The Love They Never Had: The Nam Mansion

Prologue

Seon-Ho

Snow had covered the plum blossoms that Yeon had been trying to grow outside of the brothel that she refused to leave for whatever reason she had been stubborn about for the past 2 years. For so many years now I had found winter to be unnecessarily harsh and cruel to the lonely people like myself despite all that I had achieved. I was no longer a downtrodden, isolated and bullied illegitimate child in the face of Confucius laws that ran this land and the law in which every person was measured, despite their backgrounds. I had a woman, even though my shallow feelings had ended for her as soon as she gave me a chance, I had a position in the palace that she leeched off of and I had money that she very nearly used up. But the irony was that she didn't help me achieve anything I had, so who was she to use everything I had without working for it? It wasn't like she didn't know who I was, how I was raised and what my values were. As a woman who was raised in a brothel, she didn't have any idea how to be a wife and contribute her share at all. The bright, bold and vivacious young woman I had met all of those years ago had now turned into everything I had survived against in my own caste. And when I had made it known to her, I got nothing but hell in return...

"Your...mistress has sold almost everything that you own in your absence, including..." "including what? Do not tell me that she..." "unfortunately, she did go into your mother's quarters and stripped it bare. Everything that the true mistress of that room spent so much time trying to find for you, she really did take it all to the pawnshop after you made her believe that you are now penniless after your last argument...your master? Are you well? I apologise, I really did try everything in my power to stop her disloyal intent, but she..." "...she lords herself as the mistress of my household before I can even think about marrying her. What else has she pawned off?" "Jewelries, farmlands, the shops that you have investments in. And I did try, young master, but I simply couldn't buy them back, they were too expensive." I was really trying my hardest to restrain my impulsive anger, but I had well and truly landed myself into something toxic, manipulative and abusive and I had only myself to blame for this. I should have known that falling for a kisaeng (courtesan) girl would bring me nothing but trouble, whilst the girl who was thrown into a brothel was the most intelligent ,perceptive, able yet delicate creature I had ever come across. I knew that I had a lot of sins to pay for, but I really didn't think I could be anymore miserable than I was in that moment and for all the years I had to take care of a grown woman who refused to take care of herself.

"Ever since you retracted her servants a year ago; she would hide items everyday after you would leave for work, and would buy items when she would browse the local marketplace." "Is she meeting any men?" "Plenty of them but they are most likely her old clients from her old brothel place. But I haven't witnessed any flirtatious behaviour, so I have no reason or evidence to provide you so you can just be done with her once and for all." "She has already gone around the entire kingdom on my arm and had even followed me on my work trips. You know this more than anyone. How many times has she tried to take over my work and insert her own uneducated opinions in front of my colleagues?" "So why haven't you ended this relationship and find someone to settle down with? Maybe you can..." "Can what exactly?" "You should bring the woman who has been dwelling in your heart to your home and by your side where she belongs." "It isn't as easy you think you know, I have been trying..." "Her pain is starting to drive a wedge between two hearts and that isn't right. And in the meantime, we are stuck serving a woman who is actively trying to destroy all of your hard work for her own personal gain." That statement alone should have broken my heart or given me any type of pain, but I have been numb for so long, I was surprised that I could still feel the snow that had soaked me completely because my woman hadn't so much as bought me a pair of winter boots, never mind thinking to buy me a coat or even an umbrella. As a mistress of household in the Goreyo Dynasty, it was her duty to look after me and she couldn't even take the time out of her life to think about my well-being. I had just come home from a month long trip with the other scholars from the palace at the very moment that my maid had come up to me and made a report of Hui-Jee's whereabouts before I had the chance to take my now soaked shoes off. I had tried to walk into the kitchen to get some food, but more fool me for thinking there would be anything left for me in my own home. The kitchens were completely emptied out and I could only think that Hui-Jee had been entertaining guests that she could no longer afford to keep up with despite my constant warnings that I wanted nothing to do with the elite families that I was surrounded with outside of work. But she had never listened to me before, so why would I expect her to change her stubborn and hard-headed nature?