Body & Soul 🇰🇷 Part 1

Chapter 37: Seon-Ho

I felt the floor from underneath my feet shift, as if someone had come stepped into my world and turned it around in the blink of an eye. I felt like I wanted to throw up; all my life had been a lie. And it had been covered by the most unlikeliest person I could have ever imagined...that person who had already began to have a very different effect on me the moment my father had stopped being an obstacle towards us. I could only watch her has her brother dragged her away, but not before quick grabbed her arm so hard without thinking, and made sure she felt it. The fact that I left light bruises on her; I felt bad about it, but I also wanted her to remember it. She had lived with me long enough to know my moods, my hidden meanings and so on. I vowed to find her, no matter how far Hwi tried to hide her. I needed to figure out what the hell was going on with me every time I looked at her, and how she accomplished what she did behind my back.

The royal court was in a mess, my father's men were all trying to out him to save themselves whilst my father was trying to bring them down as well, it was all quite hilarious. Until my father tried his hardest to bring me down, and that was the end of my entertainment; even though there was nothing he could do since I had people vouch for me I wasn't going to let him tarnish my reputation either. But at that moment the court doors swung open and Yeonie came strolling at everyone's surprise. A woman had no business coming into the court; even the Queen was only allowed in for emergency situations but Prince Bang-Won. Our eyes connected as she made her way towards the king and gave me a smile that she had just for me, our hands brushed together and I was able to take in her scent after a long time that gave me hope.

She bowed to the king and locked her eyes on Nam-Jeon before asking the king for his arrest...for the murder of my mother. I felt my insides going cold but all I could stare at her in disbelief...and my father looked like he had just seen a ghost. The king questioned her, telling her that the death of a concubine and a slave wasn't punishable enough, but she countered him, telling him she had undeniable proof that in fact...she was my father's first wife, no matter her birth status.

I thought I was going to be sick...all my life my father treated me like an ant for being his illegitimate son who couldn't save his legitimate one when he drowned in childhood...I had to betray the Seo's for their survival and mine, the only two people who loved me and cared for me all these years...and for what? In a time where illegitimate children were seen as half-humans, I couldn't believe my father had put me through that all of my life.

Yeon went on to prove her case; my father married my mother when he worked in the Royal Stables and before he had any sort of political ambition until he met my brother's mother who came from a wealthier family who influenced his ambitions. And by the time he had me, she was already demoted to both concubine and slave and my brother was already born...and when he died my father did all he could to threaten my mother to give me up.

I was going to be sick, all I wanted to do was run out of the room but Hwi stopped me and held me in my place until it was all over. The king was already furious with my father and had no problem sentencing him to death...with the approval of the new army general. I suddenly found all eyes of the court pointed at me until I realised that he just gave me a huge work promotion and gave me my permission for my father's death.

When the court had quietened down I made my way towards the king, as he looked at me as closely as ever. He then displayed my work merits and loyalty after denouncing my father who was slowly tuning purple from anger. But I didn't look at him again after that. He then promoted me to army general much to everyone's shock as well as reinstating my brith right as a legitimate son of a noble man and woman. I had to really hold back my tears in front of everyone; finally, my mother's death wasn't in vain. And as I was also reinstated...and it couldn't have been possible without the one person I was starting to realise I was holding dear to my heart much more than I had realised. He then began listing my duties, as if I hadn't already dreamed about this day for so many years. Yet again, I did wonder if the king was going senile to trust me with so much so soon. But I wasn't going to waste time thinking about it, I had to seize this long awaited moment. I accepted without hesitation and made my way back to my empty mansion, but not before turning in my father's men at court for their own crimes as well as holding onto the knowledge of the attempted assassination of the Prince to cut off the rotten willows of the court which I one day deemed myself the future master, for which the king rewarded me with my parents wealth, properties and other entitlements as he had a eunuch take the papers Yeon had just given me out of my hands.

Almost straight away Hwi dragged Yeon out of court before I could reach out to her she whispered that they were staying in their old house for a while. I wanted to take her away myself but the king summoned me to talk about my new position. At the mention of my name, Yeon stopped Hwi and they both stayed behind. He stated the terms of my eventual promotion to army general in front of my father before we both sentenced him to death. But not before setting me up with a noblewoman who he will send to my home.

As soon as the palace was out of sight I mounted my horse and I raced around the whole village- literally to find the Seo's...but they were nowhere to be find. Panic and fear took over me like never before, not even when I was in the battlefield. I looked all over again and soon panic was starting to tune into anger, and not just my usual bad temper...it was something...darker. Much darker than I had ever experienced before. I felt...as if...something was taken from me...ripped away rather. Something that was rightfully mine deep down inside. This must have been how Hwi felt when I had no choice but to take his sister away from him. This was my karma I guess. I was already feeling with a lot of blows in the last hour but this one sent me over the edge. It took a lot for me to stand firm when I knew Yeon had heard it all, I even heard her run away. As upset as I was about it I was stuck. I wanted to run away from it all but Yeon actually helped me to achieve my dream. She had even opened up the world I had craved for my entire life and I now had new options. As angry as I was at her for hiding everything from me and not telling me privately first; what she just did prove to me how mush she loved me and how much she always will. The mere thought of another woman taking her place as my wife enraged me and disgusted me, I was not going to let Yeon go no matter what.By the time my senses had returned, I ran as hard and as long as I could but she was nowhere to be found. And so was my future with her if I couldn't find her again. She wouldn't abandon me, I know she wouldn't...