Threatened by the owner of the house to reveal her mistress’s past, Taeyeon had no choice but to reveal it.

Still, it wasn’t easy to voice the words, making Sungjae impatient.

“Yah, don’t you think I won’t really ask the guards to whip you if you refused to answer. Park Sooyoung is my wife, and I have the rights to know why there’s a man who dared to touch her in public!”

Taeyeon knew, that the master of the house would always be higher than the mistress, and whatever orders Sooyoung gave were less strong compared to Sungjae’s. However, it took two guards trying to drag her outside that made her finally spilled the truth. The guards let her go when he said, "Algesseumnida, I'll tell!"

Sitting on the floor in front of Sungjae, Taeyeon took a deep breath and began the story:

“A year ago, during the lantern festival in spring, Agassi and I escaped Park family house in the evening to see it. Agassi heard that it would be very pretty, with colourful lanterns floating on the city’s river, and insisted that we should go.”

“It was easy to leave Park house without Agassi’s father knowing. It’s really spacious, nearly as spacious as this house, and the guards there mostly saw Agassi grew up, so they never had the heart to not give her what she wanted.”

“Later, Agassi would always say that it’s the biggest mistake she ever made in her life.”

“What happened?” Sungjae asked, an unsettling feeling starting to crawl all over him.

“The lantern festival was indeed beautiful, but when we were going to walk home, it was really crowded. We were pushed by the crowd to a side of the market where we shouldn’t be, and a young man fell to the ground because of us. Unfortunately, this man, he—fell for Agassi at the first sight. He tried to grab her and Agassi tried her best to say that she shouldn’t be touched or talked to, but that man insisted.”

“Being a beauty was often a curse. Agassi panicked and pushed that man with all her might, and we both ran away as fast as we could to Park house. But due to bad luck, Agassi’s jade fell and the man caught it. The jade had the symbol of our Park family, and also Agassi’s name.”

“At first, this man proposed for Agassi properly to Agassi’s father. Of course, he informed that Agassi is promised to you, so the man’s proposal was rejected.”

“Who is this man? What’s his name?”

“He’s—“

“Tell me.”

“He’s Kim Taehyung-ssi.”

“..........I see.”

Sungjae did know him from Sungkyunkwan Academy. They’re in the same year, but had never been close. There were two hundred students in each year, and they were never friends, because Sungjae didn’t like the said man’s habit.

It was an open secret ever since the academy that Kim Taehyung preferred to spend his time in a gisaeng house than to study. He started playing with girls ever since he was fifteen. It disgusted Sungjae to oblivion thinking that the same man had desired for his own wife.

“And then what happened? Did he ever......”

“Never. Agassi had always known she is promised to you, and she guarded herself with pride. Kim Taehyung-ssi showered Agassi with love letters and presents, but everything was always returned even without being opened.”

“Rejection excited this vile man. He began to chase Agassi whenever she went out of the house. It’s Agassi’s habit to go to the market once a week, and visited her friends houses. Kim Taehyung’ssi would stop Agassi’s palanquin or stopped her in the market. Once, when we were on the way to Madam Kang Seulgi’s villa, and we both went there with four guards, this man tried to kidnap Agassi, attacking our carriage with what I remembered to be at least a dozen guards.”

Sungjae was already grabbing a handful of his own trouser’s fabric by then, his face pale with anger.

“Agassi was captured and Kim Taehyung-ssi was there. He would have succeeded in taking Agassi to God knew where and doing God knew what, when Agassi solved the problem herself.”

Sungjae felt his whole body became cold.

“What did she do?”

Taeyeon had always been facing the floor. It’s the basic respect to the master of the house. But when she answered this question, she lifted her head and she looked straight at Sungjae’s eyes.

“Agassi slit her own wrist.”

Sungjae had to blink as his eyes got wet, his fist clenching on the table.

“Agassi said, if she couldn’t enter Yook family house as a pure woman, she’d rather die. She would rather die than live with a tainted name and ruining her family’s name.”

“That finally made Kim Taehyung-ssi understood Agassi really didn’t want him. He left us in the middle of the road, with three of our guards badly wounded and one dead.”

“His guards killed one of yours?”

“Yes. He’s a vile man who’s used to abide to no laws.”

“And then?”

“Kim Yerim Agassi’s carriage arrived and she saved us.”

Sungjae was silent for a long time, before he finally dismissed Taeyeon.

Kim Taehyung......if you dared touch my wife ever again, I’ll kill you with my bare hands!

****************************************************

Sooyoung woke up with a start.

Her underdress was wet with sweat.

She knew it must still be daytime.

She couldn’t remember why she was in bed during the day.

The prayer at the temple!

She should be on the streets by then, giving out Yook family’s food donation to the poor, but then she remembered what happened.

That hateful man—her wrist pulled by him in a temple. The whole Yook family was there, and Sungjaenim’s shocked face.......

She sat up and frantically looked around.

Taeyeon was wetting a cloth to put on her forehead, but rushed when she saw Sooyoung up, and crying too.

“How angry is he? Will he disown me?”

“Aniyo. Calm down, he won’t—“

“Don’t lie to me! I want the truth! What did he say?”

She was shaking all over, with tears streaming down her face.

“Is he throwing me out? Have my parents heard?”

“Aniyo.”

“I don’t know how to live without him anymore, Unnie. I wouldn’t be able to bear getting disowned by him!”

At that precise moment, Sungjae came into the bedroom, Baekhyun opening the door.

Sungjae was carrying a tray.

When Sooyoung saw him, she scrambled to a kneeling position, touching her forehead to the mattress.

Taeyeon burst out crying, and even Baekhyun had his eyes wet.

Sungjae stared at his wife kneeling for a few seconds, her shoulders shaking and her sobs reverberating around the room.

“Leave us.”

He could see Taeyeon panicking, but he shook his head, signalling for the loyal maid to leave.

He put the wooden tray he was carrying on a table beside the bed, as the servants closed the doors.

“Stop this, Sooyoung-ah.”

He had to pull her up, and she was sobbing until it was hard for her to breathe.

“I swear to you—“ she sobbed, “I entered your house a pure—bride.”

“I know. Taeyeon told me. It’s alright.”

“I never betrayed--our engagement”

“And neither have I” he replied, wiping her tears with his fingers.

“He never—he never—“

Sungjae held her hand and checked her wrist.

When he paid close attention, he could see a fading brown line on her wrist.

“........that Kim Taehyung doesn’t deserve to live.”

“Are you—are you going to disown me?”

“Never.”

“Jeongmalyo?” she asked, tears flowing down her cheeks.

“I’d have to die first to disown you. But even then, I’m going to hold on to you.”

Sooyoung cried harder, and Sungjae pulled her into his arms. She was shaking like a leaf and was having a fever.

He hugged her tight and put his head on her shoulder, taking a deep breath.

“Don’t ever faint again. You nearly killed me when I saw you falling down that stairs.”

“Mianhamnida.”

“You never did anything wrong, why are you apologizing?”

She cried at that, hugging him just as tight, as Sungjae held her, patting her back to calm her down.

“Take better care of yourself. There’s a child inside you.”

Sooyoung was so shocked she pulled back instantly.

“What did you just say, Sungjaenim?”

Sungjae smiled, and told her slowly, “You’re carrying our child.”

Sooyoung immediately touched her belly.

“...........is........do you mean—there’s a child here?”

“Yes.”

Sooyoung looked down at her belly, which was still flat behind her dress.

“I don’t look or feel different.”

“I guess it’s too early to show. But the physician is very certain. You’re going to give me a child.”

Sooyoung stared at him blankly.

“I’ll be an ommoni, Sungjaenim?”

“You’re going to be an ommoni.”

“And you’re going to be an Abeoji?”

Sungjae smiled, “Yes, I will.”

She beamed at that, patting her own tummy, her cheeks still damp with tears.

“I’ll take care of my health.”

“Good. I brought your lunch and vitamin.”

Sungjae got up to take the wooden tray and carried it to bed.

Sooyoung stared at the two bowls. It was porridge with mushrooms and chicken, and a bowl of medicine.

The medicine was a liquid of brown.

“It’s going to be bitter, isn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“I better drink this first.”

“It’s a potion to strengthen you and the baby.”

Sooyoung took the medicine bowl.

She smelled the medicine and wrinkled her nose. And then she drank it in one go.

“Urgh! It’s horrible!”

“Aigoo, Sooyoung ommoni drinks her medicine well. How smart.” Sungjae exclaimed, patting her head.

“Sungjaenim, the baby is inside me, not myself.”

“You look like a baby right now. Shall I feed you porridge?”

“Aniyo, that’s rude if I let you—“

He took the porcelain spoon, scooped the porridge, and carried it to her lips.

“Ahhh........”

Left with no choice, she opened .

She munched a little and swallowed.

“Tastes good?”

She nodded.

He gave her another spoonful.

“I’m supposed to help your mom donate food to the poor.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Aegi (baby)”

“I’m not a baby!”

“You are. And your health is more important than donations. Besides, Ommoni is helped by hundreds of our employees.”

She sighed.

“Here, just finish your lunch” he urged, giving her another spoonful.

Slowly, he fed her.

The dark scene of Kim Taehyun felt like something distant as the couple returned to their usual mood.

Sungjae actually felt it wouldn’t be the last time he heard of that man. But he chose not to mention it in front of Sooyoung.

He’s going to never let her leave the house without at least eight bodyguards. Ever.

***************************************************

The next day, Sungjae and his friends had lunch together at Changsub’s inn. Changsub’s family owned a dozen inns in several cities in the kingdom.

Naturally, they asked about Sungjae’s wife.

Sungjae announced the happy news, that he was about to be a father.

His friends all broke to happy cheers. A toast was then followed.

“It seems that our first children will really be born on the same year” Eunkwang said.

“Our children will also be good friends, just like us” Ilhoon smiled.

“But how about that man in the temple who touched your wife? What was his problem?” Shin Dong Geun asked.

“He’s Kim Taehyung. We studied together in Sungkyunkwan” Sungjae answered.

“Right. I do feel his face is familiar” Hyunsik mused.

“He’s a shady character” Minhyuk added.

“What? What do you mean?” Sungjae asked.

“There’s a rumour that he illegally bought girls from remote places in the kingdom and sold them to China as slaves or es.”

Everyone in the dining room became silent.

“How believable is this rumour?” Sungjae prodded carefully.

“Quite believable.”

Sungjae clenched his fist under the table.

***************************************************

On the same day, the gisaeng, Kim Sowon, followed Sungjae around.

She waited all morning at a ramyeon restaurant near Sungjae’s office and rice shop (which was in front of his house) and followed him to Changsub’s house for lunch. Afterwards, she followed Sungjae back to his rice shop.

This would become a regular habit of hers, following Sungjae around wherever he’d go.

Thankfully, Sungjae was never allowed to leave the house, ever since he was a child, without at least two guards.

It would be really hard for the gisaeng to be close to him.

It didn’t mean she’d never try, though.

Author’s Note:

Hello, Readers!

This week, I got slaughtered by the school’s headmaster. As in, my teaching techniques got criticized a lot by him, who wanted everything to be perfect, and I’m under observation to be as a “close to perfect” a teacher as possible, and he will be checking my lesson plans. He could be really scary. My annual observation feedback was somehow 1.5 hours long TT_____TT

This is a very exhausting week. But I do want to be a better teacher, for the sake of my students, so I’ll do my best.

Thank you for reading my other fic, Heirs to The Thrones.

I have big plans for Sarang Iyagi.

This Sooyoung and Sungjae can’t always be newlyweds who fall for each other for the first time forever. They need to grow as human beings too.

I’m sorry for those who are shocked that this is not merely a fluffy love story.

I am a teacher and a feminist, so my dreams for female rights is often infused in my stories and female characters.

You will never find weak female characters in my stories. There are only queens.

I know that most of readers, possibly 99%, are girls. I want to show you something, and if I dare say it, teach my female readers something.

Maybe I want you to fall for my female characters and be a little bit braver in life, stand up a little taller for yourself and to be at least motivated by them.

These are ambitious words from one fanfic writer, but I do mean it. So hopefully I can finish Sarang Iyagi. I tend to get distracted by new dramas or singers so I’m a bit worried for my own resolution.

Still, all those ambitions can’t be achieved in merely a sweet story. I hope you won’t drop this story and stick around.

If you want a hint for where this story will go, you can google one name: “Kartini”.

See you around!

PS: Kim Taehyung is V from BTS and Kim Sowon is Sowon from Gfriend. I like her in Hush performance with Joy at the previous year's gayo. Sorry to their fans. Remember, this story is fiction, and I just need villains. 

PPS: I just updated the foreword of this story. It's before chapter one. Please reread it, thank you.