Chapter 39. You Must Want to Die Right Now
Yang Yeon-seo and So Sansan fixed their gazes solely on Won Seung, which filled Jong Wonbo with jealousy and twisted resentment.
Pulling a straight face, he spoke up.
"Last time I saw Pung the scholar, you mentioned having barely a few coins to your name. Yet in just a few days, you've scraped together enough to open this fancy painting shop? I'd love to know your secret. Did you perhaps cozy up to some rich lady?"
He burst into loud laughter right after.
"Haha, just kidding. With your good looks, all sorts of thoughts cross my mind. Anyway, you're one inscrutable guy. A branch of the Pachu Pung clan, you say? I'm dying to know what makes you tick."
Jong Wonbo's intent was clear: Won Seung was suspicious. All eyes turned to him.
So Yeonggwan's gaze in particular was sharp enough to pierce straight to his guts.
Won Seung's background was indeed murky.
But So Sansan and Yang Yeon-seo, having heard his story the day before, fidgeted anxiously.
This bastard? You must want to die right now.
Swallowing his boiling rage, Won Seung forced a smile.
"Qingxiang Baixian deepens with every sip. People grow on you the more you get to know them, too."
He brushed it off lightly, then stood with an "Ah."
"I almost forgot the gifts for you two ladies."
With that, he headed into the inner room.
Jong Bi paced nervously inside.
She'd barely hidden Ogu, but with the Taesu in the shop, her legs felt like jelly.
"Ogu?"
"Stuffed him in the outhouse."
Poor Ogu...
Escaping the prison only to end up in the privy.
No time to worry about him now. Won Seung glared at Jong Bi and handed her a silk pouch.
"Go to the medicine room and catch five or six wasps."
"Wasps? Why wasps?"
Won Seung's medicine room was stocked with everything from venomous snakes to toads.
"There's someone who needs killing... Grab the biggest, nastiest ones."
Won Seung explained, then selected three small vials from the shelf, tucked them into a wooden box, and returned to the shop.
"What's this?"
As Won Seung set the box on the table, So Sansan and Yang Yeon-seo leaned in eagerly.
"You honored my opening day, so I can't send you away empty-handed. A small token from me."
Won Seung opened the box and handed So Sansan a turquoise jade vial.
"Dip a finger in the perfume and dab it behind your ears."
So Sansan uncorked the vial, touched her finger to the opening, and tilted it. A cool green liquid clung to her skin.
She applied it behind both ears, and a refreshing watermelon scent wafted up.
"Oh! Isn't this watermelon?"
So Sansan shook her head in surprise, spreading the aroma through the room.
So Yeonggwan marveled.
"Cool and elegant—quite refined."
Yang Yeon-seo perked up.
"Got one for me too?"
"Of course."
Won Seung grinned and offered a pale pink jade vial. Yang Yeon-seo dabbed the liquid behind her ears.
A fresh peach scent bloomed instantly.
This time, Yang Dae-hyeon was impressed.
"Yeon-seo, it suits you perfectly."
Yang Yeon-seo's cheeks flushed like peach blossoms.
Won Seung smiled.
"I blended these thinking of you both. For Miss So, something elegant and simple to match your refined poise; for Miss Yang, fresh and lingering to echo your gentle charm. Glad you like them."
Everyone was stunned to hear he'd made the perfumes himself.
"Tending flowers naturally teaches you scents."
Won Seung downplayed it humbly.
So Sansan eyed the remaining red vial.
"This one's for Sister Yeo-wol?"
"That red hue looks intense. Without her here, we'll never know the scent."
Yang Yeon-seo couldn't tear her eyes from it, regretting she couldn't sniff it now. Won Seung chuckled.
"Miss Hwa excels in both letters and arms, so I went bold and cool. You'll find out later."
Curious about what suited Hwa Yeo-wol, no one dared uncork it.
But Jong Wonbo snatched it up and popped the cork anyway.
His lust for Hwa Yeo-wol—his top target—overrode restraint.
He laughed heartily, dipping a finger in the liquid and dabbing it behind his ear.
"Everyone's dying to know, so I'll take the heat and tell you."
So Sansan and Yang Yeon-seo frowned. Jong Wonbo's antics were downright creepy.
Pretending ignorance, he closed his eyes and sniffed deeply.
That's right! Knew you'd fall for it.
Won Seung sneered inwardly and asked.
"What scent is it?"
No need to ask—everyone caught the thick honey aroma.
Jong Wonbo said flatly.
"Honey? Might as well slather on actual honey."
"Oh? Then maybe I need to rethink Miss Hwa's perfume."
Won Seung feigned disappointment, and So Sansan and Yang Yeon-seo cried out together.
"No! Sister Yeo-wol adores honey flowers. Perfect match."
"Still, with Senior Jong saying that, I'm not so sure."
The Taesu had little interest in the youngsters' bickering. After watching idly, he rose.
"Tea drunk, now for the paintings. Wonder what makes Sansan rave so."
With a casual remark, he slipped behind the screen.
"Mm!"
A groan escaped immediately.
So Yeonggwan, prouder of his eye for art than anyone present, gaped at the five paintings before him.
These are copies?
Three of the five he'd seen with his own eyes in life, even copying them countless times to relive the thrill.
He'd secretly kept his best attempts for private viewing...
Yet these surpassed the originals in places, matching their essence perfectly.
So Yeonggwan was instantly entranced.
Ooh... This brushwork—finer than the original.
Yes, that was the flaw I sensed. Less melancholy here... This copy breathes everyday poetry.
The other two he'd only read praises of, never seen.
His knees buckled, and he sank to the floor.
So this is Xiang River Cloud Fragment! Far beyond the descriptions! That ethereal aura defies words.
Tears welled in So Yeonggwan's moved eyes, spilling over.
The guards and warriors escorting him nearby panicked.
The Taesu, crying?
A first. They'd never seen this side.
The Taesu they knew was stern as steel.
So Yeonggwan caught his slip.
"Something in my eye."
He wiped his cheeks with his sleeve.
Then he noticed five more paintings on the opposite wall he'd missed.
He hurried across the central table space.
Oh!
Three unfamiliar ones here. Two he'd glimpsed fleetingly in youth.
That's from the imperial collection. That one's Seongwangbu...
Lost in rapture, So Yeonggwan suddenly snapped back and glanced at Won Seung.
What schemes does this kid have?
Sangyang's martial world teetered on storm's edge, and Taesu So Yeonggwan watched his domain's unrest without blinking.
He already knew Won Seung's origins.
Suspicion bloomed.
Animals die chasing bait; men, lured by desires. He'd never shared his love of paintings beyond close kin.
Yet...
Won Guksa's son, using a false name, shoves these masterpieces under my nose? What's his game?
So Yeonggwan was ambitious. Thrust into this post amid faction wars, he eyed a return to the capital.
He built merits here while tracking central powers.
One wrong step, and I'll be pulverized in Won Guksa and Seong Wang's power struggle!
Chill ran down his spine. No heart for art now.
"Ahem!"
So Yeonggwan skimmed the rest and emerged.
Yang Dae-hyeon smiled.
"Impressive, right? Copies, but masterful."
"Indeed. Worth collecting."
Won Seung, overhearing, went to the wall, unhooked the Xiang River Cloud Fragment, rolled it, and slipped it into a long bamboo tube.
He approached So Yeonggwan and offered it with both hands.
"What’s this mean?"
"You graced my opening day. Can't not repay you. Please accept."
"Hey now!"
So Yeonggwan feigned outrage.
"I'm no paragon of integrity, but I don't take bribes. Quite displeased."
"It's just a copy. Warriors die for those who see their worth. Paintings need owners who truly appreciate them for proper honor, no?"
Won Seung's casual words struck So Yeonggwan deeply.
Paintings need owners who truly see them? Telling me to side with Won Guksa?
A sudden thought froze his face.
Accept, and I'm Won Guksa's man. Refuse, and his enemy!
Overly cautious, So Yeonggwan misunderstood.
He viewed the Gwancheonbang-Cheongsu Gate standoff from afar because he grasped the undercurrents.
Gwancheonbang backed by Seong Wang, per his intel.
That outed, Won Guksa would intervene.
The two dueled evenly now.
Join rashly, and defeat meant losing career—or life.
He'd planned to back the winner...
Not face sudden overtures.
Won Guksa knows Seong Wang's pulling Gwancheonbang's strings...
Won Seung was shocked at So Yeonggwan's grim face.
A official turning down a bribe!
Then he realized his blunder. Even a copy, openly given, bred rumors.
Won Seung quickly covered.
"Actually, this is Miss So's gift for her father. She paid yesterday. Just brought it today since I wasn't sure which you'd fancy."
He flashed the opening gift money from So Sansan.
Yang Dae-hyeon mediated.
"Ah, so that's it. Sansan's filial piety shines. Taesu, accept your daughter's gift."
"Ahem, is that so? Sansan, you should've said—nearly spoiled the mood."
So Yeonggwan reluctantly took the tube. Secretly pleased at the masterpiece, copy or not.
Still, for courtesy:
"Taking it leaves an empty spot. Can't hoard such gems—leave it hung awhile."
After his bluster, accepting as "daughter's gift" felt awkward otherwise.