Stigma | 낙인

CH 4 PART 1

SeoYoon was pacing in front of the brothel in the middle of the day. He looked up.
EunSeo's room was on the second floor.
Her window was closed.

The other prostitutes' windows were open, but hers was closed. Nothing good would come out of lingering in a brothel in the middle of the day. People would begin to talk.

"Why aren't you taking up a position in the government?"

General Oh asked when SeoYoon refused a coveted position. SeoYoon was the most prominent figure in this rebellion.
He had cut off the heads of the previous king and Prime Minister Chae. Everyone who had participated in the rebellion had expected SeoYoon to receive a high position in this new government.

Additionally, SeoYoon's father had been a trusted ally to the current king's late father. He had died protecting him. And since SeoYoon had helped the current king reclaim his throne, the king had rewarded him with a prominent position, saying that he would be a great pillar of this country. However, SeoYoon declined.

Refusing the government post, SeoYoon said that he would remain at home to take care of his younger brother. Having found a house far away, he told General Oh that he would spend the rest of his days raising his younger brother. At his words, General Oh didn't say any more.

"If there is anything you want or need, don't hesitate to ask. We'll even give you a fortune."

SeoYoon had already received several wagons full of gold and silver as an imperial gift.
It was more than enough to live a comfortable and luxurious life.

"Please give Yoo EunLib's younger sister to me."

SeoYoon had only asked General Oh for one thing. He wanted Yoo EunSeo to become his.
However, his one request was rejected.

"All the families who did not side with us in the rebellion received the same punishment. I've been commanded to kill all the men and send all the women to brothels. I can't help you here. It is the law. Ask for something else."

Only SeoYoon's request was not possible.
How laughable. He had promised to have his revenge and live happily with EunSeo. However, while he was fulfilling that revenge, he had shattered her life into pieces.
His friend's blood stained his hands, and the woman he loved hated him and cursed him as she became a prostitute.

He had his revenge, but now he had nothing left. All that was left was a horrible and sorrowful regret. He cried for many days.
He thought of the friend he had killed with his own hands and cried.

He thought of the woman's life he had ruined with his own hands and cried. He heard rumors that many women had taken their own lives after being ordered to enter a brothel. He believed EunSeo would do the same.

If she died, he planned to follow her in death.
He would go to the afterlife and beg for her forgiveness. Even if she didn't forgive him, he'd at least be able to follow her as she walked the path to the afterlife.

He felt bad about leaving his young brother behind, but he gave all the gold to his younger brother and planned to follow EunSeo in death. However, she didn't die.
Therefore he bought her.

He bought her for one bar of gold.
Once the promised three days were over, he'd buy her again. He'd buy her again and again.
He'd never let her be touched by other men. SeoYoon planned on buying her for the rest of her life.

He knew that he would never receive her forgiveness. He knew he had no right to ask for the forgiveness of his dead friend nor hers. Still, he didn't want to give her up.
Even if he became a beast, he wanted to have her.

Last night, he had been a beast. A dirty and hideous beast. A beast who had raped her as she wailed from underneath him.
And he'd continue to be a beast from now on.
Even if he was a beast, he didn't care. As long as he could be by her side.