Chapter 7
Haa, haa, haa.
The room was filled with the sound of heavy breathing.
“Ugh!”
With a grunt, the massive body slid downward. Beneath him, the smaller figure caught her breath several times before sitting up and beginning to drape her clothes over her shoulders.
“Leaving already?”
“Yes.”
The large man was Moyong Byeok.
“Cheongseong.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Do something about that stiff attitude of yours. You’re completely devoid of charm.”
“…People do not change so easily. You know that. Besides, I must return to the inner quarters soon.”
“Hmph, you never yield even a single word. Well… I suppose that’s part of your charm too.”
Moyong Byeok clicked his tongue in regret as he gazed at Cheongseong’s slender waist visible through the gauze-like silk blouse.
“So, you want to stop by the outer court for a bit?”
“Yes.”
“You won’t need to.”
Cheongseong, who had been tying the knot of her clothing ribbon, slowly turned around.
“What do you mean by that?”
“You know about it, don’t you? The outer court disciple who was attacked recently and nearly lost his life.”
Of course she knew. That was precisely why she needed to go to the outer court.
“……”
“You were the one who asked to meet first, so I had no choice but to come out. But I don’t have time to idle around like this.”
Cheongseong suppressed a quiet laugh inside. Nine times out of ten, the reason this man visited the inner quarters so often was because of her.
A year ago, she had passed by him and nearly stumbled. When he caught her, he had frowned and tried to push her away. But the loosely tied knot of her clothes came undone, revealing the skin beneath—and he had frozen, face flushed bright red.
After a few more chance encounters—carefully arranged to seem accidental—he eventually began secretly calling her to this storage room.
After that, things had proceeded quickly.
“I’m already on the verge of being reprimanded for negligence in management.”
“……”
“You should at least show some concern. Do you know why you’ve been living so comfortably in the inner court?”
It was true. Because of him, her life had become easier, and her freedom of movement had widened.
“…Are you all right?”
“No. I’m not all right. Not at all.”
The burly man pouted his lips in a way that didn’t suit his size and cast a sidelong glance at Cheongseong.
“That cousin of yours in the outer court.”
“…Sansan. About that child…”
Cheongseong’s face darkened. Though technically only a distant relative, the girl had recently died.
“There’s no need to make that face. Something strange happened, but she’s alive.”
“!”
Cheongseong’s expression froze as if struck by lightning. Moyong Byeok, however, failed to notice and simply pulled on his clothes.
“That young master of the Beon family—you know him, right? The genius physician who isn’t even twenty yet.”
“……”
“They say he personally checked her pulse. I had the corpse brought back so we could at least give her a proper burial for your sake, but somehow she started breathing again.”
After smoothing his disheveled hair and tying his clothes, he turned toward her.
“What’s with that face?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Cheongseong’s face had flushed red. Thinking she was overwhelmed with emotion, Moyong Byeok approached and pulled her into an embrace.
“There’s no need to worry. Didn’t I promise you? When the opportunity comes, I’ll take you in as a secondary wife.”
He kissed the back of her neck.
“Even though your cousin has been sent to the inner court as well, I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.”
Yet the expression on Cheongseong’s face in his arms was strange. It was not the face of a woman stirred by the man’s hopeful promises for the future.
In fact, it seemed as if she wasn’t even hearing him.
Her gaze was fixed blankly on a corner of the warehouse where a pile of tangled straw lay.
What happened? That ritual clearly failed…
*
“Ahh, my back. Damn…”
When Sansan, who had been lying limp like a corpse, suddenly sat up, Chuseol and Danso rushed toward her like lightning.
Her hair and clothes were covered in dry leaves. Her hands and legs were riddled with wounds, and blood was still trickling from them.
“Are you okay?”
“Did something happen to you…?”
At Chuseol’s words, Danso jabbed her in the side.
Sansan, who had been groaning in pain, suddenly lifted her head at their voices.
Her eyes widened—
Smack!
She slapped her own cheek.
“Oh my gosh, she’s doing it again! Stop her!”
“Hey! Hey! What’s wrong with you?”
Chuseol and Danso hurriedly grabbed both of Sansan’s hands.
“Ah, I’m fine. I was just… checking.”
Her heart felt hollow.
She was still inside that novel.
And apparently, according to what she’d heard, she had been carried here in the arms of the male lead, Moyong Sehui.
Chuseol hesitated before speaking.
“Hey… did something really happen to you?”
“No, nothing like that. It just hurt so much that I wondered if this was real.”
“Are you insane? You slapped yourself just to confirm reality?”
“Look at the blood! I’ll stop by the laundry on my way to the Archive Pavilion and tell them. You absolutely have to rest today.”
Would that really be okay?
But since the dependable Danso said so, it should be fine.
“Please. First wash the wounds with water. Ow—!”
“Hey, stay still. I’ll wash up and bring back some cloth soaked in water.”
“Thank you…”
Sansan slowly leaned back with her aching body.
The moment her head touched the ground, she fell asleep as if fainting.
*
“Excuse me.”
“Who is it this early in the morning?”
“It’s Cheongseong. My apologies for coming at such an early hour.”
A sigh came from inside.
“Come in.”
Cheongseong opened the door and stood quietly near the entrance for a moment. When she heard the scraping sound of a chair being pulled back, she finally walked further into the room.
The Chief Steward of the Inner Court was brewing tea.
“What is it?”
“It concerns a maid who was transferred from the outer court to the inner court.”
“A maid?”
“Her name is Ma Sansan.”
Pour.
The steward finished rinsing the tea leaves and poured hot water over them.
“Would it be possible to send that child back to the outer court?”
Cheongseong knew well that bringing this up was meaningless. Unlike the outer steward, the inner steward was not someone easily swayed by ordinary temptations.
Moreover, the authority of the Grand Elder of the Moyong family carried enormous weight—an order that had to be obeyed.
Still, she had to ask.
She had not met the girl herself, but the failed ritual might have damaged her mind. If her identity were ever exposed…
“Of course, I know it’s an unreasonable request.”
With no response from the steward, Cheongseong grew increasingly anxious as her explanation grew longer.
“Send her back to the outer court?”
The steward looked sharply at her while pouring tea into the gaiwan.
“It’s quite surprising to hear you say such a thing. Why? Did the outer steward refuse to help you?”
Cheongseong’s face flushed hot.
He knew…?
Setting aside the embarrassment, a chill ran down her spine.
Cheongseong had always handled her work neatly and was quick-witted. That was why she had quickly gained the steward’s trust.
Moreover, she had never made a personal request before.
She had thought he might at least consider it once.
“That will be difficult.”
The answer was immediate and firm.
The steward pushed aside the floating tea leaves with the lid of the gaiwan and took a sip.
“That child will probably be reassigned to the residence of the Third Young Master soon.”
“What?”
What did that mean?
She tried to ask more, but the steward waved his hand dismissively.
It means: go back to work and don’t ask any more questions.
Cheongseong bowed deeply and left the steward’s residence.
She then slowly headed toward the residence of Lady Gyuhwa, where she worked.
Things have gone wrong… What do I do now? This is becoming troublesome.
Crunch.
Cheongseong ground her teeth.
*
I had fallen asleep exactly where I collapsed, but I woke up to the sensation of someone shaking me.
“Sansan, wake up. You have to go today.”
“Ah… yeah.”
I raised my upper body.
There wasn’t a single sore spot. My body felt perfectly fine.
Why the hell is this body so sturdy?
For appearances’ sake, I had to at least pretend it hurt.
“Ugh…”
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’ll be okay once I move around.”
I smiled in response, quickly washed up, and headed to the laundry.
When he saw my face, Uncle Chanbi jumped in surprise. He crushed some herbs good for healing wounds and applied them to my face and arms, then packed more herbs into a small wooden box and told me to apply them to places that weren’t visible as well.
“Thank you.”
“You should’ve been more careful. I shouldn’t have asked you to gather firewood.”
“It’s okay. Luckily the Third Young Master happened to pass by nearby.”
“Even so, don’t push yourself today.”
“Yes, sir.”
After sleeping all day, my mind still felt hazy.
When I moved sluggishly a few times, he looked worried and pushed me toward the stove, telling me to just sit and watch the fire.
I grabbed a small wooden stool and sat beside the hearth in the corner, poking the embers with a fire stick.
I stared blankly at the flickering flames.
Is it a good thing that I didn’t die?
What could I possibly do inside a novel whose plot I barely remembered?
My mind was restless.
While staring absentmindedly into the fire, my eyes began to sting—someone nearby must have been cutting onions. I raised my sleeve to cover my nose.
Then I felt something hard.
What’s this?
I rummaged inside my sleeve and pulled out a small tube about the length of a finger.
Ah, I forgot about this.
As if possessed, I pulled out the stopper and shook it upside down.
Just like before, a blank piece of paper fell out.
Holding it between my fingers, I stared at it blankly.
Why did I keep this paper? A love letter? Something like that?
While I was lost in such idle thoughts, heat from the hearth warmed the fingers holding the paper.
“Ah! Hot!”
That was close. I almost burned myself.
Better not pry into someone else’s secret. I should just burn it.
But just as I was about to toss the paper into the fire—
Something felt strange.
On the night of the full moon, in the bamboo grove
Words appeared.
You’ve got to be kidding me… I can read this too?
