I Became a Hotelier at the Goryeo National Hotel - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 40

 

After dinner had ended, An Hyeok headed to Eun Cheon’s office.

 

Eun Cheon, who had been writing documents in his office, stopped his brush and looked at An Hyeok with a puzzled expression.

 

“An Hyeok? Didn’t you return to the palace?”

 

An Hyeok spoke while gazing at the panoramic view of Hyeeum-won visible through the office window over Eun Cheon’s shoulder.

 

“If lodging were prepared for me at Hyeeum-won, I wouldn’t need to travel around getting soaked by morning dew like this.”

 

“Jun Gyeong is one thing. But how can you, who must be busy with Palgwan Festival affairs, say you want to stay here?”

 

“That’s what I’m saying. Despite being so busy, I rushed here and helped with the Won Ri selection examination at your request, yet you won’t grant me a single request of mine. That’s too much.”

 

“…That day’s events were quite extraordinary, weren’t they? In this situation, you saying you want to stay here is why I’m speaking like this. His Majesty also considers that matter very serious.”

 

An Hyeok nodded as if he understood.

 

“You mean the problem of those groups using this incident as an excuse to agitate the people, saying ‘misfortune has befallen the nation’ and ‘the king lacks virtue’?”

 

Since An Hyeok’s words were correct, Eun Cheon didn’t answer. An Hyeok continued speaking.

 

“Well, it was indeed a strange occurrence. It was the first time since I’ve been leading the Palgwan Festival, no, the first time since Goryeo’s founding.”

 

An Hyeok recalled what had happened at the Palgwan Festival.

 

The Palgwan Festival was a national annual event held twice a year over three days around the full moon – in October in Seogyeong and in November in the capital Gaekyeong.

 

But a few days ago, on the last day of the Seogyeong Palgwan Festival, an unprecedented phenomenon occurred where the moon suddenly disappeared.

 

Since this was something that even the Astronomical Observatory Bureau, which was responsible for celestial matters, had failed to predict, the shock and impact were even greater.

 

Lunar eclipses where the moon is completely hidden by Earth’s shadow had happened before. But this was the first time the moon had suddenly vanished from the sky without any warning signs.

 

Lee Ja Seong’s faction didn’t miss this opportunity and spread malicious rumors, claiming the moon’s disappearance was ‘an ominous sign related to the Imperial Court’s fate.’

 

Fortunately, the moon reappeared the next day. It was the night before the Hyeeum-won Won Ri selection examination took place.

 

However, this day’s events continued to be discussed among the people, and their anxiety wasn’t easily calming down.

 

In response, the Imperial Court decided to hold the next month’s Palgwan Festival in Gaekyeong even more grandly to restore public sentiment, and the Astronomical Observatory Bureau began full preparations, watching the sky day and night and recording the moon’s movements.

 

Eun Cheon looked at An Hyeok and asked.

 

“Do you have any suspicions regarding this matter?”

 

An Hyeok smiled meaningfully.

 

“Well. But I do know this one thing. The moon is an entity that responds to people’s hearts. Perhaps the moon responded to someone’s earnest heart?”

 

Eun Cheon asked back.

 

“Then are you saying someone earnestly wished for the moon to disappear?”

 

“…Who knows?”

 

An Hyeok showed his characteristic enigmatic smile, but Eun Cheon turned his gaze to the documents and continued writing what he had been working on as he spoke.

 

“Coming back from Seogyeong can’t be just because of lodging. What’s your real business?”

 

An Hyeok, as usual, spoke with an inscrutable smile.

 

“Show me Oh Seo Rin’s personnel record.”

 

Eun Cheon’s hand hesitated. Ink quietly spread from the brush that had stopped on the paper.

 

“…Didn’t I let you examine the examinees’ records on the interview day?”

 

“I didn’t look at them closely.”

 

An Hyeok said as he sat in the chair in front of the desk.

 

“And I’m someone who judges based only on what I directly hear and see with my own eyes, so I didn’t bother looking at such records. So let me examine them once more.”

 

But Eun Cheon flatly refused.

 

“Since you’re not a member of Hyeeum-won, I can’t carelessly show you personnel records. If there’s something you’re curious about, ask me. If it’s something I can answer, I’ll tell you.”

 

When An Hyeok chuckled with an expression that said he knew that would be the answer, Eun Cheon quietly looked into his eyes and asked.

 

“But why are you suddenly interested in her?”

 

“Let’s just say it’s personal interest.”

 

Eun Cheon frowned and muttered lowly.

 

“…What?”

 

Eun Cheon stared intently at him as if trying to read An Hyeok’s true intentions.

 

Under that gaze, An Hyeok smiled slightly and asked.

 

“Why are you staring at me so intently? You’re making my heart flutter.”

 

“…This seems to be the first time you’ve shown interest in someone.”

 

At Eun Cheon’s words, Wang An Hyeok shrugged his shoulders.

 

“Does it seem that way?”

 

Eun Cheon quietly gazed at An Hyeok’s face.

 

Wang An Hyeok’s gorgeous appearance and the smile he always seemed to wear often felt like a well-crafted mask.

 

But Eun Cheon knew. The deep, empty void hidden behind that smile.

 

An Hyeok picked up some snacks from the desk and asked casually.

 

“By any chance… is she a daughter from a family related to ‘Hyemi’?”

 

At those words, Eun Cheon put down his brush and stared at An Hyeok.

 

“…So you came here to ask about this.”

 

“…”

 

From An Hyeok’s silence, Eun Cheon read his intentions.

 

“…This personal interest, is it perhaps interest in that family clan?”

 

“That’s still a secret.”

 

Eun Cheon answered with a mischievous expression.

 

The two men’s gazes intertwined in the air.

 

―Bang!

 

Just then, the office door burst open with a loud noise.

 

It was Jun Gyeong.

 

“…Hmm?”

 

He looked back and forth between Eun Cheon and Wang An Hyeok, who were staring at each other with serious expressions, then frowned.

 

“Huh? What’s this? Looking at you two like that, you seem like a well-matched pair of handsome man and beautiful woman.”

 

At Jun Gyeong’s words, Eun Cheon ignored him while An Hyeok smiled beautifully with a delighted expression.

 

“Is that really so? How wonderful.”

 

Jun Gyeong looked at Wang An Hyeok with a sour expression and clicked his tongue.

 

“Ugh, that cunning snake… Indeed, the nickname ‘White Snake’ suits you better than ‘White Fox.'”

 

“What brings you here again?”

 

Eun Cheon asked without taking his eyes off the documents, as if Jun Gyeong was bothersome. Jun Gyeong cleared his throat with a “Ahem!” and began.

 

“Well… it’s about those anchovy kids.”

 

“Anchovies?”

 

“You know, the bandit children. It seems too much to just roll them around on the training ground. I need to build up their bodies first…”

 

“Right. I heard that on the first day you took charge of those children, you had them carried to the medical office.”

 

“Ah! What! Weren’t you the one who told me to train them?!”

 

Eun Cheon looked at him with an expression that said he had much to say, then sighed and spoke.

 

“Right, well, it’s your job to handle it as you see fit.”

 

Jun Gyeong scratched his head as if frustrated.

 

“The location isn’t suitable. The training ground is already being used by the Daesik Kingdom guards. It would be better to keep them from running into each other.”

 

Eun Cheon seemed to fall into thought at Jun Gyeong’s words, then soon nodded his head.

 

“…I understand. I’ll arrange for a suitable place.”

 

“Oh, you’ll do that?”

 

“Well, I was the one who asked for the training in the first place.”

 

“Jun Gyeong, how unusually enthusiastic of you.”

 

An Hyeok looked at him with surprise, seeing Jun Gyeong being proactive when he was usually completely indifferent to anything other than war.

 

At this, Jun Gyeong put on airs deliberately.

 

“When I do something, I’m the type who really does it. And I found one kid I quite like.”

 

Jun Gyeong plopped down next to An Hyeok and put something soft and cake-like covered in white sugar powder into his mouth, chewing it.

 

“Hm? This is a snack I haven’t seen before? The taste is quite—”

 

“The merchant guild heir gave it as a gift. He called it lokum.”

 

“Ptui!”

 

At Eun Cheon’s words, Jun Gyeong spat out what he was chewing.

 

“…No wonder the taste was strange.”

 

Jun Gyeong was wiping his hands on a cloth when he remembered something he had asked Eun Cheon about a few days ago.

 

Footnote

 

1) Sacheon-dae : An astronomical government office of the Goryeo period that was in charge of astronomical observation as well as calendar systems, weather observation, and water clocks.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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