Part 5: Breaking Point-Chapter 46: Allyeojiji Anh-Eun (Unknown)

Life from then on had completely changed between the Young Master and myself, and i really could not tell if it was for better or worse. Myself and Seon-Ho both fell ill with a cold for a long time, almost for a few weeks and we hadn't had a chance to be left alone together. His father was completely furious with me for getting his son sick and I was being punished by doing the servant's chores around the entire manor for 3 months. I wasn't too upset over this though as I had been doing my own chores anyways. But as for Dal, well I hadn't really realised how much he had been involved in my life until he suddenly disappeared the day after he lost his mind and starting sprouting all of that nonsense between myself and Seon-Ho. But there wasn't a day that went by that I forgot what he said about that woman that he was supposedly in love with, and it took my memories back to the beginning of my stay here when he was always going to brothel's after work in the palace. To be honest, I think a part of me knew that was why he was going there, but I was not expecting how much it hurt me to hear everything, and from Dal instead of the Young Master himself. I could barely get any sleep that night and I had no idea why I kept hurting into tears every 10 minutes...it was hard to explain. But ever since I lost my memory, I always felt as if I was living for two people. I could only guess where my current hobbies came from; my constant reading, drawing, paintings and poetry, but my feelings towards the Nam's were another story. From the moment I met the Master Nam, I was already filled with a deep sense of hatred that I could not explain and recall. But Seon-Ho...whenever I resented him, I felt guilty about it. Whenever I had the urge to strangle him, I also felt guilty about it. So as for now...well I couldn't even remember my own past, never mind figure out my feeing for him. So as much as it was killing me, I was going to put that aside for now and just treat him as the Young Master of the household that I found myself caged in whilst a carried out my punishment without a word of complaint.

But the other servants did not share the same quiet mood as me, in fact there were a lot of things going on in this household that I had lost interest in ever since...well, they all couldn't keep quiet about the rumours that were flying around about what had happened to Dal. They all said that he either ran away from home after getting into an argument with the Master, or that he now had a new position in the palace so he moved away, or even the fact that he eloped with someone. I still wasn't too pleased with him, but I guess he was around because he was of some value to the Young Master, whom I couldn't cut off my ties with completely. So I made it a point to visit him when everyone else was on their lunch break, only to be stopped by some of the concubines maids who seemed to be out for revenge since she was still in this manor to carry out the same punishment as me before returning to her family home before the Young Master carries out his final plan against them.

"Our Mistress would like to reward you for your hard work." One of them came up to me before I even had a chance to say anything back and starting throwing rotten fruit at me. Since I had friendly relations with all of the other maids that I managed, no-one had dared to even raise their voice at me or take any opportunity to shame me at all. But this so-called concubine still had the two servants that she had brought with her, minus that other maid of her's that was still missing. But even if I wasn't as close with the Young Master like I used to be, I still wasn't going to let anyone take shots at me, not if I could help it. "These fruits are bestowed to you by our Mistress, why aren't you eating them? Or do you dare to refuse?" The youngest and stupidest maid charged at me, intending on shoving a rotten peach into my mouth. I wasn't in any position to do anything to the concubine as of yet, but there was nothing stopping me from venting my anger onto her maid when I tripped her up with foo before pushing her onto the ground and shoving everything she threw at me down her miserable throat until she started coughing and throwing up on herself. "Just what on earth do you think you are doing in broad daylight? Who do you think you are to be pulling these childish tricks here? Haven't you shamed your family enough!" "How...how is it any of your business..." "I will return to my chambers soon and you will no longer have a place here, how is it none of my business!" "How dare you disrespect..." "Who? Who am I disrespecting? A failed maid who barely lasted as a concubine? An experienced maid who filed to govern others? Move out of my way!" "Hey! Who do you think you are? You cannot just turn away from us! How can you so act so rampant like this?" "And who will stop me? Everyone know's that I am not a noblewoman in nature, in fact, I am more comfortable acting like a wanton maid!" I started throwing the fruit back at them in retaliation, but they still blocked my path to Dal's quarters and my patience was running dangerously thin.

"How can the Young Master defend a wild animal like yourself? You do not even act like well-bred woman!" "Oh well, or nation won't die out if there is one less mindless woman." "You...!" "The Masters Nam are content with me just the way that I am, so by insulting me, are you deliberately going against your master's judgement?" That managed to shut them up for a few seconds until they followed me to the doors of Dal's quarters, which I had never visited before as I had no reason to. But looking at it now, I was momentarily taken aback with how similar the hallway looked like the Young Master's...

"You uncivilised..." "oh for goodness sake! Why is everyone obsessed with me in his household! Leave! Or I will make you leave! And as for you're insults, do you dare to say them in front of the Young Master? Or his father? Well? Do you dare to tear down this families' dignity more than you already have?" I spotted Master Nam in the distance coming out from the courtyard and I could not miss out on this chance to rid myself of these people once and for all. "The hairpin that you just stole from me was a gift from the Nam's and it cost more than your money pay. Do you dare commit thievery amongst you're other crimes here in this household?" "What are you talking about? What hairpin?" "Just admit it! Ever since I have been punished, you have barged into my quarters and just about emptied it! Do no deny that you are trying to fill up your pockets before you leave this home! Shall I take it up with the Master?" "Exactly what is going on here?" "Master Nam...we...I..." "What did I just hear about thieving? From my manor? After everything your so-called Mistress has done?" "Master...please, she is lying..." "Master Nam, I have evidence that...." 'Shut up! All of you! Yeon, your punishment has been reduced by a month but you are still to live up to it. Now go!" "Yes, Master."

I managed to slip away as soon as I could whilst I managed to distract the servants. Every single moment that I was delayed, I was itching to find out why he hadn't found an excuse to prance around the manor as if he was the Young Master himself like he always did to lord himself over everyone. And apart from what he told me about...well, I was curious to find out what else he was hiding from me.

"Master Dal..." "be quiet slave! Just leave me alone! Go! Now!" I could hear him screaming at the top of his lungs to his own servants despite being one himself. I could only wait until his guards were distracted before I snuck into his chambers, which were more luxurious than the Young Master's himself. It was full of expensive objects, scrolls from famous scholars...and poems? Poems that I myself was looking at only a few weeks ago. And that wasn't the only thing that I found of mine; my hair ribbon that I lost when I fell into the water, a belt of mine that I had thrown away long ago, old make-up products...

"Well well, you are rather impressive. I do not know anyone else who would be so capable getting your punishment reduced on their first day." And just like the Young Master, he had a habit of creeping up close to me to scare the living daylights out of me and get some sort of twisted kick from it. But Seon-Ho...he would always..."please, do not touch me. You know that it is inappropriate." I replied to him without turning around to look at him at first. "I wonder what brings you to my quarters?" "I am just wondering why you chose to divulge that piece of information now after all of this time?" "Is that it? You're only worried about that?" I would have had to be deaf not to hear the resentment in his voice, but why now? How had i never noticed this before? I hadn't been around him that much despite him being the Young Master's shadow, so why did he sound resentful over it? Why was he...mimicking the Young Master's interactions with me? Just who did he think he was? I really could not believe that lowborn like myself were being oppressed by these unoriginal power-hungry leeches who couldn't even begin to understand all the tools they had at their disposal...

"Why do you care about what my intentions are? You..." so much for going through all of that trouble so quietly sneak into his quarters when I couldn't help but to scream bloody murder at the sight of him. His face was badly bruised and bloody, in fact it had swollen up to twice it's size and hand turned purple and black. I really could not bare to look at him and I almost ran out of there until he held me back with his arm and almost pulled me down onto the ground. "What are you doing!" "Are you really going to leave me here on my own?" "I...you have your servants to tend to you..." "of course, but if it was him, then you would by his side all day long." "Why do you keep doing that? My relationship with the Young Master was always different from the beginning, even if I cannot remember it. And according to you both, you were never a part of that, so who are you to say anything about that? And as far as I know, him taking in this troublesome concubine was your idea, was it not? I would think you would be more preoccupied with saving yourself by getting rid of her than focusing on a lowborn like myself." "Is that what you really think of me?" "Do you not act like you are superior to everyone else? Including the Young Master? That is probably why you do not have anyone serving you when you are like this." "Even you? After everything that I have done to help you?" "Wasn't everything that you did was you still following the Young Master's orders? To protect me like he promised me?' "I tell you that he is in love with another woman and here you are still defending him to the bone?" "She has nothing to do with this." "What then? What exactly is going on between you two?" "Who says that anything is happening at all? You're always there with him, you know that nothing is going on." "Of course, because he will not give up his grand ambitions for a penniless and disabled orphaned girl like you with amnesia. He can only make something of himself with the right girl with the right contacts for him."