Chapter 23
“This is an abduction!”
After a long pause, Moyong Hak finally spoke. His single statement was enough to make the atmosphere in the main hall tense.
“An abduction?”
“More specifically, we can view it as an abduction through coercion.”
Abduction.
The danger that word implied.
Moyong Guk, with a serious expression, urged Moyong Hak to explain further.
“Explain in detail!”
“We must focus on the phrase ‘no flower blooms for ten days’ that Hye-a wrote. There are various interpretations, but at least for now, we should take it to mean ‘beauty doesn’t last long.’”
“Why?”
“Because that phrase points directly to Lee Se-woong.”
“No flower blooms for ten days.”
Wasn’t that just her way of saying she wanted to get married before she got older?
“Think of Lee Se-woong’s appearance. He resembles a pretty boy, with not even a trace of masculine vigor, but doesn’t he have a face that would easily charm women?”
“What are you saying?”
“The phrase ‘no flower blooms for ten days’ is a warning not to be fooled by someone with a flashy appearance. It means that Lee Se-woong was deceiving our family!”
Moyong Hak spoke with certainty.
“Can you take responsibility for your words? The Lee Se-woong I know is an upright and considerate young man.”
“That’s exactly why I warned you that Hye-a must not fall for him! Why else would she write her age? Twenty-four. And then, ‘ten’ from the phrase. Two tens cross each other. Even the hurried handwriting matches the style of the secret codes I once taught her!”
The handwriting was simply rushed because she wrote it hastily.
Moyong Hye’s letter carried no hidden meaning. But the idea that she would abandon the family led to wild speculation. Even though there were slight differences from the codes Moyong Hak had once taught her.
“We must interpret this letter in reverse, except for the part about ‘wanting to live.’ This is a distress signal from Hye-a!”
“……”
“She’s saying that Lee Se-woong threatened her! She’s asking the family to mobilize all its resources to find her! We must immediately form a pursuit team and bring her back!”
Moyong Guk found it hard to believe. The image of the considerate Lee Se-woong still lingered in his mind.
“Why would he abduct Hye-a?”
“There could be many reasons. Isn’t he the one who beat up Chun and brought disgrace to our family in the first place? He could be after our family’s wealth. Or maybe his goal is simply to cause chaos within our family. Have you ever seen him show interest in any of our family’s possessions?”
Of course, that had never happened.
‘Wait.’
A memory flashed through Moyong Guk’s mind.
-Why not hand over a chest of Seoljungmae? Let him take it and figure out its secret.
Lee Se-woong had said this with what seemed like consideration. Could it have been a subtle hint at his hidden desire?
‘I trusted you!’
“It seems you have an idea. Patriarch, we must send out a pursuit team immediately!”
The firm belief that Moyong Hye would never run away.
A bit of misunderstanding and excessive speculation had now combined, pushing Moyong Guk to suppress his doubts and organize a pursuit team to find her.
***
Shaanxi Province.
A bustling place, home to major sects like Mount Hua and Zhongnan, attracting countless seekers of knowledge.
Wherever large crowds gathered, commerce thrived as a natural consequence. A long line of people stretched along the road.
‘I arrived earlier than expected.’
Despite leisurely enjoying the journey, taking time to explore, I had arrived a bit earlier than planned.
I had heard that Shaanxi’s noodle dishes were famous, so once I finished my tasks, I thought it wouldn’t be bad to try some.
“Oh my, Young Master. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
While looking around at the busy shops, someone tapped my shoulder and spoke to me.
What?
There shouldn’t be anyone here who knows me.
“Young Lady?”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
It was someone who shouldn’t be here.
Why are you here?
“To think we’d meet again in this distant place, Shaanxi.”
“Young Lady Moyong. Why are you here when you should be in Liaoning?”
“Well, I have some business to attend to. Truly, what a coincidence.”
“A coincidence?”
“Yes, a coincidence.”
Moyong Hye smiled softly as if she were truly lucky.
How could this be a coincidence?
Even at the time of our farewell, she had shown clear signs of reluctance.
‘The scented sachet.’
I remembered the gift she had given me.
The sachet, which I still kept close.
The fact that she had struggled to speak without sounding desperate was the issue.
She must have set up a way to track me by scent.
“Is it alright for you to leave the family unattended?”
“Of course. It’s been a while, so I’m taking a little break, like a vacation.”
First, she said she had business, then she said it was a vacation.
Her words didn’t match up.
And her eyes were avoiding mine, as if she had something to hide.
This woman, she’s lying.
“Very well. Rest well and return safely.”
“Wait, Young Master!”
Even if I pressed her for answers now, I wouldn’t get anything worthwhile. I had to act as if I wasn’t interested.
I had to let her become impatient first.
“Oh, right. You enjoy noodle dishes, don’t you, Young Master?”
From then on, Moyong Hye persistently followed me around.
“So, a pavilion, huh? You certainly have an eye for refined tastes.”
At first, she pretended it was just a coincidence. But now, she blatantly stayed by my side.
“Oh my, Young Master. To think we’d even end up staying at the same inn. Fate really is something, isn’t it?”
“……”
She had even followed me to the inn I had chosen.
And now she sat naturally next to me, her face filled with a casual smile that was starting to irritate me.
“This place is too shabby for a lady like you to stay.”
“Oh, come on. How can you be picky while traveling? Just think of it as one more memory to cherish.”
I tried to persuade her, avoiding the innkeeper’s sharp gaze, but Moyong Hye remained unmoved.
“Why are you doing this?”
“Oh my. Anyone listening would think I’m following you around all day.”
But that’s exactly what you’re doing.
Though she brazenly answered with a straight face, when I pretended to look stern, her expression quickly wilted.
“Young Lady, are you going to keep brushing this off as a joke?”
“It’s not like that… I…”
“I think I’ve already answered your feelings. Haven’t I?”
In a way, perhaps the fault lies with me for not tying things off clearly.
That thought crept into my mind, making my tone inadvertently firmer. I couldn’t accept her feelings. That’s why I tried to let her down gently, and Moyong Hye seemed to understand.
But to think she would track me down using the scented sachet.
“Here, I’m returning this to you.”
“What?”
“I never imagined you would use the scent to track me. To think you’d hide such a trick in a farewell gift… Frankly, I’m disappointed, Young Lady.”
I took the scented sachet from my pocket and handed it to her.
That was my way of rejecting her.
Moyong Hye, trembling as she held the sachet.
She looked pitiful, but it couldn’t be helped.
“What are you saying right now!”
Suddenly, Moyong Hye shouted.
“Using the scent to track you? Do you really see me as such a sinister woman?”
“?”
“This is just a sachet I’ve always used. I gave it to you because I hoped you’d think of me from time to time! How could you twist it into something like that…”
Wait a minute.
This isn’t what I thought.
“You’ve always judged me like this, haven’t you? I know that thanks to that brute, Moyong Chun, our family’s reputation was tainted in your eyes. But this is too much! If you don’t like me, just say so. Did you really need to crush my feelings so cruelly just to feel satisfied?”
“Young Lady, that’s not what I meant…”
“How did I know where you were going? Isn’t it obvious? You said you were running an errand for the Murim Lord. You’re also engaged to Namgung Yeon-hee!”
To think I’ve been driven to say something like this!
Moyong Hye, her face flushing, continued to speak indignantly.
“In Shaanxi lives Master Samahyeong, right? It’s well-known throughout the world that the Murim Lord asks him to read people’s fortunes before allowing anyone into his family. You’re supposed to be his son-in-law; how could you not know that?”
How was I supposed to know?
Namgung Hyuk, you old man.
If that were the case, you should have written it in your letter!
“I know. I know that you don’t have any feelings for me. That’s why, even for the short time you stayed at our family’s estate, I just wanted to be by your side. It’s just that… it ended too suddenly.”
“……”
“I came here because I wanted to shake off my lingering feelings and spend a bit more time with you, just to have you in my sight. But if this is how you misunderstand me and see me as a shameless woman…”
Moyong Hye stood up and said softly.
“You might as well have told me to get lost back then.”
It was the same cold tone I had heard from her once before.
But it was the first time it had been directed at me.
“Was I wrong to assume?”
A product of my poor imagination.
No, perhaps it was a lack of information.
“What a handsome face, but what a mess inside!”
“To make such a beautiful lady cry!”
“Boo, trash!”
The surroundings became noisy.
Those who had vaguely overheard my conversation with Moyong Hye.
Somehow, I had become trash, a scoundrel who wronged a woman!
“Young Lady, wait. You should at least finish your meal before you go!”
“I’ve lost my appetite.”
“I was wrong. Please, let’s just eat and clear up this misunderstanding, alright?”
I grabbed Moyong Hye’s wrist as she was about to leave.
A moment of hesitation.
Thankfully, she didn’t immediately pull away. As I tugged her wrist gently, she reluctantly sat back down.
“The journey must have worn me out, affecting my mood. Please, forgive me for my mistake, would you?”
“…On one condition.”
“A condition?”
“Let me call you ‘Oppa’.”
**T/n: “Oppa” (오빠) is a Korean term used by a female to refer to an older male. It can mean “older brother” when addressing a sibling, but it is also commonly used to refer to a close male friend or a boyfriend who is older than the speaker.**
She said, turning her head away and pouting slightly.
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