Chapter 208: Hierarchy Establishment-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 208: Hierarchy Establishment-1
"I won't forget. How could I ever forget a woman as lovely as you?"
Sun-woo spoke as he tenderly stroked her hair.
"So, don't be anxious. As long as you don't betray me, I will never abandon you."
"Is that... really true?"
Madam Un asked him, her voice trembling.
"Of course. To me, Un Ga-ryeo is one of the most precious people in the world. How could I ever forget someone so dear?"
"Sniff..."
"Of course, as we live our lives, we might fight, get angry at each other, or have upsetting moments. But I would never hate or dislike you over things like that. You are precious to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Un burst into tears.
"Sob... hic... waaaah..."
Once they started, her tears poured out like a broken dam, and her sobbing began to fill the entire room.
Sun-woo felt a wave of bewilderment at her sudden outburst. He was certain he had been comforting her, yet she had broken down. He couldn't help but be flustered.
With a serious expression, Sun-woo began to search his mind, wondering if he had made some grave slip of the tongue.
"Waaaaaaaah!"
While he was lost in thought, Madam Un’s crying only grew louder. Feeling desperate, Sun-woo decided he had to soothe her first.
"Ga-ryeo... I'm sorry. Did I say something wrong again? I'm sorry... I'm really sorry."
Sun-woo looked at Madam Un and apologized blindly. He didn't know exactly what was wrong, but he felt it was better to apologize regardless.
"Hic... sob... No... hic... It's not... Sun-woo's... fault..."
At Sun-woo's apology, Madam Un managed to speak through her sobs.
"It's not... because I'm sad... It's because... I'm so happy..."
She looked at Sun-woo and gave him a radiant smile.
"You're happy?" Sun-woo asked, sounding puzzled.
"Because you promised... that you wouldn't abandon me... that you wouldn't forget me... and that you wouldn't hate me..."
Madam Un continued, tears still streaming down her face. She felt a overwhelming sense of happiness swelling from deep within her heart. Sun-woo's promise was a immense comfort to her, as she had lived in constant fear of being cast aside.
Moreover, he had called her one of the most precious people in the world.
She had been harboring a subtle sense of inferiority toward Ok-ryeong. From her perspective—having already been married and having birthed two children—the beautiful and virtuous Ok-ryeong was an intimidating presence.
To her, Sun-woo's words felt like he was telling her she was equal to Ok-ryeong.
"I love you... My Lord... I love you more than anyone in the world... I truly love you."
Madam Un snuggled deeper into Sun-woo's chest and whispered her love.
"I feel the same way... I love you, Ga-ryeo."
Sun-woo also whispered back, holding her even more warmly. The two remained locked in each other's arms for a long time, unwilling to let go.
*
"I'm sorry, My Lord. In the end, everything got tangled up because of me... and I didn't even realize..."
After hearing the full story from Sun-woo, Madam Un apologized with teary eyes. She realized that because he had been busy comforting her, he hadn't been able to keep his promise to Ok-ryeong, and that incident had been the starting point for everything that followed.
"No, it's mostly my fault for not keeping the promise properly in the first place... It was something both you and Ok-ryeong had every right to be angry and hurt about."
Sun-woo shook his head, dismissing Madam Un's self-reproach. No matter how one looked at it, this was ultimately the karma of Sun-woo's own failure to keep his word.
"Did you settle things well with Lady Ok-ryeong?"
"Yeah. Our voices got a bit raised for a moment, but... we managed to work it out."
"I see..."
Hearing Sun-woo's words, Madam Un lowered her head slightly, her expression turning contemplative. After a short while, she looked up at Sun-woo.
"My Lord."
"Yes?"
"I would like to speak with Lady Ok-ryeong."
"Go ahead."
Sun-woo answered readily. He assumed she wanted to clear up any misunderstandings between them.
"No. I mean a three-way confrontation, including you, My Lord."
Madam Un shook her head and clarified.
"............What?"
Sun-woo looked bewildered. Their relationship was already awkward enough as it was. Why on earth would she want a three-way meeting with him present?
"I intend to clearly establish our relationship this time."
As Sun-woo stood there with a blank expression, Madam Un looked at him and continued.
"Establish the relationship?"
"Yes. Two women have the same man as their lover. It would be stranger if there were no discord. And I believe such discord usually stems from relationships that haven't been properly established."
Madam Un spoke with an air of conviction.
"If that discord grows, it becomes resentment. If resentment piles up, it leads to a catastrophe. To prevent such a situation, we need to establish the hierarchy between Lady Ok-ryeong and myself."
"Is... is that so?"
Sun-woo asked back, still not quite following. He truly didn't know. How could Sun-woo, a modern man, have ever dealt with having two lovers at once? He was someone who had never even cheated. He had no way of understanding the power struggles between lovers.
"Yes, it must be done. I am, after all, the Great Matriarch of the Tang Clan."
Madam Un gave him a faint smile. She was certain of her words. The Tang Clan was a place where the Clan Head had five primary wives. For nearly twenty years, she had engaged in countless power struggles with them. To her, establishing a hierarchy was more important than anything else.
Sun-woo looked at her, his expression still filled with confusion.
*
Is it said that humans are animals that seek to establish hierarchies?
When humans form a relationship with someone, they instinctively size the other person up.
How strong are they?
How high is their social status?
How much money do they have?
How smart are they?
Then, they make a judgment. Is this person above them or below them? And they adjust their behavior according to that established rank.
That is what hierarchy establishment is—finding one's own place through comparison with others.
This process was incredibly important even between wives and concubines. If the hierarchy wasn't properly set, it was common for major conflicts to erupt within a household. If it wasn't clear who was superior and who was subordinate, friction would build up, and once it crossed a certain line, it would escalate into a serious battle.
Therefore, a primary wife whose husband took multiple consorts would first assign everyone a place through hierarchy establishment. Anyone who acted against their assigned position would be immediately condemned, criticized, or in severe cases, cast out. The power of a primary wife was that immense.
Madam Un was the primary wife of Tang Jin-cheol, who had five wives. Because of this, she was more knowledgeable about establishing hierarchy than anyone else. She knew that if this wasn't settled, discipline would crumble and domestic strife would follow.
That was why she asked Sun-woo to arrange a meeting to settle the hierarchy with Ok-ryeong. Though Sun-woo was puzzled, he eventually accepted her proposal and arranged a meeting between Ok-ryeong and Madam Un.
The meeting place was a small pavilion on the outskirts of the Tang Clan estate.
Madam Un walked toward it, her heart racing. She knew exactly how important this meeting was. In a way, she was like a latecomer rolling into an established dynamic. Sun-woo already had Ok-ryeong as his original partner, making Madam Un more like a second wife who came in later. From the perspective of a first wife, she would surely be seen as a thorn in the side.
"Phew."
Madam Un took a deep breath. Then, her eyes sharpened. Today, she would size up this woman called Ok-ryeong. She would see if she was truly fit for the position of the primary wife. And if she judged her unfit, she would ruthlessly devour her.
Madam Un's eyes sparkled with resolve.
*
Sun-woo sat in the pavilion with Ok-ryeong, waiting for Madam Un to arrive. It was still a bit early for the appointed time, but they had arrived quickly, thinking it was better than being late.
Sun-woo stole glances at Ok-ryeong. She looked exceptionally beautiful today. She had applied a light layer of makeup, which she rarely did, and was wearing a high-quality white silk robe. She was so beautiful that one might mistake her for a celestial maiden who had descended from the heavens.
They say women are made by their makeup, but for Ok-ryeong, it seemed the opposite. Her face made the makeup look good.
Gulp.
Sun-woo kept swallowing as he looked at her. Her beauty made a desire to pounce on her right then and there grow within him.
Click, clack.
As Sun-woo was admiring Ok-ryeong's stunning appearance, the sound of approaching footsteps began to tickle his ears. Sun-woo turned his head away from Ok-ryeong toward the source of the sound.
Click, clack.
And there she was. An incredibly alluring and beautiful woman.
In contrast to Ok-ryeong's light makeup, her face was adorned with slightly bolder, colorful cosmetics. She wore a magnificent red silk robe, and her ears were laden with gold ornaments. Her appearance was so striking it seemed to seize one's gaze.
The woman smiled brightly at Sun-woo and spoke.
"Am I very late?"
"Welcome, Madam Un."
Ok-ryeong greeted her with a bright smile. The three-way confrontation had begun.
*
'Sigh... damn it.'
Sun-woo cursed inwardly. An unimaginably heavy atmosphere had settled over them. He had arranged this meeting at Madam Un's request. Although her talk about needing to establish their relationship was confusing, he figured it was better to follow the opinion of the primary wife of a man with five wives rather than his own modern sensibilities.
But now that the meeting was actually happening, they weren't saying a single word, just staring intently at each other. After Madam Un arrived and sat down, no conversation passed between them. They simply scrutinized each other's clothing and faces.
Sun-woo felt like he was suffocating. He wanted to throw everything aside and escape this place immediately. The atmosphere created by the two women carried a pressure so intense that even Sun-woo, who had reached the Transcendent Realm, felt the strain.
Sun-woo debated whether he should be the one to break the ice. But he quickly shook his head. As the saying goes, "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing." Sun-woo knew that if he spoke without knowing what he was doing, the situation could spiral out of control.
Since he was someone prone to trouble anyway, Sun-woo chose silence. He hoped one of the two women would speak first.
After some time had passed...
"Lady Ok-ryeong, do you know why I asked for this meeting?"
Finally, Madam Un broke the long silence and asked Ok-ryeong. Sun-woo cheered inwardly. He felt like things were finally moving forward.
"Well... I have a guess, but I'm not entirely certain."
Ok-ryeong replied with a small smile.
"I arranged this meeting to clearly establish the relationship between us."
"Establish the relationship?"
"As women serving the same husband, how could we not have a clear relationship? I intend to settle this once and for all."
"I see."
Ok-ryeong nodded at Madam Un's words. It made sense. They weren't strangers who would never see each other again; they would be seeing a lot of each other in the future. Establishing their relationship, including how to address one another, was necessary.
"Lady Ok-ryeong, how old are you?"
"Pardon!?"
Ok-ryeong asked back, looking flustered. Why was she suddenly asking about her age?
"Your age. Your age... You look like you're barely thirty, but..."
Madam Un trailed off as she asked.
"Do you... have to know?"
Ok-ryeong asked with a troubled expression. She had already passed the age of fifty. Although she maintained a youthful appearance, it was only natural to be reluctant to reveal her true age. Moreover, Sun-woo, whom she loved so dearly, was right here. The thought of exposing her age in front of him made her feel a wave of embarrassment.
"If I don't know your age, I can't set the proper titles for us."
Madam Un asked calmly, but inside, she was feeling quite triumphant. While age wasn't the absolute deciding factor in hierarchy, it was a very advantageous one. Even though she was technically the "second wife" in this dynamic, she thought she might be able to claim the position of the primary wife if she could overwhelm Ok-ryeong with her age.
No matter how she looked at her, Ok-ryeong didn't seem a day over her mid-to-late twenties. In terms of age, Madam Un was clearly superior. She waited for Ok-ryeong's answer with anticipation.
"Uuuu..."
Meanwhile, Ok-ryeong looked like she was about to cry. It pained her to reveal the age she had intended to keep hidden forever. But she had no choice. If she didn't settle this now, her relationship with Madam Un would become completely tangled.
"...The age... of fifty."
Ok-ryeong whispered in a voice as tiny as a crawling ant.
"Pardon? What did you say?"
Madam Un asked again, as if she hadn't heard correctly.
"Ugh..."
Ok-ryeong's face turned beet red with shame.
"...I am fifty years old."
Ok-ryeong pronounced each syllable clearly so that Madam Un could hear her.
"Fifty years old!?!?"
Madam Un's face was instantly overtaken by shock. She was certain she must have misheard.
"Yes..."
But the answer that came back caused her brain to momentarily freeze. What on earth did that mean?
Madam Un stared at Ok-ryeong with a completely stunned expression.