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Chapter 37
A moment of silence followed.
If she came, there was only one inevitable conclusion.
An adult night.
Images of Yeon, falling apart beneath him, flashed in his mind and disappeared as quickly as they came.
Suddenly, a thirst arose.
Drinking on a day like this would be the worst.
Still, how far had the little one imagined things?
A light hug, or a sloppy kiss? Or something beyond that?
Then, he recalled Yeon charging at him as if in a fierce battle during a kiss.
Suddenly, his body relaxed, and a winded, almost relieved laugh slipped out.
“—Are you laughing right now?”
Through the receiver, Yeon snapped.
“Thank you.”
“—Huh?”
“You’ve already comforted me enough. I know that if anything happened to me, you’d come running to me no matter where, no matter when.”
“—You’re only realizing that now?”
“I feel reassured. Today’s comfort is enough. So, go in safely, and sleep well.”
If he continued talking, he felt he might end up dragging Yeon into a hotel.
That wasn’t right.
He didn’t want to manipulate her using his emotions.
The heat that had risen…
Seojun glanced down briefly. He frowned at the taut front of his pants.
This was a problem he had to deal with alone.
A hectic week passed.
During that time, Seojun issued a statement regarding his resignation as a congressman and left the office.
He even had a small gathering with the office staff.
It was during this that Yeon showed up, and chaos ensued.
The office staff were ready to form a secret squad to protect Seojun and Yeon’s secret relationship. It was a fun time.
He had no choice but to answer phone calls from Hyojin morning and evening, and in the meantime, he passed the time by exercising.
He tried visiting Empress Dowager Oh to make an impression and gather information about the selection ceremony, but failed.
Gyeongbokgung had been put under tight security. Visitors were restricted, and the palace guards around the walls were doubled.
The announcement stated it was to ensure the fairness of the selection and the safety of participants.
And today, Seojun received a text early in the morning stating that his application for the palace selection had passed.
The message, sent from the Imperial Ceremonial Office, contained the entry date and instructions for entering Gyeongbokgung.
No dangerous items were allowed, communication with the outside world was prohibited during the selection, and the palace would provide necessary daily items, so he was to prepare only the minimum. Seojun scanned the mundane instructions with indifferent eyes.
There was only one thing that annoyed him in the long, detailed text.
“Is this really the entry time?”
They sent a notice of acceptance today and demanded immediate entry.
The timing was ridiculous.
A text at 9 a.m., demanding entry by 12 p.m.?
While it was unlikely anyone would suddenly travel abroad or have urgent business after submitting their application, the preparation time was still extremely tight.
“Are they trying to eliminate those who can’t make it, or did they notify the pre-selected candidates in advance?”
He had a vague understanding of why they were rushing the entries.
It was probably also to prevent cheating and maintain security.
“Still, it’s so one-sided.”
He was infuriated, feeling like the palace was exploiting the helpless situation of the candidates, who couldn’t even criticize the imperial authority.
Seojun clicked his tongue.
At that moment, his phone rang.
‘Yeon?’ he thought, and indeed, it was her.
A smile unconsciously formed on his lips as he answered, and immediately the chaos on the other end came through the phone.
“—Kang Seojun! Congratulations on passing the documents.”
Applause and whistling could be heard, along with fireworks.
“—We’re having a ‘Seojun-less Seojun’ celebration. Could you give a word about how it feels to participate in the selection, breaking through a 100-to-1 competition?”
100-to-1?
Seojun frowned at the unexpectedly high competition rate.
Considering that five candidates were chosen, it meant over 500 men had dared to compete to marry Yeon, which was not a pleasant thought.
It was astonishing how many people in the country didn’t understand the situation.
“Seojun, are you listening? You didn’t faint from joy, did you?”
“Of course, it’s the expected result.”
“—Boring. At least pretend to be happy a little. Wearing my party hat is embarrassing enough!”
“Are you wearing a party hat?”
For a moment, Seojun wondered about Yeon’s appearance—wearing a party hat, bursting fireworks, and smiling brightly.
“—Yes. So you should at least act happy.”
“I’ll hang up.”
“—Suddenly? Don’t you like parties?”
“No. I’ll switch to video call.”
Without waiting for her response, Seojun quickly ended the call and switched to video.
As if waiting, Yeon answered. Her bright smile filled the screen.
Seojun’s lips curved upwards.
Yeon, with her party hat and balloons, looked cute.
“—Kang Seojun appears at the Seojun-less Seojun party!”
When Yeon shouted, Silan appeared from the side—the one clapping and whistling.
“Congratulations, Congressman Kang Seojun. Or should I say, Candidate Kang Seojun? Imperial candidate?”
“Thank you.”
Seojun returned the mechanical greeting while sneaking glances at Silan, who was blocking Yeon on screen.
Once Silan stepped aside, Yeon appeared again.
“I’ll enter Gyeongbokgung at noon today. I hope to see you then. And receive your congratulations in person.”
“—If that were possible, would I be stuck here at Nakseonjae? I can’t meet you from the moment I enter Gyeongbokgung, no contact allowed.”
“Ah…”
Seojun thought he’d see Yeon more often anyway since Nakseonjae and Gyeongbokgung were close.
“—So listen carefully, Seojun.”
Yeon lowered her voice, and he heard Silan securing the door.
Yeon removed her party hat.
Seojun focused, feeling a bit of regret.
“—For a week, I can’t help you if anything happens, understand?”
Yeon’s expression was genuinely worried, as if something would definitely happen.
“I understand. I’ll handle it myself, so don’t worry.”
When would this woman ever trust him fully?
“Good.”
“Do you know anything about my competitors?”
“Ah! That’s why I called. Among the five candidates selected… here’s who they are…”
Seojun expected to meet the other candidates immediately upon entering Gyeongbokgung. But in the designated private room, he was alone.
There, he received a lunch tray.
Cold noodles with boiled pork, a hot pot, and nabak kimchi—the meal recreated a daytime feast from the Joseon era.
The subtle flavors suited Seojun perfectly.
After finishing neatly, palace attendants entered en masse.
They removed the table and measured his body dimensions.
Instructions followed, saying he would wear clothes provided by the palace during the selection.
It was apparently to prevent cheating.
‘Are they really thinking I’d hide cheat sheets in my clothes like a middle schooler?’
Seojun didn’t like the palace’s style of proceeding abruptly without detailed guidance.
He tried to keep his expression neutral, especially with cameras seemingly following him constantly.
Glancing at one, the cameraman peeked from behind the lens.
“We’re filming for promotional material. Not just you, all candidates will be filmed since we don’t know who will become the imperial groom. Ah! I think it will be you, Kang Seojun. You look great on camera.”
As the cameraman babbled, one attendant gave him a warning.
He gestured to seal his lips.
‘So much for my plan to explore the palace.’
He had intended to look around while staying inside Gyeongbokgung, but it seemed that plan was ruined.
“Then we’ll take our leave. Rest comfortably.”
This private room seemed to be Seojun’s residence.
“Wait, I have a question.”
The expressionless attendant bowed.
Perhaps because Seojun might become the imperial groom, everyone treated him politely.
“I can’t provide any information regarding the selection. The schedule will be delivered later by an inner official.”
“Another question.”
The attendant nodded, signaling him to proceed.
“Am I the only one staying in this annex?”
“Yes, that’s correct. A guide will be sent separately. That official will assist and take responsibility for you throughout the selection.”
If Seojun became the groom, this official would likely act as someone like Silan, helping Yeon.
“Understood. I’ll wait patiently.”
It seemed the attendant wanted Seojun to stay quietly in the room.
Soon after, Seojun was alone.
Once everyone left, he got up and inspected the room.
It was to prepare against potential surveillance or eavesdropping, and sure enough, he found a small listening device.
Looking closely, the device looked familiar—the same kind he had handed to a criminal before.
Seojun flicked it with his tongue.
‘Are they monitoring everyone, or just me?’
