Chapter 12-1
by Han Yong-un · 2026-08-25
“I don't know. How could I know that?”
“You probably don't know. Is it possible for you to know?”
“Oh dear, where could there be such a wretched person? She should have died long ago but is still alive.”
Then she calmed down a bit and continued speaking.
“Do you remember when we first moved in, you came to our house once? Do you remember?”
“Yes, that did happen.”
“We had a fight back then, right?”
“Yes, that did happen.”
“Do you remember in detail why we fought?”
“I don't remember in detail why we fought. I just remember that we fought.”
Sun-young recalled the past.
“I still haven't forgotten that incident until now.”
“On that day, while you were visiting, my mother scolded me and hit me.”
“She said I was neglecting my studies to learn singing.”
“At that time, I had gone to Seoul and was attending school, but I got distracted and learned dancing instead.”
“When my family found out about it, my mother scolded me and hit me when I was about to go.”
“But at that time, you were playing with Chang-nam and mocking me.”
“There was a kid named Chang-nam in our neighborhood that we used to play with.”
“When you mocked me with that kid, my mother scolded me more and hit me.”
“She kept saying to learn from a well-behaved child like Sun-young.”
“I was embarrassed and hurt, and I kept crying, but you were laughing and mocking me with Chang-nam.”
“At that time, I can't tell you how much I hated you. If no one had been around, I would have wanted to kill you.”
“So later, when you were going home, I chased you to the hill in front of the neighborhood and we fought.”
“At that time, I was a bit older, so I hit you.”
“Did you not go home crying after getting beaten and tearing your clothes?”
“Even after that, I couldn't let go of my resentment, and I tried to lure you into the same situation as me.”
“Oh dear, I can hardly breathe.”
“After that, I spoke to Mr. Song several times to go get you.”
“That's why I went to entice you for the first time.”
“And even after coming to Seoul, I prevented Song from trying to make you a gisaeng.”
“Gisaeng are better than courtesans.”
“I wanted to make you a courtesan just like me.”
“So I went around asking various people to prevent you from being made one.”
“That's how you ended up going to learn dance and music as a private student.”
“So where is such a wretched woman? You probably don't even realize it, do you?”
Then she took a deep breath.
“I had no idea about that. I only knew that I came to Seoul with you.”
“How could I know such inner thoughts? But if you had enticed me back then, would I have gone if I didn't have feelings for you?”
“I went willingly, so that's my fate. Who would I blame or hold responsible?”
“But now, what good does it do to think about what happened back then?”
Sun-young instead comforted Un-ok.
“You are truly kind in your words.”
“The wrong I did to you weighs heavily on my conscience.”
“You have suffered because of me, and I have ended up like this due to my wrongdoing towards you.”
Then she coughed.
“But how did your body end up like that?”
Sun-young frowned.
“Yes, I will gradually tell you. The sins I have committed against you are not just that.”
“I have committed even greater sins. I will tell you everything.”
“Oh, I need to speak before the effects of the medicine wear off, but what if I die without saying everything?”
“I must do it even while catching my breath.”
Then she looked at Sun-young and spoke.
“I'm sorry, but could you please give me another sip of water?”
Soon-young washed the bowl repeatedly and brought a bowl full of clear water.
“Is that person the gentleman from outside?”
The woman, after drinking the water, pointed with her chin at Dae-cheol, who was lying there obliviously, and continued speaking.
“Yes, not at this moment.”
“Isn't he your husband now? Previously, you were a couple, right?”
“Yes, we were a couple before.”
“So now you have no relationship at all?”
“For some time now, we are strangers.”
“That would be the case. To put it simply, he is my husband.”
“Your husband, you say?”
Soon-young asked in surprise, not understanding what was going on.
“Yes, legally speaking, he is my husband. Our household registration is the same.”
“Oh, really? How did that happen?”
As Soon-young said that, Dae-cheol barely lifted his head to try to see who was speaking.
However, it had been a long time since his vision had darkened, so he could not see.
“Who is that?”
Dae-cheol asked in a muffled voice.
“Yes, I am Nan-hyang. I am your wife.”
“Whatever you say, just stay quiet. I don't even want to talk to you.”
Then he looked back at Soon-young and said.
“Let me explain the situation in detail.”
“I said it was a sin to lure you earlier, but what I did to him is a sin I cannot bear to tell you.”
“Not long after I was in Mokpo, I went to Hamheung and ended up staying there, where I happened to meet him.”
“As we gradually got closer and talked about various things, I found out he was your husband.”
“And I also learned that he was the one who saved you when you fell into the sea at Wonsan.”
“Upon closer inspection, it was definitely that person.”
“At that time, you were on the verge of drowning, so you might not remember his face well, but I saw you more clearly.”
“At first, I didn't know if it was that person or not, but after hearing that, I could tell.”
“But leaving that aside, when I saw him at that time, he looked decent and was said to be doing well in gold mining,”
“No matter how you look at it, he seemed quite impressive.”
“I couldn't help but feel a sense of timing when such a man became your husband and lived happily.”
“I was hoping that you would fall into ruin while being a courtesan and would have a very difficult and painful life.”
“But hearing that you quit being a courtesan and found a respectable husband and are living a happy life,”
“I couldn't help but feel a surge of heat in my chest. Oh dear.”