Chapter 39: Side Story 11: The Guard and the Young Master

Ihan’s voice was excessively firm. He hadn’t explicitly said, “I want to embrace you right here and now,” but Hwaun felt as if he had heard those very words. Struggling to maintain his composure, Hwaun spoke again.

“Your Majesty, I wish to walk the streets of the capital side-by-side with you as soon as possible… Do you not feel the same?”

Half of it was an excuse to escape the immediate tension, but the sentiment itself was entirely sincere.

When Ihan first proposed the outing—when he said he wanted to see the place where Hwaun used to live—Hwaun had nearly burst into tears. After becoming the master of Jeong-an Palace, Hwaun assumed he would never step foot outside the imperial walls for the rest of his life. He hadn’t resented it; he had entered those gates of his own volition, cutting off his past life for the Emperor. He had no desire to flee.

However, when an opportunity he thought was gone forever suddenly presented itself, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy. Ordinarily, Hwaun would have politely declined such a privilege, but he couldn’t bring himself to refuse this offer, even out of courtesy.

The thought of meeting those who had helped ‘Ha-un’ keep his life from crumbling had caused him to lose sleep several times while waiting for the date to be finalized. For Hwaun’s sake—knowing he would worry about Suk-bi and Jeong-bin feeling lonely—the Emperor had even allowed their families to visit the palace during their absence. With that final weight lifted, Hwaun had waited for this day with a fluttering heart.

“Did you not say you wanted to see where I lived?”

“Ah…….”

Only after Hwaun spoke those words did the darkened intensity in the Emperor’s eyes slowly fade back to their usual light. Since Ihan’s primary goal wasn’t just observing the people, but tracing the footsteps of ‘Ha-un’s’ life, this was a day he had anticipated even more than Hwaun. He had been so jealous of anyone in the palace who remembered ‘Ha-un.’ He couldn’t hold back any longer.

“…Fine. Let us go.”

In the end, Ihan chose to take Hwaun’s hand and lead him out the door rather than dragging him to the bed in that striking new attire. Outside, the warm sunlight and a cool breeze wrapped around them with the perfect temperature. It seemed today would be a truly perfect day.

“Una.”

“Yes, Your Majes—… Yes, Young Master.”

Habitually starting to say ‘Your Majesty,’ Hwaun caught himself and used the unfamiliar title. He had never imagined a day would come when he would call the Emperor ‘Young Master.’

Even though they weren’t alone, hearing Ihan call him ‘Una’ out in the open made his fingertips tremble; calling Ihan ‘Young Master’ felt so awkward his voice shook. Ihan, for his part, looked positively giddy after saying ‘Una,’ but he too felt a shiver down his spine at the rare title.

In the middle of a bustling marketplace filled with people, two grown men stood there clearing their throats and looking away awkwardly. Ihan nearly forgot why he had called Hwaun in the first place.

“U-uh… why did you call for me?”

Hwaun was the first to regain his senses. Ihan rubbed the back of his neck and replied.

“Ah, that… I was going to say, stop being so tense.”

“But….”

“Do you really think I brought you along to actually act as my guard?”

Recalling his intent, Ihan began to grumble. Hwaun wearing martial robes and carrying a sword was merely a disguise for the outing. It wasn’t that Hwaun lacked the ability; even if he were the most renowned warrior in the land, Ihan had no intention of letting him face danger. To the Emperor, Hwaun was the most precious person in the world, someone who must never be hurt. All Yeon Hwaun needed to protect was his love for Seong Ihan.

“But one never knows what variables may arise, so it is better to be cautious, is it not?”

Hwaun spoke in a low, secretive voice, scanning the surroundings like a true guard. A fresh wave of goosebumps broke out across Ihan’s neck. This atmosphere—so different from the Yeon Hwaun seen inside the palace—was beginning to stimulate something in Ihan… more specifically, his carnal desire.

Whenever someone got a bit too close, Hwaun reflexively gripped the hilt of his sword. He looked ready to draw and point it at a throat the moment a threat moved. Ihan recognized it instantly: the man before him was the very man he had been so curious about.

The way he gripped the hilt, the sharp, efficient turns of his head to scan the crowd—it was unmistakably the ‘Ha-un’ of the past. Traits that had lain dormant beneath the surface of Yeon Hwaun were sprouting anew now that the situation matched his previous life.

Ignoring the tingling sensation in his lower abdomen, Ihan spoke again.

“There are more than a few following us to protect me from such ‘variables.'”

Ihan was right. No matter how secret the outing, he was the Master of the Nation. A contingent of guards that could not be further reduced—even by imperial decree—was currently blended into the crowd, protecting the Emperor like an iron wall. Hwaun had been briefed on this before leaving the palace. Yet, he uncharacteristically stuck to his guns.

“I know that… but it doesn’t hurt for me to be alert as well. For the safety of the Young Master, no amount of vigilance is excessive.”

“Why doesn’t it hurt?”

“…What is wrong with it?”

“My mood is hurt because I cannot do what I want with you!”

Hwaun was taken aback by the Emperor’s blunt complaint. Seeing Hwaun dazed, Ihan let his words spill out.

“I didn’t bring a bodyguard; I came out with my lover!”

“Y-Young Master…! Someone will hear…!”

Unlike Ihan, who boldly shouted ‘lover’ in the middle of the street, Hwaun hunched his shoulders and lowered his voice. Seeing him try so hard to hide their relationship—even though Ihan knew it was for safety—made a flicker of annoyance rise in him.

“So what if someone hears? Did I say something false?”

“It is not that….”

“Forget the sword and take my hand. From now on, I am going to walk through this market holding my lover’s hand.”

With a sulky face, Ihan thrust his hand out toward Hwaun. Hwaun looked like a puppy caught in a sudden downpour, glancing back and forth between Ihan’s face and the hand offered to him.

Is this really okay? That was his first thought. Could he really take the Emperor’s hand here, in front of all these people?

When they had been moving through the outskirts of the city earlier, Ihan hadn’t demanded this. The Emperor had been busy observing every alley with sharp eyes. He checked how many beggars were on the streets, how vibrant the market was, and looked at the faces of the people buying and selling.

He checked if the sprawling roads were clean. Poverty makes a capital dirty. One of the first things people give up when they can’t even sustain themselves is hygiene. When a country is poor, the streets reek.

Hwaun had stayed by his side, watching the same things in his own way. Though Ihan’s clothes weren’t dragon robes, they were clearly high-quality, yet few children approached them to beg. This was a good sign. Street children might seem to cling to anyone, but they are more cautious than anyone else. Risking a kick or a beating for a single dumpling is a life-or-death gamble. They learn to read the room from a young age. When they are at a manageable level of hunger, they don’t desperately cling to strangers.