Chapter 492: A Vile Scheme Reaching Out to the Wounded Girl
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 492: A Vile Scheme Reaching Out to the Wounded Girl
"You truly need a stern lesson from your mother to snap out of it!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon glared at Lee Gi-yeon, who had entered a rebellious phase, and spoke sharply.
"Why should I apologize?! Why am I the one getting scolded?! You’re the one who did everything wrong, Mother!"
"What?!"
"You were the one who pushed forward with the engagement without even consulting me! You were the one who didn't take my side when I protested against Kang Myeong! So why should I be the one to apologize? You’re the one who owes me an apology, Mother!"
"You brat!"
Whoosh!
Unable to contain her rage, Paeng Ga-ryeon swung her hand toward Lee Gi-yeon’s cheek.
Slap!
"Agh!"
A sharp, meaty crack echoed through the room, and Lee Gi-yeon’s head snapped violently to the side.
The blow was delivered with such immense strength that her neck couldn't withstand the force, sending her head reeling.
Throb, throb.
Lee Gi-yeon’s cheeks, once as soft and supple as rice cakes, turned a vivid crimson and began to swell rapidly. The sheer power of Paeng Ga-ryeon’s strike had left her face puffed and bruised.
"Ugh... uuh... h-hic... hic..."
Large droplets of water began to pool in Lee Gi-yeon’s wide eyes.
Her mother had never laid a hand on her before. She was a mother who had raised her like a precious jewel, terrified she might even get a scratch.
And yet, that same mother had just slapped her.
Hard enough to make her head spin and her cheek swell like a balloon.
Tears began to spill over.
"Gi... Gi-yeon..."
Seeing her daughter on the verge of sobbing, Paeng Ga-ryeon’s expression shifted to one of bewilderment. The realization that she had been far too harsh began to sink in.
"I... I’m sorry."
She finally managed an apology as she looked at her daughter.
"Hic... ugh... a mother... like you..."
The words tumbled out of Lee Gi-yeon’s trembling lips.
"...A mother like you is the absolute worst! I hate you so much!"
She let out a piercing scream.
Swish!
She immediately spun around and bolted out of the reception room, tears streaming down her face without end.
"Gi-yeon!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon scrambled to her feet and called out, but it was useless. Her daughter had already vanished beyond the doors.
"Gi... Gi-yeon..."
Paeng Ga-ryeon stared at the open door of the reception room, her daughter’s name escaping her lips in a hollow daze. Only then did she realize the gravity of what she had done.
To her beloved daughter.
To the child more precious to her than anything in the world.
She had raised her hand in violence. And all because the girl wouldn't listen to her.
Not only that, she had wounded her daughter with screams and harsh words.
Ah... ah... what... what have I done...
A profound sense of regret washed over her. It was behavior she would never have exhibited under normal circumstances. She had always been a rational, loving mother.
How had she become so emotional and barbaric?
A deep gloom began to settle over her.
"You made her cry."
A remarkably calm voice drifted into her ear.
She quickly snapped her gaze forward. There stood the root of all this trouble, wearing a loathsome expression and a faint, mocking smile.
"Now, why would you go and lay a hand on her? Tsk, tsk."
"This is all your fault!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon exploded in a fit of rage. It was all this man’s doing. Her screaming, her harsh words, and the slap—all of it.
If only he hadn't made that proposal. No, if he had just kept his mouth shut, things would never have escalated to this point.
Paeng Ga-ryeon glared at Kang Myeong with murderous intent, her resentment toward him boiling over.
"Wasn't it the Hall Master herself who struck her? Why are you blaming me?"
Kang Myeong asked with a look of feigned confusion. He had a point—she was the one who had screamed and swung her hand, so why was she blaming someone else?
"If you had just stayed quiet!"
"I’ll give you that same answer back. If the Hall Master hadn't hit her in the first place, this would have ended just fine."
"What did you say?!"
"Am I wrong? She was sitting perfectly still when we were talking about the engagement, wasn't she? Lady Gi-yeon only ran out after you sent her cheek flying."
Poke, poke.
Kang Myeong raised a finger and poked his own cheek repeatedly as he spoke.
Grit.
Watching his antics, Paeng Ga-ryeon began to grind her teeth. His mocking attitude made her blood boil with fury.
"Enough! I will not argue with you any longer!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon stood up and shouted.
"And where are you going?"
"Mind your own business!"
"You’re going to Lady Gi-yeon, aren't you?"
Kang Myeong let a thin smile slip as he spoke.
"............"
Paeng Ga-ryeon bit her lip. He had hit the nail on the head.
"Don't go."
"Where I go is my choice! You have no right to stop me!"
"Do you want to see me withdraw my support?"
"............"
At his threat, Paeng Ga-ryeon fell silent again. Her brow furrowed deeply. She was incensed by his habit of using his support as a trump card at every turn.
".......Gi-yeon is likely in a lot of pain right now...... I must go and comfort her.... Please, let me go."
Paeng Ga-ryeon’s expression turned mournful as she began to plead with Kang Myeong. It was humiliating to beg someone so much younger than her, but she didn't care.
She was worried about her daughter. She was terrified for the state of the child she had struck for the first time. For her daughter’s sake, she could throw away her pride a thousand times over.
"If the person who slapped her and made her cry shows up now, it’ll only have the opposite effect."
Kang Myeong shook his head slowly.
"In times like this, it’s better to give her some time alone to process her emotions."
".........."
Paeng Ga-ryeon fell silent. She realized that his words weren't entirely wrong.
"So, don't go looking for your daughter today. Just stay put quietly."
".......Fine."
Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded reluctantly.
"Good girl."
Pat, pat.
Seeing her comply, Kang Myeong reached out and stroked her head as if praising a cute pet. He treated her like an obedient hound.
Though a wave of humiliation washed over her at his touch, Paeng Ga-ryeon didn't show it. She knew she couldn't afford to offend him right now.
Just you wait... Kang Myeong!
Of course, in her mind, she was already tearing him into a thousand pieces.
Step.
Kang Myeong, who had been stroking her head, stood up. He began to walk slowly toward the door of the reception room.
"Where are you going?"
"Our business is finished, isn't it? Why don't you get back to your duties as well, Hall Master?"
Kang Myeong replied with a slight smile and continued walking toward the exit.
"You aren't going to Gi-yeon, are you?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon’s voice was sharp and laced with suspicion.
"Didn't I just say? It’s better for Lady Gi-yeon to be alone right now. Why would the person who said that go looking for her?"
Kang Myeong turned his head slightly and asked her with a look of disbelief.
"............I suppose that’s true."
Hearing his words, Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded in agreement. It didn't seem likely that the person who gave such advice would go and seek her out.
"Don't let your anxiety get the better of you and go looking for her yourself, Hall Master. You’ll only make the fight worse."
"I told you I wouldn't go, didn't I? I am not a woman who goes back on her word."
Paeng Ga-ryeon replied with a look of displeasure.
"Glad to hear it."
Kang Myeong let out a short chuckle and stepped out of the reception room without a hint of lingering hesitation.
Paeng Ga-ryeon watched his retreating back until he had completely disappeared from sight.
Arrogant bastard!
She began to curse the insufferable Kang Myeong in her heart. His condescending behavior made her skin crawl with irritation.
She made a vow.
I will not let you die a peaceful death!
Once the succession competition was over, she would peel that arrogant face right off his skull.
Then, she slowly stood up. She intended to go to her daughter, Lee Gi-yeon—to explain everything that had happened.
She began to walk toward the exit.
*
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
Lee Gi-yeon used her movement technique to sprint away. She didn't want to see anyone right now. She didn't want anyone to see her crying. She felt that if anyone saw her like this, her misery would only double.
Tap, tap, tap, tap.
She ran. She ran and ran until she reached her own secret place that no one else knew about.
After some time, she arrived at a large garden overgrown with tangled weeds.
It was a garden created by her father, Lee Jae-sun, for the daughter of the former Leader of the Hao Clan who had committed suicide. But after her death, it had been left abandoned and unmaintained.
It was the Hwabong Garden.
She dashed across the garden. The wild, messy brush scraped against her skin, but she didn't care. Her mind was entirely focused on finding a refuge to hide her grief.
Rustle.
After pushing through the thickets for a while, she finally reached a large pavilion in the center of the Hwabong Garden.
Thud.
Reaching the pavilion, she collapsed onto the floor.
"Hic... ugh... hic... hic... hic..."
She buried her face in her hands and began to sob mournfully.
"Waaaaah!"
Her cries were filled with sorrow. She was devastated. Devastated by her mother, who had pushed for the engagement as if her daughter’s feelings didn't matter at all. Devastated by the mother who had struck her. Devastated by the mother who had demanded an apology from her.
How... how could she do that?
The surge of sorrow brought a fresh wave of tears that she couldn't stop. The more she dwelled on what had happened in the reception room, the more she felt pity for her own situation.
She hated everything. Her mother, who had screamed and slapped her, and Kang Myeong, who had caused all of this.
"Hic... hic... ugh... ugh..."
Her sobbing grew more intense, filling the silence of the Hwabong Garden.
After a long while, her cries began to subside. Having cried her heart out, she felt somewhat calmer, though the sting of betrayal had not vanished.
She slowly lifted her head.
"Are you done crying?"
A sly, playful voice drifted into her ear.
"Ah!"
Startled, Lee Gi-yeon let out a scream. The sudden voice had caught her completely off guard.
With a look of intense wariness, she quickly turned her head. There, staring intently at her, was a man whose face was all too familiar.
"Kang Myeong!"
She raised her voice and shouted. The root of all her problems, the main culprit behind her misery, had appeared before her.
"You were really bawling. The Hall Master was a bit much, wasn't she?"
Kang Myeong spoke with a gentle smile.
"Go away!"
Lee Gi-yeon immediately shouted back in protest.
"Hey, anyone would think I was trying to eat you."
Kang Myeong chuckled softly, as if finding her reaction cute.
"If you don't leave, I will!"
Lee Gi-yeon scrambled to her feet. She began to walk away quickly, her determination to put distance between herself and Kang Myeong clear in every step.
Grab.
"Don't go."
But Kang Myeong crushed that determination in an instant. He seized her by the wrist.
"Let go of me!"
As he grabbed her, Lee Gi-yeon’s face flushed bright red as she screamed. She struggled with all her might to pull her wrist free.
Whoosh.
Thud.
Kang Myeong watched her struggle with an amused look, then suddenly yanked her wrist toward him. Her body was lifted off the ground and pulled directly into his embrace.
"L-let go! I’ll scream!"
Tears welled up in Lee Gi-yeon’s eyes as she shouted from within his arms. She was terrified. She was so scared she wanted to run away immediately. But her wrist remained trapped in his iron grip, refusing to budge.
Then, his hand began to move toward her face.
Seeing his hand approach, Lee Gi-yeon’s face turned a deep crimson, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Memories of when he had forced a kiss on her flashed through her mind.
He’s going to rape me.
She was certain of it. She believed he was going to take her by force.
Swipe, swipe.
But then, she felt an unfamiliar sensation on her face. It wasn't a rough touch, but a gentle stroking.
Huh?
She slowly opened her tightly shut eyes. And there she saw him—Kang Myeong, wiping her face with a piece of pure white cloth.
"Where do you think you’re going looking like this?"
His soft voice whispered in her ear. Hearing those words, a look of utter bewilderment began to wash over Lee Gi-yeon’s face.