Chapter: 21
Violent Wind (1)
“Last. It’s your turn, kid.”
Among the people frozen like ice, Soram gave a small jump.:
“Th-that is… I….”:
The moment she stammered and opened her mouth, a thick floral fragrance spread out.
It wasn’t a scent that came from Soram alone.
Even from beyond the tightly shut window, it was strong enough to be smelled if one stood close.
Even her faint voice quietly cut through the still gathering and flowed to the other side of the dining hall.
“I… no, I, I am… Geum Soram….”
Those wrapped in drunkenness and the air of spring didn’t even think about it.
That they had been separated from their master by only a single wall the whole time.
Cheongyeon stood tall like a minister, loosely folding his arms. Quite some time had already passed since he began this not-quite-spying observation.
“As the eldest, I’ll say this. Normally, in situations like this, it’s customary for the masters to turn a blind eye. So even if the worst happens, it won’t be the kind of loss you’re imagining.”
In truth, what Hogwang said in a joking tone was right.
Even he himself, during his days as a student, had once been swept along by a group and done something like this. Though at least he hadn’t revealed any secrets.
Even so, there was no need for him to stay here.
He could simply pretend he didn’t see and pass by, just like when those kids were punished by Doctor Jang before.
Had he developed a bad habit of eavesdropping on others’ conversations like the other doctors?
He was surprised at himself for not taking a single step away.
“Geum Soram. I-I’m twenty.”
For a moment, her small, still stammering voice was heard.
Yes. But one thing was certain—at the center of all this, there was someone who could not be left out.
The interest that began from Soram kept drawing his gaze.
The immature 모습 of her hopping around after receiving Yonglinyeon from the Young King.
The small figure surrounded by twisted people.
The shabby woman who couldn’t even properly get angry once.
Following those scenes, he had ended up coming all the way here.
“Do you know why you were grouped into Doctor Nak’s class?”
“Outwardly it looks plausible, but in truth, it’s an open secret that it’s a class where only flawed people are gathered.”
According to those thorny words, it meant flawed humans had been gathered together.
White apricot flower petals fluttered above their heads like heavy snow, as if telling them to forget their gloomy worries and flaws.
“With birth, aging, sickness, and death all already out, why are you hesitating like this?”
“I-I….”
“We all agreed to speak comfortably, so you’re no exception. Think of us as childhood friends and just say it openly.”
Inside, only the final confession remained.
“I… I….”
Even though Unhyeok coaxed her playfully, Soram’s tension wouldn’t fade at all.
As he said, the earlier stories were certainly about heavy life matters.
But hers was a different kind of problem.
No matter how many important secrets were shared, she stood outside that category.
Before birth, aging, sickness, and death—she had already failed at being human!
What should she do? What could she even say?
The world they had lived in and Soram’s world were completely different.
The secrets she couldn’t speak of were, in fact, her very secrets.
“Just what kind of grand story is it that you’re taking so long?”
“Th-that is….”
Would it be okay to tell the truth? Would the heavenly gods become angry at revealing divine secrets?
Thinking about the aftermath of telling the truth made it even harder for her to speak.
At the moment when she only moved her dry lips—
“If you can’t say it, you’ll have to drink this. Do you think you can finish it like Senior Brother Wonjin?”
Unhyeok pointed to the murky, mixed chaos liquor.
Then, with a mischievous smile, he added,
“It doesn’t have to be anything grand. Like having a man you secretly like.”
“L-like someone I like means…?”
“Someone your eyes keep going to, someone you can’t help but like.”
“If I say that, I don’t have to drink this penalty liquor? I mean… I don’t?”
“Of course.”
It was clearly a sweet, very sweet temptation.
Wasn’t it just one sentence? She could just close her eyes and say it.
Humans, by nature, were beings who lived wearing countless lies.
“Th-the person I like is….”
Who should she vaguely name?
Someone not here, someone whose face she roughly knew, but someone people wouldn’t easily approach.
If only there were exactly such a person.
“All things have meaning, right? From now on, I’ll live honestly, kindly, and righteously! I, Geum Soram, swear!”
“Shouldn’t that apology be made to me?”
Why was it that, at this moment, only that cold face came to mind?
No matter how she thought about it, there was no one more suitable than that man.
“The one I like, the person I like is… m-my master!”
Soram tightly shut her eyes and made up nonsense.
It’s not like I harmed someone or stole money!
She suddenly remembered the storyteller who used to shout loudly in the streets.
According to him, unless it was something like that, as long as you weren’t caught, it was fine.
Back then, she couldn’t understand it at all—but now it was different.
Since she had already entered the academy, maybe she could act like an ordinary person.
She decided to act like someone with a slightly thickened conscience.
Yes. No matter what, he wasn’t here right now anyway, was he?
“So-Soram….”
“Is that really true? Since when?!”
The women immediately asked with shocked expressions. Soram awkwardly nodded.
“You….”
Unhyeok consciously closed his wide-open mouth.
Wasn’t she much stranger than he had thought?
A strange stubbornness wriggled up from one corner of his chest.
He fell into silence, as if thinking, and Yuran raised her voice.
“Soram! I never thought you were someone who only looked at faces.”
“Ram….”
“Out of all men, the one you chose is the master?”
“Is it really just because of his appearance, like Yuran said?”
As Gyeonghwa joined in as well, Soram shrank like a cornered mouse.
“I-I….”
What did the storyteller say in times like this?
“L-love at first sight!”
…That’s what he said.
To think she would use such a phrase that always appears in love stories between men and women.
She bit her lips and fell silent again.
Chirp, chirp.
Only the insects outside played their lively tune.
“Right… that could happen. Soram is still young.”
“But Ram, don’t like him for too long. You’ll be the one who gets hurt.”
The women bent their eyebrows in concern.
And then—
The dining hall door, which seemed like it would never open, shook.
Between the two doors that swung open in an instant, a large figure suddenly appeared.
“M-M-Master!”
No way.
The students were so startled they nearly fell backward.
Faced with a great crisis, their gazes scattered wildly like small boats caught in a storm.
“Th-that is—”
Just as Hogwang was about to step forward to make an excuse—
Cheongyeon placed a finger over his lips and spoke quietly.
His tone was quick, but without any rise or fall.
“The cook is coming. Everyone get under the tables. Hide your presence.”
The students, who had been exchanging confused looks, soon moved according to his words.
Each holding their cups and dishes, they crouched down and hid under the tables.
All of them had wide eyes and shocked faces, but among them, Soram was especially pale.
Her heart felt like it would burst.
What if he had heard all her reckless words!
What if the sound of her pounding heart leaked out among those holding their breath?
Worry piled on top of worry.
I’m doomed. I’m doomed….
There was nothing she could do now.
All she could do was clench her trembling hands.
Not long after, heavy footsteps were heard.
Just as Cheongyeon had said, the dining hall cook had appeared.
“Doctor Nak?”
Seeing Cheongyeon standing as if guarding the door, he asked with a puzzled expression.
“At this hour, what brings you here…? Have you perhaps come to see me? Or do you need something?”
It felt as if he would notice them hiding right nearby at any moment.
He would definitely notice the strong smell of alcohol!
The students clutched their anxious hearts and prayed desperately.
