me? Something he wanted badly enough to pass on information about Doha. What could it be? Seowoo’s contemplation deepened.
“You’re wondering why I’m helping you, aren’t you?”
It was a question that pierced through his thoughts. When Seowoo met his eyes, Eunsung nodded as if he knew everything.
“The answer is simple.”
“…?”
“Because you’re prettier.”
Lick. Eunsung licked Seowoo’s hand that had been nuzzling his cheek. Startled by the wet sound, Seowoo quickly pulled his hand away, but it was too late. Like a beast with prey before it, Eunsung licked his lips.
“I’ll become your man, so get me out of here.”
His red tongue appeared outside his lips. The tongue slowly licked his lips. The sight seemed as if he was licking something other than lips, causing Seowoo to unconsciously swallow.
He was an utterly vulgar man. Though said to be a nobleman from a tributary state, his speech and conduct were no different from men in the marketplace. A crude Yangin with neither reason nor intellect.
‘But perhaps that’s why we might match well.’
“Alright. I’ll get you out of here.”
If the noble Doha, who never went near the underground prison, came all the way here, their relationship must be extraordinary. Whatever ulterior motives he had, as long as he cooperated with Seowoo, Seowoo could obtain information about Doha.
If necessary, he could cut his throat and throw him outside the palace. If he tried anything foolish, he could simply kill him.
At Seowoo’s answer, Eunsung extended his hand through the iron bars. He intended to shake hands. How crude, daring to ask a royal concubine for a handshake. As Seowoo just stared at his hand, Eunsung grabbed Seowoo’s hand.
“Good choice. From now on, you’ll think about this choice for a long time.”
Though in what way, I’m not sure.
Hiding his true thoughts, Eunsung’s mouth corner lifted slightly. As he excitedly shook Seowoo’s hand, Seowoo irritably pulled his hand away again.
“Before that, I have something to ask you.”
As if something dirty had touched it, Seowoo wiped his hand on his clothes. Not satisfied with just wiping, he even shook his hand several times. Eunsung, still smiling despite Seowoo openly wiping his hand in front of him, answered:
“Anything you wish, my lord.”
It was a perfect mask. A man who hides all his feelings and emotions. Perhaps he was of the same kind as Seowoo. Someone who conceals all that is dirty, trivial, and vulgar, and paints over it with color. Seowoo smiled enigmatically while looking at Eunsung.
“Tell me how Doha changed overnight.”
“…”
“If you tell me that, I’ll get you out of here right away.”
No one knew Doha’s secret. No one understood why the flower of Siyeong Palace, tucked away in a corner, kept trying to bloom, trying to release its fragrance. The only time Doha showed emotion was when he first saw Eunsung.
It was clearly a surprised face. People with many secrets often have many things that surprise them. Seowoo was curious about how two people with no connection recognized each other. He also thought it might be the key to solving the problem.
Seowoo’s hand clenched tightly. Eunsung’s gaze stopped at Seowoo’s hand, visible between the folds of his clothes. He wants to grasp quite a lot with those small hands.
‘Well, I’m just as greedy myself.’
Eunsung, who had been quietly lost in thought, soon opened his mouth. The underground prison was filled with quiet whispers.
* * *
It was Dojin who informed about Hyunseo’s whereabouts, but only Court Official Park and Court Lady Kim were prostrated on the floor as if they had committed a mortal sin. Dojin stood tall between them, looking down at Doha as if nothing was wrong.
“Bin Mama, His Majesty surely has his own thoughts. You know that he is not one to act impulsively.”
“That’s right, Bin Mama. It’s been a long time since he punished him, so His Majesty was probably just concerned.”
For the first time in a while, Court Lady Kim and Court Official Park were in perfect harmony. The two who had been arguing about not trusting His Majesty and not being able to cover up anymore had suddenly become allies, trying to console Doha.
‘After telling me to stay where I can be reached, he dares to go to Seowoo’s palace without me?’
Though his face was composed, his insides were boiling. From the moment Hyunseo handed him the flower to what happened in the study flashed through his mind. Moreover, that brush holder. Thinking that he went to Seowoo’s palace with that thing the size of a brush holder made him furious.
‘He never once shows his scent to me!’
With that monstrous thing, he told me to get lost, yet he himself went to Gyopung Palace. Doha carefully hid his anger. He couldn’t show his rage in front of Court Official Park and Court Lady Kim.
Plus, that guy. That tall, pole-like man was watching. Though he didn’t know what kind of man he was, being called Ungeom suggested he wasn’t of ordinary rank. He couldn’t show any sign of anger for fear of heightening vigilance. No matter what, he had to go rescue Eunsung.
‘How do I get past that guy’s guard…’
He was a man of rigid character. Just seeing him guarding the door without even sitting down showed that. He would probably guard the door without moving until morning. He acts because he received orders. That was likely the command programmed into that simple man’s mind.
Orders can be shaken. When you shake the heart and scramble the mind, any order tends to blur.
Having reached a conclusion, Doha buried his face in his hands. There were plenty of reasons to cry. The timing and audience were perfect. His slender shoulders began to tremble slightly. Crying is more painful when suppressed. Doha began to release his crying sounds very quietly, like someone trying hard to hold back tears.
“Heu… hic.”
“Bin Mama! Flower Bin Mama!”
Court Lady Kim called out to Doha with a surprised face. For the Flower Bin to show tears like this. He’s not one to show weakness in front of palace attendants. She hurriedly approached Doha.
“Bin Mama, are you alright?!”
Unable to touch him or sit beside him without permission, Court Lady Kim bustled about. Court Official Park, watching this scene, was about to rise from his seat.
“Haa… everyone… leave.”
Doha gestured with his reddened eyes. Tears welled up in his large eyes, about to fall. The sight was so pitiful that Court Lady Kim unconsciously called out Doha’s name.
“Bin Mama…”
“I, I want to be… hic, alone.”
As if finding it difficult to hold back tears, Doha gasped for breath. His trembling hands gripped the blanket. As Doha buried his face, the blanket gradually became wet. Court Official Park and Court Lady Kim looked at each other as they watched their master’s trembling body.
Let’s give him space. Having reached that conclusion, the two stepped back and spoke.
“Bin Mama, if there’s anything you wish to eat, please tell us anytime. This humble one can fry dumplings even before sunrise.”
“Please command us to do anything.”
That was all they could do for their master. They were not of a status that could go to Gyopung Palace and call for His Majesty. Saddened by this, Court Lady Kim and Court Official Park spoke competitively to Doha.
Whatever word moved Doha, his small body stopped. Slowly, his head turned.
“…Hic, truly… heu, anything?”
“How could there be any hesitation, Bin Mama! If you wish to eat flounder, I will run to the sea to catch it. If you wish to eat tiger meat, I will serve it even if it means using Court Official Park as bait.”
Court Lady Kim answered with a voice as firm as a general heading to battle. It was a reliable voice. Doha, wrapped in the blanket, called out to Court Lady Kim with a trembling voice.
“Then… bring me, hic, bring me alcohol and food.”
That was the objective. Alcohol. When alcohol enters, even bamboo becomes reed. Stealing a glance at Dojin, who was still guarding the door despite being told to leave, Doha delivered his final line.
“I must drink… sniff, to get through the night…”
Squeezing his eyes shut, the gathered tears fell. The tears ran down his reddened cheeks and along his jawline. Pretending to wipe his tears, Doha tilted his head back, causing the teardrops to flow down his slender neck.
The tears that flowed inside his collar delved deeper and deeper. As the tears seeped into the depths of his clothes, the sound of someone swallowing was heard from somewhere.
It was Dojin’s.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
