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Chapter 23
“You know where the Hao Clan is, right? We need to make a trip there.”
“Huh?”
Ha Do-un questioned his own ears and asked again. Geum Seol-ha roughly rubbed at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and repeated herself.
“Let’s go to the Hao Clan together, Ha Do-un.”
“My lady, do you know what kind of place that is?”
Even though Ha Do-un’s face stiffened and clearly showed his firm refusal, Geum Seol-ha did not back down.
“I do.”
“No matter what you think, they are far more dangerous than you imagine.”
At Ha Do-un’s insistence that it would be best to avoid becoming involved with them at all, Geum Seol-ha nodded.
“You’re right. They are dangerous.”
“…”
“But I don’t have many options right now. Out of everything available, they’re the best choice.”
If she excluded them, only people far more dangerous remained. For now, this was the best option she had.
“It’s not that I trust them or believe in them.”
“But—”
“I trust the price I’ll pay.”
She trusted no people. But she trusted the value of the gold she possessed.
“I’ll be making a deal with them, Do-un.”
Only then did Ha Do-un carefully study Geum Seol-ha’s eyes.
Her eyes were slightly red from crying, but they weren’t clouded by anger or resentment.
“Even so, it’s dangerous.”
“I know. That’s why I’m taking you with me.”
“And if I refuse to go?”
“Then I’ll order some other attendants and go anyway.”
Ha Do-un fell silent.
Her determination to go no matter what was unmistakable.
“But then Lady Hong will find out, and rumors will spread everywhere, right?”
“…”
“Who knows? People might even start saying I hired an assassin for Lady Hong.”
Geum Seol-ha sighed and spoke casually.
“Then Aunt Moyong and everyone else would lose their minds. They’re already smothering me as it is. What if they finally kick me out this time?”
“…”
“Or maybe I’ll go all the way to the Hao Clan only to get threatened for no reason. I heard those unorthodox faction thugs are even more vicious than the street hooligans in the markets. How terrifying.”
Rather than sounding frightened, she was openly mocking the situation.
Ha Do-un let out a deep sigh from the depths of his chest.
“Must you really go?”
“I already told you. I need to.”
If there had been another option, she would have chosen it long ago.
“I will accompany you.”
“See? I knew you’d listen to me in the end.”
“I miss Eun-seol. If she were here, she’d have sat you down and lectured you until you listened.”
“Yeah. I kind of wish she would.”
A faint smile crossed Geum Seol-ha’s lips.
“Let’s go, Do-un.”
“Right now?”
Ha Do-un unconsciously stared.
Geum Seol-ha winked.
“Physician Yu is glued to Eun-seol’s side right now. If not now, when else will I get a chance to slip away?”
“You said you trust no one except me. Do you trust Physician Yu?”
Geum Seol-ha exchanged a knowing look with him.
“It’s fine. He may not be one of my people, but he won’t betray the trust I’ve shown him.”
Watching Geum Seol-ha speak with complete confidence despite whatever she had done in such a short time, Ha Do-un quietly sighed.
“I shall escort you, my lady.”
As Ha Do-un bent down and opened his arms, Geum Seol-ha immediately threw herself into them.
“Are we climbing over the wall?”
“If we get caught doing that, a report will go straight to the Lord.”
“Eek?”
“We’ll leave through the servants’ passage.”
Speaking calmly, Ha Do-un glanced at Geum Seol-ha’s bright yellow robe and then at his own clothing.
“We should change into more suitable clothes. And your face… it would be better to hide it.”
For someone who had opposed the idea so fiercely, he was providing surprisingly practical suggestions.
Geum Seol-ha smiled brightly.
A short while later, after finishing their preparations and stepping outside, Geum Seol-ha spun around once.
“Don’t I look exactly like a little servant boy?”
“Was the disguise as a man really necessary?”
“If I’m hiding my identity, I should do it properly.”
She shrugged.
One advantage of having a child’s body was that her gender wasn’t particularly obvious.
“If we’re going to deal with information brokers, I should at least do this much.”
She had no intention of handing out information about herself for free.
We’re working together this time, but who knows about the future.
The succession struggle over there was just as complicated as the one within the Demonic Alliance. It would mostly be resolved before the original story truly began.
But not yet.
There was no need to take risks by aligning herself with any one faction.
“More importantly, shouldn’t you be making a greater effort to hide your face, Ha Do-un?”
Geum Seol-ha pouted.
“You think simply pulling down a bamboo hat is enough?”
“Do you have a mask?”
“Wouldn’t I look like a kidnapper if I wore a mask while carrying you around?”
Apparently not fond of the idea, Ha Do-un answered with obvious reluctance.
Geum Seol-ha smacked her lips.
“Anyway, once we’re outside, I’m not a young lady anymore. I’m a young master. Got it?”
“Yes.”
Ha Do-un stared blankly into the distant sky.
Taking care of this impossible young lady all by himself made him miss Yu Eun-seol dearly.
Thanks to Ha Do-un’s keen senses, which allowed him to choose only deserted routes, they slipped out of the Geum family’s estate without difficulty.
“Why was that so easy?”
Only Geum Seol-ha muttered in disappointment, as though all the effort she’d spent mentally preparing had been wasted.
“Normally, it’s much more difficult.”
“Hm?”
Geum Seol-ha looked at him curiously.
“Someone who recognized me seems to have overlooked it.”
“So lifting your bamboo hat earlier and showing your face was your way of asking for a favor?”
Clicking her tongue at his unexpectedly flexible side, Geum Seol-ha earned a bitter smile from him.
“You needed it, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes.”
“You should worry less about getting out and more about getting back in. Returning is at least twice as difficult.”
Only then did Geum Seol-ha understand why Ha Do-un had insisted she bring identification.
Her eyes widened.
“Do-un… I thought you were a bear, but you’re actually a fox.”
“My lady.”
Ha Do-un groaned and rubbed his forehead.
Geum Seol-ha chuckled.
“I like bears too. And foxes.”
She looked like an innocent child.
Suppressing another sigh, Ha Do-un pulled the small bamboo hat lower over her head.
“I can’t see anything with this on.”
“You wanted to hide your identity. Endure it.”
“Tch.”
The moment they left the estate, Ha Do-un became noticeably stricter.
Even though she knew why, Geum Seol-ha still pouted.
Soon, Ha Do-un kicked off the ground, and the scenery around them blurred past.
“Whoa.”
This was her first time seeing the outside world since the day she had awakened in this body.
Though it was late at night, the bright moonlight illuminated the surroundings clearly.
“So this is what it looks like.”
Leaving the luxurious Geum estate behind, they passed numerous wealthy compounds before Ha Do-un continued running for quite some time.
Eventually, they reached a broad road.
“It’s quieter than I expected.”
The bustling streets that had been noisy with merchants during the day were now silent.
It was late at night, after all.
“It won’t stay quiet for long. Pull your hat lower.”
Following his advice, Geum Seol-ha adjusted her bamboo hat again.
After weaving through several narrow alleys branching off the main road, they arrived at a lively street.
Rows of red lanterns illuminated a district devoted to pleasure and entertainment.
Geum Seol-ha’s eyes widened at the noisy street filled with laughter and drunken shouting.
“The fact that I brought you here must remain a secret from Eun-seol.”
“Of course.”
The certainty in his voice made Geum Seol-ha feel strangely emotional.
“If Eun-seol found out, it wouldn’t just be you getting scolded. I’d get scolded too.”
Ha Do-un laughed quietly.
She was absolutely right.
He would be punished for bringing her, but Geum Seol-ha wouldn’t escape unscathed either.
Avoiding drunken revelers with ghostlike skill, Ha Do-un finally reached the most extravagant brothel on the street.
Just as he was about to step inside—
“Stop. Don’t tell me you’re planning to bring a child into a brothel?”
The gatekeeper’s voice dripped with contempt.
Ha Do-un froze.
It was a kind of contempt he had never experienced in his life.
After glancing around, he let out a sigh and prepared to explain.
At that moment—
“Dad, I’m hungry.”
Slowly turning his stiff neck, Ha Do-un looked down at his chest.
Though her face was hidden beneath her veil, he was certain Geum Seol-ha was wearing the grin of a mischievous little devil.
“Are we finally going to eat now?”
“…”
“Yay! I’ve been starving this whole time! The inns stopped serving food hours ago, and everything’s closed!”
Ha Do-un couldn’t bring himself to respond to Geum Seol-ha’s shameless performance.
Grrrrrrumble.
As if helping her act, the stomach of the girl who hadn’t eaten all day let out a loud growl.
“What a pathetic excuse for a man.”
The gatekeeper clicked his tongue.
He felt like he could piece together the whole situation.
“This is a brothel! A brothel!”
“…I don’t need any courtesans. Just… some simple food.”
“Tsk, tsk.”
The man shook his head while looking at Ha Do-un as though he were hopelessly pathetic.
Ha Do-un, who had never even properly held a woman’s hand before, looked utterly miserable.
“Wow! Dad, are we finally eating? This is exciting!”
Whether she knew what was going through his mind or not, Geum Seol-ha remained completely carefree.
Ha Do-un’s suffering only deepened.
