Chapter 009
The Daughter-in-Law of a Murim Family
The first person to regain her composure was the owner of the shop.
Based on her long experience and years of dealing with all kinds of situations, she calmly approached and took control of the situation.
“I apologize. It seems that all of us were briefly lost in awe of your elegance, Young Miss.”
“Please don’t worry about it.”
Elegance, my foot.
They were probably just dumbfounded.
When I waved my hand, she bowed even more politely and added,
“Thank you for your generosity, Young Miss. We have specially asked all the other customers to leave today, so please feel free to look around.”
“……”
Just as she said, there was not a single customer in the large shop.
Every time I moved, dozens of employees followed behind me.
When I gave a small dry cough, the employee beside me was startled and quickly approached.
“I will bring you some water. The water provided by our shop is pure water drawn directly from Lake Daemyeong every dawn.”
“Thank you.”
“With the weather being so unpredictable these days, it seems you may have caught a cold. Would you like some tea to soothe your throat?”
“You really don’t have to go that far.”
The moment I smiled awkwardly and turned my head, dozens of pairs of eyes moved after me with a rustling sound.
Wherever I walked.
Wherever I looked.
Even my slightest cough.
Every single one of my actions was being thoroughly watched by them.
“If there is anything you would like, please do not hesitate to tell us. At Geumga Merchant Shop, we will do our very best to prepare anything Young Miss desires.”
At the owner’s words, the employees nodded so hard it looked like their necks might break.
I forced myself to hide my complicated feelings and raised the corners of my mouth.
“The manager is truly such a thoughtful person.”
There isn’t a single opening.
I blinked hard to hide the tears welling up in my eyes as I spoke.
The shop owner smiled brightly.
“Please do not worry. We will never betray your trust, Young Miss.”
No, please, just do your work a little half-heartedly.
Seriously, you’re all being way too much.
“This is Golden Melon Tribute Tea from Yunnan.”
I accepted the teacup brought on a purple silk cushion.
They said it had been roasted leaf by leaf by a famous craftsman, and indeed, its fragrance was quite extraordinary.
What’s the use of good tea fragrance?
When I turned my head, the employee beside me, who had been fanning me, gave me a graceful smile.
“This was made using the latest dyeing technique. If you look here, isn’t the color of this nasam made from silver-striped silk beautiful?”
“I suppose so.”
I nodded indifferently as I listened to her explanation.
The shop owner, watching my expression, hurriedly whispered,
“Bring something else. Don’t you have anything more unique?”
At her urging, the employees hurried away.
I looked over all kinds of goods scattered across the floor.
Precious products worth thousands of nyang at a rough estimate were lying carelessly all over the floor.
There was only so long I could keep rejecting the things they brought me with one excuse after another.
There’s no point in dragging this out any longer.
I had already emptied five cups of tea while looking at the goods.
If I drank any more, I might really throw up.
Should I just give up for today?
As I swallowed a sigh and slowly stood up, an employee who had been waiting nearby approached me with shining eyes.
“Is there something you need?”
Ignoring her burdensome gaze, I waved my hand and asked,
“Where should I go if I need to use the restroom?”
Let’s take care of the urgent matter first.
Following the employee’s guidance, I slowly headed upstairs.
Fortunately, no one followed me this far.
“Please call for me again after you are finished.”
Not long after the employee disappeared after giving me her kind instructions—
CRACK—BANG!
Suddenly, the building shook as if an earthquake had struck, accompanied by a thunderous sound.
“……Bastard! Where……come……see!”
A rough, distorted voice could be heard, followed by another loud BANG!
Occasional screams could also be heard, presumably from the shop owner and the employees.
Did a fight break out?
The noise showed no sign of dying down.
I looked at the floor beneath my feet as it occasionally trembled and hesitated.
I had no idea what was happening, but with everyone distracted like this, it was the perfect opportunity to escape.
The problem was—
“I can’t get downstairs.”
This place was unusually high even for a second floor, so I couldn’t jump out through the window either.
Just as I stood restlessly in front of the stairs with a blank expression, someone suddenly appeared through the thick smoke.
“Bingbing?”
Come to think of it, I had sent her to buy miljeon.
Looking at the maid, who seemed somehow different from before, I asked in confusion,
“How did you get up here?”
The floor below was in complete chaos. Had she really fought her way through all those people to get here?
“What happened downstairs……”
I had opened my mouth without much thought, but then I froze when I saw the people lying behind Bingbing.
The employees who had been attending to me moments ago were sprawled limply on the stair landing.
Before I could even ask what had happened, a dull pain spread across the back of my neck, and everything went black.
Wasn’t miljeon supposed to be sweet?
Why does Bingbing smell like fresh blood?
I opened my eyes with a splitting headache and found myself lying in a strange room I had never seen before.
This doesn’t look like the Hwangbo Family.
The room was filled with luxurious furniture and intricately crafted decorations.
Somewhere in the room, an unfamiliar sweet yet musty smell lingered in the air.
The strong smell of alcohol made me wrinkle my face without realizing it.
“Ugh.”
As I rubbed my stiff neck and sat up, someone opened the door and entered.
“You are awake.”
It was Bingbing.
She continued speaking calmly as if nothing had happened.
“I was worried because you wouldn’t wake up. Fortunately, it seems there is nothing seriously wrong with your body, Young Miss.”
“Ah.”
I wanted to ask what had happened, but my throat was so tight that no proper voice came out.
When I coughed roughly, Bingbing quickly offered me a glass of water.
“First, please wet your throat with some tea.”
I drank the tea she handed me in one gulp.
What?
She was definitely Bingbing, but why did she feel so unfamiliar?
Unlike her usual clumsy and awkward self, she now had a calm air about her.
She snatched the cup from my hand.
“Did you finish it?”
After confirming that the cup was empty, she turned toward the door and spoke to someone outside.
“You may come in now. Since she drank the entire cup, the effect should be certain.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the door opened and someone suddenly appeared.
It was a strange man I had never seen before.
The moment I saw the face of the man who had suddenly entered the room without warning, my eyes widened.
I covered my mouth with both hands and stepped backward.
The strange man calmly gestured toward me.
“Please sit here. There will be much for you and me to discuss.”
“Discuss? With me?”
“Of course.”
As if bewitched, I slowly approached him and sat down.
Then I continued staring at him as if I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
A faint smile crossed the man’s face.
“It seems my appearance has surprised you quite a bit, Young Miss.”
“Yes. Honestly, I couldn’t not be surprised.”
Although I answered obediently as if I were under some kind of spell, I carefully placed a hand over my chest.
Even though my consciousness was hazy, as if I had not fully awakened from sleep, my heart was pounding like crazy.
Is this what it feels like when dopamine explodes?
I felt breathless from an emotion I had never experienced before.
The man gave me a light smile.
“Is my appearance here really so surprising to you?”
“I suppose so.”
Anyone would be surprised.
If you woke up after being knocked unconscious in a strange room, only to find a man you’d never seen in your life entering while talking to your maid as though they knew each other well, wouldn’t you be surprised too?
“Judging by your reaction, it seems ‘they’ do not know that I am still alive.”
Who are they?
When I remained silent because I had no idea what he was talking about, the man slowly asked,
“How do you communicate with them?”
“Communicate?”
What on earth is he talking about?
Nothing the man said made any sense to me.
The man looked at me as I stupidly repeated his words, then spoke with a cold expression.
“The people who sent you here. If they had not assumed that I was dead, they would never have dared to spread such a ridiculous rumor and send someone here.”
They assumed he was dead?
Who?
Honestly, shouldn’t a man like this be designated a national treasure and protected?
With a face like that, people in Korea would have gone crazy calling him beyond human.
How can someone’s skin be so clear and flawless, like it has been enhanced with a beauty filter?
I stared at the man as if hypnotized and muttered blankly,
“You shouldn’t die. That would be such a waste.”
(A waste of that face.)
“A waste?”
The man quietly repeated my words and slowly brought his face closer to mine.
“Yet it seems there was little mercy in your people’s actions.”
Little mercy?
What does that mean?
I tilted my head and tried to decipher his mysterious words before complaining,
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You will come to understand it little by little. Do not worry. You are a valuable person to us because you may become an important clue, so we will not treat you too harshly.”
The man continued saying things that made no sense.
After thinking for a moment, I cautiously raised my hand.
“Excuse me, but……”
“Yes?”
“I’ve asked several times, but you haven’t answered me. Who exactly are you?”
After I asked out of frustration, the man remained silent for a moment before turning toward Bingbing.
“Didn’t you say she drank the tea?”
Bingbing, who had been standing one step away, lowered her eyes and answered,
“I confirmed that she drank the entire cup. There is definitely nothing wrong with the medicine. It did not pass through anyone else’s hands before she entered.”
I looked curiously at the maid, who now gave off such an unfamiliar atmosphere.
The man asked me another question.
“If you do not know who I am, then why were you so shocked the moment you saw me?”
Unlike before, when he had been gently coaxing me, his voice had become somewhat colder.
I answered obediently.
I didn’t know why, but the words seemed to flow out before I could even finish thinking.
It felt as though the brakes in my head were broken.
“Because you’re fucking handsome.”
A brief silence followed.
The man, who had frozen as if he couldn’t understand, asked again.
“What did you just say?”
“I said you’re fucking handsome. Are you a fairy or something? How can another person who is supposed to be the same species as me look like this?”
I mumbled my honest thoughts, and silence once again descended over the room.
The man stared at me with an expression in his eyes that was impossible to describe.
