As True as a Dream Chapter 109

“Clothes?”

 

Hae-Joo looked Yi Ho up and down in his sleek, striped black suit.

 

The suits he usually wore were all from high-end tailors in department stores.

 

“Mister Hongo orders.”

 

Hae-Joo opened her mouth in a small gesture.

 

No matter how many times she thought about it, Mister Hongo’s body was too big for even a dozen suits.

 

Not only does he oversee, manage, and operate all the buildings in Song Yue Pavilion, but he also has to take care of Yi Ho’s every need.

 

“I really admire Mister Hongo, I wouldn’t be able to do that no matter how much money you paid me.”

 

“Even if I give you a portion of Song Yue Pavilion’s income?”

 

“…Then I’d have to break my body.”

 

The corners of Yi Ho’s mouth twitched up under his mask as he looked at Hae-Joo, who immediately changed her face.

 

Well, it’s only a matter of days before she’s shameless and reveals her money.

 

Hae-Joo pushed open the heavy doors and entered the department store, past the ever-present window displays.

 

“I’m going to buy a gift first, so we can go that way.”

 

“…You’ve been here a lot, haven’t you?”

 

Yi Ho asked, raising an eyebrow at her familiarity with the direction.

 

“Of course, it’s what I do, I make jewelry, I can’t afford to be out of fashion.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Sometimes I come in to see what forms of accessories are coming in.”

 

Hae-Joo, who was speaking in a whisper close to Yi Ho, naturally led him along, and soon they were standing in front of the perfume stand.

 

She waited for a suit-clad employee with neatly swept back hair to approach and asked.

 

“I’d like to buy a perfume, do you have any recommendations?”

 

“How old is the person you’re giving it to?”

 

“She’s about to turn eighteen.”

 

“Well then…does she most commonly wear original or floral fragrances… Scandal, Spring in Paris, and Flower of Paris are the most popular right now.”

 

She pulled a few perfumes from the back of the shelf and showed her.

 

“When you shake the bottle like this, it bubbles a lot, which means it’s a good perfume.”

 

Hae-Joo nodded and looked at the differently shaped bottles one by one.

 

“This Scandal one has a nice, subtle smell, and young women especially like it.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. You can wear it on your sleeve or collar or behind your earlobe.”

 

“Thank you. I’ll look around a bit more.”

 

Hae-Joo stepped away from the stall and grabbed Yi Ho by the collar, pulling him in a different direction.

 

“What, you don’t want to buy it?”

 

“It’s too expensive.”

 

Hae-Joo answered Yi Ho’s question in a low whisper.

 

“If it’s expensive…”

 

“I can buy it for Eun-sil, but she won’t be able to afford it.”

 

Yi Ho understood what she meant, so he didn’t suggest any more.

 

It’s not like he’s never been to a department store before, and he doesn’t know the price of perfume.

 

She wasn’t the kind of girl to accept a perfume that cost half a month’s salary at a textile factory.

 

She tugged on Yi Ho’s collar once more and led him toward the cosmetics counter, as she had originally thought.

 

“[Mr. Ban?]”

 

Hae-Joo stood upright in her seat when she saw the woman smiling at them.

 

“Saito… Mao…?”

 

Mao Saito, dressed in a cherry blossom-colored kimono with a camellia flower pattern, stood among the department store shelves.

 

Suddenly, the image of the box with the dead mountain bird in it flashed in her mind, and she took an involuntary step backward.

 

“[How are you? I’ve missed you, it’s so hard to see you].”

 

Mao, who wore clogs, strode over with a shuffling step, swept past Hae-Joo, and stood directly in front of Yi Ho.

 

“[You wore that ugly mask then and you’re still wearing it now, don’t you have another one, something prettier and brighter?]”

 

Smiling broadly, as if they were on friendly terms, Hae-Joo’s eyes widened at the absurdity of Saito Mao’s behavior.

 

Although she couldn’t see his expression through the mask, it was clear from the way his lips curled into a smile that he was also displeased.

 

“[I was sick for quite a while after that birthday banquet, didn’t you know, I was waiting for you to come to visit me].”

 

Mao Saito said, staring at Yi Ho intently.

 

Hae-Joo, who was watching, tilted her head at an angle.

 

‘You were sick? Then why would the boss go to visit you?’

 

The tone, as if he should have come, seemed rather bizarre.

 

And then, when Mao Saito tried to touch his arm as if to rouse the unresponsive Yi Ho but Yi Ho twisted and dodged.

 

He then ignored Mao Saito as if she were not there and walked over to Hae-Joo.

 

Hae-Joo glanced up at Yi Ho, who had his arm lightly around her shoulders.

 

“[Where are you going while I’m still talking to you?]”

 

Unlike a moment ago, Saito Mao’s voice was somewhat sharp.

 

And there was a hint of sarcasm in her response to Yi Ho’s sour’s ferocious reply.

 

“[Piss off while I’m being nice].”

 

“[Mr. Ban, were you talking to me?]”

 

“[By the way.]”

 

“[…Have you forgotten who I am?]”

 

Mao Saito’s mood had changed from when she’d spotted Yi Ho and rushed over with a happy face.

 

There was even a hint of madness in her eyes that sent chills down her spine.

 

But in the face of that gaze, Yi Ho remained calm.

 

He seemed to be unconcerned, as if Mao Saito was nothing more than dust.

 

And his attitude naturally made this half-crazed woman even more frenzied.

 

“[Ban Yi Ho! Can’t you hear me?]”

 

Saito Mao, her face contorted in a ferocious manner, shouted nervously.

 

At once, the gazes of the people around them turned.

 

Hae-Joo’s heart sank and she quickly stepped forward.

 

“[Miss Saito Mao, please stop, there are so many eyes on you…]”

 

Yi Ho might not care about Saito Mao, but she did.

After all, isn’t Saito Mao the only daughter of Governor Saito, who has all the power in this country, in Joseon!

 

If things went wrong something unfavorable might happen to Yi Ho or Song Yue. It was possible.

 

“[Is it because of you?]”

 

Mao Saito’s sword-like eyes pierced straight into hers.

 

Hae-Joo cowered in fear at the viciousness of those eyes, but only for a moment.

 

Hae-Joo cleared her throat and spoke calmly and clearly for everyone around her to hear.

 

Even the most unruly young lady should have thought twice before lashing out at the common people in the middle of a department store where foreigners and Koreans were mixed together.

 

“[Miss Saito, even if you are Governor Saito’s only daughter, you shouldn’t bully people like this!]”

 

“[Yes, it’s you, you’re the one who pushed me away at the birthday party, that’s right].”

 

Hae-joo blinked.

 

The sight of Saito Mao muttering to herself, lost in her own thoughts and not paying attention to what Hae-Joo had just said, was a little disturbing.

 

“[There’s nothing in this world that I can’t have, I will have it, whatever I want, no matter what!]”

 

“[…Miss Saito, people aren’t things, so how can you say you can’t have something?]”

 

Despite Mao Saito’s creepy behavior, Hae-Joo continued to say what she wanted to say.

 

As expected, the people around them started gossiping.

 

“[We’re already engaged and we like each other, so please stop this coercive behavior].”

 

Whispers aimed at them came from all directions, just as Hae-Joo had intended.

 

“Governor Saito’s daughter must be trying to rob people.”

 

“It’s not enough that she stole a country, but she’s trying to steal a man who still has a legitimate consort?”

 

“But isn’t that man… isn’t that Mr. Ban of Song Yue Pavilion, the mysterious one…? He said he was engaged, and that woman must be his fiancée.”

 

“She’s so bold in broad daylight. She can have whatever she wants, even a young lady can read.”

 

“At least he’s the boss of Song Yue, she should be with a different man. What can she say if they drag her away on a false accusation?”

 

Hae-Joo pursed her lips as she listened to the barrage of accusations hurled at Mao Saito.

 

She glanced over at Yi Ho, feeling like she might be able to escape Saito Mao’s grasp for now.

 

As he stared down at her, an amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

 

When Hae-Joo raised an eyebrow to ask what was wrong, Yi Ho mouthed the words.

 

“We’re engaged and we like each other?”

 

Hae-Joo’s eyes widened and she gaped, too.

 

“That’s right.”

 

The person who had spat out the words to get lost so viciously seemed to be enjoying her defense.

 

Wide-eyed, Hae-Joo glanced at him, then back at Saito Mao.

 

“[I hope this doesn’t happen again].”

 

Hae-Joo gave Saito Mao a quick bow before turning away.

 

She thought it would be a good time to get away from Saito Mao, who was clinging to her relentlessly.

 

But when she turned her back, Saito Mao’s eyes turned to her.

 

A new scream rang out around her, and when she turned around, she saw that Yi Ho had grabbed Saito Mao’s outstretched arm and held it back, trying to grab her by the hair.

 

As Hae-Joo composed herself, Yi Ho let go of Mao Saito’s arm with a rough toss and turned to face Mao with her back to Hae-Joo.

 

Then he tilted his upper body and spoke softly into the top of Mao’s head.

 

So that only Saito Mao could hear.

 

“[I don’t care if you’re the governor’s daughter or the emperor’s daughter, if you want to die, just keep going, this is my last warning, there will be no third time].”

 

A voice as cold as an iceberg descended sinisterly.