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Chapter 25
Honestly, she looked beautiful.
But with her long, slender arms and legs fully on display, and the outfit cinched tightly around her narrow waist, something twisted inside him, and his mouth went dry for no reason.
“Miss, your usual clothes suit you better.”
Like a mischievous little boy teasing the girl he liked, Un answered gruffly.
The moment the words left his mouth, he worried he might have hurt her feelings and was about to apologize, but Hari fired back before he had the chance.
“Oh, please. Your robe looks better too, Sir.”
“Hmph.”
Turning away with a pout, Hari’s cheeks puffed up adorably.
A rabbit.
She had said she was twenty. She was already a grown woman, yet she kept looking as cute as a little rabbit.
It made him want to do everything for her, like taking care of a child.
Is it because of Seon?
Un answered himself silently.
Perhaps it was because he had a younger sibling around Hari’s age. Maybe that was why he couldn’t stop watching her, why she seemed so endearing.
Still, there had to be boundaries.
“Let’s go. We have to finish before the watch drum sounds.”
Hari headed toward the door. For today’s operation, she intended to follow Un’s lead.
He really looks like a professional.
It was her first time seeing someone who looked so perfectly suited to black.
His loose robe had looked impressive enough, but contrary to what she’d told him earlier, this perfectly fitted black outfit suited him far better.
And with a sword hanging at his waist…
He looked exactly like one of those deadly swordsmen from martial arts films.
Suddenly, Hari realized what Un had that she lacked.
Stopping just before the door, she turned around.
“Please give me a sword too, Sir.”
Un hesitated.
“Do you know how to use one?”
“No.”
“Then no.”
Hari gave up without much resistance.
Even she thought it would be dangerous to hand a sword to a woman who had never even held one before.
Still, looking further ahead…
She knew she would need one.
Because the country can’t protect everyone.
The terrifying rumor Maldong had told her today resurfaced in her mind.
Opening the door and slipping her feet into the black shoes waiting on the stone step, Hari said,
“Sir, once this is over, please teach me swordsmanship. I’ll pay you generously. Ah! And teach me how to ride a horse too.”
Un looked at the small, delicate hand gripping the corner of the wooden porch.
Those tiny, graceful hands didn’t belong with a sword.
“Instead of thinking about holding a sword yourself, hire someone who’s good with one if you ever need protection.”
He paused.
“Like the government.”
“I can’t hire you every single time. You said you’re busy. And what if I need one when you’re not around?”
Un tilted his head slightly.
Beneath his thick eyelashes, his dark eyes carefully examined Hari.
“What would an oejibu ever need a sword for? Are you planning something dangerous without telling me?”
An oejibu was someone who held a brush, not a sword.
She had never shown the slightest interest in weapons before, yet today she was oddly insistent.
It made him suspicious.
An oejibu specializing in divorce cases had no reason to carry a sword everywhere.
Deep in thought, Un’s brow furrowed.
“Has someone been threatening you?”
Hari raised an eyebrow.
The suggestion was so absurd that she simply stayed silent.
Unfortunately, her silence only made Un’s expression darker.
“Tell me.”
His voice grew even more serious.
“Do you ever feel like someone’s watching you?”
He truly looked worried.
If she let him keep misunderstanding, he looked ready to run straight to the police bureau.
Hari quickly shook her head.
“No. I just want to be prepared for the worst.”
“Ah…”
Relieved, Un stepped down into the courtyard before looking back at her.
“If you notice anything suspicious, even once, tell me.”
“Why? Will you teach me swordsmanship then?”
Her eyes sparkled like stars scattered across the night sky as she looked up at him.
For a moment, Un wanted to pretend he hadn’t heard and simply grant her wish.
Instead, he hurriedly turned his head away.
“I won’t.”
Once you learned something, there would inevitably come a day when you’d use it.
If you knew how to cook, you’d end up cooking.
If you knew how to sew, you’d eventually earn money sewing.
Hari herself had become an oejibu because she knew the law.
If she learned swordsmanship, she would someday have to use it.
He only hoped that someone devoted to saving people would never have to stain her hands with blood.
Hari stuck out her lower lip in dissatisfaction.
“But I’m paying you. Didn’t you say Punguibang will do anything as long as the client pays?”
“That’s when it’s someone else.”
“But we are strangers.”
At those words, Un stopped walking.
The gentle air surrounding him suddenly turned as cold as a winter field.
What? Did I push too hard?
Still, Hari had her reasons for insisting.
It was because of the rumor Maldong had told her earlier that evening.
If he really refuses, I’ll ask someone else.
Was his name Siyoung?
She didn’t know Siyoung very well, but anyone could tell he was an exceptionally skilled swordsman.
Learning from him probably wouldn’t be as comfortable as learning from Un.
Even so, she wanted to learn so badly that she no longer cared about such details.
“I understand, Sir. I won’t ask you anymore, so please don’t look so upset.”
“Are you really that determined to learn the sword? If that’s the case, make time. I’ll teach you.”
“A moment ago you said you wouldn’t.”
“You said we’re ‘strangers,’ didn’t you? Then let’s treat it as a commission.”
His voice became oddly stiff.
“I gave you my back to climb over the wall, hid you inside the storage shed, and after all that, we’re still ‘strangers’? Then I suppose I should treat you properly… like strangers.”
Hari blinked.
“Wait… are you pouting right now?”
She let out an incredulous breath.
A grown man getting sulky over being called a stranger…
Why is that so adorable?
She didn’t know Un’s exact age, but she was certain he was younger than Jeong Hari had been in Seocho-dong.
Seeing him wear his feelings so openly, she couldn’t bring herself not to comfort him.
A smile spread across Hari’s lips.
“I was only joking.”
“A joke?”
Un turned around and walked straight toward her until they were almost nose to nose.
Expectation filled his eyes.
“Then what are we?”
Hari pressed her lips together.
Usually, people were either strangers or lovers.
But there wasn’t even the slightest possibility that the two of them would become lovers.
After all…
Hari had no intention of dating or marrying anyone in Joseon.
I’ve had more than enough of men.
That left only one answer.
“Friends.”
She clapped her hands softly.
One of Un’s eyebrows twitched.
“Friends. What could be better than that? Let’s be friends.”
“I’ve… never had a woman as a friend.”
“Have you had one as a lover, then?”
“No!”
Un answered so quickly that the back of his neck turned red.
“That’s not important. From now on, we’re friends, so please give me a discount on your commission fee.”
Hari quickly declared, quite pleased with the conclusion she’d reached.
It was a perfect arrangement.
Nothing but advantages.
Cheerfully, she continued walking.
Truthfully, after taking off all those heavy layers of hanbok, her body genuinely felt lighter too.
Watching her walk farther ahead, Un let out a helpless sigh.
Then a warm smile spread across his face.
A woman… as a friend.
It was an unimaginably precious relationship.
Buy a house with a million coins, buy a good neighbor with ten million.
That old saying existed because a good neighbor was worth more than a fine house.
And now…
Such a precious friend had come to him of her own accord.
How could he not be happy?
I’ll teach her swordsmanship for free.
Friends didn’t exchange money.
I should also look for a suitable sword for Lawyer Ahn.
Giving a gift to a friend was perfectly acceptable.
Un found himself thinking of all the things he could do with his new friend.
Before he realized it, he was already walking beside Hari.
“By the way, why do you suddenly want to learn swordsmanship?”
“Haven’t you heard the rumor?”
Hari recounted everything Maldong had told her as thoroughly as she could.
On the night of the new moon, when even the moon failed to rise…
A woman renowned for her beauty disappeared.
Not long afterward…
A bundle of her hair and blood-soaked shoes were delivered to her family’s home.
The authorities had kept the matter quiet, and the police bureau hadn’t pursued the investigation seriously, so the rumors hadn’t spread widely.
But according to Maldong…
There had already been more than four victims.
This was also why Maldong refused to write the sequel to Lord Jipyeong.
“I’m thinking of writing a paeseol about the case.”
With summer approaching and the incident being so sensational, he believed people would flock to read it.
He said he’d earn a fortune from the story and buy Hari new clothes.
He made it sound like he only cared about the money…
But the truth is, Maldong is afraid the case will simply disappear.
The women who had fallen victim…
They had all been gisaeng, concubines, servants, or daughters born to secondary wives.
If they had been noblewomen…
The entire capital would have been thrown into chaos.
