TYMIR Ch 19

Makgae seemed to hesitate for a moment, then his eyes darted from side to side. As if he were checking his surroundings. Then he finally opened his mouth.

“Anything happen?”

“Inside, I mean.”

“The fact that Yoonyi got hurt is what happened, you fool.”

Suni replied nonchalantly. At this, Makgae, as if deeply frustrated, pointedly scrunched up his brow and lowered his voice even more.

“Did he wake up?”

“How would I know? I’m just going in now.”

She was busy enough as it was, and a hint of annoyance crept into Suni’s tone, as if she were irritated by Makgae, who kept holding her up with trivial matters.

“Well, if anything happens, let me know.”

“What? You can just see for yourself.”

Suni’s head tilted slightly to the right at the strange and incomprehensible request.

“The Young Master’s been uncomfortable with me ever since he fired me as his attendant, you know.”

“Well, that’s true too. All right.”

Only then did Makgae’s eyebrows droop into a figure eight as he slowly opened his mouth. Indeed, judging by Hyowon’s behavior yesterday, he did seem overly on edge.

“Well, I’m going in to work. You go on and work too.”

“Uh-huh.”

Suni turned her back and stepped up onto the main hall porch. Even so, Makgae still couldn’t leave his spot. His sly gaze seemed to pierce through the small room located in a deep corner of the small annex.

“Ah, damn it. I need to be able to get in to find anything out. But it’s a big problem even if that guy wakes up.”

Suddenly averting his gaze, Makgae pouted his plump lips and repeatedly slammed the toe of his worn-out straw shoe on the ground. As if venting his frustration.

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“Young Master. I knew you’d be here again.”

Hyowon was dozing off, leaning against the wall. At this, Suni, who was crossing the threshold, let out a sigh and spoke to him. At the sudden presence, Yoonyi’s eyelids twitched.

“You’re here.”

Hyowon repeatedly washed his face with dry hands and asked in a low voice.

“Did you sleep here all night?”

“How could I leave when I was worried about Yoonyi?”

“What will you do if you harm your health?”

“I’m fine.”

Despite the shower-like fuss, Hyowon’s gaze remained fixed on Yoonyi, who was lying neatly. Suni, who was staring intently at that sticky gaze, slowly shook her head.

“Aish, you really are peculiar. If Yoonyi were a girl, you would have made him your concubine long ago.”

Now, out of habit, Suni placed hot water, a dry cloth, and even a tonic by his head and added casually.

Simultaneously, the ears of Yoonyi, who was lying down, turned fiery red. The Young Master was simply showing him kindness, so how could his noona think such a thing? He had promised to lie as if dead for the next few days, so the fact that he couldn’t even refute her weighed heavily on his mind.

But normally, Hyowon, who would have debated whether it was true or not, kept his mouth shut like a mute who had eaten honey. At this, Yoonyi opened his eyes into a tiny slit, the size of a needle’s eye, to assess the situation.

“What an embarrassing thing for you to say…”

It was as if a stain was spreading on his pale face, as pure as a white porcelain piece crafted with a potter’s care, and in an instant, his complexion turned red. Hyowon’s hands even trembled in bewilderment, and he couldn’t finish his sentence.

“Isn’t it true, though? The Young Master is now of an age to get married, and what nobleman’s son takes care of a subordinate so devotedly? In all my years as a servant, I’ve never heard of or seen such a thing.”

Sensing that Hyowon’s usual imposing demeanor was absent, Suni, as if seeing her chance, pushed him even further. It was just like when they were young, whenever Suni teased him, he would clam up with tears welling in his eyes. He felt like he would burst out laughing. Yoonyi squeezed his eyes shut with all his might.

“That’s enough. My head already hurts, must you be so noisy as well?”

“Aish, all right. I’ll stop. But, did Yoonyi regain consciousness at all during the night?”

Deciding he was no match for her, Hyowon quickly turned the conversation around. At that, Suni let out a “psh” laugh through her teeth. Even at that short laugh, Hyowon shot her a cold glare. At this, she quickly composed her expression and asked again.

“…N-No. Not yet.”

At the sudden question, Hyowon even stammered as he barely managed an answer. His eyes wandered all over the empty air, as if showing his honest nature, which was naturally inept at lying.

“Aigoo, really. The Madam was too harsh. Is there anyone in this house who doesn’t know how precious Young Master Seunghun is…”

After Seunghun was born, a rumor had already spread far and wide that the atmosphere in Lord Kim’s house, once famous in Boksagol for being the most generous to its underlings, was now like walking on thin ice. So much so that even the beggars who begged for alms knew about it.

Suni’s eyes quickly grew damp as she quietly watched Yoonyi lying there as if he had fainted. As if she might shed tears, she pressed the corners of her eyes again and again with the ties of her jeogori.

“Seeing how that gentle person has changed, it seems blood ties are truly a frightening thing. Though I don’t really know yet, of course.”

“Indeed.”

A gentle person, she says. How could someone who showed such warmth even to his underlings have been so hostile to him from the very beginning? Hyowon curled his lips into a bitter smile.

“Anyway, Young Master, please be careful for the time being. I’ve been running around the kitchen and everywhere, and I’ve overheard that the Madam’s mood is not just a little foul.”

“I will. Thank you.”

“And… this is my own request. Please don’t hate Makgae too much. He did serve you for so long, after all.”

Suni’s movements, as she replaced the cloth wrapped around his wrist, gradually slowed. She faced Hyowon and even scratched her head, looking awkward.

“Makgae, why him all of a sudden…?”

Suddenly, Hyowon’s eyes narrowed. His bright expression subtly hardened, as if he had heard a name he shouldn’t have. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling whenever he thought of that guy.

“He was loitering outside earlier too, unable to even come in here.”

Suni wrung her hands as she managed to finish her words.

“It’s not right to treat him coldly. It seems I’ve been too on edge for a while.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

In any case, it was an earnest request. And it was true that he had neglected him for the past few years. With the recent atmosphere being what it was, there was nothing to be gained by making more enemies. So, Hyowon relaxed his frozen expression and replied. At that, Suni, with a much more refreshed face, picked up the wet cloth and suddenly moved down towards Yoonyi’s ankle.

“No, I’ll do this part.”

“Yes?”

A hand approached like the wind and snatched her wrist as if catching it. When Suni’s eyes widened as if they would pop out and she stared at her captured wrist, Hyowon quickly let go.

“It’s just, I feel sorry. I was the one who pestered him to take me there that day.”

“Ah… I see. Well then.”

The eyes nestled beneath eyelashes that curved up gently like eaves tilted diagonally, endlessly taking in the injured ankle. How upset must he be to act like that. Suni backed away, her eyes quickly becoming moist.

“Thank you for understanding. You may leave now.”

“Yes, Young Master. If anything happens, please call for me or Manseok orabeoni.”

As if she couldn’t feel at ease, Suni kept turning back to meet his eyes even as she was leaving.

“Haa…”

Finally, as the sound of footsteps that had been lingering in front of the door grew distant, Hyowon let out a sigh of relief.

“Y-Young Master.”

Yoonyi, who had been lying with his eyes closed as if dead, finally lifted his eyelids slightly. Under the bright sunlight, his dark, gentle eyes were fully revealed.

“Shh, what will you do if we get caught?”

Hyowon keenly surveyed his surroundings and brought his index finger to the tip of his nose.

“I don’t think anyone is here.”

“Really?”

Yoonyi slowly raised his upper body and managed to sit up. Only then did Hyowon rest his head on his thin shoulder. As a pleasant, refreshing scent filled his nostrils with each breath, Yoonyi took a deep breath. He didn’t dislike seeing the one who was more mature than anyone else act childish, and a soft laugh escaped him.

“The Young Master is truly terrible at lying.”

“So you should praise me, tell me I did a good job.”

“Your lying skills aren’t improving, but you’re getting more and more childish…”

At the playful tone, Hyowon pressed his round head even closer to his shoulder.

“Even if it’s frustrating, just endure it for these few days.”

“You’re the one who’s having a hard time, how can I be frustrated?”

“What have I done for you? Still, thank you for enduring like this.”

Hyowon finally pulled away to meet his eyes. The approaching gaze was as warm as the weather outside.

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“So, what is that lowborn up to?”

“Well, that is…”

Madam Han, who always avoided his gaze, for some reason stretched her neck and sat closer. The faint scent of an unknown flower from her perfume sachet wafted around the bridge of his nose, making his mind go distant. And so, Makgae blinked his eyes for a long while.

“Why are you dawdling? Hurry and tell the Madam.”

As if deeply frustrated by his appearance, Yeonim suddenly interjected.

“…No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think there’s anything special enough to report.”

“What?”

As high as her expectations had been, Madam Han showed her disappointment fully. Her soft tone quickly grew cold.

“Well, you see. When he was first brought in, the ointment from the storeroom suited him so well that even his frostbitten wounds grew new skin right away, but this time, he’s just languishing and can’t seem to rally at all…”

What if he gets dragged out and beaten with a straw mat? His mind racing, Makgae’s mouth began to move faster as well.

“Grew new skin right away?”

She had definitely heard back then that all his skin was frostbitten and he was on the verge of death. Madam Han tilted her head with a look of disbelief.

“Yes, the skin grew back in almost one night, so everyone was murmuring about it.”

“You said they called a physician this time, didn’t you?”

“Yes, yes, as far as this fool knows, Young Master Hyowon to Lord Lee…”

“That’s enough of that story.”

A chilling light flashed in Madam Han’s eyes. At this, Makgae quickly clamped his own bustling mouth shut.

“That’s enough, you may go.”

“Thank you ever so much, Madam, for always taking care of me like this.”

As always, Madam Han tossed him a few coins. Makgae gathered them up like a man possessed by hunger.

“Healed in a single day…”

“What’s the matter, Madam?”

Yeonim still wore a face of incomprehension. As if fed up with her dullness, Madam Han sighed and whispered.

“Isn’t it a truly bizarre thing? I’ll have to keep a closer eye on him from now on.”

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Makgae, who had rushed out of the inner quarters, clutched his rear as if going to the outhouse and ran towards the small annex without looking back. As he passed the wall of the main living quarters, the breath he had been holding began to catch in his throat.

“Aish, this is terrifying, absolutely terrifying.”

Makgae glanced back, then rubbed his own forearms and shivered. As he slowly passed the main living quarters and stepped through the side door leading to the small annex, he saw the back of a small child with a white cloth wrapped around his forehead, neatly dressed in a sky-blue jeogori and trousers, in the palm-sized courtyard.

“Y-Young Master Seunghun?”

“…U-uh, is, is hy-hyungnim?”

Aigoo, why is this Young Master here? Makgae’s face instantly turned ashen, as if he’d been pulled out of a frozen river. Makgae quickly scanned his surroundings. For some reason, even the attendant who was always by his side was nowhere to be seen. The innocent child, simply happy to see someone, smiled faintly and asked cautiously.

“Young Master Hyowon?”

“Y-Yeah.”

“Seeing the stepping stones, it seems he’s inside… Would you like to go in together?”

“…C-Can I go in?”

The small child, who probably wouldn’t even reach his thigh, fidgeted with his fern-like hands, as if he were trying to read the situation. Unlike his fierce mother, his thoroughly intimidated appearance was quite pitiful.

“Aigoo, of course. Who is your mother, Young Master? Please, go on in.”

Makgae quickly pointed inside. His footsteps crossed the main hall and soon stood before the door of the small annex room.

“I-Is this where hyungnim stays?”

“Yes, you’ve never been here before, have you, Young Master?”

Seunghun nodded his head vigorously at Makgae’s question.

“Young Master, Young Master Seunghun is here.”

Makgae cleared his throat and gently pulled the doorknob. However, there was no one on the neatly arranged sleeping mat. A shadow instantly fell over the rice-grain-sized child’s face, who was peeking through the crack in the door.

“Don’t worry. If he’s not here, he’ll definitely be in the end room.”

Afraid he might start crying, a dumbfounded Makgae quickly added. They had just passed the living room and were standing in front of the narrow paper-screened door in a corner of the hallway where the sun didn’t reach well, when the door burst open without any warning.

“…H-Hyungnim!”

As soon as he saw Hyowon, Seunghun immediately threw his arms around his thigh in a tight hug. It was the moment Makgae tried to sneak a glance at Yoonyi, visible through the gap. Hyowon’s pale face was as if devoid of any warmth, a frost sweeping over it. His bluish eyes, so dark they resembled Lord Kim’s, seemed to glare at Makgae.

“Young Master, Young Master Seunghun…”

His gaze was so sharp it felt like he would be cut if he kept looking, so Makgae quickly lowered his head and hurriedly mumbled an excuse. But even that was not enough. Before he could finish speaking, a low voice cut through the air.

“How dare you bring the Young Master here without even an attendant.”

Unlike usual, at Hyowon’s cold reaction, the small hands that had been hugging his thigh tightly dropped to his sides. Seunghun, with the eyes of a startled rabbit, repeatedly opened and closed his eyelids slowly.

“Yes? Ah, no, that is. Young Master Seunghun insisted on seeing you, so…”

“Do you not know what the atmosphere in the house is like these days? Take him away at once.”

He had always been as warm as sunshine to Seunghun, if not to others, so he could never have imagined he would be treated so harshly. Makgae’s mouth fell open as he looked back and forth between the two brothers.

“H-Hyungnim…?”

Seunghun, who had been quietly sucking his fingers, let out a whimper. Only then did Hyowon’s gaze tilt diagonally.

“Hurry and follow Makgae.”

“Hyungnim…? I just…”

The gaze looking at his young brother no longer held even a raindrop’s worth of affection. At his stiff tone, as if addressing a stranger, the child’s eyes widened as if they would pop out, and finally, tears welled up.

“Seunghun.”

It seemed this situation was too difficult for young Seunghun to accept. Hyowon bent his knees to meet his eyes and slowly opened his mouth.

“…Yes, hy-hyungnim.”

“There is a proper order to things. It would not look good for a legitimate son and an illegitimate son to be so close.”

At the warm voice he heard again, a reply came, barely choked back through sobs.

“Wh-What is proper order. I don’t want to. I came today to say sorry to Yoonyi, too…”

Despite Hyowon’s calm explanation, Seunghun just kept shaking his head, then suddenly moved closer and hugged his neck. The warm body heat of the child was fully transmitted.

“I will pass on your apology for you.”

Hyowon lightly patted the back of the child, who was gasping like a fish out of water. Because Madam Han openly disliked it, he rarely had a chance to meet Seunghun, but he felt as though he had caught a glimpse of the seed of anxiety she held. Makgae, who had been quietly watching the scene, slyly rolled his eyes towards the inside of the room.

“Have you calmed down a bit now?”

When the flat back finally calmed, Hyowon gently pulled away and asked softly. Seunghun sniffled and just nodded his head.

“Then hurry and go. Your mother will be worried.”

“…I-Is, is Y-Yoonyi all better?”

Even at the words to go, the white socks lingered at the door. Then he gently stood on his tiptoes and asked, looking over Hyowon’s shoulder.

“Of course. He just took his tonic and fell asleep.”

At the trustworthy voice, a bright smile spread across the small face. Seunghun quickly turned around and crossed the hallway.

“What are you doing? Not escorting the Young Master.”

“Yes? Ah. Yes, yes, I’ll be on my way then.”

Makgae, who had been stealing glances into the room, belatedly turned and diligently followed Seunghun. Only then did Hyowon erase the coldly frozen expression from his face.

“Young Master, why did you do that?”

Yoonyi, a faint trace of sleep still on his face, slowly sat up and looked up at Hyowon, asking.

“What?”

Hyowon blinked slowly and asked back. As if nothing at all had happened.

“…Young Master Seunghun. He said he came to apologize.”

“I don’t want you to get involved with the people of this side anymore.”

Yoonyi, who had been hesitating for a moment, parted his lips. Hyowon, sitting leaning against the wall, seemed to be contemplating something, then opened his mouth in a calm tone. It was the same as before, but at his cold way of speaking, as if treating family like strangers, Yoonyi’s eyes trembled minutely.

“This side…?”