“He’s an official sent directly by His Majesty! If something goes wrong, His Majesty might become furious!”
“You must consider Lord Taejeong.”
Yubaekhu must have realized he went too far after kicking him a few times.
Though he huffed and panted in frustration, the fact that he didn’t shake off those who tried to stop him showed some awareness.
Sahyeon spat out the blood pooled in his mouth and staggered to his feet.
Crawling on his knees, he barely managed to reach Baeksongol, who was curled up in a corner, head buried.
Sahyeon reached out his hand.
Fortunately, the bird wasn’t injured—Baeksongol chirped happily and leapt into his arms.
Taking deep breaths, Sahyeon forced his trembling legs to stand.
“Go now, quickly!”
A palace official stepped in front of Yubaekhu, flailing his arms in a panic.
Sahyeon, hugging Baeksongol tightly in both arms, trudged toward the main gate.
“I—I even have to worry about Father’s reaction just to deal with punks like them!”
He shouted loud enough to be heard but didn’t follow.
Even Yubaekhu was just a ‘hated son’ who could be cast aside anytime in front of the king.
Thanks to the moonless darkness, the occasional palace staff who passed by didn’t notice Sahyeon’s injuries.
“Nothing in this damn world ever goes the way I want.”
The stable outside the main gate was locked.
The attendant was nowhere in sight, and Sahyeon’s scrawny horse didn’t even realize its owner had arrived—it was nodding off.
Even when Sahyeon clung to the door and whistled, only the other drowsy horses fluttered their eyelids and stared blankly in his direction, the air heavy with the stench of manure.
Sahyeon gave up on calling the horse and tried to release the bird in his arms.
But Baeksongol, clearly terrified, clung tightly to Sahyeon’s clothes and refused to fly.
You clueless little thing.
His kicked side ached too much to keep carrying it around.
Leaning against a stable pillar, Sahyeon slowly slid down to a squat.
Maybe the tension had finally let go—he rested his forehead on Baeksongol’s gently rising and falling feathers and was suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue.
Would it be okay to nap a little like this?
The stable keeper would probably arrive before dawn.
He’d wake the weak horse, climb on, and plod back to the inn just as the sky started to lighten.
Someone—or rather, because of his cursed hair color, almost everyone—would recognize Sahyeon.
And they’d whisper exaggerated tales: where did that white-haired official get beaten up and sent back from?
This place is full of rumors.
“Ha…”
Sahyeon didn’t want to become kindling—burned once and tossed aside.
He barely managed to stand.
Avoiding the still brightly lit streets, he staggered into a dark alley.
How long had he walked like that?
Eventually, even the drunken shouting and festive noise faded into the distance.
–Ppyat!
Baeksongol, nestled in his arms, suddenly peeked its head out over Sahyeon’s shoulder.
He could guess why.
Sahyeon stopped and gently stroked the bird’s neck.
Footsteps, quiet and stealthy, that had been trailing him silently, also came to a halt.
Should I look back?
He hesitated briefly, then walked again—turning into narrower and deeper alleys.
He twisted through maze-like turns, the kind that would discourage anyone who was merely coincidentally headed in the same direction.
Even though he hadn’t been walking that fast, he was starting to run out of breath.
Whoever was following him, it wouldn’t be good to show weakness.
Sahyeon stopped once more.
Holding onto a sliver of hope—since the pursuer had shown no aggressive behavior yet—he slowly turned.
The sky was overcast with clouds, not a single star in sight.
Even to eyes accustomed to the dark, he could barely make out the pursuer’s outline.
Sahyeon swallowed dryly and carefully spoke.
“Who are you, and why are you following me?”
He meant to sound composed, but his voice came out cracked with tension.
“Don’t you remember?”
A voice, sticky and familiar.
The man slowly approached.
His face began to come into focus.
Yellow teeth flashed between a creepy grin, and his eyes gleamed—
It was the gatekeeper.
Sahyeon’s gaze dropped to what the man was holding.
Small animals dangled limp from what looked like ropes tied around their necks.
Oddly, even in the dark, he could clearly see their pale fur.
The gatekeeper had only picked out white-furred creatures.
Sahyeon was sure of it.
He drew in a breath and looked back at the man’s eyes.
The gatekeeper was staring at Sahyeon’s arms.
He’d recognized Baeksongol.
“Fly.”
With all his strength, Sahyeon pulled Baeksongol away.
The bird still clung to his clothes, so Sahyeon pinched its rump and flung it skyward.
Thankfully, its wings weren’t hurt—Baeksongol took off, circling once above Sahyeon’s head before disappearing, perhaps offended by the hit.
“It’s almost the hour of the rabbit. What are you doing here?”
Sahyeon brushed the feathers off his robe and replied as casually as he could.
The gatekeeper, still staring dumbly at the spot where the bird had flown, finally looked at Sahyeon again.
“Sir of the Royal Archives, did you know? White-furred animals have flesh that’s especially soft and tender compared to others.”
“It must be a feeling. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“There were many sheep in my hometown. Every day was a delight. But here in the capital, all the white-furred creatures are just chickens, ducks… at best, some mangy dog pups…”
You sick bastard, what the hell was so delightful about that?
Sahyeon bit his tongue, holding back the urge to scream, and cautiously took a step back.
“Once you do it, they die just like that.”
The man casually tossed one of the creatures to the ground.
Sahyeon didn’t even want to ask what he had done.
He didn’t want to know.
“Hawks are bigger. I’ve always wanted to try one.”
As the man stepped forward, Sahyeon took another step back.
“But it doesn’t matter anymore. Humans are sturdier than sheep.”
What kind of cursed day is this?
As the man reached out, Sahyeon spun and ran as fast as he could.
Now that he thought about it, this was the second time he’d had to run like hell through the alleys of this damned capital.
It was always like this.
Sahyeon was unlucky.
Always falling into new pits of filth.
And yet, among those cursed with misfortune, he’d always thought of himself as lucky.
Because whenever he thrashed in the mud, some tattered rope would drop down and pull him out.
When he was chased by the cockfighting gang, Danijae had been that rope.
When overzealous accidents and near-death encounters loomed, Ohgwang had shielded him.
Even when he escaped Maechun and wandered the mountain slopes alone… even in Maechun—
Each time, Sahyeon had wondered:
Would the day come when he was stuck in the mire, pleading for a rope, and not even a rotten thread came down?
Would that despair surpass the one he felt on “that day” in Maechun?
“Ugh!”
A searing pain shot through his side where Yubaekhu had kicked him.
One leg wouldn’t move anymore.
Clutching his ribs, Sahyeon stumbled and collapsed to the ground.
“Huff… huff…”
The gatekeeper panted heavily and pounced on him.
His brutish hand clamped down on Sahyeon’s throat.
His airway was blocked—he couldn’t summon any strength.
Sahyeon’s hand reached out weakly, trying to push him away, but his fingers curled limply.
The gatekeeper let out a raspy laugh.
He choked Sahyeon until his hand fell limp to the ground.
“Stay still, fuck, fuck, I almost killed you. Fuck, I barely managed to catch you alive… Ha, ha.”
His mind, which had gone pitch black, flickered in and out of consciousness.
There was a snickering laugh—but then it vanished.
Before he could even feel disgusted by the clammy hand slipping into his collar, everything went dark again.
Rough fingers prodded at his chest.
They pressed against his bruised side while stripping off his clothes.
Only then did a sound escape Sahyeon’s lips.
“Aaagh!”
A scream—it must have been.
“I told you to shut the fuck up!”
Smack—a sharp crack turned his head to the side.
It was the same side of his face that had been struck by Yu Baekhu.
Right before he lost consciousness again, Sahyeon had a fleeting thought:
‘Does this side of my face just look more hittable or something? Why does everyone only punch me here?’
“Ugh…”
Alongside that useless thought, his mind slowly began to return.
The man’s hand groped his waist.
Even before pulling off Sahyeon’s pants, he spread his legs, grinning creepily the whole time.
Sahyeon fumbled around, reaching toward the floor.
He felt something—a sharp-edged stone in his hand.
Even if he bashed the guard’s skull with it and tried to run, Yu Baekhu would easily catch him again with the injuries he’d already inflicted.
Not the head, then—somewhere else.
A spot that would make it hard to get up and chase him after just one hit.
“Fuck… fuck… hurry…”
As soon as that damn bastard pulled out his dick, he’d smash it and run.
Sahyeon turned his head, deliberately avoiding the man’s eyes.
Nothing but pitch-black darkness surrounded him, making it impossible to see even an inch ahead.
Would this stupid rock even be enough to make the man let go?
The hopelessness weighed down on his chest.
Still, pushing past that fear, Sahyeon tightened his grip on the stone.
A sticky hand slipped inside his pants.
At that moment—
A pale yellow crescent moon rose above the jet-black darkness.
No, not a crescent moon exactly—
“Guh…?”
Something that resembled a crescent moon…
With an animalistic gleam in its eyes.
Yellow pupils.
Sahyeon froze, staring only at those yellow eyes.
His eyes welled up—not from fear, but maybe because he hadn’t blinked in so long… his eyes just stung.
“Shhh.”
That’s when the guard, sensing something behind him, turned slightly—
But froze in place at the voice.
His mouth gaped, like he was about to scream—
But no sound came out.
The only thing Sahyeon could hear was the slicing, splintering sound of a blade driving in from the back of the guard’s skull and shattering his spine.
And—
“Oh, right.”
Only the voice of Dan I-jae, sweet and gentle as ever, softly descending.