Chapter 4. Formulating an Escape Plan
Seon-An 
Hwaryeo 
Yo Yo-hwa 
***
There was no time for leisure.
The day after I made up my mind, I immediately went to my friend Seon-an’s house.
If my younger sister Lin-hua found out about this, she’d fly into a rage, yelling, “Why are you visiting Seon-an? Do you have ulterior motives for Seon-an?”
But I couldn’t help it.
I’d heard that Seon-an’s maternal family was involved in secretive, shady dealings. Not that it mattered anyway.
Lin-hua’s suspicion of something between Seon-an and me was absurd from the start.
Seon-an thought I was a libertine. Wouldn’t Lin-hua’s outburst only make it look stranger?
“Isn’t this Master Yo?”
As I approached the main gate of the house, the gatekeeper recognized me immediately and greeted me cheerfully.
“How have you been?”
“Same as always. Master Yo always looks distinguished, doesn’t he?”
I handed the gatekeeper a handful of coins as usual and asked:
“Is An inside?”
“Don’t even ask. He got dragged back from the gambling den again.”
“Oh dear.”
I clicked my tongue and shook my head, and the gatekeeper sighed deeply, looking at me intently.
“If only our young master were as composed as Master Yo…”
“Your flattery is excessive for just a few coins, Siga.”
A voice interrupted from beyond the gate, making the gatekeeper immediately stop speaking. The large door opened from the inside, revealing Seon-an’s smiling face.
“Ah, it was just a joke.”
The gatekeeper seemed surprised that Seon-an had overheard him and quickly backtracked. Seon-an scoffed but didn’t seem offended.
“And what’s so composed about this man? He flirts with every woman he sees.”
Well, maybe he was offended. The gatekeeper laughed awkwardly at Seon-an’s serious jab.
“Oh, young master, really.”
Thinking it was enough small talk, I patted the gatekeeper’s back a couple of times and grabbed Seon-an’s arm.
“An, I need to talk to you. It’s important.”
“This playboy—are you trying to charm even my servant now?”
“What are you saying?”
I pulled Seon-an’s arm as he grumbled, leading him into his room.
“I don’t know why you’re leading the way to my own room,” he complained but followed without resistance.
“Tea? We’ve just received some with a wonderful aroma. You’d love it.”
“No need.”
As soon as we entered the room, I closed the door behind us.
“You’re not having tea?”
Seon-an’s voice sounded confused as I took a seat.
“Why? You usually love the tea here.”
“It’s not your tea that I love, An. But Wolhyang, your family’s servant.”
Seon-an snorted.
“Is that supposed to be a boast? At least pretend to hide your intentions.”
“Fine. What I love is you.”
With my eyebrows raised as I said it, Seon-an clicked his tongue and waved his hand dismissively.
“Fishing for compliments, I see. Forget it. What’s this about? If you’re refusing even Wolhyang’s company, it must be serious.”
It was. Something unimaginably significant had happened.
I sighed lightly. If I told Seon-an, “I experienced the future and returned to the past. My disciple becomes emperor,” he’d probably freak out and cover my mouth.
Mentioning who would become emperor in the future could be seen as treasonous talk.
“An, you said your maternal family was involved in secretive, shadowy dealings.”
I avoided detailed explanations and cautiously brought up the topic.
At the mention of his maternal family, Seon-an’s eyebrows shot up, and he stared at me intently.
Seon-an’s maternal family, the Yu clan, was influential in the underworld, but Seon-an, who grew up among noble sons, didn’t hold them in high regard.
His expression was likely unpleasant because I brought them up; he often spoke of being ashamed of that side of his family.
“Is it possible to secure a safe hideout that no one would know about?”
But this was a matter of life and death. Clasping my hands together, I looked at him desperately.
“Maybe with a fake identity pass or something?”
For some reason, Seon-an simply stared at me with a hardened expression without saying a word.
“An?”
His face looked as rigid as weathered stone, so I called out worriedly.
“Are you upset because I brought up your maternal family? I’m sorry. It’s really urgent.”
But Seon-an seemed as if he had lost his voice, remaining silent. I didn’t know how long we stayed like that, but the wait became uncomfortable, so I cautiously called him again.
“An?”
At that moment, Seon-an’s expression turned chilling. In an instant, his hand was on my neck, gripping it.
“Who are you?”
To make things worse, this lunatic said something nonsensical.
And as if he had no intention of getting an answer, he didn’t loosen his grip.
My windpipe compressed, making it difficult to breathe, so I grabbed his neck in return.
It felt faster than trying to fight him off. We stayed like that, strangling each other for a while until he finally released me.
I wanted to hold on longer, but a violent fit of coughing erupted, making that impossible.
My waist bent involuntarily as I gasped.
I had no choice but to let go of his neck and pound my chest furiously.
The coughs left a raw, sore feeling in my throat before finally subsiding. I kept pounding my chest and glared at Seon-an.
Despite both of us having choked each other, he looked unaffected.
He gazed down at me with cold eyes, which only made my anger flare.
“You bastard. Are you crazy?”
Unable to hold back, I grabbed his collar. But Seon-an, this time, grabbed both of my wrists tightly and asked,
“Answer my question first. Who are you?”
“You piece of trash, that’s my question. Who are you? My friend An isn’t this violent.”
“!”
“And starting tomorrow, you’re no longer my friend. Strangling someone out of nowhere—”
It’s only been three days since I regressed after dying from poison.
To be strangled to death within three days would be too unfair, wouldn’t it?
Ah, my neck hurts so much. If I look in the mirror, there’ll be red marks on my neck. If I’m lucky, it’ll just be marks; if not, there could be dark bruises in the shape of handprints.
How long did I stand there fuming?
Tears welled up as the edges of my eyes grew hot, and just then, Seon-an let go of my wrists as if shaking me off and asked,
“Where did you hear about my maternal family?”
I shouted,
“From your own mouth!”
But as soon as I shouted, my heart sank.
Thinking back, I realized the timing of when Seon-an told me about his maternal family… was unclear.
It was true that he mentioned them in a past life, but I didn’t know exactly when.
I recalled it being after a drunken slip of the tongue. Seon-an’s eyes narrowed.
Damn it.
He must not have told me yet in this life. That’s why he was suspicious.
‘What do I do now?’
My heart thumped rapidly, like it was pounding against my head, urging me to resolve this situation quickly. Using quick thinking, I half-honestly confessed.
“You mentioned it when you were drunk.”
“When did I? I don’t remember that.”
“Of course, you wouldn’t remember! You were drunk! When I told you my sister had feelings for you, you mentioned your maternal family, saying you weren’t a match for her!”
Aside from the fact that this happened in a previous life, it was true.
When I drunkenly brought up Lin-hua, he had been distressed and used his maternal family as an excuse to refuse her.
Seon-an, who still didn’t know about Lin-hua’s feelings at this point, looked at me with bewildered eyes before his face fell.
“Lady Lin-hua has feelings for me?”
Just as planned, the conversation shifted from his maternal family to my sister. Internally, I sighed in relief, but I exaggeratedly ground my teeth out loud.
“She does. But there’s no way I’d let her be with someone who strangles people out of anger like you, you bastard.”
“!”
Seon-an looked shocked for a moment but soon gave a bitter smile.
“You’re right. I’m not worthy of your sister.”
Suddenly, he looked unexpectedly pitiful.
But I didn’t let myself get swept up by that and turned my head with a scoff, folding my arms.
As I firmly displayed my anger, Seon-an belatedly apologized.
“I’m sorry. I was suspicious because you knew about my mother’s secret, something I’ve told no one else…”
“What is there to be suspicious of? Who else would I hear it from if not you?”
“There have been some complicated matters. An assassin even showed up.”
“An assassin? An assassin came? To whom? You?”
“Well, yes. Something like that.”
He nonchalantly brushed off a shocking revelation and awkwardly stood up, suggesting,
“Either way, I’m sorry. I’ll help you find a safe house. But why do you need one all of a sudden?”
“I have my reasons.”
Using the same vague tone he did, Seon-an raised an eyebrow.
But as if acknowledging that he couldn’t ask me to divulge my reasons without doing the same himself, he shrugged and opened the door instead of pressing further.
“Follow me. As long as you have money, it’s not hard to arrange.”
***
Seon-an confidently led me out of the house and brought me to his usual haunt, the gambling den Cheongeum Suhwa. I hadn’t expected him to take me to a gambling den, so I stopped in surprise at the entrance and asked,
“Do we need to gamble for a hideout? Do we really have to go inside?”
Seon-an shook his head and lowered his voice.
“We’re not here to gamble. This gambling den belongs to my maternal family.”
“R-really?”
I didn’t even know that in my past life. I knew he often visited the den, but I thought it was just a hobby.
“Why did you think I came here so often?”
“Because you’re a gambler.”
Scowling, Seon-an pinched my arm before pulling me inside, urging me to follow.
‘If we get caught, my parents will kill me.’
I stared blankly at the door adorned with a crimson curtain that reached the floor, then shut my eyes tightly and stepped inside.
True to its reputation as the most luxurious gambling den in Hwaeum Capital, Cheongeum Suhwa was dazzling.
The floor, pillars, and ceiling were all gilded, and enormous translucent fabric flowers were draped everywhere. Inside those flower-adorned private rooms, people were gambling or drinking, and musicians performed on a stage at the center.
I froze for a moment in this unfamiliar setting.
“Huh?”
Seon-an, frowning at someone passing by, quickly tapped my arm and spoke in a low voice.
“Wait here. If any staff approach, just say you’re waiting under my name.”
“What about you?”
“Just a moment.”
With those words, Seon-an suddenly dashed off somewhere.
I had come all this way, following only him into this unfamiliar gambling den.
Now, I was abruptly left alone in this strange place.
Standing there, feeling flustered, passersby glanced at me and snickered amongst themselves. I must have looked ridiculous, standing awkwardly in my tidy scholar’s attire amidst this opulent gambling den.
Damn it.
What kind of situation had I gotten myself into while trying to secure a hideout?
I cursed internally but obediently stood as he told me, waiting for him to return. When a staff member came by to guide me to a room, I mentioned Seon-an’s name and declined.
Time dragged on for about a quarter of an hour.
Just as I began to feel tired, angry, and ready to leave, I heard a voice nearby that sent chills down my spine.
“Could it be… Master?”
“!”
—
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