The moment Wei Wuyuan’s hand moved to undo Ha-hyeon’s clothing ties, Ha-hyeon’s survival instinct blazed to life. He grabbed the Emperor’s hand with both of his.
“This humble consort is in awe of your generosity. But Your Majesty’s happiness is my happiness. How could I dare ask for anything more?”
“A commendable sentiment, but I wish to give you a reward.”
Wei Wuyuan undid Ha-hyeon’s clothing knot regardless. Had he not been wearing layer upon layer underneath, his bare chest would have been exposed long ago.
“But Your Majesty….”
“There is nothing to be ashamed of and no need for false modesty. Is carnal desire not as natural as hunger? When it accumulates, it stagnates — and when it stagnates, it causes trouble.”
Wei Wuyuan reached out, lecturing with the gentle air of a benevolent teacher, and without warning, his large hand came down over Ha-hyeon’s chest.
“Hah!”
Ha-hyeon held his breath. To keep from being found out as a man, he had bound his chest tightly with cloth, cinched as flat as possible. Wei Wuyuan tilted his head slightly at the firm feel of it.
“Remarkably solid. I suppose practicing martial arts has given you quite a taut figure.”
“……I have been training diligently.”
Does he genuinely not know? Ha-hyeon was on the verge of breaking into a cold sweat. But Wei Wuyuan didn’t stop there. His hand slid down from Ha-hyeon’s chest and this time moved toward Ha-hyeon’s center. Sa Ha-hyeon panicked and threw his own hand up to block the Emperor’s.
“Y-Your Majesty. Where do you think you’re touching!”
“Move your hand.”
Wei Wuyuan looked at Ha-hyeon with an expression of complete incomprehension.
“I cannot allow it.”
“Yeong-ui is not a child, and you said you have never been with a man — if I do not help you, what do you intend to do with all that accumulated desire?”
“I-I take care of it myself!”
“……What did you say?”
Wei Wuyuan’s hand stopped dead in midair. Silence fell over the room. Ha-hyeon opened his tightly shut eyes and launched into a frenzy of words to claw back control of the situation.
“This humble consort takes care of it on her own.”
“On your own…?”
“Yes! There is no need to rely on Your Majesty’s hands at all — I have my own method! And I am quite proficient at it! So there is no room for desire to accumulate! I mean it! Please believe me.”
After a brief daze, Wei Wuyuan’s shoulders began to shake.
“Ha ha ha.”
“……?!”
Wei Wuyuan burst into uproarious laughter, clutching his stomach. He even pounded the bed hard enough to make it thump.
“You never fail to catch me off guard. Very well — if you say you handle it on your own without anyone’s help, that independent spirit alone is worthy of an empress. How admirable.”
Whether it was praise or mockery, he couldn’t tell. Ha-hyeon dropped his head, wanting to crawl into a hole somewhere, and Wei Wuyuan added in a mischievous tone.
“However, I am by nature a curious man — I find myself very much wanting to see this proficient self-sufficiency of yours.”
What does he want to see?! This utterly shameless Emperor!
Ha-hyeon gaped in horror. Wei Wuyuan lightly tapped Ha-hyeon’s chin upward with the back of his hand, closing his mouth.
“Well — I don’t mean this very moment. I’m tired. Let us sleep for tonight.”
Wei Wuyuan pulled the covers over himself without a second thought and promptly settled into easy, comfortable breathing as he drifted off to sleep. Only then did Ha-hyeon let out the breath he’d been holding in a long exhale, and carefully lay himself down behind the Emperor. His heart was still pounding and he doubted he could sleep.
Wol’s situation was resolved, and he’d barely scraped past the Emperor’s suspicion. Today’s luck had held — but what about next time?
He was a man in a woman’s guise, lying in the Emperor’s bed, making it through each perilous night by the skin of his teeth. Carrying a time bomb that could go off at any moment — he could not be certain how much longer this precarious tightrope act could go on.
And so, another long day at Byeoksong Palace drew to a close. Ha-hyeon stared at the sleeping Emperor’s back and swallowed the tangle of feelings inside him.
This isn’t the genre it was supposed to be…….
Ha-hyeon shook his head. He couldn’t tell whether the original story had simply been twisted out of shape, or whether there had been other contents he simply didn’t know about. He desperately needed some kind of clue to break through this chaotic situation. And then, all of a sudden, a memory surfaced.
Not long after he had first fallen into this world, he had kept a journal — writing down every scrap of the novel’s plot he could remember, just in case. That journal was currently hidden inside a jar in the corner of the storehouse back at the family home in Seoran.
Perhaps there were foreshadowing details written there that he had overlooked. He made up his mind to find an opportunity to visit the family home somehow.
***
The moment dawn broke, Wol returned as though she had been waiting. Her face, which had been bloodied just the day before, had recovered some color and much of the swelling had gone down.
“Wol-ah!”
Ha-hyeon ran out in his indoor socks and took hold of Wol’s shoulders, looking her over from all angles.
“How is your body?”
“I am fine. The physician applied such good medicine that it doesn’t hurt at all.”
Wol shook her head with reddened eyes.
“You weren’t interrogated or…. Did anything difficult happen? Did they at least feed you?”
“I thought I was being dragged to the execution grounds, but that wasn’t it at all. Yesterday I was treated as though I were Yeong-ui herself — every care was given to me. However, officials from the censorate came and asked me all sorts of questions as part of their investigation.”
“Really? That was fast work. And you told them everything truthfully?”
“No. I was afraid the fire might somehow spread to you, so I said I was too confused to remember.”
That was so like Wol. Not wanting to stir up needless trouble, she had chosen to stay silent — as the very person who had been wronged.
“Hmm…. I told everything.”
“Pardon?”
“I didn’t name anyone directly, but…….”
Wol’s eyes went wide enough to pop out of her head.
“Why would you do that?! What if Consort Hwa holds a grudge!”
“What’s done is done. And she’s the one who bore a grudge first — not me. Enough. It’s already in the past. And for the time being, don’t go wandering around alone outside.”
Wol answered reluctantly that she understood. But the look she fixed on Ha-hyeon still plainly conveyed her displeasure — born of worry that Ha-hyeon might end up being hurt because of it.
***
When the commotion had settled and the afternoon came, Sangseon came in person to Byeoksong Palace.
“Yeong-ui, His Majesty the Emperor has commanded that you accompany him to the winter hunting competition to be held ten days from now.”
“A hunting competition, you say?”
Ha-hyeon set down his teacup and stared blankly at Sangseon.
Do concubines do things like that?
Sangseon, seeming to read Ha-hyeon’s flustered expression, added with a kindly smile.
“Please do not worry, Yeong-ui. The winter hunt is a great imperial event in which beasts that have gone hungry throughout winter are caught, and their hides and meat are bestowed upon the court officials. This time, only ten among all the inner palace concubines have been selected to attend. Is this not proof that the standing of Byeoksong Palace has risen accordingly? Think of it as a pleasurable excursion in which you observe the majesty of His Majesty the Emperor and lend the occasion your presence. His Majesty has taken special care to include Yeong-ui, so feel no burden — simply attend with proper decorum.”
“I see.”
Ha-hyeon gave a deliberately calm nod, but inside, his heart had already plummeted off a thousand-foot cliff.
We’re done for.
Looking like this, and stepping out in front of all those people? Outdoors, no less? What kind of ordeal is that?
By night, the darkness and the covers served as his shield and he had managed to deceive the Emperor’s eyes — but bright daylight was another matter entirely. How was he supposed to fool the dozens, the hundreds of eyes belonging to court officials and inner palace women alike?
“Furthermore, the Grand Empress Dowager herself is expected to attend in person this time, so you must take particular care to be properly dressed and conduct yourself with the utmost decorum.”
“His Majesty’s…… grandmother, you mean?”
“That is correct. The most senior elder of the palace is making a rare outing, so take care not to make any mistakes.”
Ha-hyeon couldn’t close his mouth. His mind was in a whirl. He had thought the entire family had been wiped out — to think the grandmother was still alive.
“Please do not be so alarmed, Yeong-ui. As I mentioned, if fortune smiles on you, there may be an opportunity to draw a bowstring by His Majesty’s side. However, this too is only to lend the occasion its spirit, so please feel no pressure to hit the mark. His Majesty is taking particular care of Yeong-ui in this invitation, so hold no anxiety — simply attend with proper courtesy.”
“Thank you for telling me. Thanks to you, I can prepare thoroughly.”
As Sangseon withdrew, the martial arts instructor appeared before Ha-hyeon as if to take his place. Today too, his attire was modest for a martial artist who came and went through the imperial palace. That plain clothing only made his striking looks stand out more.
Every time he appeared, Wol and the two young maidservants reacted the same way. The girls had already stationed themselves at the far end of the courtyard, cheeks flushed pink as peach blossoms — and Ha-hyeon had never told them to be there.
They would offer him towels to wipe his sweat, cool tea to quench his thirst, and even precious snacks — presenting everything to the instructor before their mistress Ha-hyeon.
Right — even I, also a man, can see how handsome he is. What must he look like to you girls at your age.
Ha-hyeon clicked his tongue but swallowed a laugh at the sight of the lovesick girls — it was simply too endearing. They need some joy like this in this bleak palace life, he thought.
“Hey, Wol-ah. Even so — how can you look after the instructor before me?”
“My lady, is there not the saying — ruler, teacher, and parent are as one. A teacher’s grace is like the sky, so it is only right to attend to the instructor first.”
“You have an answer for everything.”
He laughed in spite of himself — but regardless, that strikingly handsome instructor was nothing short of Byeoksong Palace’s very own idol.
“Instructor, would you be able to teach me archery as well?”
The mute man did not open his mouth. Instead, he brought his hands together and gave Ha-hyeon a respectful bow. It seemed to mean yes.
Footnote:
Wei Wuyuan has not discovered that Ha-hyeon is male so “This humble consort takes care of it on her own” — is Ha-hyeon desperately deflecting Wei Wuyuan’s attempt to touch him, still speaking in the persona of a woman.
