Chapter 2: The Fake Concubine

It seemed strange to him.

Why had his father, who usually regarded him as less valuable than a grain of rice stuck to the bottom of a bowl—suddenly summoned him to the sarangbang¹?

“Go to Songdo.”

At the abrupt command, Moon Hae-min’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?”

“Grand Prince Byeokran, that brat, has demanded a marriage alliance!”

Lord Moon slammed his desk with a bang as he shouted.

Even if this conversation took place in the men’s quarters, who knew who might overhear?

Yet he referred to the Grand Prince so carelessly.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Hae-min spoke.

“I know that. But did not Grand Prince Byeokran request Hee-yul, not me?”

“Hee-yul is the precious child who must carry on the Moon family line! Do you even know what kind of family our Geumcheon Moon clan is?”

A lengthy explanation about the greatness of the Geumcheon Moon clan followed.

For Hae-min, who was not even a legitimate Moon, it was hardly worth hearing.

“And yet he dares to demand the sole heir of our third generation as a concubine rather than a lawful spouse! Does that make any sense at all?!”

‘Ah…’

Until then, Hae-min had only half-listened, but now he swallowed his surprise.

He knew that Grand Prince Byeokran had requested Moon Hee-yul.

But he had naturally assumed it would be a proper marriage.

He had never imagined Hee-yul would be taken as a concubine.

“Is that true?”

“Yes! That young brat who hasn’t even taken a lawful wife yet dares! Had he been born to an ordinary noble family, he wouldn’t have even completed his coming-of-age ceremony!”

Lord Moon’s face flushed red and blue with anger.

This time, even Hae-min could understand his rage.

Though their family had declined after falling out of favor with the king, the Moon clan still formed a core pillar of the Baekpa faction.

And yet the Grand Prince had asked for their eldest son as a mere concubine.

If the one making the demand had not been the king’s own brother, Grand Prince Byeokran, it would have been an unthinkable request.

‘So that’s why he wants to send me instead.’

Now he understood the reason, yet something still puzzled him.

Hae-min carefully spoke again.

“But, Lord Father, did not Grand Prince Byeokran specifically request Hee-yul? Even if I go in his place, will the Grand Prince truly accept it?”

“You fool. Who said you should go in place of Hee-yul?”

“Pardon? But just now-”

“You can simply pretend to be Hee-yul!”

“…What?”

The words struck like thunder from a clear sky.

For a moment, Hae-min’s thoughts froze.

Lord Moon’s voice drilled painfully into his ears.

“If you keep your mouth shut, who will know whether you’re Hee-yul or Hae-min?”

“But, Lord Father, I am a man. An ordinary male.”

“I know.”

“You know, and yet…”

‘You still intend to send me?’

Hae-min could not bring himself to ask the question aloud.

He simply stared at Lord Moon.

Lord Moon met his gaze with a fierce glare.

His face, permanently creased from constant scowling, only deepened in its wrinkles.

Facing that expression, Hae-min’s heart pounded uneasily.

Thump.
Thump.
Thump.

“That doesn’t mean I can send our precious Hee-yul.”

Thud…

Something fell inside Hae-min.

Was it expectation?

He had believed he had long since abandoned such things.

“And so you should return to your quarters and pack your belongings. You will depart for Songdo tomorrow.”

Even for a matter this important, Lord Moon informed him only the day before.

Clearly, he had no intention of giving Hae-min any chance to run away.

Hae-min hesitated for a moment.

Should he at least protest?

Should he say he refused?

Should he demand to know why he, a normal male, had to pretend to be scentless eumin Hee-yul and serve as someone’s concubine?

But the will to argue never came.

After all, no one in this household could defy Lord Moon.

Once he made a decision, it had to be followed.

In that case, there was no point in making a futile protest.

In the end, Moon Hae-min silently lowered his head and left the sarangbang.

Behind him, he could hear the sound of Lord Moon clicking his tongue in dissatisfaction.

****

That night, Lord Moon ordered four sturdy servants to guard the front of Hae-min’s room.

Hae-min had never intended to run.

But even if he had, it would have been useless.

After spending the entire night awake, morning came.

Moon Hae-min left the estate.

‘Father doesn’t even come out to see me off.’

The same was true of the lady of the house.

Only his half-brother, Hee-yul, stood there with tears shimmering in his eyes.

“What should I do, hyung… you’re going through such hardship in my place…”

“…”

“Grand Prince Byeokran is too much. He doesn’t even have a lawful wife, yet he wants to take a concubine first. How could he shame our family so openly? Even if he holds a grudge against Father!”

Hee-yul, who had been huffing like an angry rabbit, soon steadied his voice.

“So don’t worry, hyung. Do you think the Grand Prince would really want to live under the same roof as someone from the Moon family? Once he accomplishes what he wants, he’ll surely send you back.”

In simpler terms, Hae-min would only be allowed to return once the Moon family had suffered enough humiliation.

Whether that was good or bad, whether he should hope for it or not, he could not tell.

He only felt dazed.

“Young master, are you tired?”

One of the servants assigned by Lord Moon, both as escort and watcher, asked.

For someone like him, a mere illegitimate son, to be addressed as “young master”… truly, life held strange surprises.

“No.”

At the brief reply, the servant asked no further questions.

Thus the journey continued.

As they traveled toward Songdo, the air gradually grew colder.

Partly because the season was shifting from autumn into winter.

But mostly because Songdo lay in the north.

Naturally, the farther north they traveled, the colder it became.

‘At this rate, it feels as though I’m going to meet winter itself.’

The closer they drew to Songdo, the steeper the mountains became.

Though the path was not easy, Hae-min stubbornly rode on.

After three days of crossing mountains and passing fields, Moon Hae-min finally arrived in Songdo.

****

“Wow…”

For the first time since leaving home, Hae-min let out a genuine exclamation.

Songdo was a bright and magnificent city.

Along the wide roads stood rows of tall, elegant tiled houses.

The people passing by wore neutral expressions, yet there was a vigorous energy about them.

‘They say Songdo is second only to Hanseong… and it truly is. No, honestly, it’s hard to say which is greater.’

If Hanseong was like a brilliant plum blossom with layered petals, then Songdo was like an elegant chrysanthemum.

The two cities possessed entirely different charms.

For a moment, Hae-min forgot his worries and looked around curiously.

A city he had set foot in for the first time in his life.

Unfamiliar scenery and unfamiliar people.

Everything was new, and there was a certain pleasure in observing it all.

“Young master, this way.”

The guide gestured ahead.

Hae-min followed.

Soon, an enormous estate appeared before them.

Even without explanation, Hae-min knew it must be the residence of Grand Prince Byeokran.

“…”

He swallowed dryly and stepped through the gate.

Until now it had almost felt like a dream, but the moment he entered, reality struck him sharply.

Tension followed immediately.

That tension reached its peak the moment he stood before the Grand Prince.

“H-Hello…”

Hae-min awkwardly offered his greeting.

In the M-shaped sarangchae, seated upright at the center wooden platform, the man’s presence felt immense.

Until now, Hae-min had only been troubled by the thought of living as someone’s concubine.

But now that he saw the man himself, he realized something else.

Having to share a bed with a man like that might be the bigger problem.

Could an ordinary man like him even survive the nights?

His vision darkened for a moment.

Still, he had to finish the greeting.

Keeping his gaze awkwardly somewhere between the Grand Prince and the steps before him, Hae-min continued.

“I am Moon Won-yul’s son… Moon He- Yul.”

He had almost said “Moon Hae-min” out of habit, but quickly corrected the pronunciation.

Fortunately, the sounds of “Hee” and “Hae” were similar.

‘He probably didn’t hear the first syllable.’

Even if he had, he would never imagine that Hae-min was not Moon Hee-yul.

No one in their right mind would dare deceive the Grand Prince.

Even thinking that, Hae-min kept his head lowered.

After all, he himself was committing exactly that insane act.

“As I heard…”

Grand Prince Byeokran finally spoke.

‘As he heard’?

Did he know something about Moon Hee-yul?

Even his appearance?

…Had he been discovered?

Hae-min’s heart pounded wildly.

Just as his breath began to quicken, the Grand Prince murmured softly.

“You have unusual eyes.”

“…”

Hae-min quietly swallowed a sigh of relief.

After all that pause, it seemed the topic was simply his eyes.

“The Geumcheon Moon clan is famous for unusual eye colors.”

Unlike most people of Yeomyeong, who had black or brown eyes, members of the Geumcheon Moon clan possessed jade-colored eyes.

Though illegitimate, Moon Hae-min had inherited that trait as well.

However, perhaps because he was not officially registered in the clan records, his eyes were mixed with other shades.

Gray, green, and faint brown speckled them like stains.

In a way, they resembled cracked celadon.

Hae-min had never liked them very much.

But today, since they helped him pass as a member of the Geumcheon Moon clan, he was grateful for them.

“My name is Song Seol.”

Grand Prince Byeokran revealed his personal name.

‘Song Seol… Song Seol.’

Hae-min quietly repeated the name in his mind.

“Show Moon Heeyul to his quarters.”

Grand Prince Byeokran, Song Seol, spoke to a middle-aged man.

He was likely the steward of the estate.

After bowing respectfully to Song Seol, Hae-min followed the steward.

‘Is that it?’

For a first meeting, it felt rather anticlimactic.

Then again, he- no, “Moon Hee-yul”, was not a lawful spouse.

There would be no formal wedding.

It seemed the most he would receive was a brief greeting from the master of the house, like a temporary guest.

‘At my own family home I was little more than a guest… and here as well.’

Oddly enough, the realization made him feel lighter.

At the very least, the Grand Prince did not seem particularly interested in him.

Feeling somewhat relieved, Moon Hae-min unpacked his belongings in the room he had been shown.

For the time being, this would be the place where he lived.

****

¹ sarangbang: a traditional Korean architectural space found in a hanok (upper-class house)