The Sun's Muse

III- Commotion

Chapter three- Commotion

"Lord Yeon, you have truly outdone yourself with these!"

Bo-rim lifted the newly painted art covers which were drying on the table top. He observed the intricate details that were carefully painted and stared, pleasantly surprised.

"To tell you the truth, I didn't expect much from you in the beginning, but now I have to say, I'm very glad I hired you." The book keeper said with a contented smile.

"Thank you so much for that back-handed compliment. Now go away before I draw on your face." The prince sneered, giving Bo-rim a taunting glare.

"Ah, gosh, really, this is what I get after complimenting your work, huh? You'll see I might just sell you out to the young ladies who have been asking for you non-stop!" Bo-rim exclaimed, taunting back. He lifted the handfan he held, and attempted to hit the young man with it.

"Hey! Hey, don't sell me out, I swear to God, don't sell me out!" Prince Yeon threatened, blocking the hand fan with his fists. 

Bo-rim chuckled and turned his back against him, hiding the handfan underneath his sleeves.

"All right, all right, just keep doing a good job, I won't sell you out to the young maidens." The older man said with a chuckle.

As Bo-rim made his way out of the hidden chamber, he started to grow curious about the young gentleman who worked for him. Although it was obvious that he was indeed of noble birth, he had never mentioned his family name, and why he wanted to work for a small bookshop, much less paint book covers for romance novels.

He was pulled away from his thoughts when someone called for him from outside.

"Master Bo-rim!" A young woman called.

She held a pile of books in her arms, while beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. People who were passing by stared in awe at the young woman who walked towards the shop. Her face beamed, and she glittered when she walked.

The young men who watched from afar would've helped her with the books she carried, had they not known who she was.

But everyone knew her, and they knew better.

"Eun-jung," Bo-rim started, smiling gleefully at the young girl. Giving her a quick look from head to toe, he noticed the towering pile of books that she carried. 

"I came by to return these books that I borrowed last week for reference," the young girl answered, her face hidden behind the books. Bo-rim looked at her as she struggled to walk forward and chuckled before attempting to take the books from her arms.

However, the young lady yanked them away, and proceeded to enter the book shop.

"You don't have to, I can manage." She said, which made Bo-rim chuckle once again.

She carefully placed the books on the countertop and walked to the new selection of books that had arrived, Bo-rim following behind her.

"How's the new novel going, Daeshim?" Bo-rim asked jokingly, with excitement in his voice. Eun-jung quickly looked around and pressed a finger to her lips.

"Do you really want me to lose my head? You seem like you want to get me executed. Lower your voice, for the love of God," She said, almost panicking. "I'm working on it, don't worry." Eun-jung covered her mouth with the open book as she said the last sentence, being very cautious of the people around them.

Bo-rim laughed at the way the young girl acted; he lowered his voice as well and whispered to her in a teasing manner,

"Isn't it such a shame that Fragrance's best selling author has to hide behind a man's name?"

Eun-jung closed the book she was holding and attempted to hit Bo-rim's shoulder with it. The older man evaded it and tried to run away from the young girl.

"Why you--"

Eun-jung's words were interrupted when a loud commotion suddenly erupted from outside. The young girl quickly walked towards the shop's door, with Bo-rim following behind her.

When they arrived at the scene, people circled around one of the small booths within the market, and they watched in terror as a tall muscular man lashed his whip against the vegetable vendor's back, the old man howling in pain at every strike.

It was Seok, the leader of the village's most notorious gang.

"You dare not to give it for free? Do you not know who I am?" The muscular man growled, raising his arm to hit the man once more.

However, before he could move his hand, someone rushed in front of him, blocking his view of the old man.

"What do you think you're doing?" Eun-jung questioned, looking up at Seok with a disgusted look on her face.

The man masked his surprise with thunderous laughter, and the people around them grew quiet with the rising tension.

"Well if it isn't the little bastard from the pleasure house," he mocked, and she flinched at his words. She stared at him with something beyond rage, for he didn't know the weight of the words he had just said.

"You're one to talk, you rat." the young girl shot back, without any hint of fear in her voice.

Seok clenched his jaw; with a swift swing of his hand, he aimed the whip at Eun-jung, and he growled in burning rage.

The people surrounding the area gasped, and Eun-jung closed her eyes, with one arm blocking her face.

She waited for the pain to come, preparing for the sharp, burning sensation of the whip to come in contact with her skin.

But it didn't come.

She slowly opened her eyes, only to see a man's broad back against her face. Her eyes widened when she saw how he held the thug's wrist; he followed up by twisting Seok's arm behind his back, and hitting him in between the legs with his knee, causing him to lose his balance.

The young man clucked his tongue and scoffed at the thug who was now on the ground.

"Aish, and just a second ago you appeared so tough. I guess you really get what you deserve when you harm the elderly and the beautiful, huh?" The young man smirked to himself as he said those words to Seok who looked at him with a glare, still writhing in pain.

Bo-rim stared in awe as Lord Yeon walked away from the thug, unable to believe that the young churlish gentleman who worked for him was capable of such.

When he came to his senses, he ran to Eun-jung who was also in shock at what had happened.

Bo-rim knelt beside her and shook her shoulder, but the young lady's eyes drifted to the dirt road, where she spotted the same broad back that stood in front of her earlier, now walking away from where she was.

Eun-jung's brows met as she wondered,

Who was that man?

***

A/N: hi guys!!! I hope this wasn't hard to understand. I wrote this in third person point of view, but it showed the views of different characters. I'm doing this in a dramatic irony kind of thing, where the audience or readers know something that a character doesn't. Unless it wasn't clear, yes the man was Prince Yeon, and Bo-rim knew in his point of view that it was him but eun-jung didn't so she referred to him as 'young man' hope its not too confusing, if it is I'll change it. I'm trying to write this in a way which seems like you're watching a korean drama so it will involve scenes without the main characters. Thanks for reading!