Page 31 of Gumiho Kiss (Realm of Eternal Blossoms #1)

The Rift

C hin Sun snapped up like a string breaking from a geomungo. “Samchon, this—this—” She glanced down at Hyun Soo, who had gone stiffer than stone.

Uncle’s expression hardened, shock overcome by outrage. His hands went slack, the parchment he’d been holding fluttering to the ground.

“You!” Samchon glowered at the bodyguard. “You seduced my niece?!”

“Uncle, no!” Chin Sun tried to block Samchon’s view, but he ripped her away from her beloved. She crashed against a wooden pillar with a grunt, then pushed off, distraught at the disaster her carelessness had wrought. If Uncle wouldn’t listen to her, what could she do?

Samchon wrenched Hyun Soo to his feet, breath coming out in a hiss. “I brought you under my roof because I believed you were a man of character, sworn to uphold virtue and truth, but you have proven yourself a servant of darkness, eager to swallow up the light of this house.”

“Nauri, you’re mistaken,” Hyun Soo insisted. “My intentions toward your niece are entirely honorable.”

“There is no honor in stealing what belongs to another.”

“I assure you, I’ve stolen nothing. It was only after Lady Lee explained she’d decided not to marry Kang Dol Sam that I made my feelings known.”

“A-a-after . . . Chin Sun!” Samchon’s stuttering turned to a roar, his eyes locking on to his niece’s with such ferocity that fear shot through her heart. He grabbed the letters he’d dropped and shoved them in her face.

She didn’t need to read them. She knew exactly what they were.

The messages she’d hastily scrawled a few hours ago, expressing her decision to end her engagement.

One had been for Uncle and the other had been for Young Master Kang himself.

Neither explained the reason behind her decision, only her sincere apology.

Uncle must have intercepted Kang Dol Sam’s before it could get to him.

“Did Mr. Park pressure you to write these?” Samchon demanded. “Did he ask you to break off your betrothal?”

Chin Sun lowered her gaze. “He didn’t ask me to. It was my idea.”

Footsteps approached, followed by a startled gasp. “Father, what’s going on?” Sang Mi asked. She looked from Uncle to Chin Sun to Hyun Soo, eyebrows knit in confusion.

The heat of Samchon’s stare rippled over Chin Sun’s shoulders. Without a word, he crumpled the letters in his fist and tossed them aside. Finally, he said, “You will marry Young Master Kang.”

Defiance flooded Chin Sun’s belly. She didn’t meet Uncle’s eye, but her voice rang clear as she replied, “I will not.”

The back of Samchon’s hand collided with her cheek. “Curse you and your infernal stubbornness, child. Don’t you understand what will happen if you don’t follow through with this marriage?”

Chin Sun covered her burning cheek and lifted her gaze. She said nothing, but the resolve in her eyes was answer enough: neither reprimand nor physical punishment would change her mind.

As that realization dawned on Uncle’s face, his nostrils flared. “If you won’t do it for the family’s sake, then do it for his.” He gestured to Hyun Soo. “Otherwise, I will see him flogged for this.”

Chin Sun’s breath whooshed out of her lungs. “You wouldn’t. Samchon, with the state he’s in, you’d be sending him to his death.”

Defiling an innocent maiden was no minor offense. A penalty of one hundred lashes awaited any man foolish enough to get caught.

Conflict shimmered in Uncle’s eyes, but he lifted his chin. “If that’s what it takes to preserve this family, so be it.”

“But, Uncle?—”

“Choose.”

Chin Sun didn’t hesitate. She lowered her entire body to the floor and conceded, “I will do as you say. I’ll marry Young Master Kang.”

“Lady Lee, don’t?—”

“You don’t get to speak,” Samchon snarled at Hyun Soo. “My niece has made her decision. Now get out of here before my patience runs out.”

Chin Sun peeked up and locked eyes with Hyun Soo, hoping he’d understand her silent message: Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.

His face crumpled, and he shook his head.

Uncle stepped in between them. “You better hurry up. If I hear you’re still in Sokju come tomorrow . . .”

Hyun Soo stumbled down the corridor without glancing back, and Chin Sun couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the last time she’d ever see him.

With Samchon so opposed to them being together, what future could they have?

As much as she wished otherwise, she wielded no power as an unmarried jungin woman.

Samchon’s word was law, and she had no choice but to abide by it.

She swallowed the lump in her throat. She wouldn’t allow Uncle to see her cry.

“Sang Mi,” Samchon said once Hyun Soo was gone, “escort Chin Sun to her chambers so she can reflect on her sins.”

Sang Mi pulled Chin Sun to her feet and gave her a small, sympathetic smile. Chin Sun looked away and started toward her room.

As she passed her uncle, he grabbed her face and turned it toward his. His grip was gentle, but trembling. As if it was taking all his willpower not to squeeze until she screamed for mercy.

She would have preferred that to the heart-wrenching grief on his face. “Samchon?”

His eyes clouded over. “You were so headstrong as a child. Always insisting on doing things on your own. So angry anytime you saw something you deemed unfair.” He let out a bitter laugh.

“Your aunt thought I needed to temper you, that all that spirit would only lead to trouble. But I told her she didn’t see what I saw.

A peony among the weeds . . . destined for something wonderful.

” His eyes sparked with pride as they came back into focus, and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek.

But as quickly as it had appeared, the flame flickered out, leaving ash and regret. “Now I realize how blind I was; what I thought was a flower really was a weed all along.”

He released her, a single tear sliding down his face.

Hurt swelled in Chin Sun’s chest, and she stomped off to her room, slamming the hanji doors behind her.

“Unni?” came a soft, soothing voice.

Chin Sun didn’t respond, instead staring at the flock of cranes on her folding screen. How could Samchon say that? She’d always put the family before herself. Always. Why did wanting something for herself make her lose all worth in his eyes?

Sang Mi’s touch was warm on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off. “Get away from me.”

“Unni, everything is going to?—“

“ Don’t say it’s going to work out, Sang Mi.” Chin Sun bared her teeth. “You have no idea what I’ve lost today. How could you when all you do is waste your time at home, daydreaming about boys you hardly know?”

Her words were like arrows, striking her wide-eyed target with vicious precision. Did she mean them? Chin Sun wasn’t sure, only that it felt good to say them after the onslaught she’d just received from her uncle.

“Let me tell you something,” she continued. “Real life is not like your silly novels. It’s messy and complicated and overwhelming, and everyone doesn’t find happiness in the end.”

“Chin Sun, I didn’t—” Sang Mi tried to interject, but Chin Sun spoke over her.

“You’re lucky Samchon loves you more than he does me, because you can get away with things I’ll never be able to.

So enjoy it while it lasts. Just know that as soon as your pretty smile isn’t enough to hide your uselessness anymore, you’ll find yourself married off to whomever Uncle sees fit.

Then you’ll have to grow up and stop waiting for others to take care of you because you’ll be the one responsible for getting everything done. ”

Sang Mi flinched like she’d been struck, lips trembling with unspoken words. She took a shaky breath, but then a great sob burst out of her, and she dashed out of the room.

Chin Sun threw her hands over her face and screamed.

* * *

Hyun Soo tramped down the road toward the Kang residence, heart even heavier than his steps. How was he going to tell Dol Sam what had transpired? His friend would see this as a betrayal of the worst sort, no matter how Hyun Soo tried to defend himself.

But it wasn’t like he could just omit the fact that Lord Lee had cast him out.

Dol Sam had hired him to protect Lady Lee, and now he couldn’t fulfill his duty.

He’d failed, so utterly it was almost laughable, and now he would reap the consequences.

Lord Lee’s rage had been great, but it was probably nothing compared to what awaited him.

Still, he kept going. Dol Sam would be the one to decide whether their friendship could withstand the truth.

Hyun Soo was almost panting by the time he reached the estate, his body not fully recovered from the strange ailment that struck him earlier.

He banged his fist against the gate until a servant opened it and, with a surprised look, motioned for him to follow.

They arrived at Kang Dol Sam’s room just as a nobleman in a wide-brimmed hat exited. He didn’t stop to greet Hyun Soo, instead brushing past in what appeared to be a terrible hurry.

“My lord, you have a guest,” the servant announced.

“Send him in,” Dol Sam replied with an impatient huff. “I’ve already had several disappointments today, so what’s one more?”

Hyun Soo stepped inside, gawked at the papers strewn all over the desk, then bowed.

Dol Sam was seated at his desk with his bamboo screen hanging from the ceiling, but as soon as he glanced at the threshold, he leaped to his feet. “Hyun Soo!” He rounded the screen and grabbed Hyun Soo’s arm, gaze full of concern. “My friend, I’ve been meaning to find you.”

Hyun Soo clasped his arm in return. “Hyung . . .” His eyes drifted back to the messy desk, mouth running dry. For all his courage on the battlefield, the thought of losing the only friend he had left had his gut clenching uncontrollably.

He opened his mouth to confess, but Kang Dol Sam spoke up first.

“I received a letter from a friend in the capital this morning. I’m so sorry about your father.”

“My father? Did something happen to him?”

“Wait, you didn’t—but then what were you . . .“ Dol Sam’s eyes widened. “You better sit down. You’re whiter than a bowl of kongguksu.” He guided Hyun Soo to the seat across from him at the desk, then called for some tea.

Hyun Soo sat with perfect stillness, dread pooling in his middle. “What’s going on, Dol Sam?”

His friend grimaced. A servant appeared with refreshments, and Dol Sam gestured to the honey cookies. “Please help yourself, Hyun Soo.”

Hyun Soo ignored the offer. “Hyung, stop stalling and just tell me.”

His friend swallowed the tea in his mouth, then let out a resigned sigh. “He passed away three days ago.”