Show Me Your Face (1)
Tap, tap.
“Gah!”
The sudden touch startled him so badly the table rattled.
He’d been nudged awake in his sleep.
It was Dang Ihwa.
“It’s time.”
He looked out the window. The sky was still a dim, dusky blue.
Baek Wontae got to his feet and twisted his stiff body, then handed Ihwa a long robe.
“Put this on. Someone might see us on the way out.”
Ihwa took the robe and covered her upper body with it, just as she had the day before.
Creak—
The hallway was quiet.
Not a soul could be heard.
It was the hour when everyone was sunk in a deep sleep.
They moved forward carefully.
Baek Wontae said in a low voice, “Whatever happens, don’t say a word. I’ll handle everything.”
Ihwa nodded.
On the first floor of the inn, only the owner and the servants were already busy at work from dawn.
No one else was around.
“…No one here?”
Baek Wontae’s gaze swept the area.
There was no sign of anyone from the Dang Clan.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Just as they were about to head out—
“Wait a moment!”
He froze.
A voice stabbed into the back of his skull.
He thought he’d heard it somewhere before.
A voice he absolutely did not want to run into.
The worst possible timing.
From the hallway opposite them, a young man in Dang Clan robes stepped out.
He had just returned after visiting the old man who’d come to the inn early that morning to pay his respects.
And now, by sheer bad luck, he’d stumbled onto an opportunity.
“I have business with the person wearing the robe. May I have a moment of your time?”
Ihwa tensed. Baek Wontae did the math.
If they bolted now, it would only arouse suspicion.
So—
He needed to create a situation where no suspicion could even take root.
Slowly, he turned to face the man.
A tall young man with sharp features.
Anyone seeing him for the first time would have flinched.
But Baek Wontae wasn’t that kind of person.
He spoke calmly. “What business do you have with my wife?”
“…!!”
The answer was completely unexpected.
Beneath the robe, Ihwa’s face went hot.
W-what… did he just say…?
Then she remembered what Baek Wontae had said only minutes ago.
Don’t say a word. I’ll handle everything.
So that’s what he meant…?
Her heart started hammering.
Embarrassment and tension hit at once.
But she couldn’t let the situation go to waste.
Ihwa gripped the hem of the robe tightly and held her breath.
“Ah, your wife.” The young man cupped his hands in greeting. “I’m Dang Rim, a branch disciple of the Dang Clan. I’m sorry, but I must confirm something.”
His gaze shifted to Ihwa.
“May I ask why your wife is wearing a robe?”
“My wife’s shy. She doesn’t like showing her face outside.”
“I see.”
Dang Rim stepped closer.
“If it isn’t too rude, could I see her face for just a moment—”
“That would be rude.”
The answer was short and firm.
Dang Rim’s steps stopped dead.
“…”
He couldn’t back down here.
The matter of finding the Dang Clan’s runaway.
That was justice, and a chance to climb the ladder.
“The truth is, there’s someone wanted by the Dang Clan. The details are confidential, but… it involves a serious crime. As a member of the clan, it’s my duty to investigate.”
Baek Wontae’s brow twitched ever so slightly.
“What does that have to do with my wife?”
Dang Rim steadied his gaze.
“It wasn’t intentional, but last night… I caught a glimpse of a lady in a robe here at the inn.”
His eyes seemed to bore into the back of Ihwa’s head.
“Her eyes… looked like someone from the Dang Clan. Of course, I could be mistaken. But there’s no harm in checking, is there?”
The air in the hallway turned icy.
Cold sweat beaded in Ihwa’s palm.
Sweat also trickled down the back of Dang Rim’s neck.
“Checking, huh…”
Baek Wontae’s voice sank lower.
“You mean you want to forcibly strip my wife’s robe off?”
Dang Rim waved both hands frantically.
“Of course not! Forcibly? No, no. If you allow it, then just for a second—”
“Why should I allow it?”
Dang Rim blinked, as if the question itself were strange.
“Huh? Because you’re her husband….”
“If you want to see my wife’s face, you ask my wife. Why are you asking me?”
Dang Rim went blank for a moment.
Wasn’t it only natural for a husband to decide matters concerning his wife?
Still, what he said wasn’t wrong.
If you wanted something, asking the person concerned directly was also proper.
Only then did he realize how impatient he’d been.
As a disciple of a prestigious family that valued etiquette, he’d allowed urgency to make him crude.
But that sort of etiquette was nothing more than bait for Baek Wontae.
He let out a low breath and steadied himself.
Fortunately, this world wasn’t so bad that men could just call to women on the street, “Hey, chick!”
Dang Rim wasn’t that sort of man either.
He took a step back and bowed politely.
“Ah… yes. My apologies. Then, madam, may I have your permission to see your face for a moment?”
“What do you think?”
Baek Wontae turned his head.
“Want to?”
Ihwa shook her head.
“She says no. If she says no, drop it. And didn’t you just say something about a serious crime?”
His tone had gone colder.
“Are you treating my wife like a criminal now?”
The words spilled out without pause.
“Let me be clear: my wife has absolutely nothing to do with the Dang Clan. Do you have any idea how rude it is to try to humiliate my wife over such a disgusting reason?”
Baek Wontae clicked his tongue.
“Let’s stop here. We’ve got an early carriage to catch. Come on, honey.”
“……”
A stiff look crossed Dang Rim’s face.
Was it really this hard to see one face?
Still, there was another way.
Bribery.
The travel allowance the Dang Clan had given him for escorting a senior elder was substantial.
Dang Rim thought that might solve this.
He called after the pair heading for the exit.
“I’ll pay you! I’ll upgrade your carriage to the best one available, and I’ll give you plenty of travel money too! Just let me confirm it once!”
Baek Wontae stopped dead.
A smile spread invisibly at the corners of his mouth.
Right. If he’s really desperate, money’s the first thing that comes up.
He’d been waiting for this.
He drew in a deep breath and deliberately furrowed his brow.
Then, as though suddenly enraged, he whipped his head around.
“What did you say? Money? You think my wife is some courtesan who strips for a fee?”
Dang Rim’s face filled with panic.
“N-no, that’s not what I meant! Please, calm down—”
“Calm down?”
Baek Wontae’s voice rose higher.
“You want me to calm down? After you’ve stained my wife with sexual humiliation? How dare you harass another man’s wife at dawn!”
Dang Rim flushed red from neck to ears.
It was a counterattack he’d never anticipated.
This can’t be… I thought if I offered that much money, he’d at least pretend to be reluctant and let it go…
Instead, he’d somehow become a sexual harasser.
Cold sweat poured down his back.
“T-then, just her eyes—”
“Her eyes? Eyes~?”
Baek Wontae’s mouth twisted.
“Wow, you’re not just a pervert, you’re a full-blown one. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul, and you want to buy that with money? Are all Dang Clan members this twisted? So much for the laws of Sichuan!”
At that, both Dang Rim and Ihwa were startled.
Normally, anyone who insulted the Dang Clan on Sichuan soil got paid back tenfold by a Dang Clan member on the spot.
But Dang Rim was fundamentally a decent man.
And however much he was from the Dang Clan, he knew what situation he was in.
He’d tried to use something as vulgar as money to look at a married woman’s face.
It was a clear disadvantage, the worst move possible.
And the opponent standing in front of him was Baek Wontae.
A man who combined the relentless tenacity of an alligator snapping turtle with the slyness of a fox, and never let go once he bit down.
He’d picked the wrong enemy.
So he had to step back first.
Lowering his head, he bit his lip.
“…I’m sorry. I was careless. But I would ask that you refrain from insulting the Dang Clan in front of other Dang Clan members.”
He bowed deeply.
“And I sincerely apologize to madam as well. This was my personal failing and has nothing to do with the Dang Clan. Please don’t misunderstand the clan as a whole….”
“Good, then stop trying to stop us.”
“……”
Dang Rim remained frozen with his head bowed.
It wasn’t only because of the shame of his mistake.
Do I really let them go like this?
What if she… was kin to that evil thief?
No one in the Dang Clan had found a trace of the wanted man.
It had been sixteen years since he’d fled.
The only clue left was that he had a wife, a son, and a daughter.
But as time passed, the order had become more and more of a formality.
There was no way to find him in the vast land of Sichuan.
No—he might have already left Sichuan altogether.
An impossible mission.
A forgotten order with no result anyone could expect.
But.
If I were the one to catch that clue?
Then he would be avenging the Dang Clan’s enemy, while also erasing the stain of his own incompetence.
It would be the road to justice, to shedding the yoke of being a branch disciple, to finally becoming a Dang Clan man who was recognized.
The woman in front of him might be innocent.
But right now, that didn’t matter.
He had already failed too many times, and he was far too desperate.
Dang Rim drew a deep breath.
He decided to use the drastic measure.
“…It’s a murder case.”
He stiffened.
The two of them stopped walking.
“The ‘confidential matter’ I mentioned earlier.”
Dang Rim’s voice sank.
“It’s a murder case within the Dang Clan.”