Stigma | 낙인

CH 2 PART 2

When the door opened, SeoYoon, who had been leaning on a pillar, turned his head.
The old man was opening the door. A young man followed behind. SeoYoon had never seen that young man before.

"Is that him?"

After the young man had left, SeoYoon stared in the direction he had disappeared off to as he asked.

"Yes."

"He looks quite young."

"Age doesn't matter. His blood is what's important."

"When do we start?"

"When everything is ready. If we mess up, everyone dies. Therefore, we mustn't hurry. We must prepare everything perfectly so that we can strike all at once."

"I don't care about anything else, but please remember your promise to me. Prime Minister Chae's throat is mine."

This man was the same man that had carried maiden EunSeo in the mountains when she had lost her way. SeoYoon truly did have business to attend to in the mountains. On his way up, he had come across the lost maiden EunSeo and had helped her.

"I will keep my promise, so don't you worry."

"I only need to slit Prime Minister Chae's throat. I don't need anything else."

"But you still need to bring some wealth and honor to your name."

"I'm not interested in wealth or honor. I only need to kill Prime Minister Chae and wipe out the rest of his family."

"Does your hatred run that deep?"

"It's in the deepest depths of my heart, so even I don't know how deep it runs."

Spite poured out of SeoYoon's eyes. His father had left the palace a dead man. He had died a gruesome death in the palace. When she saw the returning corpse of his father, his mother hanged herself and took her own life.
His sister had been engaged to be married, but had received a letter from her fiancé's family instead.

They were canceling the engagement. A few days later, after having starved herself of food and drink, she took a dagger and slit her wrists, taking her own life as well.
Now SeoYoon was left behind.

His family had died, so why was he still alive? He decided to avenge his family. He needed to stay alive in order to kill those that had done this to his family. He couldn't leave his younger brother behind, so he kept himself alive.

SeoYoon had a brother who was fourteen years younger than him. His younger brother had just turned eleven, so SeoYoon couldn't leave him and die on his own. SeoYoon only had three wishes.

The first was to kill the king who had returned his father in such a horrible state. The second was to decapitate the man who had cut off his father's head, Prime Minister Chae.

He needed to cut off his head and rip the limbs off his body. Only then would he begin to feel some satisfaction. His final wish was for his younger brother live a good life without any suffering. However, if this rebellion failed, then SeoYoon would die. But he wasn't worried.

The old man had promised to take care of his younger brother if that ever happened.
His fair and just father and his kind mother. His sister who was as pretty as a pear blossom.

They used to be such a happy family. 5 years had passed since his family had shattered.
And soon he'd have his revenge.
He would avenge his family, who had all died such torturous deaths. The malice burned brightly in SeoYoon's eyes.

"My goodness, your eyes. Save that energy for later."

The old man clicked his tongue as he watched the spite build up in SeoYoon's eyes.