Chapter 552: Revealing the Truth to the Daughter.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 552: Revealing the Truth to the Daughter.
"If you insist that much, I suppose I have no choice."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo slowly shook his head from side to side as he spoke. His attitude was that of someone who had been left with no other option.
"Very well. I shall make Lady So-ran my woman."
He then looked at Hwangbo Yu-yeon with eyes full of resolve and spoke again.
"Ugh... hic... Thank you... Sun-woo... for making... such a... difficult decision..."
Upon hearing Sun-woo's words, Hwangbo Yu-yeon looked at him with eyes brimming with emotion. She was deeply moved by the fact that he would readily accept such a thing for her sake, even though it went against social norms.
"It is a difficult decision, but for the sake of your happiness, Yu-yeon, it is something I can endure. Because I love you."
Sun-woo spoke while gazing at her with a passionate look in his eyes.
"........I am so happy."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon let out a bright smile, expressing her joy.
"It was Yu-yeon who truly made the difficult decision," Sun-woo added, looking at her.
"No...... in a way, it’s only natural.... I feel so sorry for hesitating so long.... It’s only right that instinct should come before social conventions..... Being subordinate to a superior man like you, Sun-woo, is a blessing.... Truly.... I think I’ve been a fool."
She blamed herself as she continued. She felt like a fool for agonizing over a problem that could be solved so simply. If she had just asked him to accept both of them from the beginning, she wouldn't have fallen into such deep distress.
"However, there is a problem, Yu-yeon."
"A problem??"
"We have reached an understanding, but Lady So-ran will likely not be able to accept this."
".....You’re right..... Ran-ah certainly won't accept this easily."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon nodded in agreement. She felt that Sun-woo’s words were correct.
"That is why I am asking......."
Sun-woo paused for a moment before continuing.
"I would like you to help me, Yu-yeon."
"Me?"
Hwangbo Yu-yeon asked back with a puzzled expression.
"Yes. So that Lady So-ran can be persuaded to understand."
Sun-woo looked at Hwangbo Yu-yeon with a serious gaze.
".........Will you help me?"
".....If it’s for Ran-ah’s happiness..... I will do anything.."
At Sun-woo’s question, Hwangbo Yu-yeon spoke with a look of firm determination. Watching her, Sun-woo let out a deep, internal smirk. He felt that things were proceeding even better than expected.
*
Gnaw, gnaw.
Lee So-ran began to bite her nails incessantly. She was filled with anxiety over her mother, who had suddenly disappeared.
'Could she have... gone to Young Master Jang!?'
Spring!
She suddenly bolted upright from her bed. She quickly began to move her feet, fearing that her mother might have gone to Sun-woo to demand an explanation. She couldn't just stay here. She had to find her mother.
Stagger.
Her body suddenly swayed to the side. It seemed she had lost her strength after refusing to eat or drink for several days.
'Ugh... ugh...'
With a limp body, she barely managed to keep her balance as she moved toward the door to find her mother.
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door.
"......Who is it?"
Hearing the sound, Lee So-ran spoke out in confusion.
"It is I...... My Lady."
Then, a very familiar voice drifted in from outside the door. A man with a pleasant, low-pitched voice. It was Sun-woo’s voice.
"Young Master Jang?!"
Lee So-ran asked back in surprise.
"May I come in?"
"......Wait... Just a moment!"
Hearing Sun-woo’s words, Lee So-ran hurriedly moved back toward the bed. She pulled the covers over her head, quickly hiding her face. She didn't want Sun-woo to see her face in its current state.
"......Please, come in."
Lee So-ran, her face completely hidden by the blanket, spoke in a small voice.
Creeeeeak.
The door opened, and Sun-woo revealed himself.
Thud, thud.
Sun-woo stepped inside and slowly began to look around the room. Soon, his gaze fell upon Lee So-ran, who was huddled under the covers on the bed.
Smirk.
Seeing this, a faint smile played on Sun-woo’s lips. He found the way she was hiding quite cute.
"My Lady, how can you greet a guest while lying down?"
Sun-woo spoke as if scolding her.
".....I am.... not feeling well...... Please understand."
At Sun-woo’s mild rebuke, Lee So-ran mumbled her response.
"Then you should have told me to come back another time."
".........How could I turn away someone who took the time to visit? That would be absurd."
"Thank you for your consideration, My Lady."
"By the way..... what brings you to my room?"
"I have something urgent I wish to say to you, which is why I have taken the liberty of visiting."
Sun-woo replied in a calm tone.
"And what would that be?"
"I cannot speak to someone who lies there with their back turned. Please, sit up."
Sun-woo spoke to Lee So-ran with an incredibly serious voice.
"................"
Lee So-ran remained silent for a moment. Then, she slowly began to sit up.
"Now..... please tell me."
She spoke with an awkward expression.
"Look at me properly, Lady So-ran."
Sun-woo continued, looking at her as she still kept her face turned away.
"..........Alright."
Lee So-ran answered reluctantly and slowly turned her body toward Sun-woo. Her eyes were swollen and puffy—clear evidence that she had been crying non-stop.
"You are finally looking at me, Lady So-ran."
Meeting her eyes, Sun-woo spoke with a deep smile on his lips.
"............."
Lee So-ran remained silent, her expression dazed. She had been momentarily entranced by Sun-woo’s handsome appearance.
".......So...... what is it you wanted to say?"
However, she soon snapped out of it, shook her head slightly, and asked him the reason for his visit.
"I heard the news. They say you’ve been bedridden since I rejected your confession."
"...........It’s not because of you."
"Do not lie. Have you not been confined to your bed ever since you met me?"
".................."
Lee So-ran bit her lip. It was the truth. Therefore, she could not refute his words.
"What does it........ matter to you....."
Lee So-ran spoke with a sullen expression.
"Didn't you already reject me? Whether I stay in bed! Or strip off my clothes and dance! It has nothing to do with you, does it?"
She opened her mouth, staring at Sun-woo with eyes full of anger. She was furious. Furious at his kindness in showing concern after already rejecting her. Furious at the consideration he was suddenly showing after not visiting for days.
"How could it not matter......... Did I not tell you? That I hold a great deal of affection for you, My Lady......."
"I don't need it! I refuse that kind of vague, half-hearted affection!"
She raised her voice and shouted. She didn't want it. That kind of lukewarm affection. She didn't want any affection other than romantic love.
"..............."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo fell silent. With a heavy expression, he seemed to be contemplating something.
"Get out! I said get out!"
Lee So-ran ordered him to leave. She felt she couldn't face him any longer. She didn't want to see him. Looking at him made her heart ache unbearably. Her heart began to beat wildly. Her breathing grew ragged. She didn't want this. She didn't want to feel excited by someone who had no feelings for her.
".............It is not a vague affection."
Then, Sun-woo gazed steadily at Lee So-ran with a direct look and finally spoke.
"What did you say!?"
Lee So-ran asked back, looking as if she couldn't believe her ears. What did he mean, it wasn't vague affection? He had clearly said that the feelings he held for her were by no means romantic. He had said that was why he couldn't accept her confession. So what on earth was he talking about now?
"I love you, Lady So-ran. Just as you do, I have loved you from the first moment I saw you."
"Wha... what!?"
"The moment I first saw you at the gambling house, I found your sparkling eyes and the way the corners of your mouth turned up so incredibly cute. Naturally, my gaze was drawn to you, and before I knew it, I was looking only at you. I fell in love."
Sun-woo continued in a calm voice.
"Liar! If you love me, why did you reject my heart!"
She shouted with a suspicious expression. If he liked her, shouldn't he have accepted her confession? So why did he reject her? She couldn't believe his words.
"What did my mother say to you? Did she ask you to pretend to like me just to comfort me? Do you want to make me feel that miserable!"
She poured out her words, throwing pointed questions at him. She was filled with distrust.
"It is not like that."
Sun-woo shook his head and continued.
"I was not asked by Madam Hwangbo........... nor do I wish to make you miserable....... None of that is true......"
"Then why did you reject my heart!"
"Because I thought that was what was best for you."
"Hmph, so what’s best for me is to hurt me?"
She snorted, finding it utterly nonsensical.
"I am serious, My Lady....... I....... we..... are in a relationship that can never be."
"Why! Why do you say we can never be! We haven't even tried! We haven't even experienced it! We aren't even half-siblings, so why do you deny it before we even begin!"
She began to pour out words full of resentment, as if she were deeply aggrieved.
"I!"
Sun-woo, who had been listening to all of it, finally raised his voice.
"I am maintaining an inappropriate relationship with Madam Hwangbo."
Sun-woo looked at Lee So-ran with sad eyes as he spoke.
".........Pardon?"
In an instant, the resentment on Lee So-ran’s face vanished. In its place, confusion began to take hold.
"In...appropriate... what... what does that mean?.."
She asked Sun-woo again in a trembling voice, questioning the meaning of "inappropriate."
"I have shared an intimate bond with Madam Hwangbo."
Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone.
".................."
And upon hearing those words, Lee So-ran fell into silence. The words were so shocking that she couldn't even speak. She couldn't understand. Her mother was a chaste and virtuous woman. She was a sacrificial person who had lived only for her daughter despite their meager circumstances. But such a mother—the mother she loved most in the world, the mother she respected most in the world—was committing adultery and destroying their happy home? And with a young Rising Star who was currently making a name for himself?
She didn't understand. There was no way she could understand. How could a woman with a husband and a daughter do such a thing?
"Liar! There’s no way Mother would do that!"
"Lady So-ran,.......... it may be hard to believe, but my words are the truth...... I have shared an intimate bond with Madam Hwangbo. We have craved each other's bodies and whispered words of love."
"....No..... Mother.... Mother...... would never do that..... It’s all...... a lie.... It’s just a lie you’re telling because you want to reject my heart! "
She shook her head violently, stubbornly denying it. She thought Sun-woo must be lying. That he was fabricating a story to use as an excuse for his rejection. It had to be a lie. No, it must be a lie. If those words were true, she felt she wouldn't be able to endure it.
"Young Master, I am disappointed! I thought...... I thought at least you would have something more plausible to say! But to mock someone like this!"
She shouted in a voice full of grief.
"..............."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo silently watched Lee So-ran as she vented her anguish. His eyes seemed to be filled with various complex emotions. After watching her for a long time, Sun-woo slowly turned his head to the side.
"........Please, come in."
He spoke toward the door in an incredibly calm tone.
Creeeeeak.
As soon as Sun-woo’s words fell, the door began to open. Hearing the sound, Lee So-ran quickly turned her head to look at the opening door. And then, her expression of grief turned into one of pure horror. Something utterly unbelievable was happening.
"M... Mother!?"
Lee So-ran spoke as she looked at the woman appearing outside the door. Her eyes were filled with shock.
"......Ran-ah.."
The woman who appeared through the door, Hwangbo Yu-yeon, looked at her most beloved daughter in the world with eyes steeped in deep sorrow.