I Became My Ex-Boyfriend’s Concubine - Chapter 5

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 5

She zoomed in on the photo with trembling fingers.
A man’s face, hand-in-hand with Ha Rin in an intimate pose.
Her heart plummeted through the grainy pixels.
It was Hyeon.
Dan Bi’s shaking hands immediately dialed Hyeon’s number. With each ring, panic clawed at her insides.
She bolted through the office hallway like a madwoman. Breath came short and sharp, but she couldn’t stop.
She was crossing the skybridge—no time to wait for the elevator—when a commotion rose from the lobby below, followed by a small gasp.
Ha Rin appeared, walking arm-in-arm with Hyeon, their bodies close and easy.
Dan Bi stared at Hyeon’s receding back and called again. But he glanced at his phone and, without hesitation, shoved it into his pocket.
[The recipient is not accepting calls. After the beep, your message will be recorded——.]
The automated voice droned on, but Dan Bi lowered the phone, ears ringing with it.
Soon the two of them walked out through the main entrance together, their silhouettes vanishing into the distance.

***

She made a strangled sound and collapsed face-first onto the sofa.
Empty beer cans lay scattered around her, crumpled and pathetic.
“Bastard. So that’s why you wanted to break up? To trade me in for that cheap imitation?”
She grabbed her phone and punched in a familiar number. But all that came back was the rejection message she’d memorized by now.
“Why won’t you pick up!”
In her anger, she threw the phone. It rolled across the sofa and nudged something wedged in the corner.
The Game Device from last night—the one she’d left on the table.
Dan Bi reached for it as if entranced. That mischievous face from inside the game flickered across her mind.
Somehow, after just one use, she’d already grown comfortable with it. The device fit snugly against her face. She squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the right button.
Buzz—
An unpleasant hum washed over her, and her body felt weightless, floating away.

Whoosh!
Even before opening her eyes, she knew she was inside the game. The silent living room couldn’t possibly have erupted into this chaos in mere seconds.
Dan Bi opened her eyes slowly.
“Lady Gui-in, Lady Gui-in——!”
Her vision cleared to reveal an ornate table laden with elaborate dishes, surrounded by people. And they were all——
Looking straight at her. Someone had just called out “Lady Gui-in,” and now she realized——
Surely they meant her?
“Me? You’re calling me?”
“Are there any other Lady Gui-ins here besides you?”
A woman in pink robes spoke from across the table, her tone patronizing. A subtitle appeared beneath her: Kim Gui-in.
Lady Gui-in? What on earth was that?

“You’ll need to receive your Rank in the Hougong, after all.”

The words of the previous guide echoed in her ears.
‘Is a Gui-in some kind of rank?’
Dan Bi’s eyes widened.
But when she first logged in, she’d already received the appointment of Sukwon of Rank 4. So why this sudden talk of Gui-in?
What’s more, her last memory in the game was on a bed. She could still see those sly, rakish eyes gazing down at her.
‘That’s right. That’s where it ended. But why——.’
“Four days ago, you entered His Majesty the King’s inner chambers, did you not?”
At the follow-up question, Dan Bi tilted her head in confusion.
Four days ago? That couldn’t be.
Could the game have progressed in time while she was away?
“To enter His Majesty’s chambers the moment you arrived and receive the Gui-in rank——.”
“I hear your quarters are being moved to Un-cheong-gak soon. The King treasures that place dearly, I’ve been told——.”
“At this rate, the position of highest consort is practically yours for the taking, isn’t it?”
“Kim Gui-in, you’d better work hard to keep it, hmm?”
“Indeed, you should.”
Gui-in Kim fixed Dan Bi with a sharp, penetrating gaze.
“We can’t have a mere child fresh to the palace stealing the King’s favor, now can we?”
What? That child—surely she wasn’t talking about me?
‘Wait.’
Dan Bi turned slowly, surveying the room. Beautifully adorned women sat in a row before the tables.
From left to right, subtitles appeared: “Yoon So-ui,” “Eom So-yong,” “Kim Gui-in,” “Han Gui-in.”
‘Don’t tell me all these women are concubines?’
Dan Bi bit her lip hard. Even knowing this was a game, anger began to simmer beneath her skin.
Lee Hyun, you faithless bastard!
“So tell me, Gui-in Yeo. What exactly did you do to catch the King’s eye?”
“Pardon?”
“How did you climb to Gui-in rank overnight? That’s what I’m asking.”
Under the weight of everyone’s stare, Dan Bi’s words faltered.
“I… that is…”
I don’t even remember—what am I supposed to say? But if I’ve been given a concubine’s rank, something must have happened that day.
Just as her lips parted to speak, a phone’s ringing seemed to echo in her ears again.
Dan Bi’s face went pale.
‘Surely not…’
Then an attendant approached.
“The Queen Consort has arrived.”
At those words, every concubine rose from her seat at once.
Following their lead and bowing her head, Dan Bi saw someone else enter and claim the empty seat of honor.
The Queen Consort? So that would be Lee Hyun’s legitimate wife?
“Please, all of you, raise your heads.”
That voice—she’d heard it before, she was sure of it. Dan Bi lifted her gaze and met a familiar face.
“You…!”
Those same sharp, narrow eyes that seemed to claw at her insides whenever their paths crossed.
It was Ha Rin.
Without thinking, Dan Bi pointed an accusing finger at her.
“The Queen Consort is you?”
“Gui-in Yeo, what on earth are you doing?”
Gui-in Kim seized the hem of Dan Bi’s skirt and yanked her back, her face aghast.
The Queen Consort regarded the pointing hand for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Gui-in, do you have something urgent to tell me?”
“I certainly do.”
Her brows knitted sharply. Gui-in Kim sprang to her feet.
“Gui-in Yeo, have you truly lost your mind?”
“I’m not the crazy one—she is. She kept insisting she didn’t steal it, all the way to death’s door, but I guess it was all just empty words?”
“Gui-in. Surely you’re not speaking to me—”
“Then who else is the thief here?”
As Dan Bi’s and the Queen Consort’s eyes met with heavy tension, everyone else stared back and forth between the two of them in confusion.
Then an attendant rushed to the Queen Consort’s side.
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty! A terrible matter has occurred.”
“What is it?”
Her gaze still fixed on Dan Bi, the Queen Consort addressed the attendant, who leaned close and whispered something urgent into her ear.
The Queen Consort’s face grew rigid.
“Is this true?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. The attendants are trying their best to manage it, but it’s hopeless—”
The Queen Consort suddenly stood and rushed from the Nae-won.
“Your Majesty!”
The bewildered concubines called after her and gave chase. Dan Bi, having no idea what was happening, was swept along in their wake.

***

Moments later, before the Ui-sang-go.
“Who in heaven’s name would commit such an outrage?”
“The King will surely be unharmed, will he not?”
All the concubines and palace maids fidgeted anxiously. Dan Bi, arriving late, squeezed through the crowd to peer ahead.
“What’s happened?”
“The Rain Prayer Ceremony Robe the King was to wear has been damaged.”
A Rain Prayer Ceremony?
A Rain Prayer Ceremony — that’s when you pray for rain to come, isn’t it?
Dan Bi peered cautiously into the interior of the Ui-sang-go.
Before the Queen, a white ceremonial robe held by the palace attendants had a jagged tear straight through its center.
“Who on earth would do something like this?”
“It’s obvious. It must be the work of some villain who’s been plotting against the Crown Prince all this time.”
A villain?
“This is grave. We have barely a week until the Rain Prayer Ceremony, and the Crown Prince has already fixed an auspicious day. We cannot postpone it. What are we to do……?”
“What’s the trouble? The robe can simply be remade, can’t it?”
When Dan Bi spoke lightly, the Queen turned her head. Kim Gui-in rebuked her with an expression that said this was impossible.
“Gui-in. That is hardly so simple a matter. A Rain Prayer Ceremony Robe is crafted by skilled artisans over the course of several days. With barely a week until the ritual, to make a new robe…….”
“If we have the fabric, it should be quite possible, shouldn’t it?”
“Do you mean that sincerely, Gui-in?”
The Queen had emerged from the Ui-sang-go and was approaching Dan Bi with long strides. The attendants of the Hougong standing beside Dan Bi stepped back a pace from her.
“Then, why don’t you try it yourself, Gui-in?”
The Queen commanded her while fixing her gaze steadily on Dan Bi’s eyes.
“Complete the robe before the Rain Prayer Ceremony takes place.”
A heavy silence descended. Everything was so quiet that the sound of someone swallowing hard stood out distinctly.
What shattered that palpable tension in an instant was Dan Bi’s voice, light as a feather.
“What if I don’t?”

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