If Silk Flowers Bloom by the Water’s Edge Chapter 21

The yellow sunlight playfully licked Chaehwa’s dimples. Climbing the stairs leading to the bell tower, Chaehwa hummed an improvised tune. Outsiders, with their zesty flavor, were a different kind of fun from the people of Nanjubeol. Mild was nice, but she had a desire to see his fangs bared, growling like before.

She agreed with the fact that Yirok was suppressing his temper. But it wasn’t like he had become noticeably gentler; look at him, standing far off and just staring at the sky. Since this was an outing she’d come on after tossing aside the chance to clear the next stage of <Knight of the Stars>, she wanted to gain a definite reward.

“Ah!”

After climbing only two steps, she pretended to stumble and grabbed her ankle. Whenever something happened to Chaehwa, Shinwoo and the other haenangs would drop everything and come running.

Chaehwa’s mind, as she clutched her ankle and groaned, was just as messy, but the reaction she got was minimal. Even though he had heard her scream, Yirok was busy admiring the irrelevant sky.

“Kim Yirok!”

Only after Chaehwa shouted to give him a hint did he turn his heavy head. In response to his august non-reaction, Chaehwa put on a masterful performance.

“I sprained my leg.”

Yirok’s gaze fell on the white leg that poked out from under her sky-blue silk skirt. Such a look, devoid of any worry, was bewildering, but Chaehwa’s acting was just hitting its stride.

“I’m going to die like this.”

Did the softly uttered words finally stir a special emotion in him? Yirok, who seemed to be considering it carefully, chose the opposite direction and walked away. Of course, for Chaehwa, it was an unexpected move.

“Where are you going! I said my leg hurts!”

“I’m going to throw a rock and break a window. When someone comes, I’ll tell them to call Yeonrye.”

“What? A rock?”

Her pursed lips must have seemed annoying to him. One of Yirok’s eyes wrinkled overtly. Moreover, his expression as he scanned the squatting Chaehwa was filled with justified suspicion.

“Yeonrye… should I get her? Or not?”

“Ye, Yeonrye, why?”

“You said your leg hurts 10 seconds ago. I don’t know how to treat injuries. If I leave it and something serious happens, I’ll be the only one getting my calves whipped. Should I go get her?”

“That’s…”

“Get her? Or not?”

“It’s not that badly hurt…”

As her voice trailed off with a lack of confidence, Yirok, who hadn’t come no matter how many times she’d called, strode over. She hadn’t realized it when she was just watching him. Yirok’s expression as he ran up the stairs was not one to be taken lightly. It felt as if one wrong step into those black eyes, which were sure she was faking, would get her completely burned up.

“Let me see.”

“Ah… now that I look, I think it’s okay.”

“Let me see, Young Miss. Uh… stay still.”

Now that she thought about it, Yirok only called her ‘Young Miss’ when pushed to the extreme. Perhaps because he was originally such a cold person, his usual expression replaced the fiery gaze. The slow emotional changes and the look of someone watching a passing magpie, that is. Disappointed by his attitude, which was contrary to her expectations, Chaehwa’s disappointment went through stages and reached bewilderment.

“Ah!”

“Here?”

“Not there! The other foot!”

She thought he was finally settling down to pay attention for once, but he’d grabbed and pulled the wrong ankle. Her mood ruined, Chaehwa shook her head and pulled her ankle from his grasp.

“Never mind, forget it. In times like these, you’re supposed to be startled and come running to carry me on your back. You’re always acting so bland, and if not that, you’re getting angry with me. I guess you don’t have any other expressions inside you.”

As she finished speaking, Yirok, who had been clumsily lifting and lowering her ankle, raised his gaze. She didn’t know why, of all things, Yirok’s attire, without even a single proper piece of clothing despite the cold winter day, caught her eye. She didn’t know why, of all things, her own outfit, complete with a fur scarf and a thick vest, was compared to his. She thought he had raised his eyes to say something, but Yirok said nothing. That’s what sparked the unnecessary thoughts.

“Chaehwa, you will regret this.”

“…What did I do?”

And the words that came after her wait were the gentlest she had ever heard from him. If one were to judge by voice alone, that is. Perhaps that was why, despite the content, Chaehwa didn’t find his words unpleasant. Feeling it was worth watching, Chaehwa listened quietly.

“I know that a precious Young Miss sees the world as only warm. You’re very interested in the outside world, so you must be overflowing with curiosity. I know that, but… don’t do that to me, Chaehwa.”

“What am I doing to you? I’m asking because I really don’t know.”

“If you expect anything more than this from me, your life will become uncomfortable for the first time. The day will come when you’ll regret to death even giving me a piece of toast.”

“…”

“Do you like bets? Shall we make one? On whether you’ll regret it or not? Maybe it’ll happen in a few days…. You should have some sense, even if you were raised swaddled in silk brocade. That’s how you’ll live lavishly later on, isn’t it?”

“I’m confused. Are you worrying about me, or are you threatening me?”

“If this sounds like empty words, then assume it’s worry. It doesn’t matter to me either way.”

Yirok, who seemed to have a psychology too complex to put into words, shook his head and added.

“I don’t know when it will be, but on the day you understand my words, could you spare me your resentment? Ah… I can’t do this anymore.”

Luring her in with gentle words only to get tired at the end was unacceptable. Just as Yirok was about to stop talking, she grabbed his chin. Yirok, his head now held in place, didn’t even look surprised and just glanced at her fingertips on his chin. Then, he gave a smile, as if her flower-like hand was something to be shy about.

“Yes, Chaehwa. Are you a little more uncomfortable with me now?”

To that face, which seemed to welcome it, Chaehwa returned a simple, clear smile.

“If you’re going to say something, you should stay to hear the answer. The threat is fine, and the worry is fine too. But first of all, there is nothing I will regret to the point of death because of you.”

“You think not? I’m like this, and you’ll continue to be Chaehwa of Nanjubeol, won’t you?”

“You said it was a bet. Fine. What should I do for you on the day I regret something to death because of you?”

If one was to talk about a bet, it was only natural to also talk about the reward after the bet was over. Chaehwa, who had a knack for bets, wore a confident smile. In contrast, Yirok looked up at Chaehwa with a somewhat dazed expression. It was Chaehwa’s turn to ask if they should decide by drawing lots if there was nothing he particularly wanted. Yirok, who had turned as pale as a corpse, opened his eyes, his gaze sharp.

“How about just letting me off the hook?”

“Let you… off the hook, Yirok?”

For a moment, Chaehwa, thinking he meant for her to look at him, flinched. But hearing his next words, she realized it had a completely different meaning.

“If you come to think, ‘He had no choice but to do that’.”

Chaehwa let go of his chin and placed her hand on her thigh. A small regret was already sprouting in Chaehwa’s chest. Yirok’s heart, which she could almost but not quite grasp, was not very pleasant.

“Fine. If you do something wrong to me, Yirok, I’ll let you off once. Actually, I’ve already been doing that several times, you know?”

“Don’t do that, then. Trust your gut. I am a bastard.”

The shadow of Yirok, who stood up with a sigh-like utterance, fell upon the stairs. Her original plan was to use the excuse of a sprained ankle to get a piggyback ride from Yirok for a tour around the Nanjubeol mansion. She wanted to see Yirok’s tearful face when he later found out he’d been tricked. But even without elaborately teasing him, Yirok showed a variety of emotions. The emotion she discovered today was guilt.

“That’s enough. Give me your hand. Help me up.”

The man had not a shred of manners, so she had to order him for every little thing. Yirok, who would have just gotten up on his own, finally looked at the seated Chaehwa. At this point, she thought he would have read the mood and assumed an escorting posture. But Yirok’s hands, which had learned their manners on the street, went into his pockets. Then, performing the feat of walking backward, he grinned.

“My hands are too cold. Sorry.”

“Hey!”

“Am I still not a bastard? Think about it some more.”

“Kim Yirok! Stop right there.”

Yirok, who was going down the stairs avoiding the unmelted patches of snow, urged her on with words, “Hurry up.” The face of the boy who never smiled finally looked like he was eighteen. The current him, grinning to prove he was a bastard, was better than his face when he was just acting all grim.

Chaehwa, having overcome her feigned illness, stood up briskly and jumped down to the lower steps. Yirok, as if he knew she would, walked on without looking back. Chaehwa, walking behind him, yelled that the length of Yirok’s legs in front of her was unfair.

“If you just go like that, don’t you know I’m going with you?”

“Nope, I don’t.”

“Kim Yirok!”

With one arm stretched forward, Chaehwa moved her feet quickly to chase Yirok. Chaehwa’s face, as she hopped and skipped down the bell tower stairs, had at some point let go of its sulkiness.

Still, it wasn’t a bad walk. Being with Yirok was good because, at the very least, it wasn’t boring.

“If you don’t slow down, you won’t even get any toast today.”

Though her threatening words did not shorten his wide stride one bit. The sunlight that had pooled in her dimples came down and covered Chaehwa’s lips. The truth was, ever since Yirok came, the time she spent wondering what to do tomorrow had increased. It was the first sunlight of the winter that was simply good, with nothing superfluous.