Chapter 21: The Most Precious Embroidery in the World

It was Hwaun who became even more flustered at this turn of events. Startled by the sight of the Emperor trembling as if he had lost his entire kingdom, Hwaun hurriedly sat up and cradled Ihan’s cheeks with both hands, speaking urgently.

“No, no, Majesty! It is not that I dislike it.”

“Then… then why…?”

Meeting the Emperor’s eyes, which looked ready to spill fat tears at any moment, Hwaun couldn’t help but burst into a small laugh. The dignified Son of Heaven, who commanded the respect of millions, showed this boyish, vulnerable face only to him. It was impiously cute and endearingly lovely. Hwaun’s thumb gently brushed the corner of Ihan’s eye.

“I only stopped because I still have something left to give Your Majesty.”

“Eh…?”

“This, too, is a birthday gift I prepared for you. I wanted to deliver it before this day passed….”

If their passion began now, it would surely not end before dawn. Hwaun simply wanted to give him the gift before the Emperor’s birthday was officially over. That was all. As Ihan slowly chewed over Hwaun’s words, his expression finally began to settle.

“So… you have one more gift for me?”

By the time he added those words, his face had completely regained its composure. As long as Hwaun’s heart hadn’t left him, Ihan felt he could handle anything. Hwaun straightened his disheveled robes and stood up slowly with a soft, “Yes, Majesty.” Ihan’s gaze, now filled with intense anticipation, followed Hwaun’s every move.

He had already received a gift far too generous in the form of the sword dance, but there was more? The corners of the Emperor’s mouth twitched shamelessly. His heart swelled with the thought of what else Hwaun might have prepared while thinking of him.

Ihan watched as Hwaun approached the dressing table and took something out of a drawer. He hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut. He wanted to enjoy the moment the gift appeared before him like a grand reveal.

Hwaun turned around, holding a small wooden box with trembling hands. He had prepared this with all his heart, but he couldn’t guess how the Emperor would perceive it. Seeing the Emperor waiting with his eyes tightly shut, Hwaun laughed again and stepped closer.

“Majesty, have you closed your eyes?”

“I have. My eyes are firmly shut.”

“…I prepared this with all my sincerity, but my skills are still lacking. Please… do not be disappointed if you find it unsightly.”

At Hwaun’s humble words, the Emperor let out a mock-scolding sound.

“What do you take me for, to say such a thing? If it is from you, I would cherish even a pebble from the roadside.”

Hwaun knew it wasn’t a joke. His Emperor was truly the kind of man who would treat a worthless stone as a treasure simply because Hwaun gave it to him. Yet, the lack of confidence in his hands as he held the box stemmed from the fact that he loved the Emperor with that same intensity. He wanted to give this man only the finest things in the world.

Taking a deep breath, Hwaun opened the lid of the wooden box and held it out.

“You may… open your eyes now, Majesty.”

Ihan took a deep breath as well, then slowly opened his eyes to look at what was presented to him.

“This is…?”

Ihan spoke with a somewhat puzzled expression. Inside was a small incense pouch (hyangnang) designed to be worn at the waist. Ihan carefully picked it up with both hands. Even Ihan, who usually had little interest in such things, could tell at a glance that the embroidery on the surface was clumsy. The moment he realized this, his lips began to quiver.

Shrinking back like a child having his homework inspected by a teacher, Hwaun whispered in a voice so small it was barely audible.

“That is… the first incense pouch I embroidered myself….”

“You embroidered this yourself….”

“I practiced and learned hard to give it to you for your birthday, but I couldn’t become proficient in such a short time. I did my best, but to your eyes, it must look… a mess….”

Hwaun had actually considered not giving this to him at all, thinking it was far too low-quality to enter the hands of a nation’s sovereign. He had thought about practicing more and giving him a “proper” one later.

It was Suk-bi, Bi-yeong, who had pushed him, insisting he must give it now. Bi-yeong was famous in the palace for her exquisite needlework, and thanks to Ajin, she had ended up helping Hwaun with his embroidery. She had passionately argued that while the Emperor would like a perfect pouch later, he would cherish this clumsy, first-ever completed pouch far more. Hwaun had eventually been persuaded. Deep down, he too wanted to give the Emperor his very first finished piece.

But seeing the meager pouch in the Emperor’s hands, his face burned with embarrassment. The needlework of the Imperial Bureau was the finest in the world; the embroidery on the Emperor’s own robes and accessories was beyond compare.

Even if the Emperor didn’t examine every stitch, his eyes were accustomed to a certain level of artistry. How insignificant and ugly must Hwaun’s stitches look to him? Hwaun wanted to crawl into a hole and hide.

“To give this… to me….”

However, Ihan just stared at the pouch for a long time. He didn’t laugh, but he didn’t offer any special praise either. He simply muttered a few words under his breath while repeatedly stroking the uneven embroidery with his fingertips. He traced the dragon surrounded by pale blue clouds over and over again.

Unable to bear the silence, Hwaun hurriedly reached out toward the pouch in Ihan’s hand.

“Majesty, I think I was mistaken. I should not have given you something so lacking… I will… later, I will do it again…!”

But instead of handing it back, Ihan set the pouch down and took Hwaun’s hand. He ignored Hwaun’s confusion and began to delicately feel the tips of his thumb and index finger.

“So this was why.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’ve noticed small wounds on your fingertips for a while now. I was worried and asked Ajin, but she wouldn’t give me an answer… it was because of this.”

“Ah….”

Hwaun let out a dazed exclamation. They were barely wounds—just tiny pricks from an embroidery needle. He had never made a show of it. Yet, Ihan had noticed those tiny marks, worried about them, and even tried to confirm the cause with Ajin.

Hwaun’s heart surged with an indescribable emotion. Oblivious or not, Ihan continued to rub Hwaun’s fingertips, his voice filled with regret.

“What in this world is more precious to me than you? How could I let you overexert yourself for a mere gift?”

“…Majesty, how can you say that? This was not overexertion. Nothing I do for Your Majesty is difficult or grueling for me.”

“…….”

“Furthermore… that… the hand-embroidered pouch is….”

He had spoken with a firm, resolute voice when saying nothing for the Emperor was difficult, but his next words were so small they seemed ready to flee. Ihan narrowed his eyes as Hwaun looked down and finished.

“It is… because they say it is something everyone must give to their lover….”

Ihan’s grip on Hwaun’s hand tightened significantly. Hwaun, not seeing the violent flicker of emotion in Ihan’s eyes, continued to whisper.

“It is a humble thing, but still… I wanted to give Your Majesty… something I made with my own hands… as a gift….”

That was the heart of it. He knew the Emperor possessed jewelry incomparably more beautiful. He knew that no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t match professional embroidery.

But he wanted to give it anyway. Every stitch he had placed, every path the needle and thread had taken, was filled with his love for the Emperor. He wanted a token of his affection that the Emperor could carry with him, always and everywhere.