Page 40 of Gumiho Kiss
She winced.Calling him by his given name instead of Inspector Kim certainly wasn’t helping her case.She didn’t even use Young Master Kang’s given name, and he was her fiancé.
She peeked at Mr.Park, fear skipping through her chest.He and Young Master Kang were friends.If he claimed something inappropriate was going on between her and Min Joon, Young Master Kang might call off the marriage.
The bodyguard was watching her carefully, but beyond that, his face was impassive.Finally, he said, “So, I have him to thank for your poor technique?”
P-poor technique?
Her eyes narrowed just before she lunged, blade crashing into his with a zing.“You call this poor technique?”
Mr.Park pushed her away with a laugh.“There we go.Now you’re not holding back.”
Chin Sun’s lip curled.She didn’t like being baited.Even more than that, she didn’t like falling for it.
Time to return the favor.
“Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Mr.Park’s wicked grin was all the answer she needed.
She flew forward in a blaze of movement, striking again and again.She may not be as fast without her bead, but that didn’t mean she’d forgotten the intricacies of swordplay.For the next half hour or so, they sparred, testing each other for weaknesses, goading each other to try harder.Chin Sun was the more cunning of the two, her attacks less predictable.But Mr.Park was the greater swordsman by far, besting her three times to her one.He not only had experience on his side but also strength and speed.
Once they’d gotten into a good rhythm, Chin Sun changed tactics, doing all she could to keep Mr.Park on the defensive so he wouldn’t notice the group of tree roots she was herding him toward.Just a bit farther, and they’d be in the right position for her to stumble and stage an accidental kiss.
But keeping his focus was only one of many pieces that had to align for her scheme to work.If Mr.Park didn’t react quickly enough, she might end up getting stabbed instead of falling on him.She also had to make sure she didn’t tip forward too early; otherwise her mouth wouldn’t land on his, and all this would be for naught.
“So, what about you?”she asked.“What made you decide to become a soldier?”Her question was meant to keep him distracted, but she was also genuinely curious.Many sangmin joined the military because it offered the greatest opportunities for advancement.
He blocked her strike, seemingly unaware of the roots at his back.“Joining the military was always meant to be a stepping stone, but when I became a royal guard, I found I enjoyed the position so much I didn’t wish to leave it.”
Chin Sun’s mouth curved downward.“Then what was your original goal?”
“To become a minister in the royal cabinet.”
Her sword slipped at his next attack, then fell to the ground unnoticed.“The royal cabinet?But that would mean you’re a ...”
Mr.Park’s eyebrows rose.“A yangban?Yeh, I used to be.”
She swallowed, throat suddenly thick.“But I thought you said you didn’t have any family.”
He didn’t answer, something wavering in his gaze.Then he broke eye contact and waved at her fallen blade.“Are you going to get that?”
“Ah, yeh.”Chin Sun picked up the sword, but her thoughts were so scattered she nearly dropped it again.If Mr.Park was a yangban, he outranked her.How could she have been so stupid!Of course Young Master Kang’s friend was a yangban, not a sangmin.And she’d been so arrogant when he’d first arrived.
“If I am to trust you to protect me, I need to know your word means something.”
“I apologize for my word choice, but I assumed you knew I wasn’t including the Lee family.”
“My servantsarefamily.You do not touch them.”
Her face flamed up at the memory.She’d been so angry over how he’d treated Pyung Ho, but now his behavior made sense.If he’d grown up in a yangban household, it would have been normal to think of his servants as little more than animals, not people with hopes and dreams much like his own.
But why on earth would a yangban have become a jungin’s bodyguard?
Her mind flew back to what he’d said a moment ago.“A yangban?Yeh, I used to be.”
As in, he wasn’t anymore.Did that mean he and his family weren’t on good terms?Had his parents cut ties with him?
Her heart swelled with sympathy.To lose your family was one thing; to be abandoned was quite another.
