Chapter 75: Maelyeog (Charm)

I couldn't stop going over what happened that day with the biggest smile on my face every time I had a free moment. The fact that I didn't even hesitate to touch her spoke volumes, it was as easy as breathing being next to her and engaging and eating with someone who didn't have 100 expectations from me all at once, or any at all for that matter. She was the only normalcy in my life that I was desperate to hold onto for dear life now that things between her brother and my father were getting almost out of hand. As much as Hwi was entitled to his rage and impatience I could not let him kill my father...because I was going to as the endgame of all of my goals. My father had plenty of enemies that would happily tear him apart, with the Seo's being the first on that list now, and they could do anything they wanted to him but I was going to be the first to strike him no matter what. The constant conflict between the two of them was the reason why I was holding onto Yeonnie so much more these days, her mere presence provided me with a relief that was entirely unique and one I had never known before. I tried to stick to Hwi's word but I was tired of playing games with Yeon. She was in a sense the object of all this conflict and yet all she did was care about me sincerely. Why did I have to chase anyone for love when I had somebody right under my nose who could take care of me well and do it earnestly and lovingly. And I loved the way she had started taking care of herself more although she wasn't to be blamed for anything she lacked before I had her move in with me. She had an amazing figure that I was kicking myself for not noticing before and she was just so petite and beautiful that I couldn't stop staring at her when I could....even though I had Hui-Jee now...

But if course there had to be something to almost cost me my one course of happiness when the concubine who had stopped her visits since our last encounter, suddenly had the idea to continue them again. And she was starting to become more infatuated with me than even Yeon ever had been, and a lot more enthusiastically now that I thought about it. And due to her pregnancy which I was labelled as responsible for, and there was nothing that I could do until that baby was delivered safely from her. As for my father, he hadn't said anything about it since Yeon told him about her suspicious, but I knew that man better than anyone else. If he was silent, he was always plotting something, and who was i to say or do anything about it? But Yeon was right again, this 'family' situation did give me more respect at work and more time to sort out my impending cases. And it kept my father busy enough to stop torturing Yeon when he was in a bad mood, which I couldn't be more grateful for. He was so frustrated lately that he didn't have the time to interact with her or even care about her enough to check up on her unless she went out on her days off. He had left me something that was mine, until that damned woman started with her antics again. She was forever suffering from some pregnancy symptom that constantly made her sick and call for my attention, but all she was doing was reminding me of all the times myself and my mother fell ill and we were barely allowed treatment due to our low statuses.

"What is it now? What ails you this week? I was right in the middle of work-" "I felt very nauseous and heavy in my chest! It was such a heavy burden that I feared I would die without seeing you one last time husband..." "God give me strength. I thought you were sensible enough to take prenatal medicines without my instructions, what really is the matter with you?" "The concubine has just eaten too much, Young Master, it caused the tightness in her chest. All that she requires are lighter meals and plenty of milk..." "Are you seriously telling me that I ran back from the palace because a damned maid cannot tell the difference between being too full and feeling ill?" "Forgive me husband, i was just to startled..." "All right! I need to return to the palace in a timely manner, lest i loose my job over these simple house visits. Lie back down and have a rest and i shall..." "Will you call upon your cousin to serve me? I see no reason why you..." "Yeon isn't a damned slave! I have just returned my mother's quarters to her and she needs time to settle in all over again!" "Is you concubine mother's quarters more important to you than my pregnancy?" "Is that even a real question? Are you really asking me to choose between my mother and a baby that i share no blood with? What do you think?"

"Husband! Please wait! Spend some time with me! Do not leave me!" "I am not a house pet woman, I do have work to do!" "Work? Or are you going to that brothel again? I am pregnant for goodness sake, so why are you committed to seeing other woman besides me?" "Because I want nothing to do with you and your unborn child! Now stop taking advantage of your pregnancy and just get some more rest! It isn't like you are good for anything else! I go to her when i have had more than enough of your spiteful comments!" I had had a particularly bad day and I wasn't in the mood to meet anyone at all. I just wanted to go back to bed for a while as I thought about what would happen when Hwi's mission would come to an end, which it was sooner rather than later in fact. I constantly thought about how on earth I was going to make it up to him...and how I was going to have to be the one who had to confess to her everything that had transpired and how exactly I was going to not only re introduce her to her brother that she had forgotten, but also admit that I had basically lies to her every single day of her stay at my fathers's residence, just as she had started slowly drifting away from me.

No, I cannot lock myself in with such thoughts now, I had carry on for myself and the Seo's, and I had to find a way to reject the Lady who was beginning to add to my misery. And as for Hui-Jae...well I had been far too busy with work to see her again. Not that it stopped her sending me lunch instead of Yeon. Maybe it was because i was used to Yeon's food that I really couldn't tell the difference between the dishes. Not that I had told Yeon to stop sending me her food but...I had other things to worry about. Insert disaster relief I had no idea how she was or what she was doing now or if she had been sold to anyone at all so I was at a loss there. And I wasn't feeling any better when I stepped outside of my room and almost ended up falling over a tray of food, a rolled up blanket and some thicker robes.

I took a walk later on around the home just to hear my head, but my judgement as being clouded and I had no idea how to think straight anymore, until I can across that damned college of mine who came across Yeon in her quarters...actually spying on the home? He was actually settled into the bush and watching us? This guy had been totally distracted ever since he set eyes on her and I had just about had enough. This man was also one of my father's biggest supporters son, so it all tied in nicely with what I was about to do to him to not only vent my anger, but to take my father down as well. And he was nowhere to be seen so I confronted him right there and then about what exactly he was doing outside of my home. I saw that he had a bunch of letters in his hands and that they were all addressed to Yeon, and I had to put and end to this once and for all, and just in time for the heavily pregnant concubine who was too ill to walk earlier make her regular unwanted visit as well. After I had made the necessary introductions I invited them all inside and I arranged for snacks and beverages to be made. And I invited them both inside into the dining area along with Yeon, who couldn't stop trebling slightly until I held her hand under the table.

"You really do care about her don't you? You always have your eyes on her?" "Yeon...is a vulnerable girl who easily get's herself in trouble. Of course I have to lookout for her." "This much? Even under your own roof?" "Our behaviour towards each other might look inappropriate from outside perspectives, but I have known that girl for such a long time that it is just easier to dispense with all of the formalities and etiquettes. But like I have said before, she is only a little sister to me. I do hope that the concubine does not misinterpret our relationship." "Of course not, no matter how long you have been acquainted with each other, I do hope that an ambitious man such as yourself would have more sense than to place so much value on a disabled orphan girl."

This half-witted girl had better watch her words barely as I felt my fists balling up uncontrollably. "Will you come inside with me? I actually have something to discuss with you..." "Good afternoon young master, My Lady." Yeon bowed towards us before making her way somewhere or another out of my sight, which was starting to give me a lump in my throat every time she left without looking at me or talking to me at all. But before she could totally disappear, we were once again interrupted by my colleague who came out of nowhere and was trying to follow Yeon have a conversation with her and failing. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I realised just how uninterested Yeon was in interacting with him at all which seemed to be putting him off a lot. She kept throwing uneasy glances at me and in turn I took the opportunity to grab her hand under the table and hold it tightly.

Why have both of your faces turned red? Are you ill or something?" The concubine asked and we both couldn't answer her, so we just ignored her. And just like I had hoped, she was smart enough to take on my hints and start serving him the tea whilst getting him to open up about his work. And it seemed to work since he was totally oblivious to myself and Lady Min who tired to engage me in conversion about something or another but I was completely ignoring her. I kept squeezing Yeon's hand in encouragement and she couldn't seem to face me for some reason. But she kept on squeezing my hand in return, and this idiot gave me all the information I needed to start taking over bigger cases to win over my superiors and have some kind of distraction for my father's needs at work.

As the night dragged on and I had long forgotten that I wanted to be alone for a while, all I could think about was how nice it would be if I could end my night differently just for once instead of walking Yeon back to her quarters and keep here hidden there. I guess that is why I let the night drag on so I could steal some more precious moments for myself with that day replying itself in my mind over and over again. "Brother? Why do you keep looking at me like that? And can you...let go of me hand now?" She whispered to me. "Do you want me to let go of your hand?" I forgot to whisper which just made her blush even more when everyone started staring at her.

"Do you both want to let everyone in on the secret? What are you both whispering about?" "Isn't it time that you both left anyways? It is far too late and Yeon is tired." "Brother?" "Go to bed, I do not like women who stay up all night long." She blinked at me in confusion but I still personally escorted her to her room before my colleague could hand her the letters he had for her. But instead of leaving her there on her own I stayed there so the other two would get the hint and leave us alone. "Seon-Ho?" "I want tea Yeon, can you serve me please?" "Didn't you already have enough earlier?" "I want some by your hands. Freshly made please." I held her in my gaze as she rushed around the room to give me the best of everything she had that I had been secretly sending over to her.

"Thank you for your help this evening, it is thanks to you I now have a new focus at work.": "It is alright, it is the least that I can do for you. It is about time that you tried for a promotion anyways." This was a rare encouragement that I have never received from anyone before and I longed to hear more. "Do you really think that I am good at my job Yeonnie? Even though we both know I did not land this job on my own merit." I observed her carefully for her reactions to make sure I was right about her before I gave her memories back. And I could not help but notice how much her mannerisms and etiquette had improved greatly since loosing her memories. I daresay she even had better body language than even the most rigorous of ladies in the palace. "I think that despite your unfair circumstances, you are passionate enough for the job. You want to serve your country despite the corruption that usually goes on behind every post. I think you are determined enough to get the job done and achieve your goals...you just need a fair chance."

That one sentence that she uttered whilst looking straight at me instead of being disgusted by what I was or what I was doing gave me all the confidence I needed to carry on with my plans. I spent the rest of the night in Yeon's company where we talked and talked until she fell asleep across her table as if she were a child. I could not help but to stroke her hair lovingly before I leaned in to kiss her, and hoping with a much fuller heart that she would forgive me one day for what I had done to her and her brother...and I hoped she forgave me in time to allow me to take her far away from my father when this was all over. And then I was going to give her everything she deserved, as long as she stayed by my side...and maybe even beyond that if her brother took her away.