Chapter 32. The Trap
After Cheong left, Haewon—as always—dressed neatly and sat before the mountain of memorials piled high before him.
He had definitely cleared this many just yesterday, and yet they had stacked up again in a matter of hours.
It was inevitable. He governed the vast ocean entirely on his own, without any assistants.
There were ministers, yes, but since they weren’t divine beings, they were of little help.
At best, they managed the palace’s daily affairs, ran errands, or did menial tasks.
Still, having them around lightened his burden, if only slightly.
Without even that, Haewon would truly never get a moment’s rest.
He opened the topmost memorial.
“Haa…”
A weary sigh slipped from Haewon’s lips.
As you ordered, we dug a deep trench in the western sea to fortify it, but we were unable to stop the whitening phenomenon.
It reported that the whitening phenomenon in the western waters was accelerating noticeably.
It had already advanced to the vicinity of the trench they had dug recently.
At this rate, half the western sea could become parched and white within a hundred years.
“Is it really because of a curse?”
Haewon set the memorial down, muttering in a grim voice.
When the whitening first appeared after he ascended the throne, he hadn’t thought much of it.
After all, the surface world had deserts—why couldn’t the sea have barren zones too?
But then the whitening—where the seafloor turned pale and lifeless—began to spread to the surrounding waters.
He’d tried everything: placing divine shields, ordering coral to be replanted, even setting boundaries.
But nothing stopped the spread of dead seafloor.
The best solution they found was digging deep trenches and setting divine barriers to slow its advance.
When even the king’s divine power couldn’t resolve the phenomenon, the ministers began to murmur.
“The curse must have spread to the sea itself.”
“Are they saying it’s His Majesty’s fault?”
“No matter what we try, the sea keeps dying. Surely it’s because a cursed, impure being governs the ocean.”
Though Haewon knew exactly what they whispered, he pretended not to hear.
Because the truth was, no one had a better explanation.
“How long must I live like this…”
He set down the memorial with a tired face.
He was exhausted—not just from the work, but from the scornful and fearful gazes constantly thrown his way.
Especially those eyes that glanced uneasily at his black hair and crimson eyes, as if they were omens.
For this reason, Haewon had come to loathe—even despise—his own appearance.
But then Cheong had said something bold, right in front of him:
“I especially like Your Majesty’s black hair and red eyes.”
At first, Haewon had been angry when she said that.
He thought she was mocking him.
Even as a human, surely she’d heard the rumors.
“Your Majesty’s eyes remind me of beautiful jewels. Maybe it’s the contrast with your black hair, but the color is so striking.”
But the words that followed left him speechless.
It wasn’t just the compliment—it was the look in her eyes.
So clear, so transparent. No prejudice. No malice. No judgment.
“Eight hundred years, has it been…”
Not since his mother passed had anyone looked at him like that.
“Your eyes are beautiful, sweetheart. Just like red coral.”
His mother was the only one who ever saw him for who he was.
Even after Haewon learned that his appearance was considered a symbol of a curse, she treated him no differently.
“Just because you look different doesn’t make you bad. What matters isn’t your appearance—it’s your heart.”
She had encouraged him, lifted him up when he was shrinking under the weight of stigma.
Back then, Haewon believed he was okay.
That he wasn’t cursed—just different.
But when his mother died because of him, he realized.
No matter how much he denied it, he was cursed.
Since then, Haewon had hated the way he looked.
He barely even looked in the mirror.
Until she came.
When Cheong first arrived at the Dragon Palace, he had taken out a mirror for the first time in centuries.
He wondered if, perhaps, her fearless gaze meant his appearance had changed.
But his ominous red eyes and black hair remained unchanged.
Realizing that had left him with a strange ache in his chest.
Even now, just thinking of her—
Haewon’s expression had softened without him noticing as he picked up the next memorial.
* * *
“Why would the Royal Medical Office summon you out of the blue?”
“Who knows? We’ll find out soon enough.”
Gahwa shook her head at Cheong’s relaxed answer.
“You’re not even worried? This is a summons from the Royal Medical Director!”
Ever since Cheong became royal physician, Byeoljubu had been targeting her relentlessly.
Just a few days ago, he had bribed the Royal Medical Office staff to block her from borrowing medicinal herbs.
Rumor had it he had explicitly ordered the staff to bar her from entering the building altogether.
Now, suddenly, he wanted her to come to him?
Suspicious was an understatement.
But Cheong herself showed no sign of concern.
In fact, she was walking with a gentle smile on her face.
“What good would it do to worry now? It’s not like I can avoid it.”
“You’re the boldest person I’ve ever met.”
Gahwa sighed in admiration, and Cheong responded with a smile.
Though she spoke confidently, Cheong was indeed worried.
But her calm wasn’t fake bravado.
This flower tea really was worth the price.
Even after a full day, the effects of the laughing blossom tea lingered.
Weaker than before, but still present.
Thanks to it, she felt anxious—but not afraid.
Actually, this might work in my favor.
If she couldn’t avoid this confrontation with Byeoljubu, she at least wanted to face him with dignity.
Showing fear would be exactly what he wanted.
No doubt, summoning her was part of his plan to assert dominance.
Which meant she had to stand her ground.
Cheong arrived at the Royal Medical Office and was immediately ushered to Byeoljubu’s private office.
Last time, they barely acknowledged me.
When she had visited before to borrow medicine, the officials had completely ignored her.
As if she were invisible.
Now, just because Byeoljubu had called for her, their attitudes had flipped completely.
“Court Lady Gahwa, please wait here.”
Cheong entered Byeoljubu’s office alone.
If anything happened, she didn’t want Gahwa in danger too.
“Welcome.”
Byeoljubu greeted her with a deliberately warm voice.
Though his expression was anything but friendly.
“Thank you for inviting me first.”
Cheong greeted him with a bright smile of her own.
Far from intimidated, her clear and innocent smile made Byeoljubu’s brow twitch.
But he quickly masked it behind his usual smug expression.
“As royal physician, this is where you belong. No need to thank me for a mere summons.”
“Then may I freely come and go from the Royal Medical Office from now on?”
Cheong asked lightly, and Byeoljubu smirked.
“Of course. In fact, you’ll be working here regularly from now on.”
“Working…?”
“You’ll be treating the patients who visit this office.”
His lips curled as he watched her eyes widen in surprise.
“That is your official duty from now on, Physician Sim.”
