Page 7 of Gumiho Kiss
Chin Sun barely heard her uncle’s rebuke, for Mr.Park had lifted his gaze and met hers across the room.Her eyes narrowed, silently conveying her displeasure at his meddling.She would not let this go.Nor would she make his job easy.
Something flashed in his dark eyes for a split second before he ducked his head, going so still he seemed almost one with the furniture.
But Chin Sun recognized the emotions he’d so expertly concealed—confusion and just a hint of curiosity.Neither boded well.
Chapter3
The Enemy
Once Young Master Kang had taken his leave and arrangements had been made for where Mr.Park would stay, Samchon pulled Chin Sun into the jeongjugan next to the kitchen.
“What were you thinking?”
“I was thinking of the family,” she said meekly, hoping he’d hear her earnestness.
Uncle shook his head.“A pretty lie, Chin Sun-ah.If you’d been thinking of the family, you’d have remembered how important this marriage is.Don’t you want Sang Mi to find a good husband?And Sang Ook, too—your connection to the Kangs could help him attain a higher position.Much better than a simple interpreter.”
She dropped her head, cheeks blazing with shame.In a low voice, she said, “I thought you liked your job, Samchon.”
“Yeh, but I was very limited in my choices.I want more than that for Sang Ook.For all of you.I thought you understood that when you agreed to this match.”
Chin Sun swallowed, unable to look him in the eye.“Yeh.”
“Then you also understand what it could do to our family if the Kangs change their minds about you....”
He didn’t need to spell out the consequences of a broken engagement.Dishonor.Losing face with the community.And it wouldn’t just be Chin Sun who was affected.All of the Lee family would suffer.
Uncle seemed to take her silence as an answer.He left in a whoosh of yellow robes, but his disappointment lingered in the air like the stench of smoke.
Now she wasn’t just heartless but unfilial as well.Chin Sun gnashed her teeth to keep from crying.
“Unni, are you all right?”Sang Mi’s voice floated through the wall.
Chin Sun rejoined her cousins in the sangbang.She smiled reassuringly at Sang Mi.“Yeh.All is well.Are you ready to go to the market?”
Sang Mi grimaced.“Oh ...about that ...”She rubbed at her sleeve.“I actually wanted to do some painting this morning.Would you mind going without me?”
Chin Sun held back a sigh.How would Sang Mi learn to take care of the household if she didn’t watch how Chin Sun did things?
She was about to say as much when she noticed the moisture in her cousin’s eyes.Had something upset her while Chin Sun was talking with Samchon?
There was a crumpled piece of paper in the girl’s hand that hadn’t been there before.Chin Sun glanced at Sang Ook, hoping he might know what was wrong, but the boy was paying more attention to Chin Sun’s new bodyguard than to Sang Mi.
“That would be fine,” she told Sang Mi, giving her cousin a small smile.
The other girl bowed, then left the room at almost a run, disappearing down the corridor that led to her bedroom.How peculiar ...
Chin Sun swung around to Sang Ook, who was in the midst of reaching for the long sword at Mr.Park’s hip.“Sang Ook-ah!”
The boy froze, then pulled back his wayward hand.“Sorry, Noona.”
“It’s not me you should apologize to.”She jerked her chin toward Mr.Park.
“The young master did nothing wrong, agasshi,” Mr.Park said, lifting his head for the first time since she’d come back into the room.“I was well aware of his intentions.”
“Yet you did nothing to stop him?”
“Is it wrong to be curious?”Mr.Park pulled the hwando from its sheath and laid it flat against his palms.He turned to Sang Ook.“Should you wish to see it, you need only ask.”
