Without considering the palace’s circumstances at all, they just sat around their table laughing among themselves and pushed through the budget they decided. From the imperial family’s perspective, it was infuriating.
Huiseo felt the same way.
And for good reason—the imperial family was the workplace his father had dedicated his entire life to, and also his friend, his beloved…
“…What should I do?”
Hwan-ah.
Huiseo’s fist clenched tight as he murmured softly.
But to speak coldly, there was nothing he could do right now.
He couldn’t very well run over right then and there to barge into that drinking party, flip the table, and cause a scene. No, emotionally speaking, if he just closed his eyes and did it, he probably could. But thinking of the great disadvantages the imperial family would suffer afterward, he had no choice but to endure.
‘Do you avoid shit because you’re scared of it?’
You avoid it because it’s dirty.
With that mindset, he deliberately turned his back on those unpleasant noises and looked away.
***
It was on the way back to his quarters, barely moving his feet heavy with mixed feelings.
But unexpectedly, Huiseo encountered another surprising person on that path.
“…Your Highness the Crown Prince?”
Huiseo, wondering why so many people were gathered in front of the palace servants’ dormitory, ended up discovering Kang loitering there out of the blue.
Those he had described as “gathered” were all people from the Crown Prince’s palace who moved with Kang, including the Uiwisa members in charge of the Crown Prince’s security. It was quite different from Hwan, who moved freely with a relatively minimal number of people—one or at most two.
Why on earth was such an important person here?
Kang, who finally noticed Huiseo approaching with curiosity, smiled faintly.
“You’re just getting back?”
“Your Highness. Why are you here?”
After choosing his words with some difficulty, he answered.
“…I was passing by?”
“Ah, you were passing by.”
He nodded as if accepting it, but in truth, it was a suspicious answer. And for good reason—the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince’s residence, was in the exact opposite direction, east to west, from Huiseo’s quarters.
Surely he hadn’t come all this way leading all these people because he had business with him.
Then the only remaining possibility was that, just like what he had witnessed earlier—that is, His Majesty the Emperor wasn’t the only one harassed by those pathetic fools making a disgraceful scene up ahead; His Highness the Crown Prince had been tormented too and was on his way back. Huiseo clicked his tongue silently in his mouth.
But Kang looked at Huiseo and said this instead:
“You look worn out.”
So Huiseo’s eyebrows couldn’t help but tilt downward for a moment.
“How could I dare compare to Your Highness?”
Seeing Huiseo answer like that, Kang laughed as if embarrassed, and the two seemed quite close.
Because of the incident at the Gyeongbokgung Palace event where he had scolded Hwan, those who didn’t know the situation well might misunderstand and think Kang disliked Huiseo. But the reality was not that at all. It couldn’t be helped, since Hwan wasn’t the only one who had known Huiseo for such a long time.
No, to be more precise, Kang was the one who knew Huiseo first.
As mentioned earlier, Huiseo had received imperial education when he was young, and the reason Huiseo regularly entered the palace during that period was also because of his exchanges with Kang. Though he wasn’t officially a companion serving as a peer friend to the Crown Prince, he would occasionally gather with children receiving such education and share their interests and achievements with each other.
Even among them, Kang and Huiseo got along exceptionally well despite their five-year age difference. Their interests and perspectives were quite similar, both publicly and privately. Sometimes that little guy understood his heart better than even those who stuck to him like his own limbs.
Though it was youthful impetuosity, Kang had even prepared a spot in advance in the future he was drawing for that bright little Huiseo.
After Huiseo became acquainted with Hwan and came to be regarded as his exclusive attendant, it became difficult to spend time together as before, but even so, the relationship between the two didn’t change much. Sometimes they seemed more like brothers than Hwan, who would fight whenever they made eye contact.
Even now, with just a word or two exchanged in front of each other, they easily shared what had happened to each other.
‘He knew when he came.’
It seemed that the fact that he had visited the Empress Dowager’s palace had reached Kang too, riding on the palace rumors that spread like the wind. Huiseo smiled bitterly.
***
Since it had been a while since they met alone like this, the two briefly dismissed the people around them and sat side by side on a bench in front of the quarters. The greedy laughter heard from afar was a bit of a flaw, but the two chatted away, pretending not to hear that sound at all.
“Don’t spoil Hwan too much. That kid will develop bad habits.”
And so Kang gave such blunt criticism even in front of Huiseo.
However, unlike Hwan who had bristled immediately upon hearing that story the other day, Huiseo just smiled silently. Because he knew that no matter how harsh Kang’s words were, they were never because he hated the two of them, but because he was genuinely worried.
“…Because you might have too hard a time later.”
As proof of that, Kang immediately added that.
In fact, there was also the fact that Kang’s attitude was quite different from when dealing with Hwan. Perhaps these were words that could come out because the other person was Huiseo, because he was something like a friend with him, rather than being an older brother who had to be even stricter in front of an immature younger sibling.
“…I feel sorry toward you.”
But when such words finally came out, even Huiseo, who had been looking straight ahead all along, stopped in surprise and turned his head to look at Kang. Kang met that gaze without avoiding it. There was no reason to avoid it. Because he truly, genuinely thought so.
Having studied with him in childhood, Kang knew better than anyone.
That if Huiseo wanted, he could not only graduate from school immediately, but could study whatever he wanted anywhere, as much as he wanted. Personally, he also hoped that Huiseo would finish his studies quickly and be brought into the Crown Prince’s palace so they could manage the work he was overseeing together.
Just as Huiseo’s father served His Majesty the Emperor, so too would they, the children, in the same way.
‘Of course, now it would only be possible if Huiseo wanted to stay in the palace….’
He knew that discussions about early graduation had actually come up several times behind the scenes. But he heard that each time, Huiseo firmly refused and chose the path of remaining at school and following the normal curriculum.
The reason Huiseo did so? Not just Kang but everyone knew.
‘…It’s because of that kid Hwan.’
Kang felt so sorry and ashamed toward Huiseo about this.
Because of Hwan’s clinginess. No, actually, to make things easier for themselves.
They were essentially keeping Huiseo tied down, unable to move forward. To be honest, there were moments when Kang sometimes felt that such an imperial family, their own appearance, was shameless.
‘If that weren’t the case, there would have been no reason to hear such unnecessary words like today.’
Because that was weighing on his mind, though the path he was passing by was correct, he couldn’t just pass by and lingered in front of the quarters waiting for Huiseo. Kang’s expression darkened considerably as his thoughts continued.
So Huiseo couldn’t help but smile again.
“…Because it’s something I’m doing because I want to.”
When he cut it short like that as always, Kang had nothing more to say.
Though he couldn’t help but think that perhaps even that was driving Huiseo to make such a choice. He couldn’t very well grab someone saying that and insist, ‘Your heart isn’t really like that.’
‘Right, if you say so… I’ll have to hope that’s really the case.’
Since there was no immediate solution, Kang decided to worry a little less as Huiseo wished. However, even so, he couldn’t help but add another reminder out of excessive caution.
“Still, if you change your mind, you must tell me anytime. At least I will unconditionally take your side.”
“…To have Your Highness as my backer, it’s not just reassuring but overwhelming.”
“Well, of course it should be. This isn’t given to just anyone.”
At Kang’s half-joking answer, Huiseo couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
***
Though he was a bit late due to such twists and turns, Huiseo returned to Hwan’s quarters as originally planned, having gathered his own books and things that might help with Hwan’s studies. However, the books he had brought with such effort couldn’t even be opened, as the atmosphere between the two facing each other was so cold and gloomy.
It was because an unexpectedly very serious problem had occurred.
Huiseo stared down at the math workbook Hwan had solved as if he couldn’t believe it. Hwan could do nothing but constantly glance at the top of Huiseo’s head and watch for his reaction.
From Huiseo’s perspective, something incomprehensible had happened.
‘Can you really get this many wrong in the first unit on exponents and logarithms?’
Why? What?
He even wondered if this was a joke. If this was really solved seriously, really truly…. Huiseo’s head was far more complicated than when studying any other subject.
“…I told you. It’s difficult.”
“……”
“Can’t you lower the score just a little? Or change the subject.”
This seemed hopeless even to himself, so Hwan spoke up, trying to negotiate a bit. But when he then asked, “For example, Korean?” Huiseo’s gaze toward him was so ominous that he flinched.
“With who your ancestors are, you’re saying things that would make them sit up in shock even from lying down?”
“…Right, right, that’s true, isn’t it? I knew it.”
Quickly tucking his tail in was Hwan’s survival strategy for today too.
oh man
well. at least he gets along with his brother-in-law!