When the west dawns - Chapter 2
Chapter 2
“My destined partner hasn’t shown up, but someone else’s has.”
Seo Hyo stared blankly into the air, unsure of where to look. Her gaze drifted left, then right, then back again—up, down, up, down.
Everything about this situation was painfully awkward.
The cushion under her wasn’t lumpy, yet she kept shifting uncomfortably as if she were a schoolgirl being scolded by her teacher for forgetting her homework.
The reason was simple.
It was because of the young lady sitting across from her, holding a teacup with both hands and sparkling eyes full of excitement.
“Just thinking about marrying Cha Eon makes my heart flutter!”
Yes, that was it.
After praying for over 150 years for her fated partner to finally appear, the one who showed up at Baekhwa Apothecary instead was… a girl who wanted to marry Cha Eon.
From the side, Seo Hyo swore she heard the faint sound of someone grinding their teeth.
Half an hour earlier—
Seo Hyo had been trying to reason with a stubborn woman who insisted on buying a “beauty potion.”
“It’s a medicine to treat skin diseases, ma’am.”
“Yes, yes, that one. If I use it, will my skin become fair and smooth too?”
“That’s what cosmetics are for. We’re an apothecary, not a makeup shop.”
Seo Hyo silently prayed the woman would understand this time. She’d already explained the same thing several times over.
“The one Mr. Gwak took home was for his daughter’s skin condition.”
“I saw her! Her skin used to be rough like a quince peel, but now it’s so smooth!”
“That’s because her illness was cured.”
Medicine always comes with side effects. If someone without an illness took it, they might end up hurting themselves instead.
Cha Eon should’ve stepped in to handle the situation by now, but he didn’t. He hadn’t appeared because Seo Hyo had confidently told him she’d take care of it herself.
His look back then—oh, she could still picture it. Pure disdain.
“Would you like the same medicine Miss Gwak used?” Seo Hyo asked with a polite smile.
The woman’s face brightened with triumph. See? Everything works out if you just insist long enough.
“However,” Seo Hyo added sternly, “you should know—since you’re using a strong medicine without being ill, your skin will probably start peeling soon.”
She wagged her finger. “You said her skin looked like a quince peel? Tsk tsk. Yours will be like a hundred-year-old quince peel soon enough.”
The woman shrieked. “What a terrible curse!”
“It’s not a curse—it’s a fact.”
Then Seo Hyo sighed and pulled out a small sachet of herbs. “Instead of wasting money, wash your face with this boiled in water, morning and night. It’ll help.”
It was something she’d kept for herself, but if it meant sending the woman away, it was worth it.
The woman’s eyes sparkled again. “Is this what that famous beauty Mae Bi used?”
“You know Mae Bi?”
“Of course! Is this really hers?”
“Of course,” Seo Hyo replied, catching herself just before saying something foolish. “It’s recorded in a very famous ancient medical text.”
The woman happily opened her coin purse, and Seo Hyo made the sale. Technically, she hadn’t lied—the herbs really were good for the skin. She just… sold them at half price.
“If Cha Eon hears about this, he’ll scold me again,” she muttered, “but let’s call it a birthday gift for the lady.”
The door creaked open.
“Welcome!” Seo Hyo greeted cheerfully.
A hesitant voice answered back. She was too busy tidying up the counter to see the customer’s face, but when she finally looked up, it was a young woman—about her age.
The girl didn’t look sick, nor did she seem to have a sick family member.
“I… I’m looking for someone,” the girl said, clutching a bundle in her arms.
Seo Hyo blinked. “Someone? This is an apothecary, not a matchmaking bureau.”
But the girl’s next words froze her in place.
“I’m looking for Cha Eon.”
“…What?”
“I heard he’s here,” the girl said shyly.
“He is, but…” Seo Hyo began, ready to ask what business she had with her butler.
Just then, the inner door opened, and Cha Eon stepped into the shop.
The girl’s face lit up instantly, though he didn’t even glance her way.
“Cha Eon!” she cried, her voice trembling with joy. “Please—marry me!”
Everything in the apothecary fell silent. Even the spirits hiding inside the medicine drawers seemed stunned.
But no one was more shocked than Seo Hyo.
Cha Eon and marriage—two words that should never, ever belong together—had suddenly collided.
The girl’s name was Mi Rang, daughter of the river god from the southwest, about a month’s journey away on foot.
Is that why she’s wearing a dress the color of water? Seo Hyo wondered absently.
Mi Rang had just confessed that she fell in love with Cha Eon—twenty years ago.
She said his lonely expression had stirred her heart.
Lonely? Cha Eon? Seo Hyo wanted to laugh. That was not the man she knew.
“His eyes were filled with sorrow, his sighs full of regret, his back turned as if weighed down by grief…” Mi Rang said softly, tears glimmering in her eyes.
“I just wanted to comfort him, if someone like me could.”
“What a kind heart you have,” Seo Hyo said carefully.
Mi Rang blushed. “Since that day, I haven’t been able to forget him. I told my father I wanted to marry him, but he said I was too young.”
At the time, Mi Rang had only been fifty—still considered a child among gods, like a ten-year-old human.
So she was a kid back then. She’s still practically a kid now! Seo Hyo thought, biting back a laugh.
“I’ve trained to be a proper bride ever since,” Mi Rang continued. “I’ll be a good wife.”
Wife.
Cha Eon’s wife.
No matter how many times she repeated it in her head, it didn’t feel right. It just… didn’t fit.
Seo Hyo studied the girl. Cha Eon had always been strangely popular, despite being cold, curt, and annoyingly strict. Even mortal women—and a few goddesses—had fallen for him.
Seo Hyo never understood why. Maybe she was missing something only others could see.
But Mi Rang was different. She wasn’t just infatuated—she was certain.
That confidence somehow made Seo Hyo uncomfortable.
What’s wrong with me? Shouldn’t I be happy for her?
If Mi Rang really took Cha Eon away, Seo Hyo’s life would be much more peaceful. So why did her chest feel… tight?
“Cha Eon, what do you think?” Mi Rang asked brightly. “When shall we hold the ceremony? Before winter would be nice, but I don’t mind the cold.”
“Miss Mi Rang,” Cha Eon said flatly.
Both women turned at once.
“Yes?” “Yes?”
He sighed softly. “Miss Mi Rang,” he repeated.
It was the first time he had addressed her directly, and Mi Rang’s eyes sparkled like stars.
“I think you’re mistaken,” he said coolly. “Twenty years ago, I wasn’t anywhere near that region.”
He glanced at Seo Hyo, his expression filled with that familiar, condescending look.
“The place you mentioned—Baekogang, was it? We lived much farther north back then. Several days away on horseback.”
Then, to confirm, he turned to Seo Hyo. “Did I ever leave home for more than a day?”
“…No.”
“Exactly.”
He nodded approvingly. “Your memory is still somewhat functional, at least.”
Seo Hyo couldn’t tell if that was a compliment or an insult.
“So,” he concluded, “the man you saw wasn’t me.”
Mi Rang’s face crumpled. “No… it was you. I remember!”
“Impossible.”
“You were standing in front of a grave,” she said desperately. “You looked so sad. I thought… you must have lost someone precious.”
Cha Eon froze for a heartbeat—just barely. Seo Hyo noticed it.
He quickly looked away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
But Seo Hyo’s heart skipped. He’s lying.
She’d known him for centuries—long enough to notice even the faintest flicker in his expression.
Why lie? What grave?
And why did it hurt, suddenly, to see that wall between them she’d never noticed before?
Mi Rang bit her lip. “Then… maybe it’s because you already love someone else?”
Seo Hyo nearly choked on her tea.
What nonsense! Cha Eon? In love?
Of course not. He’d never shown affection for anyone.
“Could it be… Lady Seo Hyo?”
Ah, finally—something she could answer clearly.
“No,” Seo Hyo said at once.
But Mi Rang’s eyes turned toward Cha Eon, waiting.
The magpie outside cawed five times.
He said nothing. Just stared at his teacup.
Mi Rang’s eyes trembled. Seo Hyo’s heart pounded in panic.
Cha Eon, say something! She’s getting the wrong idea!
“That’s not it!” Seo Hyo blurted.
“It might be,” Cha Eon murmured.
Two voices. Two completely opposite answers.
Seo Hyo’s mind went blank.
Did my butler just say WHAT?!
TO BE CONTINUED….