Two For the Price of One, Ch. 14
Previously:
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Disclaimer: The SKKS-verse belongs to the creators of Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
Author's Notes: As always, still alive :-p Hopefully the rest of this fic will be easier to write. Thank you to tapzz for reviewing the previous chapter!
Chapter Fourteen
“Why do you have that look on your face?”
Iseul started at her grandfather's sharp tone. “I-I'm sorry, Harabeonim. I was just thinking about my grandmother at home.” She swallowed hard and choked down her worries. “She's not doing very well.
“A-and I just realized....” she added as a new worry occurred to her, “Halmeonim's illness isn't catching, but perhaps I should have waited until she was well before coming to see you.” I should not have come to visit, she thought miserably. Am I seeing things, or does Harabeonim look a little pale?
Master Ma harrumphed. “If she isn't contagious, then you might as well come and get this visit over with.” He opened a ledger and flipped through its pages. “Where is that young man of yours?”
“Ah... Yong-ha is busy. He sends his regrets.”
Besides Madam Park's illness, said “young man” was another one of those things causing Iseul great dissatisfaction these days. Despite his insistence that she owed him nothing in exchange for all of his help to her grandmother, having him step in when she fell short was still a large and bitter pill to swallow. Her chest still ached whenever she thought about it.
“Humph!” Her grandfather tapped his ledger with an impatient finger. “We're all busy!”
“There are many last-minute orders for warm clothing coming in.” At least she knew this to be true from the work she had done for Yong-ha recently. “I'm not really surprised. This winter may well be so much colder than last year's, don't you agree?”
“That shouldn't have anything to do with why he's not here. He doesn't do the sewing himself, does he?”
“Well, no... but he needs to make sure it's all up to his standards. After all, his shop makes the finest clothes in Joseon.”
He snorted. “He has you believing that now, eh?”
“It's true, Harabeonim! The clothes from Yong-ha's shop look so much better than what the others sell. A-and I've done some sketching for him, so....” she faltered as she realized how defensive she sounded. “So I know just how much care he and his workers put into making them.”
“Be that as it may,” Master Ma said, turning his attention back to his ledger, “it's not right that he left you to come here alone. You should tell him to do his duty and accompany you next time.”
Actually, while Iseul was visiting her grandfather, Yong-ha was at her house to see Madam Park. However, the visit was not going well; the cold winter weather had caused the old woman to weaken and develop a fever.
“Halmeonim sleeps most of the time,” the housekeeper reported as she sponged the slumbering Madam Park's brow with some cool water. “Hopefully, it's a healing sleep.” Beside her, the faithful Kyo-eul whined.
Yong-ha gave the dog a pat to keep it quiet. “Does she eat anything?”
“A little porridge or tea when she wakes. And we move her, just as the uinyeo said, to prevent bedsores and stiffness in her muscles.”
He nodded, not at all surprised that the household was doing its best to take care of Madam Park. “Next time, I'll bring some cream for the skin,” he promised. “Please put some on Halmeonim's hands every day, and use some, too, if you'd like. It's only a small thing, just to keep the skin soft in winter, but I hope it will help lift Halmeonim's spirits.” He was, of course, well aware that Iseul would not like it; but he reasoned that he was already in trouble with her anyway, so another small present would not make any difference.
“You are too kind, Master Gu!”
Just then, Madam Park's eyes fluttered open. “Yong-ha...is that you?” she asked in a thready voice.
“Y-yes, Halmeonim!” he replied cheerfully, hiding his dismay over the fact that she appeared weaker when awake than she had while she slept. “It has been so long since my last visit that I decided that I had to come and see you today.”
A ghost of a smile flickered across her lined face. “Such a nice boy,” she whispered. “Our Iseul must have done... great things in a past life....”
“She does many good things in this life, Halmeonim,” he replied sincerely. Despite their disagreement, he could not deny that his “betrothed” worked hard and kept her family's well-being at heart. “And she deserves to have only good things happen to her.”
“Soon, Master Gu will be able to make sure that happens,” the housekeeper chimed in. “I mean after you and the agasshi are married!” she explained when Yong-ha gave her a blank look.
He quickly covered up his confusion and mustered a laugh. “Yes, yes, of course! After we are married, Iseul will have me to take care of her-whether she likes it or not.”
“You should... marry her soon,” Madam Park said. Her hand scrabbled over the covers to find his and squeeze it faintly. “When I am better... we will have the wedding.”
Both Yong-ha and Kyo-eul blinked. “Pardon?”
Although he and Iseul spent the better part of their time these days steering clear of each other, Yong-ha proceeded straight home after his visit to Madam Park. He had known that his “betrothed” would be there at that time, hence the timing of his own visit to the Kim household.
He found her with his mother, perusing sketches for the screen that Madam Hong had ordered. “I'm home, Omonim,” he announced to get the women's attention.
Looking up, his mother bestowed him with a bright smile. “Hello, my son. The cook found some nice oysters in the market today, so we're having oyster rice for dinner. You like that, don't you?”
“Yes, Omonim, I do,” Yong-ha replied, smiling back. The smile faded slightly as he caught Iseul's eye, but they exchanged polite nods. “Teacher Kim, may I have a word? In private?” he added when she raised her eyebrows inquiringly but made no move to get up.
“Omo.” His mother looked suspiciously at him and then at the young woman seated beside her. “One would think that this was a real betrothal, since you can't seem to wait to get Teacher Kim alone.”
“I assure you that's hardly the case, madam,” Iseul told her, glancing down at her papers and blushing.
“I apologize for interrupting, Omonim,” Yong-ha said to the older woman. “If you and Teacher Kim have finished, could I please speak with her? There is something important that we need to discuss.” Madam Hong still looked skeptical, but allowed them to take their leave.
As he hustled Iseul to the quieter end of the house, where they would not be overheard, she could not help but think that it felt like old times, when they were still on speaking terms and every little thing required a private conversation. However, that notion died a quick death when he turned to her with the same distant expression that he wore around her these days.
Telling herself that she wasn't at all disappointed, she pasted a politely interested expression on her own face. “May I ask what this is about?”
“I went to visit Halmeonim today, while you were out,” Yong-ha informed her. “I thought you might like to know that she wishes us to start planning the wedding once she gets better.”
She stiffened at that, but covered it up by straightening the shawl around her shoulders. The nights had turned cold, and the furnace for this part of the house had not been lit. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her I would talk to you about it but couldn't make any promises. Fortunately, Halmeonim didn't press the issue.” He paused. “She might mention it to you, though. I thought I should warn you.”
“Ah. Well... thank you.”
That wasn't so hard to say, was it? Yong-ha was tempted to ask, but thought the better of it. Instead, he said, “And... what are you going to say if Halmeonim starts talking about a wedding?”
“I suppose I'll tell her that we're both very busy. It's the truth, anyway.”
He made a face. She had a point, and he knew very well the importance of keeping things simple when telling lies, but such reasoning still sounded too bland for his taste. “Yes, you could say that, but you won't be able to use that excuse forever. Halmeonim will still expect you to marry me eventually.”
“Well, it will have to do, unless you wish to begin planting the seeds in her mind that we aren't going to marry after all.”
Yong-ha's expression of distaste turned into a scowl. “That would kill her.”
Iseul sighed wearily. It had been a long day, and despite all of her worries at home, she was quite looking forward to putting the day's work behind her. “Yes, this probably isn't the right time,” she agreed. “Nevertheless, we need to begin working on that after she gets better. The longer we remain 'betrothed,' the more complicated things will get when we do call things off.”
Yong-ha did not offer to escort her home that evening. It made perfect sense, Iseul told herself. He was already at his home, after all, and she had already arranged to meet Chae-mi on her way back from town so that they could go home together. However, it still felt odd not to have him around.
This evening, it was Choi Man-shik, Chae-mi's father's apprentice, who saw them home. “Abeonim made him come with me,” Chae-mi explained as Iseul settled in the cart next to her, “so I decided that he should make himself useful.”
“Oh, is that so?” Iseul addressed the stocky young man driving the cart. “Thank you for driving us home, Master Choi.”
“It's no trouble, agasshi,” he replied, slapping the reins. The cart lurched forward. “I need to bring the cart back to Master Han, anyway. Hold on tightly, please.”
“Whatever for?” Chae-mi scoffed. “It's not as though the ride will be dangerous. You're driving the slowest ox we have.”
“I promised your father that I would bring you home safely, agasshi,” Man-shik told her. “Now, hold on tightly, please.”
Although it was convenient to have the apprentice drive them home, his presence also made it difficult for the young women to have a proper chat. It was only after he had delivered them and the cart to the Hans' that the young women could converse in private.
Naturally, the first thing Chae-mi wanted to discuss was the quarrel with Yong-ha. “How was it at Master Gu's today?” she demanded when Man-shik had taken his leave. “Have you and Master Gu made up yet?”
“Not completely....” Iseul answered. “I spent most of my time there with his mother. We, ah, did not get much of a chance to talk.” Seeing her friend's worried expression, she hastened to add, “It's fine, really. Please don't worry about us.”
“What did you disagree about, anyway?” Chae-mi asked petulantly.
“Nothing significant.”
It was the hundredth time Chae-mi had asked, and the hundredth time Iseul had answered her thus. The disturbing thing was that the more Iseul said it, the more she was coming to realize, much to her shame, that the answer carried a fair bit of truth.
“We're still speaking, still working together,” she went on with false cheer. “We just need some time to cool our tempers, that's all.”
“Small disagreements can turn into big ones if you don't resolve them as soon as you can,” her friend advised, sounding as though she were Joseon's foremost authority on marriage. “Omonim always says that I should never to let the sun set on my anger.”
Too late for me, Iseul thought, then resolutely pushed such morose notions aside. “At any rate, Halmeonim is my most important priority right now,” she declared. “Yong-ha and I will talk things over after she recovers.”
“We'll talk things over once her grandmother recovers.”
Jae-shin shot Yong-ha a perplexed look and reached over a stack of ledgers to feel his friend's forehead. “Who are you and what have you done with Gu Yong-ha?”
Yong-ha waved off the gesture the way he would have a bothersome fly. “I'm fine, Geol-oh.”
“You don't sound fine. Why haven't you made peace with your beloved yet?”
That caused him to look up. “I seem to remember us having this sort of conversation before... except I was the one always asking you.”
“Turnabout is fair play,” Jae-shin said with a wry little smile. “Now, what's holding things up?”
“I told you, Iseul's grandmother is still sick. We're both very worried.”
And Yong-ha knew that if he was worried, then Iseul was even more so-after all, Madam Park was the only family she had that mattered. He remembered the way the lamplight had flickered over Iseul's face as she sketched for his mother, casting unflattering shadows; how she now tended to close her eyes for a moment whenever she thought he wasn't looking, when she had never done that before; the weariness that laced her voice, no matter how briefly they spoke.
“Halmeonim's recovery is the most important thing for us both right now. Whatever else is going on will keep.” He and his “betrothed” knew how things were going to end between them, anyway.
“I suppose it's a good sign if you can set it aside for a while,” Jae-shin averred, “but you shouldn't let it lie too long. You'll never know what sort of damage it's causing beneath the surface. Like a wound, you know? You think it's only a scratch, but if you let it fester, your leg has to come off.”
Yong-ha chuckled reminiscently. “Fortunately, none of the Red Messenger's scratches ever came to that.”
“Fortunately, the Red Messenger had friends to make sure that never happened,” the other man agreed. “And speaking of friends...” he continued, sounding more sober now, “is there anything I can do to help?”
“With what?”
“With your betrothed,” Jae-shin explained. “I thought that, if it would help, I might try to talk to her for you... or perhaps we could ask my wife to do it.”
“Ah.” Yong-ha smiled. “Well, as confident as I am about your wife's powers of persuasion, I think Iseul and I can work this out on our own. I appreciate the thought, though.
He gestured to the account book in his hand. “Now, if you don't mind, I really need to finish looking over these figures.”
So hot.
The old woman moaned noiselessly and tried to stir, but was unable to move. All the strength seemed to have left her body, leaving her trapped beneath the leaden slabs of her blankets. She could not even cough despite the incessant prickling in her chest.
Why was this happening to her? Hadn't she been getting better?
So hot... and so tired. She tried to make noise again, this time managing a dusty wheeze.
“Halmeonim?” Almost immediately, someone sponged her face with water, and lifted her gently to place a cup at her lips. “Halmeonim, please drink some of this tea. You need your strength.”
She sipped at the brew. It was tepid and had a bitter aftertaste, but at least it was wet. “I-Iseul?” she managed to make out.
“The agasshi is at work.” The old woman recognized her housekeeper's voice. “But Master Gu is here!”
“Yong-ha,” she murmured happily.
“Hello, Halmeonim,” she heard him say. Someone-was it he?-blotted at her forehead again. “How are you feeling today? Would you like more tea?”
She smiled faintly at the sound of his voice, but could do little else. It hurt to talk... hurt to even think. Drinking some more tea didn't help. Her brow furrowed as she felt herself being lowered back into bed.
“It's all right, Halmeonim,” Yong-ha reassured her, patting her hand. “We can talk when you're better. I just want to sit here with you for a while.”
The old woman continued to frown. “W-work,” she said. Her thoughts seemed to be eluding her more and more these days, but something in one of the deepest recesses of her mind told her that he should not stay, even though that was exactly what she wanted.
“Work can wait. You are more important.”
She had to laugh at that, even though the laugh was little more than a tiny, soundless puff of air. “Such... good boy....”
“Your presence is doing Halmeonim a lot of good, Master Gu,” the housekeeper said, a smile in her voice.
The old woman heard him murmur a reply, then felt him cover her hand with his once more. “Please just rest, Halmeonim,” he said. “Rest and heal.”
Clinging to his hand like a child, she dropped off into a restless doze. Her fever raged on.
“Hello, Teacher Kim! How are you today?”
“I'm well, thank you, Master Bang,” Iseul replied with a polite smile to hide her puzzlement.
Ever since the lovely Miss Kang had come on the scene, Iseul tried her best to steer clear of Bang Jung-soo. Although she wasn't besotted with him any longer, it felt right to keep away from him; she could not afford any misunderstanding if she was to continue teaching his sister. It worked quite well, too, especially since the young man did not actively seek her company, either.
Until now, for some reason.
“It has been a while since we've spoken, hasn't it?” he asked, smiling in his usual friendly way. “However did that happen?”
“I suppose we've both been very busy.”
As she spoke, she could not help but think that, once upon a time, she would have been thrilled by a moment like this. Today, however, it seemed to have as much significance to her as an exchange of pleasantries with a casual acquaintance.
“How are my sister's lessons coming along?”
Jung-hwa, who had been working at Iseul's side, looked up with a quizzical expression on her face. “Orabeoni, I see you practically every day. Why not just ask me?”
“Well, Teacher Kim is the professional,” he explained. “I must ask her if I am to get an objective opinion.”
Just then, they heard the babble of voices outside. “Where is she?” one of them demanded. “In here?”
Iseul frowned. The speaker sounded familiar. She was about to remark on it when the door to the study room slid open to reveal- “Gu Yong-ha?”
He breathed a gusty sigh of relief when he saw that she was within. “Iseul. Thank goodness. Come, I've got to take you home.”
“Teacher Kim hasn't quite finished here yet, Master Gu,” Jung-soo protested.
“Yes, she has,” Yong-ha replied with uncharacteristic brusqueness, striding into the room. His overcoat, today a bright violet brocade, swished impatiently around him. “This is a family emergency.”
Iseul leapt to her feet. “Emergency?” she repeated. “Has something happened to my grandmother?”
“Sorry, maybe that wasn't the best word to use.” Her “betrothed” broke into a grin. “Halmeonim's fever has broken. She's asking for you.”
“It has?” She choked out a laugh and pressed a hand to her chest to try and calm her now-racing heart.
“Would I joke about something like that?” He walked over to her and took her firmly by the arm. “Come on!”
Iseul allowed herself to be towed towards the door, but managed to remember where she was and stopped short before they could cross the threshold. “But....” she stammered, glancing quickly at the girl still working on her painting, “Jung-hwa's lesson....”
“Go home, seonsaengnim,” Jung-hwa told her. “You should not keep your grandmother waiting. Do not worry about me. I will finish my painting, and you can look it over next time.” She slid her brother an arch glance. “Orabeoni can watch and see for himself whether I have improved.”
Yong-ha, apparently now restored to his usual charming self, favored her with a brilliant smile. “Thank you, agasshi.”
“A-and my things!” Iseul blurted out, looking with dismay at the brushes and paints spread out over the worktable.
“We'll send for them later,” he told her, tugging on her arm again. “Now, do you want to see your grandmother or not? Let's go!”
“I see that you and Master Bang are still on speaking terms.”
“Hmm?” Iseul asked. “Oh. Well, of course we are. I could not just cut all ties after, ah, you know... I needed to keep working there, after all. That was the first time he's spoken to me at length since then, though.”
Yong-ha grunted, keeping his eyes resolutely on the road. “You should be on guard when a man seeks you out all of a sudden. You'll never know what he might ultimately want from you.
“That doesn't apply to me, of course,” he added quickly, before she could turn his well-meaning lecture against him. “I came looking for you on Halmeonim's behalf.”
She made a noise that sounded gratifyingly like a laugh. “I know. And I understand. I don't think Bang Jung-soo had any bad intentions, especially with his sister in the room; but having him approach me after so long felt odd, so I was careful.”
“Good.”
Iseul adjusted her hold around Yong-ha's waist. She had shared a horse with him many times before, but tonight he felt especially, disconcertingly solid. It was because he was blocking out most of the winter cold, she told herself. “Gu Yong-ha?”
“Hmm?”
She felt her face grow warm and was glad that he couldn't see. “I just... thank you.” She took a deep breath. “A-and I'm sorry.”
There was a pregnant pause, then she felt him nod. “You're welcome,” he said, “and apology accepted. I hope we'll have an easier time of it the next time I try to help-and I will, if I believe that you or Halmeonim need it. I see you and Halmeonim as my friends, after all, and my other friends will tell you that I will do anything to help them, whether or not they want it.
“Now, let's not speak of this anymore,” Yong-ha concluded. “I think we've reflected on the situation long enough.”
Iseul did as she was bidden and stayed silent, but her clasped hands dipped slightly. He thought nothing of it, thinking the horse's movements might have had something to do with it, until they slipped further down to below his belt.
He cleared his throat. “Ah... Iseul?” he ventured, glancing furtively around them. The street was dim and deserted, but decent women did not touch men thus in public. “Doing a little research for, ah, you-know-who?”
His voice cracked on the last syllable as her hands slid even lower, dangerously close to his crotch. Resolutely, he caught her hands in his and planted them at a decorous level above his waist. True friends did not let their friends behave inappropriately in public. (They also did not imagine their friends doing such things, he reminded himself.)
The motion tugged Iseul closer and she sagged against his back. Over his shoulder, Yong-ha could hear the slow, even breathing of a person deep in slumber.
He chuckled even as his heart continued to race. Given his luck, she had probably fallen asleep during his little speech about their being friends.
No matter, he thought as his horse plodded on down the silent, shadowy street. Now that they had made amends, there would be plenty of chances to tell her everything all over again.
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Disclaimer: The SKKS-verse belongs to the creators of Sungkyunkwan Scandal.
Author's Notes: As always, still alive :-p Hopefully the rest of this fic will be easier to write. Thank you to tapzz for reviewing the previous chapter!
Chapter Fourteen
“Why do you have that look on your face?”
Iseul started at her grandfather's sharp tone. “I-I'm sorry, Harabeonim. I was just thinking about my grandmother at home.” She swallowed hard and choked down her worries. “She's not doing very well.
“A-and I just realized....” she added as a new worry occurred to her, “Halmeonim's illness isn't catching, but perhaps I should have waited until she was well before coming to see you.” I should not have come to visit, she thought miserably. Am I seeing things, or does Harabeonim look a little pale?
Master Ma harrumphed. “If she isn't contagious, then you might as well come and get this visit over with.” He opened a ledger and flipped through its pages. “Where is that young man of yours?”
“Ah... Yong-ha is busy. He sends his regrets.”
Besides Madam Park's illness, said “young man” was another one of those things causing Iseul great dissatisfaction these days. Despite his insistence that she owed him nothing in exchange for all of his help to her grandmother, having him step in when she fell short was still a large and bitter pill to swallow. Her chest still ached whenever she thought about it.
“Humph!” Her grandfather tapped his ledger with an impatient finger. “We're all busy!”
“There are many last-minute orders for warm clothing coming in.” At least she knew this to be true from the work she had done for Yong-ha recently. “I'm not really surprised. This winter may well be so much colder than last year's, don't you agree?”
“That shouldn't have anything to do with why he's not here. He doesn't do the sewing himself, does he?”
“Well, no... but he needs to make sure it's all up to his standards. After all, his shop makes the finest clothes in Joseon.”
He snorted. “He has you believing that now, eh?”
“It's true, Harabeonim! The clothes from Yong-ha's shop look so much better than what the others sell. A-and I've done some sketching for him, so....” she faltered as she realized how defensive she sounded. “So I know just how much care he and his workers put into making them.”
“Be that as it may,” Master Ma said, turning his attention back to his ledger, “it's not right that he left you to come here alone. You should tell him to do his duty and accompany you next time.”
Actually, while Iseul was visiting her grandfather, Yong-ha was at her house to see Madam Park. However, the visit was not going well; the cold winter weather had caused the old woman to weaken and develop a fever.
“Halmeonim sleeps most of the time,” the housekeeper reported as she sponged the slumbering Madam Park's brow with some cool water. “Hopefully, it's a healing sleep.” Beside her, the faithful Kyo-eul whined.
Yong-ha gave the dog a pat to keep it quiet. “Does she eat anything?”
“A little porridge or tea when she wakes. And we move her, just as the uinyeo said, to prevent bedsores and stiffness in her muscles.”
He nodded, not at all surprised that the household was doing its best to take care of Madam Park. “Next time, I'll bring some cream for the skin,” he promised. “Please put some on Halmeonim's hands every day, and use some, too, if you'd like. It's only a small thing, just to keep the skin soft in winter, but I hope it will help lift Halmeonim's spirits.” He was, of course, well aware that Iseul would not like it; but he reasoned that he was already in trouble with her anyway, so another small present would not make any difference.
“You are too kind, Master Gu!”
Just then, Madam Park's eyes fluttered open. “Yong-ha...is that you?” she asked in a thready voice.
“Y-yes, Halmeonim!” he replied cheerfully, hiding his dismay over the fact that she appeared weaker when awake than she had while she slept. “It has been so long since my last visit that I decided that I had to come and see you today.”
A ghost of a smile flickered across her lined face. “Such a nice boy,” she whispered. “Our Iseul must have done... great things in a past life....”
“She does many good things in this life, Halmeonim,” he replied sincerely. Despite their disagreement, he could not deny that his “betrothed” worked hard and kept her family's well-being at heart. “And she deserves to have only good things happen to her.”
“Soon, Master Gu will be able to make sure that happens,” the housekeeper chimed in. “I mean after you and the agasshi are married!” she explained when Yong-ha gave her a blank look.
He quickly covered up his confusion and mustered a laugh. “Yes, yes, of course! After we are married, Iseul will have me to take care of her-whether she likes it or not.”
“You should... marry her soon,” Madam Park said. Her hand scrabbled over the covers to find his and squeeze it faintly. “When I am better... we will have the wedding.”
Both Yong-ha and Kyo-eul blinked. “Pardon?”
Although he and Iseul spent the better part of their time these days steering clear of each other, Yong-ha proceeded straight home after his visit to Madam Park. He had known that his “betrothed” would be there at that time, hence the timing of his own visit to the Kim household.
He found her with his mother, perusing sketches for the screen that Madam Hong had ordered. “I'm home, Omonim,” he announced to get the women's attention.
Looking up, his mother bestowed him with a bright smile. “Hello, my son. The cook found some nice oysters in the market today, so we're having oyster rice for dinner. You like that, don't you?”
“Yes, Omonim, I do,” Yong-ha replied, smiling back. The smile faded slightly as he caught Iseul's eye, but they exchanged polite nods. “Teacher Kim, may I have a word? In private?” he added when she raised her eyebrows inquiringly but made no move to get up.
“Omo.” His mother looked suspiciously at him and then at the young woman seated beside her. “One would think that this was a real betrothal, since you can't seem to wait to get Teacher Kim alone.”
“I assure you that's hardly the case, madam,” Iseul told her, glancing down at her papers and blushing.
“I apologize for interrupting, Omonim,” Yong-ha said to the older woman. “If you and Teacher Kim have finished, could I please speak with her? There is something important that we need to discuss.” Madam Hong still looked skeptical, but allowed them to take their leave.
As he hustled Iseul to the quieter end of the house, where they would not be overheard, she could not help but think that it felt like old times, when they were still on speaking terms and every little thing required a private conversation. However, that notion died a quick death when he turned to her with the same distant expression that he wore around her these days.
Telling herself that she wasn't at all disappointed, she pasted a politely interested expression on her own face. “May I ask what this is about?”
“I went to visit Halmeonim today, while you were out,” Yong-ha informed her. “I thought you might like to know that she wishes us to start planning the wedding once she gets better.”
She stiffened at that, but covered it up by straightening the shawl around her shoulders. The nights had turned cold, and the furnace for this part of the house had not been lit. “What did you tell her?”
“I told her I would talk to you about it but couldn't make any promises. Fortunately, Halmeonim didn't press the issue.” He paused. “She might mention it to you, though. I thought I should warn you.”
“Ah. Well... thank you.”
That wasn't so hard to say, was it? Yong-ha was tempted to ask, but thought the better of it. Instead, he said, “And... what are you going to say if Halmeonim starts talking about a wedding?”
“I suppose I'll tell her that we're both very busy. It's the truth, anyway.”
He made a face. She had a point, and he knew very well the importance of keeping things simple when telling lies, but such reasoning still sounded too bland for his taste. “Yes, you could say that, but you won't be able to use that excuse forever. Halmeonim will still expect you to marry me eventually.”
“Well, it will have to do, unless you wish to begin planting the seeds in her mind that we aren't going to marry after all.”
Yong-ha's expression of distaste turned into a scowl. “That would kill her.”
Iseul sighed wearily. It had been a long day, and despite all of her worries at home, she was quite looking forward to putting the day's work behind her. “Yes, this probably isn't the right time,” she agreed. “Nevertheless, we need to begin working on that after she gets better. The longer we remain 'betrothed,' the more complicated things will get when we do call things off.”
Yong-ha did not offer to escort her home that evening. It made perfect sense, Iseul told herself. He was already at his home, after all, and she had already arranged to meet Chae-mi on her way back from town so that they could go home together. However, it still felt odd not to have him around.
This evening, it was Choi Man-shik, Chae-mi's father's apprentice, who saw them home. “Abeonim made him come with me,” Chae-mi explained as Iseul settled in the cart next to her, “so I decided that he should make himself useful.”
“Oh, is that so?” Iseul addressed the stocky young man driving the cart. “Thank you for driving us home, Master Choi.”
“It's no trouble, agasshi,” he replied, slapping the reins. The cart lurched forward. “I need to bring the cart back to Master Han, anyway. Hold on tightly, please.”
“Whatever for?” Chae-mi scoffed. “It's not as though the ride will be dangerous. You're driving the slowest ox we have.”
“I promised your father that I would bring you home safely, agasshi,” Man-shik told her. “Now, hold on tightly, please.”
Although it was convenient to have the apprentice drive them home, his presence also made it difficult for the young women to have a proper chat. It was only after he had delivered them and the cart to the Hans' that the young women could converse in private.
Naturally, the first thing Chae-mi wanted to discuss was the quarrel with Yong-ha. “How was it at Master Gu's today?” she demanded when Man-shik had taken his leave. “Have you and Master Gu made up yet?”
“Not completely....” Iseul answered. “I spent most of my time there with his mother. We, ah, did not get much of a chance to talk.” Seeing her friend's worried expression, she hastened to add, “It's fine, really. Please don't worry about us.”
“What did you disagree about, anyway?” Chae-mi asked petulantly.
“Nothing significant.”
It was the hundredth time Chae-mi had asked, and the hundredth time Iseul had answered her thus. The disturbing thing was that the more Iseul said it, the more she was coming to realize, much to her shame, that the answer carried a fair bit of truth.
“We're still speaking, still working together,” she went on with false cheer. “We just need some time to cool our tempers, that's all.”
“Small disagreements can turn into big ones if you don't resolve them as soon as you can,” her friend advised, sounding as though she were Joseon's foremost authority on marriage. “Omonim always says that I should never to let the sun set on my anger.”
Too late for me, Iseul thought, then resolutely pushed such morose notions aside. “At any rate, Halmeonim is my most important priority right now,” she declared. “Yong-ha and I will talk things over after she recovers.”
“We'll talk things over once her grandmother recovers.”
Jae-shin shot Yong-ha a perplexed look and reached over a stack of ledgers to feel his friend's forehead. “Who are you and what have you done with Gu Yong-ha?”
Yong-ha waved off the gesture the way he would have a bothersome fly. “I'm fine, Geol-oh.”
“You don't sound fine. Why haven't you made peace with your beloved yet?”
That caused him to look up. “I seem to remember us having this sort of conversation before... except I was the one always asking you.”
“Turnabout is fair play,” Jae-shin said with a wry little smile. “Now, what's holding things up?”
“I told you, Iseul's grandmother is still sick. We're both very worried.”
And Yong-ha knew that if he was worried, then Iseul was even more so-after all, Madam Park was the only family she had that mattered. He remembered the way the lamplight had flickered over Iseul's face as she sketched for his mother, casting unflattering shadows; how she now tended to close her eyes for a moment whenever she thought he wasn't looking, when she had never done that before; the weariness that laced her voice, no matter how briefly they spoke.
“Halmeonim's recovery is the most important thing for us both right now. Whatever else is going on will keep.” He and his “betrothed” knew how things were going to end between them, anyway.
“I suppose it's a good sign if you can set it aside for a while,” Jae-shin averred, “but you shouldn't let it lie too long. You'll never know what sort of damage it's causing beneath the surface. Like a wound, you know? You think it's only a scratch, but if you let it fester, your leg has to come off.”
Yong-ha chuckled reminiscently. “Fortunately, none of the Red Messenger's scratches ever came to that.”
“Fortunately, the Red Messenger had friends to make sure that never happened,” the other man agreed. “And speaking of friends...” he continued, sounding more sober now, “is there anything I can do to help?”
“With what?”
“With your betrothed,” Jae-shin explained. “I thought that, if it would help, I might try to talk to her for you... or perhaps we could ask my wife to do it.”
“Ah.” Yong-ha smiled. “Well, as confident as I am about your wife's powers of persuasion, I think Iseul and I can work this out on our own. I appreciate the thought, though.
He gestured to the account book in his hand. “Now, if you don't mind, I really need to finish looking over these figures.”
So hot.
The old woman moaned noiselessly and tried to stir, but was unable to move. All the strength seemed to have left her body, leaving her trapped beneath the leaden slabs of her blankets. She could not even cough despite the incessant prickling in her chest.
Why was this happening to her? Hadn't she been getting better?
So hot... and so tired. She tried to make noise again, this time managing a dusty wheeze.
“Halmeonim?” Almost immediately, someone sponged her face with water, and lifted her gently to place a cup at her lips. “Halmeonim, please drink some of this tea. You need your strength.”
She sipped at the brew. It was tepid and had a bitter aftertaste, but at least it was wet. “I-Iseul?” she managed to make out.
“The agasshi is at work.” The old woman recognized her housekeeper's voice. “But Master Gu is here!”
“Yong-ha,” she murmured happily.
“Hello, Halmeonim,” she heard him say. Someone-was it he?-blotted at her forehead again. “How are you feeling today? Would you like more tea?”
She smiled faintly at the sound of his voice, but could do little else. It hurt to talk... hurt to even think. Drinking some more tea didn't help. Her brow furrowed as she felt herself being lowered back into bed.
“It's all right, Halmeonim,” Yong-ha reassured her, patting her hand. “We can talk when you're better. I just want to sit here with you for a while.”
The old woman continued to frown. “W-work,” she said. Her thoughts seemed to be eluding her more and more these days, but something in one of the deepest recesses of her mind told her that he should not stay, even though that was exactly what she wanted.
“Work can wait. You are more important.”
She had to laugh at that, even though the laugh was little more than a tiny, soundless puff of air. “Such... good boy....”
“Your presence is doing Halmeonim a lot of good, Master Gu,” the housekeeper said, a smile in her voice.
The old woman heard him murmur a reply, then felt him cover her hand with his once more. “Please just rest, Halmeonim,” he said. “Rest and heal.”
Clinging to his hand like a child, she dropped off into a restless doze. Her fever raged on.
“Hello, Teacher Kim! How are you today?”
“I'm well, thank you, Master Bang,” Iseul replied with a polite smile to hide her puzzlement.
Ever since the lovely Miss Kang had come on the scene, Iseul tried her best to steer clear of Bang Jung-soo. Although she wasn't besotted with him any longer, it felt right to keep away from him; she could not afford any misunderstanding if she was to continue teaching his sister. It worked quite well, too, especially since the young man did not actively seek her company, either.
Until now, for some reason.
“It has been a while since we've spoken, hasn't it?” he asked, smiling in his usual friendly way. “However did that happen?”
“I suppose we've both been very busy.”
As she spoke, she could not help but think that, once upon a time, she would have been thrilled by a moment like this. Today, however, it seemed to have as much significance to her as an exchange of pleasantries with a casual acquaintance.
“How are my sister's lessons coming along?”
Jung-hwa, who had been working at Iseul's side, looked up with a quizzical expression on her face. “Orabeoni, I see you practically every day. Why not just ask me?”
“Well, Teacher Kim is the professional,” he explained. “I must ask her if I am to get an objective opinion.”
Just then, they heard the babble of voices outside. “Where is she?” one of them demanded. “In here?”
Iseul frowned. The speaker sounded familiar. She was about to remark on it when the door to the study room slid open to reveal- “Gu Yong-ha?”
He breathed a gusty sigh of relief when he saw that she was within. “Iseul. Thank goodness. Come, I've got to take you home.”
“Teacher Kim hasn't quite finished here yet, Master Gu,” Jung-soo protested.
“Yes, she has,” Yong-ha replied with uncharacteristic brusqueness, striding into the room. His overcoat, today a bright violet brocade, swished impatiently around him. “This is a family emergency.”
Iseul leapt to her feet. “Emergency?” she repeated. “Has something happened to my grandmother?”
“Sorry, maybe that wasn't the best word to use.” Her “betrothed” broke into a grin. “Halmeonim's fever has broken. She's asking for you.”
“It has?” She choked out a laugh and pressed a hand to her chest to try and calm her now-racing heart.
“Would I joke about something like that?” He walked over to her and took her firmly by the arm. “Come on!”
Iseul allowed herself to be towed towards the door, but managed to remember where she was and stopped short before they could cross the threshold. “But....” she stammered, glancing quickly at the girl still working on her painting, “Jung-hwa's lesson....”
“Go home, seonsaengnim,” Jung-hwa told her. “You should not keep your grandmother waiting. Do not worry about me. I will finish my painting, and you can look it over next time.” She slid her brother an arch glance. “Orabeoni can watch and see for himself whether I have improved.”
Yong-ha, apparently now restored to his usual charming self, favored her with a brilliant smile. “Thank you, agasshi.”
“A-and my things!” Iseul blurted out, looking with dismay at the brushes and paints spread out over the worktable.
“We'll send for them later,” he told her, tugging on her arm again. “Now, do you want to see your grandmother or not? Let's go!”
“I see that you and Master Bang are still on speaking terms.”
“Hmm?” Iseul asked. “Oh. Well, of course we are. I could not just cut all ties after, ah, you know... I needed to keep working there, after all. That was the first time he's spoken to me at length since then, though.”
Yong-ha grunted, keeping his eyes resolutely on the road. “You should be on guard when a man seeks you out all of a sudden. You'll never know what he might ultimately want from you.
“That doesn't apply to me, of course,” he added quickly, before she could turn his well-meaning lecture against him. “I came looking for you on Halmeonim's behalf.”
She made a noise that sounded gratifyingly like a laugh. “I know. And I understand. I don't think Bang Jung-soo had any bad intentions, especially with his sister in the room; but having him approach me after so long felt odd, so I was careful.”
“Good.”
Iseul adjusted her hold around Yong-ha's waist. She had shared a horse with him many times before, but tonight he felt especially, disconcertingly solid. It was because he was blocking out most of the winter cold, she told herself. “Gu Yong-ha?”
“Hmm?”
She felt her face grow warm and was glad that he couldn't see. “I just... thank you.” She took a deep breath. “A-and I'm sorry.”
There was a pregnant pause, then she felt him nod. “You're welcome,” he said, “and apology accepted. I hope we'll have an easier time of it the next time I try to help-and I will, if I believe that you or Halmeonim need it. I see you and Halmeonim as my friends, after all, and my other friends will tell you that I will do anything to help them, whether or not they want it.
“Now, let's not speak of this anymore,” Yong-ha concluded. “I think we've reflected on the situation long enough.”
Iseul did as she was bidden and stayed silent, but her clasped hands dipped slightly. He thought nothing of it, thinking the horse's movements might have had something to do with it, until they slipped further down to below his belt.
He cleared his throat. “Ah... Iseul?” he ventured, glancing furtively around them. The street was dim and deserted, but decent women did not touch men thus in public. “Doing a little research for, ah, you-know-who?”
His voice cracked on the last syllable as her hands slid even lower, dangerously close to his crotch. Resolutely, he caught her hands in his and planted them at a decorous level above his waist. True friends did not let their friends behave inappropriately in public. (They also did not imagine their friends doing such things, he reminded himself.)
The motion tugged Iseul closer and she sagged against his back. Over his shoulder, Yong-ha could hear the slow, even breathing of a person deep in slumber.
He chuckled even as his heart continued to race. Given his luck, she had probably fallen asleep during his little speech about their being friends.
No matter, he thought as his horse plodded on down the silent, shadowy street. Now that they had made amends, there would be plenty of chances to tell her everything all over again.