Eight Corners Society (9)
Eight Corners Society (9)
"Husband. Is she really that great?"
"Of course. She treats me so well. When I mentioned I'd made a friend, she even bought snacks for us to share. Here, let's eat together."
The martial arts of the North Sea Ice Palace were killing techniques, honed and handed down by a succession of Central Plains masters who wove together the stances they knew into methods optimized for murder and combat. In that process, there was no introspection about who one was; only the pursuit of power mattered.
Eun Ho-seol never experienced the mental and physical cultivation that Central Plains sects undergo.
"My husband is a good person. Ah, I've been talking too much about myself, haven't I?"
"No. Keep going. Tell me more."
But even so, Eun Ho-seol knew that the emotion blossoming in her heart right now was wrong. It was natural for a married couple to love each other, and natural to talk about the love she received. Yet as they exchanged these perfectly innocent stories, it was wrong for her heart to burn with jealousy.
Eun Ho-seol knew she was in the wrong, yet she couldn't control the stabbing ache in her chest and the jealousy that flared up whenever Seon-go talked about her husband.
Wasn't it unfair?
Seon-go had a lame leg and came from a family of no particular standing.
But she had married well, come sightseeing all the way from Shaanxi to Hubei Province, and was enjoying a life of leisurely freedom. She had no sense of mission, no burden. She simply ate and lived comfortably off the money her husband earned, receiving love like a potted plant.
Eun Ho-seol, however, was the exact opposite. Raised in the North Sea Ice Palace like a princess, she had sold herself off to Hubei Province for her family's long-cherished ambition. Yet her husband was a piece of trash, and every single day her sense of mission pressed down on her shoulders.
This couldn't be right.
Wasn't it only fair that those who work hard should be rewarded accordingly?
"Please try this. I heard people from the North Sea region like spicy food, so I deliberately chose some spicy snacks."
But Eun Ho-seol couldn't vent that anger at Seon-go. Burning with rage over someone else's good husband would only make her feel more miserable. Besides, Seon-go only occasionally bragged about her husband; otherwise, she always treated her with pure goodwill and an inexplicable, enthusiastic warmth.
In other words, she was a friend.
So Eun Ho-seol felt complicated. Hating her friend while leaning on the kindness that friend extended—it was indescribably tangled. And the world that forced her into this situation weighed on her heavily.
*******
Time passed like that.
That day, Seon-go had invited Eun Ho-seol to her home for a chat. It wasn't as opulent as Hwang Ryong-seong's house, but the simple, neat, and spacious layout suited her tastes better.
Having grown close to Seon-go, Eun Ho-seol even steered the conversation actively. When she talked about the hardships and frustrations she faced after coming to the Central Plains, they discovered unexpectedly that they shared many experiences, which made the conversation flow entertainingly.
"Right, right. People in Hubei Province are a bit rough, aren't they? I thought my hometown folks were tough, but they're really different from city people."
"Right. Rough, and rude."
Seon-go nodded brightly in agreement, then looked over Eun Ho-seol's shoulder and said,
"Ah, Docheol! Welcome!"
Eun Ho-seol flinched at Seon-go's bright voice calling out. Tensing up, she turned her head, and there stood Docheol.
Docheol.
Eun Ho-seol knew that name.
The man who had given her gifts and once made advances toward her.
The man who had sidled up to her, claiming he was interested in the North Sea Ice Palace.
And now that man, wearing the mask of a devoted husband, grinned broadly and met her eyes.
"I've heard much about you."
Seon-go was smiling with sparkling eyes.
"My husband is handsome, isn't he?"
******
When I laid out the plan up to this point, Seon-go tilted her head and asked,
"And then what do you do? Just take her to your lodgings and pounce on her right away?"
I shook my head. Seon-go was a quick learner but didn't yet know how to apply it.
"That's amateur stuff. The point is to make Eun Ho-seol feel that having an affair with me is fun. To make breaking a taboo feel exciting for someone who's been repressed by her circumstances. Little by little, crossing the line, making her look forward to what comes next, making her actively participate in the crime."
Seon-go's eyes sparkled as she asked,
"How do you do that?"
******
"Pleasure to meet you."
At Docheol's greeting, Eun Ho-seol flinched. She glanced at Seon-go to figure out her intent, but Seon-go's gaze was burning with even greater joy and radiance, so she couldn't read her real thoughts.
What was the meaning of that enthusiasm? Why was she so happy that I was meeting her husband? Was she simply eager to show him off? Docheol continued talking as if unaware of Eun Ho-seol's darting eyes.
"As you can see, my wife cannot walk, so she faces many inconveniences. I am grateful that you have been looking after her like this. I hope you two will remain close."
As Docheol said this, he gave her a look. A lecherous, curved glance and a sinister smile flickered across his face, and Eun Ho-seol felt her body tremble. What should I do? What kind of answer should I give here?
Her head was in turmoil. Amid that, Seon-go spoke as if to set Eun Ho-seol's heart on fire.
"My husband is cool, isn't he? Handsome, isn't he?"
She hugged her husband tightly and smiled with a warm, affectionate expression. Those curved eyes seemed to be mocking her, flaunting her superiority.
Whatever her real intention, it didn't matter. The important thing was that the moment Eun Ho-seol saw Seon-go's smile, she felt her inferiority complex surging.
A woman who was no better than her.
And she knew she shouldn't have such feelings.
I'm envious.
Envious, annoyed, and rotting inside.
She wanted to relieve this anger somehow.
What should she do? How on earth could she work through this?
Eun Ho-seol's head spun, but she couldn't find the right answer. Telling Seon-go that her husband had made advances was too crass. It was doubtful Seon-go would even believe her, and if things became awkward, she wouldn't be able to come to the lake anymore. Besides, this was wrong.
"Um, excuse me for a moment."
Seon-go, who had been flaunting their marital bliss right in front of her, asked for understanding before dragging her chair out the door and disappearing. As soon as the door closed, the man who had been smiling like an easygoing, devoted husband changed his expression. He was staring at Eun Ho-seol with an insidious face that laid bare his true intentions.
He didn't open his mouth. Right beyond that wall were the guard warriors Hwang Ryong-seong had sent along. The moment Docheol tried any funny business, they would rush in and subdue him.
But even knowing that, Eun Ho-seol's body was trembling.
It wasn't from fear. Something stickier, dirtier was stirring her excitement from the depths of her heart.
Just having him look at her like that gave her a sense of superiority.
The man Seon-go had so proudly claimed treasured her was now openly making passes at her, wearing the expression of a rutting male who wanted to do something to her.
This was only natural.
Seon-go had a lame leg and her family background was nothing special. Her face was beautiful, but she had many flaws.
Eun Ho-seol was from the North Sea Ice Palace, with a prestigious history, superb martial arts, and outstanding beauty. Naturally, any man would favor her over Seon-go.
Eun Ho-seol fidgeted with her fingers and felt her face flush red. They were just exchanging glances. Nothing but exchanging glances, yet Eun Ho-seol was soaking in a strange sense of moral depravity, as if they had already mixed flesh and exchanged saliva.
How much time had passed?
As Eun Ho-seol became absorbed in this strange silence and the heavy, sticky atmosphere, Docheol opened his mouth.
"Will you explain to me about the North Sea Ice Palace? I am very interested in that place."
That one remark, breaking the silence, tormented her heart. An emotion too filthy and clinging to call love kept welling up. In that moment of looking at Docheol, Eun Ho-seol felt a strange sense of liberation envelop her body.
*****
"A woman pushed to her limit, her self-esteem shattered. And before her appears a woman with flaws but happier than herself. People... when there is someone better off than them, they get jealous, tear them down, want to destroy them somehow. The more blameless they are, the more aggressively they act. It's not... because they're inherently evil. It's just that everyone becomes that way when pushed to the extreme."
"Hearing you say that, I'm already looking forward to it. I think she'll get along well with Madam Eun."
They would definitely get along. After all, both were women who, in some sense, enjoyed adultery.
Seon-go tapped the wall of the manor with her fist. The new manor at Dongga Lake had been slightly remodeled to create a secret space where Seon-go could slip inside and spy on me and Eun Ho-seol. Just by knocking on the wall and sensing the hidden space, she wore an intensely excited expression.
"Docheol. I'm going to go in here, so check if you can see me!"
A face overflowing with passion and enthusiasm. I smiled brightly and said,
"Sure, sure."