Page 13 of Gumiho Kiss (Realm of Eternal Blossoms #1)

The Gamble

“H old still,” Hae Rim snapped, pulling the bandage tighter around Chin Sun’s middle.

Chin Sun gritted her teeth as she stared at the midmorning sunlight streaming through her window onto the floor.

This nurse grew more insufferable by the day.

Any leverage Chin Sun had thought she’d had over her as a jungin had disappeared by the nurse’s second visit.

In fact, it seemed the tables had completely turned, and now Hae Rim was the one with all the power.

But Chin Sun forced herself to bear it, no matter how acerbic Hae Rim was, for she couldn’t risk the truth of her injuries coming to light.

“There, that should do it.” Hae Rim sat back with a satisfied grin.

“You’re healing remarkably fast. I’d say you should be able to move around now, if you feel up for it.

” When Chin Sun’s expression brightened, the nurse wagged her finger.

“But nothing strenuous. I don’t want you ruining all the progress you’ve made. ”

Chin Sun glared. “Are you certain of that? A longer recovery would mean more income for you.”

Hae Rim didn’t respond to the quip and simply packed up her things. “Send for me if you have any more . . . issues.”

“Does that mean you’re not coming back?”

“You sound so excited one might almost think you disliked my company.” The nurse’s head didn’t lift, and her tone stayed as flat as ever, and yet . . .

Amusement twitched at Chin Sun’s lips, but she concealed it behind a well-placed frown. “I’m sure I don’t know what you mean. Thank you for your service.”

When Hae Rim bowed and turned away, Chin Sun could have sworn there was a grin at the edge of the grumpy woman’s mouth.

Once she was gone, Chin Sun practically leaped off her bed mat and retrieved a sheet of paper from her desk.

She peered down at it for a moment, then tucked it safely away in her sleeve.

All that time on bed rest had allowed her to plan out her next steps accordingly. Now, it was time to execute them.

“Ah In,” she called cheerily.

The young servant bustled into the room with a deep bow. She lifted her head and smiled. “You’re looking well, my lady. What did the nurse say?”

“She said I’m no longer confined to my chambers.

” Chin Sun giggled with glee. “Oh, when does Mr. Park take time to rest? I’d love to go out into the city, but I don’t want to interrupt him if he’s asleep.

” She spoke nonchalantly, as if she was only mildly curious, but inside, she couldn’t be more invested in the answer.

“He stops working at about midnight and goes back on duty at eight o’ clock, so there's no need to worry about waking him.”

“Wonderful. Then would you call him? I’d like to buy some fabric for new curtains.”

Ah In’s eyebrows knit together. “I’m afraid Mr. Park isn’t here at the moment.”

Chin Sun blinked. “What? Not here? Where else would he be?”

“Ever since you took ill, he’s been scouring the city for information about”—Ah In dropped her volume to a whisper—“Gwishin.”

Chin Sun took a deep breath. This man just didn’t know when to stop.

Wasn’t it enough that he’d almost killed her and stolen her bead?

She’d been stuck in this room ever since, and instead of waiting patiently at home like a bodyguard should, he was out there, trying to find her so he could make sure she was dead.

“Oh.” She spoke through her teeth. “How thoughtful of him.”

Ah In shivered. “My lady? Are you sure you’re all right? You seem . . . tense.”

Chin Sun threw back her head and laughed, a sharp, frustrated sound.

“I don’t know why you’d think so. I’m feeling better than I have in days.

” She wandered over to the window and peered at the lily pond in the courtyard.

Sang Mi was taking a stroll out there, as her cousin often did in the mornings.

“I suppose I’ll go see Sang Mi instead. Perhaps she has some extra fabric I can use. ”

“Would you like me to send someone to go find Mr. Park?”

“No, it’s fine. I’m sure he’s busy. Actually . . .” She whirled around and met Ah In’s eye. “Don’t bother telling him I’m feeling better until tomorrow. He can have one last day before he resumes his normal guard duties.”

“That’s . . . very generous of you, my lady.” Ah In excused herself with a nervous bow.

Chin Sun pressed a smile to her lips and sauntered out to the courtyard. “Dongsaeng, may I join you?”

Sang Mi’s eyes lit up as she turned. “Unni!” She ran over and squeezed Chin Sun in an embrace that was slightly painful before pulling back. “I take it this means you’re free to go wherever you’d like again?”

Chin Sun nodded. “I don’t suppose you’d like to join me on a walk through the market?”

“Oh, yeh!”

The cousins locked arms and wandered out, one jabbering away about how she wanted to look at the fans while the other toyed with the fox sketch hidden in her sleeve.

She hoped Min Joon wouldn’t be too angry with her for missing the stakeout on the magistrate. If they met up tonight—after midnight when Mr. Park was sleeping—she could apologize properly.

And tell him they had far bigger problems than Magistrate Hong.

* * *

Slipping out of the city came almost as easily as breathing now, and before long, Chin Sun was stalking up to the hut she and Min Joon had deemed their “hideout” back when they were children, innocent to the evils of the world. Little had they known how accurate the title would become.

The house was in shambles, clay walls covered in fingers of ivy she’d traced with her eyes dozens of times. Chin Sun swept past the brushwood gate rendered useless long ago and stepped inside.

“I wasn’t sure you’d show,” came a harsh voice. Min Joon leaned against the far wall, arms crossed.

Chin Sun grimaced. “Min Joon-ah, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it before. What happened with the sulfur?”

“I was so worried about you that I lost Hong in the woods before the exchange happened. So, you better have a good reason for why you didn’t meet me.”

“I would have, only—something came up.” Her gaze darted away. Why was it so hard to admit she’d gotten into more than she could handle?

He pushed himself off the wall and closed the distance between them, bending down until they were at eye level. “Something came up? That’s your reason?”

She wrung her hands. “No, it’s . . .” She sighed. As much as it pained her to tell him, protecting the people of Sokju was more important than her pride. “After I left you here last time, someone attacked me on the road. He was—it didn’t end well, and I had to make a run for it. I?—”

Min Joon waved his hand. “Wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, ‘it didn’t end well’? Did you get hurt?”

Chin Sun’s cheeks bloomed under his scrutiny, but she nodded. “Yeh, but that’s not the worst of it.”

She told him how she’d run off to the forest, how she’d thought she’d lost her pursuer after shifting into fox form—and what had found her in the darkness.

“A goblin?” Min Joon’s brow furrowed. “I thought you’d never come across any other creatures of magic.”

“I hadn’t until then. But that’s what it was, I’m sure of it.”

“But you said you were injured. How did you fend off a goblin on top of that?”

She shook her head. “That’s the thing. I didn’t. When the goblin appeared, I was so weak I couldn’t stop him. He nearly killed me. Nearly stole my bead.”

Her chest went tight at the memory. She’d never been so terrified in all her life.

“But he didn’t?” Min Joon pressed.

“The man who attacked me found us and fought it off.”

“So you didn’t lose your bead.” The relief in her friend’s voice was palpable.

Chin Sun rolled her lips, wishing she didn’t need to share this next part. “Well, that’s not exactly true. . . . When the man who attacked me showed up, he—he swallowed it.”

Min Joon’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “What? Someone swallowed your bead? But don’t fox beads store human energy?”

She nodded. “If I don’t get it back from him soon, he’s going to die.”

Her friend turned away and plopped into one of the chairs. His mouth was a tight line. “If he tried to kill you, perhaps it’s better if he’s gone.”

Chin Sun blinked. Min Joon wasn’t usually so callous. Out of the two of them, she’d always thought him the better person, the more reluctant to leave casualties.

She took the seat next to him, wishing the situation were that simple. “I can’t do that.”

“Why not?”

“You know why.”

Chin Sun may be an outlaw, but she still had honor.

Those who’d met their end at her hand had either been vile transgressors of the law or had given her no choice.

And as easy as it would be to do nothing, if she allowed Mr. Park to perish because of the bead, she would be no better than the people she was fighting against.

Luckily for him, absorbing human energy took time, and Chin Sun could sense that her bead was nowhere near full. She wasn’t entirely certain how long it would take, but she guessed she had about a month before Mr. Park’s lifeforce ran out.

One month to fix this.

But she needed that bead now; otherwise, how could she protect the citizens of Sokju?

“Besides, he’s not just anyone,” she added. “He’s Kang Dol Sam’s friend—and my new bodyguard.”

“Bodyguard?” His tone was incredulous. “Since when do you need a bodyguard?”

She raised her eyebrows with a deadpan look.

“Ah. The delicate Lady Lee needed protection, so her rich fiancé made sure she was well taken care of.”

“Don’t talk about Kang Dol Sam like that,” she snapped.

“Sorry, it’s just difficult to think highly of someone whose family has gotten away with so many crimes against mine.”

It was hard to argue with him there. As two of the oldest yangban families in Gangwon Province, the Kims and the Kangs had a long-standing enmity, always trying to dominate the other. The Kangs were the more powerful right now, but that could change at any time.