A moment later, a thin brush was in my hand.

Staring at the ink soaking into the tip, I asked hesitantly.

“Are you seriously drawing it?”

“Of course. I even ground the ink for you. Hurry up and draw.”

As if I were the one saying something ridiculous now, Tang Seho raised his voice.

I stared down at Tang Juyeop’s face. A crooked, scribbly traitor mustache had already been drawn across his bluish complexion.

Swallowing a sigh, I poked a dot at the corner of Tang Juyeop’s eye. Tang Seho cackled and drew a line by the other eye.

“Ahahaha, look at this. I drew it well, right?”

“......Yeah. You drew it well.”

Don’t choose art as your career.

After answering, I set the brush down. Watching him scribble on someone else’s face with sparkling eyes was beyond ridiculous.

For someone built like a bear, what he did was exactly what a little kid would do.

Was he really fifteen? His mental age looked more like five.

With the brush down, I asked flatly.

“But is this okay? He’s a patient.”

“So what? He’s the one who fed you poison, right? He did something wrong too, so he won’t be able to complain.”

......Did this little punk bring me in here to use me as a shield?

He spoke calmly, dipping the brush into the ink.

“If anything happens, you can just say you did it.”

As if that would work. The Medical Hall people all saw you walk in holding an inkstone and a brush.

“Stop there. If he wakes up, you’ll get scolded.”

At my words, Tang Seho’s face hardened and he shot back sharply.

“It’s not you, it’s older brother. My birthday is earlier than yours.”

I don’t even know my own birthday—how would you know.

I shot him a look and asked.

“When is your birthday, then?”

“February.”

“And mine?”

“What? Why are you asking me that? It’s later than mine.”

......So you were just guessing. What if I was born in January?

“Right. Sure. Older brother. Your brushwork is incredible. It’s so incredible even Zhuge Liang would cry and run away.”

“Yeah. Even Zhuge Liang would—......Huh? Hey. You just insulted me!”

Tang Seho, who’d been nodding, realized too late that I was being sarcastic and pointed at me. I muttered under my breath.

“Definitely Tang blood.”

He looked exactly like Tang Yeongho, so they were definitely brothers from the same womb.

Still huffing, he set the brush down, crossed his arms, and glared at me.

“Don’t get cocky just because you got entered into the family registry. I’m the youngest in this household.”

“You told me to call you older brother.”

“I’m older because my birthday is earlier.”

“Then how are you the youngest?”

“I don’t know! Anyway, I’m the youngest!”

Ah. And what am I supposed to do with that?

You wanted the respect of being called older brother, but you also wanted to enjoy the privileges of being the youngest?

I snapped back, irritation leaking into my voice.

“Are you stupid? Either be the older brother, or be the youngest. Pick one.”

“What? I’m not stupid! ......Wait. I have to think, because it’s a hard choice.”

Then he furrowed his brow and started seriously pondering which one to choose.

I eased up on my guard around Tang Seho.

He was a little lacking, and I could read him like an open book, so he didn’t seem hard to deal with.

Even now, he was so obsessed with being called older brother that he didn’t even notice I was talking down to him.

Just °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° then, Tang Juyeop trembled like someone trapped in a nightmare. It looked like his mind was starting to come back.

“Oh—he’s moving. Medical Hall Mas—! Mmff!”

When I tried to call the Medical Hall Master, Tang Seho clapped a hand over my mouth.

“Not yet. I haven’t drawn the eyebrows.”

“Mmff-mmff.”

I got it, so let go. It’s salty. Gross.

When I glared up viciously, Tang Seho flinched and pulled his hand away. I rubbed my lips like crazy.

Ugh—ptoo, ptoo. I swallowed ink.

Tang Seho glanced at my expression, set the brush down, and said as if he were doing me a favor.

“I decided. You can be the youngest. I’ll be older brother.”

“Fine. Older brother.”

It’s not like it wears out. I could call him that.

He puffed out his chest, looking pleased with my “older brother.”

I casually set him up.

“Then if I’m the younger sibling... you’re going to give me something, right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Juhee said she’s the youngest, and she brought me a whole pile of clothes. These clothes are from Juhee too.”

“If Juhee gave it to you, isn’t that enough? I have to give you something too?”

“Of course. I’m your younger sibling. Older people are supposed to take care of younger siblings.”

“Uh......?”

Worry crept onto Tang Seho’s face as he accepted my nonsense completely at face value.

Holding back laughter, I waited for his reaction. Wow—he was easy.

After hesitating for a long time, he pulled out a small jar and watched my face.

“Um....... Should I at least give you this?”

“What is it?”

“A scorpion I treasure. I treasure it for real. I raised it for four years.”

......Why would you give me that?

“No. I don’t need it. You keep it.”

“‘You’?! I told you to call me older brother.”

“Yeah, yeah. Please raise lots of scorpions, older brother.”

Frowning, I backed away from Tang Seho.

*****

Even with Tang Jung gone, the days rolled on the same.

In the morning, I trained with Tang Geunmyeong instead of Tang Jung. In the afternoon, I studied with Tang Un.

The only difference was that I had to go to Tang Un’s quarters myself. There wasn’t anyone like Grand Elder who could just sling Tang Un over a shoulder and carry him out.

Tang Un’s quarters were tucked away deep inside the inner estate.

They said the First Madam had personally built the residence so he could recuperate in peace, and maybe because of that, it felt cozy—like a villa in the woods.

When I passed through the fence ringed by thick trees and opened the gate, a small pavilion came into view. An old zither lay on top of it.

Walking past the pavilion and stopping at the door, I called gently.

“Ahem. Older brother Un. Are you inside?”

“.......”

“Older brother? Are you not here?”

“He appears to be sleeping.”

Deokju lowered her voice after checking the presence inside. I whispered back.

“Older brother must be tired. Don’t wake him. Let’s just go back today.”

“That won’t do, young lady. If the elder finds out, you’ll be scolded.”

Tch. So that wouldn’t work.

At that voice—so firm you’d think you couldn’t draw a drop of blood from it with a needle—I smacked my lips.

No matter when I saw her, she was a friend with zero flexibility.

“Older brother. I’m coming in.”

When I carefully opened the door, I saw Tang Un asleep in a chair beneath the window.

His brown hair, with strands the color of wheat mixed in here and there, caught the sunlight and glittered softly.

Seeing the book spread open on his lap, it looked like he’d fallen asleep while reading.

Seeing him sleeping so deeply made me feel bad about waking him under the excuse of studying. Wouldn’t it be okay to just let him sleep a little more?

This was because I was worried about Tang Un’s health. It definitely wasn’t because I didn’t want to study.

After finishing my rationalization, I lifted my heels and slipped inside on tiptoe.

The reception room was neat and orderly, with no sense of someone actually living there.

Most of the shelves were empty, and in a few spots, a single elegant orchid had been placed.

With only the bare minimum of belongings, it felt like I was looking at a staged model home.

The moment I lightly tapped the orchid on the shelf, a gentle voice spoke.

“That’s zelan. I started growing it because if you boil the roots and drink it, it’s good for coughs... and before I knew it, it bloomed. Do you like it? Should I give you one?”

Oh—damn. That scared me. I almost bit my tongue.

I turned around and waved awkwardly.

“You’re awake?”

“If you came, you should’ve woken me.”

“I thought you might be tired. Haha. Older brother, your quarters are so clean. How do you keep it this clean?”

Tang Un’s eyes curved as he smiled.

“What would someone who’s leaving soon do with worldly desire? I don’t want to bother others for no reason, that’s all.”

At that answer, I wanted to smack my own mouth for talking without thinking.

It meant he’d already tidied everything up because he didn’t know when he’d die.

I pressed my lips shut and stared at the ceiling. Whenever Tang Un acted like someone who’d already been handed his death date, I never knew what expression I was supposed to make.

I mean, he was someone who’d been handed his death date. Still. But... still.

Unlike me, who was floundering, Tang Un looked like he didn’t think anything of it.

“You don’t need to worry. Sit here. Shall I make tea? Today I had the maids bring ice. It looked like Sohae likes cold tea.”

“Yes. I’d like that.”

Tang Un slowly pushed himself up, and soon he brought out one cup of tea with ice floating in it, and two cups of warm tea.

“Here. Deokju, you should have a cup too.”

“Thank you, Young Master.”

Even Deokju, who would normally refuse, seemed unable to reject Tang Un’s kindness and accepted the cup quietly.

As I watched and tipped ice into my mouth, Tang Un smiled across from me and spoke, his eyes curving.

“Today, we’ll read the Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica.”

“Divine Farmer’s Materia Medica?”

It sounded like it would be packed with endless medicinal herbs.

When my reluctance showed, Tang Un laughed out loud.

“Ha. Do you hate it that much?”

“Of course I hate— I mean, no! It’s just... there’s too much to memorize.”

Tang Un nodded at my pathetic excuse and swept his hair back.

“I understand. When I was your age, I hated studying so much. But what can we do? We’re the ones who inherit the spirit of the Divine Farmer. Shouldn’t we inherit his knowledge too?”

“Who’s the Divine Farmer?”

“The Divine Farmer is the god of medicine. A famed physician who personally ate all kinds of plants, separating medicinal herbs from poisonous ones, and taught the people.”

......Yeah, we definitely inherited that. Eating poisonous plants just to find out what they do—this Tang Clan spirit of gulping down poison whenever there’s an opening definitely came from the Divine Farmer.

When I looked sickened, Tang Un drooped his shoulders with a pitiful expression.

“Of course, I don’t intend to force you. Grand Elder will be furious and ask what I’ve been doing if I don’t even make the youngest study... but I can’t make Sohae do something she hates.”

“No, I didn’t say I wouldn’t—”

“Grand Elder’s temper might weigh on me so heavily that I cough blood again... but what can we do? It’s all because this older brother lacks virtue, and—cough, cough! Kehk!”

Tang Un coughed dramatically, covering his mouth with a handkerchief.

Okay. I got it. I got it.

“Fine—fine! Older brother. I’ll memorize it. I’ll memorize it, okay?”

“Our Sohae is so good.”

Tang Un smiled brightly and lowered the handkerchief. The pure-white cloth was clean, without even a single drop of blood on it.

“.......”

Swallowing a hollow laugh, I opened the book.

Tang Un had definitely figured out exactly how to handle me.