Empress Handbook

Chapter Seventeen | We Dance With No Shadows

The foamy blue waves embrace the golden edges of the soft sand as the faint grey digits on Yoongi's stopwatch flick to 15. Yoongi clenches his fists and nervously looks at the ocean. Finally, Yeoreum swims up the currents and rushes into his arms.

"I did it, Yoongi!"

Yoongi hurries to wrap a towel around Yeoreum's tremoring body. Though Yeoreum has gotten much more comfortable with water, she is still not doing well in cold environments.

"Yeoreum, you don't need to swim for that long."

Yeoreum shakes her head with a bright grin. "Don't worry, I'm fine."

They sit on the rug Yoongi laid out earlier with meticulously prepared first aid kits and emergency supplies. Yeoreum naturally leans her head on his shoulder while he dotingly rubs her wet, dark locks.

Yoongi sighs. "You need to be more careful."

"I know, Yoongi. I'm not a kid. I can take care of myself."

Yeoreum widens her smile as a warm feeling melts into her chest. As much as she assures him, she would be lying if she denied how nice it feels to know that, for once in her life, someone always has her back. They have done everything regular couples do—seeing movies, having picnics, aimlessly cruising around malls and supermarkets.

They could only watch the last screening of the day because of Yoongi's work hours, their picnic had a ticking time limit for safety reasons, and Yeoreum had to wear disguises during their supermarket run to prevent any shoppers from recognising her. Nevertheless, it was still incredibly fun.

"Yoongi, why did you create this organisation?"

"My mother—"

"Doctor Shin Aeyoung," Yeoreum corrects sternly.

Yoongi narrows his eyes. "Are you only dating me because you admire my mother?"

"I also admire you, God Min Yoongi," Yeoreum extols.

"That's better." Yoongi smiles and leaves a kiss on her forehead. "My mother, Doctor Shin Aeyoung, quit her job to focus on homemaking after I was born while my father worked as a security guard for the Imperial House."

"Do they pay that well?" Yeoreum gasps.

"Yes, unlike other royal families, the Korean Imperial House pay exceptionally well. But my father wanted my mother and me to live in Uiwang to ensure our safety because he was the Head of Security for Empress Dowager," Yoongi says. "My father had to do a lot of her dirty work. When Empress Dowager discovered Empress Deokhee was having an affair with a ballerina, she made my father assassinate her. Emperor Deokhee was furious and broke the brakes of the vehicle my father always drove on the day my father picked up Empress Dowager's mother. The car crashed on a highway. The ridiculous thing is that though my family was devasted, Empress Dowager didn't even bat an eyelash at her mother's death."

The cold waves project a piercing iciness over Yoongi's gaze as he composes his expression.

"My mother tried to return to her job but was mocked and rejected for being a widowed single mother. Helpless, she did multiple part-time jobs to make ends meet and developed bowel cancer from stress when I was nine. She died after a painful year of unsuccessful treatments without telling me the truth behind my father's death."

Yeoreum squeezes his hand. "She probably wanted you to live a safe, carefree life that isn't burdened by trauma."

"But sometimes, facing trauma is the only way to cure it." Yoongi sighs. "After my mother's death, I was thankful for the stability the orphanage provided, and I wanted to be a good doctor for the Imperial Hospital to repay the Imperial House. I returned to my old family house to store my unnecessary belongings that couldn't be brought to the university dorm."