BSMF | 30

Chapter 30

Don’t Think Anything Strange

The mornings at the Gyeongseong Kwonbeon were quieter than anywhere else.

The yeogis who had visited the nobles’ houses overnight were all sound asleep, and many rooms still waited empty, with their owners yet to arrive.

The thick, ornate curtains at each window blocked even the morning sunlight from intruding into the space.

Fearing that their sensitive elder might wake early and get irritated, the young girls, dreaming of fresh beginnings, tiptoed to the training hall.

It was a night untouched by the world outside, yet within, the largest and most luxurious room was already stirring with activity in the early morning.

A young maid, mopping the hallway, cocked her head at the light sneaking through a narrow gap and stepped closer.

“Miss Yohwa, have you woken?”

“Kyung-ja-ni?”

“Yes, Miss.”

“Come in.”

As the door opened, Yohwa appeared in the morning sunlight, preparing herself.

Unlike her usual flashy hanbok or Western dresses, she wore a plain white jeogori and a black chima. No ornaments—just like a student.

Looking into mirrors, adjusting her attire, she turned to the maid with a gentle smile.

“I was just going to call you for a light breakfast anyway.”

“Going out so early?”

Her lips, lightly tinted with rouge, traced a delicate line.

“To see Brother Woo-geon.”

“Already at this hour?”

At the maid’s surprised words, Yohwa’s smile hardened slightly.

“I’ve known Brother Woo-geon since before I came to the Kwonbeon. Whether he has a woman or not, that’s no reason to stop seeing each other.”

With a flash of anger, she stood up abruptly.

She quickly packed her small handbag with essentials.

“That’s enough. You may leave now.”

“What about breakfast…?”

“No need. Seeing you just made me lose my appetite.”

And with that, she left, leaving only a cold breeze in her wake.

The maid, belatedly regretting her unnecessary warning, could only watch helplessly.

Looking at Yohwa’s swift figure crossing the hallway, she frowned.

“What trouble is she about to cause…?”

Though she had only been at the Kwonbeon for a few years, she had already witnessed countless women in ruinous situations caused by men with mistresses.

Those who professed love and lifelong promises couldn’t even stop their women from being taken or treated as trivial for one night of passion.

Yohwa claimed her relationship with Woo-geon was like family, now that she was his language student—but the world didn’t care.

Her eyes just now reminded the maid too much of those before, filled with dangerous determination.

“Ah… if only she’d listen, I wouldn’t need to worry like this.”

The maid shook her head, closing Yohwa’s door, praying that the dangerous obsession she sensed wouldn’t end up harming Yohwa herself.

So-hye had quickly adapted to the laboratory over the past few days.

Her skills in recording specimens through drawings had improved remarkably.

As she got familiar with the workflow, she began assisting others as well.

“Should I bundle this data with the map here?”

“Yes! Thank you, So-hye. We need to organize things in advance…”

“No problem. If I have free hands, I’ll help.”

After finishing her drawings, So-hye cleaned the lab and organized the other assistants’ materials, categorizing each specimen for easy reference.

Thanks to her efforts, finding a document no longer required scouring every corner of the lab.

The once-dusty workspace was now clean, and the team noticed.

“Since So-hye came, the lab has become so comfortable,” said Jae-woo and Seok-tae.

“True, before, we used to cough a lot, but now it feels easier on the throat,” added the students helping organize specimens.

“I guess I’ll be responsible for keeping the lab clean from now on.”

So-hye smiled, proud of herself. Even this small contribution made her happy.

She spent almost all her time here, like everyone else, so keeping it tidy was the least she could do.

And Woo-geon, she thought, probably preferred a clean space as well.

She reached for a mop on a dust-covered desk, only for it to slip from her hands.

“You weren’t brought here to clean,” said Woo-geon, suddenly behind her, taking the mop.

Without giving her a chance to respond, he tossed the mop toward Se-ho.

“Catch.”

“Oh, ah!”

Se-ho, startled, barely caught the mop and looked at Woo-geon in confusion.

“From now on, everyone will clean together every morning before work.”

“But So-hye said she’d take responsibility…”

“It’s a shared space. One person cleaning alone isn’t enough. Everyone must care for it.”

Se-ho reluctantly began wiping his desk, while Woo-geon muttered, “We all own this lab, so everyone should clean together. Got it?”

He then whispered to So-hye, away from the others:

“Let the others do the cleaning. Don’t try to handle everything yourself.”

“I finished my tasks and had free time,” So-hye replied.

“Then focus on something else.”

“But…”

“If you touch the mop too often, your hands will get ruined.”

Woo-geon gently wiped So-hye’s damp hands.

The slow brush of his fingers across her sensitive skin made her flinch slightly.

“You’re a person of value. You must take care of yourself.”

The words felt as if he was speaking just to her.

He replaced the moisture he took away with warmth and a faintly electrifying sensation.

As his large hand withdrew, a coldness filled the space.

So-hye instinctively closed her hands, gripping them tightly.

“…Yes. I’ll be careful.”

To preserve the raw thrill she felt in that moment.

He roughly dried his hands with a handkerchief and said,

“I need illustrations for the article. I’ll bring specimens, so please draw them.”

“Yes, I’ll start immediately,” she replied, biting back a small smile as she returned to her seat.

Then, a knock sounded at the lab door.

So-hye turned toward the sound and froze as she recognized the familiar face in the doorway.

“…Yohwa?”

Woo-geon’s voice confirmed her presence once more.

Her attire and unadorned face made her almost unrecognizable, but it was indeed Yohwa.

She surveyed the frozen lab and smiled apologetically.

“Oh dear. Did I come at a bad time?”

“…What are you doing here, inside the school?”

Woo-geon’s eyes were cold, piercing her like needles.

But Yohwa’s smile didn’t falter—it was a mask of pride and stubbornness.

“My student was sick today, so I had no choice but to come myself,” she said.

“….”

“Just in case rumors spread, I tried to look like a regular student. Does it look convincing?”

Her gaze briefly met the students’, who exchanged awkward glances, unsure whether she was asking them to keep quiet or to spread the word carefully.

Woo-geon’s face darkened further.

Though outwardly calm, he seemed to be suppressing his emotions desperately.

“Everyone, go back to class.”

“Yes, teacher.”

“Don’t tell anyone what you just saw.”

The students nodded and quickly left the lab.

With them gone, the tension between the two remaining adults intensified.

Once the door closed, Woo-geon faced Yohwa fully, his gaze sharp and unforgiving.

“You look like someone determined to ruin things. Am I wrong?”

“I’m a student visiting my teacher. What’s the problem?”

“If you’re going to joke, leave immediately.”

“….”

“Before I see you again, understand this.”

His uncharacteristic sharp warning left Yohwa’s iron-like smile cracked.

“…It’s important,” she admitted.

She knew she had overstepped, not realizing how much her presence could undermine Woo-geon’s authority.

If rumors spread that a gisaeng had entered the school, it would be humiliating.

But she could not stand by quietly.

Baek So-hye. She wanted her removed from Woo-geon’s side at all costs.

Even if she couldn’t do that, she wanted to convey this one thing clearly:

“That person? You’ll never, ever be able to come between us. There’s a secret between us you’ll never know, nor should you.”

“Why does Brother treat me so coldly?”

Her lips trembled slightly. Yohwa’s gaze, which had held warmth, now faded.

“Poor thing.”

Her low, sharp voice made So-hye flinch.

Even though Woo-geon had already explained they were nothing, every glance at Yohwa carried this peculiar chill that pricked So-hye’s chest.

‘If not each other… then she is alone too.’

So-hye realized their hearts were alike in that sense.

She could feel how deep, dark, and sorrowful Yohwa’s emotions were behind those delicate eyes.

So she could not, and did not want to, avoid this confrontation.

Even if it was just a contractual relationship, she was the one standing next to Woo-geon now.

“Didn’t I tell you to leave? Can’t you hear?”

Woo-geon stepped between them, blocking Yohwa’s gaze from So-hye.

He made it clear that her looking at So-hye, even briefly, was unacceptable.

Yohwa let out a brief, bitter laugh at the clear message, a crack in her proud smile.

“I told you, it’s important.”

“I came to discuss the Esperanto class schedule,” she said.

Her charcoal-drawn eyebrows arched mockingly.

“If you say that, Woo-geon froze. He needed this information to plan the next mission and convey it to the members. ‘Why here… of all places…’

Normally, he would have quickly taken the information and sent her off.

But now, oddly, he couldn’t bring himself to send her away.

‘She seems to get caught up because of So-hye… A lover really is different,’ he thought.

Because So-hye, unaware of everything, was observing this place with her complex emotions, he didn’t want unnecessary misunderstandings.

Even thinking about her like that confused him, but…

He had to make a practical choice.

He closed his eyes briefly, then said in a low voice:

“Se-ho.”

“Yes, teacher.”

“Take So-hye and the others to the underground storage and stay there for a while.”

“What? Uh… okay…”

Se-ho hesitated, glancing at So-hye.

Sending the lover away and leaving the gisaeng behind might seem strange to anyone else.

But this was Woo-geon’s decision.

“Huik, you stay as well,” he added.

As someone involved with Esperanto classes and a fellow member of the organization, there was no harm in Huik staying.

“You agreed to start learning Esperanto this month anyway. It will be good to coordinate schedules, so stay.”

“…Ah, right. I forgot,” Huik said, stretching his arms and sitting on the desk.

“I prefer not to remember what I dislike,” he muttered.

His expression toward Yohwa was unusually hostile.

“You, go downstairs and dust the stuffed birds. Wait until we finish, then go down together with him,” he told So-hye.

Both women disliked this situation, but So-hye had priority now.

“Esperanto class is nice. I even get Kwonbeon secrets.”

Huik’s teasing made Yohwa flinch slightly.

“Then we’ll go downstairs first,” said Se-ho, hastily leading the others out.

As So-hye passed Woo-geon, he took her slender wrist, pulling her close, pressing his lips to her ear.

“Wait quietly downstairs,” he murmured.

His warm breath brushed her ear, sending shivers through her.

“Don’t think anything strange,” he added softly.

His lowered voice was filled with tender reassurance for his sulking lover.

Then he looked toward Yohwa, making his intent clear:

“There’s no point being jealous.”

This was a warning to not cross boundaries in front of this woman.

The only person allowed by Woo-geon to stand beside him as a woman was So-hye.