Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 19

After two months, the world outside the palace seemed much the same, yet the atmosphere was different. With the passing of the exceptionally grand events of the former Emperor’s abdication and the coronation ceremony, the lively atmosphere had calmed down, returning to everyday life. Gamyoung’s face, however, was brighter than ever.

Gamyoung hurried his steps. Perhaps it was because it was his first outing in a while, but he felt more excited and thrilled than usual, even with the familiar scenery. He wanted to see Hongyo first, but it was more important to visit the fabric shop and other places where he had been working, explaining why he had been absent for so long. He had expected a confinement order until the coronation ceremony, but he hadn’t realized it would start immediately after the former Emperor’s abdication, so he had only said he would be away for a few days. He had been unable to visit for a month or so when there were matters at the palace before, so he only hoped they would be understanding this time as well.

As expected, the elderly owner of the fabric shop showered Gamyoung, who entered with an unabashed face, with a tremendous scolding as if he had been waiting. He berated him for showing his face only now, for worrying him by disappearing for two months after saying he would only be gone for a few days, and that this time, he would fire him for sure. He raged for about an hour, but seeing Gamyoung’s apologetic face, he finally slumped down as if admitting defeat.

“So. You rascal. What have you been doing all this time?”

“There was a family matter. It was a very important matter for my older brother, so I couldn’t possibly miss it. I didn’t realize it would take this long.”

“What, did you get married or something?”

Married? Well, since the Empress’s coronation was held along with the coronation ceremony, it wasn’t wrong to say he got married.

“Yes. It was something the whole family had to prepare for, so I couldn’t just leave in the middle….”

At the mention of a family matter, the old man nodded as if he couldn’t argue.

“Then you should have at least told me properly. I could manage by working slowly until you came back, or if it was urgent, I could have asked my son to work, but how could you go without saying a word to your best friend? Tsk.”

“…Did Hongyo look for me?”

“Well, who else would your friend be besides Hongyo?”

The old man clicked his tongue as if he’d heard the strangest question. Then he urged Gamyoung, who was standing blankly, to come in and help. But Gamyoung was already heading out the door.

“Sorry, sir. I’ll just be away today.”

Behind Gamyoung, who disappeared without waiting for a reply, the old man burst into frustration, but it didn’t reach Gamyoung, who had already left.

Gamyoung then went straight to the training hall. But the door to the training hall, where training had already ended, was firmly locked. He wasn’t disappointed, though. If that was the case, there was only one place Hongyo could be.

Gamyoung hurried back to the market and bought beef and rabbit fur before it got too late. He would have liked to buy him a padded coat with a silk cover and a warm rabbit fur coat, but he was sure Hongyo would ask where he got the money, so he opted for the fur instead. Hongyo had said he would hunt and make him clothes, but Gamyoung knew how difficult it was to hunt in winter. Even if he did catch something, he would be busy just putting food on the table.

At times like these, he couldn’t believe he was adopted by the martial arts director, but seeing how Mohyun was hiding the fact that she was his adoptive mother even from him, there seemed to be a story behind it, so it was difficult to bring it up easily.

Gamyoung climbed the mountain for the first time in a while, holding rabbit fur in one hand and the straw string wrapped around the beef in the other. The weather, which was beginning to enter mid-autumn, was perfect in the marketplace, but it got colder and colder as he went deeper into the mountains. However, the colder it got, the busier the animals in the mountains became, storing food. They had to hunt a lot when the prey was preparing for hibernation, before winter truly arrived. Hongyo was probably busy too.

Even though he had been to the house dozens of times, he was unusually nervous today. It was partly because it had been a while, but it also bothered him that he had shown that kind of behavior the last time he saw Hongyo. However, his hesitant steps quickened as he saw the roof of Hongyo’s house. Gamyoung looked over the low wall, barely taller than his head, which he hadn’t seen in a while. Smoke was rising from the kitchen inside the yard, as if they were preparing dinner.

“Grandma. I’m here.”

Hongyo’s grandmother, who happened to be coming out of the kitchen, saw Gamyoung standing tall beyond the wall and her eyes widened.

“Isn’t that Gamyoung?”

“Yes, Grandma. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Is everything alright?”

The gate, though a bit too small to be called a gate, with its proper latch, opened. At the same time, Hongyo’s grandmother, coming out, exclaimed,

“What have you been doing, coming here now? If something came up, you should have said so, or if you were going somewhere, you should have said where you were going. Do you want to die somewhere? You’re such a worry. Anyway, where else would Hongyo’s friend go?”

He had known she would be a little upset since he visited almost every day when he was out of the palace, but he hadn’t expected it to be this much. Gamyoung was pleased with the scolding he hadn’t heard in a while. She always complained about him coming just to eat or that her place wasn’t an inn, but she never meant it. Feeling sorry, Gamyoung offered the meat and rabbit fur he had brought.

“Something came up at home, so I went back to my hometown. It was a family matter, so it was urgent.”

“Even so. You could have at least told Hongyo.”

“…Did Hongyo look for me a lot?”

“Is that even a question? If he wasn’t hunting, he would go to the training hall every day, and to that, what’s it called, fabric shop, and your house constantly. He was saying, ‘Isn’t that guy dead?'”

“Really?”

“Yes. Brace yourself when you see Hongyo. He was grinding his teeth; I don’t think a few spanks on the back will be the end of it.”

She muttered as she took the beef Gamyoung had given her.

“But isn’t this beef? Where did you get the money to buy something like this?”

“Ah, I brought it from home. Don’t worry about it. Use the fur to make Hongyo some clothes.”

“Even so, can we eat something this precious? I always thought you were living off thin air, sticking around here every day, tall as a beanpole, but a young master is a young master. Well, since you brought it for us to eat, have dinner and go. Since you’re here after so long, I’ll show off my skills.”

Following the grandmother who was going inside, Gamyoung entered the yard. Even though the sun hadn’t set yet, it set earlier than in midsummer. As Gamyoung was looking at the sky, which was beginning to turn reddish, about to ask about Hongyo, who hadn’t returned yet, he heard a rustling sound, like someone stepping on fallen leaves, from the gate. Then, from afar, he heard a voice, ‘Grandma, I’m home!’

“Huh? Why is the door open?”

Hongyo, who came in with a puzzled look, spotted Gamyoung. It was Gamyoung who spoke first, seeing Hongyo’s eyes widen as if he had seen a ghost.

“Hongyo….”

However, before he could even finish his short greeting, Gamyoung was grabbed by the collar. Hongyo didn’t even care that the couple of pheasants he had slung over his shoulder fell to the ground as he rushed towards him.

“You bastard. Where the hell have you been?”

Even though Hongyo was more than a handspan taller than him, a man was a man. Staggering half a step back from the sudden push, Gamyoung quickly regained his balance. Then, lest his opponent fall, he tightly grabbed Hongyo’s arms. At the awkward posture, which looked like they were hugging, Gamyoung tried to step back first, but Hongyo didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go of the collar he was holding.

“Hey! What would I think if you just disappeared like that the next day?”

“Gah. Yeo Hongyo, let go of this….”

“Would you let go? Huh? After making me worry so much!”

“Sorry, gah. I’m sorry. But please let go. I can’t even talk like this.”

Only when Gamyoung’s face started turning red from the blood rushing to his head did Hongyo finally release the collar he had been gripping. Perhaps because of his skills honed through actual combat, unlike Gamyoung, who just dabbled with a sword in the palace, his strength was considerable. Gamyoung rubbed his neck and quietly looked at Hongyo.

His friend’s appearance, after two months, hadn’t changed much except for his slightly longer hair. Well, it had only been two months. With less than three months left until he became a full-fledged adult, it was different from the time when he would grow noticeably even after a week. Nevertheless, he unconsciously scrutinized Hongyo’s face, lest there were any injuries from hunting. Perhaps because it had become a habit for a long time, neither of them avoided each other’s gaze.

After observing Hongyo for a moment, Gamyoung spoke.

“Something happened at home, so I went away for a while. It was urgent, so I couldn’t even write a letter.”

“Then you could have sent one from there? Or you could have sent someone!”

Of course, it wasn’t that he hadn’t thought about it, but if someone belonged to the palace, they couldn’t go outside, and letters weren’t free either. He couldn’t give any cause for his younger brother to be criticized during the Emperor’s coronation ceremony, which had to be perfect.

“I’m sorry. It was something the whole family had to deal with, so I couldn’t do that.”

Since it was Kyungrak’s coronation ceremony, there was nothing he could do. Perhaps because it was a family matter and he couldn’t push him any further, Hongyo’s face softened a little. But it wasn’t completely relaxed; he still looked grumpy.

“What kind of important business could make you leave so suddenly? Do you know how worried I was while you were gone?”

“…Worried?”

Gamyoung spoke a beat late without realizing it. Of course, he had thought that his friend would be worried, but it felt strange to hear it directly from him. Hongyo looked him straight in the eyes.

“Of course, I was worried. You suddenly disappeared for months without a word.”

Seeming quite upset, Hongyo picked up the pheasant that had fallen to the ground and lightly punched Gamyoung in the chest.

“I thought about you a lot while you were gone. You’re my best friend, and when you disappeared, I had no way to find you.”

Hongyo’s brown eyes were tinged yellow by the setting sun. His eyes, which only softened at times like these, looked very hurt.

“Couldn’t you have at least told me? Am I not even worth that much to you?”