The whirlwind of her mind slowly winded down, leaving soft hiccups that still wracked her body. Minjae became aware of the gentle thudding of Seung's heart under her cheek. His hands hung limply by his side. She yearned for them to be around her, rock her, and reassure her the world would one day right itself, that she didn't have to deceive anyone any more.

But he stood still like a rock, only his gentle breathing indicating he was a living, breathing man she had hurt. Perhaps irreparably, beyond forgiveness. It was her wedding night all over again.

Slowly straightening herself, she stepped back, unable to look at him. She probably would not be able to look at herself in the mirror after today.

When the silence became like bags of stones on her shoulder, she dared a glance at his face—and met with a look that was as unreadable as the dark of the night.

"Are you done?" Seung said, his voice betraying nothing.

He retrieved a cloth from his sleeve and extended it to her. She gratefully accepted it, wiping her face and squeezing her watery nose into it.

"Thank you. I will wash and return this to you," she said politely.

"And what about my heart, Minjae? Will you return that, too?" A bitter chuckle escaped him. "First, you were incensed by my wife's return. Then, you belittled our emotions and cheapened our relationship. Now, you claim to be still married and in love with your husband while clinging to me like an ivy. Tell me, Physician Kim, which part of this drama you just pulled is the truth?"

Minjae stared at him like a wooden doll.

Seung looked away and then looked back at her. "What would you do if I kissed you right now? Will you think of your husband?"

Something in his tone turned her knees into watery mush. Without a preamble, her gaze dropped to his lips. The pace of her heart quickened, and her body responded of its own volition to his promise. His knuckles traced the high cheekbone of her left cheek, his touch as tender as silk.

"Your words and mouth don't match, Physician Kim," Seung said. "But you still want to push me away? All right. If I leave today, I will not seek you again. For that, all you have to do is stop me now and ask me to leave. Or I make you mine for eternity."

His head bent, excruciatingly slow. She knew he was giving her time to withdraw, to reject, but she felt paralysed, her emotions overwrought. When her lips felt his touching hers, they simply parted. Her eyes closed, and her head fell back, her body straining itself to connect to his hard torso, her arms entwining themselves around his neck.

He took her lips by storm. His kiss was everything he promised physically, but it gave nothing emotionally. She could feel the anger, the resentment, the hurt as he plundered her, no, punished her.

His hands didn't stray, holding her against him by the nape of her neck, using her own need to crush her against him. It was not a kiss of love. It was of possession, of proof that he knew she was lying.

She would never forget the confusion and rage in his eyes at her reply as long as she lived when he lifted his face and asked her, "Tell me now you were thinking of your husband, that you want me to leave."

Once more, treacherous tears filled her eyes as she looked straight into his and said without hesitation, "Yes. Every moment. With every breath. Please leave and never come back."

The chamber shuddered at Seung's exit. The finality of it felt like fangs of grief tearing her insides. She wound her hands around her middle and rocked herself. When Kim Da Bom and Han So Ye found her, she was still rocking herself. They had been overcome with concern, with Han So Ye ordering her to drink a strong cup of alcohol while a maid cleaned the shattered glass spread around her feet.

Kim Da Bom's fury erupted like a volcano. "Why have you done this to yourself?"

"Because this is the only way to keep all of us safe," Minjae replied automatically, her throat burning with the spirit she swallowed.

Han So Ye looked at them, perplexed.

"Commander Lee has no idea what his father-in-law is capable of," Minjae said, looking into the beloved woman's eyes she had truly come to think of her as a sister. "But I do. I am living proof of it."

Something clicked in Da Bom's eyes, a realisation that drained the blood from her face, leaving her pale. For the first time, Minjae spotted something akin to fear in her eyes.

"Minjae, are you -" Kim Da Bom swallowed.

"You do not need to know anymore. However, there is something I need to do. Han So Ye, can you please summon Ko Yoon?"

∞

Hanyang

Driven to insanity at Minjae's words that night, he had ridden home in a daze and had drunk himself into a stupor to escape his thoughts. Yet nothing had dulled the pain. He had broken down, aching and sobbing, eventually sweeping books and papers off the shelves of his bedchamber in a fit of black rage.

And his eyes had spotted the plum and bamboo jar, sitting quietly, nestled at the far end of a dusty shelf, obscured by the clutter of new and old.

Determined to drive as much distance between him and the island as possible, he had left for Hanyang within hours, the jar safely tucked in, his chambers locked, and straight to Minister Gil's private chamber.

Minister Choe Myeong-Gil turned the white porcelain jar in his hand with utmost care. The copper and silver coins previously lodged inside the jar were now displayed on a copper plate on the impressively carved wooden desk.

"Whoever dared to plant this at your house," Minister Choe's voice echoed angrily, "Could they be hoping to bring charges against you?"

Seung shook his head and said, "Just having this jar would not prove anything against me."

Minister Choe carefully placed the jar back in the box. "But it would be enough to plant suspicion," he said.

"Possible, Your Excellency. However, I believe whoever hid it likely planned to retrieve it later. My family just moved, and our house is cluttered with artefacts. Sneaking one in would be easy." Seung gave a dry laugh. "It was a clever move."

"Only shows how cunning and audacious they are and how emboldened they have become. However, it also means the person has access to your chamber. Clearly, someone was bribed to plant this. We can narrow down the suspects."

"It's more complicated than we think, Your Excellency. The Ganghwa population is tight-knit and gossipy. One careless word and our operation will be exposed, laid bare. No one knows I have uncovered this, and I prefer to keep it that way until I have more substantial leads," Seung's voice was laced with caution.

Myeong Gil nodded, keeping the jar back in its box gently.

"It gets even more complicated," Choe said. He reached into a drawer of his desk, retrieved a bulky envelope and passed it to Seung.

"What is this?" Seung asked.

"A roster of young men we suspect may be involved with the Barbarians and linked to the letter intended for the Ming Emperor that fell into Manchu hands," Minister Choe responded.

"The one for which my father-in-law tried to put the blame on you?" Seung asked, with a trace of apology and anger.

The feud between the factions that wanted the war, like his Father-in-law, and the ones that were staunchly against it, like Choe Myung-Gil, was out in the open with all its ugly laundry.

"It's immaterial. Even His Majesty knows how ridiculous that idea is. But you should see the list."

Minister Choe Myeong-Gil watched the young man pry open the flap of the thick envelope and withdraw a wad of paper. "Lee Seung?"

"Yes, Your Excellency?" Seung asked, preoccupied with unfolding the paper.

"Have you been keeping well?" The older man asked gently.

Seung stopped, his mind going blank. When he eventually lifted his eyes, he found himself under the scrutiny of wise eyes that silently studied him.

"Yes, Your Excellency. I apologise if I have caused you any concern. By your grace, I remain in excellent health," Seung lied.

"Your father was my dearest friend, and I am very proud of how you have turned out. I wish I had a daughter to give you in marriage," Myeong Gil said with a smile.

Marriage. The word brought a bitter taste to his mouth, and Seung's heart twisted at the thought. Once, before meeting Minjae, he had sworn off bringing a woman to his family. And he now meant to stick to his vow, no matter the consequences. Unless....

Giving a small, perfunctory smile to the older man, Seung unfolded the sheets in his hand, not sure why Myeong Gil looked so concerned. After all, Seung's life could hardly go more wrong.

However, as soon as the name on top of the list popped up in his vision, the chilling realisation dawned that it just did.

Choi Se-Min. Choi Jina's brother.

∞

Home of Jo Family, Hanyang

An Evening

Jo Hee-Bong exchanged a warm smile with his wife, who was overseeing the dinner they were being served. Under her watchful eye, the maids carefully laid the dishes on the tables. Ever the attentive husband, Jo Hee-Bong sprang up to help his visibly pregnant wife lower herself to the floor.

"You worry too much, Royal Inspector Jo," his wife chided indulgently while Jo Hee-Bong looked at her with complete devotion.

Seung looked with disgust at his best friend, who was fawning over his wife, and then at his two school friends also seated for the meal, each with an identical table before them. Seung half-listened to the animated discussions of his three scholar friends engrossed in a debate of Confucian texts over freshly caught fish, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, and a variety of seafood spiced up with scrumptious-looking sauces in appetising plates and bowls. There was a time when he was the ideal scholar, steadfast in his beliefs and a master of the texts. His years in the north had shown him the wide gap between the theory of Joseon mores and the practical life people led.

"What's your opinion, Lee Seung?" One of the scholars broke his revere.

The past mastery came to his rescue as Seung effortlessly joined the conversation while silently wishing all of them to perdition.

"Is the food not to your taste, My Lord?" Kim-I-On asked worriedly.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

"It's delicious, Lady Kim-I-On", Seung was quick to reassure. Too quick.

"Are you feeling unwell, Lee Seung?" Jo Hee-Bong asked, his voice laced with genuine worry.

"What's with all of you? I'm perfectly fine," Seung retorted, his irritation thinly veiling his discomfort. Did he have his heartsickness carved on his forehead or something? He closed his mouth on the mound of rice on the flat of his spoon and forced himself to chew it.

The conversation soon veered in a different, even more unpleasant direction.

The two scholars were adamant that Joseon should only side with the Ming and that their soldiers would be prepared in the event of a war. Cold fury overtook Seung at the sheer ignorance of the two men he called friends, who had their heads buried in the sand. He could hardly fault them, though. Arrogance was a widespread malaise amongst theoretical scholars who had little idea of what happened on a battlefield. But that didn't stop him from putting them in their place, incencing them further.

"Commander Lee, how can you side with those who are being cowards in facing our enemies? You command Ganghwa, so don't tell me Ganghwa is not in good hands," Kwak's face was flushed red with antagonism.

"Don't worry about Ganghwa, worry about yourselves," Seung said caustically, after pointing out that many of them could be called upon to hold a sword and, heavenly spirits forbid, lose their lives, which, judging by the purple faces of his so-called friends had not occurred to them yet.

"I am looking forward to joining my father-in-law, Governor Kim Tae-On, on the island," Jo smiled to diffuse the situation.

"Considering how little confidence our Commander has here, you should be worried about going to Ganghwa too, Royal Inspector Jo," Kwak was inching towards being punched in the face.

"Rest it, Kwak," Seung warned.

"There are few better than Commander Lee Seung in our army, Scholar Kwak." Jo was not smiling anymore. "Don't forget he was the one to turn down the robe to wear a soldier's uniform, or else you would have to be very careful how you speak to him."

Kwak reddened at the reprimand but went quiet.

"War is never good for anyone, especially families," Lady Kim I-On's gentle voice intervened.

"I have heard Ganghwa is a great place for families," Rho tried to soothe ruffled feathers.

"That's what our esteemed Commander Lee assures us of. I would be lying if I said I am not worried because of Lady Kim's condition," he said, an unmistakable anxiety underlining his words. "The number of physicians on the island is limited, and most have been employed by the royal family physicians because both the Crown Princess and Royal Consort Gwi-in are pregnant, and there is worry about smallpox spread."

Seung paused. "The island is home to some of the most exceptional physicians I have ever encountered. Among them, Physician Kim Minjae is a standout. Her skills are not just remarkable; they are unique. Lady Kim will undoubtedly be in good hands with her," he said, without realising how much pride his voice carried.

"But Commander Lee," Scholar Rho interjected, "would it not be more comfortable for Lady Kim I-On to have a female physician?"

Seung blinked. "Kim Minjae is very much a female physician," he said drily.

"But how can she be a physician if she is a woman, that too working for commoners?" Kwak's Confucian eyebrows drew a straight line.

Seung shrugged. "She is an herbalist with a merchant license, but everyone calls her a Physician on the island because she is one of their best. The army physicians sent her for special training for uinyeo."

"Wait, the soldiers are treated by a woman?" Scholar Kwak's eyes bulged.

Seung laughed. "Just not soldiers. I know a few officers and Yangban men who prefer her treatment over other physicians."

"That's preposterous! It goes against - against all norms of morality!" Kwak was frothing around the mouth.

"Ganghwa is a bit different. Most women of the Yangban and the present Governor also prefer her over others. She cannot treat the royals, so probably that's why she has never attended to the old deposed King and his family. Kim Minjae is more talented than many men I have seen. She is the most hardworking, kind woman I know and immensely good at what she does," Seung said, his spoon suspended in the air, a faraway look in his eyes. "Every soldier wants her to stitch his wound, especially on their faces, because it's so fine that it scarcely leaves a scar. But if you see her, you would never mistake her for anything but a woman," he chuckled as Minjae's myriad expressions floated before his eyes. "But don't let her delicate look deceive you; she is made of steel," Seung sighed.

Only to look and find four pairs of eyes gawking at him.

"Despite the fact that even the deposed King lives there, they can break those rules?" Kwan sounded unhappy. "Scholars like you should not attach this much importance to such low-born people; it does not suit your station," Kwan said condescendingly.

"Scholars who don't want to have their jaws misaligned should learn to keep such opinions to themselves," Seung said, his voice dripping with acid, his eyes locked in a challenging gaze with Kwan.

Kwan could only take so much heat from a furious Seung. He shifted uncomfortably.

"Let us not spoil the decorum, scholars," Jo Hee Bong said mildly, but no one missed the warning undertones.

Deeply embarrassed at disrespecting the hospitality of his friend, Seung dug into a bowl with a spoon, only for it to meet an empty cavity of metal instead of food and echo in the silence of the room.

"Let me get some more soup for you, Dari," Kim I-On quickly covered for Seung, her intelligent eyes full of empathy. Unable to meet her eyes, Seung grabbed the cup of wine and took a sip.

"I apologise," he said quietly, his voice barely audible.

Jo Hee Bong nodded. "It's a relief to know the island has good medical health people."

After the meal, Seung and Jo Hee Bong, a man with a deep love for books, withdrew to a room lined with them. Kwak had huffed off, followed by a concerned Ryo, and Lady Kim-I-On retired for the night.

Jo handed Seung a scroll. "Rho is clean. The meeting he had with the spy was accidental."

Seung nodded.

Jo Hee Bong was a crucial player in the team. Their investigations were paying off. They had apprehended two Yangban men for selling information to Manchu spies and discreetly neutralised a suspect prominent family. All culprits shared a common trait: expensive habits. One man wanted to buy a state kisaeng, and another was addicted to land purchases and consequent debt.

However, Choi Se-Min lacked any such vices. Once, he was rumoured to be a gambler, but nothing was ever proven.

Jo fitted the end of a carved peacock key into a lock resembling a dancing peacock's bust, opened a medium-sized wooden chest, and cleared his throat.

"How is Lady Gil-ae?" Jo asked.

"She has been admirably holding up," Seung replied.

"You understand the scandal had nothing to do with me marrying Lady Kim I-On?" Jo asked frankly.

Seung had always been aware of Jo Hee-Bong's tendre for his sister and the tacit understanding between their families that Jo and Gil-ae's match would happen once Seung was married. Seung had been a little upset when Jo, under pressure from his family, married a much more suitable Kim-I-On instead, but he couldn't begrudge his friend the evident happiness he now found with his wife.

"Lady Kim I-On is wonderful and suits you perfectly. Do not worry about Gil-ae," Seung said, his tone ending the topic.

"Do you like this young physician, Seung?" Jo asked.

Seung looked ruefully at his friend. "I was embarrassing, wasn't I?"

Jo looked at him with the clear brown eyes of a friend who had no guile about wanting the best for his friend. "I have never seen you so quick to anger. We heard about your family's move to Ganghwa. We were unaware that Choi Jina had returned to you. But, given your silence on the matter, I don't believe you've changed your mind about her. Have you?"

Seung felt a lifeless curve lift the corners of his mouth. He was married to a woman he despised, and the woman he loved claimed to be still married and in love with her purported divorced husband, all the while her melting eyes and body promised themselves to him. It should have been hysterical but he was too heartsore to see the humour in the situation.

He shrugged in reply.

Jo Hee Bong reached into the chest. "I do not want to pry, but you should not be distracted now. It's dangerous. Commander Lee Seung, your happiness is our priority, but the war seems inevitable. You must stay focused," Jo advised with a sigh. He retrieved a scroll from his chest and handed it to Seung. "This is from Grand Prince Bongrim. He wants to see you in private."

∞

Hanyang seldom slept. As the sun rose, the city awoke to the chaotic pattern of foot traffic shuffling against the packed dirt and cobblestones.

Seung kept his head down and the brim of his hat low as he threaded past the sound of merchants hawking their goods, which blended with the jingle of coins and the haggling of buyers. Tapping hammers, scraping wood, and the soft whirring of spinning wheels created a steady background rhythm, magnifying the drumming in his temples, a constant reminder of his sleepless nights.

Seung turned into one bylane and then another, ensuring no one had followed him. He jumped over a small wall, cut across a courtyard, and came out to another small lane. The aroma of freshly baked rice cakes and grilled fish wafted from food stalls hit his nostrils, accompanied by the sizzle and crackle of cooking fires.

He bought a basket of fresh food, taking his time to look around. Satisfied he was alone, he ducked into another small lane and climbed a good distance uphill to a small, unassuming, thatched house.

A middle-aged woman dressed in a simple hanbok stood over a large cotton loom. Her hands danced over the loom with a precision born of years of practice, expertly guiding the shuttle back and forth. Each pass added a new thread to the growing fabric, the cotton threads interlacing tightly to form a durable, smooth cloth. The repetitive motion of the loom created a steady, rhythmic sound—thock-thock, thock-thock—that echoed softly from the walls.

Seung dropped the basket of food and a fistful of coins on a side table.

The woman bowed and fetched a large piece of woven fabric hewn in blue and gold. She wrapped it in a soft muslin cover.

"He has not returned for two nights, Dari," the woman said emotionlessly. She handed Seung a piece of paper. "The man you had him follow received this two days ago."

Seung took it expressionlessly, "Well done. Please do not worry; your son has his instructions. He will be back soon."

The woman nodded gratefully before resuming her work at the loom.

Seung opened the note and smiled grimly. Finally, a movement from Choi Se-Min.

∞

In Another Part of Hanyang:

The mid-morning wind was chilly and unnerving. Minjae shivered, but it wasn't truly due to the cold. Hanyang frightened the daylights out of her. For her, it was the city of nightmares, its enclosed walls suffocating her, trapping her in a web of unsettling memories.

Her grandmother's house, her only safe sanctuary in this monstrous city, had not aged, sitting serenely on its raised foundation, the mud-plastered walls with its teal doors and windows as warm and inviting as they had been when she lived here. She had taken the golden light and shade around it for granted, now she breathed it all in, as if she wanted to immortalise that glow within her.

When she was eight, her grandmother died. Minjae went to stay with her father and stepmother. Every month, without fail, she returned with a handful of servants and scrubbed, cleaned and polished the house, ensuring it stayed as immaculate as her grandmother had kept it.

"How will you get in? The lock to the front door is solid," Ko Yoon wondered aloud.

Minjae only smiled, lovingly looking back at her childhood home. "I hope I have not grown too large for the opening I have in mind," she laughed.

"Is it safe for you to go in that house, Noonim? I'm not comfortable leaving you here," Ko Yoon asked worriedly.

Minjae smiled. Ko Yoon reminded her of Se-min. "No one knows this house better than me. Someone I love used to live here. Do not worry. You do not know how much what you did for me means to me. Meet me by the boat at sunrise tomorrow, and do not put yourself in peril. Don't be seen around this house again, no matter what. I will be safe, I promise."

"I am a soldier, Noonim; a simple task like this compares nothing to the battle I might have to fight sooner than later," the young man gave her a disarming smile before jumping over the fence and disappearing, with the promise he would come back for her if he didn't see her by the boat on time.

Stepping into the courtyard, Minjae felt nostalgia wash over her. She was surprised to see the expansive grassy enclosure still meticulously maintained. She gingerly walked on the stones lining the dirt pathway, smiling as she glanced at the familiar trees to the right.

At the far end of the grassy floor was another smaller, single-chambered building with a tiled roof, light-coloured walls, and a dark wooden frame that sat on a higher foundation, anchored by a stone wall, with three slim steps leading to a narrow path connected to the dark brown door. It once was a storage room, but her grandmother turned it into a temple. Not many people knew that her grandmother also practised medicine secretly, something her grandfather had been very proud of. When he was alive, he doted on his wife and hired a woman who used to help treat poor people. In reality, her grandmother was the healer, and the woman was only a face.

Her room brought home a wave of recollections. The bed that used to look big and spacious seemed small, but she could still imagine herself sleeping in it. A single mirror graced the side table. She slid open a cupboard to reveal a few dresses she had left behind. They looked so tiny that a smile escaped her. One day, she had hoped to pass them on to her daughter. She sighed.

The other rooms were frozen in time as well. Every article was clean and in its place.

Her grandmother's room unleashed a torrent of tears. She tenderly traced the bed, stoking bittersweet memories. Overwhelmed, she lay down on it, hoping to capture a fleeting echo of her grandmother's presence.

Grandma, show me the way. She whispered to the spirit that she felt transcend the room.

Why, oh why, did her father choose the path he did?

The wall before her caught her attention. Rising, she approached it and tested it with her fingers. A fresh, new patch of colour stood out, a stark contrast to the rest of the room. Someone had recently plastered it. But why? Why would they focus on this small part of a wall, leaving the rest untouched?

She checked the other rooms. Most looked untouched, except for her grandmother's room. All its walls had large patches as if they had been dug and repaired. She then noticed the floor. It was new.

Minjae suddenly recalled the dolls her grandmother had fashioned out of yards of cotton for her. She had a few left behind that she would play with when she came to clean the house, a luxury she could barely indulge in at her father's home. All of them were missing.

Minjae moved her eyes around. One of her grandmother's chests was missing, too. She lifted the bed. The keys to the chests were still there. She checked the remaining chests and found them full of knick-knacks, jumbled and tossed about carelessly as if someone had rummaged through them.

As if looking for something.

What could it be?