TKEP 19🔐

Chapter 19

Seo-jun didn’t mind and simply sat across from him.

“The tea’s gone cold.”

When Beom murmured this, Chief Aide Jo quickly stepped forward.

“Shall I bring you a fresh cup, Your Majesty?”

“That won’t be necessary. Isn’t the weather warm? There are times we drink chilled tea—what’s the fuss over lukewarm tea?”

It sounded like he was speaking to Jo, but the words were meant for Seo-jun—an unspoken message that he had no intention of offering him a warm cup.

Yeon had told Seo-jun that Beom didn’t like him, but he hadn’t expected this degree of discourtesy. The corner of Seo-jun’s eye twitched.

Why did Beom regard him so unfavorably?

Seo-jun went over every past moment they had met. They had never actually spoken alone before, so it didn’t take long to figure out the answer—there wasn’t anything that should have been a problem.

“Do you perhaps prefer warm tea?”

Beom asked out of politeness.

Seo-jun, if anything, preferred coffee over tea, and had never expected special treatment here anyway, so he declined.

“No, Your Majesty. As you said, it’s at a pleasant temperature for drinking.”

A faint smile flickered across Chief Aide Jo’s face before disappearing.

Unlike Beom, Jo quite liked Seo-jun.

He had the stature, the solid family background, and the résumé that was more than respectable enough to stand beside Yeon.

But what really moved Jo was Seo-jun’s life story.

Jo looked at the strong back of the man standing before him.

On the Emperor’s orders, he had investigated Seo-jun’s life—and found it exemplary.

Seo-jun could have coasted through life on his family’s influence, but he’d set all that aside and won his current position on his own.

Even his university choice was unusual.

Both his grandfather and father had publicly stated in interviews that he was destined to follow in their footsteps as a politician.

But Seo-jun chose the police academy instead.

And when he became a police officer, instead of working in comfort, he volunteered for the toughest division—the Violent Crimes Unit.

What was his police career like?

Others tried to spare him hardship, but he refused all privileges given only to him.

Three words summed up his years of service: blood, sweat, and tears.

Through relentless effort, he became the ace of the force, with a bright future guaranteed.

Then, out of nowhere, he resigned and entered politics.

He even joined the Labour Party—the political opposite of his father’s party—and ran in a constituency known as the Labour Party’s graveyard.

A man who always makes unexpected choices… and proves them successful.

What’s more, for someone so capable, his personal life was spotless.

Despite countless marriage proposals from high society, he rejected them all—so many that matchmakers had once cursed his name.

Having seen countless people use imperial connections to advance themselves, Jo couldn’t help but be drawn to Seo-jun.

“Chief Aide Jo, go get some fresh air.”

Beom’s words were a dismissal—and not just for Jo.

It was a signal that he wanted to speak with Seo-jun alone. Jo quickly understood and herded the other attendants across Chwi-hyang Bridge.

The brief commotion faded, and the pond fell back into stillness.

The two men drank their tea in silence.

After several sips of the lukewarm brew, they set their cups down at the same time.

“You understand that becoming gukseo means becoming a member of the Imperial Family. Are you certain that’s what you want?”

“Yes, I am.”

Beom knew that Seo-jun had investigated the Imperial Family after becoming a police officer.

Even after entering politics, he had maintained a critical view of them.

And now he wanted to become gukseo? Beom couldn’t help but question his motives.

“The man I saw was not one to be caged inside the walls of Gyeongbokgung. Have you abandoned your ambitions, or are you hiding them?”

A faint tremor passed through Seo-jun’s eyes.

He’s not someone who would accept me easily, so why act as though he might give me a chance?

Beom had once been a reformist emperor.

When the Crown Prince’s birth mother, the Empress, died, he defied the royal clan and conservatives to abolish the tradition of polygamy.

But over time, he had changed—becoming an emperor who prioritized the Imperial Family’s interests.

That made it harder to read his true thoughts.

Seo-jun took a slow sip of tea and studied Beom’s face. The weariness etched there spoke of deep deliberation.

He could be sure of only one thing: He’s not rejecting me outright.

Then how should he respond?

Too clever, and he’d seem calculating. Too dull, and he’d seem unworthy.

Seo-jun set his teacup down slowly.

“Before I answer, may I ask something?”

Before Beom could give permission, Seo-jun suddenly reached into his inner jacket pocket.

Beom flinched sharply.

Their gazes met in the air between them.

Did he think I was pulling out a weapon?

Seo-jun had already passed a body search and security inspection—Beom’s reaction was excessive.

“Ah, I seem to have startled you.”

His expression was apologetic, but Beom saw the truth beneath it—Seo-jun wasn’t sorry at all.

At the same time, Seo-jun realized something: Beom believed he was the kind of man who might turn a weapon on the Imperial Family.

And why wouldn’t he? I’ve made enough noise.

As a police officer and later as a politician, Seo-jun had been relentless in digging up the Imperial Family’s blemishes.

Since meeting Yeon, he had learned that the royals had eyes and ears everywhere—certainly within the police and politics.

If word had reached Beom that Seo-jun had tried to investigate them, it was only natural he’d oppose the marriage.

But understanding it didn’t mean accepting it.

Seo-jun placed a small bugging device on the tea table.

Beom glanced at it. “What is this?”

“That’s my question, Your Majesty. The day after Her Highness told you she wished to marry me, this was installed in my office.”

His tone implied the question: Was it you?

Beom’s face darkened.

For the first time, his expression clearly showed shame and anger.

“I do not engage in the private surveillance of civilians.”

Seo-jun’s gaze sharpened.

So it wasn’t the Emperor? Then who?

It had to be someone in the Imperial Family.

Of those Yeon had told about the marriage, the likeliest suspects were the Dowager Empress Oh and the current Empress.

Yet his instincts said it was neither.

Seo-jun picked up the bug and slipped it back into his jacket.

“If this truly isn’t your doing, I’ll handle it myself.”

Beom didn’t stop him—but he watched the device intently, as if staring long enough might reveal whether it was indeed of imperial origin.

“It seems you’ve already decided how to answer my question. Now answer this—what do you intend to do once you’re inside Gyeongbokgung?”

Seo-jun’s eyes deepened as he met Beom’s gaze directly.

“My only purpose here is to protect the person I would risk my life for.”

That purpose was the same one he had long carried—it hadn’t changed.

“You would risk your life for Yeon? Why?”

The way Beom pressed him again for his true motive left a bitter taste in Seo-jun’s mouth.

He was certainly harder to deal with than Dowager Empress Oh.

Empty smiles and shallow acting wouldn’t work here. He would have to show at least part of his true heart.

After a brief pause, Seo-jun spoke.

“Her Highness’s will is my will.”

A muscle twitched under Beom’s eye.

Has Yeon told him of our plans?

He studied Seo-jun closely, trying to gauge exactly how much he knew.

But Seo-jun was not easy to read.

Beom prided himself on judging people after years on the throne, but this man was hard to see through.

“Do you even know what Yeon’s will is? Or are you basing this on what she’s said in interviews?”

A faint smile crossed Seo-jun’s lips.

“I know that Her Highness’s will is also Your Majesty’s dream.”

He had sidestepped the heart of the matter, but the answer confirmed it—Seo-jun knew that Yeon had ambitions for the throne.

Beneath the tea table, Beom’s hand clenched into a fist.

How long had they even known each other? And already she had shared something that should be kept in absolute secrecy.

Had they already grown close enough to discuss a shared vision for the future?

Seo-jun’s reply shook Beom both as emperor and as father.