The Lingering Taste of Sweetness

“Rise. The Emperor’s younger brother of the same mother, Prince Yulpyeong, is approaching.”

Startled, Jinmok sprang up, causing the scorched rice crust resting on his lap to tumble to the ground with an odd thud. Despite being plump, the cat was a cat after all; seeing it land on its paws, it seemed unharmed.

With a tense expression, Jinmok bowed his head, waiting for Prince Yulpyeong Ju Dan and his entourage to pass. However, for some reason, the sound of footsteps halted right nearby.

“A familiar young attendant. And who is the person beside you?”

A quiet, low voice made Jinmok’s spine shiver. Yungyo straightened his back and answered Dan’s inquiry.

“He is the guest staying at Bogyeongdang, Your Highness.”

“A guest?”

At the sharp, probing question, Sohwa stepped forward with a deep bow.

“I am Wi Sohwa from the Kingdom of Gyeong.”

“Ah, now that you mention it, I believe I heard that the Third Prince of Gyeong had arrived as a tribute. But what is a guest of Bogyeongdang doing in a place like this?”

The voice was soft, yet somehow it sounded chilling. Jinmok was no longer ‘Ha Jinmok,’ so there was no reason to fear him anymore, but his back still trembled. His eyes were cast down, yet he could vividly feel the Prince’s gaze scanning him. Fortunately, Yungyo stepped in.

“The guest’s health has been poor, so we stepped out for a moment to take in the air.”

Because of the child’s height—reaching only to Sohwa’s chest—Jinmok wasn’t entirely hidden, but he felt a momentary reprieve. Dan narrowed his eyes, his expression cooling as if Yungyo’s behavior displeased him.

“Now that I look at you, you are that attendant who was at Bogyeongdang.”

“That is correct, Your Highness.”

Hmph. Dan let out a small hum as if deep in thought. After a moment, he addressed Yungyo in a quiet but stern voice.

“Take the guest and return to your quarters.”

“I was just about to do so.”

Yungyo bowed submissively, then turned to Jinmok.

“Guest, let us head back.”

Jinmok nodded to the child and bowed once more toward Dan. He hesitated, wondering if he should say something, but seeing Yungyo’s meaningful look, he turned away as if he knew nothing.

Once they were a distance away from Dan’s party, Jinmok asked the child following him.

“He seemed rather displeased.”

Though he hadn’t specified who, the child seemed to catch on immediately. With a troubled expression, the boy stepped closer and whispered.

“It is likely because the Guest is staying at Bogyeongdang instead of the Eastern Palace.”

Jinmok let out a faint sigh. Ever since the past, Jinmok had found Prince Yulpyeong difficult to deal with. It wasn’t that the Prince was overtly cruel, but whenever Jinmok encountered him while with the Emperor, the Prince’s gaze always felt cold.

Moreover, no matter how ignorant Jinmok was of palace politics, he wasn’t completely deaf to the rumors. He knew well enough that nothing good would be said about an Emperor who kept a painter close and cherished him without even having married.

But because Jinmok already held the Emperor in his heart back then, he pretended not to hear or see anything. Since he wasn’t harboring any greater greed, he thought it was fine.

He never dared to dream of the Emperor’s bed, nor did the Emperor view Jinmok in such a way. Jinmok was merely like a goldfish the Emperor kept in a pond—one he would gaze at occasionally and feed.

Of course, even that was a luxury beyond his station. Jinmok knew he was in a place where he didn’t belong. He had simply stayed put because he loved being by the Emperor’s side and loved the way the man would visit him from time to time.

I suppose because I acted so brainlessly, I met such a miserable end.

The memory of the shadow swinging a blade at him on that rainy night sent shivers down his spine. And suddenly, he became afraid.

What if I repeat my previous life? This body isn’t even mine.

Only now did Jinmok realize that Sohwa could be in danger. He had been so focused on his desire to see the Emperor that he hadn’t considered this part.

I mean, being here as something close to a hostage from another country, it would be stranger if it wasn’t dangerous.

He felt a pang of guilt for having used someone else’s body so recklessly without even realizing the risks. Jinmok felt dejected, thinking his selfishness had escalated the situation.

However, Jinmok had his own excuses. After all, wasn’t Sohwa the only one he could have possessed? So, this was unavoidable, wasn’t it? Though, of course, it would have been better if he hadn’t shown the royal portrait to the Emperor.

Then the Emperor wouldn’t have imprisoned or interrogated him. His heart stung at the thought of the hardships he had caused Sohwa, whose body was already frail.

His head drooped lower and lower. His mind was in a whirl. With Yungyo following closely behind, Jinmok walked with his eyes glued to the ground as if searching for something on the dirt.

When they arrived at the courtyard of Bogyeongdang, the eunuch who usually attended the Emperor was waiting for them. When asked what was the matter, he handed a small bundle to Yungyo.

“His Majesty has heard that the Guest’s health has somewhat recovered and has sent these gifts.”

Jinmok’s heart throbbed at the news that the Emperor was thinking of him.

“Please tell him I receive them with gratitude.”

Once the eunuch left and they went inside, Jinmok opened the gift wrapped in golden silk. Inside the small wooden box, green bamboo leaves were laid out, and atop them sat colorful dasik (pressed tea cakes) stamped with various patterns.

For a moment, his vision blurred.

Why do you treat me as you did before, when you do not even know I am here? Why send such things at the perfect moment, as if you sensed my troubled heart?

“It is dasik.”

If Yungyo hadn’t been there, Jinmok might have collapsed over the box and sobbed. Barely swallowing his tears, Jinmok asked the child for some tea. While Yungyo went to fetch the water, Jinmok looked down at the cakes with complicated eyes before standing up.

He was happy, certainly. He felt a bit of sorrow, but longing and joy were far greater. However, as the moments passed, he felt a strange sense of disappointment that the Emperor didn’t recognize him. Yet, seeing him take care of him like this made him feel slighted, wondering if the Emperor had taken a liking to Sohwa.

Human hearts were truly complex. How could a mere tea cake send him through such a whirlwind of emotions? But it couldn’t be helped. Jinmok still loved the Emperor. Though he had been briefly afraid when the Emperor acted coldly, the man had always been a figure of great dignity.

Even in the past, he was occasionally terrifying when he wore a stern expression. It seemed his nature—being harsh one moment and tender the next—remained unchanged. That must be why he was taking such care of Sohwa, a mere tribute.

Right. It must be because the Emperor is inherently kind. It’s not that he likes Sohwa; he’s just the type of person who looks after those with weak constitutions. Of course.

Jinmok reached this conclusion and felt his heart lighten considerably. As he took off his padded coat, he spoke to the returning Yungyo with a smile.

“Won’t you have some tea with me? It was cold outside, you must be chilled.”

Yungyo’s round eyes flickered before he quickly bowed his head.

“Do not mind me. I am not someone a guest should concern himself with.”

“I… see.”

He was disappointed by the child’s refusal but lacked the courage to press further. Instead, Jinmok poured the brewed tea and called back the boy as he was about to leave, handing him a piece of dasik.

“Will you refuse even this?”

Yungyo stared at the cake in Jinmok’s palm for a long time before finally bowing.

“I will eat it with gratitude, Guest.”

After the boy left, Jinmok picked up a soybean-flour dasik and took a small bite. The savory taste of the flour mixed with the sweetness of the grain syrup brought a faint smile to his face. Taking tiny bites and sipping the warm tea, he felt his insides grow warm as well.

By the time his teacup was empty, Jinmok hadn’t even finished half of the cake. He set the half-eaten piece aside and closed the lid of the wooden box. He planned to take one out whenever he missed the Emperor. Since the Emperor didn’t visit as often as before, he had to cherish them even more.

In the past, he could see the Emperor’s face before the cakes even ran out. But now, it would be difficult. He wondered which would happen first: the cakes disappearing or him seeing the Emperor’s face.

Of course, since Jinmok liked the Emperor more than the cakes, the choice was obvious.

If I leave them uneaten, will he eventually come to see me? Will he nag me again, asking why I’m being so stingy with them, only to end up laughing?

Jinmok’s prediction was only half right. One day, while he was merely gazing at the cakes because they were too precious to eat, the Emperor arrived at Bogyeongdang. Several days had passed and the weather had grown colder, and Jinmok had just been about to have some warm tea.

The Emperor frowned when he saw Jinmok sitting there with the lid of the box open, just looking at the contents.

“You have hardly touched them. Are the palace treats not to the Prince’s liking?”

Jinmok blinked, trying to figure out why his tone was so chilly. He had refrained from eating them because they were precious to him, but was that how it looked to the Emperor? While he hesitated to answer, the Emperor’s expression grew even more fierce.

“Does the Prince find me, the Emperor of Tae, to be a joke? You never answer immediately whenever I ask you something.”