“I was worried because you went to get coffee and didn’t come back.”
“Sorryyyy.”
With the appearance of the black-haired man, the kang-mae situation was handled easily.
Kang Yoon-ho sat on a chair on a hill overlooking the Yangtze River with Miss Zhuge, speaking in a voice that still bore traces of worry.
“If you had run out of coffee beans, you could have just told me.”
“I didn’t want to disappoint Master Kang!”
Just not long ago, Kang Yoon-ho had almost fallen to his death while fighting Do-mun Hyang-joo in the Yangtze River.
Immediately after recovering, he risked his life for the second test, facing not only the Inspector but even the Head of Guards.
He said he was fine, but Zhuge Hyang certainly knew how tough it was and how much he was struggling. After all, Kang Yoon-ho’s hardships were largely due to her, weren’t they?
Of course, she wanted to somehow procure the drink he wished for.
‘And also prevent any crisis of being dropped as the official consort.’
Sure, there were other minor reasons, but…
“Honestly, I was disappointed.”
“Ugh!”
The single word “disappointment” felt so heavy that Zhuge Hyang couldn’t lift her head.
“If you were going to the market, you should have called me.”
Zhuge Hyang, startled by his playful tone, lifted her head.
“Yes?”
“The autumn sky is crystal clear outside the window, and a refreshing breeze is blowing. I really wanted to go out with Miss Zhuge. I can’t believe you went alone. This is truly disappointing.”
The smile on the silver-haired woman pierced through her heart without any malice behind it.
“Ahh.”
Thank goodness. It was just a joke. Zhuge Hyang felt relieved but couldn’t continue speaking easily.
‘That would be a more difficult thing to ask.’
Asking Master Kang to go out first? That was really not easy. No, it was very hard.
Even though Kang Yoon-ho had jokingly tried to lighten the mood, Zhuge Hyang couldn’t grasp how to respond with the scale of what’s realistically possible versus impossible.
“Wandering alone must have made it very hard to deal with merchants.”
As soon as Kang Yoon-ho noticed her reaction, he realized that his joke was hard for her to handle and smoothly transitioned to the next topic.
“Well, that…”
It was too hard. He had no idea where his courage went when leaving the house. But if he said something like that, wouldn’t Master Kang look at him with pity?
Zhuge Hyang struggled to find the right words, wanting to impress her fiancé.
“I had a rough time with a merchant back in the day, too.”
Surprisingly, it was Kang Yoon-ho who first brought up his own foolish story.
“M-Master Kang?”
“When I lived in Joseon, there was a street called Yongsan that sold various goods. It was famous for its business tactics, so I was prepared when I went. But the people were friendlier than I had expected! I thought, ‘Wow, you really can’t trust rumors!’ and returned home in a good mood, but guess what?”
“What happened?”
“When I got home and unwrapped what I bought, it was stuffed with cheap goods instead of what I ordered!”
“Oh my! That’s ridiculous!”
It was hard for Zhuge Hyang to believe that Master Kang had fallen for such a scam.
“I was smiling at them, so I completely trusted them. I should have checked every step of the way, but I had no idea what was happening behind the scenes. I wanted to grab someone by the collar, but there was no evidence to complain, so I had to stew in my anger for days without gaining anything. Just thinking about that time, I still shiver.”
“Master Kang had experiences like mine?”
“Yes. Something like that happened when I was your age, Miss Zhuge. And that’s not all; there was another thing back then…”
Zhuge Hyang didn’t dislike talking to others, but she found it hard.
She hoped he wouldn’t feel discouragement from the recent incident. How can a person do well from the start? Cheer up! She was no fool not to understand his intent.
His considerate words in this everyday conversation surprisingly calmed her racing heart that was throbbing from the kang-mae.
It didn’t take long for a smile to spread across Zhuge Hyang’s once tense face.
‘Huh? Master Kang’s pants?’
As Zhuge Hyang looked at Kang Yoon-ho with a calm heart, she noticed something she hadn’t seen before.
The cuffs of his pants were covered in mud. His shoes were a complete mess. It suddenly hit her that he had been breathless after chasing after her.
‘Master Kang had been looking for me all this time.’
He said he would just buy coffee, but he had spent too much time. He must have panicked when he thought she suddenly disappeared.
“Miss Zhuge is still quite different from me.”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t boldly fail at your attempt, and you managed to buy the item properly, so you succeeded.”
Zhuge Hyang stared dazedly at her fiancé, who was praising her with kind eyes.
He should have been angry for coming over and dropping his busy work. He was kindly comforting her, probably due to her earlier embarrassment.
He looked at her as if he was proud, admiring her efforts.
“Master Kang. Th-that’s…”
Feelings she couldn’t express crowded deep in her heart.
Right now, the way to respond to his heart was simply…
“Can I hear what happened today?”
She could only nod in response to his request.
——
“I told the shop owner I was going to make iced Americano, and he got really angry. He was saying how could you make coffee with dirty water.”
“Dirty water? In Joseon, there’s even a saying that goes, ‘I’d rather freeze to death than not drink iced Americano!’”
In front of her fiancé, whose fondness was growing more each day, she was sharing a somewhat embarrassing story. The refreshing autumn breeze gently caressed her cheek as she focused on her explanation.
“Hmm. I suppose that’s the case in Joseon. But the shop owner’s hometown Italy can’t even imagine that.”
“Somehow, knowing where he’s from makes me think he might dislike Sichuan’s famous dishes.”
If her mother had heard that, she would have probably said, “When are you getting married?” while nagging. But now, there was a man in front of her enjoying that story.
He wasn’t someone who offered a hollow smile when she struggled to speak. Not someone who looked at her with pity, thinking, “Oh, here she goes again.”
He was genuinely surprised and laughed. Creating a comfortable atmosphere and waiting for the next story.
“Did the shop owner really teach you how to make coffee?”
She thought she had grown quite a bit, yet still stuttered when speaking in front of others.
Oddly enough, she felt different around Master Kang. Her heart raced. She wanted to say even a word more.
This conversation was so delightful. This moment was so precious.
Zhuge Hyang continued to speak as she gazed at his black eyes, which felt like a night sky she could fall into.
“People started saying strange things when I came out of the shop.”
Zhuge Hyang recalled when her anger had overtaken her rationale.
How could anyone speak ill of Master Kang? She was angrier than when her sister Hayun had said the first consort was the best courtesan in Sichuan.
She simply couldn’t hold it in.
“Strange things?”
“Not a big deal.”
She felt shy at the thought of speaking ill of Master Kang.
Zhuge Hyang felt a quiet pride in defending Kang Yoon-ho, but thought it was only natural for someone who was to become a hostess, so she decided to keep the pride to a minimum.
“Since we’ve come out like this, shall we visit somewhere else?”
After their conversation ended and he seemed relaxed, Kang Yoon-ho stood up and suggested.
“Well…”
Zhuge Hyang looked flustered, avoiding Kang Yoon-ho’s gaze.
“Should we sit a bit longer?”
“That’s not it!”
“Yes?”
Zhuge Hyang shouted, squeezing out her embarrassment as she stared at the confused Kang Yoon-ho.
“I’m tired!”
She had exhausted all her energy for the day. Although she enjoyed talking with Kang Yoon-ho, her mental stamina was already drained.
“…Hahaha!”
“Ugh. I’m so sorryyy!”
Zhuge Hyang couldn’t lift her head in embarrassment.
“I heard there’s a restaurant nearby that specializes in Sichuan cuisine. You must be hungry. How about we eat before heading back?”
“Yes? Th-that’s a good idea.”
Now that she thought about it, she was hungry. She must have used up too much energy. Zhuge Hyang nodded.
“Let’s go.”
Zhuge Hyang found it hard to take her fiancé’s outstretched hand.
“….”
Her outing might be left as an embarrassing memory, maybe even end up as an experience that would make her kick her blanket while dreaming.
But.
‘This hand has changed things.’
It was a tiring yet joyful experience.
It had become an adventure worth sharing with someone.
“Miss Zhuge?”
“Ah! Th-that’s right! Later, I’ll make you some delicious coffee!”
The azure autumn sky was gracefully glowing with sunset hues. The woman’s red face was not easily hidden by the sunset.
Both of them knew this fact but didn’t care.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
The man smiled brightly, and the woman, who had fallen into an inescapable love, held onto the most reliable hand.
“Hehe!”
———
“Miss Zhuge! Were you alright? Master Kang, welcome!”
“It was a tough journey!”
Zhuge Hyang collapsed right in the living room, regardless of any disputes she might have faced.
It had been a hard adventure. Still, it was fortunate that she managed to procure coffee beans that were hard to find in the first place.
“I-I’m sorry! The Blue Mountain beans you ordered are in storage, so just let me know anytime!”
“Yes?”
Zhuge Hyang doubted her ears for a moment.
“The merchant brought good quality Blue Mountain coffee. I can make it for you anytime!”
No way. Zhuge Hyang recalled what the shop owner had said today.
‘One must first sell this to rich families, and I had to plead to get it.’
“Uaaah! My suffering…”
“Miss? Miss!”
*
“Tomorrow, they will transfer Lord Ma Yang-baek’s coffin to the burial site.”
The day after a splendid meal with Miss Zhuge, Jeon Woon-yeop, the Head of Guards’ son from Man Geum Battlefield, came to visit.
“Tomorrow? Aren’t they taking more time?”
A funeral can often last several months, so this felt too quick.
“It seems there are some unfavorable rumors circulating quietly. The Ma family likely doesn’t want any negative rumors about the deceased to spread further.”
“I see…”
Even in modern times, if a deceased’s cause was a drastic choice, there are cases where the funeral is held shortly. Whether it is for the reputation of the family or for the deceased, it seems there’s a similarity here.
“Three days from now, there will be the third heir examination.”
So that’s why you came. Jeon Woon-yeop nodded his head.
“Yes. Also, Lord Man Geum has a special message for Master Kang.”
“A message?”
“It will be the final test next, so be prepared when you come.”
