Hwan’s first task is to collect information about the bride and groom. Unfortunately, both Court Lady Choi and the Royal Chef have no living relatives to speak with. So Hwan equips himself with a notebook and ink brush and prepares to speak with the palace workers who are closely acquainted with the couple.
He learns that Court Lady Choi enjoys drinking wine in the company of the other maids in the evening. She also secretly reads Cha Eun Woo novels, though it seems like her secret is common knowledge among the maids. What surprises Hwan the most is that she is apparently an undefeated master of tujeon1Tujeon are the traditional playing cards of Korea used in the latter half of the Joseon dynasty. They are also known as tupae.. He feels a sense of respect for the fellow card player and considers challenging her to a game one day himself.
Collecting intel on the Royal Chef does not go as smoothly. As Hwan tries to gather information from the cooks in the kitchen, Man Bok constantly interrupts, annoyed that his workplace has been disrupted.
“This is the Queen’s request,” Hwan informs him with a warm smile.
“Of course it’s all her doing,” Man Bok grumbles. Hwan is sure he is mistaken when he hears the Royal Chef cursing the Queen under his breath. It’s like the chef is talking about an annoying drinking mate and not the Queen of Joseon. Surely he has just misheard him.
Eventually, Hwan manages to collect all the information he needs. In the late evening, exhausted from working tirelessly all day, he goes to visit his friend Director Hong. Of course, his other friends are already there as well: the King’s brother and that strange fellow Jong-Cheol. Hwan is still not sure if his guess about Jong-Cheol’s gender is correct, because whenever he asks about him, everyone wordlessly shakes their heads.
“You all are already here!” Hwan states cheerfully, finding an empty spot to sit beside the wooden table.
“You’re late today. What kept you so long?” Hong asks, passing out the tujeon cards around the table.
“The Queen gave me a very important assignment,” Hwan proudly boasts. Upon hearing that, Jong-Cheol abruptly gets up, startling everyone, and finds a seat closer to Hwan.
“The Queen, you say?” Jong-Cheol asks, patting Hwan’s back with too much force, giving him a bit of coughing fit.
“The Queen asked me to organize the wedding for the Royal Chef and her court lady,” Hwan declares once he catches his breath.
“Did she ask you personally?” Jong-Cheol asks, gripping Hwan’s shoulder in an almost painful way.
“Yes, we met for tea in her chambers – Ah!” Hwan immediately understands his mistake when he feels Jong-Cheol squeeze his shoulder even harder, inflicting a sharp pain. Director Hong had warned him before to not mention the Queen with Jong-Cheol present, as she is a sore subject for him.
“Wedding, you say…” Jong-Cheol considers this thoughtfully.
“The ceremony will most likely take place in the palace gardens next week. I’m planning to decorate everything with lanterns and ribbons. The chef has to help cook for his own wedding though, poor fellow…”
Now that he is among his friends, Hwan can’t help but share all of his plans. Director Hong listens with a smile, nodding occasionally. The King’s brother is stoic save for the occasional roll of his eyes. Hwan finds this odd, as the prince must know how exciting a wedding can be, having gotten married not long ago himself. Jong-Cheol sits quietly, deep in his own thoughts. Hwan is grateful for this, as his shoulder still feels sore and he doesn’t think it can handle any more trauma from Jong-Cheol’s unforgiving grasp.
“I need to go!” Jong-Cheol startles everyone, jumping to his feet and rushing away without further comment. The remaining men stare at each other in confusion once he has exited the room.
“Does he know that the Queen is married?” Hwan ponders aloud. Jong-Cheol seems to always show great interest in the King’s wife. He could lose his head if the King was to find out, as Hwan has heard their monarch is the jealous type. But his friends only shake their heads in response.
farrahtango on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:17PM EDT
thanks for your update authornim..
i can feel how distress SY felt and how suffer CJ was. “CJ is still a terrible pick-up master, making your wife almost get cold so you could show off, really?” ahaha 😀 so this was CJ planning, waah how petty he was! aahh always wait for next pain chapt!
Last Edited Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:24PM EDT
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OrlaDark on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:57PM EDT
I’m glad you like it and thanks for the feedback!
I feel for SY too, she basically tortures not only CJ but also herself T_T
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makpalu on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:45PM EDT
I was feeling so sad at Say’s distress then I read your judgement of CJ pickup skills and burst out laughing. Talk about two very clueless puppies- misreading all signals and retreating. It hurts so good. Can’t wait for what comes next. Thank you author!!
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OrlaDark on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:59PM EDT
We know CJ is bad in pick-up skills, girls all over him bc he’s pretty lol
Jokes aside, he really tries to reconnect with her but SY is too stubborn =(
Thank you for your feedback!
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goldensoul93 on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 02:49PM EDT
these two break my heart! guys, just talk to each other😪
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OrlaDark on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 03:02PM EDT
I hope I won’t screw up their reunion, I’m so nervous. But a lot of talk coming. Mostly arguments but in their case, it’s huge progress 🙂
Thank you for your feedback!
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Ukhoehong on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 03:02PM EDT
I’m so happy for CLC and MB. They so deserve this happiness. And SY is so doubtful of herself. Thank you for this update! I’m very looking forward to the next chapters.
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OrlaDark on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 04:07PM EDT
They are making history with that wedding 🙂 I’m happy for them too.
Thank you for your feedback!
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Freyja_Lawliet on Chapter 5Thu 29 Jul 2021 08:24PM EDT
So, their misunderstanding has grown over one year… I really wanted to lock them in the same room so they could talk. very sad for both of them T_T
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OrlaDark on Chapter 5Fri 30 Jul 2021 01:36PM EDT
It’s not exactly a misunderstanding. CJ is still confused about who he loves and tries to reconnect to find out for sure but SY is too afraid T_T
Babysteps, let’s reunite them first and then lock them up lol
Thank you for the feedback!
Oh, my goodness. Not me crying at work from ~ “But being the third choice after Hwa Jin and then the spirit was too much to bear.”
“For some bizarre reason, Soyong believes she’s a perfect lady. Like it wasn’t her who sneak into the inner palace and shout at top of her lungs how she wants to see King’s face lol”
LOLOL. Like how CLC considered her unruly before she got chosen and yet the servants at MG’s said she would never run! I guess SY knows how to keep up with appearances!
“Also, it might feel like SY doubts herself too much, but I realized SY’s biggest problem is social skills. She’s good at studying and she’s a great ruler and a very smart woman. But she lacks social skills while BH and HJ are good at them, this is why they are so loved by everyone. I might discover this more in future chapters.”
Oh! Interesting! Though I myself assumed SY and BH had similar personalities, but the way BH came and “did” everything, that must have caused her self-esteem…
I’m unsure about HJ being good at social skills and if she is loved by everyone. Though, yeah. She seems to have captured the two brothers (YP + CJ). Haha. I look forward to see how this goes as I read through.
(I have been itching to read more of your stories~~~ I am currently rereading the Meet me series!)
Hello, this is so sweet of you to keep commenting on stories on the second read <3 I hope you'll like new chapters <3 Sorry that I'm wasn't posting for so long =(