Late into the night, after the Hanbok atelier had long closed its doors, a heavy knock reverberated through the stillness of the air. With a mixture of trepidation and excitement, Diana approached the wooden gate, her heart pounding in anticipation.
As she swung open the gate, she was met with a sight that left her breathless—the ancient city of Hanyang sprawled before her, its streets alive with the hustle and bustle of daily life.
"W-wow... I really am in Chosun! This can't be a dream, it feels so real!!" Diana exclaimed, her eyes wide with wonder.
"How have you been during the day?" Sung's voice broke through her reverie, drawing her attention to the trio standing before her.
"Oh, it was okay... Except that I've been worried sick that you guys might not show up! But... Who is that new guy...? I should greet him first...! ...Hello! I'm Diana Han," Diana greeted, extending her hand in greeting.
However, the newcomer remained silent, his gaze fixed on Diana with a mixture of confusion and suspicion.
"Why's he glaring at me without saying anything...?...What, you don't have a name, mister?" Diana quipped, her patience wearing thin.
Sung intervened, his voice calm yet authoritative. "This is a close friend of mine. He's like a little brother to me."
With a nudge from Sung, the newcomer finally spoke, albeit with a displeased expression. "...I'm Taesoo Jung."
"Oh, hello, uh- young master Taesoo," Diana greeted awkwardly, her discomfort evident in her voice.
As the three men continued to stare at her intently, Diana couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by their scrutiny. "Ugh, why won't they stop staring at me so intensely, all three at the same time...? I'm not in the mood to enjoy three men's gaze at the moment..." she thought to herself, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
As the three men stood before her, their questions came in a flurry, leaving Diana feeling overwhelmed.
"Uh, Lady Diana? Was there anything suspicious during the day?" Sung's voice cut through the air, his tone tinged with concern.
"Suspicious...? Like what?" Diana replied, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"There may be someone spying on this house, or even on you," Sung explained, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
"Huh?!" Diana's eyes widened in alarm at the thought of being watched.
"...I'm actually-" Sung began, only to be interrupted by Young.
"Your hi-" Young attempted to interject, but Sung cut him off with a pointed glare.
"-a very charming and popular man," Sung finished, his words dripping with a hint of arrogance.
Taesoo's cough broke the tense silence, his eyes darting between Sung and Diana.
"Eh?" Diana's confusion only deepened at Taesoo's sudden intervention.
"There are countless people who take interest in me and follow my every move. And you could be victimized if you're seen with me in nighttime," Sung continued, his tone grave.
Diana couldn't help but chuckle at Sung's dramatic declaration. "Ahahaha... He plainly speaks such nonsense, hahaha..." she thought to herself, though a small part of her couldn't deny the truth in Sung's words. After all, his striking appearance did seem to attract attention wherever he went.
"Oh, I'll be fine. I'm not here by the morning, anyways," Diana reassured them with a dismissive wave of her hand.
"...You're not here by the morning?" Taesoo's voice was laced with suspicion, his eyes narrowing at Diana's seemingly innocent remark.
"Oops. Have you lost your mind?! Why should you say that???" Diana scolded herself inwardly, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"By the morning... I go out for a long jog...! And it takes a very, very long time... I leave the house empty..." Diana improvised quickly, hoping her explanation would satisfy Taesoo's probing gaze.
"Yeah, and you hope they'll buy your words, Diana???" a voice in her mind taunted, echoing her own doubts.
"For how long do you leave your house empty that you're not worried at all?" Taesoo's question cut through the air like a knife, his accusatory tone sending a chill down Diana's spine.
Sung's concern for Diana's safety lingered in the air, his words weighted with a sense of genuine worry.
"I see how you keep your positive energy and spirit," Sung remarked, his eyes scanning Diana's face with a mixture of admiration and concern.
As Sung spoke, Diana couldn't help but notice the emptiness behind the other man's smile, and the intense gaze of the third man, as if he were prepared to lay down his life for her.
"Even if you say so, I'm concerned about your safety, Lady Diana. I would like to hire you a guard for some time," Sung offered, his voice firm and resolute.
"Uhhh- no thank you!!! That would make be very, very, very uncomfortable...!!" Diana protested vehemently, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
"If you feel uncomfortable being with a man you don't know, I could-" Young began, but Diana cut him off with a quick shake of her head.
"N-no, you make me uncomfortable, too!! Very uncomfortable!!" Diana blurted out, her words tinged with guilt as she saw the hurt flicker in Young's eyes.
"I'm very grateful for your care and offer, but I'll be more than fine, thank you! Haha..." Diana attempted to lighten the mood with a forced laugh, though her heart ached at the thought of hurting Young's feelings.
"Are you sure it's not because you want to hide something from us?" Taesoo's voice cut through the tension, his words like a dagger aimed at Diana's heart.
"That puny little devil... I really hope he'd stop doing that... I need to ask them if I could learn needlework of Chosun, but in this rate...!" Diana lamented silently, her frustration mounting with each passing moment.
As she attempted to make her way out of the tense atmosphere, her eyes met Taesoo's, and she felt a chill run down her spine.
"That parchment..." Taesoo's voice trailed off, his eyes distant as if lost in thought.
Suddenly, a flashback of Sung's conversation from earlier in the day flooded Taesoo's mind.
"...We were ambushed by a group of assassins last night. I've written about the situation in detail on that parchment. You go out of the palace and head straight to check on the lady," Sung's voice echoed in Taesoo's memory.
"I don't know who you're looking for, young master... But the owners of this mansion haven't been seen for more than ten years now, sir," a woman's reply
"More than 10 years...?" Taesoo repeated incredulously, his mind racing with questions.
"Yes, master. The house was left empty for that long, but the objects in or outside the place never rusted a bit. People who live around here call that place the 'haunted mansion,' young sir," the woman replied, her voice filled with a hint of trepidation.
Taesoo furrowed his brow in thought. "But I was told that the lady's house is the one with that red and blue silk lantern... Perhaps, there is another house with the silk lantern hung outside?"
"The red and blue silk lantern usually used by newlyweds, you mean? I tell you not. And there hasn't been any marriages around here, either. The only house with such a silk lantern is that haunted house, sir," the woman explained, her tone tinged with uncertainty.
"...Is that so...?" Taesoo murmured to himself, his mind swirling with confusion.
As he pondered the implications of the woman's words, a sudden gust of wind caught the parchment in his hand, sending it spiraling out of his grasp.
"The parchment in the lady's hands," Taesoo muttered under his breath, his gaze fixated on Diana's outstretched hand.
Diana, sensing the tension in the air, decided to break the silence. "Now, don't you all just stand there. Come inside!" she exclaimed, her voice laced with warmth and hospitality.
"I should feed them with something and bring up the subject...!" she thought to herself, determined to steer the conversation in a more comfortable direction.
Inside the Hanbok Atelier, Diana couldn't shake the feeling of scrutiny from the three men before her. She could practically hear the wheels turning in Taesoo's mind as he searched for any hint of wrongdoing on her part.
"Yeap, I can definitely hear it... I can hear those six eyes rolling around to see the bizarre view inside here... Plus I hear that Taesoo guy's brain clicking hard to find flaws for accusing me...! I know he's being hostile towards me but I really can't find out why," Diana mused to herself, her eyes darting between the three men.
"I hope he doesn't infect the other two with his negative ideas about me. Let's not forget the good smile, too," she added, noting Sung's charming demeanor.
"The weather's so chilly outside. How about some warm tea?" Diana suggested, eager to break the tension in the room.
She reached for the porcelain tea pot and began pouring, making sure to fill Sung's cup first. "It's definitely not because of his face...! It's just that he seems to be the highest ranker among these three..." she reasoned to herself.
"It's quite easy to read your face, my lady," Sung remarked with a knowing smile. "You don't need to deny that you're drawn to me. It is natural to be drawn by a man you saved, especially when the man is as good-looking as me, haha."
Diana couldn't help but roll her eyes at Sung's brazen comment. "Wow, did he really have to say that out loud...?" she thought to herself, though she couldn't deny the flutter in her stomach at his words.
As Young and Taesoo commented on the unusual tea and snacks, Diana felt a pang of guilt at their reactions.
"Disregarding the King's order to prosper the country's agriculture and prohibition on all drinks made with rice...?!" Taesoo exclaimed to himself, his voice filled with shock.
"...Using rice to make tea at a time like this..." Young muttered to himself, his brow furrowed in concern.
"Come to think of it, she easily used top-quality silk just to treat someone's wound. But the only ones who manage such an extravagant life... are 'them,'" Sung observed by his thought, his tone tinged with suspicion.
"Eh? Is it that shockingly delicious...? ...Anyhow, I can't miss my chance to ask for my reward, and it's already getting too late... I should send them off before the curfew bell rings again...! Or they'll get stuck in Seoul...! So, how should I bring the subject up...? Should I wait for the right time? Yeah, I should wait and see-" Diana's thoughts raced as she contemplated her next move.
Sung's inquiry about compensation caught Diana off guard. She knew she had something in mind, but she couldn't bring herself to ask him about it just yet.
"...No need to wait, I guess. I do have something in mind, but I can't ask you about it now. Could you visit me again tomorrow night, around the same time you visited me today?" Diana finally responded, her voice tinged with hesitation.
Sung arched an eyebrow, curious about her sudden reluctance. "May I ask why you can't tell me now?" he inquired.
Diana offered a weak excuse, hoping to delay the conversation. "Well... I'm just feeling a bit tired now... It's getting too late, you see. Could you do that for me...?"
Despite her evasiveness, Sung agreed to her request. "Okay. I will be visiting you again tomorrow night," he acquiesced.
Diana couldn't contain her excitement. "YES....!!! Have a safe trip home...!" she exclaimed, a broad smile gracing her features.
Young and Taesoo bid her farewell, each offering their own words of parting. As they exited the gate, Sung lingered behind, his posture betraying a sense of reluctance.
"I enjoyed the time here with you. Good night, Lady Diana," Young remarked, a warm smile on his lips.
Diana returned the sentiment, her eyes lingering on Sung. "Haha, I enjoyed it, too. Goodbye! Well, I really enjoyed watching your handsome face, mister...!" she quipped, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Taesoo's parting words carried a hint of warning. "Rest well, Lady Diana. Rest very, very well," he stated, his gaze penetrating.
"Yeah, like he'd really want me to have a good rest!" Diana muttered under her breath as they departed.
Once the others had left, Sung approached Diana with a solemn expression. "Lady Diana, I can't leave if you make such a sorry face, young lady," he remarked softly.
Diana scoffed, attempting to brush off his concern. "Make a sorry face? Who? Me? Nah, it can't be me, 'cause I'm not sorry that you're leaving...!" she retorted, though her tone lacked conviction.
Undeterred, Sung leaned in closer, his voice barely a whisper. "I will be asking many questions about you, tomorrow, so I expect you not to run away like you this today, goodbye" he informed her cryptically.
"Huh...?" Diana's confusion was evident as Sung pulled away, his departure signaling the end of their encounter.
As the wooden gate closed behind him and the curfew bell tolled in the distance, Diana couldn't shake the feeling of unease that settled over her.
"...Well, I didn't run away...! Pffft..." she muttered to herself, though the sound of the bell felt like a stark reminder of the reality she couldn't quite escape.