YCHW Ch 39

“What are you doing sitting there all alone?”

Yoonso, who hadn’t noticed anyone approaching, flinched at Kyungae’s voice and turned around. Standing at the door, Kyungae glanced between Yoonso and the pouch he’d been holding moments ago, then came over and sat down.

“It doesn’t look like it’s going well.”

“Still, I’ve made some progress.”

“With your heart off in a beanfield, how could it turn out properly?”

She picked up the pouch with her fingertips, examined the clumsy embroidery as if it were something bizarre, and set it down.

Thinking it was a good chance to take a break with Kyungae there, Yoonso poured tea into a cup. Sipping the lukewarm, slightly bitter tea brought a sense of returning to reality.

“Do you think that man will come back?”

Kyungae’s question pulled Yoonso back into a world of reverie. Hiding his agitation, he forced a smile.

“Of course. You heard him too. He said he’d return.”

“Those three days are almost up.”

“…He was in a hurry and didn’t specify when. If the three days include that day, he’ll come today. If it’s from that day, it’ll be tomorrow.”

Shrugging with a feigned calm, Yoonso met Kyungae’s steady gaze. Her eyes seemed to pierce through him, making it impossible to hold her look. Dropping his gaze into the cup, he heard a faint sigh.

“Alright. You might be right. That day in the plum grove, that man seemed to care for you deeply.”

“Really?”

Yoonso’s face lit up as he looked up quickly. Beyond mere innocent affection, his expression carried the desperate longing of someone facing an insurmountable barrier, causing Kyungae’s eyes to dim with unease.

“Yes. Don’t I know the look of a man growling preemptively to protect what’s his?”

“So, in your eyes, noona…”

“Look, if you and that man had no connection, I’d agree he’d return. But since that’s not the case, I don’t trust him.”

Yoonso couldn’t fully grasp why Kyungae was saying this. Confused, he waited for her to elaborate, torn between wanting and dreading to hear more, his fingertips curling inward.

Unlike her earlier cold and firm tone, she hesitated, swallowing a sigh. Her gaze felt like that of an older sister he’d never had, stirring his heart like muddy water.

“What promise did he make?”

“…”

“Did you get any assurance of his feelings?”

“My master… probably doesn’t even know my heart. We’re just, still…”

“How much do you know about that man? Do you even know who he is? What urgent business made him leave so suddenly?”

Faced with her barrage of questions, Yoonso could only move his lips without a clear answer. Hwi was the heir leading a trade guild, a good person who extended a hand without hesitation, a remarkable man Yoonso couldn’t help but cherish.

He thought he knew Hwi well, but it all felt strangely abstract. His chest tightened, and though he gulped down the tea, the blockage didn’t ease.

“If that man truly valued you, you’d be angry at me and storm out right now, wouldn’t you?”

“That’s not it. My master is truly a good person. It’s just that I haven’t asked him much. He has his place, and I have mine, so I haven’t dared…”

“Do you trust him?”

“I do.”

He believed Hwi would return, even if late, and wasn’t someone to break a promise lightly. If he couldn’t keep it, it would be due to unavoidable circumstances, not a mere change of heart. The time spent together vouched for that trust.

“Have you ever closely looked at the sword he carries?”

“…What?”

“No ornaments, but the carving on the hilt was intricate. It wasn’t the work of an ordinary craftsman. I’d wager there are maybe two such artisans in this country.”

Yoonso had seen Hwi wear the sword but never examined the hilt closely. Even if it was valuable, he didn’t see what was strange about it. A wealthy man like Hwi could adorn himself with expensive things from head to toe, couldn’t he?

Still puzzled and furrowing his brow, Kyungae sipped her tea and continued, as if exhaling.

“There are things in this world money can’t buy. So, it comes down to two conclusions.”

“…”

“First, that man isn’t just a merchant.”

Yoonso shook his head. Hwi was a wealthy man who owned an inn, so in a different sense from Kyungae’s, he indeed wasn’t a mere merchant.

It wasn’t strange for Hwi to possess a unique item. Could there be anything in this world he couldn’t obtain? Beyond his wealth, Yoonso couldn’t imagine Hwi failing to acquire something.

“Second, he has so much wealth he can even get what money can’t buy.”

Hearing both conclusions oddly reassured him. Wasn’t this already known? Nothing more, nothing less. Seeing Yoonso’s slightly relieved expression, Kyungae clicked her tongue pityingly.

“In truth, whether it’s the first or the second doesn’t matter.”

“…”

“You know a man that remarkable wouldn’t easily give his heart to a mere servant.”

That, too… was something Yoonso already knew, neither more nor less. Yet Kyungae’s words threw his heart into a sizzling firepit. Knowing it himself was vastly different from someone else confirming it.

To Kyungae, the idea of Hwi caring for him must seem absurd. But hadn’t he already accepted this? He had to leave, and Hwi had to stay. So his feelings, or Hwi’s, didn’t matter. He just… didn’t want to part like this.

Yoonso forced a smile and nodded, but couldn’t stop his lips from trembling slightly. Kyungae looked at him with pity and reached out to grasp his hand firmly.

“Don’t trust a man’s promise.”

“…”

“You’re a man too, so my words may sting, but men are cunning. The moment they give their heart, they take everything and then look for a way to slip away.”

He wanted to deny it, but the memory of that day’s kiss lingered like an indelible stain. Hwi, who gave no hint on the way back to the guild hall, yet approached calmly afterward, speaking and touching casually.

“Do you know why there are more women here? Both men and women can become Yongrin.”

Hwi was the first and only person Yoonso had spent time with after leaving home. Knowing the world through him, Yoonso knew no other path. He was angry at himself for not being able to assert Hwi was different from those men.

“If that man doesn’t return before today ends, leave first. If you can avoid being the one abandoned, you should. I’m saying this because you’re like a younger brother to me.”

Kyungae’s sincerity hit hard, and it hurt. The depth of her wounds was clear in her desperate wish for him to avoid the pain of abandonment. And the fear that he might soon attach his name to that same feeling.

“Thank you, noona. But there’s still time.”

“…”

“And… I haven’t finished this either.”

Holding up the pouch with a carefree laugh, Kyungae, who’d been staring silently, soon smiled faintly.

“Alright. If only for your scratched-up hands, you should finish it.”

“I think I chose something too difficult. If I’d known turtle-shell patterns were this hard, I’d have picked something else.”

“They say tadpoles don’t know how wide the pond is. Oh, about that slum you mentioned—I told the Yongrin about it that day.”

“Oh, you did. Thank you. I meant to ask but forgot.”

“Thank me? I’m the one who’s grateful.”

With a grunt, she stood. Yoonso saw her off with a deliberately bright expression.

Watching her stride away, he stood in a daze, noticing the twilight creeping over the mountain ridge.

The breeze made the green mulberry leaves rustle. Villagers returned home one by one. Peace settled over the jagged rooftops with the dusk. Though present, Yoonso felt like a detached outsider and turned away.

Back in the room, he saw the pouch splayed on the table. The pale blue silk was lovely, but the embroidery was an unrecognizable mess, making the fine pouch look shabby.

Feeling no motivation, Yoonso sank into a chair and gazed listlessly out the window. Despite his firm belief Hwi would return, his heart creaked like a rickety wooden bridge. Unable to discern if it was trust or desperate hope, he closed his eyes tightly, blocking out the world.