Was I hallucinating?
That was the first thing that crossed my mind.
The noisy, bustling crowd around usâsomehow, all that sound just⊠vanished. It was like the world stopped for a second, and only two people moved: me and Sahyeon, who was holding my wrist.
Then Sahyeon smiled faintly.
âYou promised to come with me, you know. Iâm hurt.â
ââŠIs thisâare you really⊠you?â
The way he spoke, that sly, easy smileâit was all just like the Sahyeon I knew. No matter how I looked at him, it was unmistakably him.
Could the sky lantern I let fly earlier really have brought him back?
Sahyeon nodded.
âYeah. Itâs me. The real me.â
He wasnât wearing a mask. Heâd thrown on some obviously expensive silk robes, but hadnât bothered with a ceremonial crown or headpieceâjust had his hair tied back, like usual. Honestly, he didnât look all that different.
And it wasnât just some dream or illusionâthe warmth from where he gripped my wrist was painfully real. A hundred things rushed up in my throat, all trying to get out at once, choking me. What the hell was this bastard?
But just then, reality butted in. It was Iheon. The look in his eyes made it clear he was on alertâafter all, a stranger had suddenly grabbed my wrist and started talking.
âYeonhwa. Is he someone you know?â
He called my name, but the question was obviously aimed at Sahyeon. Sahyeon turned to Iheon and offered a soft smile.
ââŠYoung Hero Dang. Itâs been a while, hasnât it?â
âHave we met?â
Iheon frowned slightly. His face made it clear he wasnât thrilled. Dang Choye, whoâd been trailing behind, actually waved someone off before stepping in closer, now staring at Sahyeon like she was trying to bore a hole through him.
Strangely, it was only then that the shock actually hit me, and I looked back at Sahyeon again. If those two were reacting like this⊠then he wasnât some ghost or illusion. He was really standing there.
âWe havenât spoken, but weâve crossed paths before.â
âHmm. I canât quite place it⊠May I ask how you know Yeonhwa?â
Iheon sounded polite enough, but his face said otherwise. He was doing his best to treat the stranger in front of him with courtesy, but it was all surface. I was too stunned to say a word. Sahyeon answered like it was nothing.
âIâve been rude. As for Young Lady Yeonhwa and I⊠well, letâs say we share a quiet little secret. I heard she was holding onto something of mine. When I saw her here, I figured Iâd take the chance to get it back.â
Even as he said it, he still didnât let go of my wrist. In fact, his grip tightened slightly. The spot he held burned, like it had been scalded.
At Sahyeonâs deliberately suggestive tone, Dang Choye made no effort to hide her disgust.
âI donât know who you are, but you should watch your mouth. Speaking like that could damage Young Lady Yeonhwaâs reputation.â
âAh. That wasnât my intent, but I apologize if it came across that way. Young Lady Yeonhwa, forgive my rudeness.â
Sahyeon offered me a dramatic martial salute. I just stood there, staring at him in a daze. I still couldnât believe he was alive and right in front of me.
Then he leaned in slowly, and whispered into my ear.
âTake good care of whatâs mine. Iâll be back for it later.â
He said it like a whisper, but it was obviously for show. Iheon and Dang Choye definitely heard it, judging by the way both their faces soured even more.
Finally, Sahyeon let go of me. A breeze brushed across the spot where his hand had been, sending a chill down my arm.
I stared blankly at his hand as it fell away.
âWell then, until next time.â
He turned and walked off. The black silk of his robe fluttered in the wind as he vanished into the crowd.
ââŠYeonhwa. Are you alright?â
Iheon stepped in, concern in his voice, but I didnât answer. I couldnât take my eyes off the direction heâd gone.
Wasnât he dead? He didnât run away?
Sahyeon⊠is still alive?
I shook off Iheonâs hand and said quickly,
âJust a second. Just give me a second.â
I shoved my way through the crowd in the direction Sahyeon had gone. It was already well past sundown, and the streets were even more packed now. No matter how hard I tried to push forward, I couldnât move fast enough.
I mumbled âsorryâ over and over as I bumped into people, trying to get through. But no matter how far I went, I couldnât find him. It was like heâd evaporated.
Still, I couldnât convince myself Iâd just imagined it. The feel of his hand on my wrist was far too vivid for that.
I stood there in the middle of the street, completely lost, while strangers passed me by, laughing. A little later, Iheon caught up and asked with a worried look,
âYeonhwa, whatâs wrong? Do you need to chase after that guy?â
Chase after him?
If you put it like that⊠yeah. Thereâs too much I need to ask him. Too many things I have to hear. But heâd disappeared again, leaving nothing but that vague promise that heâd come find me.
ââŠNo. Heâll come back.â
If he really is alive, then heâll come back.
Still in a daze, like someone had clocked me in the back of the head, I turned back around.
âYoung Lady Dang is waiting. Letâs go.â
ââŠAlright.â
Iheon kept asking if I was okay, clearly suspicious, but none of it reached my ears. My mind was still spinning with the image of Sahyeon, turning me around by the wrist.
Then, out of nowhere, Iheon let out a quiet little sound of recognition.
âOhâwas that the guy we saw at the charity auction? The one who bid against us over your piece?â
ââŠâ
âWhat was his name again? Ak Huhyeon?â
I shook my head. Not pretendingâhonestly didnât remember. To me, heâs just Sahyeon. I had no idea whether the name he used back then was real or fake. I didnât even know if he was aliveâhow the hell would I know his name?
I donât know a thing about him.
The three of us walked in silence after that. Honestly, I couldnât tell you a single thing I did afterward. Itâs all a blur.
* * *
I made it back without even knowing how I left.
Told Hyangah I was going to bed and turned the lights off early. I left the window open and sat down at the table, arms crossed, just staring into the dark.
If I wasnât losing my mindâif I hadnât actually imagined itâthen heâs coming. No doubt about it.
The moon slid lower. Outside, everything fell quiet. This was the time when footsteps disappeared. When Sahyeon moved.
And sure enough, the faintest sound brushed past my ear. I drew my sword in an instant and pointed it at the source. The window had shut at some point.
And there, right at the tip of my blade, stood Sahyeon.
âEvening, my lady.â
ââŠSo you really were alive.â
His face, lit faintly by the moonlight, didnât so much as twitch. Calm as ever. As always, he wasnât scared of my sword.
Thatâsomehowâjust made me angrier.
âYouâdo you have any idea what Iâve beenââ
ââŠâ
âWas it fun?â
My hands started shaking without permission. Rage boiled up. If he was aliveâif he was going to come backâhe couldâve sent a word. Just one fucking word.
Even just a sign that he was breathing wouldâve made that month a little less hellish.
The guilt I carried, the ache of missing himâit all curdled into fury. Just seeing his face made it hard to hold it down. He mustâve seen that. He gave me a sheepish smile.
âIt wasnât easy to tell you. Things were a mess on my end. I came as soon as I put out the fires. Was I too late?â
ââŠYeah.â
âCould you let it slide, just this once?â
âYou faked your death and now you show up asking me to let it go? Get the hell out. Now.â
My voice shook at the end. Weirdly, tears welled up. I thought Iâd cried all I could after he âdied,â but apparently, there was still some left in me.
There were so many things I wanted to ask him. Why he did it. Whether he was okay now. What he planned to do. But none of the words would come.
Then Sahyeon gently nudged my sword aside with one finger.
âIâm sorry.â
âDonât come closer. Iâm done with bastards like you.â
I clenched my teeth. Swatted his hand away with the flat of my blade and raised the sword again. But Sahyeon stepped closer anyway. The tip of the blade was nearly touching his throat.
âAre you really trying to die this time?â
I flinched, just a little. But I didnât lower the sword. If I backed off now, Iâd just be falling for his tricks all over again. Playing right into his hands.
He stepped in again. This time the blade did touch his neck. A thin line of blood trickled down.
âAre you insane?!â
âIf you really want me dead, Iâll die. I fucked up.â
And then he took another step. One more, and the sword would stab clean through his neck. Unless heâd secretly mastered some invincibility technique, that was a guaranteed kill.
Panicking, I yanked the sword away. Sahyeon just kept walking forward like nothing happened. He stopped right in front of me and said,
âYou wanted me to come back alive.â
âThatâs because I thought you were dead. But you lied to me. You played me like a fool. You piece of shit!â
âYeah, I misjudged. I⊠I didnât know youâd be this upset.â
His words stopped me cold. Yeah. Even I hadnât expected to be this wrecked.
Especially since Iâd never even shown him how I felt.
But that didnât mean the anger went away.
âIf you had realized how much it hit me, then you should have told me. At least then. But you didnât. You hid it. You watched me fall apart and probably had a good laugh.â
âNo. It wasnât funny. Not even a little.â
ââŠâ
âI screwed up.â
Sahyeon quietly reached for my hand.
It was warm. Just like when he grabbed my wrist earlier. And before I knew it, my eyes were stinging. I shoved his hand away and slammed my fist into his chest.
âWho the hell do you think you are? You think you get to come in here and turn my whole world upside down like this? Like you know shit about what it took for me to survive?!â
Sahyeon didnât say a word. Didnât fight back. He just stood there and took it. Even when I pushed him back with every hit, he stayed right where he was.
If heâd just resistedâif heâd pushed back even a littleâI couldâve kept hitting him and hating him. But of course, this asshole had to make it hard.
I glared at him, teeth clenched. My vision blurred. He slowly reached out, brushed my cheek with his thumb.
âI wonât disappear like that again. I mean it. Iâm not going anywhere. So donât cry, okay?â
His breath and his voice slid down my cheek and tickled my ear. I didnât even get the chance to push him away or say something back before he pulled me into his arms.
His chest was solid. Warm. I just stood there, trapped, fists clenched, biting my lip. I didnât want to cry anymoreâbut I couldnât stop.
âThat whole month I was goneâI spent it just trying to come back to you. Thatâs all it was for. Please believe me.â
âYou lie to my face for weeks and now you want me to believe you?â
âYeah. Because I know you want to.â
âYouâre such a smug, insufferable bastard.â
âI know.â
He smiled lightly. Our eyes met when I looked up.
I donât know what came over me.
I grabbed him by the collar. Rose to my toes. Gave a small tug.
His face came right to mine.
His lips were soft. Silky.
It was my first kiss from both my lives.
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[âYou lie to my face for weeks and now you want me to believe you?â
âYeah. Because I know you want to.â
âYouâre such a smug, insufferable bastard.â
âI know.â]
I just loved that exchange. I loved a lot (or even all) of this chapter, but that part was easy to pull and point at. I actually waited to comment on this chapter until I could use a computer just so I could quote from it. I liked it that much.
I am so glad we didnât have to wait longer for his return, and I love the way he went about it, even if the whole thing broke me.
â
[âTake good care of whatâs mine. Iâll be back for it later.â]
I totally picture him looking straight at Dang Iheon as he said that. XD
I love them so much toooooo. Such a sassy couple! Tysm for reading!!!