Page 4 of Gumiho Kiss
But what would happen when she wasn’t fast enough to get away?
Chapter2
The Bodyguard
Sunlight and the sweet scent of spider lilies announced the morning as Chin Sun opened her eyes.The shuffling feet of servants on the other side of her latticed doors were comforting, easing the tension that remained in her shoulders even though five days had passed since she’d fled the magistrate’s office.
“Everything is fine,” she repeated for the hundredth time.No one knew anything; if they did, they would have already come for her.Everything was normal.
Chin Sun hadn’t fully convinced herself, but she began the lengthy process of dressing for the day, taking care with her pink jeogori jacket as it slid over her arms.Her wound wasn’t healing as quickly as she’d like, but so far, the orchid root had kept it from getting infected.Someone with more medical expertise would be helpful, but she couldn’t risk calling for an uinyeo right now.With the neighbors whispering about Gwishin potentially having an accomplice, she wasn’t going to do anything to cause suspicion.And a nurse’s aid was hardly necessary when she’d be fully recovered in a few days anyway.
Chin Sun deftly arranged her long black hair, parting it down the middle before sweeping it back into a simple braid and securing it with a red ribbon.Once her pink hairpin was in place atop her head, she needed but one final adornment to be ready for the day: a smile.
She practiced a few times, forcing her muscles into something friendly yet refined.But the maroon of her chima skirt was a little too similar to the blood stains she still needed to wash out of her hanbok, and her stomach turned.
She clenched her fists, willing the nausea back.One would have thought she’d be immune to such things after all the blood she’d spilled since becoming Gwishin a year and a half ago.
“Chin Sun-ah, are you ready?”Sang Mi opened the hanji doors and peeked inside, bubbly as ever.
Chin Sun’s smile reached her eyes for the first time that morning.“Yeh, I am.But, Sang Mi-yah, you really should be dressed before you leave your chambers.What if someone sees you?”
Sang Mi looked down at her sokgot undergarments and grimaced.“Ah, you’re quite right, Cousin.Excuse me.”She zipped out, moving much more swiftly than a lady should.
Chin Sun chuckled.Sang Mi would have to mature soon.Once Chin Sun was married, her samchon would waste no time in arranging a suitable match for his daughter.
Married ...Anxiety swirled in Chin Sun’s stomach.Negotiations were already underway for Chin Sun’s union with one of the local nobles.She was eighteen, and Kang Dol Sam was only a few years older, but he was already a widower, his first wife having succumbed to illness shortly after they’d married.As Confucianism dictated, he’d lived in mourning for the past three years, but now that the mandatory grieving period was over, he was ready to take a new wife.The fact that he was the only son and heir of Lord Kang Ki Yong, the most powerful yangban in all of Sokju, made him the ideal match.
Other than the fact that his father was one of the most corrupt individuals in the city, of course.If only she and Kang Min Joon had enough evidence to prove it, she wouldn’t have to go through with this.
Uncle had been overjoyed when Lord Kang had first sent a matchmaker to their home to discuss the possibility of uniting their families.Though wealthy, the Lees were still technically jungin, not yangban, making Chin Sun a less desirable future daughter-in-law than some of the other maidens in the city.
Still, she was esteemed throughout the Gangwon Province, not only for her grace and beauty but also for her avid mind.Her samchon had noticed her intellect at a young age and, rather than squelching it as others would have, had chosen to teach her much as one would a son.Besides her impressive education, she was also skilled in music, embroidery, and painting.
Upon receiving the news, Uncle had happily told the matchmaker that Chin Sun would be delighted to marry Young Master Kang, marking the beginning of euihon, the marriage negotiations.
Since then, the matchmaker had traveled back and forth between both families, asking questions about the prospective bride’s and groom’s family histories, personalities, and talents.While the Lee family sent the matchmaker very little to inquire about, out of courtesy so as not to seem like they were prying, the Kang family’s questions were almost ...invasive.
“It is to be expected,” Chin Sun had explained to her younger cousin, Sang Ook, when he wondered why Lord Kang cared if Chin Sun had suffered any grave illnesses as a child.“He wants to ensure his future grandchildren will be healthy and that I will be able to take care of his son as a good wife should.”
On this particular morning, Young Master Kang himself would be coming for a visit.So far, Chin Sun had only gotten rare glimpses of him from a distance.Curiosity tugged at her almost as much as it did Sang Mi, who blushed anytime the young lord’s name was mentioned.Her cousin’s voice twittered in her head:“Do you think he’s handsome, Unni?”
But that wasn’t what Chin Sun wanted to know most.What she was interested in learning was whether he would be easy to lie to, seeing as she’d have to do that for the rest of her life.
She sashayed to the sangbang, the main room where the family ate together, chin held high despite her slight tardiness.Breakfast porridge and side dishes sat upon a low-legged table, along with a fresh pot of tea.Uncle was already waiting, biting his lip in the way he always did when perturbed.His son, Sang Ook, sat on his left and smiled when he saw Chin Sun.The young boy was only seven and often didn’t notice the subtleties of his father’s expressions.
“How are you this morning, Niece?”Uncle greeted.
Chin Sun bowed deeply in a show of respect.“Quite well, thank you, Samchon.”She lowered herself into her usual seat, hoping Sang Mi would arrive soon.If not, Uncle would surely scold her for being late.Again.
“Did you forget whom we’re expecting?”Samchon’s tone deepened.
“Of course not, Uncle.I instructed the servants to prepare our best food.”
Ever since Chin Sun’s sungmo had passed away four years ago, Chin Sun had taken over managing the household in her aunt’s stead.Such a responsibility might have been too great for some fourteen-year-olds, but Chin Sun had been eager to do her part to help the family.
Especially considering her role in Sungmo’s demise.
He gestured to the empty place next to Sang Ook.“It appears Sang Mi’s punctuality is even more lacking.”
