Page 26 of Gumiho Kiss (Realm of Eternal Blossoms #1)

The Rescuer

H azy images filled Chin Sun’s vision as she passed in and out of consciousness.

Which were dreams and which were real, she couldn’t tell.

Aunt was there, encouraging her in her needlework, scolding her when she lost her patience.

Sang Mi and Sang Ook, too, laughing as they played in the courtyard.

Uncle’s face beaming with pride as her writing improved.

She tried to hold on to those moments, those happy times when life was simple, peaceful. That was the reality she wanted, the only one that mattered. Except?—

Another face crossed her mind, one that tugged at her heart in an entirely different way. It was hard to make out at first; all she caught were fleeting glimpses before darkness swallowed it up again. A distinguished jawline. Thin lips. A faint scar over an eyebrow. Piercing eyes.

A face she didn’t want to leave this world without seeing one more time.

Chin Sun came to with a gasp, the faces in her mind fading.

She found herself at the back of a dark alley, clay huts on either side of her.

A ginkgo tree stood proudly at her back, its fan-shaped leaves stretching toward the stars.

She could also hear a faint trickling of water; the river must be close by.

She took in her surroundings in an instant, her focus soon latching on to the alley’s other occupant, who was staring at her with crossed arms and a strange, unreadable expression.

Chin Sun’s hand went to her face, relief billowing over her when she found her mask still in place.

But the movement made her wince, drawing her attention to her hands.

The cloth coverings she usually wore on them were gone, exposing tender red flesh beneath.

She could feel several bruises forming on her back and legs, but nothing appeared to be broken.

“How are you feeling?” rumbled Mr. Park’s voice.

A shiver went through her, though she couldn’t tell if it was from fear or . . . something else. “I—I’m fine,” she stuttered in the deepest voice she could manage. She rose to her feet and glanced around again. “How did I get here?”

Mr. Park unfolded his arms and strode toward her. “I brought you.” His tone was very matter-of-fact, giving away nothing.

“You? Then . . . was that you in the fire?”

He nodded.

Chin Sun’s mouth fell open. The black-clothed figure she’d been so certain had been a grim reaper had turned out to be none other than her stalwart bodyguard.

He’d caught her just like he’d promised.

The thought generated a rush of blood in her face, but before she could dwell on it, he said in a gruff tone, “Since you seem to be all right, I better be going.” He bowed and turned away.

“Wait a moment,” she called, words ending in a cough.

Mr. Park went rigid, but he didn’t face her. “What?”

“You’re just going to let me go?” She couldn’t keep a tremor from her voice. Was this a trick? Were Hong’s men waiting around the corner?

He slowly swung around, expression icy. “You saved my life; now I’ve saved yours. That makes us even.”

“Yeh, but aren’t you at least going to have me arrested?”

He cocked his head to the side, studying her. “Is that what you want?”

“Of course not,” she replied. “It just doesn’t make sense why you’re doing this.”

“Why I’d show honor to a criminal?” he replied in a low, disappointed tone. As if he cared what she thought of him.

“That you wouldn’t carry out your duty,” she clarified, but she quickly backtracked when she realized that might tip him off about her true identity. “It’s no secret around Sokju why you were hired.”

The man stepped forward until their chests were almost touching. He scowled down at her. “I was hired to protect Lady Lee from threats. And from what I can tell”—his gaze moved over her—“you’re not one.”

Chin Sun’s heart shuddered, both from his words and the intensity in his eyes. It wasn’t just anger radiating off him—it was also something else. Something that reminded her all too much of that moment in the clearing.

Her gaze dropped to his lips before she could stop herself. There was no way she could kiss him right now, not when she was in disguise. The cloth over her mouth was a literal barrier between them.

So, why was she even thinking about it?

A knot rose in her throat as the answer came to her. Her urge to kiss him had nothing to do with the bead and everything to do with the man in front of her.

Park Hyun Soo.

The attraction she felt, this magnetic pull toward him, somehow she’d fooled herself into thinking it was because he was carrying her fox bead.

But that didn’t explain her burning need to find out what his lips felt like against her own, to run her fingers along his jaw, to lose herself in his embrace.

Such yearning was foreign to her, yet she wasn’t so ignorant that she didn’t recognize it for what it was. She knew the symptoms of desire.

But he also stirred other feelings within her. Delight each time she saw his smile, guilt for every lie she spun, and worst of all—the strangest urge to shed her disguise and face him openly.

What if this went deeper than physical attraction? What if she’d grown too fond of their game of cat and mouse and something unseemly had sprung up in her heart?

Chin Sun went cold.

That couldn’t happen. She was about to marry Young Master Kang, for heaven’s sake. And what about her family? They were counting on Chin Sun to uphold the Lee name, to open doors of opportunity for Sang Mi and Sang Ook. She couldn’t let them down.

And yet . . .

She lifted her gaze to her bodyguard, meeting his fierce, probing stare that seemed to see through her facade, right down to her very soul.

He’d said he didn’t think Gwishin was a threat to Lady Lee’s safety, but what did he think of her, of this vigilante he’d tried so hard to eliminate and had somehow ended up saving?

Her mouth moved with a will of its own. “Then what am I?”

He hesitated, eyes roaming over her again. “I haven’t figured that out yet,” he admitted, so quietly he seemed to be speaking to himself. He lifted his hand slowly, fingers reaching for her mask.

Chin Sun’s brain screamed at her to move, draw the dagger out of her clothes, do something , but she found herself paralyzed, waiting to see if he’d keep going. Wanting him to.

He hesitated, searching her gaze like he wanted to make sure he had permission before he touched her, before he unveiled her secret once and for all.

Hyun Soo’s fingers grazed the top of her cheek, pausing on her skin. A shock ran through her, stoking the fire growing in her belly. She leaned into his touch, eyes still locked on his.

His lips parted as he drew in a sharp breath. His hand drifted toward the knot holding her mask in place.

A rush of footfalls sounded nearby, and Chin Sun jumped back, head swerving toward the main road. Had the pirates caught up with them? Or perhaps some patrolmen passing by? Either way, she couldn’t afford to be seen. Chin Sun gave Hyun Soo one final glance, then stole away into the darkness.

* * *

Hyun Soo was relieved when the vigilante slipped out of sight, identity still unconfirmed. Part of him hadn’t wanted to unmask Gwishin. Not when he was sure he’d find Lady Lee staring up at him.

That had been several hours ago, and now he stood in his room with his back to the door, the first light of dawn peeking in through his open window.

He pressed his hands to his forehead and groaned in frustration.

He’d barely gotten a wink of sleep. This mission had seemed so simple when he’d first accepted it.

If he’d known it would make him question everything, he’d have declined Dol Sam’s offer.

Gwishin had been a thorn in his side for weeks, yet when he’d seen the masked figure trapped inside the burning building, he hadn’t hesitated to jump into the inferno.

Protecting Lady Lee was his top priority, but what if all his instincts were wrong and Gwishin wasn’t his mistress in disguise? Had he just sabotaged himself?

Except . . . Gwishin had saved his life.

What kind of criminal would risk their neck for someone who’d tried to kill them?

He called to mind the charges stacked against the elusive vigilante: assault, robbery, murder, destruction of property. Could they all have come from trying to protect the lowborn?

Hyun Soo was guilty of just as much, yet the law didn’t condemn him because he’d done it all for the throne’s sake.

He lowered his hands and stared out at the pink sky, wishing it could give him the answers he sought.

Or better yet, that he could turn to his father.

The sage minister had always been generous with his counsel, earning Hyun Soo’s respect and admiration from a young age.

He hadn’t realized until years later just how important his father was, for he was none other than Byeongjo Panseo, Minister of National Defense.

And Hyun Soo was his greatest joy.

Until someone found a series of letters in Hyun Soo’s quarters that detailed the palace’s weapons arsenal and guard assignments.

That was when everything changed. Hyun Soo was searched, questioned, and eventually arrested on suspicion of selling country secrets.

He had no idea how the messages had gotten into his satchel, nor whom they were for.

He couldn’t even read them since they were in Japanese.

But all his cries of innocence fell on deaf ears.

When his father heard what happened, his influence kept Hyun Soo from standing trial, but the young guard’s reputation and position were lost.

Hyun Soo’s relationship with his father disappeared next, for a son branded as a traitor was an embarrassment for a man who’d lived his entire life seeking to bring honor to his country.