When they returned to the Villa, Min-jun entered his room alone. It was empty, untouched since the last time he’d been there.
“Shall we order them to bring your breakfast platter to your room?”
I suppose he’s too busy to visit today as well.
“Yes. Do so.” The doors shut behind him and Min-jun made his way behind his desk. He attempted to read, to distract his mind from the memories that continued to flood his mind. It was all for naught. His mind wandered wherever it pleased. He set the book down on the desk, covering his mouth with his hand. He willed for the memories to pass by, but they would not leave him.
“Insolent bastard,” one of his clients yelled after Min-jun had had the gall to tell him off for asking for more than he’d been willing to pay. The other kisaeng watched in horror as the man struck him across the face. Min-jun stumbled back from the impact. It had been the first time he’d been struck by someone other than the Head Kisaeng, and the drunken giant in front of him cared not for preserving Min-jun’s face and body as the Head Kisaeng had. He threw Min-jun against the wall as if he weighed nothing. Dull pain spread over his body, as the man put a hand around the back of Min-jun’s neck, pressing him to the wall. Pain, pain, pain. That’s all Min-jun could remember on days like that. Days when Haneul wasn’t there to save him. Gods, how he’d wanted it all to end.
Min-jun breathed in a shaky breath. Why now? He was supposed to be better now. He had the King by his side. Nothing could harm him. Even the Queen was too fearful to do any real damage. Why couldn’t he just move on? Just forget everything from before. Pretend as if it had never happened at all.
“Your Highness, the royal physician is here.”
He gathered himself, schooling his features, trying to appear as dignified as the King when he received visits. Inside, the memories continued to unfold.
“Let him in.”
The physician and the servants carrying Min-jun’s breakfast entered the room together. Another servant approached with a dark blue envelope in her hands.
“Your Highness,” the servant said, offering him the envelope with both hands. “A message from the King.”
“Thank you.” He took the envelope from her and opened it, wondering what the King would have to say to him that he had to write him a letter.
“My love,
You must be surprised to hear from me. I wish I could see that look of curiosity on your face. The most beautiful of men has been on my mind all day and I could not stop thinking of him. Excuse my sentimentality. As we cannot always share our meals, I thought it fitting that I send you my thoughts instead. Love, I hope your greetings with the Queen went well. If not, do not take it to heart. I’m sure you will find a way to win her heart, as you have everyone else’s, including my own. My love. Ah, I cannot stop writing those words. How odd. Hae Min-jun, my love. My love, Hae Min-jun. I will see you soon, my dearest love. I will hold you in my arms until the sun rises again.
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.
Yours,
Yi Cheol”
Vbwf bo atf kbgvr kfgf cfjgis liifulyif, yea Zlc-pec’r fsfr xfqa uilvlcu bnfg atfw, gf-gfjvlcu jcv gf-gfjvlcu ecali rbwfbcf mifjgfv atflg atgbja. Zlc-pec abgf tlr fsfr jkjs ogbw atf qjuf. Ktf qtsrlmljc rajgfv vbkc ja tlw, rtffqlrt.
“Tbeg Llutcfrr, sbe wera ajxf boo sbeg rtlga rb atja P wjs lcrqfma atf kbecv.”
“Oh,” Min-jun said, setting down the letter and reaching for the ribbon of his hanbok, untying it deftly. “Of course.”
The physician came over to sit by his side. “Ah, it’s practically healed. I believe you can resume your normal activities as usual.”
“It’s all thanks to your talent and experience, Royal Physician Yoon,” Min-jun said, feeling generous. His mood had been lifted somewhat by the King’s letter.
Royal Physician Yoon Myeong-suk shook his hands in front of him. “No, no, it’s all because the King allowed us to use the medicine reserved only for the King himself. They’re rare herbs that help heal wounds such as these rapidly. The King didn’t want you to suffer. He couldn’t bare it.”
So that was why he’d barely felt it was there for the past week. He had thought those herbs looked strange. So they were the medicinal herbs reserved for the King. How adorable.
Min-jun gestured for the servants with the tables of food to come forward. “Let us enjoy the meal then, yes?” He said, smiling, his troubles forgotten for now. He had a full meal in front of him, his wound had healed, and his King would be visiting him shortly. There was nothing to fear. Yes. He just had to forget about all that nonsense.
. . .
As night drew near, Min-jun’s mind became occupied with other things. Such as how to hide the Queen’s violence from the King. Min-jun inspected the damage to his left cheek in a mirror the King had given him long ago. It was barely visible now, just the slightest swelling and a bit of redness. It could pass for rouge, really. Certainly, the King wouldn’t notice. Or should he put rouge on both of them to cover it up? Ah, why’d she have to go and do something so foolish?
“His Majesty has arrived,” said one of his court ladies. Min-jun reached for the lip paint, a deep crimson that would undoubtedly stain his lips after. It was of little consequence. He just needed to distract the King from finding out what had happened at the Queen’s quarters.
The King entered the room, his blue silk hanbok suiting him alarmingly well, He must’ve been at target practice or combat training, although he had not broken a sweat. He wore a matching blue headband and his face was tinged red from the cold air. His expression softened as soon as he laid eyes on Min-jun, who stood to greet him.
“Act natural,” Min-jun thought to himself.
Alas, the first thing the King did when they stood face-to-face was tilt his head a bit. His fingers brushed against Min-jun’s cheek. No way. Surely, he hadn’t noticed it so quickly.
“What happened to your cheek?”
Min-jun raised his hands to his cheek and pursed his lips. “Oh, that. It must be an imprint from falling asleep on my desk. That’s all.”
The King stared at him, unimpressed. “The truth, if you wouldn’t mind.”
Min-jun sighed, crossing his arms. “And if I refuse?”
“Who was it?” the King asked, gentlytaking Min-jun by the shoulders. “Who did this to you?”
“It was nothing,” Min-jun said. “It was but a tap. I barely felt it.”
“They hit you.”
“A little.”
“Their name.”
“No.”
The King turned around abruptly. “Then I’ll have to summon every single inhabitant of the Inner Palace to stand in the courtyard until I find the person who did this to you.”
Min-jun quickly got ahead of the King and placed his hands on his chest, pushing him back. “Now, my King. There’s no need for that.” He leaned closer. “We have much more interesting things to discuss. The doctor looked at my wound. Said it was as good as healed –”
“Was it a servant?”
Min-jun laughed, trying his best to clear the air as he straightened the King’s collar. “Of course not. Cheol-ah, why don’t we just forget about this matter?”
“No, a servant would value their life too much. It must be someone who thought they’d get away with something like this.” Cheol shook his head. “None of the other consorts have ever been hostile toward you . . . the Queen?”
Something in Min-jun’s expression must’ve confirmed Cheol’s suspicions, because he brushed past Min-jun and toward the door.
“I see.” Cheol turned toward the doors, intending to pay a visit to the Queen no doubt. As much as Min-jun hated to let the Queen do as she pleased, he feared she’d only become worse if the King voiced his disapproval.
Min-jun stopped him again, pushing him back into the room before he could so much as pass the threshold. The servants looked at them as if they’d gone insane, exchanged uncertain glances with one another, and closed the doors once more.
“Cheol-ah, Cheol-ah,” Min-jun said, placatingly, as he took hold of the King’s arms. “Be reasonable. You still need the Queen to help bring down the Ni family.”
“I’ll find another way.”
So stubborn!
“Fine,” Min-jun said. “Fine. But the divorce papers will still be there in the morning.” He let his eyes flick down to the King’s lips, making his intentions clear. “This evening was supposed to be for us, my King. That’s all I need right now. Just you. Won’t you help me forget all this?”
The King looked away, but Min-jun knew he had him wrapped around his finger now. He took the King’s hand in his and began to lead him to the bedroom. The King shook his head as Min-jun turned to look at him, a smile blooming on his face. Min-jun’s heart nearly skipped a beat, heat rushing to his face, as the King’s arms found their way around his waist, pulling him close, away from the bedroom.
“Is this what you wanted?” the King whispered, his breath hot on Min-jun’s lips.
“You know me too well, my King.”
“Then let’s not waste any more time.”
The King picked him up, one arm under his knees, the other around his waist, so that Min-jun was pressed up against him so closely. One hand trailed down to Min-jun’s bottom. Min-jun buried his face in the King’s shoulder, leaving stains of red lip paint all over the fabric of his hanbok.
“Your Majesty,” he whispered, anticipation thrumming in his veins. Cheol kissed him, letting the issue drop for the time being, though Min-jun knew he was far from convinced. It was inevitable. The Queen would have to face the consequences of her actions.
A/N: Thank you for reading. If you liked this chapter, please leave a comment down below! I’ll try to update soon.
Damn right she will 😛. I hope she sees the lipstick too. I kind of wish there was a way for her to find out she just reminded “that prostitute” of his worst clients. She’s acting like a new stepfather who thinks he can spank you after you’ve already talked it out with your mother and she grounded you. Silly Min-jun, thinking maybe Cheol wouldn’t notice!
The Queen has a lot of learning to do for sure. Thank you for commenting!
i hope she will??
Thank you for commenting!
Thank you so much for the update 🥺🥺… I’ve missed your writing ❤️❤️
Thank you so much for commenting! I hope you enjoy the new update!
Min-jun :((
he’s been through so much 😭
Thank you for the update 💕
Thank you for commenting!