Chapter 2
“You shouldn’t eat that.”
“Why?”
Cautiously asking back, Ra-yeon studied the boy. He was just a child—perhaps even younger than she was. Someone this small couldn’t possibly be one of the officers chasing her. Nor did he seem hostile.
“It’s not ripe yet.”
“Will I die if I eat it?”
“You won’t die. Your stomach will just hurt a bit.”
Ra-yeon looked at the fruit in her hand. It was still green.
“If your stomach starts hurting while you’re running away, that’d be bad.”
“What?”
The unexpected remark left her speechless.
Calm down. Look at yourself. Anyone could guess you’re running away. He probably doesn’t know who you really are.
“Well, you probably won’t have to keep running anymore.”
So he does know who I am.
As Ra-yeon instinctively stepped backward, the boy reached out his hand.
“Careful!”
He grabbed her hand just in time. She nearly rolled down the slope. She had already fallen countless times while fleeing—and that was how she lost her shoes. One more fall probably wouldn’t have mattered.
Still, she felt relieved. The hand that pulled her away from danger was cold, yet somehow warm.
“Who are you?”
She shook off his hand. Even in moments like this, Ra-yeon remained wary of relief.
The boy puffed his cheeks, as if unsure how to answer.
“Do you… not remember me?”
“Answer the question.”
“Noona.”
Noona? Hearing that term of address here felt completely out of place. Ra-yeon frowned.
The boy grinned, and the sharp corners of his eyes softened into a bright, innocent smile.
“It’s me. Lee Dam. Baek Lee Dam.”
Lee Dam. Baek Lee Dam. She repeated the name with her dry tongue. Did she know it? Her mind, dulled by days without food, slowly turned.
“Baek Lee Dam?”
Ra-yeon’s eyes widened. They weren’t naturally round—more sharp, like his.
“I came to take you back, Noona.”
Her father had told her to go find Yoon-gi in Seochang. She didn’t need to ask who that was—Baek Yoon-gi, her father’s sworn brother. She remembered clearly.
The Baek family was said to rarely have daughters. Perhaps because of that, Uncle Yoon-gi had cherished her more than anyone.
Even after her father moved to the capital for his official post, Yoon-gi continued sending gifts every season. She couldn’t possibly forget the name.
“Father’s been looking for you.”
Lee Dam was Yoon-gi’s son. Back when she lived in Seochang, they had played together every single day.
But six years had passed since she left Seochang. And six years was a long time for children. It was natural she had forgotten what Lee Dam looked like.
So how did he still recognize me?
“I heard about your father… that he passed away.”
So it was true. The news had reached Seochang. She had expected it. Ra-yeon pressed her lips inward—a habit when swallowing her emotions.
“They heard you escaped. They thought you might come to Seochang, so people were sent to look around.”
The Baek family was an influential clan in Seochang. If they sent people, there must have been quite a few. And among them, you were the one who found me.
“…I see.”
She barely managed to speak.
Lee Dam extended his hand toward her.
“Let’s go, Noona.”
Lee Dam’s house wasn’t far. The moment they opened the gate, the warmth of home seemed to flow out. It was familiar, too—just like Yoon-gi’s face.
Strangely, though she had spent far more time with Lee Dam in the past, he now felt unfamiliar, while Yoon-gi felt deeply familiar—so much so that tears threatened the moment she saw him.
“It’s alright. Everything’s alright now.”
Ra-yeon managed to hold herself together until they reached the yard. But the moment she entered the room, her tears burst out uncontrollably.
She cried in Yoon-gi’s arms for a long time. Perhaps because memories of her father resurfaced.
“My father… Uncle, my father…”
“I know. I know. But since you’re safe… he must have passed away with some peace of mind.”
“What am I supposed to do now, Uncle? Father is gone…”
“You’ll live here now. This is your home. You’re my brother’s daughter—my niece. How could I turn you away?”
The warmth of his words finally helped her emotions settle. Wiping her eyes, Ra-yeon spoke.
“Please… give me a new identity.”
Her voice was still wet with tears.
“This is Father’s hometown. People from the capital will surely come searching. I need a new identity.”
“Yes, I was thinking the same. Perhaps we could find a deceased distant relative and have you pretend to be her daughter…”
Both the Baek and Seo families were prominent in Seochang. It wouldn’t be hard to find relatives, though many Seos had moved to the capital.
“No. I need a completely different surname.”
“A completely different surname? You mean to abandon the Seo name?”
“Yes. I’m abandoning it.”
Abandoning her father’s surname—such a thing was shocking in a country that revered Confucian values. That was why Yoon-gi had tried to find relatives bearing the Seo name.
But Ra-yeon was resolute.
“If I keep using the Seo surname, people will suspect something. I need a new name—cut off all ties to Father. That’s the only way I survive. Please help me.”
Yoon-gi closed his eyes.
Families of traitors were often exterminated for three generations. And the traitor’s daughter had escaped.
Perhaps they wouldn’t search too hard for a mere girl—but one never knew. And if they did search, a Seo girl suddenly appearing in Seochang would raise suspicion.
“…Are you sure?”
“Father would want me to live.”
Yes. His brother would want this child to survive. Yoon-gi nodded.
“I’ll find someone suitable.”
Three-surname slave, Zhang Fei had mocked Lü Bu. Then what was she? A slave with multiple surnames? No. She refused to become such a thing.
In truth, Ra-yeon was right. She wouldn’t end up with just two surnames.
Because it wouldn’t stop there.
Officials arrived from the government office just two days after she came to Yoon-gi’s house.
“We apologize, but we are acting under orders from the capital.”
It didn’t take long for them to find Ra-yeon. The officer looked between the two of them.
“Who is this child?”
“She is my deceased sister’s daughter.”
Yoon-gi spoke shamelessly. Ra-yeon swallowed nervously.
“A deceased sister? Are you saying a daughter was born in the Baek family?”
The officer sounded incredulous.
“Are you suggesting I invented a sister? My father had a child with a servant woman in his later years. He treasured her. Few know of her since she was married off early while hiding her mixed status.”
Ra-yeon’s heart pounded. What if they recognize me?
“A daughter from the Baek family married far away?”
“Yes, she married into the Chae family of Yangcheon. Bandits have recently been rampant there, haven’t they? The girl lost her parents because of that, so I brought her here.”
Yangcheon. The Chae family. That’s my new identity, Ra-yeon repeated silently.
“Some people say they’ve seen this child around here before, sir.”
“She sometimes visited in summer. Children’s faces change constantly; perhaps they’re mistaken.”
The officer sighed.
“Sir… you know what happens if you’re caught hiding a traitor’s daughter.”
“A traitor’s daughter? I don’t know what you mean.”
“I personally sympathize with Lord Seo Myeong-ho’s case. But what can we do? The court decided. If this child were his daughter, we’d have to report it. Since she’s young, she’d only become a government slave—not be killed…”
“This child…”
Yoon-gi gripped Ra-yeon’s arm. For a moment, she thought of Lee Dam’s hand.
“She is my deceased sister’s daughter—my niece. If you doubt it, go to Yangcheon and confirm.”
But how could they easily go there when bandits overran the area? Even the local governor had fled, it was said.
In any case, no one in Seochang would openly oppose the Baek family.
“If you insist that strongly, we’ll trust you.”
The moment the officer left, Ra-yeon picked up a brush and wrote down her new identity.
My hometown is now Yangcheon. My surname is Chae. My parents were killed by bandits…
Ra-yeon quickly adapted to life in Seochang again.
Watching her run about like a lively mudskipper, one would never guess she had ever lived in the capital. The contrast between that and the composed girl who once sat writing poetry fascinated Lee Dam.
That day was no different.
Lee Dam was running hand in hand with his sister, having just lured some kids from the neighboring village—who had picked a fight with them—into a trap.
