Page 20 of Gumiho Kiss (Realm of Eternal Blossoms #1)

The Promise

H yun Soo marched to Lady Lee’s quarters with a strange tingling in his stomach. It had been a few days since the goblin incident, and Lord Lee had finally calmed down enough to return to work. Meaning Hyun Soo and Lady Lee could start her training under the ruse of him taking her to the market.

When Lady Lee had brought it up to the family at breakfast that morning, he’d stood silently outside in the courtyard, worried Lord Lee wouldn’t allow her to go out after the attack at the school.

But the middle-aged interpreter had simply warned her to stick close to her bodyguard at all times, then commented that perhaps he should acquire a guard for himself as well.

Young Sang Ook then offered to protect him, which had caused not only a ruckus of laughter but also a tight squeeze in Hyun Soo’s ribs at the reminder of the family he was missing.

Though his mother had passed too soon after having him to bear any other children, Hyun Soo had often imagined what it would be like to have siblings.

Would he dote on them like Lady Lee doted on her younger cousins?

She seemed to have become a motherly figure to them, and while she maintained high expectations, she was also sweet with them in a way that seemed completely unlike the hard woman he’d first met.

It was fascinating seeing so many different sides to her, and he couldn’t help but wonder if there were any more.

He’d never trained a woman before. The skills he’d learned in the army would have to be altered to accommodate for her size and strength, but he was sure he could help her at least a little bit.

She’d already shown she had the courage and motivation, which were the most essential elements when it came to swordfighting.

So, why was he nervous? He tugged at the collar of his hanbok as he remembered the moment he’d thrown himself over Lady Lee to protect her in the schoolyard.

He’d tucked her head into the crook of his neck, trying to shield as much of her as he could from the goblin’s attack.

A peach scent had tickled his nose just before he’d passed out.

Try as he might, he hadn’t been able to forget that smell ever since.

The hanji paper doors slid open before he could announce himself, and Lady Lee stepped out, a vision in a blue jeogori and bright red skirt. Her expression was tense, impatient, as her head dipped in a quick bow. “Mr. Park, are you ready to go?”

He studied her intently. “Why are you in such a rush? Your uncle won’t be back until this evening.”

The woman twisted her jade ring, gaze darting back and forth before she gave him a weak smile. “I just don’t want anyone to find out what we’re doing.”

“If today is a bad day, we can start la?—”

“No,” she cut in. “I need to do this now.” She fluttered past him down the hall, steps jerky and nervous.

Hyun Soo trailed behind her, saying nothing as he tried to make sense of her word choice.

She “needed” to do this today. Need, not want.

Why? He understood being anxious at the possibility of being caught.

What they were about to do was far from proper and could easily be misconstrued.

In order to train her, they would have to touch each other, something Confucius said should never happen between men and women who weren’t closely related.

And even more than that, Lady Lee was engaged.

If someone were to see them, it could cause quite a scandal.

Dol Sam had been adamant that Hyun Soo keep her safe. He was simply doing what his friend had asked him to when he’d hired him.

Some of the tightness in his chest lifted. He’d always been a man of honor, and even if others wouldn’t support this decision, he was sure his dear friend would understand.

Then why hadn’t he told him what he was planning?

The question stopped Hyun Soo in his tracks. He’d had every opportunity to share it with Kang Dol Sam yesterday when they’d spoken at the school. And yet he hadn’t said a word.

Why?

“Mr. Park? Are you coming?” Lady Lee called. The distance between them was much farther than it had been a moment ago.

Too far.

Hyun Soo frowned, unsure why he felt that way. The risk of danger within the walls of her own home was relatively low, especially with him here, too. Maybe the attack yesterday had set him on edge, made him overly suspicious.

Lady Lee turned and stepped out into the courtyard, disappearing from view. An invisible tether suddenly yanked on Hyun Soo’s heart, compelling him to follow. And whether he wanted to or not, he was powerless to resist its pull.

* * *

Chin Sun led Mr. Park out of Sokju, away from nosy neighbors and wagging tongues, past clay huts and rice paddy fields, until they reached the forest’s edge.

Pine and fir trees stared down at them like jangseung poles, warning of evil spirits lurking within their dark expanse.

Indeed, an ominous aura hung over this section of woods like a dark cloud, and many claimed it was haunted.

Which had worked out very nicely for her and Min Joon when they’d decided to use it as their secret meeting spot as children. In all the years they’d played here, they’d never once been disturbed.

She kept walking, head held high despite the conflict raging within her. She’d been arguing with herself about this idea ever since she’d come up with it, putting their training off in the hopes that she’d think of some other way to get the bead back.

But when she’d met with Min Joon last night at the abandoned hut—after midnight to ensure Mr. Park didn’t follow her—the only other idea he’d come up with had involved alcohol, and she wasn’t about to resort to that.

The bodyguard paused behind her, so she swung around, hiding her feelings with a well-placed smirk. “Not frightened, are you?”

He scowled, the movement forming a deep groove in his forehead.

She couldn’t help but chuckle, for his expression was so similar to Min Joon’s when she teased him. “Not to worry. I’ll protect you from anything we may find.”

She stepped into the trees’ shade, then hesitated, her careless words coming back to bite her. The last time she’d been here, she’d lost her bead at the hands of a goblin. Maybe venturing into the woods again wasn’t the best idea.

Mr. Park strolled past and called over his shoulder, “Not frightened, are you?”

Chin Sun glared daggers at the back of his head before hurrying to catch up. “Just trying to remember which way to go. There’s an old path here somewhere. . . .” She scanned the area, eyes homing in on a spot where the undergrowth wasn’t as thick. “Ah, there it is.”

She motioned for him to follow, and soon they found themselves in a clearing, completely hidden from the forest’s entrance. The space seemed smaller than she remembered, but perhaps that was simply because she was an adult now instead of a child. Still, it should suit her purposes.

“Here we are. What do you think?”

The bodyguard cast his gaze about the perimeter, but the only other creatures around were a few magpies and pheasants watching from the tree line. Hardly worth noticing in human form, and since Chin Sun’s fox form was inaccessible, it was better not to dwell on meals she couldn’t have.

Mr. Park grabbed the sword he’d strapped to his back and gave it to her. A hwando that had seen many battles, judging by the cracks along the blade. It was more curved and not as comfortable in her grip as her own, but it would do. Still . . .

“This sword looks like it’s taken quite a beating in your care. You should get it replaced.”

The bodyguard didn’t answer and instead took a few steps back before unsheathing his second sword, which hung from his waist. He held it parallel to the ground, gaze never leaving hers.

The curiosity she’d glimpsed a flicker of when they’d first met had returned, but this time, it burned brightly in his eyes.

“First, I want to know how much training you’ve already had,” he said. “You’re obviously comfortable with a blade.”

Chin Sun faltered, nearly dropping the sword before she steadied herself. Maybe she should drop it. Or would that seem even more suspicious?

“Wh-what makes you say that?” She fumbled again, trying to look like she had no idea what she was doing.

Mr. Park raised his eyebrows.

She sighed, giving up the act. “Yeh, I admit it. When I was young, Kim Min Joon taught me how to fight. This”—she gestured around the clearing—“was our place.”

“Kim Min . . . you mean that inspector?” There was a hardness in his voice that hadn’t been there before, as if he disapproved. He had been rather rude to Min Joon earlier, though she couldn’t think of why he would dislike her childhood friend.

“Yeh, the inspector,” she replied. “I know it’s not something he should have done, but I begged him to. I . . . I just wanted to be able to defend myself.”

Mr. Park didn’t respond and instead lifted his sword. He nodded for her to do the same, so she made a weak attempt to block him when he swung his hwando toward her.

He knocked the sword out of her hand. She glowered at him like she was offended, but he just gave her an innocent look and gestured for her to retrieve it.

She picked up the sword and attacked again, this time with a little more speed than before. Mr. Park parried, then stepped back and lowered his sword. He let out a small sigh that almost sounded disappointed.

What was that about?

She almost called him out for it, but before she could, he asked, “Defend yourself from whom?”

“What?”

“You said you begged Inspector Kim to teach you how to fight so you could defend yourself.”

“Oh.” Chin Sun swallowed. “From . . . the other children.” She kept her tone completely flat, as if she were recounting someone else’s history rather than her own. It was better that way. If she kept her distance from it, it couldn’t hurt her anymore.