When the west dawns - Chapter 6

Chapter 6

When Seo Hyo returned to her room, she laid out ointments, salves, and bandages on the table before pulling up a chair. Peering into her hand mirror, she winced—the bump on her forehead had swollen even more.

“Ow…”

She carefully applied the herbal patch and lowered her bangs to hide it. A quick glance in the mirror showed that it wasn’t too obvious.

Of course, if the wind happened to blow her hair aside, anyone would see a big patch stuck to her forehead—making her look like a clumsy seven-year-old—but for now, this would do.

“Of all things, why did that stool have to fall right there…”

She felt embarrassed thinking about how she had been completely absorbed, like a child, playing with the colorful pinwheels when it happened.

She had simply been admiring the way the pinwheels—each a different size and color—spun beautifully in the breeze, when she suddenly heard Mirang’s voice, followed by a loud crash.

There was no way she could tell Cha Eon that she got hurt because she was distracted by pinwheels.

Pinwheels? You’re saying you got hurt because you were staring at pinwheels?

She could already imagine Cha Eon’s stern, scolding tone. Especially that piercing glare of his.

Maybe he’d even twist her around like a pinwheel himself. That might be more satisfying for him than skipping her dinner.

“Ugh…”

Seo Hyo shivered at the thought.

Somehow, her butler had become such a chilling presence that even when he wasn’t around, she could still feel him nearby.

“I’ll apply the ointment for you.”

“Kyaaa!”

Her fine hair stood on end. Turning around, she found Cha Eon standing right behind her.

“When—when did you come in!?”

“…I did knock and announce myself. You didn’t respond, so I came in, thinking something might be wrong.”

His gaze swept over her, sharp and silent.

Feeling the weight of his unspoken reproach, Seo Hyo turned her head away.

Didn’t see you. Didn’t hear you. Don’t know what you’re talking about.

“Just like earlier today—you were careless again, weren’t you?”

“Was I?”

“You should really be more alert, my lady.”

And there it was again—his endless scolding. Cha Eon nagged about everything, but he was especially overprotective when it came to her safety.

He couldn’t stand the sight of bl00d.

Once, when she accidentally nicked her finger while cutting herbs, he acted like she had lost the entire hand. If she had been bleeding today, he would’ve raised chaos in the entire neighborhood—scolding not only the porters, but perhaps even shaking some poor passing dog by the collar.

Maybe my butler has some serious anger issues.

Seo Hyo often thought that—several times a day, in fact.

It was bad enough being injured, but to also have to tiptoe around his mood? The pitiful state of this poor lady could not be overstated.

“Stop daydreaming and focus.”

“…You really are psychic, aren’t you?” she muttered.

“I see you’ve treated your forehead. Then I’ll help with your arm.”

“I appreciate the thought, but I have perfectly good eyes and hands, thank you. It’s not like I can’t reach my own arm.”

“Perfectly good, you say? Are you sure about that?”

That was definitely sarcasm.

She glared at him, but as usual, he didn’t flinch. Instead, he rolled up her sleeve and stared intently at the darkening bruise on her arm. It looked worse than it had at the restaurant earlier.

When did it get this bad?

It’s just a bruise! Why does he look like I’ve been mortally wounded?

Without saying anything, Cha Eon opened the ointment jar. The sharp scent of crushed herbs filled the air.

Seo Hyo watched for a moment, looking for a chance to speak as he applied the medicine. When he finished her left arm and reached for her right, she seized the moment.

“Sorry for making you worry. But really, I’m not a child—I can apply medicine on my own, you know?”

“I’m sure you can.”

He put the ointment down and picked up a roll of bandage instead.

He knew from experience that if she wasn’t in pain, she’d forget all about her injury and treat it carelessly. The bandage wasn’t just to help the medicine absorb better—it was also a reminder that she was hurt.

Maybe he wants to keep me wrapped up like this forever, she thought. So I can’t go anywhere or cause trouble.

As she waited for him to speak, Cha Eon said evenly,

“I know you can do this by yourself, my lady.”

Then, after a pause:

“But having me do it makes you uncomfortable, doesn’t it?”

“What?”

“You get flustered under my silence, my stare, my supposed ‘criticism.’ You want to pull away but you can’t.”

He tied the bandage neatly.

“That’s your punishment.”

“Unbelievable…”

She was speechless.

He knew she’d feel awkward and did it anyway? What a perfectly dreadful—and infuriatingly composed—butler.

Before she could respond, he wiped his hands with a towel and told her to turn around.

When she asked why, his reply made her freeze.

“Take off your top and show me your back.”

He explained that he hadn’t been able to check earlier because they were in public, but he had seen the stool fall on her back.

“That’s really not necessary… my back is fine—”

“I saw it hit you. You must be sore.”

“Well, yes, but…”

Her cheeks flamed. Treating her arm was one thing, but her back? That was completely different!

To show him her back, she’d have to take off her clothes… which meant he’d see her undergarments.

“That’s precisely the spot you can’t reach, isn’t it?”

“Ugh…”

“You’re not seriously embarrassed, are you?”

Seriously? Of course I am! Completely, totally, absolutely embarrassed!

Seo Hyo puffed her cheeks, but before she could argue, he sighed and rolled his eyes.

“How amusing. If you’d shown that kind of modesty before I spent a hundred and fifty years washing your undergarments, perhaps I’d be a little more moved.”

“Ugh…”

That one hit too close.

He wasn’t wrong. Cha Eon had been doing the laundry—and practically all the housework—for over a century. Every morning he’d come to collect her laundry: undergarments, handkerchiefs, even towels she’d hung up to reuse.

So yes—he had seen them, touched them, wrung them dry countless times.

But wearing them while he was watching? That was completely different!

“Just…”

“Turn around.”

Her protest was cut short.

Flustered, Seo Hyo slowly turned her back to him. Her fingers fidgeted at the side buttons of her top—one undone, then another. By the third button, all that remained was to pull the garment down.

Her ears turned bright red.

She only prayed that her long braid would hide them from view.

This is so awkward…

She hesitated, then gently slid the peach-colored fabric down her shoulders. Her slender white arms appeared, followed by the delicate lines of her back. The soft silk slipped lower, revealing a red undergarment embroidered with tiny blossoms.

The contrast of pale skin and crimson silk made her look heartbreakingly beautiful.

Her undergarment tied at the back of her neck and left most of her back bare, so he could easily apply the ointment without her undressing further.

She felt his gaze on her bare skin. Her back burned—not sure if from his stare or her own shame.

“There’s a bruise here as well,” he murmured, almost to himself.

She clutched the front of her clothes tighter, wishing the moment would end soon.

“Ah…”

A cool touch grazed her back. Seo Hyo flinched, but when Cha Eon told her to stay still, she straightened her posture again. Every time his fingers brushed her skin, she involuntarily tensed, her body curling in like a shrimp.

Great. I probably look ridiculous.

It was unbearably awkward… and endlessly embarrassing.

When his fingers began gently spreading the ointment, her toes curled. The ticklish feeling made it hard to breathe.

Her shoulders, her back, even her chest felt warm and restless.

But Cha Eon didn’t seem to notice. His focus was entirely on her injuries. His hands moved with careful precision, afraid that pressing too hard would hurt her.

His touch was lighter, gentler than his sighs ever were.

“Don’t you think you’re taking a little too long?” she asked, unable to take it anymore.

He replied smoothly, “And whose fault is it that the bruise is this large?”

“…Mine.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

Then, he blew softly over the ointment.

Her mother used to do the same when she was a child—blowing cool air over a sore spot as if it would make it heal faster. And for some reason, it always felt better, even if it was only in her head.

That was exactly what Cha Eon was doing.

But his breath didn’t feel anything like her mother’s.

No, it wasn’t Cha Eon’s fault. It was just… her.

The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she thought that.

“You haven’t hurt anywhere else, have you? You feel feverish.”

Every word brushed her back with his breath.

This is too much. My whole back must be red by now.

She shook her head quickly, still unable to look up. Then his hand came around to touch her forehead, checking her temperature.

“Ugh…”

A small sound escaped her lips.

“Lie down immediately,” he ordered in his usual stern tone, withdrawing his hand.

Once his large hand lifted away, she could finally breathe again. As he walked toward the bed to prepare her spot, she felt her strange heat begin to fade.

It’s his fault. I’m acting weird because of him.

It wasn’t even her throat that hurt, yet she couldn’t form words. If he asked why she was flustered when he’d only applied medicine, she’d have no answer.

So, she did as he said.

He told her to lie on her stomach until the ointment dried, so she did. Then, to keep her from catching a chill, he draped the blanket up to her waist—his fingers brushing lightly against her bare skin.

This time, she didn’t make a sound. She just squeezed her eyes shut.

I’m not a pervert. I’m not a pervert. Absolutely not.

She repeated it to herself over and over until Cha Eon left the room.

Morning came, clear and bright.

For some reason, the apothecary was unusually busy. Normally they had maybe six customers a day, but today people kept coming nonstop since morning.

Seo Hyo, still half-asleep and bleary-eyed, managed to finish breakfast and send back the spirits that helped with the medicine mixing.

What’s going on today?

Was there some kind of cold epidemic spreading through the town?

By the time afternoon came, she finally had a break. Just as she turned to head home for lunch, the door opened again.

A young lady walked in, dressed beautifully despite claiming to have a headache—clearly going somewhere nice afterward. Seo Hyo took her symptoms and stepped away to fetch the medicine.

But when she returned, chaos had erupted.

Mirang and the customer were in a full-blown shouting match.

Squawk! Screech! Shout!

That’s about how it sounded.

Apparently, the customer—who had visited several times before—had a crush on Cha Eon. Lately, she’d grown irritated seeing Mirang always hanging around him so openly.

So she came today under the pretense of buying medicine, only to confront Mirang directly.

When Seo Hyo had stepped away, the two ran into each other.

“Are you the new maid?” the lady asked, voice dripping with contempt.

Judging from Mirang’s bright, elegant outfit, it was obvious she wasn’t a maid. Which meant the question was just an insult.

There were a thousand other ways to ask who she was—but this one was chosen out of pure jealousy.

And the innocent Mirang, unaware of malice, replied simply,

“No, I’m the one who’s going to marry Cha Eon.”

“…What did you just say?”

That was the spark that set off the war.

By the time Seo Hyo came back, the two were crying, screaming, and about to pull each other’s hair out.

“Waaah! Seo Hyo-nim! She said I could never have Cha Eon-nim!”

“You—you little brat! What nonsense are you spouting! Hic!”

Tears and snot ran down both their faces as they yelled.

“Cha Eon-nim said he’d never marry anyone! Hic! Who do you think you are, some clueless little girl!?”

“I will! I will marry him! Waaah!”

“Over my dead body!”

“You’re awful!”

What had once been a peaceful apothecary now looked like a battlefield.

Sighing, Seo Hyo separated the two and calmed the lady first, escorting her out of the shop. Even then, she had to promise at least ten times that Cha Eon would never belong to anyone else.

Good for you, Cha Eon. So many ladies wishing you’d stay single forever.

As for Mirang, she was harder to console. Seo Hyo locked the shop door and led her to the courtyard, handing her a handkerchief.

“Sniff… Seo Hyo-nim…”

Mirang sobbed so hard that her shoulders shook.

“Humans are so cruel! How could she say something like that so easily?”

“She probably likes Cha Eon too,” Seo Hyo said gently. “That’s why she lashed out.”

“I knew it… She said—hic—she said I should go drink more of my mother’s milk! But my mother’s already gone…”

“Oh, dear…”

Seo Hyo stroked her back softly.

It did seem a bit extreme—but then again, Mirang had always been delicate. Even Cha Eon’s mild scolding could make her tremble.

She had never been spoken to harshly before. So it was no wonder she couldn’t handle such cruel words.

Between sobs, she confessed how hurt she’d been by Cha Eon’s coldness. No matter what she did, he seemed to dislike her, yet sometimes he’d smile gently enough to make her heart flutter again.

“Sniff… marriage… sniff…”

Her voice broke into hiccups.

Seo Hyo worried she might faint if she kept crying like that. Just then, Cha Eon appeared.

“Cha Eon! Perfect timing,” Seo Hyo said, gesturing toward Mirang. “She got into an argument with a customer and hasn’t stopped crying. Could you bring her some tea?”

Instead, he looked toward the shop.

“Why is the gate closed? Two customers are waiting outside.”

“Oh—there are more?”

“Go on, then. More mouths to feed means we’ll need more rice.”

And just like that, he left for his chores, utterly unfazed.

Seo Hyo froze. Slowly turning her eyes toward Mirang, she saw the girl trembling again—her big eyes glistening with fresh tears.

Really, Cha Eon? Calling her another ‘mouth to feed’ right to her face?

Once again, the culprit had vanished, leaving Seo Hyo to deal with the aftermath.

And sure enough—Mirang started crying again.

Sighing, Seo Hyo rubbed her back as the girl hiccupped and sobbed harder.

“Huaaa, everything’s so, so different from what I imagined!”

Well, she was the daughter of the River God—no wonder her tears flowed like rivers.

Seo Hyo could only comfort her, pitying the poor girl who had fallen for such a heartless butler.

TO BE CONTINUED…..