“This…!”
Sparks flared in Yeong-bin’s eyes. But she couldn’t bring herself to strike at Hae-hyun. Her irritated glance flicked toward the Guardian Talisman—it was obvious who held the upper hand.
With a snap of his fingers, a spark flared at Hae-hyun’s fingertips. The glow, like a firefly, left a short trail of light each time it flickered.
“If you slip past the guards, I’ll send this along. It’ll lead you to the Baeksa fruit tree.”
“And why should I believe you?”
“Don’t—if you don’t want to.”
Yeong-bin clenched her teeth. After a tense pause, her voice came out almost like a growl.
“Fine. But I won’t take long.”
“Didn’t think you would.”
Hae-hyun tossed the talisman. Yeong-bin caught it with ease, shot him one last glare, then turned on her heel. A heavy clunk followed as the door opened.
“Who’s there?”
“Stop!”
Shouts rang out as the door slammed shut, followed quickly by the sound of boots pounding away down the corridor.
“Let’s give it a moment before we head out,” Hae-hyun said, pushing the door fully closed as he approached. The hallway had gone silent, but caution never hurt.
Jae-ha studied him, baffled. This guy… he’d grown so headstrong since coming to the Celestial Realm. He’d always had that pampered-young-master air, but this was on another level.
Then it clicked. No, that wasn’t it. Thinking back, Hae-hyun had acted this way with others too—Su-min, Gyeong-jin. With people he barely knew, he was often curt, dismissive.
The only one he treated differently was Jae-ha.
So wasn’t this just false hope? Jae-ha sighed inwardly. He’d been rejected so firmly that the thought of pursuing anything further had long since died. But every time he realized he was inside Hae-hyun’s invisible circle, his chest twisted. Even knowing the reason was as simple as because I’m Cheonrok, the feeling still lingered.
It was like hoarding one of Hae-hyun’s small, hidden secrets all for himself—part pride, part accomplishment, tangled with self-reproach, guilt, and resentment. They spun in circles inside his chest. If only they could flush away, swirling down like water in a toilet. But deep down, he knew it wasn’t that easy.
Still, he also knew time would take care of it. Affection, the thrill of a crush, the shimmer of curiosity—all of it would one day vanish like a mirage. He knew this; he’d been through it before.
So just a little longer. Just a bit more patience. Jae-ha let out a bitter smile. Not that there was another option.
“Sunbae. Sunbae?”
Maybe because the sudden smile seemed suspicious, Hae-hyun—who had just been posturing like a petty villain—reached out and tapped his arm. The touch snapped Jae-ha back to himself.
“Huh? Oh.”
“What’s wrong? You tired?”
The worried question came instantly. In moments like this, he was no different from usual. Jae-ha almost laughed again and quickly averted his gaze.
“No, just… thinking.”
“About what?”
“Just… what we should do next.”
He’d tossed it out like an excuse, but it was a real worry. If Nam-yeon was right, the only one with the next clue was Lord Yeomjeong. But if Yeomjeong truly bore ill will toward the Cheonrok, was meeting him even wise? Or possible? Questions stacked endlessly, none with an answer.
“What do we do…” Jae-ha muttered weakly.
For himself, he could endure. But leaving Hae-hyun and Su-min trapped in this hell—it was unbearable. Maybe he should at least investigate General Beomgye? Or retreat, return, and ask Hallakung-nim for more time?
“How are we supposed to know where the Cheonrok even is?”
The sigh had barely left him when he felt a faint tap on his shoulder.
“Hm?”
He turned, surprised. He’d nearly forgotten the little jade doll was even there, it was so small and quiet.
The instant it caught his gaze, the doll flailed its arms with desperate energy. Its motions were tiny—more wiggling than waving—but unmistakable.
“Looks like it wants us to follow,” Hae-hyun said.
And sure enough, it did.
After a brief hesitation, Jae-ha placed it in his palm and lifted it to eye level. The doll pointed eagerly toward the door.
“Do you know where the Cheonrok is?”
It bobbed its head so vigorously it nearly toppled. Jae-ha turned it in another direction.
“The Cheonrok’s inside this fortress?”
The answer was the same. Jae-ha looked at Hae-hyun. Should we trust it?
Hae-hyun examined it. A faint spark of energy lay inside—not a puppet controlled by a sorcerer, but a tool with a will of its own. He sensed no danger. And even if something happened, he could always extract one person. He nodded.
“Looks safe enough.”
Click. They eased the door open. The hall was silent as a tomb. The guards’ attention would be fixed on Yeong-bin, and the rest of the fortress seemed asleep. Perfect conditions for moving unseen.
They followed the doll’s lead. As they climbed the stairs upward, Jae-ha murmured,
“I wonder if Su-min’s holding up….”
Even from a distance, when he and Hae-hyun saw Beomgye’s sword demonstration, they had immediately thought of Sala Doryeong. If they noticed right away, Su-min—who had been watching from the front—must have too. He was surely suspicious of the general. Concluding that Myeongheoseong itself was shady wouldn’t be hard.
And honestly, for Su-min, discovering a treatment for Beomgye’s sword wounds would be absurdly easy. All he had to do was play the curious kid at the banquet and casually ask Lord Yeomjeong. That alone would outdo all the grueling legwork Jae-ha and Hae-hyun had gone through. If Jae-ha were in Su-min’s place, they would have returned to Seo-cheon long ago.
But Su-min wasn’t him, so that sort of easy solution was unlikely. More realistically, he was probably hunched among drunkards, sulking with a cup in hand. Jae-ha could picture it too well—it was almost pitiful. With Su-min’s disinterest, he might not even have bothered watching Beomgye’s demonstration.
Which meant they had to do this properly—find the Cheonrok themselves. Jae-ha shrugged.
“Why worry about him?”
At the mention of Su-min’s name, Hae-hyun’s face soured. He turned away, sulking like a child forced into clothes he hated.
“We came together, so we leave together.”
“He’s an Imoogi. He can return on his own. Nothing’s keeping him here.”
“And yet he still chose to come with me.”
“…”
“So we’ll leave together.”
Hae-hyun frowned. Why him? What’s so special? Irritation simmered. I came with you too. You could go with me. He wanted to spit it out, but every word in his head sounded childish, so he swallowed them.
“Let’s just follow this first. We’ll meet Su-min later.”
“…Fine.”
He answered with obvious annoyance, but Jae-ha seemed not to notice. Sunbae, you idiot. Idiot, fool. You don’t know anything, you’re so dense. Grinding his teeth, he cursed silently, but Jae-ha’s handsome head gave no sign of hearing.
Following the jade doll’s lead, they eventually arrived at what looked like an indoor garden. The space was vast—an entire floor transformed into greenery.
Inside, winding paths stretched between exotic plants unlike anything in Seo-cheon. Their cool, fresh scent mixed with the smell of soil, and even indoors a gentle breeze made it feel like the open air.
The dense trees and complex paths made it hard to see ahead. It was the perfect place to evade guards—or to hide a Cheonrok.
“These trees—I’ve never seen them before. Do you know what they are?”
Jae-ha marveled at a bonsai whose trunk glowed faintly blue. Hae-hyun shook his head, still sounding a little sulky.
“I know some, but not all. Too many people in the Celestial Realm love this stuff—there are all kinds of hybrids. Even Hallakung-nim wouldn’t recognize half of these.”
“Really?”
“Whatever Lord Yeomjeong’s deal is, he clearly has a thing for this. The one-and-only Baeksa fruit tree, this garden… he’s invested.”
Thinking back, even the fortress’s front approach and back garden had been impressive. He was said to avoid socializing—maybe this was his only real hobby.
They walked for a while, following the doll, when rustling echoed from the entrance. …Guards searching? Jae-ha tensed, tugging Hae-hyun’s arm. Hae-hyun let himself be pulled to the side path where grass and dirt lined the floor.
They crouched behind a rough boulder set among thick flowering trees, straining to listen. Faint voices drifted closer—men’s voices—but too distant to make out clearly. Jae-ha pressed himself tighter to the rock, making sure to keep Hae-hyun’s larger frame hidden as well.
“Think it’s the guards?” he whispered.
Hae-hyun only stared at his hunched back, folded tight to stay out of sight.
