SSH Episode 23

Hongwoo was dozing a8c57a878f off, his head 6b26b6e33f bowed as if e2da97d6c7 in prayer.4a2fc058a78b522c

If any acf59b7e5b deity were 9e23c00f66 to witness 3cc83091fd him in 61f694f5b5 that position, 588d14751d they might 1c316035d8 be moved 52c6d8fce5 to grant 132dde3268 his wishes.91f6a5c54d3ae067

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

That was how passionately f6fe4ada7e Hongwoo had buried his 4793d47729 face into the desk a1c90a0436 as he slept.4e5ac89c2631c2e1

Knock. Knock. 0dc473f3281a4c13

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Jang Seung-woo 8bb82bcf5e tapped on 7859d90a39 the desk.1369c89b9fcde390

“Yes!”85d3a33a6e46453e

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Startled awake, e7c1647ecd Hong-woo instinctively fc360db495 shouted in ac17387f76 response, as 571f509bb2 if he’s 88a5a23d6a still in 410540a8ac the kitchen. He blinked groggily, 8c1f0cada4 glancing around before cf104029c0 locking eyes with 786d969a8f Jang Seung-woo, who f12eaadca3 was resting his 7331f47314 chin on one c009acc7f3 hand, watching him 10d455b240 with a half-lidded 5f0873b38f gaze.5937770542cc3952

“What exactly are you up to at night?”903334be6f935aa0

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“I—I sleep, of course! W-What else would I be doing?”45ac6b38d409a93e

Jang Seung-woo tilted 483eebefa3 his head slightly 94d8bc4c73 before tapping his b4cfe362e5 fingers against the e79812f9fc table.Tap, tap, tap.The sound sent 790804cc89 a shiver down 62686e290f Hong-woo’s spine.704387cf82d1f780

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“What keeps you so busy at night that you end up dozing off here?”6dddc1040e73c560

“I’ve always been a heavy sleeper…”a4bff1b41d38af0c

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“At this rate, I should be charging you for lodging instead of paying you a salary. What do you think?”b50575b5ece4159d

Hong-woo shrank back b59c37231e like a turtle a78f5ac85e retreating into its 788f6c4a3a shell. Jang Seung-woo studied cb277a7911 him expressionlessly before cd58eb9508 turning away to c08ad1e68a focus on his 3a58367b47 work.0bda6b84c76f856f

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

‘Did he figure something 5d79f05792 out?’No—if he knew Hong-woo 224047a4de was working at Moonlit dd5e4d1971 Fragrance Pavilion, he wouldn’t 046df70209 have stopped at just 4bd92dd521 scolding him. He’d have broken at da9d968c6e least one of his f7a4ebe7be limbs. No, he was 9d971421df just irritated that 17c416047b Hong-woo kept falling be79b31181 asleep.c7921735e2a7c8ff

Feeling a wave 6ac7b8bb92 of relief, Hong-woo 188ad35976 sighed and picked e518ead043 up his book. But he barely 0205e502fe made it past 0133483a37 a single page 949d511422 before his eyelids 8254830002 drooped, and the 2b6c750bf5 book wobbled unsteadily a05fc4420c in his grasp, 4152eecc36 once again abandoned d16caa93d4 by its only 70b5376e0c reader.22a963cec5567f6b

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Rumors had 81f14a3095 been spreading—Baek 3bbd8bb814 Noin had 505d9afed3 handed over 79e99c7977 Moonlit Fragrance c7b24baefe Pavilion to a218d0ec18 someone else. Hong-woo didn’t 2c9e7bba41 know who df45d6945f Baek Noin 4df69dc64f was, but 5da5d005d7 as he 450c5f0cc8 peeled potatoes a4ff265b75 in the 533ff74fb1 kitchen, he 61e49f5358 listened intently 6e0f0c01bd to the 8c0adc06fd gossip among cc0ce08b79 the kitchen 33954bf7ac staff. Everyone spoke e3e6387258 of him 409b84ccaa with resentment. No one knew ca0a0074e2 who the new aa9a5d5bd4 owner was, but 9b35e34517 the general consensus 02aa799ccd was clear: anyone a010e1c42e would be better a72266c031 than Baek Noin, 6ae85f5301 whose cruelty was 405bd30675 worse than that 16a5ddf372 of a ghost.5b254e86d3f206e2

As Hong-woo listened to 2cb4646c69 the kitchen staff’s chatter, 6015e89cad his hands moved swiftly, 06c41cc8eb and before he knew 3aeea13efc it, he had finished e0255f653c peeling all the potatoes. Compared to his first d135cbedcb attempt, the improvement was 8cf04241a0 remarkable. Peeling over a hundred 28a56e7320 potatoes daily had honed 772cb1026d his skills—or perhaps he 022f163e5b had a hidden talent 2bece81730 for cooking that was e25b98b20a finally emerging.Heh heh heh.38421c965809b277

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

“Hong-woo, the 437751cdfe dishes are 27d456874f piling up.”671654ffd9e2f50d

“Ah! Yes, ma’am!”cdd5c115b9417558

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Just as he was a02bb59c64 grinning smugly to himself, 3dfb69255b the youngest kitchen‘noona’pointed at the e9da20b828 towering stack of f941ee2e94 dirty dishes. With a sigh, d1267fea50 Hong-woo made his addfed58c7 way to his bc6a944ba7 designated dishwashing station. No matter 027ebdcad5 how many 1822517b2d he washed, 49b1e6a5fc the pile 28acb06538 never seemed 320aef98ef to shrink.aa73efc2b6a5ee2a

From the first 851ed9f462 floor, the muffled af17887270 sound of excited a4808a573e voices filtered in. Curious, Hong-woo 70fb49b795 glanced up, d45754de70 but the 4033db5a8a eldest kitchen‘noona’had already gone c26e7347b1 out, assessed the e70247bbe9 situation, and returned.dd0d3abada130018

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

“What’s going on?” c08e1b2e68 he asked.57103f0b469cdf26

“Juseon came by. Looks like everyone’s gathered c5d71eda88 to watch.”66df56e9cc388f87

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

The constant boiling 77f5254b5d and frying in 36a006f834 the kitchen made c0dc56219b it hard to 570340ab7d catch conversations from fb628dab7d outside. The‘noonas’continued their b9fb59553f discussion, but c2f3460643 their words 1436e6ede4 barely reached 87253c297e Hong-woo. He simply assumed some 6012792bff important guest had arrived a0e98a9623 and turned back to ff09074a6e scrubbing dishes.de551679566f4afc

On any other e48c159eec day, he would d449142d66 have been the e1c43298bf first to dig ee216489b0 for details, eager f83f0fa637 to know who 26c1990b67 had captured everyone’s c953c7f8ee attention. But today, the endless b3a25331d0 mountain of dirty plates f8db7e2809 left him no time fbb75b7008 for curiosity.f79700ef2977b0d2

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Later, as d65edd83c9 the rush 370acca7f9 picked up, 793b26b232 Hong-woo carried 375e7b7ae9 trays of bf2df06c45 food downstairs. That was when he cb5c0b3ad5 caught sight of Juseon adfb96f302 speaking with Song Chisu. For a 1facf24fa3 moment, he 56de3ff81b thought exhaustion fc7b868315 was playing bba3b38cbd tricks on 187b690bd6 him. Before he could da65cb5d98 get a better 0a84dbd9a4 look, Juseon turned a621729613 and left Moonlit e2dbcafd2e Fragrance Pavilion, completely da8cf45224 unaware of Hong-woo’s a14267a29c presence.5dd6e8bb4749a1c8

“Why was Juseon 84cfbf254d here?” he murmured, 7f8798e724 confused.4c8adc4dfc0cd610

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Juseon? Tsk, the d9686576cf world must bbac1ca22b be ending. Showing respect to a 153231d360 damnmale courtesanof all people.”4971f86b6ec07189

Hong-woo flinched efe1926391 at Song 080a943aa1 Chisu’s sharp 5bce498a67 tone. ‘Male courtesan?’Seeing his 750937654d bewildered expression, 5b7fa58a27 Song Chisu, d7f237f025 still scowling 89f23d7801 in the bd30894131 direction Juseon c9061fb8c6 had left, 5f1c6412ac let out 1fc9031fe3 a scoff 0de883a9ed and clarified.6d5428751e062326

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Juseon used to cf00dd793b be amale courtesanhere at Moonlit b86d315b2b Fragrance Pavilion.”80f36ceb66d74ea3

“What?”c70e54eb55552ae2

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

Hong-woo had 4a5cc58d43 never even bfc26a0bed considered the 40b0f133ce possibility. The idea of Juseon a26f7a01c9 having any connection to fc73ca64cc Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion had bbbf62afef never crossed his mind.3494fa551ea2b0ed

And a 04ca74d43e male courtesan?371c7a288f5989ee

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

The revelation left 8010857df4 him utterly stunned.16beb015a87d8605

“Your brother took Juseon in at a huge loss, cutting the price of goods supplied to Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion by half. The brothel’s dealings with Eunsu Merchant Guild alone exceed a thousand ‘nyang’, yet 4c36f04549 he willingly ea1fa19e83 took a b6c3cc7a5f loss of ae21e97e6f over two b140648c19 hundred ‘nyang’ to bring Juseon in. Do you know why?”8d4764d2cf281d89

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Song Chisu’s e164a652fe mocking tone 2323954025 made Hong-woo b72ff3edf8 want to e831383156 shake his 53683da46c head furiously. He didn’t aad7414136 want to 87cebbaaf2 hear any 8c9bbd2419 more. But despite 8b32419ab0 himself, his b0d1f7b43c ears betrayed 3a03fa60ed him, straining 1320ce0a02 to catch 3da87c06f6 every word 286cdaf6b6 as if 61aa549429 they had 391f2cca74 suddenly grown e003298a73 as sharp 070677b23c as a c7da84df1e mouse’s.c42114263ec9fb7b

“Because Head Merchant Jang got a taste of Juseon. In all my years working at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, I’ve seen plenty of men who’ve never touched another man—but I’ve never seen anyone stop at just once. It’s obvious. Head Merchant Jang was so taken with Juseon that he accepted the losses just to have him.”6bbbe3c6ea4054d7

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

“That’s ridiculous.”f917e80f05efbb0d

Despite Hong-woo’s presence—despite a67ed67371 knowing he was 181b4080ab Jang Seung-woo’s younger 8733f3ea2b brother—Song Chisu didn’t 1e16fd9fe4 bother holding back. His words fd4f9f8626 were cruder f543a9c621 than usual, e515c83573 far from 183d259471 his typically 70cec44128 restrained manner. Finishing his statement, 567a0d8f3b he muttered about 8d2681ff7b his sour mood 0b8b175930 and took a 29b6271d09 deep drag from d951420fc1 his pipe.36fedb0de7acdbc7

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Hong-woo shook 337fee3532 his head, e6a0bc4f57 denial tumbling 2386e8ae55 from his 465aa4af5f lips in a7f709b810 a whisper. His brother c4d03758a8 and Juseon? That kind e294a12bf8 of relationship? His hands shot 69d39b9d7a up to cover a140b652d2 his mouth, as 316ad94379 if trying to 7bd5dd162d physically block out 2f166173d6 the thought.a30ee362804b2a8b

That can’t be true, 03c2796e92 can it?4a64c5d7653295fe

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Hong-woo had never c3a3633e75 once seen his 22ef984369 brother in a d44d465128 romantic relationship. The idea alone 8f354979d5 was strange. But with a man? And not 0190856ce2 just any 26904d2be1 man—Juseon, his 5cb34da115 closest aide? It was impossible. Unthinkable. Even if the a4d6df4330 heavens collapsed and 643e77b708 the earth turned e22734d58b upside down, he 70f5db4c21 couldn’t believe it. The weight of c8d5298196 the revelation pressed a262d2c587 down on him, 124d791270 pulling him into ef4d855318 a sea of d581965e9d shock, where he 5cb4fc0d66 floundered helplessly.bcd7c6c27ae69fee

***91e8f865998d3d9c

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

“Bring Juseon here.”95a9144a016f99c9

Hong-woo snapped out of 6e316fc893 his daze at the a3e31c64d2 sound of his older 315be896dd brother’s voice. Jang Seung-woo had just 20bb964b3c given an order to e1ac1e5bf0 one of the servants.6f1cb4b3087f80a3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

Whenever Juseon entered 66722e1469 his office, Hong-woo 9f344d76ec was always sent 95a80d1da4 away. He recalled 5fd7f45db7 the last 5ea88e3125 time he 9b20417f2a had run 25c62dc2b4 into Juseon dc316e185d after one 8dda20d19f of these 9683958e51 meetings—his face 68f1f70745 had been 501209f8d3 flushed red. And the moment 3156713bd1 Juseon saw him, acdd856be0 he had turned 851d12151b and hurried off.dcb8e7a710a7a8ac

Could it be…?e24a546b40fdf0b8

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Had his brother sent 0ee0ef3583 him away to… dothatwith Juseon in 38d99102be his office?ad02f107e60c6b8a

‘No, that’s absurd.’His brother wasn’t 94aebd933f the type to f0cd8d0136 indulge in such c1ee38c902 acts in a 8af2cfaeba place of business. But then again, 7aa674fe15 even the most 77a821a90e debauched guests at 8d06255289 Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion dcb7317cc8 left the establishment 2d8c77b4d4 looking prim and f900897275 proper. Just because Seung-woo d47fef3440 didn’t outwardly exude 98a02a57c2 lust didn’t mean ddfa4f5471 he was immune 439aedaabe to it.a069710161f38601

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Perhaps the only 21305c8fc0 reason Hong-woo had 8d82e9a93c never suspected anything 0fe1de5816 was that he 670ef992dc had been too cac1df229e ignorant to notice e39e495029 in the first 2cd9310e20 place.7503841afd172a68

Unlike Wi e40ab02f38 Haengsu, who d175dda282 only visited 0972498798 occasionally, Juseon f452fae0c9 came to 2da274bea8 the office 051ef82026 at least 3df4ece9d9 once a 27d37b37e7 day. The thought of ec4153d051 his brother being 2ed2ff99e7 involved with men 26e87616f9 was already shocking aab41458fa enough—but with Juseon? And in the very ff82d99d66 office where Hong-woo often e3d54a1d93 spent time? It was beyond cf3a21718f shameful, beyond absurd—it simply shouldn’t happen.8e1b68e0fdbaceb8

Read full chapter at Lily on the Valley without gibberish

He didn’t want f070aa91fc his only remaining 4390796970 family member to 2bac0f0266 be the subject 6aaef0b8a8 of such a 33085a37b8 scandal. If there had to 2852abb53c be a blemish on 01b927dbf9 their family,let it be his a006ba98e5 alone.4097a265b18c60d7

At that moment, Juseon 34d94522f3 stepped into the office e63ed98ff9 in response to Jang 63e9b08277 Seung-woo’s summons.bda8e5c1ea2793e0

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“Get out.”bf94a08f38cd14da

“No.”6504f334e7319ee3

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

Juseon blinked, ca16bf2432 caught off aa2307a53e guard. ‘Did I hear that bce3f36263 right?’d73c52e09fb818c2

The situation was familiar—he 8834f7ec78 had entered, and as 58e41e21f1 always, Jang Seung-woo had feb83869ce ordered Hong-woo to leave. That was standard 996c195cec practice. Seung-woo always sent Hong-woo 415299943f away when discussing business, f52868e951 and even when speaking ab17e79a70 in Han’er. The former made 1132f3e6ab sense—work matters were 20beb91dd6 often dark and 17fde95730 complicated—but the latter f222fa1c96 had always seemed 4880b4a641 odd. Still, Juseon had never 2c985e150d questioned it, assuming it 7c5ab8bf66 was just one of b8d7674ca8 Seung-woo’s many quirks.b445390ee74f88b1

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

But today, Hong-woo 41b273ed0c didn’t just hesitate—he 808cb89bb8 outright refused, his e0fc1978bc expression defiant and 7460e042ae sullen.d04972dbf1320a45

Is he sick?be3e8f7944b5e671

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

The ‘Hong-woo’ Juseon knew 7d9096b593 was always bright-eyed, smiling 2e46fabdac like a polished jade 2796454ca3 ornament. But now, his d17aa8f432 face was twisted 1790d50cfa with a strange e45f38006f mix of determination a594d9edbc and resentment—like he e61ad3cead had somehow absorbed 7d82b277da a dose of 5c817eb98e Seung-woo’s usual severity.88122aec200b697b

A sharp 87d5ea03b5 sound broke 2454368fcc the silence 1b9dc688e3 as Seung-woo 5832f7d3a1 set his 2da825e905 brush down.71815bf67059d249

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

“If you won’t leave, then I will.”0a1ecc29bc3b6ca6

Without another 8ed039855c word, he 21bb787b5c stood and 429a3f2dba walked out.05545193349b1997

Please visit lilyonthevalley.com to support the translator

Juseon, still processing 8e871abf98 what had just 4758773542 happened, hesitated before f1ec685860 following the voice fe4fe1ac40 that called for cccdf2c542 him outside. But before stepping out, 3150cb417b he stole one last 152eb183dc glance at Hong-woo—who looked 5b82058747 as if he had dbfbf2d0ff just been possessed by 491acb7293 something sinister.5d218a016b35ec86

‘How did it 202a209995 come to this?’486dc9ae6fb4c72c

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

Left alone, Hong-woo stared 59d36df2d8 at the door, stunned, f4dd84d65b anger bubbling under his b7ed0a5d33 skin.9f87565032b4082a

‘Does that 506853dc1f mean it e54efbaec1 doesn’t matter 9ad000dc8f where they b3763a5a82 do it?!’51da9f74caf892ad

Enjoy best reading experience at Lily on the Valley

A dry, disbelieving 1e70c8ec88 laugh escaped him.86562bb872207de9

‘Wait… could it 88784c6ddf be… at home, c373430ede too?’e4f04f00ef36c3ed

Support us at our official site: lilyonthevalley.com

‘Did they kick b07ac10ce3 me out of 6771372dc0 the house just dbadd8e4c2 so they could…?’2b2f7a2e199d0611

One thought spiraled into ea0f140548 another, his imagination running 6ab0c2f0e8 wild. His blood boiled, his 6fce4349bd pulse pounded in his e748ff7543 ears.29064a6a2ff253f3

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com

In the cc28f0fd34 next instant, b9e6bf82f4 he shot e0572ace43 out of db55748d71 the office.63804bbc79556ea8

If he a982d32522 didn’t get e46e0cadb4 to the 75f9db71e6 bottom of b01b16de26 thisright now, he was b264dab006 sure his head f3d9f83270 would explode.410b390649ad240e

For the complete chapter, visit lilyonthevalley.com