YCHW Ch 4

The moment he had dreamed of and pictured hundreds, thousands of times was finally upon him, but he could not take a step so easily. He was a Yeongchunhwa, who had the duty to protect the Yongrin. The Yongrin were the heroes who would save the empire from the map of hell, and he had to become their guardian. It was the will of the Dragon God and a command from heaven that could not be defied.

Moreover, a Yeongchunhwa’s escape was high treason. If it was discovered that he had fled once the sun came up…….

The faces of his father, mother, and older brother passed before his eyes one by one. But Yoonso squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, shaking off the afterimages.

It had been ten years. For a full decade [sunnyeon] he had lived confined here, and in half a month, he was fated to enter the palace and build a life there. If fate played its tricks on him to the very end and he truly was the talent his father wished him to be…….

He hated it. He truly hated it more than death.

He was not the only Yeongchunhwa in the empire. Countless Yeongchunhwa were fulfilling their duties. The thought of them made him feel terribly sorry, but Yoonso decided to turn a blind eye, thinking that it would be all right if just one like him disappeared.

Everyone said that being a Yeongchunhwa was a glorious [yeonggwangdoen] task. They said it was also good fortune, for if one sprouted as a Yeongchunhwa and later blossomed, one could serve this country and enjoy no small amount of wealth and honor [bugwiyeonghwa]. All the scholars dispatched from the imperial palace were proud and boasted of their mission.

In contrast, what about himself? Not once since sprouting as a Yeongchunhwa had he ever considered it glorious [yeonggwangseureopge]. If there was a way to eliminate the very existence of a guardian star, he would do anything. A Yeongchunhwa who harbored such blasphemous thoughts was better off disappearing.

In any case, this agony, too, would vanish without a trace once he escaped this place. Yoonso took a step, as if to shake off the sense of sin that clung to his ankle and held him back.

With his head lowered and his body hunched as much as possible, he opened the door. The guard standing watch outside glanced this way. His gaze went to the blue-spotted cheekbone and then quickly returned.

He was the most negligent of the guards protecting this place and one who had arrived recently. Also, he himself, since his body had matured, had taken to wearing a thin veil of silk gauze below his eyes whenever he left his room, claiming he would protect himself and conduct himself chastely. That was why they had never even properly seen Yoonso’s bare face.

Yoonso calmly bowed his head in greeting and left the spot.

He encountered no one while passing through the middle gate and heading towards the living quarters. It was the time when the steward gathered the servants to check and organize the day’s work, so it was only natural.

After placing the tea tray in the kitchen, he grabbed only his travel pack and, without any delay, circled around the living quarters. But as soon as he reached the side gate, he hastily hid his body behind the wall.

A single guard was protecting the front of the side gate. The shallow hope that it might have been empty was shattered, but he composed himself. The time for the changing of the guard was not far off, so waiting was the best course of action.

The passing time felt like the steps of an ox.

Just as a thousand kinds of anguish had swept through him, he heard a presence from the opposite side. The guard turned his head in that direction and then took a step. Yoonso held his breath and tiptoed toward the side gate, matching the guard’s stride.

Just as the relief guard came around the corner, Yoonso arrived at the gate. Yoonso, biting his lip hard, observed their movements from beyond the doorjamb. Now, while the two guards were facing each other and talking, was his chance.

He gripped the doorknob tightly and opened the door with extreme care. After creating a gap just wide enough for one person to slip through and exiting the doorway, he pulled the doorknob. When the hinges finally engaged, a sigh of relief escaped him. Cold sweat was trickling down, and his heartbeat thundered so loudly it felt as if he would faint if he lost his focus for even a moment.

The surroundings were quiet. Yoonso slowly raised his head and looked around. Because the time for the fortress gates to close was approaching, the road was deserted with no one passing by.

Success… I did it. I succeeded.

Yoonso swallowed hard the exclamation that tried to push its way through his lips and raised his eyes. He could see the night sky, where the moonlight flowed gently and the starlight was brilliant. He did not know how long it had been since he had seen a sky not surrounded by high walls.

A complex mix of emotions swept over him, but there was no time to linger. It was the moment he hurriedly took a few steps.

Whoosh, at the presence that flew from somewhere and landed right before his nose, Yoonso hastily stepped back and bit the tender flesh inside his mouth hard. Fortunately, he was able to stop himself from screaming, but a faint scent of blood arose, as if he had drawn blood.

“Where are you headed?”

A man he had never seen before, dressed in black garments, blocked Yoonso’s path. Yoonso, flustered, scanned the vicinity, but he could not tell where on earth this man had appeared from. Moreover, his movements just a moment ago were…….

“I am on an urgent errand for my master.”

Though he answered quite resolutely with his head lowered, his heart began to pound again. It was because he had an intuition that this person was a Yongrin. There was no way a person who appeared like a goblin in a Yeongchunhwa’s residence could be anyone other than a Yongrin.

He knew that the Yongrin protected Yeongchunhwa who had not yet entered the palace, but he had also heard that since this was the capital where the imperial palace was located and security was good, they were not guarded at all times. It should have been sufficient to manage them with inspections, so why…….

Perhaps because there were only two weeks left until his entry into the palace, he was doing something that could be either surveillance or protection. It was a disaster. He had trained his body in the meantime, but it had to be said that there was no chance of outwitting a Yongrin, who possessed power that transcended humans. If only he could get through this safely…….

“A man?”

The Yongrin slowly scanned Yoonso’s attire, as if suspicious. Yoonso ran his tongue over the flesh inside his cheek, tasting the coppery flavor, and sharply focused his mind. To show any sign of bewilderment would be no different from telling him to be captured, so he barely managed to lift the corners of his mouth.

“That is so. It is an urgent errand, so may I be on my way now?”

“What is that bundle?”

“It is an item my master ordered me to deliver to the young master who is on duty today.”

“May I have a look?”

Yoonso, while maintaining his smile, watched the Yongrin’s expression. The man’s eyes were already suspicious; if he refused by saying no, a commotion would surely arise. Even so, he could not very well show him this bundle openly. Things like clothes could be explained away as items for an official on duty, but the jewelry he had prepared as emergency funds was the problem.

And was it just the jewelry? From the map to various items including the *paecheol, it was a travel pack to anyone’s eyes, a fugitive’s bundle.

But there was no other way. For now, he had to show it. The important items were placed between the clothes, so if he had any luck, he might be able to escape the situation.

Yoonso slowly unwrapped the bundle he was holding in his arms. His heart was pounding so hard that his ears were ringing. The Yongrin’s sharp gaze was directed at the pile of belongings. In one swift motion, he reached his hand between the clothes and pulled out a small pouch.

It was the beaded pouch containing the jewelry. It seemed he had no luck after all. Yoonso tried his best to feign a calm expression, but his heart was crumbling to pieces.

Is this the end? Yes, even getting this far was a stroke of luck. I didn’t know it would end so futilely, but it was excellent. The attempt was quite good. Yeondeok would faint if he heard. He’d probably fret and fuss, but before falling asleep, he might even marvel, asking how I came up with such a brilliant plan.

If I am dragged away like this, Father will be furious. This time was different from when I was a child. Although I had two prior experiences of escaping, at that time, it was a simple deviation stemming from a child’s desire to go outside the house and play, whereas now it was a perfect plan for flight.

It did not matter if I was cursed at or beaten. But Yeondeok……. He must check the letter and money pouch I left in his bundle and not come back.

The Yongrin, who glanced at Yoonso, opened the string of the pouch and checked inside. When he tossed the beaded pouch down, the pounding in his chest surprisingly subsided. Yoonso, with a pale and detached face, awaited what would follow.

“There is no one who sneaks out the gate at this hour without a wicked heart.”

The Yongrin roughly seized Yoonso’s wrist, causing the bundle in his hand to fall. Yoonso lowered his eyes and saw the scattered state of the travel pack he had prepared little by little over several years.

Yeondeok’s old clothes, which he had given after having new ones made and secretly smuggled out, the money he had earned by staying up to write manuscripts and selling them, the things Yeondeok had bought for him whenever he went to the market, the map he had studied and studied, tracing the path in his mind, and all of that time…….

For a moment, the heart he thought had resigned itself blazed up in indignation.

Why? Why must it end like this, without me being able to do anything?

It cannot end like this. I have only taken a single step. I cannot go back like this. A chance like this will never come again.

Yoonso grabbed the Yongrin’s forearm. The Yongrin frowned as Yoonso put strength into his grip, intending to create a gap and escape, even if it meant resorting to a physical fight if necessary.