Sounds of moans and groans filled the room. Grunts and pleasure with the clothes that scattered all over the floor.

Ji Hyo slumped down beside the door as tears dripped down her face. Her heart ache, she covered her ears while crying to herself silently. Her head throbbed as she tried to process everything. But she could still hear them. It was real. She wasn’t dreaming.

Hearing them , it was the last straw for her. Ji Hyo got up and opened the door. The room filled with the smell of sickened her. Worst of all, seeing her newly-wed husband covering the woman behind him as their backs faced her.

“Who is it?!” He demanded loud enough for her to hear while he protectively reached for the blankets to cover his woman.

Silence, Ji Hyo dared to step inside and made her way towards them. She grabbed his clothes and draped it over his shoulder, covering his that had scars.

“I said who are you-“ Jong Kook turned his head back to freeze in one spot as he notice it was his new bride. Their faces inches apart as she held his clothes. Ji Hyo bitterly smiled.

“I came to get you, my dear husband.” She managed to say as she stare straight into his eyes. Then she peered over to the other woman in front of him. “Or are you going to stay the night here?” The woman’s was milky white, her hair long, plainly in a braid.

Jong Kook’s face turned stone hard as he gulped, seeing Ji Hyo looking at the back of the woman before him.

“I will stay the night here.” He stated. The hurt could be seen in her eyes but she quickly hid it.

“I see.” She examine the back of the anonymous woman’s back view before she stepped out of the room.

Ji Hyo didn’t even bother to close their door and returned to her marital room. As soon as she got to her room, she tried to calm down but her blood was boiling, wanting to tear all those wedding decorations apart.

No, I have to know why he did this to me. Why did he marry me if he didn’t love me? How could he leave me here all alone? Ji Hyo felt her chest tighten and gripped it tightly. Kim Jong Kook, how can you do this to me?!

Ji Hyo tried to sit down and calmed down before confronting them again. A man is allowed to have more than one wife, known as a concubine. But Jong Kook was not a married man yet, based on her knowledge. Who is she?

She needs to find out now. She wants to ask his parents. But before she could take another step, the sudden movement of her made her head dizzy. She fell back and her world blackout.

***

“She is awake now madam,” a maid informed Madam Kim, Jong Kook’s mother. She quickly sat on the bed beside Ji Hyo.

“Are alright my daughter-in-law Song?” his mother worried asked.

Ji Hyo opened her eyes and held her head. “Mother…” She tried to get up.

“Be careful.” His mother helped her up.

“Why are you here mother?” Ji Hyo asked.

“The morning breakfast and ceremony was to be proceeded however you weren’t present so I came to see you. But you were unconscious in bed. The doctor said you were stressed.”

Ji Hyo nodded, “Was I?”

“Did anything happen?”

Then it all came back, the events from last night. “Mother,” his mother smiled calmly.

“Does Jong Kook have another woman?” The smile on her face wore off slowly.

“What woman? You must be having marriage blues.” She tried to smile again.

But Ji Hyo shook her head. “Last night, Jong Kook oppa didn’t sleep here with me. He slept in the room down the hall with another woman.”

His mother frown and looked away before turning back to Ji Hyo with a genuine smile. “Don’t worry, I will find out what’s going on.” She held Ji Hyo’s hands.

Ji Hyo held his mother’s hands back with a little squeeze. “Jong Kook oppa… is not married already right? I am not his concubine right?”

“Of course not,” his mother patted her hand to reassure her. “You are my only daughter-in-law.” Ji Hyo tried to believe it all.

***

Madam Kim walked down the hallway with her maids. As she passed the bed room that Ji Hyo said her son had slept in with another woman, she immediately opened the door. She stormed inside to find no one. But with the fragrance that still lingers in the room, she could tell who was in there.

“Find her right now and bring her to me,” she ordered sternly.

***

Ji Hyo walked down the hall to enter the dining court to greet her in laws. However, before she could get passed the little bridge, she heard cries in the back yard. She turned back and looked out. She heard a young woman begging for help and whipping sounds.

Without hesitation, she ran to help her. But as she get closer, she heard stern orders, a familiar voice. As she get to the scene, she sees her mother in law sitting on the chair as a young woman’s arm were tied up onto a pole, her calves were whipped by a senior maid with a thin bamboo stick.

“Hit harder.” Madam Kim commanded. Ji Hyo could hear the young woman cringe in pain.

“Stop,” Madam Kim halted. “I asked you once more, do you know what you did wrong?”

“I-…I didn’t do anything wrong… Madam,” was all the woman managed to say.

Madam Kim smirked. “Are you sure about that?”

“I didn’t do anything wrong. I only did what should be done between a husband and wife.”

“Shut up!” His mother shouted, even Ji Hyo flinched. “Husband and wife? How ridiculous.”

“Mother-“ The woman tried to speak up.

“Strip her of her clothes and whipped her 40 times on her back.”

“Madam!” A few maids and an elderly maid cried out.

“If she dares to fight or if any one tries to help her, punish them too.”

The other maids came forward and tear off the woman’s skirt and were halfway on taking off her shirt, almost revealing her skin as the white cloth showed down her shoulders.

Ji Hyo stepped in quickly. “Stop.”

She hurried into the backyard. “What is this madness mother? Stop, don’t touch her.” Ji Hyo hurried to take the hands of the maid from the woman. She was about to pull the woman’s shirt back on until she noticed something. The woman’s shoulder holds a resemblance.

Before she could say anything else, “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?!”

A furious Jong Kook glared at the scene. Especially at what he’s sees now.

He ran up to Ji Hyo, pulling her hands away from the woman and pushing Ji Hyo aside as her made caught her in time.

He quickly unties the rope that bounded the woman’s hands.

“Stop it.” Madam Kim ordered as she got out of her seat to aid Ji Hyo.

“Are you alright?” Jong Kook worriedly asked the woman.

“I order you to stop Jong Kook!” his mother sternly demanded once more but he ignored her.

“It’s alright, I’m here,” he reassures her as the woman pitifully nods her head. He unclasped her hands and buries her in his chest as took off his cloak and covers her.

Ji Hyo, unknowing to what was going on could only watch her husband doing what in the world he was doing and who was this woman.

They were going to leave the scene with Jong Kook ready to carry her away.

“For goodness sake, your wife is here. Shouldn’t you show the respect of her title?!” His mother screamed at him. He stopped his tracks as he turned to glance at Ji Hyo for a split second.

“I, am with my wife. Go Ara is my wife.” His voice confirming in confidence. Now Ji Hyo remembers why the woman looked so familiar.

“She is not your wife.”

“Ara and I are one. I have already done what you wanted now leave us alone,” then he carried off the woman in his arms away.

Ji Hyo, her heart seeping in heartache sees her husband still in his training suit quickly runs up after them with Ara, or whatever the woman was called’s skirt.

“Oppa.” She called him as she grabs onto his arm, stopping him. “This…” She hands him the skirt.

He could careless and gives her his stony look. Ji Hyo looked at Ara whose faced was buried in her husband’s chest. Noticing that, Jong Kook quickly snatches the skirt as he put Ara down. They were to going to leave but Ji Hyo held onto his arm again.

“Who…?”

“My wife.” Jong Kook answered without hesitation in the split second. “About marrying, I’m sorry. It was a request from my parents. But I didn’t expect you to hurt my wife too, Song Ji Hyo.” Song Ji Hyo, what a distant phrase. Before she could say anything, he carried the woman away.

A strike of pain hit her chest, her eyes grew watery. She watched them disappeared from her sight as they turned the corner. Now she knows. Everything was all a lie. He didn’t love her. Only she loved him.