Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 67

It’s strange.

Hongyo recalled the Gamyoung she had met not long ago and fell into thought. Was it because it had been so long since they last met? Something seemed different, but she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was. On the day they had been stranded in the mountains, when she had somehow ended up in his embrace by chance, she had certainly felt that his physique had improved, but the feeling this time was different from that. It wasn’t just that he had grown taller and his body more solid.

Should she call it the atmosphere? Or perhaps his gaze had changed. He had always been the type not to show his inner thoughts easily, but the deepened gaze when they met this time felt like it could captivate her with just that look alone, as if she had come face-to-face with a tiger.

But what danger could Gamyoung possibly pose to her? No matter what anyone else might think, Cha Gamyoung would never harm her. Whenever she met that guy, she always felt at ease and found it fun, and it was the same now. So he must be her closest friend.

But clearly, the Cha Gamyoung of that night was a little different from usual. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but the way he looked at her or the expression that seemed like he was holding something back. Especially the Cha Gamyoung who had said himself that he was so greedy, it really felt like a different person, to the point of being a bit unfamiliar.

‘What the hell is it?’

Deep in thought, Hongyo almost called out Gamyoung’s name when someone draped an arm over her shoulder, but upon seeing Yeoryeong, she unwittingly made a deflated face without realizing it.

“What? That expression?”

“Ah, it’s heavy. Get it off.”

Habits were truly frightening. The familiar weight on her shoulder naturally brought Gamyoung’s name to mind first.

“You’re so heartless. Did I make my shoulder out of gold?”

“Don’t say weird things and let’s hurry. We’ll be late at this rate.”

“Ah, we’ve been swinging swords all day every day since coming here, I’d like to take it easy today.”

Hongyo watched Yeoryeong yawn languidly, then pulled a handkerchief from her bosom.

“Thanks. I washed it well as you said and dried it properly in the sun.”

“Wow. This is expensive. You shouldn’t handle it carelessly, but I lent it to you because it’s you. As the top graduate, I can’t have you spitting liquor in front of others. For a man, dignity comes first and foremost, doesn’t it?”

Hongyo, who had been ignoring Yeoryeong as he started to ramble on with more nonsense, suddenly let out an “Ah” as if something had come to mind, and turned to look at him.

“By the way, do you know a bit about ornaments?”

Inwardly, the ornament Gamyoung had gifted her weighed on her mind. It was a congratulatory gift for entering Hwayeong-gyeong, but no matter how she looked at it, it seemed too expensive to just accept outright. Besides, she wasn’t the only one who had entered Hwayeong-gyeong, and Gamyoung was the Hwayeong-gyeong commander himself. At the time, she had accepted it without a second thought, but looking back, she felt like she should do something in return.

“Oh, what’s this? Yeo Hongyo taking an interest in ornaments?”

“No. I got a gift from a close friend, and I was wondering if it’s okay to just accept it with nothing in return. I want to give something back too, how much should I prepare for something like this?”

Cute. Yeoryeong said that, but seeing Hongyo’s face tinged with quite a bit of worry and burden, he took the sword from her. Even so, for someone Hongyo’s age, no matter how expensive the ornament gifted, it would probably be a fake imitating a gem….

“This is real, isn’t it?”

Yeoryeong’s expression hardened upon seeing the ornament dangling from the sword tip. Of course, compared to diamonds or gold, amber might fall short, but for use as a sword decoration, there was no better gem than this. But he had seen far more impressive gems than that, so it wasn’t enough to surprise him over just the stone. What had caught Yeoryeong’s eye was the craftsmanship. He had seen plain gems before, but to engrave even a single petal with such meticulous detail, he couldn’t even imagine what kind of master artisan had made it.

Yeoryeong examined even the long trailing tassel before opening his mouth.

“By any chance, is that close friend your betrothed?”

What nonsense is that? Without needing to say it, her expression said it all, so Yeoryeong continued.

“Or does he have an insane amount of money? To just give something like this to a friend.”

Even for Yeoryeong, who had unintentionally handled many rare treasures throughout his life, he had never seen a gift so full of care and effort. If anything, this level of ornament could, with a bit of exaggeration, fetch the price of a house in the capital. And Yeo Hongyo, who dangled something like that on her lowly wooden sword, was Yeo Hongyo in her own way.

“…Is it that expensive?”

The way her words trailed off suggested she really hadn’t known. Yeoryeong nearly launched into a tirade about how could she not know, but upon seeing Hongyo’s darkened expression, he shut his mouth. She wasn’t the type to live in debt anyway, so if he told her the truth, she might insist on returning it and stir up unnecessary trouble, it seemed better to gloss over it.

Who knows, but a close friend who would gift a gem like that must have some story behind it. If it had really been from a betrothed, he might think she had met some wealthy noblewoman, but judging by her reaction, it seemed just as she said, a gift from a friend. He had no idea what kind of prominent family scion she was close to, but it probably wasn’t your average noble’s son. There was no need to meddle and cause a stir.

“Uh, the kind of thing you could buy if you set your mind to it? Why are you trying to repay it like that? Just accept a gift as a gift and buy him a meal later to say thanks.”

“Really?”

Yeoryeong handed the sword back to Hongyo, who visibly relaxed. He couldn’t imagine the day when Yeo Hongyo would learn she was dangling a house’s worth on that pathetic wooden sword, but in any case, that wasn’t his concern.

“More than that, that friend of yours must really like you.”

At those words, Hongyo unwittingly stopped in her tracks. Because of that, Yeoryeong, who had pulled ahead, turned back and asked ‘Why?’ Hongyo shook her head.

“But why would he like me?”

Yeoryeong replied with a bored expression.

“You see that chrysanthemum pattern engraved on the gem? Roughly speaking, it means an extraordinarily outstanding and good companion.”

“Yeah?”

“If it were from a betrothed, the meaning would be a bit different.”

“What does it mean?”

“’Ga-u’ means beautiful and splendid, but if it’s not from a betrothed, would he give it with such a ticklish meaning?”

Because he saw rare and expensive things every day, he had grown so accustomed to embroidered patterns on silk or gems like this that he knew their meanings inside out. Nobles all had that side of them that valued propriety, so they couldn’t express their emotions honestly and preferred to convey them through objects with all sorts of odd meanings. It seemed Hongyo’s friend was the same type.

But unlike Yeoryeong, who was nonchalant, Hongyo fell silent as if lost in thought. Yeoryeong watched her for a moment, then slung his arm over her shoulder. Seeing her say nothing, she seemed too tired even to complain about the weight this time. Or maybe her mind was elsewhere.

That was when it happened. Before arriving at the academy, there was always the front courtyard they had to pass through, and a large notice was posted there. People were crowding in front of it, buzzing with murmurs.

“What happened?”

But before she could even look at the notice, the answer came.

“Hey, folks. It’s about Jang Daeho. He’s been given a three-month confinement!”

Choi Hyangbang, who always took the lead in spreading such news more than anyone, delivered it to Hongyo and Yeoryeong this time as well. Unlike Hongyo, who was greatly surprised by the unexpected news, Yeoryeong wore a bored face.

“Still, not being expelled is something. As expected, Lord Pansam has some pull. Even if he hit under the main beam, considering the people in that pavilion, ending with just confinement is impressive.”

As Choi Hyangbang clicked his tongue and spoke, Yeoryeong, who had already slipped his arm from Hongyo’s shoulder, said,

“It’s because of Jang Daeho’s family. Do you think that family only has land and money?”

It was a family that had endlessly built its own factions, generation after generation, whether military or civil officials. There was a time when it was said that upon rising to office, one would visit the family head before even the emperor to pay respects, so great was the family that even baseless rumors like that circulated.

“Yeah. Speaking of which, Yeo Hongyo. You were really lucky back then. If Jang Daeho hadn’t forfeited, you’d have been half-dead or your remaining days in Hwayeong-gyeong would have been grueling? Anyway, now you can sleep with your legs stretched out worry-free for three months.”

Choi Hyangbang spat below the notice as if it were a relief. Then he seemed about to spit again but stopped there, as if he couldn’t bring himself to do it on the name written on the notice, even without Jang Daeho present.

Hongyo looked at the notice, then turned her head to Yeoryeong. He wore a somewhat complicated expression, as if pondering something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh? No. Just thinking about what lineage really means.”

Hongyo spoke, looking at Yeoryeong, who had already reverted to his usual playful expression.

“Why? Aren’t you from a young master’s background too?”

At that, Yeoryeong laughed as if it were absurd.

“If you’re from nobility, you’re from nobility, what’s this ‘young master background’? Anyway, young masters have their own ways, Young Master Hongyo. Let’s stop looking at this unlucky crap and head to class.”

As Hongyo was dragged along by him, she still wondered why Jang Daeho had forfeited back then. But even that question was completely forgotten once they entered spear arts class.

“Why won’t it work?”

Even after class ended and everyone had returned to the dorms, the one remaining in the training ground until the end was Hongyo. The spear tournament might be over, but that didn’t mean she could stop training. She might manage with sword or bow, but she still couldn’t handle the spear properly, she could barely even grip it.

‘No wonder I got knocked out in an instant.’

Hongyo recalled how she had been unceremoniously knocked out by Jang Daeho in the spear arts tournament without even getting a chance to fight back. The match had ended before they could exchange more than ten bouts, and thinking back on it still made her ashamed. Moreover, recalling Jang Daeho’s triumphant smile as she lay sprawled before him made her feel feverish even in this cold weather.

Thus, even after the spear tournament ended, she continued training, but unlike sword or bow, she struggled with how to handle this weapon larger than her own body. It hadn’t seemed that hard in class, but practicing alone, even the motion of raising the spear overhead and thrusting was burdensome.

“What’s the problem?”

“If you only use your arms like that, even gripping the spear will be hard.”

Hongyo turned her head at the familiar voice from behind. There, somehow standing at a distance as if he had been there all along, Gamyoung slowly walked over. Then, before she knew it, he had come up behind her, grabbed both her elbows, and pulled her body close in an embrace-like hold. At the same time, a low voice flowed into her ear. Look, your stance is wrong from the start.

“I’ll teach you just once. So follow along carefully.”