Chapter 40 Side Story 12: Traces of the Past and a Small Room in the Corner

Approaching a stranger just because they looked wealthy was a tactic used only when hunger had reached a life-threatening limit—when one faced the choice of either dying from a beating now or starving to death tomorrow.

These were things Hwaun had learned as a very young child, wandering these very streets before he met his master. When Ihan heard Hwaun’s stories, he would wear an expression so pained it looked as if he might burst into tears, so Hwaun refrained from adding further detail.

However, seeing the people enjoying a peaceful era under the current Emperor’s wise and benevolent rule made Hwaun’s heart flutter with pride. He eagerly tried to take in as many of his people as possible.

“You have observed the people enough. Now, focus only on me, care only about me, and spend a pleasant time with me.”

Yet, here was that very Emperor—the proud sovereign who had agonized and labored for so long to bring about this peace—acting like a pouting child in front of Hwaun, demanding that he stop working and just play.

The sight was so—pardon the irreverence—cute. It was, though he dared not say it, lovely. Considering how long and hard the Emperor had worked, Hwaun thought it would be good for him to forget everything else for a moment and enjoy himself.

Finally, Hwaun smiled softly and placed his hand over the one the Emperor offered. Feeling the warmth of the hand covering his own, Hwaun spoke.

“In that case, Young Master.”

“…….”

“Would you like to go to the shop where I used to buy my favorite sweets?”

In that moment, the smile like spring sunshine that blossomed across the Emperor’s face was Hwaun’s greatest happiness.

A Day of Romance

Arriving in front of an inn, Hwaun stopped walking for a moment and stared blankly at the building that had grown distant in his memories. Coming to a place he never dreamed he would see again brought a flood of complex emotions.

“…….”

Ihan, who stood silently by Hwaun’s side as he took several deep breaths, gently rubbed the back of his lover’s hand to soothe him. They were standing before the inn where Hwaun had lived, eaten, and worked long ago.

“If you do not wish to go in, you do not have to force yourself,” Ihan said, watching Hwaun with a slightly anxious gaze as the latter became immersed in emotions Ihan couldn’t fully fathom.

When he first began planning this outing, Ihan had intended to visit this inn above all else. He desperately wanted to see the place where Hwaun had lived before entering the palace. However, if reviving those memories made Hwaun depressed, Ihan was prepared to turn back without a moment’s regret. The thing Ihan feared most was Hwaun longing for the past more than the present.

“No. It is just that seeing it after so long brings back many feelings.”

“Are you truly all right…?”

“Yes. I just never thought the day would come when I could show this place to you, Young Master….”

Hwaun spoke while tightening his grip on Ihan’s hand. The slight smile on his lips looked a bit tense, but not particularly sad. Ihan let out a secret sigh of relief and nodded.

Before moving inside, Hwaun took a quick look around. Long ago, when he stood in front of this inn, the children who used to receive food from ‘Ha-un’ would rush over to greet him.

Now that my face has changed, they wouldn’t recognize me even if they saw me, he thought. He also realized that since so much time had passed, most of them might not even remember Ha-un’s face at all. Though he didn’t want to return to those days, he felt a vague nostalgia for the days that could never return.

“Well… shall we go in?”

“Yes.”

“It is not a place where you should stay for long, so we shall just look around and come back out.”

“Ah, I said I understood already.”

Ihan pouted again at Hwaun’s repeated nagging. Hwaun worried as if someone in this inn might specifically target Ihan. For the first time, Ihan felt he could understand how Hwaun felt when Ihan constantly worried about Hwaun’s health.

Eventually, Ihan entered the inn with the still-tense Hwaun. Since lunch hour had passed, the inn was not very busy. A waiter, who was diligently wiping a table with a rag, spotted the two and rushed over.

“Welcome! Are you here for a meal?”

Seeing the two men who practically exuded nobility, the waiter bowed much deeper than usual.

Hwaun couldn’t even answer the question; he was busy looking around. He was searching for a specific face. He was looking for Yeong, the boy whom the innkeeper, Samun, had taken in as a worker at Hwaun’s request. From the moment they decided to visit the inn, Hwaun had been more curious about Yeong’s well-being than Samun’s. Samun was an adult capable of taking care of himself, but Yeong had been a clumsy, young boy.

However, Yeong was nowhere to be seen in the immediate area.

Just then, Ihan, who also hadn’t answered the waiter, led Hwaun by the hand toward the counter. The Emperor, who already had a plan in mind, walked with purpose. At the sound of their approach, Samun, who had been looking elsewhere, turned his gaze toward them. Ihan felt Hwaun tense through their joined hands.

Knowing how this innkeeper had influenced and helped Hwaun’s life, Ihan felt a pang of pity for Hwaun, who was clearly moved but couldn’t show it. For a moment, he wondered if coming here was a mistake—if he was just stirring up the heart of a man who was now living well as Yeon Hwaun.

But Ihan soon changed his mind. Seeing for himself that the meaningful people in his life were doing well would surely be a good thing for Hwaun.

Unknown to Hwaun, Ihan had already sent investigators to look into the inn, the owner, and the boy while preparing for this trip. He didn’t want Hwaun to be blindsided by any tragedies. While this trip was partly for Ihan to soothe his own regrets by tracing the shadows of his lover’s past, his greater desire was to give Hwaun a small bit of joy and comfort amidst the endless life of the inner court.

Ihan gripped Hwaun’s hand firmly and tossed a pre-prepared money pouch onto the counter in front of Samun. The sound it made was quite heavy.

“What is… this?”

Samun, the innkeeper, asked with a wary voice, instinctively sensing it was no ordinary pouch. Hwaun, who also didn’t know the meaning of the pouch, turned to look at Ihan. With a face that looked like a mischievous boy, Ihan spoke triumphantly.

“I wish to rent the room in the far right corner of the second floor for a few hours.”

Hwaun’s eyes widened. The far right corner room of the second floor was the very room Hwaun had used while working at the inn.

Samun, looking equally confused, asked back:

“That place… is not a guest room; it is currently being used as a storage room….”

“So? Can it not be rented even for this amount of money?”

Ihan asked nonchalantly, gesturing toward the pouch he had thrown down. Samun carefully reached out and opened it. As expected, it was filled with a staggering amount of silver. Even for Samun, a long-time merchant who rarely blinked at anything, his hands couldn’t help but tremble.

“No. Of course not. However, since it is not a room we keep clean, it will be messy. Please wait a moment while we clean it. I will personally guide you afterward.”

To be honest, Samun wanted to ask why anyone would pay such a fortune to rent such a room. But he was a man who couldn’t survive without being quick-witted, and he knew that once he received this much money, curiosity would only be poison.

“I will not wait long,” Ihan said, nodding in satisfaction at Samun’s wise attitude.

“Ma—! …Young Master.”

While Samun called the waiter to give orders, Hwaun called out to Ihan with a dejected face. He knew Ihan wanted to see the room where he had lived, but he hadn’t expected him to rent it so formally, and certainly not for such a vast sum of money.