“Is there something you’re hiding from me?”
In the office cum room prepared for Kang Yoon-ho at the mansion.
If I ask, maybe he’ll answer. Im Ha-yeon sifted through the drawer on the wall, subtly trying to test him as she casually spoke.
“Well, you caught me.”
Kang Yoon-ho answered with a sorry expression, not showing any sign of hesitation.
“……”
He’s answering so easily? Im Ha-yeon turned her head in surprise, looking back at Kang Yoon-ho with a stiff expression.
“I’m sorry. The snacks I received as a gift were in that drawer. I ate everything inside the box except for the outer part. My mouth was a little bored, and I just couldn’t stop.”
As Im Ha-yeon looked back at the drawer, she found a box of snacks that was so light it felt almost empty.
“Not that.”
“Seeing your expression, it looks like you’re angry… No way?! Gugu, you traitorous rascal! You snitched on me in the end! Just wait. Tonight’s dinner will be pigeon skewers.”
“What did you do?”
“Didn’t Gugu tell you? Well… I made them practice throwing sand and performing headbutts a little.”
Kang Yoon-ho scratched his head with a sheepish smile.
“……”
“I actually made them do other practices too, and they were more fun than I expected… I’m sorry.”
Kang Yoon-ho said, flustered, while facing Im Ha-yeon’s stiffening expression.
“Haa. Seriously.”
Sometimes he’s so mature and at other times like a child. Someone’s deep in serious thought here.
She found herself laughing helplessly without realizing it.
“Looks like I have to do something about this.”
Kang Yoon-ho thought he was forgiven by Im Ha-yeon’s laugh and mumbled while looking at a piece of paper.
“What are you looking at?”
“It’s a painting of Gu Suk-Jung painted by Miss Zhuge. I think it would be good to hang it up large at the sales venue for The Rise of the Tang Family Volume 1.”
Im Ha-yeon, also a fan of The Rise of the Tang Family, approached when she heard the name Gu Suk-Jung.
A beauty like a flower that nobody could defeat. Is this the breathtaking aura? Even Im Ha-yeon, who’s a beauty like Du Eung-hyang, couldn’t help but acknowledge the painting.
“……”
The problem was that the painting was drawn by Zhuge Hyang.
“I agree. Do you have some time later?”
“Why?”
“I was thinking we could go out for a little outing together.”
“……You know I can’t go out.”
“They say a new carriage is coming. Even if the Daoist scum are around, who knows who is inside the carriage? Let’s take a test run through Wuhan city.”
“Is that okay?”
“I bought a carriage with strict security for Miss Ha-yeon. I feel really bad that you’ve been working so hard lately. Let’s go together.”
Kang Yoon-ho had sensed for days that Im Ha-yeon was feeling down.
Though he didn’t know the reason was that Im Ha-yeon realized his true identity, he genuinely wanted to cheer her up.
“I’ll get ready.”
Maybe it’s to confess an important secret. Smiling at Kang Yoon-ho’s suggestion, Im Ha-yeon nodded.
“Sounds good. I should call Miss Zhuge too.”
“Aren’t we going alone?”
The smile began to fade from Im Ha-yeon’s lips.
“Haha. How could I leave out Miss Zhuge, who bought the carriage for the test run? Besides, if Miss Zhuge joins us, the cavalry guarding us will monitor who’s coming along.”
“……”
Im Ha-yeon silently gazed at Kang Yoon-ho for a moment.
Given that she had informed the Man Geum Battlefield of the forces targeting the two of them, it would indeed guarantee her safety if they moved together.
Safety, that is.
“Since the background of Volume 2 of The Rise of the Tang Family is Wuhan, Miss Zhuge will gather reference materials while we go for a change of mood, Miss Ha-yeon.”
He was unaware she had realized his identity. He must be proposing this in good faith to cheer her up.
But.
Im Ha-yeon recalled Miss Zhuge’s strange, smug smile these days.
“Just the two of you go. I will go to work first.”
She couldn’t bear to see Kang Yoon-ho enjoying the carriage gifted by Zhuge Hyang, and Zhuge Hyang delighted by that sight.
If they were both hiding an important secret between them, it would be even more unbearable.
—————
“What are you doing right now?”
Kang Yoon-ho and Zhuge Hyang left the mansion in the carriage. Im Ha-yeon slumped her shoulders and mumbled, looking at the Qi Hands.
“Gugu? Gugu gugu!”
Gugu, startled by Im Ha-yeon’s downcast words, began to bother the Qi Hands that had been quietly sitting around.
What are they doing? Isn’t the lady saying it’s a pigeon fair, not a dog fair?
At Gugu’s command, the Qi Hands flapped their wings in unison.
“Gugu!”
“Why are you all throwing sand? Haa. Seriously, teaching such odd things.”
“Gugu……”
So this isn’t it. Gugu, in shock, sat on Im Ha-yeon’s shoulder and shook off the sand that had stuck to it.
“You’ve seen a lot of daytime Wuhan too, right?”
“Gugu?”
“I have never gone on a leisurely outing with him…”
Im Ha-yeon softly mumbled while petting Gugu, who was perched on her shoulder.
Living in Wuhan, where she couldn’t ever let her guard down. Even if she had moments of making memories with him, she could never casually stroll around during the day like that woman who just left with him.
“It’s just too different.”
A woman who can normally dine at a good restaurant and go on leisurely outings in broad daylight.
On the other hand, she was a runaway courtesan who could only move at night.
Even small differences felt so distant. Im Ha-yeon quietly lowered her head.
If she were her usual self, she probably wouldn’t feel this melancholic. After all, she was a woman who would move forward energetically while overcoming trials with Kang Yoon-ho.
The fact that Kang Yoon-ho shared a significant secret only with the other woman weighed heavily on her.
“To think she’s the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family. The difference is just too much.”
She thought they were somewhat similar. No, she thought if the other woman was just good at painting and a bit shy, she could even win against her.
Because his affection was directed at her.
No matter how exquisite a gift Zhuge Hyang would give, he was still focused on her.
But what if…
“What if his affection is shifting towards Zhuge Hyang?”
Only the facts that she was a runaway courtesan and the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family would remain.
“Surely that’s not the case, right?”
“Gugu?”
Im Ha-yeon shook her head forcefully.
He had thought of her today too. He suggested the outing to her first and said he would call Zhuge Hyang afterward.
“Then why did he hide it from me and tell that woman?”
His feelings surely hadn’t completely shifted to Zhuge Hyang yet. Still, the unresolved questions and doubts continued to weigh her down heavily.
Just like when he received the quality brush as a gift, she didn’t want to be the one worrying alone.
“I guess I need to ask him directly.”
Im Ha-yeon decided to wait for Kang Yoon-ho’s return.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
The expensive carriage was nice. It even had shock absorbers.
It would have been great if Im Ha-yeon had come along too.
I returned to my room today carrying the painting drawn by Zhuge Hyang with her.
“Haa… I got through it.”
Zhuge Hyang looked drained as well.
I avoided crowded places to be considerate towards her, but just being outside was visibly wearing down her mental fortitude.
“I think I made things difficult for you for no reason.”
“It’s the official painting for The Rise of the Tang Family. I can’t let my guard down.”
“Thanks to you, Miss Zhuge, I was able to enjoy a nice outing too. Oh! And by the way…”
“Is there something else you want to say?”
“It’s about what Lord Man Geum-jeon said. If our relationship doesn’t progress, he’ll make me meet another woman. This has become a tricky situation.”
I brought up what Zhuge Hyang had carefully mentioned during our outing today.
“Ah… yes.”
“Bringing Miss Ha-yeon into the mansion was to block bad rumors, but it might backfire instead.”
“I don’t know what to do either.”
Zhuge Hyang lowered her head awkwardly.
“I’ve been thinking about it, and I have a tactic.”
“Tactic? What’s your idea?”
What does Lord Man Geum-jeon think is progress?
Zhuge Hyang and I are in a contract relationship.
Physical affection is off-limits, and we need to maintain the status quo in our actual relationship. So, is there no way out?
No, there is one.
“Miss Zhuge. What I’m about to say is not sincere, but just a tactic, so please don’t be shocked and listen.”
“Yes?”
I took a step closer to Zhuge Hyang with a serious expression.
She shouldn’t be shocked.
“Please call me ‘Gaga’ from now on.”
“……Whaaaaaaat?”
Alright, it’s weird not to be surprised.
Gaga. A term of endearment used by a girlfriend for someone whom the boy considers to be a fiancé.
So, asking Zhuge Hyang, who calls me Master Kang, to call me “Honey” from now on was quite a big deal.
“Since we are living together, it’s impossible to maintain a formal distance any longer. But we can make a change in terms of titles.”
Since we are living together, further relationship progression is only possible through marriage.
Except for titles.
“B-but…”
Zhuge Hyang’s face turned bright red as she lowered her head.
“If you don’t want to, we can forget it.”
“B-but that’s not it!”
“It’s fine to call me Master Kang during regular times. Only when guards or trouble arises, call me ‘Gaga’ once or twice to let the elders hear.”
“…….”
With her character, if I told her to call me later, she’d definitely not do it.
Zhuge Hyang trembled at my words and reluctantly opened her mouth.
“G-gaga.”
This is not just a term of endearment she’s using; it’s like a song that needs to have a rhythm, and it seems like only courage matters!
“Miss Zhuge, there’s no need to be nervous. I asked you to do it; just take a deep breath and try it.”
“To relax, I might need Qi Breakfast to settle my mind.”
Is that so?
“I’ll wait until you’re relaxed. If you don’t want to do it, you can stop anytime.”
Let’s create as comfortable an atmosphere as possible. No matter what mistakes she makes, I’ll act like the kind of person who will just smile and forgive her.
As I chuckled and looked away, Zhuge Hyang gazed at me for a while.
Will she give up? Or will she call me?
In the end, Zhuge Hyang took a deep breath, clasped her hands over her chest, and called out to me.
“……Gaga.”
A voice filled with embarrassment, affection, and courage.
A short verse of a song.
A scene in a photograph.
A word mixed with memories.
People often pull unexpected memories from unknown places.
An unanticipated memory, the one from two years ago, overwhelmed me.
The first time I was called “Gaga” by a woman was…
“Master Kang? Ah!”
I snapped back to reality, startled by her scream.
What was in front of my eyes was Zhuge Hyang, with a worried expression, coming towards me, tripping on her own hem.
Using the Shadowless Body Technique swiftly, I grabbed her waist and naturally moved to the bed beside us. But with my first stage of the Shadowless Body Technique, I couldn’t respond to the unexpected situation.
Zhuge Hyang’s foot got tangled, and we both lost balance and fell onto the bed simultaneously.
“Uck?!”
What is this, am I in a boy’s manga or something?
Falling on top of Zhuge Hyang who was lying on the bed created a situation where I was on top of her.
“I’m sorry.”
“I-it’s okay.”
Why are you closing your eyes?
“Could you lift your waist a bit?”
As I withdrew my arm caught between the bed and her waist.
“Should I lift from the waist?”
Why from the waist? What’s the end part?
This is troublesome. If someone walks in now, we’ll have a big misunderstanding!
Or is it? I’m calling her to create a misunderstanding in the first place, so isn’t it appropriate to create a misunderstanding?
Clunk.
While I was pondering, the door opened behind me.
Is it a guard coming to clean? Not bad. Should I say, “Thank you for coming in”?
Wait a second.
Don’t guards announce themselves when they open the door?
Hastily turning my head, I faced not a guard, but…
“You, I have to ask you…”
“……Im Ha-yeon.”
I’m doomed.
