The Love They Never Had: The Chase

Chapter 211: Putting The Pieces Together (Jogagdeul-Eul Mo-Euda)

I had a lot on my mind after what Hwi and my new sister-in-law had to tell me, and it was definitely a lot to process, so much so that I had to ask her to write everything down as a statement whilst Hwi went to help The Third Prince with the investigations of the brothel to help his sister build up a case against his wife. Kim Hyeon was entrusted to me and I gave up my rooms to her to carry out my own investigations to my suspicions about what exactly had gone on behind our backs here. I could barely eat or sleep after what I heard my woman had been through in my absence, especially since I was the one forcing her to be with me and all of that crap that I gave her about some grand plan that I had for all of us after marriage. The only thing keeping me from loosing myself in a rage completely was the sweet and gentle nature of my sister-in-law, who was doing everything in her power to look after me whilst having to recounter the horrific crimes that she went through in the brothel and how Yeon looked after her over and over again. In the end, I had to send a letter for Moon-Bok and his wife to come over and accompany me for a while to help watch over Hyeon whilst I needed Moon-Bok to help me check up on Yeon, since I could only trust him.
"Young Master I have lunch ready for us. Please join me before you leave again." She asked me earnest whilst I noticed that she did slave away in the kitchen since I had no trustworthy maid to stay besides me. "Forgive me, but I am not really in the mood..." "This will present you an opportunity to ask me everything that you were unable to in front of her brother. And I will only answer your questions if you leave this accommodation on a full stomach." "Well-negotiated, sister-in-law." "Who do you think taught me this?"

Kim Hyeon and Seo Yeon were similar in a lot of ways, especially due to there gentle nature and softly spoken tones with cool and calm mannerisms. But Hyeon had refined her gentle nature whilst Yeon restored to playing foolish pranks and acting mischievously to get what she wanted. Hyeon's gentle nature was exactly what Hwi needed and the emotional support that she gave, but Yeon was just a little bolder, far more educated and naughtier, just how I liked her to be. And she was just starting to get more naughtier with an open mind the last time I saw her...
"First of all, she made sure that neither of us were touched by anyone, but we couldn't just do nothing in there without knowing who would come to our rescue..." "so what did she do?" "Yeon made me read books to catch up on politics and she made us give strong hint and advices for money. We were soon the most popular girls who were making the most money and this is how..." "That is how she gained control of the brothel, without having to sell herself at all." "There is something else you need to know about that brothel that Hwi hasn't told you, it will explain why Yeon decided to stay instead of finding a way to escape and...." "...and explain why the fuck Hwi disregarded his sister's image and let her stay in a place like that!" "That brothel held some significance to the Seo's, that way why her brother allowed her to have her way, as usual." "Well? I am waiting?" I really couldn't help but to snap at her, but she was taking it remarkably well for someone with her temperament. "Yeon was fully planning for our escape before she found out that the brothel that we were thrown in was the same one that her mother was placed in decades before her, and by the same family as well. Yeon chose to stay there and try to make the brothel a better place for women and give them options to take up learning skills to get out of a place like that. She wanted everyone our of there before she could escape...."

I was almost sick to my stomach when I heard that; Seo Hwi's father was a public figure, so everyone knew about him. But now looking back at my past, no-one really ever talked about this mother and who she was, in fact, it was the one thing that Hwi never talked about with me at all and I never pushed for the topic to be discussed due to my own issues with my own mother. "What do you mean?" "This all goes back to the embroidery business that she set up for herself." "She didn't really explain that to me well, although I already guessed it." "She says that you have a habit of overtaking all of the plans, and this was something that the Seo's needed to do for themselves, that is why they weren't willing to talk about it." The patterns on the embroideries that Yeon re-created, it was her mother's wasn't it?" "It was her means of making an income when her bother threw her into a brothel, simply because she was much smarter than him or anyone other man that she was surrounded by at the time. They couldn't handle her natural intelligence, so..." "So they chucked her into a brothel, because they couldn't handle a woman being smarter than them. So she resolved to making embroideries and other things besides her body, just like Yeon did..."
I didn't know how to react; what I should say or do in that moment, so I just resolved to eat my food as quickly as I could so I can figure out what to do with this information and the Third Prince's investigation and what I should do just in case it was used against Yeon...
"She really missed you, you know? She kept referring to you as her husband..." "Did she? So she finally...." "I didn't really know what she was talking about, but I heard her say this many times to herself 'if he finds me, I will accept his offer in a heartbeat."

This last statement of hers left me reeling in shock; I guess I didn't actually expect Yeon to give in so easily. I expected that I would have to fight for the rest of my life for the right to have a spouse just like anyone else. But she...she actually agreed? She really did miss me? She wasn't going to fight her feelings for me anymore? She was going to be mine if this didn't happen at all... "...Young Master, I can see that you both are a compatible couple and I really do hope that you remember one thing. Please do not view her as just a lucky or intelligent woman; if you rely on just that, then you will eventually loose her to someone else..." "That is impossible! I shall never loose that girl! Not in this lifetime!" "Forgive me, I just...I am merely reminding you that Yeon is an orphan before anything else. If she senses a loss in attachment, she will begin to disassociate herself first in order t prevent being hurt. All orphans do that, that is why she sought t distance you when you were with the Kisaneg girl..." "Young Master Nam, The Lady Min calls upon your presence at the Kim funeral. She has sent a carriage to wait upon you outside."
God damned it! Why couldn't this woman leave me alone! Why... "Master Nam? Are you quite well?" "If Yeon really helped to protect you, then she would have educated you as well so that you could keep up with her and also make your own money, right?" "Yes?" "Then I shall require your assistance in making a scene with me, just like Yeon does. What do you say? I am not really comfortable with leaving you alone here, to be honest. I shall not leave you out of my sight either." "Well...as long as you promise me not to leave you n my own, then I suppose I can do that for you. Could we also try to return here as soon as possible? I don't want to miss my husband coming home." "As you wish, let us get ready then and inc are anyone asks who you are to me, you are simply my guest until someone figures it out, understood?" "That suits me well, thank you."

I helped to mount her in the carriage and we made our way with my eyes still on those quarters, I needed to now find a way to enter these quarters without arousing any suspicion or alarming anyone...or I needed to bring her out myself. She was the one that needed to find me and explain to me just what the hell was going on here and what we were about to do about it together so that I could bring her back to the palace and explain everything to the Emperor so he could hopeful erase her existence there so that I could just marry her already and keep her by my side for the rest of her life. She has already had far too much freedom and look what had happened to her because of it. We could erase what happened to the both of us since I left and...and I was never going to fight for this family, not when I had some members of the Royal Family on my back for the rest of my life, thanks to my so-called father. He had just ruined my plans that I was making to live upto my mother's promise to change the country...unless I married Yeon...
We had just about reach the gate of the residence when we both noticed Kim Arum of all people trying to run barefoot to our carriage just as it had stared raining with so many scars on her face that she was almost unrecognisable unless you saw her closely.
"Young Master! Please forgive me! It wasn't my fault! Please forgive my family and bring them back to me! Make Yeon forgive me! Please! They all believed a slut and killed my family! And you Kim Hyeon! You slut! You whore! You stole my man from me! You stole my family and my future from me! I shall haunt you even beyond the grave! I shall..." the guards caught up with her almost immediately and started beating her right there and then in front of us. But what exactly was she doing here? How long had she been here for? And how did she know about us being here? Just exactly what was going on here?