The silent summer night of the Joseon dynasty was bathed in the soft, pale glow of the moonlight that gently spilled across the wooden floor of the mansion. Within the vast room, Soran lay wrapped in the embrace of darkness, her delicate frame shrouded by shadows in a night void of warmth or company. Though the moonlight was serene and pure, it only served to stir unrest within her heart, an unease far deeper than the cool light could soothe.
Moonbeams filtered softly through the bamboo-framed windows, casting intricate, dancing patterns on the smooth surface of the silken bedding. Soran turned onto her side, her eyes fixed upon the shadowed figure of Yeongwon sleeping silently beside her. Her fragile eyes, blurred with longing and sorrow, weighed heavily on the stillness of the night, thickening the quiet with unspoken pain.
Her slender fingers traced lightly over his forehead, descending gradually to brush the curve of his full lower lip, tenderly, as if fearful that her hidden feelings might slip away into the darkness. Behind her faint smile lay a well of sadness she dared not reveal.
"I have fallen in love with you…" her whisper floated through the stillness, soft as the rustle of leaves in a midnight breeze.
Yet silence wrapped around her like a cloak; Yeongwon remained deep in slumber, his eyes shut tight, but the faint curl of a knowing smile played upon his lips, as if he too understood the secret she dared not voice aloud.
"I feel the same," came a whispered voice from the shadows.
Soran startled, turning swiftly to seek the calm face, but found only the stillness of his sleeping form.
Her face slowly turned back, heart trembling with a mingling of fear and fragile hope, words caught deep within her throat.
A faint laughter echoed in the secret chamber.
"Well done, Lady," Pyunghwa's voice rang with satisfaction.
"I did it for myself," Inhyeong replied, her tone laced with pride and quiet confidence.
"Either way, we both benefit. Spread the news quickly, don't keep it bottled up too long, or people will say your tongue's gone rotten!" Pyunghwa urged fervently.
Inhyeong lifted her gaze, meeting Pyunghwa's eyes, a sly gleam sparkling like stars scattered across a midnight sky.
"Don't worry... I won't make the same mistake twice," she sneered, the opening move in a larger game in which both sides sought their own gain.
Tonight's atmosphere was heavy with shadows and tension, drifting like a thin mist carried by the cool night breeze that slipped through the open window. White flowers on the balcony swayed gently, as if trying to whisper secrets unheard by any soul.
Loneliness and hope mingled in every touch, every breath, every silence that wrapped body and heart alike this night.
Not long after, the carefully woven plan of Inhyeong began to unfold relentlessly. Rumors spread like wildfire, reaching every corner of the capital,until finally, they came to the ears of Lord yu, the honorable patriarch of the family.
The news struck like a sharp blade, piercing through the pride of the noble house. Lord yu's face flushed crimson with shame, his dignity shattered.
A sharp slap cut through the heavy air … "Paek!"
"You ungrateful wretched daughter!" Lord yu's hoarse voice thundered, his hands trembling with rage too fierce to contain.
The young servants, though fearful, rushed to shield the fragile Inhyeong from the wrathful palm of their lord.
"Please... please do not harm her, elder brother!" their desperate voices echoed with anguish.
But Inhyeong's face shone with fierce defiance, unyielding.
"Let me go, you lowborn! Remove your filthy hands from me!" she shook off their grasp, as though casting away the disgrace that clung to her.
"How dare you! Do you realize you are the root of disgrace spreading across our family? Your vile existence stains our honor!" Lord yu roared, eyes blazing with contempt.
Yet Inhyeong did not flinch, standing firm amidst the tension.
"We love each other! Yeongwon and I….we truly love one another!" she declared loudly, her voice ringing through the hall.
Whispers and murmurs swelled like crashing waves.
"That handsome Lord Yeongwon…"
"They say they once were lovers, but parted ways long ago…"
Excited, curious, and skeptical faces exchanged knowing glances.
Unable to bear the murmurs any longer, Lord yu bellowed,
"Silence, all of you!"
The hall fell into a sudden, suffocating hush.
Lord yu's gaze bore into his daughter, heavy with question.
"You say you truly love Lord Yeongwon?"
"Yes," Inhyeong answered with resolute firmness, her eyes gleaming with sincerity….no trace of deceit.
With a heavy sigh, Lord yu's tone softened, "You know well that Lord Yeongwon is already married. Though the marriage is quiet and private, how could this be possible?"
Inhyeong lowered her head, her strength nearly spent.
"But it has happened, Father. I am disgraced… and I have brought disgrace upon you as well."
Lord yu's eyes welled with weary sorrow as he beheld the tears shimmering in his daughter's gaze.
"Mu-gi!" he called to the attendant standing nearby.
"Yes, Master," came the obedient reply.
"Take Inhyeong to rest in her chamber. I apologize for striking you too harshly."
Mu-gi nodded dutifully and gently supported Inhyeong, guiding her away from the whisper-filled hall.
Along the way, Mu-gi's voice trembled with concern, "Miss, are you hurt badly?"
"Hurt... but good..." Inhyeong replied slyly, as if daring fate itself.
Upon reaching her private chamber, Inhyeong settled at the old wooden desk and lifted pen and paper.
Her hand trembled slightly before she began writing a letter to Pyunghwa, reporting the success of the first stage of her plan.
Mu-gi sat quietly beside her, eyes narrowing in curiosity. "Milady... what are you plotting?"
Inhyeong smiled faintly, continuing to write amid the silence thick with mystery and expectation.
Under the blinding light of the late morning sun, heat shimmered across the wide courtyard as if threatening to set the brittle grass ablaze. Only the faint chill from a small ice basin tucked away in the kitchen behind the main house offered even the slightest relief from the sweltering summer day.
Pyunghwa fanned himself slowly with a silk fan, letting out a long sigh. The heat was so oppressive that even the gentle fluttering of the fan did little to cool his temperament. He strolled leisurely toward the rear courtyard, only to stop when his gaze landed upon the slender figure of Soran, quietly hanging the laundry beneath the great shade tree.
A soft breeze rustled through, lifting strands of her long hair as she bent over and carefully laid the last cloth upon the line with hands pale and delicate like polished jade.
Pyunghwa stood still for a moment, then cast his eyes toward Bunsu,who lay sprawled beneath a nearby tree, lazily scratching his belly with one hand while tightly clutching a rice cake with the other, chewing happily and oblivious to the world.
"You glutton, always stuffing your face," Pyunghwa murmured before stepping toward Soran.
"Greetings," Soran turned and bowed with graceful decorum.
"You are ever so diligent... But why do you still work so hard? Are you not now an official concubine of this household?"
Soran offered a faint, gentle smile. Her eyes held quiet strength, touched with kindness, as she answered softly,
"Though I bear the title of concubine, I am still one who lives beneath this roof. A name does not change my heart. Serving within the household is no shame to me."
Pyunghwa nodded slightly, admiration hidden behind his calm expression. He quickly shifted the conversation.
"The weather is unbearably hot today..."
"Pardon?" Soran raised her brow slightly in confusion.
"I mean…..I'm changing the subject. Did you not catch that?" Pyunghwa smiled, a touch playful.
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips. "Indeed, it is terribly hot today."
He cleared his throat and offered casually,
"Once you've finished hanging the laundry, come read beneath the shade with me. The breeze there is pleasant."
Soran shook her head with a small bow.
"Forgive me, my lord. I already have plans to read with Lord Yeongwon."
Pyunghwa feigned disappointment. "Mm... is that so? Very well then. Go ahead."
As Soran folded the final cloth and departed in silence, Pyunghwa stood watching her retreating figure, his gaze unreadable. From the other side, Bunsu,still munching his snack,called out teasingly,
"Oho! I thought you were about to steal my lady away! Getting flustered already? Hah!"
Pyunghwa turned with a glare, but said nothing. Bunsu remained sprawled in the grass, chewing away, unaware of the tension.
Just then...
"Lord Pyunghwa!" A young boy's voice called as he ran up to the courtyard, stopping before him with a respectful bow. He held out a letter bound with red string.
Pyunghwa received it and asked flatly, "Who sent this?"
"From Lady Inhyeong, my lord," the boy replied with a bowed head.
"You've done well. You may go."
As the boy dashed off, Bunsu,watching from behind a nearby pillar, narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
"That letter… smells like trouble," he muttered under his breath.
Shoving the remainder of his snack into his mouth, he sprang to his feet and ran to block Pyunghwa's path.
Startled, Pyunghwa recoiled, "What in heaven's name…..are you trying to give me heart failure!?"
With rare seriousness, Bunsu squared his stance. "That letter… what is it about?"
"Oh, you meddling glutton, don't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong!" Pyunghwa brushed Bunsu's head aside lightly and walked off with the letter in hand, leaving Bunsu standing bewildered behind.
"Hmph... full of secrets, are you?" Bunsu muttered, eyes narrowing.
"I'll be watching you, Pyunghwa..."
"Step aside, you glutton!"
"I won't!" Bunsu declared with uncharacteristic resolve, the rice cake he had been holding in his mouth falling softly to the ground. He glanced down at it with a heartbroken look, then swallowed hard with an audible gulp.
"What ridiculous scheme are you rambling about now? Has the fat in your brain finally clogged your reason?" Pyunghwa snapped, tapping Bunsu on the forehead with the rolled letter in his hand,thwack,clearly irritated.
Bunsu raised his arms to shield his head, wincing as if he'd been struck hard, though the gesture was more dramatic than genuine. Pyunghwa took the opportunity to step past him and continue walking.
"Wait….Lord Pyunghwa!" Bunsu shouted after him, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
But the only reply he received was Pyunghwa's mocking laugh, drifting back through the air like a taunt.
"Tch… Still got the nerve to laugh," Bunsu muttered, standing with arms akimbo, grumbling to himself like a wronged child.
...
Elsewhere, in the dim confines of a narrow study filled with the scent of old parchment, Yeongwon was browsing through slim volumes, texts he had selected to read with Soran. She sat nearby, her gaze lingering with unspoken thoughts. Eventually, she broke the silence, her voice barely audible.
"My lord…"
"Hm? What is it?" he replied without looking up.
…But no words followed.
Yeongwon turned toward her, puzzled.
"Hmm? You called me, and now you're silent?"
Soran offered a faint, sheepish smile.
"I… I don't know how to say it properly. I fear it may sound like I'm meddling."
"The very fact you're asking means you're already meddling," he said dryly, though without the slightest trace of irritation.
Soran lowered her gaze, hesitating, then lifted her eyes to meet his and spoke softly.
"My lord… You married me, though your heart belongs to another. Why… why didn't you marry her instead?"
Yeongwon exhaled, the sigh carrying the weight of thoughts long kept buried.
"How could I?" he said at last. "It's true….I loved her. But love alone… love alone isn't everything."
He set the book down and looked at her in silence.
"I knew, even as she stood near, that she was far beyond my reach. She was… lofty, too radiant, too distant for a man like me."
Soran listened in silence, then spoke gently.
"I've come to understand myself well… but it's strange, isn't it? You don't seem to understand yourself at all."
"Have you ever…" Yeongwon began, his voice growing quieter, "have you ever thought you understood something, only to keep asking yourself over and over again why? Why can't the heart forget?"
His words fell like sighs.
"If you still love her," Soran's voice grew firmer, "why didn't you tell your father?"
"If I had," he replied, "he would have forced my hand again. My father… he knows what is 'appropriate' for the family. And that has never included what I truly wanted."
Yeongwon picked up another book, and added more softly,
"But… you're right. It's better this way. I married you, even if it wasn't out of love at first."
Though his voice was gentle, the words cut deep.
Soran's eyes began to glisten. The faint smile on her lips faded completely.
Seeing her expression, Yeongwon spoke again, as though trying to offer comfort.
"If one day… I must leave you. What would you do?"
She slowly raised her eyes to meet his, calm and unwavering.
"I couldn't say, my lord… But when that day comes, I suppose I'll know what to do."
Yeongwon was silent for a long moment.
"That's the wrong answer…" he murmured, as though speaking to his breath.
"I meant… If I were gone, what would you want to do for me? Even if I expected nothing from you at all…"
Before he could finish, his hand, still holding the book, began to tremble. His face turned pale, and his body swayed forward.
"My lord!"
Before Soran could reach him, Yeongwon collapsed before her.
"My lord! My lord, please!"
Soran cried out in alarm, rushing to catch his falling body, holding him tightly against her chest. Her heart pounded with panic. The tears she had only just managed to hold back began to fall once more…
Thud!
The heavy tome hit the floor with a dull thump, just as Yeongwon's body crumpled to the ground in the blink of an eye.
"L-Lord Yeongwon! My lord!"
Soran lunged forward, catching his limp body in her arms. His face had gone deathly pale, lips drained of all color,as though his blood had ceased to flow. She held him tightly, arms trembling with fear, her heartbeat so frantic it felt as if it would burst from her chest.
...And yet the one who held her heart felt nothing of her desperate embrace.
"Is anyone there?! Anyone! Please, come quickly!"
Her voice trembled with panic, echoing through the room as tears streamed from her sorrowful eyes, drop after drop staining the fabric of Yeongwon's robes without her even noticing.
"Please… don't leave me, my lord… I beg you…"
Her sobs mingled with the faint, shallow breathing of the man she held.
Craaash!!
The wooden door slammed open, and Bunsu stumbled into the room, breathless with alarm, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"What's going on, My lord!"
He almost fell to his knees at the sight before him, Yeongwon lying deathly still in Soran's lap, her cheeks streaked with tears.
"Go fetch the physician… please, I beg you!" Soran cried, voice full of helpless pleading.
"You don't need to ask. I was going anyway!"
Bunsu nodded hastily and turned on his heel, sprinting out of the room as though chased by a storm wind.
In the silence that followed, only Soran remained, alone with her grief and the still, unmoving form of the man she loved.
"...Please… don't leave me like this, my lord…" she whispered through broken sobs.