The Wait
Meeting those eyes filled with suspicion, Cheongwol immediately regretted her rash action.
Having resolved upon revenge, she ought to have prepared for the worst at every turn.
But the water was already spilled. As the young master of the Dang Clan, he would never fall for a clumsy lie — and even if she revealed the truth, whether she could reclaim the jade remained doubtful.
Caught between impossible choices, the situation began tilting steadily toward disaster.
If I abandon the jade and push the Sunflower Manual to its extreme, I might still escape.
My friend will be put in a difficult position, but first I have to get out of this crisis.
How am I supposed to leave Sichuan soil with the Dang Clan on my heels? Far from revenge, I'll soon be meeting my grandfather wandering the nine heavens.
As her mind reeled, the hallucinations tightened around Cheongwol's heart once more.
She had expected it was no ordinary jade — but of all things, for it to be entangled with the Dang Clan.
That master of yours — did she truly not know it would come to this?
"..."
At that final hallucination, striking like a bolt of lightning, Cheongwol's barely holding mind began to crumble.
Unhak had told her that the hallucinations were no different from another self — one that grew by gnawing at the doubts nestled in the heart.
But a hallucination that doubted Soga-yul?
Had she truly gone mad?
Cold sweat began to bead, and her lips trembled — and then a warm hand closed over Cheongwol's.
"...Seo-a."
Ak Seo-a gave Cheongwol a gentle smile, then turned to Dang Gangjin with earnest gravity.
"Brother. I have no intention of presumptuously meddling in clan affairs. But it seems Cheongwol has circumstances she cannot reveal either — so for my sake, couldn't you let this one slide?"
Even asking in an uncharacteristically ordinary manner, there was no reason it should work. Dang Gangjin was the young master of the Sichuan Dang Clan, one of the Six Great Clans, and he had a duty to uncover the truth about the jade.
That should have been the case.
"Seo-a. If you make such a small request sound so heavy, I'll be quite hurt."
For some reason, Dang Gangjin simply looked at Ak Seo-a with a bright, open smile.
"You always say that. And you never ask anything of me either."
"I do have things I want — but those are things I must work for myself, not you."
Only after seeing Ak Seo-a's smile did Dang Gangjin turn his gaze back to Cheongwol.
"I can roughly tell you have circumstances you cannot speak of. Given Seo-a's words as well, I won't press for every detail… but there is one thing I must address. Is that all right?"
Cheongwol, whose tension had been about to ease, clenched her hands tightly atop her knees.
"…If it's something I can answer."
"Good."
Dang Gangjin's gaze, softer than before, settled on Cheongwol.
"The owner of the jade — was that person precious to you?"
It was a question that, even without a clear answer, roughly allowed him to guess the relationship between Cheongwol and the jade's owner. But knowing he had already conceded a great deal, Cheongwol slowly nodded.
"Yes. That person is very precious to me."
Hearing the answer he had more or less expected, Dang Gangjin inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. In truth, he had no particular desire to know everything either.
Judging by the jade meticulously crafted into a flower shape, the precious person Cheongwol spoke of was surely a woman. Moreover, as far as he knew, the only person within the clan who could dare inscribe the principles of Dang Clan martial arts was roughly his father.
If a man and woman exchanged a jade to that degree, they were clearly intimate — so even if he dug into it, it would only cause strife with no benefit to the clan. There was nothing good about finding out clearly, and Cheongwol also seemed reluctant to reveal the jade's owner, as if she had her own circumstances.
So ending it here would be best for both of them.
The problem, however, was the strange sense of familiarity he had felt from Cheongwol since first entering the room.
Could Father have given this to another woman…
If he uncovered the truth, not only would his mother be shocked — the clan head's authority itself could be damaged if things went wrong. Yet if he simply covered it up and moved on, that face which strangely resembled his younger sister Dang Sohye kept bothering him.
Choose the clan, or pursue personal curiosity.
In a moment's deliberation, he ultimately decided to choose both.
…I should send a letter and inquire about the jade.
Thinking that, Dang Gangjin somehow felt much more at ease.
"I understand. Thank you for answering honestly."
Having unexpectedly recovered the jade so easily, Cheongwol stared at him blankly.
"…You're really not going to ask anything more?"
"Is there more you'd like to say? It didn't seem that way."
Despite Dang Gangjin's leisurely yet sly attitude, for some reason Cheongwol couldn't find him dislikeable. Even with Ak Seo-a's request, he had prevented a situation that could have gone terribly wrong — so it was only natural.
"That was everything. Thank you, Young Master."
When Cheongwol offered a simple bow of courtesy, Dang Gangjin chuckled.
"Our Sohye could stand to learn a bit from this."
"Oh right — is Sohye doing well?"
When Dang Sohye's name came up, Ak Seo-a leaned forward slightly and asked Dang Gangjin.
"Who knows. Ever since the young master of the Seomun Clan arrived, I haven't been able to catch so much as a glimpse of her face."
After ending the brief meeting with Dang Gangjin, the two returning to their room wore strangely similar expressions.
…An engagement with Lady Dang…
She had thought that once the problem that had long tormented her was resolved, all she needed to do was find the courage to convey her feelings. Though no formal words had been exchanged yet, the fact that he had gone out of his way to visit the Dang Clan suggested he wasn't entirely without feelings either.
But since when had this been the case? Even when they occasionally appeared at the gatherings of the next generation, the two had shown not the slightest hint of such things.
"Haa…"
Just as Ak Seo-a was about to let out a deep sigh, Cheongwol's sigh from beside her brushed her ear first. She had claimed to be friends with Seomun Hwi before — so why was she sighing like that?
"What is it, Lady Cheongwol?"
At Ak Seo-a's question, now back to her usual manner of speech, Cheongwol made an awkward face.
"It's nothing. Just a few things on my mind."
She said that, but seeing her eyes tremble far more violently than when she had spoken with Dang Gangjin, there was clearly something.
"…Is it perhaps because of Young Master Seomun Hwi?"
"Huh?"
Whether she intended to hide her feelings or not — seeing Cheongwol startle and flinch, a smile spread across Ak Seo-a's lips unbidden.
"So it is. It's all right. This humble one was also rather surprised by the talk of Young Master Seomun Hwi's engagement."
If only that were all.
From parting at the Kongdong Sect, becoming a woman, and arriving at the Dang Clan — Cheongwol realized she had forgotten one truly important fact.
Hwi doesn't know I've become a woman.
Before leaving the Kongdong Sect, she had written in a letter that there had been some changes due to martial arts — but given that he was here, he clearly hadn't even read that. If they met like this, never mind whether he would recognize her — she would end up revealing to Ak Seo-a that she had originally been a man.
…This lecher. And yet he shamelessly shared a bed and bathed with me?
Imagining Ak Seo-a's face filled with contempt, Cheongwol swallowed dryly. She hadn't intended it, but once she had started deceiving, she couldn't afford to be found out until the end. That alone was the only path for the two of them to remain friends.
"…Seo-a, thank you for helping me earlier when I was talking with the Young Master."
"Between friends, it is only natural. And compared to what Lady Cheongwol has done for this humble one's younger brother, it is nothing at all."
"I don't think of it that way… but then, may I ask one more favor?"
Sensing from the troubled look that this was no ordinary matter, Ak Seo-a's expression also grew serious.
"Speak freely. This humble one will help with anything that concerns Lady Cheongwol!"
"Thank you!"
Unlike her usual composed demeanor, Cheongwol's sudden grab of her hands left Ak Seo-a briefly flustered.
"So, what would you have me help with?"
Cheongwol took a moment to steady her breath, then opened her mouth in a voice that seemed to shrink away.
"…Could you ask Hwi to come to the room where we're staying? There are things we need to talk about, just the two of us."
Wanting to share a long-awaited reunion was understandable — but just the two of them? Ak Seo-a's face darkened unbidden.
"Lady Cheongwol, so you too have feelings for Young Master Seomun Hwi…"
"No! Absolutely not!"
Cheongwol desperately wanted to know which part of her words always invited such misunderstandings. The frantic denial left her feeling oddly mixed, but if the person herself said otherwise, what more was there to say?
"Very well. I need to greet Lady Dang anyway, so I'll convey Lady Cheongwol's words as well while I'm at it."
Hearing the agreement, Cheongwol finally seemed to relax and smiled.
"I'm glad I became friends with you."
Seeing her throw her arms around her without controlling her emotions, she was certainly different from usual — far too different. That change felt a little strange, yet also brought joy.
"This humble one is likewise glad to have become friends with Lady Cheongwol."