If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 20

When the rain stopped and the sun came out for the first time in a while, the women of Nanjubeol, as diligent as honeybees, brought out their piled-up laundry baskets. Hanging the thin fabrics on the clothesline was one of the local spectacles, so most of them were delighted when the sun was out. At the news that the three days of wind and rain had ceased, the haenangs of Nanjubeol also stealthily planned an outing.

Under the pretext of having helped the young mistress Chaehwa, they had been banned from classes for over ten days. With nothing to do, and fearing they might fall out of the master’s favor again, they had been cooped up like winter snakes for what felt like an eternity.

With the big clean-up finished, Shinwoo stepped up to arrange a modest gathering for the haenangs. It was a chance to sit at the pavilion overlooking the ice-rimmed pond and shake off the dust of their recent confinement. The female haenangs filled their bellies with snacks and basked in the sunlight outside the pavilion. Shinwoo brewed warm tea while watching several haenangs head out for a walk.

“Don’t you think the master’s anger has subsided now? He didn’t say anything even when we came out.”

The one who slyly stole the tea Shinwoo poured and sipped it was Chaho, one of only three male haenangs. His short temper and rather angry disposition were his flaws, but he wasn’t a bad friend to have for fun. Without nagging, Shinwoo poured tea into a new cup.

“Do you really think the master would be genuinely angry with the young mistress? He’s just putting on a show for a few days as an example for us and the others.”

“I don’t know. To say it’s just an example, that outsider has been monopolizing the young mistress for days now, hasn’t he?”

Sometimes, Chaho’s words, both dull and sharp, were unpleasant to hear. The ryeongju, which he thought would last for three days at most, had been tying the two of them together for over ten days now, hadn’t it? The empty space left by his roommate Yirok’s absence felt like a grain of sand in his eye.

The cookie that entered his mouth tasted bitter. The number of days his hard-to-befriend roommate hadn’t returned was the same as the number of days he hadn’t seen the young mistress. He thought he wasn’t the only one getting tired of the longer-than-expected punishment period. The young mistress, who loved the world outside the chukjangji, must have pulled out a handful of her hair from stress.

“Huh? Isn’t that the young mistress?”

Chaho, who had been stuffing three cookies at a time into his mouth, mumbled. Shinwoo, hastily setting down his teacup as if dropping it, fixed his gaze.

There was an affectionate man and woman strolling along the pond path as if they were celestial beings at play. The young mistress in front was pulling the ryeongju like a dog leash, and a man followed behind, taking reluctant steps. The ryeongju binding them together hung disgustingly slack. The young mistress, who would fall ill if she kept her mouth shut, and Yirok, characterized by his seemingly slow gait. Shinwoo watched the two of them intently, oblivious to his hand being burned by the hot teacup.

“Wow… they’re getting along well, aren’t they? The ryeongju will probably be untied soon.”

“Getting along well? I don’t think so.”

Not wanting to acknowledge the scene he had just witnessed, he contradicted him verbally. Flustered by Shinwoo’s words, Chaho wittily made a toast with his teacup.

“If you say so, then so be it. It’s just… isn’t it amazing that they’re just walking together without growling at each other?”

“It’s because the young mistress is kind. Because she’s kind… she doesn’t turn a blind eye to even those kinds of people.”

“Your words are a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

“I’m just calling it as I see it.”

Even setting aside his personal feelings and chaotic heart, Yirok’s expression was as cold as it had been back then. The young mistress, who was walking clumsily and looking into the pond, was as lovely as ever. And Yirok would probably let the young mistress’s words go in one ear and out the other.

“He is pretty good-looking, though. Both Haeju and Yeonseo were dying to get close to him, weren’t they? They just couldn’t because of the young mistress.”

It wasn’t untrue; the outsider had a handsome appearance that made two of the four female haenangs show signs of a one-sided crush, but his insides were like a desolate, abandoned house. Since the young mistress was someone who could see through a person’s true nature, Chaho’s provocation was absurd.

“It’s a good thing the young mistress isn’t someone who only looks at people’s faces.”

“What’s with you, Shinwoo? You have a pretty decent face yourself.”

“When did I ask about that?”

“No… it’s just. You seemed to be bothered by it.”

“Not at all.”

To hide his bitter smile, Shinwoo put a honey-coated cookie in his mouth. A sigh escaped him unavoidably, and he was about to lean back comfortably and just keep the young mistress in his sight.

Just then, Shinwoo’s mouth, which had been moving busily to quickly swallow the sweet thing, froze.

At some point, Yirok was beside the young mistress, who was peering into the pond. He was digging at the ground as if bored, but his gaze kept straying to the side. The target was the young mistress, who was waving her hands in excitement. Shinwoo focused all his senses and tried to read Yirok’s moving lips.

‘Seeing as you came during snack time. You must want to catch and eat that. Should I catch it? Which one should I catch?’

As if Shinwoo had read correctly, the young mistress Chaehwa jumped up and started pointing her finger accusingly. Yirok received Chaehwa’s words with an expression that seemed to have become chronic. Chaehwa, who had been raising her voice like someone haggling at a market, turned and left. There was no reason for their usual discord to be irritating.

“See? I told you they’re getting along.”

At the end of Chaho’s remark, who couldn’t care less whether those two fought or not, Shinwoo gave up on breathing. Yirok, whose one arm was tied to the young mistress as he was being dragged away by her turned back, smiled. A layer of a colorful smile was superimposed on that blank expression he only showed when they were alone. It was a small change, but also dazzling proof. Proof that the relationship between the two was not the same as before.

“I’m going to take a nap. The young mistress is gone, so you should head in too, Shinwoo.”

“I….”

In that moment, Shinwoo felt a greater sense of betrayal toward Yirok than toward the young mistress. He had thought his roommate’s prickly nature of keeping his distance from people would last forever. He didn’t want to know the man who was now trailing after the young mistress like a duckling.

“I… will head in a bit later. You go on ahead.”

Therefore, this was no different from Yirok betraying the loyalty between roommates.

🌹₊ ⊹

The winter morning weather was clear, bright, and warm, just like Chaehwa’s emotions. Behind Chaehwa, who made a shade with her hand against the dazzling sunlight, was Yirok. After their dramatic truce agreement on that rainy day, Yirok had changed.

Let’s look back on how things used to be. If she greeted him in the morning while stretching, he would ignore her and just drink cold water by himself. He would usually walk around staring blankly at the ground or peek at Chaehwa’s bookshelf. As for answering her questions, he might or might not, depending on his mood. And even when he deigned to answer, there was a high probability it would be a rude one.

It was a good thing she took that box cutter away. As if the source of his temper had been snatched away, Yirok became a gentle lamb in a pasture from that day on. Recalling the box cutter, which was wrapped in a handkerchief and stored away, Chaehwa looked behind her. As expected, she saw Yirok following quietly without a word of complaint.

“Next is over there. I’ll show you the sacred bell up there. As for that bell….”

Wondering just how obedient he would be, she decided to show him the famous spots of the Nanjubeol estate without his consent. The 100 steps were a drawback, but she was in the middle of chattering away about the bell tower they always visited for important rites or feasts. Chaehwa, who had been talking until her throat tingled, casually turned her head. Yirok, who she expected to be blatantly showing that he was daydreaming again, was displaying the same level of concentration as he did in class.

Chaehwa, meeting his focused black eyes, was startled and stopped talking. Yirok, who held out his one bound arm and didn’t even blink once, was suspicious. No, beyond suspicious, he was too well-behaved. Chaehwa had mentally prepared herself, expecting him to lose his temper by now.

“Uh… you’re not bored, are you?”

Yirok, who had stopped his explanation of the bell and become cautious, squinted one eye as if finding Chaehwa strange. She had already figured out that this was a habit he had when he was in a bad mood. She waited, expecting Yirok’s temper to explode and his mouth to spit out mean words, but this time he said something completely unexpected.

“Are you hungry?”

“Uh, me?”

“The young mistress for whom the sky falls if she starves didn’t raid the kitchen today. It’s well past the time for you to be crying out Yeonrye’s name, you know.”

Instead, it was Chaehwa whose eyes popped out as if she’d been hit from behind. Yirok, who sent a gaze as if seeking an answer, looked like someone who had reached enlightenment. He must have overcome the affliction that was her and memorized her daily schedule. Wondering if she really did frequent the kitchen that much, Chaehwa cleared her throat.

“No, well, I can skip a snack for a day too. If you’re really okay with it, I was thinking we could go up the stairs and see the bell.”

“Did you set a snare up there? Or a pit…. Whatever it is, just tell me. So I can knowingly fall for it.”

“What? What do you mean, let’s just go and have a look.”

“I doubt it…. You don’t have the stomach to skip a snack.”

“Hah!”

Seeing Yirok seriously looking out for her snack time, Chaehwa’s mind went blank for a moment. Furthermore, with Yirok acting as bland as something that had lost its sweetness, Chaehwa became anxious and took a reckless step.

“Actually, there are snacks up there. That’s why I kept saying we should go up the stairs.”

“Ah, I see.”

Her lips pouted at the annoying Yirok, who readily agreed at the mention of snacks. Walking at a distance, Chaehwa racked her brain and came up with a brilliant prank.

Yes, that’s it.