SYM 42
by Emerlyn“Yes?”
What had she just heard? Soseo was so startled that she blurted out the question with a blank expression.
Seeing Soseo stammer and fail to react properly, Eun-hyeon tilted the teapot. With a gentle trickle, fragrant tea filled the small teacup. But Soseo didn’t even touch the cup.
“Wh-What on earth…”
“The reason I haven’t said anything until now, Soseo, isn’t because I didn’t know.”
Soseo covered her mouth. She felt like screaming at any moment.
Eun-hyeon quietly continued, watching Soseo.
“I didn’t call you here to listen to some clumsy excuses, so there’s no need to say them. It’s not that I didn’t know and stayed still, but that I didn’t see the need to say anything.”
Soseo pressed her lips tightly together. She felt like it would be less scary if Eun-hyeon were angry. He was speaking quietly with the same expression as usual, so she was anxious because she didn’t know how to react.
“Th-Then why…? What for…?”
Soseo’s clasped hands trembled slightly.
Eun-hyeon looked at Soseo and took a sip of tea. Cheong-un saw him as full of justice and kind to children, but Eun-hyeon didn’t think he was particularly like that. He was just moderately cowardly and moderately selfish.
Eun-hyeon wasn’t soft or foolish enough to forgive someone who had harmed him and keep them by his side.
“Soseo, I need you to do some work for me. If you do the work satisfactorily, I’ll let bygones be bygones.”
“…Young Master.”
“Of course, there’s no need to mention what will happen if you refuse to do this work.”
Soseo looked at Eun-hyeon and bit her lip. Soseo only had one answer she could give. If she said she couldn’t do it, it meant he wouldn’t let bygones be bygones.
“Tell me.”
“Good, I like that. I need you to go back and forth to Madam Hwang as my spy and bring back any information I need.”
“Yes?”
Soseo stared at Eun-hyeon with a pale, ashen face.
“Wasn’t he the one who told you to put poison in my tea? What did you think I would ask you to do?”
“Y-Young Master, that’s…!”
She had expected him to ask her to do something difficult, but she never imagined that the timid Eun-hyeon would directly mention Madam Hwang and ask her to be a spy.
From some point on, Namgung Eun-hyeon had become a completely different person from the one Soseo knew.
“Soseo, Madam Hwang is secretly plotting something. Something that involves the Mosan Sect Taoist. It’s difficult to do this kind of thing inside the Namgung Clan without being seen, so they’ll be meeting somewhere else. Find out where that is.”
“…Y-Young Master!”
“And bring me any other information I need. You tried to take my life, so shouldn’t you risk your own life as well?”
Soseo didn’t know what to say, so she bit her lip tightly with reddened eyes.
“But if you’re going to work hard, there has to be a reward.”
Eun-hyeon took a handful of jewelry from the drawer and threw it to Soseo. Namgung Juwon had given it to him after he moved to the Inner Court.
Soseo hurriedly gathered the jewelry. Even in her fear, Eun-hyeon smiled bitterly at the greed in her eyes.
Soseo had ended up like this because of that greed, but she couldn’t let go of it.
“I don’t intend to make you, who doesn’t know Martial Arts, do anything dangerous. But if I don’t think you’re doing your best, I intend to leave your fate directly to my father, the Clan Lord.”
At the word “Clan Lord,” Soseo knelt on the floor and bowed her head. It seemed to be her way of expressing apology and obedience.
“Young Master, I will do my best.”
“…Alright. I’ll believe you.”
“Um, but, Young Master. I’m in a situation where I’ve already lost Madam Hwang’s trust…”
Soseo cautiously raised her head and looked at Eun-hyeon.
“If I’m going to regain Madam Hwang’s trust, I need to bring her information about you. Would that be alright?”
“I’ll tell you information that you can share, so use that to gain her trust.”
“Thank you! And um, Young Master…”
Her eyes, which had been like those of a dying person just a moment ago, now sparkled.
“Didn’t Madam Hwang mention a temple called Godeok Temple last time?”
“Ah, yes. She did. The place she wanted me to go with her to offer prayers, but I refused.”
“I need to investigate further, but I suspect that temple.”
“…That temple…?”
When Eun-hyeon frowned and asked, Soseo quickly nodded.
“Actually, it’s not easy for someone like Madam Hwang to move around without anyone knowing. Unless she had learned Martial Arts, but Madam Hwang doesn’t know any Martial Arts at all, does she? Moreover, Madam Hwang doesn’t like to endure discomfort, so there are many things to prepare when she goes somewhere.”
“So?”
“I’m not Madam Hwang’s personal attendant, but Madam Hwang isn’t the type to endure discomfort for something that needs to be done secretly.”
Eun-hyeon nodded at Soseo’s words. Madam Hwang, who had lived her whole life as the precious daughter of the Golden Battleground, was not someone who would endure discomfort under any circumstances.
“In that case, instead of moving secretly, she must have hidden something in one of the places she frequents. Madam Hwang has been visiting Godeok Temple frequently lately, so if Madam Hwang is doing something outside the Namgung Clan, wouldn’t it be around Godeok Temple?”
Eun-hyeon stared at Soseo for a moment, then chuckled. It seemed he had been overthinking things.
Soseo was right. It wouldn’t be easy for Madam Hwang, the mistress of a noble family, to go out. Since she didn’t have any Martial Arts skills, she couldn’t deceive anyone’s eyes.
So he should have suspected the places she usually went. How could he have missed something so obvious?
“Yes. You’re right. I need to look around Godeok Temple.”
“Um, Young Master… Please don’t misunderstand me. This is absolutely not to put you in any danger, it’s just my opinion.”
“I won’t misunderstand, so speak freely.”
Eun-hyeon said in a slightly weakened voice. He was frustrated that he hadn’t thought of something so obvious and had to get help from Soseo.
“Madam Hwang wouldn’t have hidden it so carelessly. How about falling into Madam Hwang’s trap on purpose?”
“Madam Hwang’s trap…?”
“It’s dangerous to fall into a trap without knowing it, but if you know it in advance and prepare thoroughly, you can use the trap to turn it against her.”
Eun-hyeon looked at Soseo with a renewed gaze. He thought she was just greedy for money, but she was much more useful than that.
“Yes. That makes sense. I’ll consider it. But since I refused Madam Hwang’s request last time, it won’t be easy to say I’ll go again.”
“Don’t worry about that!”
“Don’t worry…?”
“Isn’t the anniversary of the late Madam’s death coming up soon? Around this time, you always go to the temple to offer prayers, don’t you?”
Eun-hyeon hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
The anniversary of Namgung Eun-hyeon’s birth mother’s death was coming up soon. He hadn’t even thought about it.
“…Yes, it was. I forgot about the time.”
“Even though you haven’t been feeling well, you’ve always gone to the temple on your mother’s death anniversary. This time, why don’t you say that the Clan Lord won’t allow you to go out, so you want to go to Godeok Temple with Madam Hwang to offer prayers?”
“…With Madam Hwang?”
“Madam Hwang will be a little surprised, but it’s something you’ve done every year, so she won’t suspect anything.”
Eun-hyeon smiled helplessly at Soseo, who was speaking confidently. Soseo was being so helpful that it was almost suspicious.
“Alright. You’re right. Then you subtly let Madam Hwang know. I’ll have to go and talk to Madam Hwang directly soon.”
“I understand! Young Master. Leave it to me!”
Eun-hyeon nodded as he watched Soseo, who was clutching the thick jewelry in her pocket and answering energetically. He didn’t know if Soseo was trying to deceive him in some way, but it didn’t matter.
Madam Hwang was definitely plotting something at Godeok Temple. And he had a great helper who could handle whatever Madam Hwang was plotting.
Eun-hyeon sent Soseo out and then muttered, looking at the air.
“I have urgent business to contact Great Hero Ha, but how should I contact him? This matter will be difficult without Great Hero Ha’s help.”
It was a murmur as if he wanted someone to hear it.
The person Cheong-un had placed around him would soon report this story to Cheong-un.