Chapter 520: Hwangbo Yu-yeon Confides Her Inner Thoughts
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 520: Hwangbo Yu-yeon Confides Her Inner Thoughts
"If it's difficult to answer, please don't feel pressured to do so."
Seeing her look troubled, Sun-woo took a step back. He felt it was better to let her voice her concerns naturally rather than prying relentlessly.
"No, it’s fine. I’ll tell you. It’s not exactly a secret anyway."
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Hwangbo Yu-yeon shook her head gently.
"The reason my room is so barren is simple. It’s because I’m poor."
"Poor? What do you mean by that?"
Sun-woo asked, his expression filled with confusion.
"After the Hwangbo Clan was nearly destroyed by the Tang Clan Head, I have been living in quite a state of destitution, though it shames me to admit it... To the point where I can hardly be called the mistress of the Cheonmu Alliance."
She continued, her head drooping slightly in sorrow.
"Doesn't the Alliance provide you with a monthly allowance for your upkeep? Not only that, but shouldn't there be factional support funds as well?"
"..........It is true that a significant amount is placed in my hands every month. It is the Alliance's consideration to ensure I can maintain a minimum level of dignity. However, all that money is spent on the clan and on Soran."
She continued in a calm tone.
"What do you mean!?"
"Most of my upkeep allowance is sent to the Hwangbo Clan. Currently, the clan is under Sect Seclusion and has no means of supporting itself. They don't possess any particular trade or skills at the moment. Those people need constant support. Otherwise, they will all starve to death. And the factional support funds are mostly spent on Soran. To remain competitive in the succession struggle, she needs high-quality elixirs, fine weapons, and a balanced diet. Furthermore, to maintain her dignity as a successor, she is adorned in luxury silk clothes, hand-embroidered by master craftsmen."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon looked at Sun-woo with a steady gaze as she spoke.
"I am poor. I have no choice but to be poor. And I will continue to be poor for a long, long time."
She added with a self-deprecating expression.
".........."
Sun-woo remained silent after hearing her words. He had heard a rough summary of the situation from Paeng Ga-ryeon, but hearing it directly from the person involved made his heart ache even more.
A young breadwinner... or rather, a 'matriarch' breadwinner?
A sense of pity began to well up in Sun-woo’s eyes as he looked at her.
"Please don't look at me with those eyes. This is a path I chose. I have no regrets."
When Sun-woo looked at her with pity, Hwangbo Yu-yeon shook her head and continued.
"........Is it not difficult for you?"
"It is difficult. It’s truly difficult. But... even so... if my daughter is happy... if my kin do not go hungry... then I am satisfied."
"Why are you trying to shoulder everything alone? Can't you talk to your daughter? Tell her to cut back on the adornments... or use lower-grade elixirs and weapons..."
Sun-woo spoke with a look of incomprehension. If she explained the situation, they could surely find ways to save money. Why was she so harsh on herself while being so generous to others?
"I can't do that."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon shook her head at Sun-woo’s words.
"It is enough that I am the only one who is poor. I want to raise my daughter so that she doesn't feel inferior to the other successors... I want to raise her... without any worries, wanting for nothing."
She looked at Sun-woo with sad eyes.
Motherhood is the same everywhere.
Sun-woo thought to himself. A mother’s heart for her child was the same whether it was the modern world or inside a Wuxia novel.
"Then how about boldly cutting off the support you send to the Hwangbo Clan? Self-sufficiency is something one must find for themselves. Unconditional support is no different from pouring water into a bottomless pit."
Sun-woo spoke with a serious expression. A wise fisherman teaches his son how to fish rather than just giving him the catch. He provides the means to survive on one's own. Yet, Hwangbo Yu-yeon was merely bringing them fish—even giving up her own portion while she starved. How could that be called wise?
"It’s impossible. It pains me to say this myself, but the bloodline of the Hwangbo Clan consists of people so incompetent they can do nothing but martial arts."
She spoke with an incredibly sorrowful expression.
"Their greed is as vast as a mountain, but their vision is so narrow they are constantly being scammed. They are so naive they are easily exploited. You want me to tell people like that to find a way to be self-sufficient? It would be a miracle if they didn't end up buried in debt."
".........."
Sun-woo felt a sense of bewilderment. He hadn't expected her to criticize her own bloodline so scathingly.
And she’s a Hwangbo herself...
"It’s better for them to just stay quiet until the Sect Seclusion is lifted. If they cause trouble trying to find a way to support themselves, it won't just be a Sect Seclusion next time—it will be a Clan Massacre."
"........I see."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo realized something. As long as she didn't sever ties with her kin, she would live in poverty for the rest of her life.
She’s the type who goes out of her way to suffer.
Sun-woo shook his head. He couldn't understand her attitude of trying to support even distant relatives. If it were him, he would never have done what she was doing. Why support everyone from immediate family to distant cousins? It was a course of action incomprehensible to a modern person's mindset.
Lee Jae-won is a real piece of work.
At the same time, his resentment toward Lee Jae-won began to surge. How could he not feel resentment toward a man who called a woman struggling like this "extravagant"? Of course, Sun-woo wasn't exactly in a position to talk, considering he was the one who had actually made her destitute.
"Well? Is your curiosity satisfied now?"
When Sun-woo remained silent, Hwangbo Yu-yeon spoke with a soft smile.
"......Thank you for telling me such a difficult story."
"It’s nothing. It’s a fact that everyone who needs to know already knows."
She added with a self-mocking smile.
"I'm sure something good will happen."
"I wonder...... will such a thing...... ever happen to me?"
"Of course it will. They say every cloud has a silver lining, don't they? I'm sure something good will happen."
Sun-woo looked at her with eyes full of conviction.
"........."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon stared at Sun-woo in silence. His eyes were filled with certainty and hope. It was a wonderful gaze, one that made her spirits lift just by looking at it. Facing that gaze, she could feel it. The man in front of her was sincerely rooting for her.
That’s why it’s even more miserable.
She thought to herself. Nothing was as miserable as false hope. If she had met Sun-woo before being summoned by Paeng Ga-ryeon, she might have gained hope from him. Looking at those straight, unwavering eyes, she would have harbored great expectations.
But having been summoned by Paeng Ga-ryeon and told she had to repay 500,000 Nyang, she knew. She knew that what was contained in that gaze was nothing more than hollow hope. That was why she felt miserable—at this reality where she couldn't even afford to harbor hope.
"So, you don't need to worry too much. Everything will work out."
Sun-woo encouraged her with a passionate gaze.
"............"
Seeing this, Hwangbo Yu-yeon raised her hand to cover her eyes. She felt an illusion that she might go blind from his presence, which shone like the sun.
Drip.
Soon, a single tear began to roll down her cheek. Her heart ached at the bleak reality where she couldn't even find hope in the encouragement of such a brilliant man. Furthermore, a sense of anxiety set in. If he ever found out about her shame, how would he look at her?
Would his gaze be filled with contempt? With loathing? Or perhaps with pity? Or compassion?
She didn't know, but whatever it was, she felt her heart would break. She felt as though he would never again show her that brilliant gaze that made everyone who saw it harbor hope.
The tears began to flow. They flowed without stopping.
"Ma... Madam!?"
When she began to cry, Sun-woo called out to her with a flustered expression.
"Sob... ugh... huff... sob... ugh..."
But despite his call, she didn't stop crying. No, she couldn't stop. She couldn't control her emotions at all. She cried and cried. Until the sorrow buried deep in her heart vanished.
After crying for who knows how long...
Tight.
She began to feel a warm sensation enveloping her entire body. She could feel it. Sun-woo had embraced her once again. She stayed buried in Sun-woo’s arms and began to sob quietly. Until her surging emotions had completely subsided.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time had passed...
"........I'm sorry...... I've made a fool of myself again."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon, having finally stopped crying, apologized to Sun-woo.
"A fool? Didn't I tell you? You are beautiful even when you cry."
"............Thank you."
"Are you feeling a bit better now?"
".....Yes."
"Then, may I know the reason why you shed those tears? Did I perhaps do something to offend you, Madam?"
"No... it’s not your fault, Young Master... it’s not.."
At Sun-woo’s words, Hwangbo Yu-yeon shook her head and spoke.
"Then why did you cry?"
"It’s because....... there is...... no hope."
She looked at Sun-woo with sad eyes and opened her mouth.
"No hope? Madam... why would you say such a thing?"
Sun-woo spoke to her with a troubled expression.
"Because in seven days......... I will be dragged to the Law Enforcement Hall."
She looked at Sun-woo with eyes brimming with tears.
"The Law Enforcement Hall!? What on earth do you mean by that?"
"Six months ago, I accepted a bribe worth 500,000 Nyang from the Cheonil Merchant Group. And that fact has been discovered by the Law Enforcement Hall.........."
She began to pour out everything that had happened to Sun-woo. The story of receiving the 500,000 Nyang bribe from the Cheonil Merchant Group. How the former group leader had confessed and reported her. How she had been summoned by Paeng Ga-ryeon, the Head of the Law Enforcement Hall. How she had been promised an acquittal on the condition of returning the money. How she had gone to Lee Jae-won to borrow the money only to be turned away at the door.
All the stories she had tried so hard to hide. All the most difficult and sorrowful stories. She confessed them all to him. While shedding endless tears.
"There is no hope for me... I have nothing...... Ran-ah will be pointed at by everyone...... Her qualification as a candidate will be revoked..... The honor of the Hwangbo Clan will fall to the ground, won't it? Everyone... everyone... will resent me.... My daughter... my family....... my husband..... everyone.... sob... huff... huff."
She continued, her eyes looking utterly pitiful as tears streamed down her face. She was afraid. Afraid of being pointed at by everyone. Afraid of everyone she loved turning their backs on her. That was why she had no choice but to cry. Because there was no way for her to come up with the massive sum of 500,000 Nyang.
"...................."
Sun-woo looked at her with an incredibly serious gaze. His expression was grave beyond measure. After watching her for a while, he slowly stood up from his seat. And then, he simply walked toward the exit. Without even looking back.
"Ugh....... huff... sob... huff."
Seeing this, Hwangbo Yu-yeon burst into tears. She thought he had turned his back on her out of disappointment.
"Sob... huff....... sob... sob... sob.."
Soon, the room was filled only with the sound of Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s weeping.
*
Step, step.
Hwangbo Yu-yeon walked slowly, her shoulders slumped. For the past seven days, she had run herself ragged trying to find the money, but all she had managed to collect was a mere 20,000 Nyang. It was a pittance compared to the original sum of 500,000 Nyang.
Her expression was one of resignation. She felt that punishment was unavoidable.
"Haah."
She let out a long sigh and, barely lifting her heavy feet, headed toward the Law Enforcement Hall. She intended to tell Paeng Ga-ryeon the truth—that she couldn't find the money.
Step, step.
After walking for some time, she finally arrived at the door to Paeng Ga-ryeon’s office.
"Whew."
She took a deep breath and slowly raised her hand.
Knock, knock, knock.
She began to knock on the door.
"Who is it?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon’s sharp voice came from inside.
"It’s me.......... Madam Paeng."
"Come in."
Creeeeeak.
Once permission was granted, Hwangbo Yu-yeon pushed the door open. As the door opened, she saw Paeng Ga-ryeon working at her desk.
Thump, thump.
Hwangbo Yu-yeon walked inside, looking completely intimidated.
"What brings you here?"
As she entered the office, Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a look of confusion.
"..........."
Hearing her words, Hwangbo Yu-yeon felt tears prickling her eyes. She was a woman who had lost sleep for the past seven days because of the fact that she had to return 500,000 Nyang. And even at this very moment, her mind was filled with nothing but the thought of returning that sum.
Yet, it seemed that for Paeng Ga-ryeon, receiving the 500,000 Nyang was a trivial matter not even worth remembering. Seeing her act so oblivious, Yu-yeon couldn't help but feel the tears coming. Something that was more important than anything else to her was treated as utterly insignificant by another.
"........Um... about... the... 500,000 Nyang...."
However, she suppressed her inner hurt and spoke slowly. She was currently in a position of absolute weakness. She didn't want to offend Paeng Ga-ryeon, who held her life in her hands.
"Ah, the 500,000 Nyang?"
Hearing her words, Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke as if she had just remembered.
"......Yes."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon replied, looking thoroughly cowed.
"I received it. It was all brought in silver coins."
"........Pardon?"
She asked back, her expression filled with bewilderment. She received it? What on earth did that mean?
"By the way, when did you become so close with the Heavenly Dragon? Close enough to have him run errands with money for you."
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked again, looking curious.
"..........The.. Heavenly Dragon!?"
And hearing those words, Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s face was a mask of shock. If it was the Heavenly Dragon, wasn't that referring to Jang Sun-woo? Why was that boy's name suddenly coming up?