Chapter 7: An Unexpected Problem

Palcho stomped over and thrust his rugged face right in front of Cheong.

“W-what I meant is…”

As Cheong stammered in the face of his aggressive behavior—

“I knew it. I smelled a human stink.”

Palcho sniffed her face and immediately grimaced.

Then, with rough hands, he shoved her by the shoulders toward the entrance of the forge.

“What rotten luck! Don’t you ever show your face here again!”

“Wait! Please just listen to me—”

Bang!

As Cheong turned her body, Palcho slammed the door shut with his strong arms.

“What the hell was that…”

“You were kicked out,” Gahwa said flatly, finishing Cheong’s sentence.

She was stunned. She had actually been turned away at the door.

But Cheong quickly snapped out of it.

“I can’t give up like this. Court Lady, lead the way.”

At her suggestion that they try another forge, Gahwa let out a deep sigh.

Cheong followed her back onto the road.

---

They visited twenty forges in the market district—but the result was the same.

No materials available, no smiths skilled enough to craft something so intricate, only dealing in weapons like swords and axes, and so on.

The reasons varied, but the answer was unanimous: they all refused Cheong’s request.

“Give it up already,” Gahwa said with a sigh of exasperation.

“No! I’m being treated unfairly just because I’m human—how could I not be upset?”

Instead of offering comfort, Gahwa’s words rubbed salt in the wound, and Cheong’s voice trembled with anger.

“It’s partly because you’re human,” Gahwa said, “but the bigger issue is that you’ve upset Master Su.”

“What? You mean that little argument we had made him go around telling the blacksmiths not to help me?”

“He absolutely would.”

“That petty turtle bastard!”

Unable to contain her frustration, Cheong kicked a rock violently.

“Enough grumbling. We need to get back to the palace. If we’re caught wandering around after Sulsig (7–9 p.m.), we’ll be in serious trouble.”

“What kind of trouble, exactly?”

“Well… I’d say you might lose your head?”

Cheong gasped at Gahwa’s calm response.

She had no idea what time it was, but the sun had already set.

Deng—deng—deng—deng—

Just then, ominous bells began to toll.

“Oh no, that’s the bell announcing Sulsig.”

A look of dread appeared on Gahwa’s face.

“Court Lady, there’s no time!” Cheong grabbed her wrist. “Run!”

Holding onto Gahwa, Cheong sprinted toward the Dragon Palace with all her might.

There was no way she was going to throw away her hard-won survival now.

---

“Huff… Because of you… I might… huff… die before my time…”

“P-pardon? Huff… You mean, I saved you… not the other way around.”

Cheong and Gahwa bent forward, hands on their knees, gasping for air.

Their short, broken breaths were enough to show how hard they had run.

Deng—deng—deng—

The final bell signaling the start of the night curfew rang just as they entered the palace.

A minute later, and the gates would’ve closed behind them. They would have been completely stuck.

It was a razor-thin escape. And, of course, it wasn’t over yet.

“We can’t relax yet. Get up,” Gahwa whispered.

Cheong straightened up, still panting.

“Do you know the patrol routes of the palace guards?”

If they just avoided the current patrol zones, they’d be fine.

“I don’t. I believe the patrol routes change every day.”

“Right… Security here is tighter than anywhere else. I guess even palace attendants aren’t told that kind of top-secret info.”

“Funny, coming from someone who already knew that, yet still asked such a stupid question.”

“Wow, that remark stings a little.”

Instead of replying, Gahwa shot Cheong a glare and turned away.

Cheong could almost hear her mutter, ‘Why do I put up with this…’

“Just follow me quietly. We’ll stick to the paths only the palace attendants use.”

Though she grumbled, Gahwa still made sure to take care of Cheong—and that made Cheong chuckle.

Even with her snarky words and cold attitude, Cheong didn’t dislike Gahwa.

In fact, the contrast made her even more endearing.

“You—”

Gahwa suddenly turned her head sharply.

Her glare was intense.

“Yes?”

Trying not to laugh, Cheong looked up at the sky—or rather, the ocean above—to feign innocence.

Her expression must have been annoying, because Gahwa’s eyes narrowed even more.

“What insult are you mumbling this time?”

“Insult? No, I was just admiring how someone as lovely as you could also be so kind-hearted.”

As Cheong flattered her, Gahwa narrowed her eyes even more.

Clearly, she thought Cheong was teasing her.

Which, honestly, wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I’m not falling for your smooth talk anymore.”

“For someone saying that, your lips and cheeks seem eager to betray you.”

“That’s not it!”

“Sure, sure. Let’s keep moving. We don’t want to become ghost buddies now, do we?”

Gahwa looked like she had a lot to say, but instead turned around with a huff and continued walking.

Cheong followed closely behind, keeping her footsteps light and quiet.

---

Without Gahwa’s guidance, Cheong might never have made it back to her quarters.

She hadn’t realized it earlier, but the inner palace was like a maze.

“We’re almost there.”

Gahwa had proven to be a great guide—they hadn’t encountered a single guard.

Just as Cheong nodded at her whisper—

“Ah…!”

With a sudden shove, Gahwa pushed her into a shadowy corner.

Cheong hit a hard wall but quickly grasped the situation and hid silently behind it.

“Isn’t that you, Court Lady? What are you doing out here at this hour?”

Step, step.

Judging by the heavy footsteps, it was a palace guard.

“My colleague fell ill suddenly, so I came to cover her shift.”

“Is that so? I’ve heard more people have been falling ill lately.”

The guard clicked his tongue beyond the wall.

Cheong held her breath, praying he would move along quickly.

But unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be in a hurry.

“I have to patrol the inner court now. Why don’t we go together?”

“W-what? Oh, no need for that…”

Caught off guard by the gesture, Gahwa waved her hands nervously while sneaking glances at where Cheong was hiding.

“I’d feel bad letting a lady walk around alone at this hour. But… is there something behind you?”

As Gahwa kept glancing behind the pillar, the guard tilted his head curiously and leaned that way.

Just as his body started to tip dangerously close to Cheong’s hiding spot—

Gahwa swiftly grabbed his wrist.

“I just didn’t want to disturb your duties. But if you insist, let’s walk together.”

“Oh, of course! Right this way.”

The guard smiled brightly and took the lead.

Court Lady Gahwa! What am I supposed to do now?!

Cheong screamed internally as Gahwa walked away.

Whether she heard it or not, Gahwa casually placed her hands behind her back and gave Cheong a hand signal.

But there was an unexpected problem.

“…What does that even mean?”

The problem was—Cheong had no idea what the signal meant.

And so, Gahwa disappeared from sight… with the guard.