‘Who was the one who left me in the street? Could it have been the man in black?’

Her thoughts became more and more confused. There were only a few people in Doha who would save her, and if someone from outside came, it could only be her second oldest brother.

But the man in black didn’t belong to either side. A third party had appeared out of nowhere and saved her.

‘I don’t know what his intentions are, but if he really saved me, he must have some hidden motive.’

However, only her closest associates within Doha knew that she was the real owner of Pungwoo Pavilion, so it probably wasn’t about that.

‘And the one who found me unconscious had to be Cheong-un…

Could it really be a coincidence?’

Woo-hye didn’t believe in fate or destiny. As things stood, the most plausible explanation was that the man in black and Cheong-un were working together.

‘Rationally speaking, Cheong-un has absolutely no reason to help me.’

He was in league with Seol Mi-hee. And yesterday’s kidnapping had also worked in Cheong-un’s favour.

Although Woo-hye had been cast out and was now living in Doha, she was still a legitimate daughter of noble blood. By law, Cheong-un had no right to disrespect her. That was the difference between nobles and commoners.

But if Woo-hye was seen as a woman who had lost her chastity, her noble status would become meaningless. In this damned world, people would think it was only natural for her to be beaten and despised.

People would think that she should be grateful that a commoner and scoundrel like Cheong-un had taken her in. The authorities would think the same.

‘Anyway, Cheong-un is the only lead I have at the moment.’

“Where is Master Cheong-un?”

“He was given a guest room yesterday. He spent the night there. It looked like he brought five servants with him, but we haven’t confirmed the exact number yet.”

This meant that Cheong-un was currently staying at Yeonmowon.

“Was there anyone who stood out among his servants?”

Hyang-eum tilted her head.

“In appearance? Ah, well, two of his older attendants were quite striking. They made Master Cheong-un’s plain appearance look even more dull in comparison.”

“Quite striking, huh…”

The man in black only had a small part of his face exposed, but his appearance couldn’t be dismissed as merely “striking”.

“I should thank the young master properly. Help me get ready, Hyang-eum.”

Since she couldn’t see at the moment, it would be difficult to identify the man in black. Still, confronting Cheong-un directly might be the only way to find out if he was involved or not.

“What did Master Cheong-un look like to you?”

Hyang-eum replied while working on her hair,

“Well… to be honest, he was a bit strange.”

“In what way?”

“In the portrait, he just looked slim, but in person, his build was taller and his physique looked really impressive. He even seemed a little intimidating.”

Woo-hye’s expression turned cold.

“Intimidating? Don’t tell me he threatened you?”

“No, not like that… Ugh.”

The usually outspoken Hyang-eum hesitated – something very unlike her – before finally blurting it out.

“It’s hard to explain, but he exuded a kind of dignity that made you feel you couldn’t treat him lightly. Like when you meet someone noble or highborn. Ugh, I hate that I felt that way – it hurts my pride.”

Woo-hye didn’t dismiss Hyang-eum’s impression.

If Cheong-un were just a muscular man trying to use his size to intimidate others, Hyang-eum would have described him differently.

But to say that she felt dignity from him…

‘Could Cheong-un really be someone capable of exuding such a presence?’

Her head was throbbing.

She already couldn’t trust anything, and now every new piece of information only added to her confusion.

As soon as her simple preparations were done, Woo-hye sent a message to Cheong-un.

His reply came back quickly.

“He says he’ll wait in the reception room. Madam Gye will show you the way.”

“I’m ready. Let’s go now.”

Getting ready consisted of brushing her hair and putting it up with a wooden hairpin.

When Woo-hye arrived near the reception room, Madam Gye, who had prepared tea, greeted her with a curt greeting.

“You’ve arrived.”

She didn’t say a word about the fact that her mistress had collapsed yesterday and returned home in that condition.

Woo-hye’s poor health was nothing new, so Madam Gye didn’t even bother to pretend to care – in fact, she seemed annoyed by the idea of acknowledging it.

Instead, she brought up something far more interesting to her.

“Master Cheong-un is quite a handsome man, isn’t he, young lady? You must be pleased. He’s a little less than Master Gyeon, but what can you do? Men like him aren’t that common.”

Woo-hye’s former fiancé, Gyeon Mujin, was known for his exceptional looks.

To compare someone like Cheong-un – who barely escaped being called plain – to a man like Gyeon was absurd.

Hyang-eum fumed inwardly.

It was painful to watch someone like Madam Gye mock and belittle her mistress without any consequences.

But Woo-hye just gave the woman a beaming smile.

“You’re right, madam. If only I could see, it would be wonderful.”

For a blind woman like Woo-hye, good looks were completely useless. She hit a nerve when she said this – Madam Gye’s face twisted.

Although she felt that she might have made a mistake, the sting of being rebuked hurt her far more than any guilt.

“Are you scolding me for being indifferent to you, My Lady? I just wanted you to know that Master Cheong-un is a fine, strapping gentleman.”

“Is that so? Then I thank you for telling me.”

Madam Gye wanted to mock Woo-hye, but the young lady’s unshakable composure only irritated her more.

If she could only see, she would surely have cried into her pillow with heartbreak!

Now, Madam Gye could only hope that Master Cheong-un would behave like the notorious scoundrel he was rumoured to be.

With this hope, she stepped into the reception room.

“Master Cheong-un, Lady Woo-hye has arrived.”

She delivered the message and Woo-hye, led by Hyang-eum, stepped forward to face Cheong-un.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Woo-hye of the Dan family.”

A voice, cool and sharp as a blade, replied.

“I am Cheong-un.”

The moment she heard his voice, a shiver ran down her spine.

It was as if she had been caught unawares by a sudden, icy wind.

‘What kind of voice is that…?’

The sensation was unbearable – instinctively she rubbed the back of her neck, as if to brush away something that had clung to her skin.

As her fingers brushed over her skin, she could feel the fine hairs standing on end. Her hearing had certainly become more sensitive since she lost her sight, but she had never experienced anything like this before.

‘Now I understand why Hyang-eum said he was afraid.’

An exceptionally good voice could become a defining characteristic – something that left a lasting impression.

‘But I was never told that Cheong-un had such a quality.’

Just then, Madam Gye spoke up with exaggerated enthusiasm.

“Oh my, Master Cheong-un has such a wonderful voice, doesn’t he, my lady?”

It was an extremely vulgar question to ask the daughter of a noble family.

She deserved a rebuke for that alone, but Woo-hye chose not to argue and simply ended it with a polite smile.

Cheong-un was on Seol Mi-hee’s side. The more undignified Woo-hye acted, the better it was for her.

But then Cheong-un stepped in protectively.

“You’re Lady Dan’s maid, is that right?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“If you’ve finished your business, leave.”

He essentially told her to get lost.

Humiliated, Madam Gye turned bright red and stormed out of the reception room, shaking with anger.

Thanks to that, Woo-hye didn’t have to answer the rude question, so she hadn’t lost anything after all.

‘Did he do that because of me?’

She couldn’t understand. There was nothing in Cheong-un’s behaviour that indicated what he wanted from her.

Woo-hye decided to apologise for Madam Gye’s insolence first.

“I apologise on her behalf, Master. I’m ashamed that you had to see such an unseemly side of our household.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

It was a short reply, but not a cold one.

Rather, there was a kind of bluntness to it that suggested he was simply a straightforward man.

‘How could anyone call this man a scoundrel?’

Was the title ‘scoundrel’ being thrown around so carelessly in Akyang these days?

Cheong-un was quiet from beginning to end. There was a quiet, unreadable silence about him.

He exuded an air of indifference, like someone with no particular interest in anything, as he picked up his teacup.

The cheap smell of tea hung thickly in the air.

As a brief silence fell over the room, a faint cough was heard – it came from one of Cheong-un’s servants.

It was a subtle cue, urging Cheong-un to speak.

With a reluctant look on his face, as if he’d been forced to, Cheong-un finally opened his mouth.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m better, thanks to you.”

She was curious about the servant who had made the noise.

‘Could this servant be the man in black from yesterday?’

She wanted to ask Cheong-un to introduce his servants, but there was something she needed to confirm first:

What connection, if any, did he have with yesterday’s kidnapping?

“I requested this meeting so that I could thank you personally for what happened yesterday.”

Woo-hye rose from her seat and bowed properly and respectfully. Her manners were impeccable.

“I heard it was you who found me collapsed in the street. I’m truly grateful for your willingness to help me when I was on the verge of something terrible.”

“It was nothing.”

He didn’t boast or take credit – once again this so-called scoundrel was behaving like a gentleman.

“How can it be nothing? I almost lost my chastity. If you hadn’t met me when you did, I would have suffered great misfortune.”

To a casual listener, it might have sounded like she was just talking about being found unconscious in the street.

But in fact she was talking about being kidnapped.

If Cheong-un was really involved with the man in black, there was no way he could have missed the implication.

Even if he wasn’t, anyone with a sharp mind would realise that she was casting doubt on the story of being “found” on the street.

That’s why she deliberately emphasised the word “found”.

‘So how would Cheong-un react?’

Woo-hye took a sip of tea, strangely eager to hear his answer.

Cheong-un didn’t dodge the question.

“It seems that Lady Dan is suspicious of my kindness. Are you saying that what happened yesterday wasn’t a coincidence?”

He had understood her implication perfectly – and had even asked her directly.

Was he the type to value efficiency to the point of recklessness?

‘He’s not ordinary.’

Even after getting to the heart of the matter, there was not a hint of excitement in his voice. His cold, measured tone carried an air of quiet intimidation.

She instinctively felt that if she tried to test him carelessly, she’d be the one caught off guard instead.

Without realising it, Woo-hye found herself smiling.

‘Truly… how fascinating.’