Chapter 3: Paper, Brush, and Ink

Boring but uneventful days passed.

During that time, the wind grew noticeably colder, and Moon Hae-min gradually became accustomed to living as “Moon Hee-yul.”

That did not mean he had grown used to the role of “Grand Prince Byeokran’s concubine.”

If anything, he had begun to wonder why he had even come to Songdo in the first place.

‘Perhaps the Grand Prince has forgotten about my existence.’

Song Seol never called for Moon Hae-min.

Although they lived under the same roof, they had not even run into each other once.

As a result, Hae-min lived less like a concubine and more like a guest.

He did not dislike that.

In fact, it was fortunate that he did not have to deal with someone so difficult.

Still, every so often a thought crept in.

‘Is it really alright for me to keep living like this?’

A life where he did absolutely nothing all day.

Even in Hanseong he had not lived a particularly meaningful life, but this still felt somewhat wrong.

‘Today, I should at least go out.’

With that decision, Hae-min stepped out of his room.

A fierce gust of cold wind struck him immediately, making him shrink back slightly, but he could no longer remain indoors forever.

“Where are you going?”

Just as he was crossing the courtyard, a maid sweeping the ground asked.

Hae-min startled slightly despite having done nothing wrong and replied,

“I’m going out for a walk.”

“You’re unfamiliar with the area. Are you planning to go out alone?”

“…”

Hae-min hesitated.

Had Song Seol forbidden him from leaving?

Well, considering he had taken the son of a political rival into his household, it would not be strange…

“If you don’t have a destination, why not visit the Namdaemun Market? Just follow the main road straight and you’ll find it easily.”

“…Thank you.”

It seemed she was not trying to stop him.

Relieved, Hae-min continued walking.

As the maid had said, once he followed the main road, the number of passersby gradually increased.

Finding the market was easy.

All he had to do was follow those who clearly looked like merchants.

“Buy your earthenware pots! Fine pots here!”

“Fresh radishes! Sweet and crisp radishes!”

Calls of vendors rang out from all directions.

The lively atmosphere unique to markets lifted Hae-min’s spirits as well.

What should he look at first?

There was so much to see it was almost dizzying.

He had visited markets in Hanseong before, but Songdo’s market felt quite different.

For instance, the sight of carts loaded with the precious ginseng¹ passing through the streets.

‘They say Songdo is famous for ginseng. It must be true.’

Goods imported from foreign lands could also be seen here and there.

Hae-min wandered about, glancing around constantly.

He did not want to look like a naive outsider, yet his eyes kept drifting everywhere.

“Oh?”

Then he noticed a shop that instantly caught his attention.

A small plaque hung above the door with the words “Book Rental Shop.”

Just then a woman exited the shop.

As the door swung open briefly, shelves packed tightly with books became visible inside.

‘There’s a book rental shop in Songdo too!’

Thinking about it, that was only natural.

A bustling city like this would surely have one.

Songdo was also a hub for international merchants, so there were likely many rare books.

Like a butterfly drawn to the scent of flowers, Hae-min began heading toward the shop.

Then suddenly stopped.

‘Wait. Then… could I work as a copyist here?’

Back when he lived in Hanseong, Hae-min had earned money by copying books.

He had started it simply to make living expenses, but since he enjoyed reading, he had found the work pleasant.

Moreover, there were few copyists who could write both as quickly and as beautifully as Moon Hae-min.

He had earned quite a good wage.

It would be nice if he could do copy work here in Songdo as well.

Especially since he had been feeling listless from having nothing to do.

“Good.”

He would ask the shop owner if they needed a copyist.

Having decided, Hae-min resumed walking toward the shop.

****

On the way back to Grand Prince Byeokran’s residence, Moon Hae-min held a single book in his hand.

It was an opportunity he had obtained with difficulty.

When Hae-min expressed his desire to work as a copyist, the shop owner had looked him over from head to toe before asking,

“Which household’s young master are you, that you wish to do copyist work?”

“I’m merely a passing commoner, so please speak comfortably. And I’m confident in my copying skills. Please entrust the work to me.”

“You look like a well-raised young master though…”

The shop owner tilted his head.

Hae-min’s appearance clearly resembled that of a nobleman, yet he claimed to be a commoner.

Naturally, the man was doubtful.

Still, he did not question further.

Among fallen nobles, there were some who were short on money but too proud to work openly, so they pretended to be commoners.

It seemed the shop owner assumed Hae-min was one of those.

Whatever misunderstanding he had was fine.

As long as he did not dig deeper, it was better this way.

After all, if people learned he was the “eldest son of the Geumcheon Moon clan” and “Grand Prince Byeokran’s concubine,” it would only make finding work more difficult.

“Then how many days will it take you to copy the entire book?”

“Two days.”

“No need to rush. Bring it once it’s finished. We’ll discuss payment then.”

According to the shop owner, the book was a recently popular romance novel.

Until recently they had even lacked enough copies to lend to customers.

Since the shop seemed to have plenty of patrons, if things went well, Hae-min likely would not lack work.

However, there was one problem.

“I don’t have paper, brush, or ink.”

Buying paper, brushes, and ink all at once would be quite expensive.

He did have some money on hand, but that was emergency savings for unforeseen situations.

“…The Grand Prince’s residence must have plenty of writing supplies.”

Perhaps he could borrow some.

Even if he was refused, there was no harm in asking.

With that thought, Hae-min searched for the steward as soon as he returned to the residence.

“Excuse me…”

At the small call, the steward turned around.

“Yes, young master.”

Young master.

Of all things, that title was the one Hae-min could never quite grow accustomed to.

Fidgeting awkwardly with his hands, he spoke.

“There is something I need. I was wondering if I might be able to borrow some paper, brush, and ink…”

“For such matters, you should ask the Grand Prince, not me.”

The steward answered bluntly.

Leaving aside the tone, the fact that he had to ask Song Seol was unexpected.

“…Never mind.”

Hae-min did not particularly wish to meet such a difficult person.

And asking Song Seol for something felt awkward.

Having given up easily, Hae-min turned to return to his quarters.

But the steward’s next words stopped him.

“Coincidentally, the Grand Prince has summoned you.”

“…Me?”

“Yes. I will inform him that you have come.”

“No, wait a moment-”

Before he could stop him, the steward had already walked off somewhere.

After hesitating briefly, Moon Hae-min followed the direction the steward had gone.

****

The moment he stepped into the sarangbang, the first thing Moon Hae-min felt was cold.

For some reason, the room was colder than the outdoors.

Surely it was not because they lacked firewood.

Perhaps Song Seol simply did not feel the cold.

Unlike him, Moon Hae-min had always been weak to it.

Shivering slightly, Hae-min spoke.

“You called for me.”

“You’ve come.”

Song Seol sat upright behind a small desk.

Though it was late and Hae-min was the only one present, his posture remained perfectly composed.

The elegant appearance was enough to be considered a model of noble decorum.

“…”

After briefly admiring it, Hae-min swallowed dryly.

If he had called someone, should he not state his purpose?

Yet Song Seol simply stared at him.

The tension Hae-min felt was not merely due to the intensity of that gaze.

People with guilty consciences rarely appeared confident.

Moreover, Song Seol possessed a naturally intimidating presence.

“What have you been doing all this time?”

Only after a long pause did Song Seol finally speak.

“Just…”

“Just?”

“…Just living quietly.”

Hae-min moved his lips awkwardly.

There was no other answer he could give.

After arriving in Songdo, he truly had done nothing at all.

Silence fell again.

“…”

Eventually, Hae-min lowered his head.

At that moment, Song Seol’s gaze grew even more blatant.

He observed “Moon Hee-yul” as if studying him.

In Song Seol’s eyes, Moon Hee-yul looked like a dried, withered flower.

Beautiful, yet lacking vitality.

Unlike his father Lord Moon, he did not appear greasy or overbearing.

But the melancholic expression he wore was unpleasant in its own way.

“It seems my residence has not been comfortable for you.”

“N-No, that’s not it.”

Startled, Moon Hee-yul quickly raised his head.

“Thanks to Your Highness’s generosity, I have been living peacefully. It’s just that… there’s nothing for me to do here.”

The flustered reaction at least looked more lively.

Testing him, Song Seol tossed a small stone into the calm lake.

“Do you wish to perform your duties?”

“…”

“But that will not happen. I have no hobby of plucking flowers that give off no fragrance.”

Ripples spread across the beautiful face before him.

“Moon Hae-min” was not foolish enough to miss the insult directed at scentless eumin.

A scentless eumin.

As the name implied, an eumin who could neither emit nor perceive scent was often looked down upon by yangin².

Though Hae-min himself was merely a normal male and did not understand their world, it seemed that scent held great importance among them.

But to Hae-min, scent meant nothing at all.

Humans were not flowers.

What good would emitting fragrance do?

Besides…

‘That suits me perfectly, Your Highness.’

If Song Seol had no interest in plucking scentless flowers, then Moon Hae-min had no interest in being embraced by a man.

If he had been forced to act as a concubine, he would have been horrified.

The fact that Song Seol had no intention of doing so was something to be grateful for.

“I will remember that.”

Hae-min answered politely, hiding his hope that Song Seol’s mind would never change.

“Is there anything you need?”

There certainly was.

But asking someone who was not particularly friendly toward him felt awkward.

And he could technically buy paper, brush, and ink with his own emergency funds.

It would be a bit of a strain, but if he earned money afterward, it would still be a worthwhile investment.

“There is nothing.”

“Humility and lies are separated by only a sheet of paper.”

“…”

Though spoken casually, the words carried weight.

In the end, Moon Hae-min had no choice but to speak.

“Well then… if possible, I would like to borrow some paper, brush, and ink.”

****

¹ ginseng: a highly valued medicinal root that was a cornerstone of Korea’s economy and culture
² yangin: good people