and how fake the stupor on his lips —how fake the way the glossy bits would draw a circle, and the voice go slightly dramatic ! but only slightly, only there to enhance the note of sarcasm of his rolling eyes, a hand to the side of his temple. “ oh ——and here i thought the dear and most respectable peers of our society had something better to do than yapping their breaths away over minutiae. ” it was always that, returning like a ghastly figure within the woods at night, the rumor concerning his marriage —how that day bae byulyi was so beautiful he turned his wife into something to be overlooked, to be shadowed.
but truth be told, real or not, byulyi already was sorry for his wife to have to deal with that mouthful of ignorance, byulyi knew already he wasn’t meant to be beautiful —because men were supposed to be strong and leading wars on top of a high and mighty horse, and play with rocket toys and sticks and stones, not to bat their lashes and look pretty.
so he’d do it out of spite —he’d bat his lashes and make his eyes look doe and let the obsidian irises observe the world of hypocrites and spinnerets from beyond the meshed shadow of his gat, carefully slow when moving the fan back and forth, open to partially cover his visage, the taste of soju still against his palate, his stance relaxed, the pearls and beads shining and crowning his face and figure as a whole.
“ do you believe them, though, your highness ? ” he’ll make them scream, then, how much, much pretty he was. “ do you believe i turned my wife into a small little daisy the day of our marriage, and obscured her with my own light ? ”
inha, ever the instigator, can feel his own lips quirk up into a small but delighted smile - though treacherous and dangerous -- he loved to hear the ideals and the nature of their society being criticized. he makes barely en effort to hide it, covering his mouth with one long sleeve of his robes as he schools his expression back into his handsome, bored state.
he’s always found it a fun past time-- irritating the people who have the misfortune of being around him quite constantly. the man assigned to him, by some bad stroke of luck, was definitely no exception. if anything, the poor man was likely one of inha’s most favorite ( victims ) acquaintances. and he’ll admit that he enjoys bickering with his assigned teacher. it, at least, made his days interesting and more enjoyable.
and inha, much more observant than others give him credit for-- knows the cloud of rumors that surrounds the older man. has heard it more than a few times in this night alone. and truth be told-- as much as inha loves hearing about drama and scandalous acts and being able to soak in rumors and truths like a sponge to hold it over people’s heads-- something didn’t quite sit right with him about the narrative that has been forced on byulyi ( not that he’d ever admit this, of course ).
so he just lowers his hand and gives the older man a pleasant smile, something rebellious, as always, glinting in the dark of his irises. “i don’t believe anything i hear, without reason, teacher-nim. if anything,” he comments blandly, gaze drifting around the scene as he continues conversationally, “it seems as though the people who find you more eye-catching are the ones at fault-- what business is it of theirs? to point out something like that and turn it into such a big issue, and to take such great notice of you... that’s more laughable, don’t you think?” he finishes with a snicker, sighing and taking a sip of whatever drink he’d picked up at some point in the night.
“people just don’t know what to do with themselves-- if they don’t have something to talk about.”