* * *
“Wow! This is amazing!”
I’d expected something like an open-air bath with some hot water, but this hotel hot spring was on a whole different level—more like a luxurious pool.
Honestly, I never got to go to a hot spring in my past life.
Even in this life, I’d only been to a few traditional Japanese onsens.
This was my first time in Korea.
It might sound lame, but I couldn’t hide my excitement.
The large space was filled with various pools of different types and temperatures.
It was fun choosing which one to try.
Where’s the outdoor bath?
A hot spring isn’t complete without one!
Just as I was about to dash off in search of it, Minhyuk grabbed my arm.
“Don’t run, Concubine. You’ll slip and hurt yourself.”
Minhyuk pulled me gently toward the nearest pool.
The unique scent of mineral water wafted through the air, and warmth spread over my body.
But even with all that comfort, I couldn’t fully relax.
And the reason?
Minhyuk, of course.
Sitting next to me, with a towel draped over his forehead, leaning back like some kind of spa veteran.
‘Why is he completely naked?!’
This is a place where you’re supposed to wear swimsuits!
I nervously glanced around, afraid someone might walk in.
“What’s wrong? Is the water too hot? You’re all fidgety.”
Minhyuk raised his head and looked at me, probably because I was being so obvious.
Maybe he’s so used to being pampered that he doesn’t realize he’s doing something inappropriate.
I leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“Your Majesty, um… You’re supposed to wear a swimsuit in here! What if someone sees you like this?”
“A swimsuit? Why?”
“You’re not wearing anything right now!”
“Who wears clothes into a bath?”
He casually tapped my rash guard top and smirked.
Clearly, he found teasing me fun.
“This isn’t just a bath! It’s a public hot spring! They said to wear swimsuits. What if someone sees you?”
Ugh, I can’t.
He’s such an emperor.
He’s making it obvious it’s his first time in a public hot spring.
Were we just early and that’s why no one else is here?
This isn’t some private royal bath—it’s a mixed-gender space!
I was freaking out, worried someone would come in and report Minhyuk as a pervert.
“So that’s why you kept turning your head like a meerkat? Concubine, are you trying to advertise that you’ve never traveled before?”
“W-What?”
Minhyuk turned his body and came closer.
W-Wait, what is he doing?
I flinched as he suddenly leaned in.
His handsome face, now damp with water, looked like something out of a commercial.
“Did you forget what the Grand Imperial Palace means for you and me?”
“Wh-what?”
Minhyuk suddenly started to gently play with my bangs, which hadn’t gotten wet yet.
The sound of water dripping from his body echoed loudly in the space.
The sudden skinship froze me in place.
‘You came here to scrub off, not seduce people!’
The pounding in my chest grew excessively loud.
I worried that Joo Minhyuk might hear it.
His fingers, which had been brushing through my hair, now lightly grazed the line of my face.
It tickled.
“I’m the Emperor of this country, and you are my Concubine. Who could possibly enter this place where we are now? That would be outrageous. I can’t just show the Emperor’s body to anyone, can I?”
“…Excuse me?”
“What I mean is—no one is allowed in here until tomorrow.”
Oh… is that what this is about?
Still, that doesn’t mean he should be casually half-naked like this.
He should think about how I feel.
“E-even so, being this undressed is a bit…”
“I’m not undressed, though.”
“What? But—ah!”
Before I could finish my sentence, Joo Minhyuk suddenly stood up in the bath
I instinctively shut my eyes and turned my head, trying to protect my poor eyes from what I assumed would be a dreadful sight.
“I told you—I’m not naked.”
At his voice, which was far too calm for someone standing in a bath, I slowly opened my eyes.
And there he was—Joo Minhyuk, wearing black swim shorts.
They were a bit short, sure, but they were still clearly shorts.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“Ah… yes. But… how did I miss that earlier?”
“Maybe because I had a towel around my waist. You came in so tightly wrapped up. I figured—it’s just me and my husband coming here, after all. But, Concubine… are you disappointed? Your face looks like it.”
Disappointed?
As if.
If anything, it’s just because nothing happened between you and that other guy.
You love teasing people, don’t you?
You knew I’d be shocked and did this on purpose.
Ugh, seriously.
Now seated again, Joo Minhyuk couldn’t seem to stop laughing, clearly amused.
“…I’m going to the other side of the bath.”
“I’ll come with you.”
He followed me with a radiant smile—brighter even than the one he had when we first arrived at Yeong Hwagung.
(For anyone confused, they use the palace name for formal name calling of the Empress so Haejoo had been referring Heeseong, ‘Yeong Hwagung’.)
“Concubine, let’s get out for a bit. We’ve been soaking too long. It’ll be trouble if your temperature spikes again.”
Joo Minhyuk lifted me from where I’d been floating aimlessly in the outdoor bath and handed me a drink filled with ice.
“Can’t I stay just a little longer?”
“Let’s rest for a bit and come back later.”
He coaxed me out with a gentle tone.
We had been in there quite a while.
Though I’d stepped out here and there, my body was heavy with fatigue.
But as soon as I drank the cold beverage, my mind snapped awake.
“Shall we eat and come back afterward?”
Wait—aren’t we a little too close?
He was supporting me naturally with one arm, and I found myself leaning against his firm body without much resistance.
Why is he clinging to me?
No… I’m the one leaning on him.
Does that mean Joo Minhyuk doesn’t mind me?
Sure, part of his kindness might be manipulative—maybe he’s using me for something—but it doesn’t feel entirely fake.
Come to think of it, in the novel I read, I never got to know what Joo Minhyuk was truly thinking.
The story didn’t show the Emperor’s point of view.
I knew the author planned an Emperor POV side story, but I died before I could read it, so I never found out how he really felt.
“The most favored Concubine. The Emperor cherished him greatly and forgave him no matter what he did.” The novel repeated that line often. So maybe… maybe the Emperor did care about the Concubine after all.
Even though the Concubine and his family were at the heart of some major scandal, maybe the Emperor’s affection was still sincere.
In the end, Yeong Hwagung won his heart, but maybe—just maybe—he had once loved the Concubine in his own way.
Well, that’s all meaningless now.
Yeong Hwagung was his true love.
Thinking about this only brings me down.
Still… I’m curious.
What is Joo Minhyuk thinking now?
Is he helping me because he pities me—beaten by my grandfather, cursed at by the Empress Dowager—or is there some shred of affection in it?
He gives me gifts and takes care of me when I’m sick.
He doesn’t seem to hate me.
So what are you thinking, Joo Minhyuk?
Even now—you’re drying my hair with your own hands.
What do you really want from me?
And what do I think about the Emperor?
Why don’t I mind being close to him?
I used to think I just wanted to survive, stay away from him, and pair him up with Yeong Hwagung.
But that feeling is starting to shift, and that terrifies me.
I’m scared my heart will end up like in the novel.
“You’ve been wearing that same expression all day. You looked like you had something to say all through lunch. It was kind of funny.”
In the elevator back to our hotel room, after a late lunch and a well-deserved dessert of ice cream, Joo Minhyuk commented.
Caught, I tried to smile, but my face wouldn’t cooperate and I ended up with a weird, twitchy expression.
He chuckled again when he saw me.
Strange.
Why has he been smiling so much lately?
Why does he laugh so easily now?
He used to only ever lift the corners of his mouth at best.
“If you’re not going to talk, I will. I bought a pretty little house in the countryside under your name. For when you want to get away but can’t travel far. A retreat, basically.”
“…Huh?”
Wait, what?
A house? In my name? I was so stunned by the unexpected gift, I couldn’t speak.
“We’ll plant some fruit trees, some flowers… Right now, we’re sealing everything off to keep bugs out. Once it’s finished, let’s go together. And if the situation allows, we can even raise a cat.”
…Hey. That’s cheating.
I wanted Joo Minhyuk to be indifferent to me.
If I start to care for him, it’ll become a very problematic situation.
People who’ve been constantly mistreated are always vulnerable to small kindnesses.
If that’s the part of me he’s targeting, I have to admit—he’s doing an excellent job.
“Why are you crying again? You keep tearing up—it’s a problem. Is it because you’re too happy? If you cry while releasing pheromones, that’s going to be a bit much to handle.”
He said that, but his smile showed nothing but satisfaction.
And for the record, you’re leaking pheromones like crazy too, Joo Minhyuk.
Looks like he’s made up his mind to seduce me today.
And I… I think I want to let him succeed.
Or at least pretend to fall for it.
He’s trying so hard—it’d be rude not to play along.
Maybe things are moving too fast, but I’ll allow it… for now.
The hot spring melted my body, and sure, I’ll blame some of this on the pheromones too.
I leaned in toward his face as he wiped away my tears, and Joo Minhyuk, as if he had been waiting, pulled me gently into his arms.
* * *
Yeeey! I wanna see some drama tho.. 😌😌