Fog

Bangja was safe.

The doctor, who had rushed over in a fluster, checked Bangja’s pulse and said he was fine.

More than fine, he said he was perfectly alright.

“Someone was foaming at the mouth and convulsing, and there’s nothing wrong?”

At my question, the doctor looked embarrassed and pretended to check his pulse again.

It was as if his face read, ‘Nothing will change even if I do it again.’

Still, perhaps because of his status as the son of the former magistrate and current royal inspector, the doctor checked his pulse again, pretended to insert a few needles, and examined Bangja again.

In fact, even to me, Bangja seemed perfectly fine.

He looked peaceful, unlike the Bangja who had been convulsing on the floor.

His breathing was regular, and his complexion was good. It felt like he was just sleeping.

Hearing him snoring, I even wondered if calling the doctor had been an overreaction.

“Young master, he’s fine.”

“Yes. He seems to be.”

The doctor repeated his earlier words, and I nodded.

There was no point in keeping the doctor any longer.

“Just in case, I’ll prepare some herbal medicine and leave it here.”

“Thank you.”

As the doctor left the room, Hyangdan followed him.

I examined Bangja’s face once more.

Nothing could have changed in the meantime, but I was still worried.

I would have been less worried if it had been a chronic illness.

Bangja’s last words before losing consciousness bothered me.

[Be careful of the Jang tribe.]

I was the only one who knew that the Jang tribe was lurking nearby, so how did Bangja know?

What had Bangja seen? There were so many things I wanted to ask.

The night deepened, and the commotion of the day was covered by darkness.

The sounds of insects and the scent of flowers entered the room.

Hyangdan, who had received the herbal medicine, went around the house lighting candles.

The faint light dimly illuminated the house.

Chunhyang and I sat next to Bangja, spending time.

Actually, we hadn’t decided to do anything. We were just waiting for Bangja to regain consciousness.

“Young master, the way he’s sleeping…”

Chunhyang said to me as I quietly watched Bangja’s breathing.

Chunhyang, with a stiff face, looked back and forth between me and Bangja.

“He took a nap during the day, so he’s fine.”

“But he still looks tired.”

Chunhyang advised me to go into the room and rest, but I didn’t feel like it.

I was worried about Bangja, but I also wanted to ask him something when he woke up.

“Young master.”

Chunhyang took my hand.

Chunhyang’s subtle floral scent tickled my nose.

“Chunhyang.”

“You should rest. You don’t know what kind of face you’re making right now.”

“……..”

Chunhyang pleaded with an expression that looked like she would cry if touched.

She didn’t raise her voice or cry desperately, but her pitiful expression touched my guilt.

“Bangja has always been by my side. I can’t go in and sleep when Bangja hasn’t regained consciousness.”

I avoided Chunhyang’s gaze.

I couldn’t confidently insist while looking directly into her eyes, which were full of concern for me.

“Then, how about getting some fresh air? You’ve been sitting still for two hours already.”

Chunhyang took a step back.

“…Should I?”

“I think it would be good to sit on the veranda and take a breather. I’ll have Hyangdan prepare some refreshments to boost your energy.”

Since Chunhyang had taken a step back, I should also take a step back.

I suppressed my uneasy feelings and got up from my seat.

Perhaps because I had been in the same position for a long time, my body was screaming everywhere.

When I came out to the veranda, the wind was blowing.

Although spring had come, the night conveyed a temperature between coolness and chill.

The scent of grass and flowers deepened as night fell.

The croaking of frogs in the distance disturbed my ears.

I mechanically looked up at the sky and saw the moon.

The moon, covered by clouds, was far from sufficient to serve as lighting.

Tsk, I felt a presence in the distance.

I immediately jumped up and ran out the gate.

“……..”

Whether it was my imagination or they had already left.

There was nothing in the place where I had heard the sound.

I felt dizzy, as if someone was shaking my senses, and nausea rose.

“…Young master?”

Hyangdan approached me with hurried steps as I stood blankly outside the gate.

“Oh. What’s wrong?”

“Bangja has woken up.”

“Huh? I said that?”

Bangja, who had regained consciousness, was gulping down cold water.

Water dripped down his chin, soaking the blanket.

Chunhyang, having confirmed Bangja’s safety, seemed relieved and went back to her room to rest, leaving me alone with Bangja.

“Yes. You don’t remember?”

“Not at all. I just felt my body getting cold, and then this happened.”

“Hmm….”

“What did I say?”

“Well… it’s okay if you don’t remember.”

I held back from mentioning the Jang tribe to someone who didn’t even remember, as it would only increase his anxiety.

“The doctor made some herbal medicine and left it here, so drink it and get some rest. Focus on taking care of yourself for a while.”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m completely energetic.”

Bangja said the same thing I had heard him say before.

“Is that why you collapsed while foaming at the mouth? Rest if I tell you to.”

I grabbed the shoulder of the guy who was about to get up and pushed him down.

“Okay, okay. Since you say so, Young master, I guess I should rest a bit. You don’t look good either.”

“My face?”

“Yes. It’s completely pale. Chunhyang said you’re accumulating fatigue… Outwardly, you look closer to being sick than I do.”

It felt strange to be worried about by the guy who had collapsed.

“Alright, alright. I’ve confirmed that you’re fine, so I should get some rest too.”

“Young master, rest well.”

It was fortunate that Bangja was safe, but I couldn’t help feeling a sense of emptiness.

I had clearly thought I could get information from Bangja… The disappointment is great.

As I trudged back to my room, Chunhyang was waiting for me, having spread out the bedding.

“Is Bangja alright?”

I didn’t have the strength to answer, so I nodded.

“Then, please sleep now. It’s late.”

As I got into bed, Chunhyang whispered.

When the lights were turned off, darkness occupied the room.

Blinking my heavy eyes, I tried to untangle the tangled thoughts one by one.

But it didn’t go as planned.

“Young master.”

“Yes.”

“Now that Bangja is better, you should get some rest.”

“…Okay.”

“Um… I won’t do anything today, so rest comfortably….”

Let’s ignore Chunhyang’s softly spoken words.

Whether it was because it had been a day full of events, I soon fell asleep as if I had taken a sleeping pill.

I entrusted myself to sleep, feeling a gradually sinking sensation.

I opened my eyes to a regular sound.

“Did I get hit with postprandial sleepiness?”

I turned my head from side to side at the monotonous voice.

“…Did I have a dream or something?”

I rubbed my heavy eyes and looked for the source of the sound.

A person with neatly cut black bobbed hair, wearing a woman’s suit, was looking at me.

In front of her, two large monitors were emitting bright light.

“Ah… I guess I dozed off.”

As I scratched the back of my head with an awkward smile, Lee Mina laughed.

“You’ve been working overtime for several days, so it’s understandable that you’re tired. But don’t doze off. I’m fine, but other people will talk.”

Lee Mina turned her head back to the screen and placed her hand on the keyboard.

Every time her fingers moved, there was a pleasant sound of typing.

Like playing the piano, her fingers moved smoothly.

Watching my boss concentrate on her work, I also shifted my gaze to the flickering monitor.

“What was I looking at?”

Was it because I wasn’t fully awake? This desk felt very unfamiliar.

I must have had work to do, but I couldn’t remember.

“Sigh.”

Perhaps seeing me clicking the mouse aimlessly, Lee Mina sighed and got up.

“Lee Mina?”

“Stay still.”

Lee Mina stood behind me.

Lee Mina’s two hands were placed on my shoulders.

“Lee Mina?”

“You’re very tense. Are you sleeping well?”

Lee Mina’s small hands massaged my shoulders. It wasn’t refreshing, but I didn’t know what to do with myself because I was so grateful.

“Stretch a little while you’re working. Lately, you’ve been sitting in your seat like a built-in closet.”

“Ah… yes….”

I didn’t like the feeling of being in a situation where it was awkward to stay still, but it was also strange to twist my body.

It wasn’t that it was bad, but rather that it was awkward.

We’re in a relationship where we watch movies together and eat together, but this kind of skinship is too sudden.

“Inho.”

“Yes, yes?”

“It must have been hard for you, right? You’ve worked hard all this time.”

“H-Hard work… It’s just something I have to do….”

“Without anyone acknowledging you, you were lonely, right?”

Lee Mina spoke as if she were looking beyond somewhere.

“Without anyone acknowledging you, it must have been hard… Inho… you must have been really lonely….”

You’ve worked hard.

Something in my chest felt heavy at Lee Mina’s words.