Munjeong - Chapter 31

Yeonseo was left speechless, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water as she stared at Chaeon. Perhaps half-aware of the shame in her actions, her face flushed bright red, making for quite a spectacle.

“You usually say things without much thought, don’t you? I’m sure the people listening didn’t think much of it either.”

“Hey, what do you mean, without thought? Are you saying I don’t think?”

“So if venting like that relieves some of your stress, then by all means, keep doing it. I really don’t mind.”

“Hey.”

“You’ll keep chatting lightly as you always do, and the people listening will keep taking it just as lightly. It’s no different from shouting into the void, so what does it matter?”

“What? Hey. Yoon Chaeon.”

“But when it comes to the young masters, you might want to be more careful. If someone finally loses their patience and lets something slip, I’ll just get scolded, but you might get fired.”

Chaeon spoke each word firmly and clearly, her eyes fixed on Yeonseo’s. There was no agitation or trace of displeasure in her tone. In contrast, Yeonseo, who had been so animatedly gossiping about Chaeon just moments earlier, now trembled as though she had suffered some great insult. To Chaeon, this was nothing short of amusing.

Yeonseo had been so excited to gossip about others, but now that someone was merely pointing out the truth, she was shaking like a leaf. Why would someone act so recklessly if they couldn’t handle the consequences?

Unable to come up with a rebuttal to Chaeon’s words, Yeonseo stood frozen, neither retreating nor advancing. Watching her with a faint look of disdain, Chaeon turned away.

“Ha. That brat has no manners…”

The murmurs behind her were little more than faint noise to Chaeon. Someone spouting nonsense as they pleased barely registered in her world. What preoccupied her far more now was…

“The chairman’s son called the school himself. He asked them to keep an eye on you, Chaeon, because it seemed like something was going on.”

Jang Taeha. Why had he made that call?

According to the gossip around Songbaekwon, Jang Taeha hated even the slightest flaw or mistake. Only the most experienced and skilled employees could enter his office.

So… perhaps contacting the school was simply a reflection of that fastidious nature—like polishing a blemish on one of his possessions. Even as she thought of herself in such an objectified way, an inexplicable unease lingered. It felt strange that she occupied even the smallest corner of his attention.

Chaeon hesitated as she stood before Yeonjun’s door. Then why, when she had misunderstood, had Yeonjun not corrected her?

Oddly, her mind drifted to a canned coffee given to her earlier at school by a boy. The casual lies told to win someone’s favor. The kindness extended despite the effort it required. Somehow, looking at him had made her uncomfortable.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chaeon decided not to knock on Yeonjun’s door and turned away. She had almost reached the end of the corridor when—

“Huh? Isn’t that Chaeon?”

“Manager Kim.”

Manager Kim, carrying a few logs under one arm, greeted her warmly. Glancing behind her shoulder, he grinned playfully and narrowed his eyes.

“Here to get some lessons from the young master?”

“No, I just… stopped by for a moment. But what are the logs for?”

“Oh, these. Songbaekwon’s surrounded by mountains and forests, so the cold sets in earlier here than elsewhere. I need to check the fireplaces in the reception room and the living room—thought I’d start a fire to test them.”

“You work so hard.”

“Eh, it’s nothing. When you think, ‘Only I can do this,’ it makes the work fun.”

Seeing his kind smile reminded her of the voice earlier that had tried so hard to protect her with only kind words. She felt a sudden pang of wistfulness. Manager Kim was around Eui-cheol’s age. If she had a father like him, perhaps her teenage years wouldn’t have been so brittle.

“……”

Manager Kim, who had been eyeing the large coat Chaeon was holding, cautiously asked, “Is there something I can help you with? You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“Was it that obvious?”

Chaeon smiled sheepishly, glancing down at the coat in her arms before carefully handing it to Manager Kim.

“Well, could you… please pass this coat on to the second young master?”

“Why wouldn’t I?”

Manager Kim didn’t ask why Chaeon, merely the daughter of a household employee, had the second young master’s coat. He figured there must be a reason why she didn’t deliver it herself, even though his room was just a few steps away. His only concern was whether Chaeon, like Yeonseo, might have heard the gossip circulating in the house.

“Thank you. I’ll be going now.”

“Ah, sure…”

Chaeon handed Yeonjun’s coat to Manager Kim, bowed her head, and walked past him. Her steps felt heavy, but right now, all she wanted was to sort out the tangled mess in her head.

—

In Songbaekwon, where nightfall always seemed to come quickly, the grounds were darker than most places by early evening. After pushing away her overflowing thoughts and finishing her practice questions, Chaeon heard the sound of headlights briefly illuminating the gap in her slightly open window as his car pulled in.

The stillness of the evening made the sound particularly sharp as it reached her ears. Though it was a familiar sound, tonight it seemed to make her heart race. Pressing a hand to her chest as if to calm the pounding, Chaeon carefully opened the window to look below.

He was approaching, nodding briefly at the chauffeur who bowed in greeting. As always, he was impeccably poised and elegant, though there was a strangely sharp edge to his demeanor tonight. He lightly rubbed at his brow with a faint furrow in his expression, appearing almost fatigued. Was he still struggling with sleepless nights, as before?

Once he disappeared from her view, Chaeon deliberated briefly before stepping out of her room. Passing through the long corridor and entering the main house, the atmosphere felt particularly quiet and desolate, likely because the staff had all retired to their quarters for the night. Standing before Taeha’s door, she hesitated momentarily, then took a deep breath and knocked. From beyond, she heard a voice she hadn’t heard in quite some time.

“Come in.”

When she opened the door and entered, he was sitting on the sofa, just about to light a cigarette. Catching sight of her, he placed the lighter he had just taken out of his suit jacket onto the table.

“……”

“Hello.”

He took the cigarette from his mouth and rested it on the ashtray, raising his eyebrows slightly.

“What is it?”

“Well…”

Though he was still impeccably dressed in his spotless suit, the loosened tie draped over the back of the sofa and a couple of unbuttoned shirt buttons suggested he had been about to change. Chaeon had come to ask how he was doing and to express her thanks, but the words stuck in her throat.

“Speak.”

Instead of lighting the cigarette, he poured himself some whiskey from the table and took a small sip. Chaeon inhaled deeply, as if steeling herself, and approached the sofa where he sat.

From this close, his scent was always intoxicatingly deep and alluring, enough to make her heart flutter. Taking in a breath that filled her entirely, Chaeon hesitated briefly before carefully speaking.

“I heard you called the school.”

Clink. He lightly set the glass down on the table and asked in a low voice, “Did something happen?”

“No, not at all… it’s just…”

“Just.”

“I wanted to thank you.”

Even to her own ears, her words sounded stiff and awkward, and she felt a little embarrassed. He, however, simply observed her silently for a moment before nodding.

“All right.”

Though his dry response left her feeling slightly deflated, she reminded herself that he had never been a man of many words. Slowly rubbing his eyes, as though weary, he gave a slight tilt of his head toward the door.

“You can go.”

As she bowed and turned to leave, she glanced back to see him pick up what appeared to be medicine from the bedside table, swallowing it with some water. Pausing momentarily, Chaeon turned back to him.

“Um…”

He had just taken off his vest and turned to look at her, his expression questioning what she was about to say.

“Are you still having trouble sleeping?”

“What about it?”

“Well…”

Studying his reaction, Chaeon blurted impulsively—words she had held back and held back again, until now.

“Can I play the piano for you?”