Chapter 7

"Ah, brother."

With an oddly sharp gaze, Seok-jin casually extended his hand toward Seol-ah.

"...I assumed she did the same kind of work as us since she was with you."

Seok-jin scratched the back of his head with a sheepish smile.

But then, Su-hyeok suddenly turned to Seol-ah and, with a blank expression, said,

"She's just a servant I brought along."

At the word servant, Seol-ah's shoulders flinched slightly.

"...Ah, I see."

Was he implying that she was just a laborer brought along for menial tasks?

Rumors had spread that there was someone searching for people, drawing attention not only in Hanyang but even in the distant kingdom of Tak.

Seok-jin's eyes filled with curiosity as he examined Seol-ah's face.

Unlike the rugged laborers around, Seol-ah's delicate features piqued Seok-jin's interest.

"I see."

"...!"

Su-hyeok, who had stepped back from the conversation, coldly intercepted Seok-jin's gaze directed at Seol-ah.

"You don't need to concern yourself. There's nothing here that should interest you."

Seok-jin, met with Su-hyeok's firm and unyielding tone, chose not to press further.

"She just told me her name a moment ago."

"...?"

"She's my closest companion who works with me."

"Ah... Yes. Nice to meet you."

At Su-hyeok's introduction, Seol-ah respectfully bowed her head toward Seok-jin.

"My name is Yeon."

Following Su-hyeok's lead, she introduced herself simply as Yeon and gave Seok-jin a light smile.

Her smile was faint, as if the corners of her lips had barely moved.

Even the thin scar visible at the edge of her cheek looked pale.

That smile momentarily stuck in Su-hyeok's chest.

'It's been a long time since I've seen that smile.'

Several years ago, in winter.

A time now faint in memory, nearly forgotten—a smile she had first shown him during that period.

"Yeon, huh…? What a pretty name. Hahaha!"

At Seok-jin's carefree laughter, Su-hyeok averted his gaze from her and looked away.

"How was the spring festival this year?"

"...I just ate something plain and left."

"Then I must be the older brother here."

"What?"

"Sometimes, you can call me older brother, just for convenience. After all, Yeon, you do call someone 'Master.'"

At those words, Su-hyeok immediately turned to Seok-jin and narrowed his eyes.

"Enough talk. Let's go."

Su-hyeok gave Seok-jin a light push on the shoulder, urging him forward.

Seok-jin laughed at the reaction before turning to follow him.

As Seol-ah quietly observed the scene, she, too, turned toward Su-hyeok's back.

"Are you returning straight to the residence now?"

"Yes, I've seen all I need to."

Su-hyeok turned away, moving forward without hesitation.

At that moment, Seok-jin followed after him at a brisk pace.

"Then let's grab a drink at the tavern before heading back, brother."

"The street market tour?"

"With your personality, Master, did you even take a proper look at the markets in Hanyang?"

At Seok-jin's remark, Su-hyeok paused and looked at him.

Seol-ah also glanced up slightly to look at Su-hyeok's back.

"Given how the court was thrown into chaos as soon as the morning came, they must have started securing the areas from the outskirts first and organizing the movements inside."

"...."

"You must have been too busy managing people. And weren't you also searching for someone in Hanyang?"

"...."

"But still, Master, shouldn't you at least take a proper look at the Hanyang market while you're here? It's been years since you last set foot in your hometown."

At those words, Su-hyeok clenched his lips tightly, a subtle hint of guilt flickering across his face.

"You always have an issue with letting things go."

"…Ah, Master."

"Save your breath and just shut your mouth. I should've expected this."

Su-hyeok let out a short sigh as he turned his back on Seok-jin.

Seol-ah simply watched his footsteps and silently followed.

"Let's take a look around the market. To be honest, I was caught up in yesterday's chaos and didn't get a proper chance to see it."

"What's there to see? Hanyang's just Hanyang."

"Just Hanyang? Clothes shops were completely cleared out, people were fleeing in a panic—"

At that, Su-hyeok's expression hardened as he turned back to Seok-jin, his lips parting slightly.

"Did we come to Hanyang for sightseeing?"

"Well, isn't it still worth taking a look? Let's at least grab a bowl of soup before we leave."

Saying that, Seok-jin suddenly turned to Seol-ah.

"Yeon, do you also run a shop?"

"What?"

Seok-jin then winked mischievously with one eye.

"Was it about three or four years ago?"

"...?"

"There was a soup house so good that people would swear by it. I don't know if it's still there, but let's go check it out. My treat!"

As silence lingered between Seol-ah and Su-hyeok, Seok-jin naturally inserted himself between them.

Seol-ah didn't dislike his cheerful energy.

She smiled slightly and followed behind the two men.

Su-hyeok, who had been lost in thought, suddenly turned his gaze toward Seol-ah at Seok-jin's words.

'...That woman must have been in the market district for a long time too.'

That thought lingered in his mind, and though Su-hyeok didn't express it, he figured he might as well follow along with Seok-jin's suggestion.

"You should at least eat properly before we go."

Though Su-hyeok ended up following Seok-jin, he still felt uneasy.

He kept feeling as if someone might recognize him, so he instinctively adjusted his scarf to cover more of his face.

"Master, would you stop looking around so much?"

"...."

"Are you trying to see if someone as handsome as you is walking around with their face covered too?"

At Seok-jin's teasing, Su-hyeok stiffened and instinctively glanced at Seol-ah.

From the market district to now, Seok-jin had been relentless, yet he had no idea that Su-hyeok was once a crown prince.

Seok-jin only knew Su-hyeok as a young master, the illegitimate son of his father's concubine, who had lost his place and fled to a foreign land, surviving by the edge of a blade.

Su-hyeok sighed as if it was tiresome and approached him, extending his hand.

"What do you mean by 'handsome'?"

As Su-hyeok growled in irritation, he flicked Seok-jin's forehead upward.

Seok-jin turned his bright face toward Seol-ah and asked,

"What do you think of Yeon-i when you look at her?"

Caught off guard by his sudden question, Seol-ah's eyes widened as she stared at his lips.

"Huh?"

"Our master. Isn't he handsome?"

At those words, Su-hyeok clenched his jaw tightly and flicked Seok-jin's forehead.

"Tsk. Just shut up and eat your soup."

Just then, the shop owner arrived, placing three bowls of soup in front of them. Seol-ah covered her face slightly with her hand, a faint smile on her lips.

"You are handsome."

"...?"

For some reason, unable to bring herself to look at Su-hyeok directly, she instead focused on her soup as she replied.

"Really? Now that you mention it...!"

Su-hyeok glanced at Seol-ah, slightly taken aback by her words.

"Uh... You are handsome."

A subtle smile curved the corners of her youthful lips.

For a brief moment, Su-hyeok, who had always been reserved, felt something warm bloom in his chest.

Seok-jin smirked and looked at Su-hyeok.

"When I say you're handsome, you ignore me."

"...?"

"But when Yeon-i says it, why do you suddenly look like you're in a good mood, master?"

As Seok-jin chuckled, Su-hyeok stiffened and gripped his spoon tightly.

"If you keep talking nonsense, I'll send you back to the Tang Dynasty."

At those words, Seok-jin laughed even harder and continued eating his soup.

Finding his reaction amusing, Seol-ah chuckled softly and scooped up a spoonful of her soup as well.

Seok-jin had a playful yet sharp personality, just as he appeared at first glance.

"Try this once, Yeon-i."

"Ah."

"This is the best delicacy and something to be proud of."

Saying that, Seok-jin placed a piece of grilled meat on Seol-ah's spoon with his chopsticks.

"Th… Thank you."

His sudden kindness felt a bit overwhelming, but at the same time, she was grateful that someone was taking care of her.

Seol-ah carefully picked up a piece of meat and placed it in the soup, letting the rich broth soak into the grilled meat before taking a bite.

"Mmm...."

The rich sesame flavor spread in her mouth. She found herself nibbling on the meat in admiration, and seeing this, Seok-jin laughed.

"How is it? Does it taste good?"

"Yes, it's delicious."

Seol-ah looked up at Seok-jin and smiled with her eyes.

At that moment, Su-hyeok, who had been glancing at her from the side, cleared his throat.

"Hmph, hmph."

For some reason, the two of them looking close seemed to bother him. He casually reached for his drink and sipped, his face unreadable.

Su-hyeok's reaction made Seol-ah pause for a moment.

"Master... Try some too."

"...!"

"It's delicious."

As soon as she said it, she placed a thinly sliced piece of meat onto his spoon. At that moment, Su-hyeok's heart seemed to thump loudly in his chest. Even as she placed the meat on his spoon, Seol-ah didn't look at him directly.

For some reason, she found it hard to look at his face. She just kept eating, as if trying to hide in his embrace. And Su-hyeok's bare body seemed to blur before her eyes, making it difficult to focus on him properly.

"...."

Su-hyeok silently watched Seol-ah, before finally bringing his spoon to his mouth.

Somehow, Seok-jin found the sight of the two of them amusing.

"What do you think? Isn't it nice to eat outside like this?"

"...."

"Eat your soup and let's take a stroll around the streets, brother!"

"We need to get back quickly. There's work to do at Tae-san."

At Seok-jin's dismissive remark, Su-hyeok simply continued eating his soup in silence.

Seol-ah turned her gaze to the man across from her.

"By the way, have you met Kim Dae-gam?"

"Not yet."

Seok-jin said as he glanced at Seol-ah, as if sizing her up.

"You can speak freely."

"Ah… Then I'll speak casually."

"Go ahead."

"Right before leaving Taguk, I heard that Ui-jeong Daegam has been moving lately."

"What?"

"When coming to Hanyang, I was told to listen carefully. Apparently, it's been a while since he last showed any signs of activity."

"...."

"Regardless, it seems the news of my return to Hanyang has already spread."

"Of course. There's no news that escapes me. Whether they belong to me or are people I keep track of, I always stay informed."

The word "Ui-jeong" slipping into their conversation made Seol-ah's heart feel slightly uneasy.

Seol-ah had heard rumors that Kim Dae-gam had become the Minister of Defense.

Kim Yeong-gun, who had once worked under her father when he was alive. Rather than speaking much, he had been a loyal subject who silently followed orders.

Although he had been an unwavering supporter of the royal family, unlike Do Seung-ji, who fought to protect the crown prince in times of crisis, he had never stepped forward actively.

Even knowing that her father had been falsely accused of treason, he had been unable to help, only shedding silent tears as he told her not to resent him.

Seol-ah knew Kim Yeong-gun and his reputation well.

'...So Kim Dae-gam is doing well.'

For some reason, she felt bitter.

Her father had died in disgrace, falsely accused of a crime he didn't commit.

Yet hearing that his former comrades had risen to positions of power only left her feeling empty.

As she listened to their conversation in silence, Seol-ah gripped her spoon a little tighter.

"Ugh, I'm so drunk...!"

A drunken official stumbled past, swaying unsteadily as he brushed against Seol-ah.

"Oh...?!"

Just then, Su-hyeok, who had been quietly watching Seok-jin, swiftly reached out and grabbed Seol-ah's arm.

"...!"

Then, in one swift motion, he pulled her into his embrace, holding her tightly.

"Be careful!"

Su-hyeok, irritated, raised his voice at the official.

At that moment, as Seol-ah was held firmly against his chest, she pressed her lips together tightly and froze.