Chapter 13
It was already dark by the time they arrived at the village.
After stopping at a small restaurant to eat, they were heading back to the government guesthouse when they saw a woman holding a piece of paper and stopping passersby. Yun-seo tensed up when he noticed people examining the paper carefully.
Wasn’t she looking for someone with a facial description sketch?
Had he been too careless? Nothing had happened even in the crowded Seonju City, but could he be caught in such a small village?
Turning pale, Yun-seo quickly lowered his head when the woman looked in their direction and tried to steady his rough breathing.
No, this woman was clearly an ordinary housewife to anyone’s eyes. Though she might be in disguise, would there be any reason for that? Most importantly, it was dark now, and Hwi was by his side. Don’t panic. Acting hastily would only ruin things. If he remained calm, he could get through this situation.
But if that truly was a sketch of his face, what would happen when Hwi saw it?
Yun-seo covered his mouth with his sleeve and deliberately coughed. Hwi’s eyes turned to him.
“I thought I was fine, but it seems the water was cold after all.”
Hwi reached out and touched Yun-seo’s forehead. Yun-seo tried not to flinch and held his breath, waiting for Hwi’s hand to withdraw.
“You don’t have a fever.”
“My body is strong so I don’t catch colds easily, but just to be safe, we should hurry inside.”
The woman was approaching them. Yun-seo continued pretending to cough while quickening his pace. As they were about to pass by the woman, she held out the paper in her hand.
“My lords, please look at this.”
Yun-seo bowed his head politely to the woman and tried to continue walking, but she persistently followed alongside him.
“I’m looking for someone. Please just take one look…!”
Yun-seo deliberately coughed loudly while checking if Hwi was following closely. He was just about to decide whether to fake a collapse when suddenly he felt himself being pulled back and a heavy arm placed on his shoulder.
“Let me see.”
Hwi stopped Yun-seo and took the paper from the woman. Caught off guard by this sudden development, Yun-seo froze and quietly gritted his teeth. Without taking a breath, he looked alternately at the paper in Hwi’s hand and his face.
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
His heart was pounding wildly like an excited dog meeting its owner. As Hwi examined the paper, Yun-seo carefully watched for any change in his expression, but couldn’t read anything from it. Anxiety and hope alternately flared up, tempering his liver.
When Hwi suddenly turned to look at him, Yun-seo had to use all his strength to maintain a calm expression.
Hwi handed the paper to Yun-seo. Slowly exhaling, Yun-seo shifted his gaze to the paper. The face drawn on the paper was that of a child.
A child. With an unfamiliar face.
“It’s my child. He disappeared seven days ago, and I can’t find him anywhere. Someone must have taken him away! The magistrate’s office said they would find him, but there’s been no news…! Have you seen him by any chance?”
Only then could Yun-seo let go of some tension. His legs nearly gave way from relief, but he firmly planted his feet on the ground. Then he felt sorry for the woman in front of him who was desperately searching for her child.
“I’m sorry. We haven’t seen a child like this on our way here.”
“Please look once more…!”
Out of consideration for the woman’s feelings, he examined the sketch again carefully, but it was still an unfamiliar child. He turned to look at Hwi, who also shook his head. The woman let out a tired sigh, deeply disheartened.
“If we happen to see your child later, we will make sure to send him back. Do you live here?”
“No. Over there, in Ocheon. It’s the village with many paulownia trees.”
“Yes. I’m sure… you’ll find him.”
Though he meant it sincerely, speaking these words to a mother who had lost her child felt like an empty cry, making him feel ashamed. After politely bidding farewell to the woman, Yun-seo swallowed a sigh.
“This weighs heavily on my heart.”
With a faint smile, he continued walking. He was too drained to speak another word, and Hwi also maintained silence as they quietly returned to the government guesthouse.
“I should call for a physician.”
“Pardon?”
As soon as they entered the room, Yun-seo hid his surprise at Hwi’s words. Since he had been faking his cough, there was no need to see a physician.
“I think my throat was just dry, causing me to cough. Now that we’re in a warm place, I feel better. I’m sure I’ll be fine after sleeping, so please don’t worry.”
He worried belatedly if he might have seemed suspicious, but Hwi simply nodded without concern. Yun-seo caught his breath and looked around the room.
Unlike the previous inn they had stayed at, this room was small with only one bed. In truth, accommodations like yesterday’s were fortunate, and from now on, they would have to endure even less comfortable places.
“You must be tired. Please go to sleep quickly.”
There was a bench on one side of the room, which was too short to fully stretch out on, but seemed adequate enough for sleeping. As he was taking off his outer garment and rolling it up to use as a pillow in front of the bench, Hwi approached.
“Sleep on the bed.”
“Pardon? Then where will you sleep?”
“I tend to sleep briefly, so I don’t need it.”
Offering to give up the bed was excessive kindness for a servant. Yun-seo turned to look at Hwi with a slightly furrowed brow, but couldn’t find any trace of sleepiness on his face.
“Do you sleep briefly, or can you not sleep?”
Hwi merely glanced at Yun-seo without giving any reply. Yun-seo shrugged his shoulders and lay down on the bench, using his clothes as a pillow.
“Even if you can’t sleep, please lie down on the bed. Sleep will come eventually.”
Hwi ignored Yun-seo’s suggestion, extinguished the candle, and sat on a nearby chair.
As the surroundings became completely dark, Yun-seo revealed the troubled expression he had been hiding. There was no guarantee that something like today wouldn’t happen again. This time, fortunately, it was someone unrelated to him, but next time…
Excessive worry is of no help. He calmed his unsettled and confused mind and closed his eyes.
However, perhaps due to his nervousness, his sleep was light, and he kept waking up with a start. Each time, he unconsciously looked for Hwi, who remained seated in the same position, staring somewhere. He looked like someone deep in contemplation.
He seems to suffer from insomnia. Feeling sorry for him, Yun-seo let out a sigh, and Hwi’s gaze turned, their eyes meeting. Yun-seo nodded slightly, as if to say “go to sleep now.”
Hwi, who had been staring at Yun-seo, stood up and approached. He slowly reached out and placed his fingertips on Yun-seo’s forehead, as if checking for fever.
After that, a sudden wave of drowsiness overcame Yun-seo, and until he closed his eyes again, Hwi’s gaze did not leave him.
* * *
“Did you manage to get some sleep?”
Hwi had been up and preparing to depart before Yun-seo woke, and Yun-seo wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all. But Hwi didn’t answer and merely glanced at Yun-seo.
Despite the concern, Hwi’s posture on horseback was straight and his eyes were clear. No matter how strong a person might be, they couldn’t look so refreshed without sleep. As Yun-seo studied Hwi’s face, he had to shield his eyes from the sunlight with his hand. Though the wind was cold, the sunshine was warm, and he could feel that spring had arrived.
Once the cold snap passes, it will be full spring. Will we reach our destination before then? Just as he was resolving to stay focused and move quickly without getting distracted, a small village appeared at the end of the road.
As they reached the entrance of the village, they saw old and dilapidated houses that didn’t seem well-maintained. Moreover, it was quiet with no signs of people, giving it an almost desolate feel. The few children standing near their homes, staring blankly at them, were so thin their bones showed through their skin—they didn’t look well.
“The atmosphere here feels strange.”
Only the sound of horse hooves hitting the ground echoed quietly in the middle of the road. Hwi looked around with sharp eyes.
“This region has been suffering from a long drought.”
“If it’s because of a long drought… must they starve until it rains? Isn’t the government helping?”
“Typically, during prolonged droughts, taxes are exempted and military provisions are distributed for relief. But seeing this condition, someone must have intercepted those supplies along the way.”
It was hard to take his eyes off the emaciated children. People were on the verge of starvation, yet someone diverted what rightfully belonged to them for private gain—it was hard to believe.
“How can someone steal like that?”
“It means there’s more than one thief involved.”
“Then… those in power don’t know about this?”
“There are things that go unnoticed unless seen firsthand.”
Hwi’s voice turned icy cold, causing Yun-seo to unconsciously study his reaction. This was a man who had single-handedly dealt with bandits encountered on the road and still held a banquet—not someone to be taken lightly. It was somewhat surprising that he showed such consideration, as it’s quite difficult for the privileged to understand the underprivileged.
