Body & Soul 🇰🇷 Part 1

Chapter 106: Seon-Ho

She had finally began to move into her new accommodation...under the glare of the men in the neighbourhood staring at her. I heard a few tried to approach her...even that loser who asked her to the festival ages ago. But I would deal with him later; I devoured the food as soon as it was handed to me, it been so long since I had tried her food I didn't know how much I missed it until Chun-Ae brought it to me. I also collected the embroidery she sent me that I immediately wrapped around my wrist as I got to work "Why are you still here? Go back to the palace and watch her like I pay you to" I wasn't at all happy about using Chun-Ae, but I knew that she would only cause havoc in my plans. "My Lord...are you really that happy to receive that cheap embroidery from her? She doesn't even get expensive material to make it! It's all cheap, just like her! Even your food"..."QUIET! You have already crossed me enough woman. I do not want to hear another word about her from your filthy mouth. Do not forget that it was I who saved you from that ship and selling yourself to survive at Ihwaru and you were the one who was willing to do anything to pay me back. But I swear if you come in between us again I will kill you" at this point I had her up against the wall with one hand wrapped around her throat.

"In between you? There is no 'you', especially since she found out about you and that kiseng bitch!" She laughed. This startled me, I had no idea anyone in my household at the time knew about Hui-Jee...unless...
My dark side was slowly coming out as I threw her onto the floor "It was you wasn't it! You told Yeon about Hui-Jee!" The angrier I was getting the more upset she was getting "Of course it was me. I told her everything...including your farewell tea before you went to the Liadong war. I told her you were courting her the whole time" she just laughed in my face. I was growing angrier with each word she said. I had my guards drag her to the nearest brothel for a day to scare her. I then wondered how on earth I was going to get myself out of this mess, not even wanting to comprehend how heartbroken she must have been, living with me everyday for 4 years and believing this lie on top of putting herself through for me.

Anger couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling when I came home to an empty house with hardly any food and no sight of my woman, after having a less than stellar meeting with the King upon my return that I wanted to keep private. I admit that after a year I wanted to surprise her so I kept my return a secret, but even the servants were nowhere to be found. I stormed off to the nearest inn where they were serving food ad waited until the late hours of the morning for them to return with no Yeon still in sight. I had to admit; what I had seen and learnt whilst I was away changed me a little and there were 10000 things I wanted to discuss with her. I was growing angrier every minute Yeon wasn't in my sight and I looked everywhere.

The servants had horrified looks when they saw me, which only aggravated me more. I made my way to the one who was the closest to her; and the look on her face told me that something had definitely happened, something that Yeon couldn't wait for me to come back so we could sort it out together...something dangerous that she shouldn't be doing alone "is she alive?" I answered, my voice seething in anger although I really had to try calm myself down so I didn't scare them too much. "Y..yes My Lord" "Does her brother know what's going on?" "N..no My Lord, she always has us covering for her when he wishes to see her" my anger and fear were slowly turning into something else, this is the last thing I was prepared to deal with after coming home from war. "Is she safe?" "Well...the thing is my lord..." "is it the same situation as last time? Her being framed and being put through god knows what?" "Yes My Lord". I sighed deeply, who knows what kind of trouble this girl was in? I also knew her stubborn nature all too well but I also knew that if she actually had the nerve to leave it must be something serious "give it to me...whatever she left behind for me to understand" I asked her without hesitation. She fetched Yeon's dairies and I had immediately pocketed the one I knew she had personally written for me whist I was away and instantly started reading the other now to my horror. I felt as if I was thrown back into that senseless war and there was no way out...and my woman was used as bait. I looked at the last date on her journal, which was dated almost a year ago. I rubbed my eyes in frustration, a part of me not even wanting to know how reckless and bold my woman had become in circumstances unknown to me.

So without asking anymore questions I made my way to the palace again, under disguise and waited in the courtyard; until I saw her with prince Bang-Gan. I sighed I relief; a least she was with the dumbest prince of them all; but I still couldn't be at ease until I knew what she knew. Even though she left me that diary I knew she would do everything to prevent myself and her brother from getting involved, but I also knew that this girl was out of control right now and if...if the situation went further than she thought the who knows when we could reunite? I came home after facing so many obstacles that changed me; for better or for worse had yet to find out, but I was absolute going to honour my promise to Hwi to make her mine; who knows what lengths she would go to for her father? At leats she could have my protection...and I could have her again.

My worse fears were confirmed when I say the board she made underneath her mattress...she was even willing to investigate prince Bang-Won! At that moment all my pent up anger and frustration had taken over me and I had smashed everything in my sight. This is not what I wanted to come home to; I understood she had no choice but I didn't want my woman to have anything do to with the palace until she had my protection.

I thought long and hard about what I was going to do about this...until I decided it was time I gave Yeon a taste of her own medicine; as intelligent as she was she couldn't just keep doing what she wanted and think that she could always save herself. Now I understood why she wanted to hide that part of herself...but now she needed someone to reel her in; with me by her side.

I really couldn't live like this anymore; it had only been a month since my return and I felt like was living like a hermit without her. I was due to resume my duties in the palace in only a few days, and believe me when I tell you that I had a surprise for her...or a couple.

I was still suffering a little from the war with PTSD and I knew that she was my only cure. I wrote to Hwi as soon as I gathered all the evidence I could and he was beyond furious; as angry as I had ever seen him, even when I kept him away from his sister the first time. I barely kept him from strangling his men who were all in it as well, and as angry as we both were with all of them, they did have a point. Yeon was justified in her revenge for battling a condition that disabled her for over 10 years, despite her recklessness. So now we were all in it and keeping it from her and had done our share of investigations...leaving only one suspect left. Hwi was in complete denial but the look I gave him made him think twice and even Moon-Bok was on my side, he was the only other person to distance himself from the prince after all that business with my father. I filled them in on the general parts of my plan; I would get her out of the palace and move her into one of my smaller properties in the disguise of a sponsor for her as he really wasn't happy about her living conditions; she would get her own small property in her name with a few servants to help her out, mostly ones she was on good terms with. But I also warned him...however I treated her in public, no matter how coldly that he was not to interfere. They all had to trust me with the one girl they absolutely adored; Yeon helped them out so much; she looked after Moon-Bok's daughter, she taught Hwa-Wol & Hui-Jee how to be housewives, Chief Park adored her on account of her father and she often humoured Moon-Bok and Jeong-Beom, taking special care of him as he was still loyal to his dead wife.

The fact that we all know it was only a matter of time before Yeon investigated him was making Hwi slowly wake up, not that I was going to let her do it. Yeon was just sitting a few yards from me and I couldn't stand the distance anymore.