Chapter 23. The Butler on the Verge of Losing His Mind
On a night when the crescent moon hid behind the clouds—
Soft sighs intertwined. A firm palm brushed over shoulders as smooth as petals. Tender smiles and heated breaths passed between them.
Their fingers interlocked, clasped tightly together.
The man pressed his lips against eyebrows more delicate than the drooping moon.
The woman let out a shaky breath and smiled. Her breathing, her pounding heart—neither would settle easily.
“My lord, it’s late at night.”
The young-looking woman spoke softly.
“You should go to sleep soon if you’re to work again tomorrow.”
She said it while his hand continued to stroke her cheek and play with her hair. The man smiled faintly.
“How long will you keep calling me ‘my lord’?”
“That’s…”
“Our wedding is in five days. Will you still call me that even then? If you don’t intend to change it, I have my own plan. I’ll keep calling you ‘Guard Baek’ instead of your name.”
The woman frowned slightly, troubled.
She was his bodyguard—and in five days, she would become his bride.
Her real name was Baek Hwaun.
“Guard Baek” was how he had addressed her since their first meeting. In public, he still called her that, but when they were alone, he would gently call her by name.
He treated her as carefully as if she were a feather.
Having grown up among men in the escort agency run by her uncle, Hwaun found his attitude unfamiliar—almost ticklish.
Every time she wielded a sword, he would watch her with anxious eyes. At times, she couldn’t tell who was the bodyguard and who was being protected.
On top of that, his martial skills seemed even better than hers.
“And how long do you plan to keep speaking formally to me?”
“Is it strange?”
“Not strange… but it’s not common either.”
“I don’t think I can change it easily.”
The man said, gently gathering her hair in his hand.
“It’s become a habit.”
“You speak casually to everyone else.”
Why only me?
Hwaun pressed her lips together. The man chuckled and said he understood.
Beside the bed where they lay, a beautiful wedding robe fluttered softly.
Cha-eon rose from his seat, only to feel his body tilt to the side. He quickly steadied himself.
It was all due to lack of sleep and excessive tension.
This is driving me insane.
There was no better way to describe the distorted routine he’d been living since the day before yesterday.
At the very least, there was one saving grace—A-hee and her group were finally leaving today.
At last, they’re gone.
Normally, he would have been overjoyed. But this time, something felt… off.
Would his young mistress continue to demand kisses even after her friend left? Would she remain just as persistent?
If that happened, the one in trouble would be himself.
Seo-hyo aside… could he really keep his self-control?
Right now, he was barely holding onto reason out of courtesy because of all the eyes around them. But what if that noisy group disappeared?
If it was just the two of them in a quiet house—
“Ha…”
Cha-eon let out a pained sigh.
My past self who wished she’d notice my feelings… just die.
With dark circles deepening under his eyes, the butler staggered as he threw open the door. It was going to be another long day.
“Cha-eon, let’s talk.”
“You’re not going to talk anyway.”
He cut her off before she could finish.
“What you do isn’t talking—it’s acting. And I won’t do it.”
If only she could say she’d grown numb after being rejected hundreds of times.
Seo-hyo tried to swallow the surge of emotion rising in her chest.
Every time she heard his refusal, it felt like her heart was lightly scratched. Invisible wounds, but wounds nonetheless.
Pushed away… and pushed away again.
There was a time she wished someone—anyone—would take this nagging man away.
Now, that was unthinkable.
“Do you… really hate me that much?”
As she asked, staring at him, Cha-eon’s jaw slowly dropped.
“So much that you won’t allow it even once?”
Had everything she and A-hee carefully pieced together just been a misunderstanding? With every rejection, even her small confidence began to crumble.
“Well… I guess I was too pushy. Too impatient.”
“…If you’re going to kill me, just do it quickly.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, not to you, Miss. I meant the Heavenly Emperor or the King or whoever.”
Cha-eon squeezed his eyes shut mid-sentence, adding that it was nonsense and she should forget it. He seemed different than usual.
Seo-hyo’s mood sank even further.
“Cha-eon.”
As she took a step closer, he flinched and stepped back.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t apologize. I don’t know what for, but don’t apologize. And don’t do anything you need to apologize for.”
“I think I got too excited on my own.”
She stepped closer again.
Despite being strong enough to easily lift her, he retreated like someone cornered. He even raised a hand slightly, as if wary she might lunge at him.
“Was it all just a misunderstanding?”
“Miss…”
“A-hee kept egging me on, so I thought… maybe you didn’t mind me either.”
Step by step, she advanced. Step by step, he retreated—until his heel hit the wall.
There was nowhere left to go.
“If you really hate it, I’ll stop. But… at least tell me why.”
“Ah.”
Cha-eon suddenly pressed his forehead, then dragged both hands over his face several times. Without even looking at her, he took a deep breath.
“How is this even fair…”
“Huh?”
“You can’t torture someone like this endlessly.”
“Cha-eon?”
“I feel like my blood is drying up.”
“Um…?”
“It’d be better if lightning just struck me right now. That’d be faster.”
Seo-hyo seriously wondered if her butler had finally lost his mind.
Soon, A-hee’s group began coming out of the large room, carrying their washing items. It seemed they planned to leave before sunset.
The house was already noisy.
Seo-hyo gave brief greetings, but her eyes followed Cha-eon as he walked away without a word.
His steps looked unstable.
Then—
He stopped.
His fist clenched.
Even from afar, she could see the tension in his broad shoulders.
If his aura had a color, it would be black.
Dark—almost tinged with a dangerous violet.
BOOM! CRASH! BANG!
“Eek!”
The wall collapsed.
Cha-eon had smashed it down with his bare fist.
Not a single drop of blood appeared on his hand.
“W-What was that? Fireworks?”
A-hee burst out, still half-asleep.
Seo-hyo shrank back in fear.
The others, however, burst into laughter and applause.
“Amazing, Cha-eon!”
“What a farewell show!”
“Hahaha!”
Everyone was terrifying.
Cha-eon was terrifying.
Seo-hyo trembled.
The wall hadn’t been made of straw—it was solid. No matter how strong someone was, breaking it with a fist made no sense.
So this… is only part of who he is.
“W-Who are you…?”
After A-hee’s group left, the house finally quieted.
Seo-hyo immediately made plans to avoid Cha-eon for the next few days.
But strangely—
He left her alone all day.
That was unusual.
When she peeked through the window, she saw him repairing the broken wall, stacking new bricks.
Even from behind, he still looked dangerous.
Is he… muttering curses about me?
“…I still can’t go out.”
Shivering, she shut the window.
Eventually, hunger and thirst won.
Sneaking quietly, she went to the kitchen.
No sign of Cha-eon.
Perfect.
She poured tea—sweet hydrangea tea—and drank it.
Then—
She felt it.
The air had changed.
Even she could sense it.
Cha-eon stood in the doorway.
“Cha-eon… when did you get here?”
She tried to act natural.
Run. Run!
Her inner voice screamed.
“If you were here, you should’ve made a sound.”
“When have I ever made noise when I move?”
Something was different.
The Cha-eon from the morning—who had stepped back nervously—was gone.
Now, he looked perfectly calm.
“The wall’s been fixed.”
“That was fast.”
“Miss, that’s not the issue.”
“Hm?”
“The Miss who kept chasing me this morning—where did she go? All that’s left is someone timid.”
That Miss disappeared… along with the wall you destroyed.
“‘Kiss me.’”
Her embarrassing words echoed back at her.
“‘You wanted to confirm something?’”
“Th-that’s…”
“Then let’s do it.”
Seo-hyo froze.
What did he just say?
“Let’s confirm it.”
She couldn’t move a single finger.
