Moon's Whisper, Heart's Echo

44. The Survival

The servant nearly collided with another as she made her was towards them, her normally perfect composure scattered. "My lady! Young master—" She caught herself, remembering her manners enough to bow. "Ji-soo sent word. She'll stay with Lord Yi tonight. She says not to worry."

Nandi's laugh emerged strangled. Worry? After everything they'd just learned?

Nandi nodded, the words settling somewhere in the haze of her thoughts. She looked toward Min-joon, seated quietly beside Lady Park, his small hands busy with the edge of his robe.

Lady Park smiled warmly, her hand resting on Min-joon's back. "He's a brave boy," she said softly, her gaze flicking toward Nandi and Tae-young. "Let us look after him for tonight. It's the least we can do."

When Nandi started to protest, the older woman reached out and touched her arm gently. "That boy showed more courage than most grown men today. Let him rest here, where he's safe."

Lord Park nodded, his usual stern expression softened. "Besides, I promised to show him my old archery equipment. What better time than morning practice?"

"I..." Nandi's throat felt too tight. "You're too kind."

"Kindness?" Lady Park's eyes crinkled. "That child is family. Whatever else we learned today doesn't change that."

Nandi hesitated, her fingers brushing over Min-joon's head in a gesture more for herself than for him. But when Tae-young nodded beside her, she exhaled.

Tae-young, who had been unnaturally still beside her, finally stirred. "Walk with me?" The words came out rough, like he'd forgotten how to shape them properly.

They slipped out into the growing dark, their steps falling into an unconscious rhythm. The night air carried the first hint of frost, making Nandi wish she'd brought a heavier jacket. As if reading her thoughts, Tae-young moved closer, shielding her from the wind.

The silence between them wasn't awkward. It felt like something necessary, like a space they needed to share without filling it too quickly.

Footsteps sounded one by one before Nandi turned towards him.

"I keep thinking," she said finally, when the silence grew too heavy, "about all those times Min-joon asked about his father. All those stories I made up, trying to give him something to hold onto." Her voice cracked. "And you were right there."

Tae-young's step faltered as he moved leaves out the way. "No. I should have known. The moment I saw him, something in me..." He broke off, gesturing toward a small hanok set apart from the main house. Its roof tiles cast strange shadows in the moonlight. "Come here. I want to show you something."

The door protested as he slid it open. Inside smelled of dust and old papers, with a hint of something herbal that reminded her of scholar's ink.

"My refuge," he said quietly, lighting a lamp. Its glow revealed shelves of books, worn cushions, a set of practice brushes lined up with military precision. "Whenever my parents held some gathering where I was supposed to be perfectly charming, perfectly proper..." His mouth twisted. "I'd run here instead."

"Did they never look for you?"

"Oh, they looked." He touched one of the brushes, setting it spinning. "But some things are so obvious they become invisible. The perfect hiding spot is the one everyone knows about but no one thinks to check."

Nandi moved deeper into the room, taking in the evidence of a younger Tae-young. A half-finished poem on yellowed paper. A practice sword with nicks in the wooden blade. "Is that why you're showing me? Because you think I need to hide?"