Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 26

‘Pretty?’

Gamyoung was surprised at himself for even having such a thought. But that was only for a moment; he began to wonder how Hongyo, who was supposed to be outside the palace, ended up in the imperial palace. However, that question was soon answered when he saw Hongyo heading towards the side path where the Hyunjingwan was located.

It was said that the shamans who had taken in children from the outside would often call them into the palace. Once inside, they couldn’t leave as they pleased without permission, so they would have things they needed brought in from the outside or receive news. The Chief Shaman would probably need something like that too.

Gamyoung wondered if, after revealing his identity, he should also confess that he knew about the relationship between the Chief Shaman and Hongyo. From his time as an imperial prince to now, as the King’s Brother, he had hidden more than a few things from Hongyo to conceal his status.

But Hongyo’s situation seemed complicated as well. Although he couldn’t know all the details, the very fact that his friend was connected to the Chief Shaman, the highest-ranking shaman, meant he had circumstances different from those of an ordinary commoner. Even Kyungrak, who had looked into everything about Hongyo since they became friends, couldn’t find out about his connection to the Chief Shaman. He had said that with no records at all, it was impossible to investigate further, even with his status as the Crown Prince. It was as if it had been deliberately erased.

But what drew his attention even more was the clothes Hongyo was wearing. He had only ever seen him in clothes made of tough cotton, but seeing him dressed up like this made it hard to look away. He felt bad saying this about another boy, but he had thought that for a boy, his features were delicate and pretty. But seeing him like this now, he looked every bit the young master of a noble house.

As the light pink silk fluttered in the wind, his already slender body looked so light it seemed it might fly away. Yet, his long strides were as confident as ever. That was also very much like Hongyo, but seeing his neatly combed-back hair and the layers of his fluttering robe was a new sight. However, his unshakeable, firm gaze was still that of the Hongyo he knew.

Without realizing it, Gamyoung etched that image into his eyes for a long time. He didn’t know why, but strangely, he couldn’t tear his gaze away. It was only when Hongyo disappeared from his sight that Gamyoung noticed what he was doing and flinched in surprise.

‘What is this….’

His body froze in bewilderment. It was understandable to be surprised at almost running into a friend in such an unexpected place, but he couldn’t understand why he had been so captivated by his appearance for even a moment.

‘Well, it was the first time seeing him dressed like that, so I guess it makes sense. He looked completely different from usual.’

People tend to stare when someone does something out of the ordinary. It must be something like that.

Gamyoung tried hard to think of it that way. But the strangely lingering, unsettled feeling made him a little more confused.

˖°⛩️⋆˙️

A few days later, Gamyoung visited the dojo. When he opened the dojo doors, everyone seemed unusually fired up today. Gamyoung watched his seniors, who were swinging their swords with disciplined movements, with a look of wonder for a moment.

“…What’s going on?”

“The royal hunt is coming up soon. That’s why everyone’s been focusing on their training lately.”

Gamyoung turned his head. Sujin, who had approached him at some point, answered in their stead. Gamyoung was about to thank her when his gaze became fixed on the ornament pinned in her hair. As if sensing his stare, Sujin touched the hair ornament.

“Thank you for the gift. It’s so pretty, I find myself only reaching for this ornament these days.”

Her face was slightly flushed as she spoke shyly. Gamyoung gave a slightly awkward smile at her appearance.

“Yes. It suits you well.”

“Thank you. To be honest, I was truly happy when I received this gift.”

Sujin, who had been smiling softly, bashfully lowered her gaze.

“Because the one who gave it to me was you, young master.”

Her voice, though shy, carried a clear meaning. Gamyoung couldn’t hide his slight surprise. He hadn’t known she felt this way when he happened to give her the gift. He had thought something was strange when he saw Sujin with Hongyo and felt a peculiar churning inside, but what was certain, both then and now, was that the feelings he had for Sujin were more of a fond affection for her as a person than romantic love.

“Lady Sujin. You are a truly good….”

It was then.

“Yeo Hongyo! What kind of behavior is that for a man.”

It was unclear when he had arrived, but what was certain was that Hongyo, who was late, got caught by the master just as he was trying to sneak into the training line. Yeo Hongyo, who had been tiptoeing like a thief, jumped in great surprise the moment his name was called. Seeing this, Gamyoung burst out laughing without realizing it.

“What is he doing.”

As laughter burst out as if he couldn’t be helped, the inner thoughts he himself didn’t know almost slipped out of his mouth.

“Cute….”

Cute? Yeo Hongyo…?

For a moment, Gamyoung’s face hardened. No, that just now was definitely cute. If he had to be specific, Yeo Hongyo was prettily handsome but also quite cute, so it wasn’t exactly a strange contradiction, but the problem was that he kept thinking he was cute lately. Realizing this, Gamyoung stood frozen. Sujin, standing next to him, remarked suggestively.

“You must really like Hongyo, young master.”

At her words, Gamyoung turned to look, and Sujin was smiling brightly. Gamyoung mulled over what Sujin had just said. Like? Yeo Hongyo?

“I do cherish him as a friend.”

Even as he answered, Gamyoung felt a sense of reluctance. If not as a friend, there was no other way to explain their relationship, was there? His voice grew quieter from a slight feeling of confusion. At that, Sujin turned her head back to the front. She was still smiling, but her face looked a little lonely somehow.

“Is that so? I wish I had a friend like that too.”

The bright smile she gave then looked a little more at ease than before. Seeing her, he wanted to say something, but his lips felt sealed, and no words came out. He couldn’t even continue the words he was about to say earlier, that Lady Sujin was a good person. He was trying to choose his words, completely unsure of what to say. Sujin, who had been looking down at her feet, raised her head and met his gaze.

“Hongyo is a very kind and warm person. It makes sense that everyone likes him.”

When Gamyoung gave a look of not understanding what she meant, Sujin bowed her head slightly.

“I must go help my father now. Please train hard today as well.”

Gamyoung watched Sujin, who had left him with those puzzling words. In the meantime, Hongyo, who had finished the group swordsmanship class, was organizing the wooden swords as punishment for being late. He spotted Gamyoung and gestured to him. It was clearly a sign asking for help. Gamyoung, who had been standing blankly, soon started walking over.

How strange. I can ignore anyone else, but when Yeo Hongyo calls, I go.

“Perfect timing. Gamyoung, how am I supposed to put all these wooden swords away by myself? Give me a hand.”

Gamyoung looked around the yard, where a number of wooden swords that certainly looked like too much for one person to handle were scattered, and then spoke.

“For nothing?”

At that, Hongyo, looking as if he’d been hit where it hurts, whined.

“Ah, I’ll treat you as my elder brother. Please help me. Big brother Gamyoung. The master told me to finish cleaning up within a quarter of an hour.”

At those words, Gamyoung again couldn’t help but pick up the wooden swords that had fallen at his feet.

“Forget that and just buy me a meal. Before that, let’s stop by the cloth merchant’s and to the elder….”

Gamyoung, in the middle of speaking, glanced at Hongyo for a moment. Hongyo, wearing his usual training uniform made of cotton, was diligently picking up the wooden swords. Watching him, Gamyoung paused as if a lump had formed in his throat, then continued when Hongyo looked at him.

“Anyway, let’s go to the cloth merchant’s after we’re done.”

The cloth merchant’s shop was a place Hongyo was familiar with since it was where Gamyoung mainly worked, but today was a little different. Gamyoung carefully inspecting fabrics was something he always did, so it wasn’t a particularly unusual sight. But when that silk fabric touched his own body, Hongyo couldn’t help but be flustered.

“What’s this?”

“Hm? What’s what?”

“No, why are you holding the fabric up to me? Didn’t you need it for yourself?”

Even when he said he came as a customer today and not an employee, he just assumed Gamyoung needed clothes, but he never imagined that fabric would be held up to him. And not cotton or tough linen used for training uniforms or daily wear, but silk. At that, Gamyoung, who had been trying out various silks, gave an awkward laugh.

“You can’t wear the clothes you have on now to the hunting ceremony.”

Hongyo wondered what that meant, but he quickly grasped the meaning.

“You mean I can’t wear clothes made of cotton?”

“It’s not so much that, but His Majesty will also be in attendance. So, please think of it as showing proper courtesy.”

Although he had asked grumpily, the answer he got wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Hongyo’s eyes widened.

“His Majesty the Emperor is coming?”

At that, Gamyoung glanced at the elder and quickly covered Hongyo’s mouth with his hand. The large palm covered half of his face, but Hongyo couldn’t bring himself to push it away. Hongyo, also glancing at the elder, rolled his eyes to signal for him to move his hand, and only then did Gamyoung let go and whisper.

“I told you before. The hunting ceremony is hosted by His Majesty.”

“No, I thought he just organized the competition. I didn’t know he would attend in person. I mean, His Majesty must be busy!”

His expression darkened instantly, looking very displeased. Gamyoung, worried that Hongyo might back out, quickly added.

“I already put your name on the list. Don’t even think about bailing.”

Then, a “Tsk” sound of him clicking his tongue was heard.

“I had no intention of backing out since I already promised anyway. I boasted that I’d protect you, so it wouldn’t be manly to run away from something like this.”

Ah…. Gamyoung felt a sharp pang in his chest. Didn’t this happen last time, too? he thought, but this time, he felt a bit more touched. Feeling inexplicably shy, Gamyoung abruptly handed the bolt of silk he was holding over to Hongyo’s arms.

“Let’s go with this one. This one suits you the best.”

“Huh? This is too… um…. I mean, it doesn’t seem like a color you’d wear for hunting. Even if it’s a light shade, it’s pink, so it stands out too much. I might become the prey myself by mistake.”

At those words, Gamyoung looked at the silk he had just handed over. He had simply picked the one that first caught his eye, but the color was very familiar. Gamyoung recalled the silk clothes Hongyo had been wearing that day and his face hardened. In the meantime, Hongyo, who was looking through the silks, picked up one of the bolts.

“This should be fine. It’s not too flashy.”

The silk Hongyo was holding was a very deep red. It was a silk with a subtle sheen, so its texture was different from cotton, but it definitely had a more dignified feel than the one he had picked earlier. As Gamyoung paid for it, Hongyo said.

“Thanks. I’ll pay you back for the clothes.”

“Alright. I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll catch everything for you.”

Even as he said that, his eyes were on the silk, a sign that he liked it a great deal.

“Should we ask my grandmother to make it, then? My grandmother is good at making clothes.”

Gamyoung was about to nod but paused with a low hum. There was no doubt about the skill of Hongyo’s grandmother. But something had just popped into his head. Gamyoung took back the silk that was in Hongyo’s arms.

“No. Will you leave it to me this time?”