-Tok tok tok.
The sound of Biyeong tapping the table with his fingers echoed in the room.
The irregular sound spreading through the room seemed to represent his anxious heart.
Despite searching all over the Joseon region, Biyeong had not found anyone who met the conditions he was looking for.
But now, someone with those conditions had appeared.
While anxiously waiting for the guest, Soonduk’s voice was heard outside.
“Young Master, the guest has arrived.”
“Ask them to come in.”
As soon as the door opened, a man dressed modestly entered the room.
Slightly younger-looking than Biyeong, the man, who seemed unfamiliar with the nobleman’s room, approached cautiously.
“Ah, greetings, Yangban-nim. I heard you are looking for someone…”
“Yes, I am. Please sit comfortably.”
“Yes, yes.”
When Biyeong gestured towards the cushion placed in front of him, the man obediently sat down.
“I will ask you a few questions, so please answer honestly.”
“Yes, ask away.”
“What is your name?”
“I am called Makgeum.”
At the mention of the lost younger brother’s name, Biyeong’s body twitched.
However, Makgeum was a common name among slaves.
It was too presumptuous to conclude that he was the sought-after brother just because of the same name.
“When were you born?”
“I don’t know exactly, but… I heard it was about 20 years ago in the fall.”
If it was 20 years ago in the fall, it matched the year and season when Makgeum was born.
The background of the visitor began to align more and more with Makgeum.
“What is your family relationship?”
“My mother passed away, and… I heard I have an older brother, but I don’t know how he’s living. I was sold at a young age…”
“Who is your father?”
“I heard he was the master of the house.”
One by one, the man’s statements matched with Makgeum, sending shivers down Biyeong’s spine.
Could it be that the man in front of him was truly his brother Makgeum? Could he finally find Makgeum?
Suppressing his trembling voice, Biyeong asked the last question.
“Lastly, can you take off your upper garment?”
“Finally, there is something I need to confirm. Will you take off your upper garment?”
“Oh, are you asking me to undress? In front of you?”
“Yes.”
Caught off guard by Biyeong’s sudden request to undress, the man hesitated with a perplexed expression.
However, when Biyeong placed a bundle of coins on the table, the man began to take off his upper garment without much difficulty.
As the man removed his undershirt, his bare upper body was revealed.
Biyeong, with a sharper gaze than before, scrutinized the man’s body.
“In that state, turn around slowly.”
As per Biyeong’s instructions, the man turned around slowly.
The moment Biyeong saw the man’s back, silence fell over the room.
If he was truly Biyeong’s lost younger brother, Makgeum, there should be three dots forming a triangle on his wings.
However, there were no visible marks on the man’s back.
“…You may turn back now.”
“…? Yes, understood.”
After hastily putting on his clothes, the man picked up the bundle of coins on the table and left the room.
As the sound of the door closing echoed, Biyeong let out a deep sigh.
“Haah…”
The years he had spent letting go were too long, and the lost brother was too young.
With their mother gone, it was more realistic to think that Makgeum did not exist in this world rather than being alive.
If Makgeum was truly alive, wouldn’t he have found a trace after searching the region for several years? Perhaps, he unknowingly acted like a fool, hoping that his brother was alive.
Wiping his face with his palm, Biyeong washed his face as if performing a dry wash.
“Makgeum…”
He never expected that there would be a man with a background so similar to Makgeum’s.
The disappointment was as great as the anticipation, and fatigue began to overwhelm him.
“Where on earth did you disappear to…”
Before Biyeong could soothe his weary mind, Soonduk entered.
“Young Master, someone else looking for you has arrived.”
It seemed like a day when many people were looking for Biyeong.
Biyeong replied with a voice tired from exhaustion, “Apologies for not being able to meet them. I don’t have the energy to meet anyone else.”
“If they provide information, is this the place where you exchange coins?”
Before Soonduk could physically remove the previous guest, another visitor who had already entered stood hesitantly in front of the door.
Unable to send away someone who had already entered, Biyeong decided to meet this new man.
“Yes, that’s correct. Who are you?”
Unable to turn away a guest who had already entered, Biyeong decided to meet the man.
“Yes, that’s correct. Who are you?”
The unexpectedly arrived guest was a man in his 50s or older, appearing quite aged.
Judging by his sunburnt skin, he didn’t seem to be a nobleman.
“I’m Yongsam, who used to work at the house of Governor Minsangju.”
“…!”
At the mention of working at Minsangju’s house, vitality returned to Biyeong’s exhausted eyes.
“Tell me about a person named Maksooni.”
“I know about it. Wasn’t he the one who fled with two children?”
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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