“I don’t know anything,” Choi Yung spat. “If I had, I wouldn’t be getting tortured right now.”
“Shame,” Min-jun said.
The sound of frantic footsteps approaching them made Min-jun pause. He glanced at the door, but Choi Yung only hung his head. He knew who was coming. The next moment the doors were flung to the side, and Choi Yung’s roommate, Ni Seung, barged into the room. He kneeled down next to Choi Yung. Two guards followed him inside, pleading with him. They couldn’t be rough with the only son of one of the most powerful families in Saro, after all.
“Your Highness, please let Choi Yung go,” Seung said. Min-jun didn’t miss the grimace that creased Choi Yung’s face as the other boy pleaded for him.
Min-jun waved his hand to dismiss the guards. “Oh, and do you have proof of his innocence?”
“I – I do not,” Seung said. “I only have my heart. It tells me that no matter what the world shows us, Choi Yung is certainly innocent.”
Your heart? Kids were so dramatic these days.
Min-jun sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I’m afraid the judge won’t take kindly to such a proposal.”
Seung scrunched up his face in determination, hands rolling into fists. Min-jun could not help but lend a helping hand.
“Very well, then,” Min-jun said. “Would you like to assist me with my investigation?”
Seung bowed his head. “I would be honored, Your Highness.”
. . .
Shin Jil had almost certainly been poisoned. To confirm his suspicions, however, Min-jun would need to talk to a physician, one who wouldn’t buy into the schemes of the nobility. That was just as well. Min-jun had been planning to pay Dr. Myeong-suk a visit for a while now.
The clinic was tidy and pristine and smelled of vinegar and rubbing alcohol when Min-jun entered, a stark contrast to the state of the bureau. The air felt so sterile in his lungs that it stung a little.
A nurse led him to Dr. Myeong-suk’s office, a spacious room with walls made of golden wood and covered in white paper screens. Dr. Myeong-suk bowed to Min-jun as soon as he entered and gestured to the spot where he had previously sat.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
“Qtja yglcur Tbeg Llutcfrr tfgf?” Gg. Zsfbcu-rex jrxfv bcmf atfs kfgf ybat rfjafv jmgbrr ogbw bcf jcbatfg.
“P gfmfcais gfmflnfv j qjmxjuf bo afj ifjnfr ogbw jc jcbcswber yfcfojmabg.” Zlc-pec qijmfv atf qjmxjuf tf’v ubaafc ogbw Vbcu bc atf ajyif. “P kjr kbcvfglcu lo sbe wluta xcbk ktja atfs jgf.”
“Of course, Your Highness!” Dr. Myeong-suk said, gingerly taking the package into his hands. He shook some of the tea leaves onto the palm of his hand and brought it up to his nose. “This sweet smell. Like chrysanthemum, but . . .”
“But?”
“It is mixed in with something else.” Dr. Myeong-suk poured the tea leaves back inside the bag. He ordered one of the maids on the other side of the doors to bring some hot water for tea. “It might be easier to tell what it is once we’ve let it steep.”
The maid rushed in with a tray carrying a kettle of water and three cups. Dr. Myeong-suk thanked her. He let the tea leaves steep in the water, and then poured the tea into one of the cups. Min-jun was already familiar with its burnt orange color and sweet smell. Something in the back of his mind urged him to drink it.
“It’s the leaves of the palgan plant,” Dr. Myeong-suk said, taking a cautious sip of the tea. “It is addictive in large quantities, but in small doses like this, it merely serves as a relaxant.”
Perhaps over time one could also grow addicted to it. Min-jun lifted his eyes up from the tea.
“How addictive is it?” Min-jun asked.
“In this form, mildly addictive,” Dr. Myeong-suk said, folding his hands around the warm cup. “Though recently a different form from the Northern Empire has spread to Saro.”
“A different form?” An idea sparked in Min-jun’s idea. It might be a reach but . . .
“They call it gimi. It takes the form of a powder that is turned into a syrup,” Dr. Myeong-suk said. “It’s been spreading like wildfire, but so quietly that it certainly wouldn’t have reached your ears, Your Highness.”
“Can someone die from it?”
Dr. Myeong-suk dropped his head, shutting his eyes, and then nodded solemnly. “Yes. Overdoses are common.”
Min-jun placed his arm down on the table between them. “What are the symptoms?”
Now, Dr. Myeong-suk’s eyebrows knit together. He was getting suspicious. “Well, from what we know so far, it seems to asphyxiate the user. It stops the lungs somehow. Death comes in a few moments after the overdose.” Dr. Myeong-suk waved a hand in front of his face. “And their entire body is covered in a blue pallor. That’s how we can usually tell they’ve been killed by gimi.”
Fantastic. Shin Jil had overdosed on gimi. No, that still didn’t explain the stab wounds. He must’ve been poisoned, and then stabbed. But who would want to kill a common shopkeeper?
He’d have to retrace Shin Jil’s steps. Min-jun’s heart raced.
Min-jun stood up from the table, and Myeong-suk stood with him. “Your Highness won’t tell His Majesty about this.”
“Of course not. That would be bad for both of us.”
“What would be bad for both of you?” As usual, the King’s timing could not be worse. He stood in the doorway now, wearing his crimson robe, the threads of the gold dragon embroidered in the red cloth glistening. His violet gaze would not leave Min-jun.
Behind Min-jun, Myeong-suk was already kneeling on the ground. “Your Majesty.”
“I suppose there’s no use in hiding it.” Min-jun sighed, earning only a doubtful look from the King. “I had recently received some tea from an admirer. I wanted Shin Jil to inspect it for any ill effects it might have.”
“An admirer?” the King said, ready to play the role of a possessive lover. “What is their name? I shall have them drowned.”
“Oh, Your Majesty.” Min-jun took the King’s hands in his own and motioned for Myeong-suk to leave the room while he still could. “I am only yours, you know that.”
The King gripped Min-jun’s arms, pulling him closer, and lifted one hand to caress his cheek. “My love, how can I be at ease when you do things like this.”
“Aren’t you laying it on a bit thick?” Min-jun whispered.
“I have no idea what you’re implying, my love,” the King said. “Weren’t you the one who was showering me with affection this morning? As you know, it’s important to put on a show for our audience.”
“Your Majesty.” Min-jun gasped, as the King wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him flush against his body. “This is wildly uncomfortable.”
“Truly?”
He squirmed a bit. No, not truly. In fact it was a little too comfortable.
“So, what is that tea you brought to Dr. Myeong-suk?” the King asked.
“A relaxant. I used to drink it before I came to the Palace.”
“Is that so?” The King released him. Cold swept over Min-jun as soon as the King’s arms were no longer around him. “My poor love, you must’ve been under so much pressure.”
“It is all in the past.” It felt wrong to spout such nonsense, but Min-jun put aside what was left of his pride. “Your Majesty has taken away all that strife.”
“You flatter me.” The King’s tone held a note of dry humor in it.
Min-jun put his hands on the King’s chest, pressing out the few wrinkles that had formed in his crimson robes. “Your Majesty should not worry yourself with someone like me. A King’s work never ends.”
“It seems that I am being thrown out. Well then, I suggest you also return with Sun to whatever you are meant to be doing. I will see you again when time allows.” He pushed the door aside and turned back for some parting words. “Oh, and good luck with your investigation.”
He knew. He knew and he was letting Min-jun go through with it anyway. Somehow that annoyed Min-jun more than his sudden appearance or cloying words had. Min-jun could do nothing without the King’s permission, and each time the King let him go like this, all he was really doing was reminding Min-jun of that fact. The King’s message was received.
At any moment, at any time, I can put an end to all this.
Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty.
A/N: Min-jun has no business calling out someone else for being dramatic smh. Thank you all for reading! If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below.
Thanks for the chapter…
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Thanks for the chapter ♥️♥️
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Needs permission. Gets permission. Mad at getting permission. Lol shouldn’t make sense but the context is laid out just right to explain it. Plus we know Min-jun prefers to sneak around – but at least when he does, there’s no Ok-Jeongs involved 🤨
Min-jun is the sneaky type lol. thank you for commenting!