Page 65 of Gumiho Kiss
Chin Sun didn’t hesitate.She lowered her entire body to the floor and conceded, “I will do as you say.I’ll marry Young Master Kang.”
“Lady Lee, don’t?—”
“You don’t get to speak,” Samchon snarled at Hyun Soo.“My niece has made her decision.Now get out of here before my patience runs out.”
Chin Sun peeked up and locked eyes with Hyun Soo, hoping he’d understand her silent message:Don’t worry about me.I’ll be fine.
His face crumpled, and he shook his head.
Uncle stepped in between them.“You better hurry up.If I hear you’re still in Sokju come tomorrow ...”
Hyun Soo stumbled down the corridor without glancing back, and Chin Sun couldn’t help but wonder if this would be the last time she’d ever see him.With Samchon so opposed to them being together, what future could they have?As much as she wished otherwise, she wielded no power as an unmarried jungin woman.Samchon’s word was law, and she had no choice but to abide by it.
She swallowed the lump in her throat.She wouldn’t allow Uncle to see her cry.
“Sang Mi,” Samchon said once Hyun Soo was gone, “escort Chin Sun to her chambers so she can reflect on her sins.”
Sang Mi pulled Chin Sun to her feet and gave her a small, sympathetic smile.Chin Sun looked away and started toward her room.
As she passed her uncle, he grabbed her face and turned it toward his.His grip was gentle, but trembling.As if it was taking all his willpower not to squeeze until she screamed for mercy.
She would have preferred that to the heart-wrenching grief on his face.“Samchon?”
His eyes clouded over.“You were so headstrong as a child.Always insisting on doing things on your own.So angry anytime you saw something you deemed unfair.”He let out a bitter laugh.“Your aunt thought I needed to temper you, that all that spirit would only lead to trouble.But I told her she didn’t see what I saw.A peony among the weeds ...destined for something wonderful.”His eyes sparked with pride as they came back into focus, and he rubbed his thumb over her cheek.
But as quickly as it had appeared, the flame flickered out, leaving ash and regret.“Now I realize how blind I was; what I thought was a flower really was a weed all along.”
He released her, a single tear sliding down his face.
Hurt swelled in Chin Sun’s chest, and she stomped off to her room, slamming the hanji doors behind her.
“Unni?”came a soft, soothing voice.
Chin Sun didn’t respond, instead staring at the flock of cranes on her folding screen.How could Samchon say that?She’d always put the family before herself.Always.Why did wanting something for herself make her lose all worth in his eyes?
Sang Mi’s touch was warm on her shoulder, but she shrugged it off.“Get away from me.”
“Unni, everything is going to?—“
“Don’tsay it’s going to work out, Sang Mi.”Chin Sun bared her teeth.“You have no idea what I’ve lost today.How could you when all you do is waste your time at home, daydreaming about boys you hardly know?”
Her words were like arrows, striking her wide-eyed target with vicious precision.Did she mean them?Chin Sun wasn’t sure, only that it felt good to say them after the onslaught she’d just received from her uncle.
“Let me tell you something,” she continued.“Real life is not like your silly novels.It’s messy and complicated and overwhelming, and everyone doesn’t find happiness in the end.”
“Chin Sun, I didn’t—” Sang Mi tried to interject, but Chin Sun spoke over her.
“You’re lucky Samchon loves you more than he does me, because you can get away with things I’ll never be able to.So enjoy it while it lasts.Just know that as soon as your pretty smile isn’t enough to hide your uselessness anymore, you’ll find yourself married off to whomever Uncle sees fit.Then you’ll have to grow up and stop waiting for others to take care of you because you’ll be the one responsible for getting everything done.”
Sang Mi flinched like she’d been struck, lips trembling with unspoken words.She took a shaky breath, but then a great sob burst out of her, and she dashed out of the room.
Chin Sun threw her hands over her face and screamed.
* * *
Hyun Soo tramped down the road toward the Kang residence, heart even heavier than his steps.How was he going to tell Dol Sam what had transpired?His friend would see this as a betrayal of the worst sort, no matter how Hyun Soo tried to defend himself.
But it wasn’t like he could just omit the fact that Lord Lee had cast him out.Dol Sam had hired him to protect Lady Lee, and now he couldn’t fulfill his duty.He’d failed, so utterly it was almost laughable, and now he would reap the consequences.Lord Lee’s rage had been great, but it was probably nothing compared to what awaited him.
