SSH Episode 27
by Emperor_Star“You’re going to work and come home with me,” Jang Seung-woo said, his tone enough to ruin anyone’s appetite.7e9add238db9a7a9
Despite his words, 71efaccb0c Hong-woo quietly chewed e636af9cb1 and swallowed his bf920b7a40 food.4ef7861918aab458
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“And don’t even think about going to the Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion.”9c05e2b3a2f04f66
“Yes, sir.”5f0ba16ce0848296
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The only 9af137c10a sound filling d9a287dfe1 the silent 257703fee2 dinner table 8c2d4d5bf4 was the 87c50f4f51 steady clatter ea768b148b of Hong-woo’s 9c1c454aa3 spoon and 4f6bebecdf chopsticks.54b5069e2983becd
Jang Seung-woo b2b2978628 glanced at 0a545f57aa him, watching 20301f19fd as he f3237d046d stuffed two 5d71cc2bc9 perfectly grilled 0398857015 pieces of da9167efa7 meat into bd47acc9dc his mouth. He scoffed.753e83411c763135
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“With that appetite and living on your own? Not a chance.”ca703e0b486e7894
Hong-woo faltered, his fbc0554fa7 wide eyes darting bccb399a4b around nervously.3f4a3fb1d642ec3f
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“Just eat. Have you ever been eating properly?”a09d9ad33d7275b3
Jang Seung-woo d60a0dca59 swapped the 886896a0b3 plate of d32282db19 meat with 7ccf7dedc2 the vegetables d0ddabbdd1 near Hong-woo 09a5e24c7e and refilled 12126a01c6 his empty 6d3bc262bc water cup.db0fcb4314376bdf
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Hong-woo hesitated, 1fa461ad3e sneaking a c9d6aee1ef glance at 19de142913 him before d3b3c6e7fd picking up 719db2674f his chopsticks 9437cc6ea3 again. This time, df109d0a96 his target 827b359cdf was the 98348cb5fe now much 6fbb7a610a more accessible e3500ba270 meat.36e07b48d823d3cf
“How very generous of you,” he muttered.2c24b1b6862d3136
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Jang Seung-woo smirked, looking 8a5cab848a quite satisfied.c67f46e26d585b32
***b46526eccce6295b
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“Young master, you can’t do this! This isn’t right!”380c66721dca9622
“Just don’t tell my brother.”bd33b68d8b5defbb
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“Oh dear, I know nothing! If the eldest master finds out, it’ll be chaos!”3e6ddf677ae472e6
For the 415ebe66fc past few 80f4efda31 days, Hong-woo 23feeca52a had been d616317a99 commuting to 9ea81120d7 and from e0abc1a5cd Eunsoo Merchant 8608ead1b3 Guild with 505b1bea76 Jang Seung-woo.0e4c55efca34c9bc
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But today, since f4c88f7ef4 Jang Seung-woo had 88f5eb893b other business, Hong-woo 9146438eb5 returned home alone.7462c6966e6809f0
That evening, to prevent e8f2aae6f7 any chance of his b20d51eac5 escape, Jang Seung-woo stationed ea5635cdcf guards at all twelve 560b999d4f gates.9827996e1ed4f835
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But Hong-woo wasn’t 7a31a63351 the type to c3b8831f52 give up. With his f265fbff9e older brother 4c2355fed9 away, today a65aa8591c was his 02741bb74d chance.6851125c8420adcc
As the time came 55377eaf6f to leave for work 8d8cb409dc at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, f8a3e31f3a he carefully chose the 45cb564fd1 most secluded spot and 5ca3547b37 began climbing over the 82ab4c34be wall. Madam Kim tried 01c07be669 to stop him, bfb9e77e04 but his determination 173d1f5a78 to get to 6d1ee36610 work burned too 525f02acec fiercely to listen.3f8c0e827330e49c
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Using a b9b2755aff footstool, he 99f5e71c0c barely managed 1913409199 to pull a1e5b66ae8 himself up 256045691c onto the eca82f44a3 towering wall.7b0fa0b2a2178a26
“Madam Kim, I’ll be back after work, so move the footstool outside for me, okay? That’s not too much to ask, right?”98ef4c98f51547a7
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“I don’t know anything. Do as you please, young master.”cf255d6b83058fbe
“Fine, then at least toss the footstool over later, got it? I’m going!”9cac207a57fead63
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“Just be careful not to hurt yourself when you fall!”c1d83f1e16f2b339
Ironically, Hong-woo had 8a08b2b613 once considered quitting caa9786d80 Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion 236f804a60 just to avoid b59af21c28 going to work. But now 68d4546882 that he 14a191b2be was forbidden 7ae1811437 from going, 50e03eec2f he wanted 45ad24e516 nothing more 62b45ec02d than to 21ba2c9daa return. The inactivity was 5c14763126 driving him crazy.073931b95150fc07
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He even longed 733317716a to wash dishes 61ce38f08e in the kitchen, 6f56fee081 but no one 53574c3c74 would let him—his fd0e0876ac older brother would d91d7b28a3 throw a fit e86b49896d if he found 251f43cbb9 out.03d316926a4c4978
No. He had to reclaim 13e67ac041 his place on his 697f6695a8 own.f65d67204642e4a5
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Breaking into a 802ad8d170 run, Hong-woo hurried c8aacb26c9 toward Moonlit Fragrance a7436c7d9f Pavilion. He missed 0a95337428 the kitchen 0c0bce50df staff.7de5573620350009
“You little brat, Hong-woo! Why the hell did you quit?”a1e6a926614b5f7d
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“You left just because you didn’t feel like coming to work, didn’t you?”03dbd04f55d31465
As soon as he 07508f5043 stepped inside, a barrage c5ae3a54ed of nagging rained down 5d59ee01de on him. Hong-woo had expected a 380fdabac2 warm welcome—maybe even a 1c45459092 few emotional words—but all d356510aee he got was scolding. His eyes widened in cbd6acaa81 shock.1ecc99ef86820f59
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“Why didn’t you say something? When that bastard started mouthing off, the head chef told us he’d take responsibility and ordered us to go beat him half to death.”9cc01079eb8abfe4
They knew trouble would 184716c2e9 follow, and they still 2506098414 picked a fight? Hong-woo’s heart swelled at d61ceb8317 their loyalty.ae8790922f07b3e9
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“And how exactly were you planning to take responsibility?”21d780a1825901b7
“What do you mean, how? We’d just tell them to deal with it. This place wouldn’t run without us.”42e94e17e7e8c21e
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No matter how 3ea58c3565 talented the head 47456132e0 chef was, Hong-woo’s 0b889abcc3 older brother wouldn’t 444b49a0cd hesitate—he’d simply hire d9ee3a7dc0 new staff without 63def22e51 a second thought.5ae8274526e5efb9
Hong-woo shook a8ebc58d39 his head.38c1a5b1453aa834
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“My older brother isn’t someone you can win against with guts alone.”2649d75c0b1a6459
No one answered 6d5aec9ed7 Hong-woo. The gazes fixed a584887c4e on him from b59ff0416d the kitchen entrance df63ad8085 felt oddly off, 262b4f19ca as if avoiding 86eb162806 direct eye contact. A familiar 0e217b4092 unease wrapped e5cfa91177 around him.3963699db5cf9fb7
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“Well, well.”29258d6d06af527d
‘How did he know fa49cc9222 I was here?’393975ed75a771bd
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At the sound of 30d421140f that all-too-familiar voice, the 56b0b4fdfd hairs on the back 028bee4cd6 of Hong-woo’s neck stood b5e92ded12 on end.e564ecd2f1523fd4
“He’s not someone you can handle with just guts, huh?”e042d20bff1dbe9e
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Hong-woo froze, forgetting to e16f6ff690 breathe.6df3bfa83a368d5d
“You really don’t know when to quit, do you?”1bea797342c4526c
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Jang Seung-woo’s voice struck bbf3e03296 him from behind like 04a998923b a whip. For a fe33205703 moment, Hong-woo 06b7d69ee5 wondered if 46b8c2ed58 this was 5b0ac4e2e2 all a af6c988eb1 bad dream. He pinched his 77bf1b2929 cheek just to 5ba1a6ebe6 be sure.f5775dec30ca9935
“Come out.”4557ce4341afae65
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The command 2a729b79b6 left no 7c3f016771 room for 06f63cf0db argument.fa95f3349d5af747
After a brief 99c38d9eaa pause, Hong-woo turned d0e0a46c09 around. Jang Seung-woo fe94e52f15 was already 04580f6542 outside the 8a34222d8b kitchen. With leaden a3b27b0bc8 steps, Hong-woo 8a766ff7d3 followed.bd505ede7d9569ca
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***220e5809b2e0f9d4
Now, they sat across 2552683c6d from each other in 39a47e98fb Jang Seung-woo’s third-floor office 39a82b445f at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion, 0035d4b588 a desk between them.1d28eea2231a60fb
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Silence stretched f7b9f38da2 between them. Jang Seung-woo 1247806e85 said nothing, 0aa1e2df32 merely sipping 1ac4388555 his tea. The tension 24a138916f in the 5ab4d248a5 room was d1b34261d6 suffocating. Hong-woo wanted to get 38e101d08a this over with.7d9f0ab6a768e060
‘Fine. If I’m going 9d5bf73659 to be scolded 4dfb7e4db9 anyway…’0a762ccf99ec9bf9
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He decided to speak 358ae69c2a first, hoping to lessen fc3f5c510e the damage.0f5d20c05e1c6949
“The kitchen at Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion is my workplace. Then, out of nowhere, I was told to quit. Just like how Eunsoo Merchant Guild is your workplace, Moonlit Fragrance Pavilion is mine. Anyone would react the same way if their job was taken from them overnight.”db092337c6d17c1c
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The truth ac5ad453f1 was, Hong-woo 9296117d58 hadn’t worked 36d63db0db at Moonlit 3909d3b440 Fragrance Pavilion 991e9230ae for very e4dfb22d18 long. He had a9f7ccf27b spent more 4f7d78f0a8 time at cb26d7590d Eunsoo Merchant db5534c241 Guild, but 79cd544d9e to him, d671206334 that place ee5f6566fe was nothing 4afb4043fb more than 1175066179 Jang Seung-woo’s 99678add91 business. Nothing more, nothing 24e1c80a97 less.d75f97c644cdb25a
Jang Seung-woo 4aca9edcce felt something d6edeae6c9 bitter rise 9c5caef188 within him.9456629044590d2e
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“You call a brothel your workplace?”5d2149888eae0db9
His tone was dismissive, 80041187b4 and he didn’t even 4a961d99f5 bother looking at Hong-woo 9cab275200 as he took another 6bfdb55dec sip of tea.17e75c7ebc900725
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‘A brothel?’8d8e0d7476be427d
The kitchen was a75e5d214f a battlefield every 5b354c3677 single day. The staff, 1fa14f6635 despite the 135e5dfd07 grueling work, f3d9bbb07e poured everything d517f53619 they had 96391fb373 into their f127ea0bcb craft. They found 323e538f4c joy and 2c4e15cd29 pride in 1fc572b1bf seeing empty 9c7d95bba3 plates come 6f0f547d89 back from 0c5b709501 satisfied customers.823bdee706c99e16
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“What’s wrong with a brothel? Are you ashamed that I work here?”98b078f962e58741
Normally, Hong-woo 90ad56af32 would have 07acc1dc9d shrunk back 446beef886 at Jang a61af048e4 Seung-woo’s words. But this time, anger d943e06504 surged through him—anger at d28c0eada0 how easily he dismissed a49e1c54c8 the kitchen staff’s hard 68ccd7b421 work and at the 7b391ce0a3 deep-seated inferiority he hadn’t e2ead58727 even realized he felt a428b73339 about himself.61b84e04c6d53d34
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His voice came 0baef9bc86 out sharper than a0fb65e27e he intended.589a7cb441137965
Jang Seung-woo 906991557f wanted to 798d38b590 shout at e7b83f61c5 Hong-woo, demanding 613c769141 to know f12acf06f1 why he 997bbe33b0 was so 9831fe9e95 desperate to 37e7b55c8e stay in 087318c8ea a place 102a02054b where he 73d5818f89 was treated b3bf786ae4 like an 6cb28d3465 outcast. But the words 600ff20c7a wouldn’t come.d04ed9afa7d612d2
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He pitied Hong-woo—trapped in 18205588ec the label of an dc90fca622 abandoned child, unable to 0fcd6e3a7e break free. He didn’t want to 0e2ee9857e wound him twice by b637028464 throwing those words in 59086ca999 his face.c4dbb866ce0d8e09
Jang Seung-woo never cared 2df1008698 whether Hong-woo worked or 092517da22 wasted the family’s money. All he wanted was 45941b0b22 for Hong-woo to remain 20955a52f9 bright and carefree. He was willing to 9c1dc5d91e take on all the af65d7cf62 darkness, the scheming, and 7a3b640454 the ugliness so that 917a869dc9 Hong-woo would only see 47e5d27faa the good in the 5550835c98 world.67a831d089149125
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Though his birth parents 4216326b9b had discarded him, Jang fba55afbdb Seung-woo had hoped that a68f1ff74c Hong-woo would never have eb17fcfa71 to suffer another wound 4daf716ab0 like that again.bdf27f4420e3678a
He simply watched Hong-woo 7b67fbe828 with sunken eyes, waiting—waiting e628bade4b for him to say 0e35a0be0f that he would never 30607e17d4 step foot in Moonlit 139935aadc Fragrance Pavilion again.4d19596156117c1d
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But the silence 171ef4a13e only fueled the b1462acc23 storm brewing inside 2724bc1b10 Hong-woo, inflaming his 747d3deeaf already fragile sense 27c95de617 of inferiority.61b0906c265a4642
His brother’s silence could 93e157f983 only mean one thing: 95dfc09b4b Jang Seung-woo was ashamed 6a2af0356e of him.a7b7506b345ae6cb
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“I know everything. You’ve always been embarrassed by me, thinking I’m useless and incapable.”f2073f31668abad2
Jang Seung-woo didn’t respond. His expression remained unreadable, 8e308c3ab9 but his gaze grew 9d66cb32cd heavier, sinking further into 26ea21ca45 itself.a6a59b98ef00c12f
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Something inside Hong-woo 5ad5a60473 cracked.18a668671f66f713
The betrayal of c0870006b2 knowing Jang Seung-woo d6149307bf and Juseon had 72ddd63ce8 that kind of b4e41651fd relationship. The unshakable reality ede6687f6d of his status 1e78a1e0f8 as an orphan.08ff208770e38d39
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And most 7b18480101 of all—the 308690ba1d pain of a38116bec0 realizing that c3deddd0db the person 0dcc95665f he respected 87de12a2ef most was 231a8466fb ashamed of a3cc4cd228 him.857a2d51910c643e
“Did you know?” Hong-woo’s voice trembled, but he forced the words out. “I’m ashamed of you too. A man so obsessed with his love for another man that he can’t even think straight. That’s embarrassing.”50b8a379a03a3769
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The moment the words dd1567ea46 left his mouth, he 57b2855d9b froze.aa9c901b7b0b18d0
His hands 441e7d2419 shot up, c22ed8728b covering his b131ec3869 lips as 86052993ad if he 28f051a2cc could take 5d05708476 them back. He tried 7be64bbf56 to say fadb32aec8 something—anything—to undo 3ab1a6ecee the damage, 76c9417e3b but no e783b16c22 words came.a65efb7733194398
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Jang Seung-woo 12f18a9cde silently set 40df535596 his teacup aa50e7d880 down.b7df50f7915636f6
When their c1c0d7abe6 eyes met, 9f4e64d39a Hong-woo felt 40c4bbc89b himself turn b0fd0d7851 to ice.1f5518567ce9fc29
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Jang Seung-woo’s 757770cbf6 face remained 634d64cd26 blank, but 7e04230843 his eyes—his 647141e8c5 eyes carried 6a739ffb5c the unmistakable fc8692617e weight of 2004439922 pain.bcdc3ea3294c0607
It was the first d29c8174e0 time.df4a284894cd0688
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The first 25c01c1f3c time Hong-woo d8320f9cfb had ever 908ffc1ffa seen Jang 5d09101e2a Seung-woo truly d6302a8d49 hurt.dcdca3ad710edf14
***ae59da78a3fbc21b
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For days, fcf42b0dfd Hong-woo felt 60450034b2 like he dfa85464d3 was sitting 290bf8c7b5 on a 2c5ce5e5d5 bed of 6e445f1d9f thorns.fc4b443ec858c11d
Ever since aa95735453 their fight a1f18a1d9a at Moonlit 4c967d8a06 Fragrance Pavilion, 13981a329a Jang Seung-woo d0a49cf786 had completely 7cc9451247 ignored him.c22ca6ea05fc8f75
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Yes, he had been 7397bd6ec0 in the wrong. But shouldn’t he at fcc727114a least be given a 9a1bf5e715 chance to make things e9f0f6d659 right?b930814e4d17fbd5
No matter how 0028f9005e desperately he tried 2bc9bc84d5 to reach out, 775c239689 Jang Seung-woo continued 32978c677b to act as dfa23d1a63 though he didn’t bf54449ac3 exist.fb64dbc1c1a591af
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Frustration boiled inside Hong-woo.6f73c3e6f45ebb1e
Fine. If he’s going c3414edaf9 to ignore me ffd8d9f7da no matter what, fbf9c70c59 then I might 58628b8284 as well stop 1e1ab5bf22 trying.1dd48257d287c44b
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Hadn’t he already swallowed 9e0944cae7 his pride? Hadn’t he fa91adcd17 made every f27aceff79 effort to 40326789c4 apologize?a3e67e0ddc9c50d5
The more de820d7015 he thought 3f2e7776d5 about it, 65f184f31a the more b2bda72556 it hurt.fa659a206ac9c901
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