Chapter 457: So, Am I Your Woman Now?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 457: So, Am I Your Woman Now?
"You... didn't call my name..."
Kang Ha-yoon barely managed to speak, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
"What was that?"
Sun-woo asked again, his expression suggesting he hadn't heard her.
"......You didn't... call me... Ha-yoon..."
Her face was flushed deep red as she forced the words out.
".......Was it really just because of that?"
Sun-woo asked, looking bewildered. Was changing how he addressed her really something to weep so sorrowfully about?
"And... you looked at me... so coldly... as if... you never wanted to see me again..."
Hearing his question, Kang Ha-yoon added more, her expression turning sorrowful once again. It seemed the grief she had felt moments ago was surging back.
"For me... it was... too much... to bear... Everything about the way you... treated me... so coldly... It made me feel... like I was left all alone in the world... It was so... sad..."
She choked out the words, her eyes brimming with tears.
"I'm sorry... Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo slowly pulled her into his arms again. He realized he had been inconsiderate. She already carried the memory of being abandoned by her husband, Lee Jae-won—and for fifteen long years, at that. That memory must have left her with immense trauma, and he had inadvertently triggered it.
"No.... I'm... the one... who's sorry..."
Ha-yoon spoke slowly, her manner hesitant.
"I should have listened to you properly... I should have trusted you more... but I... judged you on my own, got disappointed on my own... and I hurt you."
She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling like polished obsidian.
"I'm so sorry... Sun-woo... I'm so, so... sorry."
"No... I should have explained everything before I disguised myself as Jang Sam. It was my fault."
Sun-woo shook his head as he spoke.
"Sun-woo..."
Ha-yoon gazed at him with a burning intensity in her eyes.
"Please tell me... exactly... what happened."
"..........."
Sun-woo nodded silently at her request. He began to speak, slowly recounting everything he had gone through until now.
He told her about being dragged to the Law Enforcement Hall on the false charge of raping and murdering Paeng Ji-yoon.
About being forced to give a false confession there.
About entering the Archives through a secret mechanism inside the Phoenix Hall.
About learning martial arts in that place.
About escaping and meeting his beloved Ok-ryeong.
About nearly being killed at White Flower Peak by Lee Jae-won, who had pursued him.
About having his life saved by his master, the Yin-Yang Demon.
About infiltrating the Tang Clan to save Ok-ryeong.
About meeting Madam Un Ga-ryeo, Tang Seo-yoon, and Yorang.
About killing the Poison Demon and saving the Tang Clan from crisis.
About the spat between Yorang and Lee Ye-seol.
About forcing the Hwangbo Clan into Sect Seclusion.
About thrashing Joo So-yang for kidnapping Tang Seo-yoon and taking Lee Ye-seol hostage.
About meeting Neung So-hwa and Bukgung Yeon in the North Sea.
And about how, upon his return, he had taken both Joo So-yang and Lee Ye-seol at the same time to ensure their silence.
He recounted his hardships and adventures one by one, leaving nothing out.
".........And that's how things ended up like this."
Sun-woo finished his story with a calm expression. A complex whirlwind of emotions had risen within him as he spoke, but he suppressed them to give her a factual and objective account.
He was curious. How would Kang Ha-yoon react after hearing his story?
"Sob... hic... ugh... waaaah..."
Suddenly, Ha-yoon began to cry. It was a truly pitiful sound.
"Ah... Ha-yoon?"
"Waaaaaaaah!"
Soon, she burst into full-blown, loud wailing.
"Ha-yoon... calm down..."
Sun-woo looked flustered. There wasn't anything particularly tragic in the story he'd just told, so why was she crying like this?
"Hic... how... how can I be calm?!"
Ha-yoon shouted, her voice rising.
"You went through all that suffering because of a frame-up!"
"Well... even if it was suffering, things... turned out well quickly, didn't they? I went from being a mere Peak Martial Artist to reaching the supreme Profound Realm, and I even got to meet the beautiful Ha-yoon, didn't I?"
Sun-woo spoke from a results-oriented perspective. There had been hardships, but in the end, everything had worked out. His cultivation, which had only been at the Peak Realm, had reached the Half-Immortal stage known as the Profound Realm, and he had formed bonds with nine women so beautiful they were once-in-a-lifetime sights.
Looking only at the outcome, one could say things had gone very well.
"It's not okay...... It's not okay at all! Do you have any idea how many times you almost died? You were hated by everyone and faced death countless times all because of a ridiculous false accusation! How... can you... call that okay? It's so... pitiful... You did nothing wrong... You never hurt anyone... So why... why did only you... Sun-woo... have to be so unhappy? I can't understand it... I just can't. Hic... sob..."
Ha-yoon wept, empathizing deeply with the hardships and pain Sun-woo had endured. She felt a profound pity for his life, which had been completely twisted by a frame-up.
She felt sorry for him. So very sorry.
He had gone through trials that would have cost him several lives if not for heavenly luck. And she felt guilty—guilty for having treated him with contempt and labeling him a criminal without knowing any of this.
"Waaaaaaaah....... I'm sorry... I... I didn't know!!"
Ha-yoon burst into tears again, unable to control her surging emotions.
'Good grief.'
Watching her, Sun-woo felt a sense of bewilderment. In the original "setting," Kang Ha-yoon was a heroine who considered tears a luxury. She was the type to kneel and repent or talk about taking her own life rather than showing tears.
But it seemed he had completely shattered that setting. He had made her cry more times today than he could count.
Feeling awkward, Sun-woo slowly embraced her. He gently stroked her back, soothing her so she could calm down.
"My... Ha-yoon... you're quite the crybaby."
Sun-woo continued to stroke her back as she wept.
"I never imagined you had so many tears."
He spoke with a playful smile.
"Hic... sob... I'm... usually... not this kind of person... but today... the tears just won't stop... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."
"It's alright... In fact, I'm happy. Because the tearless Ha-yoon is shedding them for me."
Pat, pat.
Sun-woo looked down at her with an affectionate gaze and spoke softly.
"Thank you... for crying for me."
"Sun-woo..."
Ha-yoon slowly lifted her obsidian-like eyes. In her vision appeared the man she found so incredibly dear. It was Sun-woo. The man she loved most.
Grip.
Ha-yoon grabbed the back of Sun-woo's neck. Pouting her fine lips slightly, she began to pull him toward her.
Mwah.
Soon, his soft lips met hers. It felt good. It felt too good—everything about this moment of being connected to him. She continued the kiss, sometimes passionately, sometimes with a warm, atmospheric tenderness.
Slurp.
After some time had passed, Ha-yoon slowly pulled her lips away.
"Sun-woo... I love you."
She spoke while looking at him with eyes full of heat.
"I feel the same... I love you, Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo returned her gaze with equal intensity.
"I'm so happy."
Ha-yoon looked at him with an overwhelmed expression. Hearing him say he loved her sounded so sweet that her heart felt full.
"But Sun-woo... I have something I'm curious about."
Ha-yoon suddenly spoke up, looking inquisitive.
"What is it?"
"How should I address you? Jang Sam? Or Sun-woo?"
".....You've already been calling me Sun-woo."
Sun-woo let out a short laugh.
"Still... for things like this... the person's own preference is most important."
"Please call me Sun-woo. I think I'd prefer that."
"Yes... Sun-woo."
Ha-yoon replied, her face flushing.
"But Sun-woo."
"Yes, Ha-yoon?"
"Could you show me one more thing?"
"Show you what?"
"The way you imitated a woman's voice in the bathhouse."
"............."
Sun-woo shut his mouth tight. A wave of embarrassment washed over him.
"Since we're on the subject, can I ask you one thing?"
"Yes, go ahead."
Ha-yoon spoke with a refreshing smile.
"Were you really fooled back then?"
Sun-woo asked, looking genuinely curious. He had imitated a woman because it was an emergency, but thinking back on it, it was an absurd performance.
"Yes... I was truly fooled," Ha-yoon replied with a nod. "The Phoenix Hall is a forbidden area for men. I was suspicious, but I never once thought it could be a man."
"Even though our physiques were so different?"
"I just figured you ate a lot and moved on."
"I suppose I should be grateful for that."
Sun-woo grinned.
"Grateful for what?"
"To the Ha-yoon of the past for letting it slide so easily. If you had suspected me back then, I wouldn't have made it this far."
Sun-woo expressed his gratitude with a sincere voice—thankful to the past Ha-yoon who hadn't doubted him.
"You're right. I should be grateful too. To my past self for being so careless."
Pat, pat.
Ha-yoon patted her own head as she spoke.
Chuckle.
Sun-woo let out a small laugh, finding the sight quite cute.
"Now, it's Sun-woo's turn."
Ha-yoon stopped patting herself and leaned her head toward Sun-woo.
"Turn for what?"
"I'm giving you a chance to praise me. Hurry up and pet me."
She spoke with a bright smile.
Pat, pat, pat.
Sun-woo smiled back and slowly raised his hand to stroke her hair. Ha-yoon immediately looked blissful, as if his touch brought her immense satisfaction.
"Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo watched her for a moment before speaking.
"Yes... tell me, Sun-woo..."
"If you become my woman, it means you will be an enemy to your husband, Lee Jae-won. It means you will serve as your husband the disciple of the world's greatest demon, the Yin-Yang Demon—a depraved man who took both a mother and daughter, Joo So-yang and Lee Ye-seol."
Sun-woo's expression turned quite serious.
"Furthermore, it means you will be serving a rake who already has six wives and has shared intimacy with two other women."
He continued in a grave tone.
"That is why I want to ask you once more."
Sun-woo looked into Ha-yoon's obsidian eyes with a burning gaze.
"Will you be my woman?"
He asked her, staring intently into her eyes.
"I will."
Ha-yoon answered with a nod, without a second of hesitation. She answered so quickly it was almost startling.
"Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo called her name, looking taken aback.
"Shouldn't you think about it a bit more? Isn't that... too immediate an answer?"
Sun-woo was slightly flustered. He had expected her to deliberate at least a little, but she had answered instantly without a shred of doubt.
"It's a question where even the time spent thinking is a waste."
Ha-yoon's obsidian eyes sparkled.
"How can I hesitate over something so obvious?"
"Following me could be dangerous."
"That's fine. You'll die with me, won't you? No, actually, just getting revenge for me is enough."
Ha-yoon spoke as if it were no problem at all.
"I'm saying you'll become an enemy to your former husband, Lee Jae-won."
Sun-woo spoke in a serious tone.
"I don't care. We're already worse than strangers, and I have no desire to defend a piece of trash like him."
Ha-yoon's eyes flashed with a murderous glint. It seemed her hostility toward Lee Jae-won had grown after hearing about his deeds.
"I already have several women."
"Are any of them neglected?"
"Neglected?"
"As in... you don't sleep with them... or you don't love them anymore... things like that."
"No. I love them all, and we have a set rotation for our relations."
"Then it doesn't matter. As long as you don't forget me, that's enough."
Ha-yoon spoke with a clear smile.
"Are you okay with my relationship with Joo So-yang and Lee Ye-seol?"
"Ah, I did want to ask about that... Have you accepted Joo So-yang and Lee Ye-seol as your wives?"
"Hmm... that's complicated. They aren't women I slept with out of firm love."
"Then what about me?"
"You are my wife, plain and simple."
Sun-woo answered her question instantly. She was a woman he truly loved. How could he not take her as his wife?
"Then I don't care. In fact, I think it'll be good to have the hierarchy flipped with Joo So-yang this time. I'll get to hear that high-and-mighty woman call me 'Big Sister.'"
Ha-yoon let out a hearty laugh. Her face was full of satisfaction.
"............"
Sun-woo just stared at her in silence. He was moved by her attitude of understanding everything.
"Is there anything else?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking if there's anything else. Any other reason why I shouldn't be your woman."
"It seems there are none."
Sun-woo nodded.
"Then, am I your woman now?"
Ha-yoon asked, looking at Sun-woo with clear, bright eyes.
"Of course, Ha-yoon."
Sun-woo responded to her question with a bright smile.