Early in the morning, on the same day that Gu Yangcheon was set to depart for Sichuan in a carriage, Wi Seol-Ah was busy doing housework with the other servants.
Having gotten somewhat accustomed to the chores, Wi Seol-Ah was starting to find a bit of fun in them. Although her carefree nature led her to enjoy washing and cleaning, she surprised the other servants by being far more meticulous in her cleaning than they expected.
However, it seemed she was absolutely dreadful at cooking.
‘…Seol-Ah, you can’t hold the knife like that…!’
Bang!
‘Quick, stop her! At this rate, she’s going to chop her hands off!!’
‘Oh my gosh, she chopped the cutting board!!!’
‘The fire! We have to put out the fire first! Bring me water, water!!!’
‘Nooooo! The potatoes have turned blaaack!!!’
The incident where Wi Seol-Ah, who was usually adored by the servants, stood against the wall with her hands raised became legendary among the servants who weren’t there that day.
Because of that episode, the order was firmly given among the servants: Wi Seol-Ah was never to cook again.
Although Wi Seol-Ah felt rather gloomy about it for a while, she perked up again upon hearing the promise that they would teach her properly once she grew up.
“Seol-Ah, could you bring me the laundry?”
“Sure!”
Today was just as usual. The day’s work began with cleaning and laundry.
As she struggled to carry the gathered laundry back, she spotted a carriage outside. It was the same carriage she had ridden when going to the Nine Dragons Ceremony.
‘What’s that…?’
To her surprise, there was another carriage behind it, suggesting they might be going far.
Wi Seol-Ah walked over and asked another servant.
“Hongwa, what’s that carriage for?”
“Hm? Oh, it seems the Young Master is going to Sichuan.”
“Eh? The Young Master is leaving?”
“Yes, so the Second Elder hurriedly prepared the carriages.”
“Uh…? Where’s the Young Master going?”
“Yeah, I heard that things have come up, so he’s leaving soon.”
“Ah… nobody told you, Seol-Ah? I wonder why the direct servant didn’t say anything…”
“Maybe because Seol-Ah is still young and hasn’t learned much yet. They’re going for a month, so that might be why?”
“Ah… that could be it.”
“A m-month…?”
_A month…? An entire month?_
Wi Seol-Ah’s eyes wavered.
The Young Master would be gone for an entire month…?
Wait, that should be normal, right?
Still, she couldn’t figure out why her heart felt so heavy hearing this.
“W-When are they leaving?”
“They said the Young Master will leave as soon as he wakes up, so it should be any minute now.”
If that servant was right, it was nearly time for Gu Yangcheon to rise.
Upon hearing this, Wi Seol-Ah froze, her face a picture of shock, as if she had just received devastating news.
The servant noticed her reaction and affectionately patted her head.
“Seol-Ah, after we finish the laundry, do you want to help me move supplies from the storage to the carriage?”
“…Sure.”
“Want a yakgwa?”
“Yes…!”
After finishing the laundry, Wi Seol-Ah began helping the servants move food to the carriage.
“Is this enough? It’s a long trip after all.”
“Don’t they purchase more food along the way?”
“Uh… but I wonder if the Young Master will be fine for a whole month.”
“Still, don’t you think the Young Master’s been a bit gentler since you came here?”
“That’s true! The other day, when I accidentally bumped into his shoulder while cleaning, he asked me, ‘Are you alright?'”
“It wasn’t just a brush? He didn’t slap you or anything?”
“Exactly! Working has been so much easier lately… Can it really be okay for me to feel this comfortable?”
As the servants chatted and worked, the carriage eventually filled up with the supplies.
Wi Seol-Ah then asked Hongwa a question.
“So does this carriage go with the Young Master?”
“Yep! Now we just need to pack his clothes—”
“Hongwa! The Second Elder is here!”
“Oh, alright! I’ll come right away! Seol-Ah, let’s go.”
“Yes!”
As Hongwa rushed off, Wi Seol-Ah prepared to chase after her when—
_Wait!_
At that moment, a sudden voice halted her, causing her to turn back toward the carriage.
She looked around, scanning for the source of the voice, but no one was near her.
“Wh-Who is it?”
There was no answer.
Puzzled, she wondered if it had come from inside the carriage and decided to clamber inside, and—
Inside was packed with food but no one else.
There was just barely room for someone to hide, yet that spot was empty too.
Once she confirmed that no one else was present, she attempted to exit when someone suddenly shoved her from behind.
“Yikes!”
Wi Seol-Ah tumbled forward into an empty space within the carriage. Ouch! It felt like she’d bumped her knee.
Spinning around to see who had pushed her, all she found were carrots—no sign of the person who had just shoved her.
Still shaken by the bizarre series of events, Wi Seol-Ah wanted to get out quickly but then—
“So, when are we setting off?”
‘Young Master?!’
Hearing Gu Yangcheon and the Second Elder’s voices from outside the carriage, she recalled that he was setting out for a month today.
A thought crossed her mind: if she stayed quiet, perhaps she’d get to go to Sichuan with him.
She was confident in her hide-and-seek skills.
Even her grandfather, who was unusually good at it, struggled to find her at times.
_Should I just stay here?_
She pondered the prospect, but it felt wrong, so she shook her head.
It was frightening to go somewhere without telling her grandfather.
Also, spending a month in an unknown place without him felt even scarier.
_If I just wait, the Young Master will come back._
Resolving this in her mind, she prepared to stand up.
_Wait!_
“…!”
Wi Seol-Ah froze at the sudden voice, her heart racing once again.
It was the same voice as before.
‘Wh-Who are you??’
Still no response.
The voice felt eerily familiar, yet she couldn’t recall who it belonged to.
“Get going! This old man has taken care of everything already. Now depart!”
“What sort of departure is this…?”
Neigh!
“Yikes!”
Startled by the sudden sound of a horse, the carriage lurched forward.
Wi Seol-Ah panicked, realizing that the clan was getting farther away and not knowing what to do.
‘W-What do I do? How do I fix this!?’
While flustered, she felt someone’s hand gently patting her head.
It was a very familiar touch.
Feeling a strange comfort, Wi Seol-Ah slowly began to drift off.
As her eyelids began to droop, she heard a soft voice.
_I’m sorry, please take care._
When Wi Seol-Ah opened her eyes again, she found herself surrounded by a pile of carrots in the darkness of night.
“So, what’s the deal?”
After listening to her excuses, Gu Yangcheon asked her.
“You say it was a ghost that possessed you to hop on the carriage, and it’s not your fault, huh?”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“And what about the carrot in your mouth?”
“…I was hungry, and all I could see was carrots.”
Sigh.
Gu Yangcheon let out a deep sigh as Wi Seol-Ah sheepishly evaded his gaze.
After hearing her entire tale, he slowly formed a fist.
“So…”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Do you really think that anything you just said makes sense?!”
A forceful knock on Wi Seol-Ah’s head punctuated his furious retort.
“Oww!”
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