TM | Chapter 22

He had intended to meet Lee Seol and talk directly, but it seemed unnecessary. Cheongrok, Lee Seol’s cousin, was right there.

“Tsk, tsk… If they spin like that, they can’t make the next leap.”

Kang Taegwon glanced at Cheongrok, who was once again meddling while watching the training subordinates, and forced a smile. He was about to ask about Yoon Sung’s news, but it seemed too blatant, so he decided to stick to the current topic.

“Don’t you have any marriage talks going on?”

“I’m not planning to get married yet. I have a lot to do.”

He inwardly scoffed at the nonsensical response. What could he possibly have to do while lazing around and running errands?

“What about you, Taegwon?”

“There’s a marriage talk going on with the second daughter of the Jeong family.”

“Oh~ congratulations.”

“But I’m considering a proposal I received.”

Cheongrok clapped his hands with his slanted eyes sparkling.

“Oh… who could it be? Perhaps the owner of the White Tiger Ring?”

Cheongrok’s eyes turned to Kang Taegwon’s finger. The ring, removed for training, was tied with a leather strap and tucked inside his shirt. He pulled back his collar to reveal the White Tiger Ring. Cheongrok leaned in to examine the craftsmanship seriously. His lips curled up at the sight.

“Isn’t it a testament to their sincerity?”

“Indeed. Is there a craftsman in this village who can do this level of work?”

Kang Taegwon’s brow furrowed at Cheongrok’s oddly off-point remark. He was trying to convey how much the person who proposed cared, but Cheongrok was talking about finding a craftsman.

“The craftsmanship isn’t what’s important. It’s the sentiment in this ring that’s important.”

“Well… that’s true. They must have paid a good price for this level of craftsmanship, and there must have been many trial and error in drawing the design. It’s really sincere. So what are you going to do? Are you going to reject the marriage talk?”

“What’s the point of marriage talks when there’s a Marriage Ban Decree? People’s hearts can change overnight.”

Cheongrok nodded, stroking his chin.

“True. Seeing how Seol and Sung-i got along, you never know with people’s hearts. Don’t they make a good pair?”

Kang Taegwon’s brow furrowed deeply at Cheongrok’s words. Their conversation was oddly serious yet light, and while it seemed to avoid the point, there was a sharpness that seemed to hit the mark. Conversations with him always got on his nerves.

Even now. He was talking about the owner of the White Tiger Ring, so he should be curious about who it was, but instead, he was talking about Lee Seol and Yoon Sung. He wondered if he was being overly sensitive and tried to smooth his expression, forcing a smile.

To steer the conversation back to his desired direction, he deliberately cleared his throat to draw attention.

“But I made a mistake. I was flustered by the proposal and misspoke. It seems to have hurt their feelings, and now they don’t even want to talk to me.”

“Oh dear…”

“When a day passed, they were already with someone else, seemingly proceeding with a marriage talk. I didn’t know they were so fickle…”

He trailed off, looking at Cheongrok, who nodded quietly.

“Well, they should get married quickly. Just proposing to someone as promiscuous as you might be a blemish.”

“What are you saying!”

“Why are you getting so worked up? Can’t you take a joke?”

Cheongrok playfully punched Kang Taegwon’s chest with his fist. His playful behavior made Kang Taegwon’s nerves even sharper.

Even though he called it a joke, everyone knew there was a sting and a barb in his words. He always laughed it off, so everyone pretended not to notice. That’s why everyone listened to his words.

Feeling twisted inside, Kang Taegwon gritted his teeth. Thinking about Lee Seol and Yoon Sung’s marriage made his insides churn.

“I’m thinking of accepting the proposal.”

I’ll accept it. I’ll accept your proposal, Yoon Sung. No, I’ll spread the word that you proposed to me. So you can’t go to Lee Seol. I’ll have Cheongrok, Lee Seol’s cousin, spread the word, even if I don’t say it myself.

He forced a gentle smile at Cheongrok, who was looking at him with curious eyes.

“Because of what happened earlier, it’s not easy to approach. So could you help me?”

“If you need help.”

Seeing him readily agree, one corner of Kang Taegwon’s lips twitched upward.

Let’s see if you can laugh like you did yesterday. Let’s see how you look at Yoon Sung now. Aren’t you Lee Seol’s cousin? Even if you can’t spread the word, you’ll at least check with Yoon Sung.

“I’ll tell you who it is, so could you hint that I’m waiting for them to come back?”

Cheongrok nodded lightly at Kang Taegwon’s request. But then, as if pondering something, he stroked his chin and looked into the air.

“Well… it’s not a difficult request to fulfill, but…”

Cheongrok, who had been tilting his head, met Kang Taegwon’s eyes.

“Wouldn’t it be awkward for them to know that I know about their new relationship? I don’t want to make them feel humiliated by letting them know I found out. And shouldn’t you say it yourself? Whether you get slapped by your old lover or embraced with gratitude, you should ask for forgiveness like a man.”

“What?”

“If they don’t forgive you, you should kneel and beg for permission. Why are you scheming to take them back if they come back?”

Cheongrok’s firm rebuke made Kang Taegwon’s shoulders flinch.

“Look at Seol. As soon as he heard Sung-i was looking for a male partner, he waited for him all day in the alley of his house the next morning. If he had been a day late, he would have been taken by another friend. When the body moves, the heart follows. Hurry before they get too close to their new lover.”

His advice sparked a rebellious feeling. What does he know to speak like that?

“Are you telling me to beg?”

“If you don’t want to beg, let them go. How can you be sure they’ll come back to you if you can’t even do that? Wishing them well with their new partner might be a good way too.”

“I’ve never begged an ex-lover before!”

“Then try it this time. You’re getting married, aren’t you? What’s the point of keeping such a shallow pride when you’re gaining a life partner? It looks pathetic.”

“What!”

Kang Taegwon was so taken aback that he couldn’t even breathe. He couldn’t even speak, only letting out exasperated breaths.

Even if he looked down on him, there was a limit. How could he speak so harshly?

Ignoring Kang Taegwon’s feelings, Cheongrok continued.

“I’m even thinking of kneeling and begging in the marketplace.”

A nobleman doing such a thing in the marketplace?

The absurdity of it left him speechless, but Cheongrok suddenly seemed annoyed and roughly ran his hand through his hair, turning his body. Leaning against the railing, he sighed as he looked at the blue sky.

“I have a woman I like, but she’s a commoner, so I have to use some tricks to take her as my legitimate wife.”

Kang Taegwon’s ears perked up. He said he was taking Yoon Sung, but he had a woman he liked? Was last night’s talk really just a joke? The relief made his voice calm.

“If she’s a commoner, can’t you take her as a concubine?”

“She said she’d rather die than be a concubine.”

“…I see.”

“So I threatened her with a knife, and she slapped me.”

“What! She slapped a nobleman?!”

Unlike the shocked Kang Taegwon, Cheongrok laughed silently.

“She said if she was going to die for insulting a nobleman, she’d rather kill me first and then die, and she picked up a rock to smash me.”

“Isn’t she crazy!”

“Right… isn’t she amazing? I’m completely smitten with her. Just thinking about her drives me crazy.”

“…”

“I knew she was something when she beat a fox with a stick, but she’s really… If she comes into our family, she’ll save it. I’m thinking of asking Seol to take her as his adopted daughter.”

“What?! Are you out of your mind?”

“She’s sixteen, so if Seol takes her as his adopted daughter and she gets married when she’s eighteen, it’ll be perfect!”

The absurdity of it left Kang Taegwon speechless. He opened his mouth to scold him.

“No, shouldn’t you take a noblewoman as your legitimate wife? Don’t you care about your family?”

At Kang Taegwon’s intense voice, Cheongrok smirked.

“It’s possible because we’re a mixed family. I’m the second son, aren’t I? I don’t need to continue the family line. The problem is… she’s so closed off that it’s a headache. When I brought her flowers, she said I brought something she couldn’t eat and glared at me, asking if I had money to burn.”

Kang Taegwon was speechless at Cheongrok’s serious expression. If she was capable of beating a fox, she must be lively and rough. And from the way he talked, she seemed to have a lowly nature. Why would he give his heart to such a worthless woman?

“…Bring her five pounds of meat and some cotton cloth.”

“Huh? Hey. Even if she’s a commoner, how can you convey your feelings with that?”

“Tsk. She’s someone who likes practical things. She’ll appreciate something necessary, even if it’s not expensive.”

“Even so… How about silk fabric?”

“Where would a woman who farms and climbs mountains wear silk clothes? It’s much better to have neat cotton clothes and cotton cloth to patch up old clothes.”

At Kang Taegwon’s indifferent words, Cheongrok’s eyes narrowed.

“Will it work?”

“It’ll be better than silk. Wouldn’t she feel burdened to accept it?”

“Hmm…”

“Try it, and if she opens her heart, then give her silk ribbons as a gift.”

Kang Taegwon casually advised him on how to win over a commoner’s heart and turned away. He was heading to his room to change out of his sweat-soaked clothes when he stopped walking.

Thinking back, he realized he had only talked nonsense with Cheongrok. He had been swayed by him and hadn’t been able to say that the one who proposed to him was Yoon Sung.