Chapter 10
“What? What are you saying? Asking for a servant, sister-in-law?”
“Is it difficult for you? Then I’ll pay. You said he was caught stealing two bowls of rice, right? I’ll give you two sacks of rice.”
Hyeon-ae looked baffled, and Jin-sang made no effort to hide his displeasure.
“Sister-in-law, what exactly are you implying? Are you trying to meddle in how I discipline the servants in my household?”
Jin-sang deliberately skipped over Haesang and directed his words at I-yeon. I-yeon kept her mouth shut, giving Haesang the chance to respond.
“Of course not. Every household is run according to its own ways.”
“Then what kind of person demands a servant as a gift as if it’s nothing?”
“Wasn’t the price of one servant about the same as a horse?
I’ll gift a fine horse to Hyung-wook. I’ll choose a good one myself.
So, little brother, you give me a servant.”
“What are you plotting?”
“It’s not a scheme. You know as well as I do—I simply need more hands. If we’re to restore the main house and the detached quarters to their former glory even for a single day, I must take proper care of the estate our ancestors handed down.”
“Hah! How shameless…!”
“Think of it this way: it’s a good chance to show the world the deep bond between brothers. You give me one servant, and I give you one horse. It’s a fair trade.”
“Grrrgh…”
It was obvious to anyone that Jin-sang’s bulging eyes were burning with fury.
“I’ve already been officially recognized. That means it’s only proper for you to lower your head. An older brother visits his sick younger brother with a horse as a gift for his nephew, and the younger brother gives a servant in return. That’s enough of a pretext to cover up the disgraceful mess you made during the last trial.”
Mang-go-ri, freed from the straw mat beating, limped into the threshold of his new master’s house, his face covered in tears and snot.
As soon as Sun-jin saw Mang-go-ri, she ran to him and threw herself into his arms, crying her heart out.
The sound of a young girl sobbing like that could tear a person’s insides apart—and Sun-jin’s cries did just that. With a sickly mother and no father, Sun-jin had always relied on Mang-go-ri.
“Uncle, does it hurt a lot?”
“Do you know where it hurts the most after getting rolled in a straw mat and beaten?”
“Where?”
“The heart.”
“Pardon?”
“You can’t see anything inside the mat. At first, the kicks come softly, but after the second or third time, they get harder and harder.
That’s when it gets scary and painful. Doesn’t matter who’s hitting harder. It just starts to hurt—deep down.”
At the small meal table prepared by Mr. Jang in the servants’ quarters, a grown man and a not-quite-grown girl sat across from each other, swallowing back tears instead of food.
Watching them from a distance, I-yeon felt a heavy knot in her chest.
“Mr. Jang?”
“Yes, Lady.”
“Do you know why Mang-go-ri tried to steal two bowls of rice?”
“Well… I wouldn’t even call it stealing. There was just so much white rice left over in that household. I think he was trying to take some leftovers the young master and his wife had barely touched.”
“I already suspected how harsh my brother-in-law’s household was, but to falsely accuse someone and beat them like that… That’s not the behavior of a true nobleman.”
“Still, thanks to you, my lady, Mang-go-ri was saved. He’s a faithful and diligent one. He’ll serve you and the master well.”
“Sun-jin cried so much… I couldn’t leave him behind. He’d better prove himself worthy of that.”
“Of course, of course.”
“Where is the master?”
“In the study. Seems some herbalists stopped by, and he asked for a light drink to be prepared. According to Palsak, some traveling entertainers came with them today.”
“Mr. Jang, what do you think is the biggest change in the master?”
“I’d say… the way he now mingles with people so freely. Didn’t he kneel on the ground earlier and comfort Sun-jin himself?”
While Mr. Jang praised Haesang’s transformation with a satisfied expression, I-yeon was caught up in a different thought.
He picked up a young servant girl from the ground himself… brought back a beaten servant… drinks with herbalists and entertainers alike… He’s come back as a very different nobleman.
But I’ve never heard of such a nobleman before… Has he shed his noble dignity—or was he never truly noble to begin with?
As darkness deepened, I-yeon stood still for a long time, suspended between doubt and belief about Haesang.
It was a night faintly lit by starlight.
The next morning, as day broke, So-hwa brought breakfast with Sun-jin.
“My lady, Sun-jin insisted on serving breakfast herself today.”
“Well, you look much better than yesterday. That puts me at ease.”
“It’s all thanks to you and the master. I realize now how lucky we are to have such good owners.”
“And your uncle—he said he’s not in pain?”
“Yes, he started working on the detached quarters early this morning. My uncle is very good at building. He’ll make your residence beautiful again. Just you wait.”
“Just hearing that makes me so grateful!”
“Oh, no need to say thanks, my lady. A noble doesn’t thank their servants, after all.”
Sun-jin’s mature tone for her age made I-yeon smile with nothing but affection.
“Haha, but still—when you’re grateful, you’re grateful. How old are you anyway? You cook so well and know the rules of nobility too?”
“Fourteen! And I’ll always cook the best meals for you and the master!”
“Just keep doing what you’re doing!”
“I heard you gave up a horse to save my uncle. My uncle and I will work hard enough to be worth ten horses. I promise, my lady!”
At Sun-jin’s clear and adorably loyal declaration, I-yeon burst out laughing.
Time passed busily.
Before winter arrived, the reconstruction of the detached quarters and the main wing had to be completed.
Haesang, leading the work, gave off a reassuring presence. It was as though the household had completely forgotten the nine years of his absence, as everyone followed his orders without hesitation.
Even those like Mr. Jang, who had served in this household since childhood, seemed pleased with the changed master.
“Uncle Jang, you remember what the master was like when he was young?”
During a break from hauling stones and earth for the rebuilding, the house’s men sat down for a snack. Curious, Mang-go-ri asked about Haesang.
“Oh, he was completely different back then—like night and day!”
“Different, like Master Jin-sang?”
Before Mr. Jang could respond, Palsak snapped first.
“How dare you compare our master to that guy? Jin-sang is the biggest disgrace in all of Joseon!”
“Shhh, quiet!”
Everyone froze at the honesty that flew out of Palsak’s mouth, then erupted into laughter.
“Palsak, you’ve never even served Master Jin-sang!”
“Do I need to? Some know through beatings like Mang-go-ri, and others like me can just tell at a glance. Hah!”
“Uncle, come on—tell us. What was Master Haesang like when he was young?”
Mang-go-ri pressed, and Palsak watched eagerly with curious eyes as Mr. Jang prepared to speak.
The other household staff also quietly pricked up their ears.
“Well… when the young master was little, he wasn’t quite like he is now. He was terribly quiet and didn’t speak much. Always walking around with a book in hand, never even raising his voice once.”
“Wow… is that even real?”
“Sure it is. He was so well-behaved and quiet, the servants used to wonder if he was sickly. He didn’t cry, didn’t laugh—just stared off somewhere all the time. His mother fretted endlessly that he’d become a monk.”
“But when he got angry earlier, he was seriously scary!”
“Exactly! That’s what I’m saying—he used to be the exact opposite. I guess he really has changed a lot.”
“Back then, even the young master’s handwriting looked delicate, like a noblewoman’s. But now, look at those hands! Like they’ve hauled boulders for a living!”
“Life on the road must’ve been hard…”
“Well, he said he wandered all over the mountains and forests for nine years. How could he have stayed the same?”
“Still, even though he’s changed, I think the young master now is better.”
“Same here. He talks with us, eats with us, jokes too.”
“And he even saved someone like me. What kind of noble does that?”
At that, everyone looked at Maeng-gol. The man scratched his head shyly and laughed.
“He even joked with me yesterday. Called me ‘Brother Maeng-gol’ and slapped my back. I nearly fainted from shock!”
Everyone burst out laughing again.
“That’s our master! Brother Maeng-gol, ha!”
“Be quiet, you lot! He might hear us.”
Even as they warned each other, the warmth in their smiles lingered. The laughter, the camaraderie—it was clear. The house was changing. Slowly but surely.
**
That evening, Lee Yeon stood at the threshold of the sarangchae, watching the moon rise.
The silver light blanketed the rooftops and garden, bathing everything in a soft, tranquil glow.
From inside came the sound of gayageum strings being plucked.
She closed her eyes and listened.
A melody that fluttered like the wings of a bird. Neither sad nor joyful—just… still.
Then a voice came from behind.
“You’re not cold, standing there like that?”
Lee Yeon turned. Haesang stood a few steps away, holding a thin shawl.
She accepted it without a word and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“Thank you.”
“Did the meal not suit your taste?”
“I ate plenty.”
“…Your expression says otherwise.”
“I was only thinking.”
“About?”
“…You.”
Haesang looked surprised for a moment. Then, as if suppressing a smile, he stepped closer.
“That makes me nervous.”
“Why?”
“Because I have a feeling you’re thinking of something suspicious.”
“Perhaps. Or perhaps I’m just trying to figure out what kind of man you really are.”
He didn’t deny it. Only looked up at the moon alongside her.
“I’m no saint. But I’m not a beast either.”
“That remains to be seen.”
He chuckled. “I suppose I’ll just have to prove it with time.”
Lee Yeon turned her gaze to him then.
The moonlight cast shadows across his face, but there was something unmistakably sincere in his eyes.
A man who had walked through hardship.
A man who now knelt to comfort a crying girl and saved a beaten servant without hesitation.
…And yet, one whose past was still wrapped in fog.
She didn’t know whether to trust him fully.
But tonight, as they stood beneath the moon in silence, she felt no fear.
Only the quiet beginning of belief.
Haesang tilted his head slightly, his gaze still fixed on Lee Yeon.
“I may not know what kind of person you think I am,” he said, “but I’d like to find out what kind of person you are.”
Lee Yeon turned her head.
“…Why?”
“Because I want to understand you. I don’t think you’re just the lady of this house.”
“…?”
“There’s something about you—something sharp, like a blade hidden beneath silk.”
She flinched imperceptibly. But he continued calmly.
“People carry wounds they never show. I’m not asking you to show me yours. Just… don’t hide it so deep you forget it’s even there.”
Lee Yeon’s lips parted slightly. But she said nothing.
Instead, a gust of wind swept through the courtyard. The night air had turned cold.
Haesang noticed and stepped closer.
“…Shall I bring you tea?”
“No need. I’m going in anyway.”
As she turned, he followed a step behind.
At the doorway, she paused.
“Haesang.”
“Yes?”
“You… didn’t ask who wrote the letter.”
“…Ah, that.”
He gave a small, crooked smile.
“I figured if you wanted me to know, you’d tell me.”
A beat passed between them.
Then Lee Yeon answered quietly.
“It was someone I once trusted.”
“That’s often how it goes,” he said softly. “The ones we trust hold the sharpest knives.”
The two stood in silence, the night gently pressing in around them.
A few moments later, Lee Yeon disappeared into the main house, leaving Haesang alone beneath the eaves.
He looked up at the moon.
“…I won’t let anyone harm you again.”
His voice was so soft, it disappeared into the wind.
Just then, the candle in the corridor flickered.
From somewhere unseen, a faint whisper rode the breeze.
A presence, lingering at the edges.
The chill wasn’t just from the wind.
Haesang’s expression hardened as he turned toward the darkness beyond the gate.
There was something out there.
Watching.
Waiting.
The night wasn’t over yet.
