Chapter 70: Seon-Ho

Once she got the hint that I wasn't going to leave her alone she let her guard down around a little as she started looking for me once the day's job was completed, but she still didn't approach me, not while I was awake anyways. One night I couldn't help but peek at her looking for me, and I could tell that something was wrong, so I went to my room and went straight to bed. Not long afterwards I heard her light footsteps sneak into my room as she tended to me as usual...before laying down besides me and began to open up to me at long last. "You had better be really sleeping or I'll kill you if you repeat anything I say to anyone else" she sighed; the tone of her voice undid me completely as I began to snort with laughter...but she didn't leave or get upset. In fact, she just turned to look at me and carried on "why are you really here, oborbani?" She whispered softly but I winced "don't call me that anymore, I'm not your brother and I never have been" I hissed at her far more rudely than I intended to but she didn't even blink at me and asked me again why I had really come here "I'm here for you, nobody else" "how long do you think that you can keep following me around? What do you want from me?" "I want every answer you can give me for what you concealed from me to start with. I will not judge you for anything, I just need honesty...even if I have been anything but to you in return. But you know all about that whilst I am kept in dark about the only girl who was raised by my side" She looked like she was going to cry and tried to run but I got to the door before her and I slammed it shut with one hand whilst calling for a servant to lock my room from the outside who did so immediately. I had her trapped in my quite literally in my arms; I felt both awkwardness and longing all at once as I hadn't been this close to her in a while, and certainly not like this. In fact I was so conflicted about what I wanted to do to the girl...women who was my friend's sister so I juts grabbed her and threw her onto the floor and then onto my lap as I bent down to her level and kept my arms clasped around her waist, but she didn't try to fight me off this time. In fact, she rested her cheek on the tip of my nose as she collapsed into my embrace; she had finally exhausted herself running away from me, but she still carried on "I was raised equal to Hwi if not more so. We trained together, read together, saw a mission or two of my father's together from a safe distance. He and myself...well I always waned to be more than just a common woman like everybody else...which was exactly the life I was sentenced to after what happened to us. But the plan always was that we would help our father, he always wanted to retire early from his work to be with us, and that didn't really happen either. But after my first fit...well I couldn't carry on so I had to blend in with a sort of normal life..." she trailed off but I still needed to know more "so that's why he kept you locked up in your home? And never let you participate in any public events?" "Yes..." "what else can you do? Tell me everything" "I can use a sword and a bow, I can read and understand some of the most dense books, I can engage in political and militia conversations, I can also decipher body and facial language, as well as a person's needs and wants from it as well." "So you looked past all of that when I had no choice but to lie to you everyday for years...and that's why you didn't run away when you could have, instead you chose to stay by my side under my father's rule and suffer with me" "Orab...Seon-Ho, what are you here as? My brother's friend? My guardian? Or something else" "what do you think I have been doing with you all this time?" I muttered. " you've lied to me for so long and I can only keep guessing just a much. I'm not a mind-reader you know. I think that you are confused. You have everything at you want now at your feet, including all sorts of women who can give you what you want. So why do you keep chasing me? I'm no good to anyone" and with that I held her closer to me and started holding onto her arms so tightly that she began to wince while I rested myself in between he neck and shoulder "good, keep up with that thought for every other man that comes your way...so I can have you for myself. I'm not confused Yeon, I mean it. If anyone comes to claim you I'll kill them in front of your eyes, even male friends. Apart from your family you cannot have anyone else in your life part from me. Test me if you want I dare you" "what will you do? Lock me up? Chain me by your side?" "How did you know?" I replied with a smirk, and with that I had her pinned onto my chest as I fell back on the the floor and I went back to sleep whilst she wrestled with me as much as she could before she gave up and fell asleep on top of me soon enough...and she was still there when people crowded themselves outside of my room to see who 'the mysterious woman was' who had snuck into my room. Unfortunately Yeon woke up just as I was about to open the door and she practically wrestled me from it...one thing led to another and she fell on top of me just as the door accidentally opened up. She looked mortified, even more so when I planted a kiss on her and I went about my day as usual, and letting the rumour mill do it's work.

After that, no one could say I didn't try with all my might to try and distance myself from her...and my plan worked: before I knew it I found myself the topic of discussion as people had finally started respecting me and everyone was beginning to wonder about the woman I was courting. Soon she had people approaching her, curious about her and asking her questions about 'our relationship' much to her annoyance and bashfulness. She caught my attention with everything she did anyways as I watched her life unfold before my eyes, the one she hid from myself and her brother. I simply could not help myself as I followed her when I had free time in the market and ran into her as much as I could. There was still a cool silence between us but I wanted her to get used to having me around as much as possible. I walked her to and from work and chased away fools who were clearly trying to court her. But it didn't make her angry; as I had expected she seemed to slowly warm up to me again, I knew the girl well. I know we still needed to talk but that could wait, it wasn't like I was going to leave her side ever again. I didn't court her exactly because there was no need to, I was starting to understand her better than ever before when I saw her work, or study, or organise her pitiful place that I was still unhappy about. I started to interpret her facial features; what they meant and what she was planning to do. I have even witnessed new sides to her I had never seen before; the girl was mischievous! She knew how to catch people in their own lies and traps by playing practical jokes on them, exposing their true natures in the process. She knew how make people angry to the point where they would mistreat her in front of witnesses. No wonder her brother had his hands full with her! But as I expected, the pain she tried to hide from me was evident; she tried to treat me as a real brother but I wasn't having any of it. I 'ran into her' in the market a few times but she wouldn't look me in the eyes....it sent me to a dark place for a while but it didn't hit me as badly as I thought it would have. I knew this girl for years; the she started caring about me as usual the minute my back was turned. Chun-Ae still actually expected me to believe that her cooking had miraculously improved overnight? The new clothes she had made me were suddenly as good as Yeon's? I recognised the sewing immediately...everything Chun-Ae tried to take credit for always carried Yeon's scent with it. I could't blame her for needing time and space after knowing the truth for years whilst staying by my side...but I wasn't letting her get away with it when it came to her misunderstanding about Hui-Jee. I realised my mistake earlier on but after everything we had been through together...after everything she had tolerated for my sake...why should I let her go or let her push me away over a worthless error? It was far too late for that stage of our relationship. I wasn't going to give up...but her behaviour forced me to face a reality I would deny until the day I died; what if Yeon no longer loved me? Truly? The answer was simple; I would make her mine, regardless of the fact if she did ever move on from me. And if I drive her to the point of death? Well...I would die with her. I would follow her even into the afterlife; not giving her the smallest chance to leave me at all.

As expected, he asked her out to the festival. I was in such a bad mood all week that I probably made a few servants cry, as well as my own gaggle of girls that liked to follow me everywhere every time I set foot outside my house. I know Yeon noticed them and she wasn't happy about it just as much as myself but it still wasn't enough for her to do anything about it. She still wouldn't approach me; Hwi was right, she was just as obstinate as he had described...until I saw an opportunity that may just work. I saw Yeon make her way to the tailor's for an outfit, I guess that brat really wanted to put in some effort...like she wasn't already attracting attention to herself enough. She had picked out a dress that I really didn't like...I could have another grander one made for her in a day. But it looked like some women had the same taste as I saw Hyo-Sonn eye it enviously...until she snatched it behind the tailor's back and tried to tear it apart with a knife. I just smirked before I made my way to her and stopped her just in time from doing any damage. I told her instead of tearing the dress she could just as easily wear it. She looked up at me in awe for a while before she bawled in reply that she had no date to the festival. She had someone in mind, but someone that was way out of her league in terms of background. I smirked again as I informed her that I had no date myself and suggested that we go together. She appeared to be startled by this...and the girls who were hovering over us jealously. "Aren't you the new army general? The one that bitch Yeon has always liked? Well...its too bad...she has a fan of her own following her everywhere she goes. He's even bought her gifts." I've never had a harder time keeping my temper in check as I had to now, but I also couldn't help but laugh at how she was trying to use me for her own revenge, unaware that I was doing the same to her. "No matter, I have a much prettier girl now on my arm. Take the dress, it looks good on you." I had never flirted with anyone before but it really didn't take much effort...as for calling her pretty...well you could put lipstick on a pig and it would still be a pig. I told her that we were still close so I could be able to snatch all the gifts she had received from him with ease. The face on her almost made me snort; this was going to be easier than I expected.