Chapter 62: Hyeom-Ui (Allegations)
It wasn't right for me in this situation to fight back, so I just let it happen whilst keeping my eyes on the Young Master the entire time. I could tell that he was starting to panic when he wanted to follow me, but I couldn't help but to fear for him as well. So I did what I presumed I did with my brother, and just keep a smile on my face to calm him down. It was a painful moment for both of us, but now I hoped he realised how tired I was of his own fake smile that he wore around me. I almost screamed at a servant to take care of him whilst Nam-Jeon himself dragged me by the rope he tied my hands in as if I was some sort of hardened criminal. My silent tears were burning with humiliation, but I had no choice but to swallow this for now and make him pay once I fully regained my memories. And Seon-Ho wasn't the only person that I was worried about; what if my brother were watching us? What if he lost his temper and risked his life just because of this misunderstanding? No, I couldn't let that happen, so all I could do was to maintain m composure, even in a situation like this so I could cool both men off whilst trying to prepare myself for what I could do to get out of this situation with very minimal damage. Unless...
"How is the baby, doctor?" "The concubine bled from the shock, Master Nam. Usually, there is very little chance of the baby surviving cases like this, but it is still too early to tell if any serious damage has been done. But she should be stabilised after having my medicines." "That is good news, my grandson is possibly the only achievement that my useless so could have ever contributed to this family. And as for you Seo Yeon, are you going to admit what you did to almost make the only concubine in our family suffer from a miscarriage?"
The only achievement my useless son has contributed...was he being serious right now? Was tearing my family apart and causing me to suffer from amnesia nothing to him at all? Just who did this man think he was? And what else had he done to make his son cutting off his only friendship like it was nothing? "...Seo Yeon?" "Master Nam, are you honestly expecting someone of my size, stature and sex to find a rotting corpse and get myself into trouble like this? I am not that stupid, no matter what you may think of me." "She is lying! She is obsessed with the Young Master and she has been making my life a living hell ever since I first arrived in this household!" "I have strict living conditions in this household, where on earth would I have found the time to bring her here with no help at all just to scare you? It doesn't make any sense!" "Stop acting innocent! You know that I was investigating you! You and your brother and..." "Enough! Doctor! Shut her up immediately!" Up until now, I had no concrete evidence that I had a brother apart from meeting the person who looked like me. But having the concubine actually confess it under duress still made me feel sick to my stomach and so incredibly guilty. Seo Hwi looked like a bag of bones the last time i saw him and he had no woman to cook for him, to tend to him or even give him any piece of mind. He almost looked feral and here I was in a rich home wearing the finest silk that I never asked for. I swear that one day I will get my hands on this man and tear him apart for his crimes against my family and Seon-ho and...and...and anyone else who...
"My brother? What brother? Who? What are you talking about?" "I was investigating your family and I sent my servant to do it! How is it possible that she ends up dead outside of your shitty little dump of a home?" "What are you talking about? I cannot remember..." "Your dump of a home at the end of the street behind the field!"
The dump of a home at the end of the street...behind the field...I had never been there before; I had always stuck to the market place and that was it. "You are always with the Young Master and you are practically obsessed with his time enough to pull a sick prank like this so you can have him all to yourself! Just because you yourself can never find a husband and get pregnant in your condition, must you steal my husband as well!" "Why on earth would I want to steal my own cousin from you? Do you hear yourself? Why would I be so possessive over a cousin that I cannot even remember?" "Then who else could have pulled off such a thing?" "It was Dal who did this, not me." The silence in the room in that moment was almost deafening as I watched Nam-Jeon squirm about uncontrollably and his eyes flutter in anger. He was very clearly angry at either my brother or his own son and was choosing to vent his anger out on me, but I was done being a tool that can cause detriment to the two most important men in my life. Dal wanted me to beg him, but I didn't hesitate to undo his crime. Nam-Jeon wanted me to beg for his mercy, but I wasn't going to do that anymore. And Seon-Ho...well, if cornering me so much gives him some semblance of control and stability, then I would do it, but not to the extent that he expected. You are a woman of intellect Yeon, even if you cannot remember it just yet. And you can only help everyone out of this chaos if you tend to yourself first and escape Nam-Jeon's traps in the way that your men cannot. Only by observing Nam-Jeon a much as you can, can you overcome this exhausting trial in your life...
"What are you talking about? Why would Dal do such a thing?" "It is because he is the one who envies the Young Master, not myself. It is he who has been harbouring resentment ever since the Young Master has acquired a concubine of his own, it is he who constantly wanders outside of this house when he has nothing to do and he comes back in the early hours of the morning and it is he who is constantly seen in the concubines quarters as soon as the Young Master steps foot outside. I have no reason to lie about any of this and you can ask any of the servants if they have witnesses what I have." "So what are you suggesting?" "Master Nam, everyone apart from you knows that baby isn't the Young Master's. Don't you always complain that your son never has the minds or capability to carry out a plan properly? So why do you think this plan of duping a maid to become a concubine to go against her Master worked out so perfectly this time? It was because Dal helped out the young master in this plan, in more ways that one."
"She is lying! I am the concubine of the Young Master! Who else could I have been with? What are you suggesting?" "Then why do we not take a blood test as soon as the baby is born then? I know that the Master Nam is excited about his first grandchild, but it is better to be safe than sorry and become the laughing stock of the entire kingdom for taking on a child that has no relation to him at al." "Enough of this! Yeon you are still on punishment for the next month, then you will continue to follow the home rules. Servant! Call in my son and that unless servant of his! Right now!" I had been struggling to regain my breath and senses for the entirety of the time that I was tied up and forced to face off some humiliating questions. But that was the first and only time that I was ever going to let that happen to me, no matter who it was. My poor brother had been humiliated his entire life, even now as I was collecting my thoughts. There had to be a way for me to sneak in and out of this prison of a home...
"Yeon! Yeon, look at me! What did you do? Why is the Master Nam calling me in such a foul mood?" "What happened Dal? You can make threats but you cannot handle it if you get treated the exact same way?" "You...you were supposed to beg me! How can you..." Dal, let go of me! I already told you that the Young Master is the only persons that care about in this household and that I will do everything in my power to protect him, even from the likes of you!" I just wanted some peace and quiet for a few moments once again to gather my thoughts, but no-one was letting that happen. So if he wanted another face off, then I would give it to him, although god knows what he could have possibly achieved by provoking me so much.
"Why...why are you doing this to me? Why are you both against me now? I haven't done anything to you and you both...you both want to get rid of me? After everything that I have done for you? For him? And for..." "For the Master Nam? Isn't he the sole reason of your purpose in this mansion? Haven't you been reporting his son's every movement back to him this whole time? Or were you going to after he succeeded with his plans to bring in his own maids? And then what were you planning on doing?" The usual cold and snobbish servant was now acting as if he had lost his mind right in front of me as he kept clutching the sides of his head and knocking on it like a door. All of the colour from his face had been drained and he was positively quaking in his steps. But I could not bring myself to pity someone as manipulative and cunning as him. Who knows how many lives he had destroyed just to be where he was now, not unlike the man that he worshiped so much. "No! Wait! Please do not leave me! Let me explain...." "Dal, listen to me. If you want to pick up the shattered pieces of your dignity, then you should be a man enough to own up to what you have done. Living a life on shames and lies will be pointless and you are just hurting all of us for no reason!"
Dal looked like he was on the verge of a breakdown and there was nobody to help me to escape from this mad man. At least that was until my brother- Hwi came blazing into the courtyard once again and he pulled me aside with all of his might before he turned on Dal and dealt him with the punishment that he deserved. He kept shouting at me to return back to my quarters immediately just as Nam-Jeon himself starting shouting at his son like I had never heard before. I really did want to comfort him, but I couldn't do that in front of my brother and I knew that I had to give Seon-Ho some time to calm down before I checked in on him again.
I ran back to my quarters in shock, silence and fear; I really could not stop shaking for the life of me. I had rope burns all around my wrist and I was covered in sweat as all I could hear was Dal begging for his life and crying as Hwi delivered a blow to his face either by his fists or his feet. But he was gone as soon as I couldn't hear him anymore and Dal was lying on the floor with a face so swollen and bloodied that it was hard to recognise him. And honestly, this was the first time in a long time that I finally felt safe and protected, which just motived me even further to repay my brother in the exact same way...even if he wasn't really my brother. Seo Hwi was a special man whose life must have turned on its head due to his poverty issues and now this with Nam-Jeon...whoever he was, I was going to protect him for the rest of my life.