Chapter 455: I Have About Six Official Wives... and Two Women I Consider Lovers...
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 455: I Have About Six Official Wives... and Two Women I Consider Lovers...
"Ha... ha... ha... ha..."
Kang Ha-yoon let out a series of hollow laughs, her eyes wide with shock.
It seemed the revelation that he had a child had struck her hard. After a long moment of breathless, dry laughter, she finally spoke.
"......You're joking, right?"
"I'm serious," Sun-woo replied, his expression awkward.
"......I see..."
"Yeah."
".........."
".........."
An awkward silence settled between them. Both were lost in their own deep thoughts.
Kang Ha-yoon was struggling with how to react to such a shocking fact, while Sun-woo was wondering how to break the rest of the news without giving her a total breakdown.
Wrapped in their respective worries, the two remained silent for a long time, waiting for their thoughts to settle.
Finally, Kang Ha-yoon spoke, her expression filled with resolve.
"It doesn't matter."
"Even if you have a child, it doesn't matter! I didn't give birth to them, but they are still your flesh and blood! I will cherish and raise them as if they were my own!"
Her eyes were filled with unwavering determination.
"......Ha-yoon.."
Sun-woo looked at her, deeply moved. How could she say such touching things? She was surely a celestial maiden—one who had just descended from the heavens.
"Thank you... It makes me happy to hear you say that."
Sun-woo continued, his face reflecting his gratitude.
"But you don't have to worry about raising the child... The mother will take care of that."
"............The... mother?"
"Yeah, the mother."
"There was... a mother?"
"Yes, she's about three months pregnant right now."
".............."
Kang Ha-yoon’s face went blank. She realized she had completely misunderstood the situation. When he said he had a hidden child, she thought it was a child from a past fling or a woman from his history.
But three months pregnant?
That wasn't a past mistake; it was an ongoing affair. He was cheating on a pregnant wife.
'Wait.'
Ha-yoon felt her mind go dark. The words she had prepared vanished one by one.
"..............."
Silence fell again. She was back to square one.
"Sun-woo."
She eventually spoke again.
"Yes, go ahead."
"Did you have a wife?"
"Yes."
"A pregnant wife, at that?"
"That's right."
"Then... you're having an affair with me?"
She asked him with the utmost seriousness.
"....I suppose... you could say that."
"........Sun-woo... were you and your wife... distant? Was it something like that?"
"No, I still love her. I love her even now."
".......Then were your words about loving me a lie?"
"No, they weren't. Even now, my heart flutters just being with you."
Sun-woo looked at her with a burning gaze as he spoke.
"................"
Kang Ha-yoon looked bewildered. To her, Sun-woo was a lovely, charming young husband, but right now, no matter how she looked at it, he sounded like he was talking utter nonsense.
"....Then... are you saying you intend to have multiple wives?"
"...I already... have them."
Sun-woo scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He felt a sudden wave of bashfulness now that the topic had been broached so directly.
".....Excuse me?"
"I already have... several wives."
".........How many?"
"I have about six official wives... and two women I consider lovers."
"................"
Kang Ha-yoon fell into a stunned silence. The number was so staggering that she couldn't find the words to respond.
Six wives and two lovers? What kind of astronomical number was that? It was no different from the number of wives Lee Jae-won had.
Ha-yoon remained silent, her chaotic thoughts refusing to fall into order.
"...........Are you disappointed?"
When she didn't say anything, Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
"......I'm sorry... Sun-woo... I'm just... so taken aback."
"I think it's perfectly natural to be taken aback... I'd feel the same way if I were in your shoes."
Sun-woo nodded in understanding.
"Could you... just give me a moment? A moment to process this?"
"........Alright."
"Thank you."
With that, Kang Ha-yoon fell silent once more. She closed her eyes, her expression grave. It seemed she needed time to digest this shocking information.
Sun-woo waited patiently for her to speak again.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time had passed...
"Whew."
A deep sigh escaped her lips. It seemed she had managed to organize her thoughts to some extent.
"Have you sorted things out?"
"Yes."
Kang Ha-yoon nodded and began to speak.
"First, I want to apologize to you and your wives."
"Apologize? For what?"
"I seduced you, even though you already have six wives... I am so, so sorry."
Ha-yoon's face flushed as she spoke.
"No... I told you, didn't I? Choosing you was my decision... You don't need to apologize to me."
Sun-woo shook his head. While she had seduced him with her voluptuous, sultry movements and voice, he was the one who had given in. He couldn't blame her.
"No. I must apologize."
Ha-yoon shook her head firmly.
"Why?" Sun-woo asked, genuinely confused.
"Because I am a bad woman," she said, her expression turning somber.
"What!?"
Sun-woo vehemently denied it. She had the kind heart of a celestial maiden. How could such a woman be bad?
"Even though I know you have wives, I don't want to give you up... I still like you... I love you... So how can I not be a bad woman?"
Ha-yoon's eyes welled up with tears as she choked out the words.
".......Ha-yoon."
"A good woman would have apologized to them and chosen to end her life or disappear alone... But I don't want to do that. I want to stay by your side... I want to be loved... and I want to bear your children... That's why I have to apologize... to them."
Ha-yoon looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of sorrow. Sun-woo reached out and gently pulled the sobbing woman into an embrace.
"You are an impossibly good woman."
".....No... I'm... I'm..."
"A truly bad woman wouldn't suffer from guilt like this."
"...But... but..."
Pat, pat.
"I'm the one who disappointed you... yet you're only blaming yourself. How can you say you're not good?"
Sun-woo spoke softly, stroking her hair.
Thump.
She buried her face in Sun-woo's chest without a word. His comfort made her feel like she was going to burst into tears.
"I'm happy... Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo continued gently, looking down at her.
"I spoke calmly, but I was actually afraid you'd leave me if I told you the truth... That you'd call me a man with too many wives... that you'd call me impure..."
"............There's no way I'd do that."
Ha-yoon, her face still buried in his chest, spoke slowly.
"There's no way you could be impure... not you, the most precious person in my life."
"Thank you... for saying that. You are also one of the most precious people in my life."
Sun-woo's voice was warm. At his words, Ha-yoon snuggled deeper into his arms, as if embarrassed. The two shared a long, warm embrace.
*
"Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo looked down at the woman in his arms and spoke slowly.
"Yes... please, tell me."
Her voice was soft and melodic.
"There's still more I have to say."
Sun-woo's voice turned incredibly serious.
"Please... tell me..."
Sensing the gravity in his tone, Ha-yoon's expression grew tense. A sense of dread washed over her, wondering what other shocking thing might come out of his mouth.
".......To be honest, I debated a long time whether or not to tell you this."
"Why?"
"I was worried about the shock it would cause you."
"Could it be even more shocking than what I've already heard?"
Ha-yoon asked, her eyes wide like a startled rabbit's. In her mind, nothing could be more surprising than what she had already learned.
"It will be much more shocking. Tremendously so."
Sun-woo looked into her eyes with a serious gaze.
".........."
Ha-yoon's expression became grave. She had just found out that the lover she had given her heart and body to was a married man with six wives. What could possibly be more shocking than that? She couldn't even imagine.
".......Tell me."
But she soon spoke up. She decided it didn't matter. No matter what happened, he was the lover she had chosen. Even if the whole world became his enemy, she had to be on his side.
"No matter what you say... no matter what it is... I will be on your side."
She looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of resolve.
"......Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo looked at her, deeply moved. He could feel the warmth in her words.
"Then I'll tell you... I mentioned I had two lovers..."
"Yes, you did."
"Actually, those women... I didn't exactly have a relationship with them out of love. It was to keep them silent."
"To keep them silent?"
"Yes. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say I forced myself on them."
Sun-woo's expression was grim.
"..........You did, Sun-woo?"
Ha-yoon looked horrified. She couldn't believe that Sun-woo, a man renowned as a chivalrous hero, would do such a thing.
"That's right."
".........."
"And they are women you know very well."
"Women... I know?"
Ha-yoon asked back, her face pale with bewilderment.
"Yes. They are women with whom you have a very close relationship."
Sun-woo's voice remained calm.
".........."
Hearing this, Ha-yoon's expression turned somber. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep silence, as if trying to deduce who they could be.
'Women close to me...'
She went through a list of women she was close to, regardless of age or status.
'Women in the Tang Clan...'
She began to narrow down the list to those who would be in the Tang Clan. After some time, the color drained from her face, and she turned deathly pale. Sweat began to pour from her forehead.
'No way...'
An unthinkable possibility had crossed her mind.
'It can't be... That's impossible... No matter what... he wouldn't do that...'
Ha-yoon denied the absurd assumption several times. It couldn't be true. It was impossible.
But the seed of doubt had already been planted, and it began to grow at an uncontrollable speed.
"Sun-woo."
She finally spoke, her voice trembling. She had to confirm it. She had to know if her assumption was correct.
"......It's not them, right?"
She looked up at him with a pale face. She prayed and prayed in her heart that her assumption was wrong—that it was just a ridiculous delusion.
"............"
But Sun-woo didn't answer. He simply maintained his grim expression.
"Tell me it's not... Please... tell me it's not true... that it's impossible..."
She pleaded with him.
"...It's true."
Sun-woo finally opened his mouth.
"The people I forced myself on to keep them silent... are Joo So-yang and Lee Ye-seol."
Sun-woo looked down at her with pity in his eyes.
"............."
Hearing the words that served as the final blow, Kang Ha-yoon's mouth clamped shut. She had heard the one thing she never wanted to hear—and from the man she loved most. It was so shocking, so horrifying, that she couldn't even speak.
He was already involved in such scandalous affairs? And with Joo So-yang, who was like an older sister to her, and her daughter, Lee Ye-seol?
How could she not be horrified? How could she not be shocked?
"Heh...... heh..."
A hollow laugh slowly escaped her. She didn't know what to say or how to act. She was completely lost.
She had no idea. She couldn't fathom what to say to him or how to react.
"......Heh... heh..."
She laughed because she knew that right now, the only thing she could do was stare blankly and let out that hollow, stupid laugh.
Sun-woo watched her with a pained expression. He had expected her to be shocked, but seeing it happen made his heart ache even more.
He waited quietly for her mind to find its way through the chaos.