Timeless Love || Jinx (Manhwa)

Chapter 2: Talk it over a cup of tea

Gyeonggi province, XVIII Century

The lord smiled at the oddly dressed man, grinning as he analyzed every centimeter in his face. He looked very well taken care of in comparison of the farm boys he usually had as a cure: his skin was pale, his features were delicate and his hair looked washed; sure, the smell and clothes were off, but nothing a quick wash and change of wardrobe couldn't handle.

If he didn't know any better, he would've thought he was the son of a lord, and in that case he would be in trouble just by the thought of having him in his bed at that moment. However, his lack of manners, the state of his weird clothes and the way he carried himself betrayed him. He was wearing what looked like commoner clothes, except that the pants were darker and a little bit more fastened than what the common people wore. His chest had a white cloth in it, with a horrendous thing in a grey-ish color covering it. It was awful, he would have it burnt as soon as possible.

― Help you? I can't help you, I need...

― I helped YOU. The least you can do is return the favor.

― What? But...

― If I recall correctly, you were the coward who burst into my house and cried for help like a little baby. You've inconvenienced me, so now you have to pay.

Dan left out a quick whimper, worried about what "pay" could mean with a man who carried a sword whenever he walked. He looked to the sword, to the lord and then back at the sword. Joo Jaekyung's name was still ringing a bell inside his head, but he just couldn't remember when exactly he heard it. Fuck, he wished he could remember half of the night before. His heart was racing fast, but he's unsure if it's because of the persecution he just had with those two men that seemed to respect the lord enough to leave as soon as he told them to, or if it's because of the fear from looking at the man in front of him.

― Pay how?

Jaekyung smiled, looking at him with determination as he kept on studying him like a piece of paper.

― Sure I can't explain that to a very important guest right in the middle of the courtyard. What if we talk about it over a cup of tea?

Dan was weirded out by the hospitality he was receiving from him when just before he was so ready to throw him out of the gate before those men started talking about some sort of "cure". He was a physical therapist, yes, maybe a good one but not really enough to call himself a cure of any kind. How would they know, though? He never mentioned anything about his job, he just said he was lost and needed to get back to the hospital. For a moment he even thought he had appeared in the middle of a much elaborated theatre production until the chase never stopped and now here he was, in front of a lord who invited him for tea at midnight. He silently nodded, looking away while the nervousness walked all over his body, and gasped as the lord grabbed his forearm with strength, leading him to a room.

The room was quite big, covered in the earthy tones of wood while the walls, although thin, did their purpose of not letting anyone from the outside see within. There was a green and beige folding screen next to the bed, maybe used by the lord to change his robes into comfier clothes whenever necessary. There was a small table near a window, and some ink stains could be seen in the floor and some walls even if someone tried to clean them up. The light in the room, although it was coming from candles and some smaller lamps, made everything look well-lit enough to be appreciated at night, especially with the help of the full moon.

He stopped looking at the room when the man called him from the mat, across that small tea table in the near the window where the two cups were just resting, with the vapor coming out of them as if they were just waiting for his arrival. Was it normal for people in the Joseon era to have tea ready at any given moment? He walked carefully towards the man, sitting in front of him as a housemaid was leaving the room as fast as she came in. He tried to thank the lady, but she was already gone, and now he was left alone with that man. He had a piercing look, analyzing the doctor all the way to his core.