Chapter 666: Women Are Beings Who Thrive on Love
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 666: Women Are Beings Who Thrive on Love
Sun-woo buried his face in Un Ga-ryeo’s chest and wept uncontrollably.
He cried until every knot of emotion tangled in his heart was finally unraveled.
And Un Ga-ryeo held him gently, soothing him.
She was like a benevolent mother comforting a crying child.
After a long while, the tears finally stopped.
".........Thank you."
Sun-woo spoke in a thick, emotional voice as he ceased his weeping.
"Do you feel more composed now?"
Un Ga-ryeo asked softly.
"......Yes."
"Shall I let you go?"
She looked down at him and asked.
"....No.... Just a little... longer.... Hold me a bit more."
Sun-woo immediately refused her offer.
His heart had settled, but he didn't want to pull away. He still needed the warmth of her body.
"Hehe... I understand. Tell me whenever you feel uncomfortable."
As if sensing his heart, Un Ga-ryeo spoke with a tender voice.
Listening to her gentle tone, Sun-woo calmed his mind within her warm embrace. He stayed there until he felt a sense of peace.
After some time had passed, Sun-woo finally spoke.
"Ga-ryeo."
"Yes, Husband."
"Can I... make it right?"
Sun-woo’s voice was somber.
"You cannot undo what has happened."
Un Ga-ryeo shook her head slowly.
"Lady Bukgung Yeon must have been deeply heartbroken. Childbirth is, by nature, a painful and agonizing ordeal. It is so lonely that if no one is by your side, you can fall into a deep, sorrowful depression. Lady Bukgung Yeon endured that pain all alone. Such agony cannot be undone with just a few words."
Un Ga-ryeo spoke calmly.
As a married woman who had also given birth, she could imagine Bukgung Yeon’s state of mind to some extent.
She must have been so lonely.
To have to endure the paradoxical event of childbirth—something both sublime and horrific—entirely on her own.
Her feelings could not simply be reset. The wound she received was already too deep.
"............."
Sun-woo’s expression slumped at her words. Hearing her explanation only made his guilt surge even higher.
"However, while you cannot undo it, you can make things better."
Un Ga-ryeo spoke as she looked at the dejected Sun-woo.
"Make things better?"
Sun-woo looked up at her, puzzled.
"Yes. Things can get better."
Un Ga-ryeo offered a gentle smile.
"How?"
"By embracing her with an even greater love."
"A... greater love?"
"Yes. If you embrace Lady Bukgung Yeon with a love so vast... a love so great that it overwhelms the loneliness, the pain, and the depression of that birth... then surely... things will get better."
Un Ga-ryeo looked into Sun-woo’s eyes with conviction.
"......Do you really think so?"
Sun-woo asked back, his voice still trailing off.
"Of course. By nature, women are beings who thrive on love. As long as love is not lacking, even the deepest rifts in one's heart can be mended quickly."
Un Ga-ryeo let out a clear, soft laugh.
"........Can I do it?"
Sun-woo spoke tentatively, lacking confidence.
"If it is you, Husband, you can do it."
"But... I don't know..... what a 'greater love' is..... specifically, what I'm supposed to do..."
It was difficult. He couldn't even grasp how to make someone feel an even greater love.
"It isn't hard at all."
Un Ga-ryeo spoke with a composed voice.
"Meet her eyes one more time, smile at her one more time, think of her one more time, kiss her one more time, and hold her one more time. That is all it takes."
"...........That’s it?"
Sun-woo asked, looking incredulous.
He had expected something grand when she mentioned "greater love." But contrary to his expectations, the love she described was far more modest. It was almost hard to believe.
"Yes, that is enough."
Un Ga-ryeo replied with a soft smile.
"Affection is, in essence, attention. If you show interest in every little thing she does—what she is doing, what she is looking at—Lady Bukgung Yeon will surely respond to that heart."
"...........Attention..."
"Yes. So, when you reunite with Lady Bukgung Yeon, please keep that in mind. Give her a love and attention even greater than the time she spent feeling neglected."
"...........Okay."
Sun-woo nodded slightly. Her words felt right.
"....Ga-ryeo."
Sun-woo called her name softly.
"Yes, Husband."
"....Thank you."
Sun-woo thanked her, his face flushing slightly.
He couldn't help but be grateful. She had not only comforted him but also shown him the path forward. If she hadn't been there, he would have spent his time wallowing in guilt and agony.
"Think nothing of it. I only did what was natural."
Un Ga-ryeo replied with a benevolent smile.
To her, it was only natural to comfort her husband while he suffered from guilt. How could a lover stand by and do nothing while the man she loved most was in pain? It was unthinkable.
".......Thank you..... Just... thank you."
Sun-woo leaned back into her embrace. Today, he felt a desperate urge to act like a child and bury himself in Un Ga-ryeo’s ample bosom.
Pat, pat.
Un Ga-ryeo held him silently, stroking him with an affectionate touch.
Sun-woo closed his eyes, savoring her touch. He intended to lean on her warmth for just a moment—this warmth that made him feel like he could drift off to sleep.
After leaning against her for a while, Sun-woo finally pulled away.
"I need to send a letter."
He spoke as he looked at the rice paper on his desk.
"Have you decided what to write?"
Un Ga-ryeo asked, looking curious.
"First, I'm going to tell her I love her."
Sun-woo spoke in a steady tone.
"Then, I'll apologize. For failing to keep my promise and for leaving her all alone."
He continued calmly.
"And then I'll make a new promise. I can't undo the wounds she's already received, but when we meet again, I'll repay her with a love so great it covers those scars."
Sun-woo’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
He planned to tell her he loved her. He would thank her for giving birth to his child. Then he would apologize for his broken promises and his neglectful indifference. Finally, he would vow to make it up to her with an overwhelming love.
He didn't know if she would forgive him, but he felt this was the best sincerity he could show.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Sun-woo began to move his brush. He wrote quickly and without hesitation.
Un Ga-ryeo watched him with a benevolent smile, happy to see her beloved husband find his strength again.
Scratch, scratch, scratch.
Soon, the only sound in the office was the ceaseless movement of the brush against the paper.
*
Whoooooosh!
The bitter cold northern wind began to howl.
"Damn it..."
Dam-seok, the Chief Merchant of the Sahae Merchant Guild, spat out a curse. The blizzard was growing fiercer by the minute.
'Where the hell is the Ice Palace?!'
He scowled deeply, his irritation peaking. The day was growing dark and the temperature was plummeting, yet there was no sign of their destination. How could he not be annoyed?
'To hell with this.'
He cursed again.
In truth, the Ice Palace wasn't even on the guild's original trade route. According to the plan, they were supposed to stop at the villages on the outskirts of the North Sea, finish their trading, and return to the Central Plains.
Unfortunately, the Sahae Merchant Guild's plans had gone up in smoke because a high-ranking individual had made a request just as they were leaving for the North Sea.
The request was to deliver a single letter to the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace.
Generally, the North Sea was too cold to use carrier pigeons. It was common for the birds to freeze to death mid-flight, meaning letters often failed to arrive. Therefore, in the North Sea, it was standard to send letters via human couriers. It was safer and more reliable.
Thus, Dam-seok, the Chief Merchant of the Sahae Merchant Guild, had been turned into a glorified messenger. The Guild Leader himself had taken the request and ordered him to do it.
'God damn it.'
He couldn't stop swearing. The North Sea Ice Palace was located right in the center of the North Sea. To reach it, the Sahae Merchant Guild, which usually only skirted the outskirts, had to trek all the way into the heart of the frozen wastes.
A waste of time.
A waste of supplies.
A waste of a route.
It was a total waste.
The virtue of a merchant guild was to seek maximum profit with minimum effort. To Dam-seok, who held that virtue as a creed, this situation was infuriating.
'Damn it, he should have at least taken payment... but no, he just has to be a "nice guy"...'
If they had been paid well, he wouldn't have complained this much. But unfortunately, the Guild Leader hadn't taken a single cent from the client. He had accepted the task with a "good-natured" smile for free.
Dam-seok felt his irritation surge as time passed. The harsher the North Sea weather became and the stronger the wind blew, the more his anger doubled.
If the route was extended to the center of the North Sea, it was only polite and proper to pay more. But the stingy Guild Leader had paid the men the same amount they got for just working the outskirts. They were doing twice the work for the same pay—a truly shitty situation.
'That son of a bitch... why is he acting like a saint using our wages?!'
Dam-seok seriously considered changing jobs. He felt he could no longer work under such an exploitative boss.
Just as he was contemplating his career change...
"Chief Merchant! Look ahead!"
The subordinate beside him suddenly raised his voice urgently.
Dam-seok looked up.
And there it was. A gate so massive that the word "overwhelming" felt like an understatement.
Dam-seok stared blankly, dazed by the sheer scale of the gate. He knew then that he had finally arrived at the long-awaited North Sea Ice Palace.
Shake, shake.
Dam-seok shook his head to snap out of it. This was no time to be daydreaming. He quickly scanned the gate, looking for a guard.
He soon spotted two men looking down from atop the gate.
Dam-seok’s eyes sharpened as he cleared his throat.
"Greetings! I am Dam-seok, the Chief Merchant of the Sahae Merchant Guild from the Central Plains!"
He infused his voice with internal energy, making it ring out loudly so those atop the gate could hear him.
"We are the gate guards of the North Sea Ice Palace. State your business!"
The voices of the guards drifted down clearly. It seemed his voice had reached them.
"We have come to the North Sea Ice Palace because we have business with the Palace Master!"
Dam-seok shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Turn back!"
Upon hearing his words, the gate guard immediately issued a refusal of entry.
'What kind of nonsense is that?!'
Dam-seok’s face crumpled. He said he had business with the Palace Master, and they just told him to go away? What was this?
"I must see the Master of the North Sea Ice Palace!"
Dam-seok pleaded again, his voice desperate. He had traveled thousands of miles to deliver this letter. He couldn't just turn back now.
"It is impossible."
The gate guard shouted back firmly, seemingly indifferent to Dam-seok’s desperation.
'Those bastards.'
Hearing their firm refusal, Dam-seok felt his irritation boil over. He had suffered immensely to get here, only to be turned away at the door.
"I absolutely must meet the Palace Master! The credibility of my merchant guild is at stake! Please, grant us entry!"
"It is impossible."
"No, why on earth not?!"
Dam-seok screamed, his pent-up frustration finally exploding.
"The Palace Master is currently away," the guard replied calmly.
"If she is away, we will wait inside the palace until she returns!"
"Impossible."
"Why not?!"
"Because we do not know when the Palace Master will return. Why would we allow outsiders like you into the palace under such circumstances?"
"No, where could she have gone that you don't know when she'll be back?!"
Dam-seok asked, looking utterly bewildered. The North Sea was vast, but the places one could go were limited, and the distances weren't exactly infinite. How could they not know when she would return?
"The Palace Master has gone to the Central Plains. We do not know when she will return."
The gate guard spoke matter-of-factly.
"Whaaaat?!"
Dam-seok’s face twisted in shock. What kind of bullshit was this?
The Palace Master was in the Central Plains?!
Dam-seok’s face began to turn a dark, sickly shade of purple.