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Chapter 56
“Right now? Together?”
Yeon pointed back and forth between Seojun and herself.
Seojun bent slightly and placed his hand on Yeon’s shoulder.
Yeon swallowed as his face came dangerously close.
“If what Yoo Seoyeon said about having a watcher is true, we need to move quickly. They may have already discovered that she contacted us,” Seojun said suddenly, his tone serious.
His low voice warned of danger.
“You understand we need to move discreetly, right? Is there a way to leave quietly without being tracked?”
Yeon pressed her lips into a straight line.
Lowering her eyes in thought, she pushed Seojun’s hand away and stood.
“Follow me.”
Yeon quickened her pace.
“Is there a door we can sneak out of?”
Seojun asked again, and Yeon shook her head.
He hesitated for a moment but caught up to her in a couple of steps.
“Your Highness, if it’s difficult to leave quietly, we should find another way—maybe ask someone else for help.”
Yeon ignored Seojun’s suggestion.
“Any exit that leads outside is a door, right? We can make one.”
“Well, you’re reassuring,” Seojun muttered.
For now, he decided to trust Yeon.
She led him deeper into the forest where no paths existed.
Since they left the lanterns behind, the two relied solely on the moonlight filtering through the trees.
If it weren’t for Yoo Seoyeon’s situation, it could have been a rather serene night.
But neither of them was in the mood to enjoy it.
Yeon kept exchanging messages with someone, while Seojun was busy making sure she didn’t stumble.
“Careful.”
Several times, he saved Yeon from tripping or nearly hitting something.
After a while, a wall appeared before them.
The wall was about shoulder-height for Seojun.
Yeon stopped and looked back at him.
“You can get me over, right?”
The way Yeon intended to sneak out of the royal palace… was by climbing the wall.
“Security is really sloppy.”
After climbing over the wall and hopping into a taxi, Seojun said.
“I’m just well-informed,” he added.
Around Gyeongbokgung Palace, CCTV cameras were installed, and patrols were frequent.
Yet Yeon and Seojun managed to leave undetected thanks to occasional timing overlaps between camera rotation and patrol shifts, creating blind spots.
“Still, pretty sloppy,” Yeon commented.
“Not always,” Seojun replied.
Patrol change times and CCTV angles were adjusted about once a month.
There were no publicly disclosed rules for the schedule or method changes, for security reasons.
This was information only someone like Yeon, with insider knowledge, could figure out.
Seojun exhaled heavily.
“Don’t forget the bet we made. Driver, please stop here.”
Suddenly, Seojun made the taxi stop, handing the driver cash instead of a card.
“Keep the change,” he said.
Refusing the change to save even a minute, Seojun got out and extended his hand to Yeon.
“We still have a long way to get to Yoo Seoyeon’s place.”
“Let’s get out first.”
Seojun pulled Yeon out of the taxi.
Before she could ask questions, a black SUV stopped where the taxi had been.
“This is what we’ll take,” Seojun said, opening the rear door.
The driver, sitting in the front, waved with a big smile.
“Hello! I’m Bojoan.”
Yeon looked at Seojun.
“When did you contact them?”
Seojun shrugged and helped her into the backseat.
Then he climbed into the passenger seat, glaring at Bojoan in the rearview mirror, who kept sneaking glances at Yeon with a grin.
“Focus on driving. You know you won’t get paid if you don’t do your job properly.”
“Yes, sir,” Bojoan replied crisply like a soldier and pressed the accelerator.
The SUV quickly merged onto the main road and soon approached the outskirts of Seoul.
Inside, the car gradually fell silent, as Seojun dismissed every word Bojoan tried to say.
Yeon quietly pondered what to do with Yoo Seoyeon.
Should they hide her in a safe house?
“Bojoan, can you arrange a place in a hospital with high security and a psychiatric department?”
Yeon’s eyes widened at Seojun’s suggestion.
‘Why didn’t I think of that?’
Yoo Seoyeon needed both protection and treatment. A hospital was perfect.
“Of course, Councilor. Ah! Should I start calling you His Highness now?”
Bojoan was unusually respectful toward Seojun, almost like a troublemaker she’d once seen in the council office.
She seemed to understand his intentions with just a glance, as if they had worked together before.
Yeon felt a twinge of envy.
‘I can arrange a hospital room too.’
She pouted slightly.
“Your Highness, perhaps Yoo Seoyeon should use a pseudonym during her hospitalization?”
Respecting the decision, Yeon nodded silently.
“Fine. But I’ll explain the situation to her myself.”
“Agreed. Meanwhile, Bojoan and I will scout the area a bit.”
It wasn’t just casual observation. They would intervene immediately if anyone tried to interfere with Yoo Seoyeon.
Yeon placed a hand on Seojun’s shoulder.
“Be careful.”
Seojun chuckled lightly.
“Who are you telling that to?”
Yoo Seoyeon was in worse condition than the last time they saw her.
Thankfully, she was conscious enough to have a conversation, and Yeon persuaded her that leaving immediately was the best option.
“I have nowhere to go…”
Yeon gently patted the crying Yoo Seoyeon.
“If you trust me and agree, you can be admitted to a safe hospital.”
“A hospital…?”
Yeon explained carefully that Yoo Seoyeon needed immediate treatment.
Yoo Seoyeon, aware of her condition, surprisingly accepted the hospitalization calmly.
“There will be counselors and specialized doctors on rotation, so you’ll get plenty of help. If you want, I’ll visit you often.”
Bojoan had arranged a hospital room not far from Seoul.
It was small but had resident counselors and discreet, kind doctors.
That night, Yoo Seoyeon was admitted.
“This place is really trustworthy. Unlike hospitals that only care about money. If anything happens, they’ll contact me immediately.”
Yeon watched Yoo Seoyeon sleeping in the patient bed, concerned, while Bojoan explained.
Yeon gave an awkward smile at Bojoan’s enthusiastic explanation.
“Yes, I trust you.”
Those words made Bojoan ecstatic, earning a scolding from a passing nurse to be quiet.
On the way back to Gyeongbokgung Palace, Seojun handed Yeon a recorder.
Back at Nakseonjae, lying on the sofa, Yeon turned the recorder in her hand.
As it spun, the ceiling light flickered on and off.
“What’s this for?”
Shilan, who had finished tidying the bed, came over to ask.
“What did you record to look so serious?”
The recorder contained Yoo Seoyeon muttering in her sleep during the ride to the hospital.
-I was wrong… sniff… I, I, ah! Please save me, I was wrong… Your Highness…
Even without replaying it, Yoo Seoyeon’s voice echoed vividly.
She was a victim.
The Crown Prince’s illness had caused her suffering and ruined her life.
But should that painful memory be used as a weapon?
Yeon closed her eyes.
“Think of only one thing: no more victims.”
Seojun had said this while tightly holding Yeon’s hand on the way from the hospital.
‘Right. Just one thing.’
No one else should become a Yoo Seoyeon.
But the recording couldn’t be used yet. Nowhere did Yoo Seoyeon mention the Crown Prince’s illness.
“Director Seong, keep this safe.”
