A Crane Among Wolves

28. Daehyun

Wonsik was buried that afternoon.Rocks were stacked to mark where he lay, hidden deep in the thicket where no feet would trample.

“Investigators are searching for Iseul in the village,” Yul whispered, standing next to him in the forest. She and Yeongho had followed him to the battle site with a wagon full of shovels, and Yul had cried the entire time while digging. “They seemed to know where Wonsik was staying and will be keeping an eye on the Red Lantern Inn.”

Daehyun glanced ahead at Iseul, who sat listlessly before the grave. His grip tightened around Wonsik’s journal, retrieved from his robe before the burial. He knew Iseul would want it, but he could not muster the courage to face her.

“What do you mean,” Daehyun spoke at last, “that they are searching for Iseul?”

“Investigator Gu received a report that chehongsa officers planned on capturing Iseul this evening, but now a group of them are dead,” Yul explained. “So the investigator visited the inn this morning, shortly before you came looking for me. I was questioned along with everyone at the inn. We all swore that we knew nothing about Iseul’s whereabouts, that she was a practical stranger to us. So we ought to take caution. We must hide Iseul elsewhere.”

“I know of a place,” Daehyun whispered, still watching Iseul from the corner of his eye. Watching the way her fingers dug into her skirt, her shoulders stiff. He wished she would cry as before, but she had not shed a tear since his callous words. “There is—” His voice broke. “There is an abandoned hut deep in the mountains.”

“The one from Hyukjin’s stories?” Yul asked, wiping at the corner of her wet eyes. She cleared her throat. “He told me about it.”

“She cannot remain alone there. You will have to stay with her.”

“All day and night? My absence would only draw more suspicion. Investigator Gu already has his eyes on me—”

“I can assist,” Yeongho said eagerly. He had been watching Iseul the entire time, crouching next to her now and then to offer her words of comfort. “I am merely extra help to our troupe. And I rarely perform at the palace, so my absence would not be felt by anyone. Even the Bureau of Performance forgets that I exist. I can stay with her whenever you need me to, make sure nothing happens to her.” His gaze drifted back to Iseul, and gently he said, “She needs a friend. She adored that ajusshi.”

An undercurrent of anger prickled through Daehyun. The fool’s gentle gaze and kind words vexed him to no end for some mysterious reason. “That is out of the question,” he said flatly, and when Yeongho opened his mouth in protest, Daehyun snapped, “You will remain silent, or I shall—”

Yul placed a calming hand on his shoulder. “Everyone is high-strung. But we must not quarrel. We must stick together, that is what Wonsik would have wanted. H-he would have…” Yul let out a shuddering breath, her eyes growing wet again as her gaze strayed over to the grave. “He is dead, truly dead, isn’t he?” Her voice began trembling. “Y-you know, I despise men like Wonsik-samchon—so infuriatingly noble and sacrificial.”

Daehyun closed his eyes for a moment. The sound of grief aggravated him.

Yul could barely speak through her shudders now. Hand over mouth, she waited for her voice to settle. “If W-Wonsik were here, he would tell you to go to Iseul. I am not sure what happened, but both of you can barely look each other in the eye.”

He glanced at Iseul one last time, then muttered, “Perhaps it is better that way.”