“This is where the ceremony for the election of the Do-mun Hyang-joo will take place.”
Following Im Ha-yeon’s guidance, I arrived at a completely unexpected location for the Do-mun Hyang-joo election ceremony.
“Isn’t this the pavilion I used to visit sometimes?”
Wasn’t this the pavilion I came to when I went on night walks with Ha-yeon or when she ran away?
They say it’s a den of thieves. I thought it was a secret place where Ho Pil loses his chances by shouting “Open, sesame!”
“Indeed, it’s quite a coincidence.”
“It seems even in Do-mun, this pavilion is known for its beautiful scenery.”
Climbing onto the pavilion’s roof and looking around, the view was wide open—an optimal spot for both scouting and strolling.
“It seems we have a little time left.”
Did we come too early? The sun was gently lowering itself into the Yangtze River, like a child carefully dipping its toes into a cold pool.
“Have you heard anything about the election ceremony?”
“I heard it’s like a test or something.”
“No way! You’re not suddenly changing what you’ve said, are you?”
I detest professors who suddenly toss in an unexpected pop quiz and say it will be reflected in our grades.
“It seems, like with the martial arts ceremony, it’s done ceremoniously.”
Rather than a test, it’s like a thief’s version of self-introductions done at the start of a new semester.
Self-introductions are excruciating, but if I say I’m not interested in ordinary people, as long as I don’t mention having a time-traveler or a psychic among us, I could enjoy a decent thief’s life.
“Feeling nervous?”
Im Ha-yeon’s face was tightly stiffened. With only one last step remaining in this situation, I suppose there’s no avoiding it.
“No, it’s not that big of a deal.”
“Or is it because of Miss Zhuge’s matter…?”
“I don’t get upset over things like that!”
Im Ha-yeon replied as if baffled.
“Well, that wasn’t my intention.”
I was just trying to lighten the mood with a joke.
“Miss Zhuge has tolerated a lot because of me. She’s not the type to hold a grudge over something like that. If you had only said a few words in that situation, what do you think I would have said?”
Im Ha-yeon’s eyes showed a lingering guilt towards Miss Zhuge.
“Haha, really?”
Even I could see that the two of them had grown quite close lately. The awkwardness that had been there had vanished, and to an outsider, they almost looked like sisters.
“Just…”
“Just?”
“It’s just that I can’t help but feel like it’s coming out naturally…”
Im Ha-yeon mumbled, gazing shyly down at the roof.
“Hahaha.”
“Ugh! That’s why I didn’t want to say anything!”
Im Ha-yeon blushed a bit, feeling like she had fallen into my trap.
“Come here. Let’s sit and enjoy the sunset until we have to go.”
I patted the left side of the roof and said.
Im Ha-yeon glanced back and forth between my side and me, let out a small sigh, and naturally sat beside me.
Before I knew it, her head was resting on my shoulder, and my hand rested naturally on her waist.
The sunset was fading.
The two felt each other’s warmth and silently watched as the sun set for a while. Perhaps it was a time when they could share many words, but the two felt no need to open their mouths.
Sharing the same space and time with a lover, just that alone could chase away the tension and fear filling their hearts, replacing it with contentment and happiness.
“I’ve seen the night view here, but I’ve never seen the sunset.”
When the man spotted a small smile on the woman’s face, he finally spoke.
“I’m seeing it for the first time too.”
The sunset tinted the Yangtze River red, and the sunlight danced beautifully on the water’s surface.
Leaning against her lover’s shoulder, Im Ha-yeon etched this unforgettable scene into her memory.
“It’s over now.”
It felt long.
From the Umbrella Guild, passing through the Yichang Tea Bookstore, to the Wuhan Inn, and living the life of the Shadowless Thief. The journey to shed her identity as a courtesan was coming to an end.
“Now, it begins.”
Im Ha-yeon lifted her head slightly to look at her lover, feeling the warmth of his hand on her skin. The man gazed back at her with his usual reassuring smile.
“A beginning…?”
“Yes, our lives together are just beginning.”
“Ugh.”
How is it that he can speak words that dig into one’s heart like this?
Another pink arrow struck her heart, but she didn’t mind. Her heart was already a target aimed at one man.
“Thanks to you, I’ve made it this far.”
“It’s because of you, Ha-yeon, that we’ve come this far.”
As the sun set and night arrived, the end would come. But that wasn’t the end. The sun would rise again. Even after shedding the identity that had tormented her for so long, she would still have her lover by her side.
To feel his touch, Im Ha-yeon carefully intertwined her fingers with his.
Listening to the sound of his heartbeat, she leaned her ear against his chest. It was slightly faster. She found that fact pleasing.
“Meeting you that day was the greatest fortune of my life.”
Shaking in fear as she faced the world for the first time, the first man she met—the one who reached out his hand to her. Even when she pushed him away, he laughed as if it was nothing and reached out again.
The man who gently brought her food, casually gifted her things, and taught her how to live in this world.
It was all this man.
Perhaps her entire life had been leading up to meeting him.
Im Ha-yeon looked back up at the man filling her heart.
“I could only come this far thanks to you, Ha-yeon. But there’s still one last step to go.”
Since there was still a little time left, it would be nice if we could ramp up the atmosphere a bit more. Whether it was the man’s natural charm or intentional mischief, it was hard to tell.
But she didn’t mind.
Having wandered, worried, and tormented herself about this man countless times, she now knew how to get what she wanted from him.
With a slightly pouty expression, Im Ha-yeon opened her arms, longing for his affection.
“I’m feeling jealous too. Hold me.”
He looked surprised for a moment, then burst into a chuckle and opened his sturdy arms to embrace her.
Maybe she should have asked him to hold her faster. Im Ha-yeon savored his warmth.
She was still feeling nervous.
Well, it made sense that she couldn’t help but feel anxious. She could feel her strong but soft shoulders trembling.
“Ugh…”
Once her quivering heart calmed down, she naturally moved away from him.
“Why do I feel like I understand Miss Zhuge’s feelings now?”
Im Ha-yeon turned her head away, speaking in a voice filled with regret.
“Ha-yeon, there’s still one trial left.”
“Seems so.”
Im Ha-yeon nodded, looking up at me.
Her blue eyes sparkled like the sky. The pink-haired Shadowless Thief with eyes as blue as the heavens was gazing at me.
A beauty that was hard to get used to, no matter how much she tried. Normally, she would’ve become the most sought-after courtesan in Hubei Province, and now her beauty was solely captured by my eyes.
“Do you remember what happened on the pavilion before?”
Without realizing, my hand went up to caress her cheek.
“You said there were too many problems between us for you to give me an answer?”
“That answer came later, didn’t it? The words that followed that…”
We were supposed to do something after sharing our feelings, right?
“The words that followed? Huh?!”
Did she realize it now?
Im Ha-yeon’s blue eyes widened at that moment.
“Did you remember?”
I asked her with a slightly playful smile, recalling the moment when our eager feelings intertwined, only to come to an unexpected halt due to a silly misunderstanding.
“Wh-why?”
Im Ha-yeon stuttered as she looked at my approaching face.
Didn’t I want to take the hand of the woman who had given her heart to me? We confirmed each other’s feelings, so why hadn’t we embraced even once?
‘Once that restraint is broken, it might just crumble endlessly.’
Since she was a runaway courtesan, I needed to tread lightly. It could easily complicate matters for both of us. Even though I wanted to express my affections more actively, I held back for Ha-yeon’s future.
There were countless problems piled up. But now, only one barrier remained.
Before long, our faces were close enough to feel each other’s breaths. With affection in my voice, I asked her.
“There’s an order for courage used in Joseon. Would you like to try it once?”
“Um, how long will it take?”
“As long as you want, Ha-yeon.”
“Then… take your time.”
It didn’t take long until we finally allowed each other to breathe in unison.
*
“Cough cough.”
The seemingly never-ending order of courage continued until awkward coughs were heard from behind.
In reality, both knew that the Do-mun executives had been aware of the presence of those who came from earlier that evening. It was just that someone needed to pour cold water on the already kindled passion between the two.
Both of them looked on with longing as they gazed at each other’s glossy lips, but now it was time to part.
“……”
They didn’t need to verbally exchange any words. Their faces were as red as the sunset.
“We’ll start right away when the sun sets. The Do-mun Hyang-joo should go ahead to the election ceremony venue.”
If they didn’t speak, it felt like they might do something else rather than the election ceremony. The Do-mun executive didn’t let his thoughts spill into words.
“Ha-yeon.”
“You’ve gathered enough courage, so wait for me.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
Kang Yoon-ho nodded and followed the person from Do-mun.
Having gathered enough courage, Im Ha-yeon didn’t force herself to look back at Kang Yoon-ho’s disappearing figure. Now was her time to look forward.
————–
“I shall commence the ceremony.”
I feel like I’m floating on clouds. Right now, I could probably walk on air. Im Ha-yeon thought as she played with her lips.
“Who?”
Before long, darkness descended upon Wuhan. Aside from one familiar face among the executives on the pavilion, there were ten martial artists standing in place.
“There are ten executives from Do-mun, the ten who excel in Light Body Movement. They will roam the night of Wuhan, wearing white headbands.”
As the executive had said, white headbands adorned the heads of the martial artists.
“What should I do?”
“Take the white headbands from them. Whoever has theirs taken will swear loyalty right then and there.”
“Are there any passing conditions?”
“There are none. If you can’t capture even one headband before dawn, you will only receive distrustful looks, rather than loyalty as the Do-mun Hyang-joo.”
There are no failures. This was merely a moment to showcase the new Do-mun Hyang-joo’s abilities before the executives.
“It starts right away?”
“As soon as the coin is flipped, those here will commence. The Do-mun Hyang-joo should begin moving as soon as the coin drops to the ground.”
Im Ha-yeon was atop the high roof with a view of the majestic Wuhan scenery. To wait until the coin fell to the ground meant that the masters of Light Body Movement would have already vanished into the distance.
It would be a miracle to catch even one, so not being able to catch them didn’t matter. However, it should suffice to prove the abilities of the new Do-mun Hyang-joo.
This was indeed a test befitting Do-mun’s rituals.
“I have a question,” Im Ha-yeon said as she scanned the executives around her.
“Ask away.”
“How many did the former one catch?”
She was asking about the former Do-mun Hyang-joo and Shadowless Thief, her father.
“Eight. He caught the most in Do-mun’s history.”
It’s already a miracle to catch even two or three in a large city like Wuhan. The former had caught eight.
There was a reason why the people of Do-mun waited for ten years, loyally supporting the return of their Hyang-joo.
“I see.”
Im Ha-yeon nodded with a half-smile.
“Are you perhaps challenging your predecessor?”
Some of the executives frowned at that smile and spoke up.
“He is someone who made history in Do-mun. You, being his daughter, need to recognize how great your father’s accomplishments were.”
“While we acknowledge the accomplishments of the prospective Hyang-joo, let us not forget that she is merely his daughter.”
“She is the Do-mun Hyang-joo elected after ten years. Don’t be rude!”
“Humph!”
Most of the Do-mun executives agreed with Im Ha-yeon’s Hyang-joo election, but that didn’t mean their loyalty to the previous Hyang-joo had vanished.
Im Ha-yeon didn’t even feel like responding to that. Instead, she simply closed her eyes.
Like someone gathering their thoughts before the final trial.
In her demeanor, some admired the composure of the new Hyang-joo, while others felt regret over her lack of respect for her father.
Things grew quiet atop the pavilion, and as the final preparation was completed, an executive lifted a coin.
“I’ll begin.”
The coin was flipped.
Like the waves of the Yangtze River gracefully flowing through Wuhan, the executives burst from the pavilion as though they’d charge ahead rather than be pushed back.
Im Ha-yeon listened carefully to the sound of the falling coin, lost in thought.
‘What if I hadn’t met him? What would have happened?’
She probably would have been captured as a runaway courtesan. She wouldn’t have stopped the Do-mun Hyang-joo from becoming a rogue; she would have lived her life as a runaway courtesan.
What would have happened afterward?
Would she have lived contentedly as a courtesan? No. She would have cursed her fate and blamed it.
Or maybe, without grasping the truth of anything, she’d have resorted to thievery to escape her identity as a runaway courtesan.
A wretched courtesan and a thief. She might have ended up loathing herself while simultaneously doing what she wished not to become.
Im Ha-yeon’s thoughts were correct. Without meeting Kang Yoon-ho, that would have been her fate.
But now, she was different.
She cleared her misunderstandings about her father. She had transformed from a courtesan, loathing thieves, into a righteous thief. Though she faced crises with her lover, she had grown to cherish everything she had learned.
The Im Ha-yeon now was a martial artist who had shaken off all her confusions.
“Then let’s talk.”
As the coin continued to fall, she felt the tension rise.
“My questions are over! It has already begun!”
In this long yet short moment, as the coin hit the ground, her eyes adjusted to the darkness.
The woman who cast off her confusion made her move.
“What, what?!”
Im Ha-yeon was already gripping a headband.
“If I manage to catch them all before dawn, we can start the election ceremony right away, right?”
Under the moonlit night, a single flower bloomed with unbelievable beauty.
A flower that should never have bloomed, by its name.
The Shadowless Thief. Im Ha-yeon.
With a talent recognized by the world, the steps of the woman were as light as a feather.
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