Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 78

Chapter 78

But there was a problem.  

‘Did Si-woo kill Changwon-gun?’

However, if Changwon-gun was murdered, it was unclear why the story had not been recorded in history. Even though Changwon-gun was a thorn in the royal court, he was still a member of the royal family.  

‘Did Si-woo cover it up…?’

No, that wasn’t something Si-woo would do. And even if it were for revenge, his father wouldn’t have accepted someone who deliberately committed murder and covered it up as family in the first place.  

Also, since Si-woo knew the identity of Go Eop-ji, what was their relationship?  

‘If it was just an acquaintance, Changwon-gun wouldn’t have gone to the trouble of having Si-woo imprisoned.’

Lost in thought, Emily spoke.  

“I think that’s enough for now. You should go to bed too.”  

“Yeah. You sleep well too, Emily.”  

“Goodnight.”  

Ha-yeon turned to walk away.  

“Miss.”  

However, as she was about to leave the kitchen, Emily called out. When she looked back, Emily stood there under the dim light, like an actor alone on a monologue stage.  

“Please don’t ask CEO Chu about that incident.”  

Emily’s face looked resolute as if she had never shown such an expression before.  

“Since the infection, the CEO hasn’t been able to return home. He couldn’t even be there for his parents’ last moments. You understand how grave that is for people of our era. So, that incident remains a deep wound for him.”  

“Emily.”  

Ha-yeon suddenly said.  

“Weren’t you frustrated that my father took Si-woo’s patronage?”  

“What?”  

Emily was taken aback by the unexpected question, and then quickly shook her head.  

“That’s not possible. I couldn’t do anything for the CEO. Instead, thanks to Captain Alex, we were able to survive. Captain Alex is our benefactor…”  

While Emily was talking for a while, Ha-yeon raised her hand to stop her.  

“Alright. Let’s stop praising my father. Anyway, whether it’s Si-woo or you, it seems like you would drink lye if my father said so. Well, goodnight.”  

Then Ha-yeon returned to her room and stood in the middle of it, resting her hands on her hips, lost in thought.  

‘Should I ask Father?’

No, that would raise strange suspicions. Even though he was a thousand-year-old gentleman, sometimes his intuition was unnervingly accurate.  

Ha-yeon looked at her wristband and spoke.  

“Like, connect to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty homepage.”  

[Connecting to the Annals of the Joseon Dynasty homepage.]  

A hologram recreating the appearance of the Joseon royal court spread out. The modern Annals of the Joseon Dynasty had been materialized to give the reader the feeling of being in the situation when the records were written. Therefore, the first scene of the annals unfolded before her eyes as if it were happening right now.

<Volume 1 of the Annals of Taejo, August 1, Year 1 of Taejo, Gyeongsul>  

Receiving the attendance of his officials while standing>

It was the first scene of the annals. Taejo, reproduced through benevolence, stood, and in front of him, the officials were lined up with their heads slightly bowed. Given the position of the hologram, Ha-yeon, who seemed to be standing among those officials, spoke.

“Go to the second entry of February 17, Year 9 of Seongjong, Volume 89 of the Annals of Seongjong.”  

[Searching the second entry of February 17, Year 9 of Seongjong, Volume 89 of the Annals of Seongjong.]  

A hologram of a book flipping quickly appeared, and soon it transitioned to a scene depicting the record. However, this time it only appeared as text, and Like added a note.  

[The entry is displayed only as text because the materialization work has not yet been completed. Materialization is done in the order of available visual references such as the Uigwe, so records without reference materials are delayed. Please understand that the materialization service for such records is slower.]  

This indicated that the record was considered less important.

<Since Chu Si-woo is already dead…>

Ha-yeon stared at the floating text and thought.

‘Gap-sa Chu Si-woo. How did you die? What happened?’

* * *

The nails were unexpected.  

“I mentioned it once before.”  

The stylist, Jane, said.  

“Really?”  

“But the CEO said that wasn’t necessary.”  

He didn’t even remember if that was the case. It was a testament to how little Si-woo thought about his nails.  

“All done.”  

Jane removed her hands from the nail machine, and Si-woo, in his male form, looked at his sparkling fingertips with a complicated expression.  

“Now, the left hand…”  

Before Jane could finish, Si-woo extended his hand again and spoke. 

“Please remove it.”  

“What?”  

“This doesn’t seem right.”  

Jane, though puzzled, began to remove her freshly completed work without any complaints, as the customer requested.

“You look tired.”  

Si-woo sighed.  

“Don’t even mention it.”  

Thinking about the recent troubles with Ha-yeon, even though he was generally immune to headaches, he felt like he had one now.  

At that moment, a hand came closer and brushed Si-woo’s hair.  

“Looking emaciated can be sexy too.”  

As Si-woo looked up at Jane, she commented on his freshly cut hair.

“Noticed that you got a haircut. But it doesn’t look like it was done by a professional…”  

Jane chuckled lazily.  

Having worked as Si-woo’s stylist for a long time, Jane knew well that he did not form relationships with specific individuals or the people he worked with. However, today, his mood seemed unusually low, giving her a feeling that it might be appropriate to approach him.  

Since Si-woo did not stop her, Jane slowly brought her face closer. Si-woo tried hard to erase Ha-yeon’s face from his mind.  

Suddenly, the door burst open.  

Before either of them could react, Ha-yeon walked in confidently, plopped down on the opposite sofa, rested her forehead on her hand, and let out a sigh as if she were a businessman deep in thought.  

Seeing her complete disregard for them, Si-woo and Jane looked at her in disbelief, and Ha-yeon, as if just realizing their presence, looked at them.

“Continue with what you were doing. I won’t disturb you.”  

With that, Ha-yeon got up and went to the kitchen. Si-woo was about to follow immediately but looked at Jane.  

“You can leave for today.”  

“Oh… alright?”  

Jane muttered as if disappointed and began to gather her things. But Ha-yeon, who had returned with a beer, spoke.

“Hold on a minute.”  

Jane looked at Ha-yeon.  

“Yes?”  

“Can I have a word with you as well?”  

Ha-yeon set the beer down on the table and sat down. Jane looked at Si-woo as if asking if this was alright. However, just then, the phone rang, and Si-woo, unable to respond to Jane, answered the call.  

“Yes.”  

Si-woo glanced at the two women and said.

“Please wait a moment.”  

Then, while taking the call and moving to another area, Ha-yeon sat on the sofa and said to Jane.

“Let’s get started.”  

Jane, for some reason, couldn’t refuse Ha-yeon’s request and took her seat.  

“What color would you like?”  

“Hmm, I think this color would be good.”  

Ha-yeon chose a blue from the nail window.  

By reflex, Jane began the work. However, since Ha-yeon was staring at her intently, Jane asked.

“Is there something you’d like to ask me?”  

Ha-yeon cut to the chase and asked.  

“Did you sleep with him?”  

Jane noticed that this enigmatic young lady had a particular interest in her VVIP client. After all, a woman of this age coming to a man’s home who wasn’t a blood relative at this hour was noteworthy.  

Although Jane liked Si-woo personally and was interested in him romantically, she knew the differences in their backgrounds, professions, and even potential personality clashes if they were to date. She didn’t see Ha-yeon as a rival but couldn’t help feeling a bit spiteful. So, she responded with a hint of challenge.  

“And if I did?”  

Instead of showing jealousy or rolling her eyes, Ha-yeon murmured as if the mystery had been solved.  

“Then it makes sense that you’re with a woman.”  

Jane gave Ha-yeon a sideways glance.  

“I didn’t think it would be confusing.”  

Ha-yeon shrugged.  

“Because he lies as easily as he eats.”  

At that moment, Si-woo returned.

“Miss, the call is for you. It’s Mrs. Kang.”  

Ha-yeon walked towards the room.

“Yes, Mom. It’s me.”  

Jane watched Ha-yeon’s disappearing figure and then looked up at Si-woo.  

“She’s a remarkable lady.”  

Certainly, “remarkable” seemed more fitting than “pretty” for Ha-yeon. It seemed to fit even more as she got older.  

Si-woo looked back at Jane with a blank expression.  

“Aren’t you leaving?”  

When Ha-yeon returned a short while later, the table was neatly cleaned, and Jane was nowhere to be seen. The jacket that seemed to belong to her was also gone, so she must have left. Or maybe Si-woo had sent her off.  

Si-woo pretended not to care and sat on the sofa, looking at his pad.  

“Did she leave?”  

Ha-yeon asked.  

“She had another appointment.”

It was a complete lie, but as Ha-yeon said, he was someone who lies as easily as he eats. So, his conscience didn’t hurt much.

“She’s only done one hand so far.”  

Ha-yeon grumbled and abruptly extended her hand.  

“Do it for me. The left hand is still left.”  

For reference, Ha-yeon was left-handed, so she couldn’t do it with her right hand.

Si-woo looked at Ha-yeon’s hand, which was extended as if it were a matter of course, and then looked away.  

“I’m sorry. I’ve never done it before.”

Ha-yeon shrugged and sat on the floor, leaning over the table to start applying the polish herself. It was messy. It might not have been that bad, but it was at least sloppily applied.

Seeing it was not up to standard, Ha-yeon furrowed her brow, removed it, and tried again. But since the person applying it hadn’t changed, the result was naturally the same.

From the serious look on Ha-yeon’s face, it didn’t seem like she was doing it on purpose. Considering her personality, she didn’t seem to have much talent for delicate tasks.

Si-woo sighed and extended his hand.  

“Please give it to me.”

Ha-yeon handed over the polish. Si-woo sat in front of her and started applying it. Although it couldn’t be compared to Jane’s skill, it was much better than Ha-yeon’s. At least he knew how to keep the lines straight.

While applying the polish, Si-woo asked.

“Why did you come today?”

Ha-yeon smiled faintly.  

“Is it wrong to come?”

Ha-yeon rested her chin on her hand and leaned forward, revealing a faint curve inside her deep V-neck shirt. Si-woo naturally shifted his gaze to the nails.

“You used to be someone who wouldn’t even come for dinner when invited.”

“So you’re sulking?”  

Si-woo didn’t answer and focused on his work. It seemed wiser not to respond.

Then, after a moment of silence, Ha-yeon looked at her nails.

“You apply it well. Maybe it’s because you’re good at makeup.”  

Ha-yeon’s breath was felt close to his ear.  

It was clear that Ha-yeon was doing it deliberately. Si-woo suddenly straightened up and put the polish down. His stiff expression made Ha-yeon instinctively lean back slightly.

“Why…”

“You asked me why I dress up as a woman.”  

Si-woo finally spoke.  

“I suppose I should tell you this first. I was buried alive at the hands of someone I once considered a friend.”