Ji Woon pushed the door to their quarters open quietly, slipping inside with caution so no prying eyes would notice.
Inside, Eun sat on his knees, his posture rigid, shoulders tense.
The only reason he had come to the capital was to uncover the truth about his birth parents. Yet no matter how long he searched, every path led to a dead end.
Before leaving for the capital, his martial master had revealed the truth — he was adopted.
And his biological parents lived within the palace walls.
"Did you find out what I asked you to look into?" Eun asked, his gaze fixed sharply on Ji Woon.
"Hey, Eun… if you keep staring at me like that…" Ji Woon grunted before flashing him a wide grin. "You'll make my heart beat uncontrollably for you."
Eun's eyes widened in disgust.
"Do you have a death wish?" he snapped, sucking his teeth in irritation.
"My apologies," Ji Woon replied, though the smug smile remained on his face.
Eun shook his head, muttering under his breath, wondering how someone could remain this unserious at a time like this.
Ji Woon's grin slowly faded.
His expression hardened.
"Eun… don't you find it strange? The incident from that year was erased completely. Anyone caught discussing it was ordered to be killed on the spot."
Silence fell between them.
Eun exhaled slowly.
What could have happened that night to cost thousands their lives… and yet no one outside the palace knew the reason?
His martial master had refused to tell him who his birth parents were. He had only said they lived within the palace walls.
And that many died that night.
Many palace maids had lost their children.
"What about the gisaeng?" Eun asked quietly.
Ji Woon's gaze darkened.
His mind drifted back to his encounter with one of them — a woman who had become a gisaeng after that very incident.
(Flashback)
The liquor stall buzzed with laughter and drunken chatter when Eun stepped inside.
His eyes scanned every face carefully, comparing them to the portrait he held hidden inside his sleeve.
He approached a woman whose attire resembled the lady in the painting.
"Miss Myung Hee?" he called, taking a cautious step closer.
Before she could answer, two piercing gazes snapped toward him.
He froze.
The air around him turned heavy.
"Who are you? Honey, who is he?" the plump, bald man beside the woman demanded, glaring at Eun.
Eun instinctively stepped back.
"I… I'm sorry. I mistook her for someone else," he stuttered.
"Scoff. A mistake?" the bald man growled.
Eun felt dozens of eyes turn toward him.
He had not intended to become the center of attention.
"I'm sorry. Truly," Eun muttered, irritation flickering in his voice as he turned his head away.
"Honey! He's a total stranger!" the woman cried out nervously.
"Really? Hey, you crazy—" The bald man trailed off, poking Eun aggressively.
Eun bit down on his lip, frustration simmering.
What if, because of this commotion, he lost the one he was searching for?
Then—
From afar, he saw her.
Hyung Hee.
His heart skipped.
He glanced down at the portrait in his hand, then back at the woman seated quietly at another table.
It was her.
Ignoring the bald man and the murmurs around him, Eun quickly pulled out a pouch of coins and shoved it into the man's palm before darting away.
"Hey!" the bald man shouted after him.
But Eun was already gone.
He approached the woman cautiously this time.
Her questioning gaze lingered on him.
He compared her face to the portrait again.
"Who…?" Hyung Hee trailed off, a flicker of fear crossing her features — as though she feared the king's men had discovered she had been digging into the past.
"Myung Hee," Eun said firmly.
He noticed the slight tremor in her eyes and quickly added, "I need your assistance. What happened years ago?"
Her pupils dilated.
She swallowed hard and hurriedly adjusted her hanbok, preparing to leave.
"Would you be so callous as to keep the families of those who died that night in the dark… just as the noblemen did?" Eun pressed.
Myung Hee bit down fiercely on her lower lip. Her fingers trembled as they clutched the fabric of her sleeve.
Her mother had been a palace maid.
She had died that night.
Myung Hee had become a gisaeng just to survive.
The only thing that had kept her moving forward was Haesoo — someone she needed to protect at all costs.
Eun watched her carefully.
He had lost count of how many times her pupils had dilated since he mentioned that night.
She lifted her chin and met his gaze.
"I am sorry. I may be one of the oldest gisaeng here, but not everyone witnessed what truly happened that night."
She turned to leave, then paused.
"Be careful next time. Words travel to the palace faster than you think."
She bowed deeply and walked away.
Leaving Eun standing there.
His doubts only deepened.
The palace was far more terrifying than he had imagined.