Returning Home

by Han In-taek · 2026-03-20

The old man, who only cared about money, was a person without recognition or morality, but Myung-soon could not have any bleak rights from him.

“Alright, somehow it will work out.”

Myung-soon shouted this and wrote a letter to her mother in Seoul. The content of the letter was solely a request for money. Even though she knew her mother would have no money, she was aware that sending a letter to her mother would lead Byeon Gyo-jang to send money. It was needless to say that Byeon Gyo-jang would listen to her mother and send at least a few hundred won right away.

Myung-soon decided to sell her body, having been abandoned by the world and suffering extreme pain because of money. On the day she used Byeon Gyo-jang's money, she was not unaware that it meant she was marrying him. However, it was better to marry Byeon Gyo-jang than to be sold as a prostitute or a courtesan for not being able to pay for her meal at the inn.

Given this situation, it was an immediate issue not to fall deeper and to avoid marrying anyone. Myung-soon did not want to live a filthy life like Wol-chun, even if it meant death. She wanted to find a husband, whether he was disabled or whatever, to live with.

The next afternoon, a telegram with money arrived from her mother. It was an amount that was double the amount of the clean money.

Myung-soon felt a laugh coming out as she thought that Byeon Gyo-jang seemed to be madly in love with her. However, no matter how bad Byeon Gyo-jang was, she thought he was several times better than Chang-seon. Regardless of whether the purpose of sending money was good or bad, she was grateful just for being saved from the brothel. It was hard to imagine what kind of predicament she would have been in if Byeon Gyo-jang had not sent her money.

Myung-soon took the night train to Seoul that night.

When Myeongsun returned home, everything that had happened felt like a dream. Although she was a daughter who had abandoned her elderly mother, thinking of her mother’s heart, which welcomed her with tears, made her feel as if she had left that kind-hearted mother behind. She also thought about how things might have been if she had endured all the pain and stayed at home.

But those were pointless regrets. The mother did not leave Myeongsun's side as if her dying daughter had returned.

“I thought you had gone very far away, but who would have known you were in Gaeseong?”

Myeongsun could not find a word to respond.

“Byeonggyojang was worried about where you went. He was concerned about what kind of storms a young woman might be facing in the world. Did you not suffer?”

“Suffer? I just went to an inn, ate, and had fun.”

Myeongsun answered calmly. She pondered how far she could hide her secret. And she hoped her mother would not ask more.

“Didn’t you receive any letters while I was gone?”

Myeongsun pretended to be nonchalant. Although there was no way a letter would come, she wanted to change the subject.

“Oh, a postcard did come.”

The mother rummaged through the desk and brought a postcard, placing it in front of Myeongsun.

The letter was from Yeonsun. Seeing the name Yeonsun made it feel like the name of a pure woman, like a fairy. She also thought about the words ‘Mr. Cheolha’s future wife.’

Myeongsun tore it up without even looking at the contents of the letter. Just seeing those words made her teeth clench with jealousy, knowing that she would become the cousin of Changseon and her lover.

Thinking about how she ended up in this situation because of Yeon-soon, anger surged within her. It was thanks to Yeon-soon praising Chang-seon as a well-mannered young man that she ended up trusting him, which ultimately led to her downfall.

Seeing that Yeon-soon called such a guy well-mannered, she thought that Yeon-soon must have plotted some scheme.

Her mother, watching Myung-soon tear up a letter, sat there and asked.

“Where did the letter come from that you tore up?”

Myung-soon sat there blankly without answering.

Her mother observed Myung-soon's demeanor closely. At first, she thought it was due to the hardships of being away from home, but as she gradually tried to talk to her and examined her behavior, it seemed that there was a great worry on her mind.

“Myung-soon! Why do you look so haggard?”

“It's because I've been struggling away from home.”

Myung-soon forced a smile and replied. However, her mother shook her head and said.

“No. It seems that you definitely have some big worry. Tell me, what are you worried about? A person has to live, so what will you do if it continues like this?”

“What do you mean, mother? You keep saying that. It's just that my complexion has changed because I've been away from home. In just a few days, I'll regain my vitality. What worries or concerns could I possibly have?”

Myung-soon said this as she regained her composure.

A circumstance that she couldn't tell anyone! If her mother could hear that circumstance, which she was anxiously holding onto alone, and relieve her worries, she would have spoken without hesitation.

However, it was a secret that could never be resolved―― even between the closest mother and daughter, that was one thing she could not say.

“Are you still thinking about Cheol-ha, who went to prison?”

“Are you talking about Cheol-ha? Please don't mention that person at all.”

Myeongsun spoke with a blank expression. Cheol-ha had long decided not to think about that person. She knew very well that thinking about him would only upset her, and that she was in a position where she couldn't even dare to look at his face. However, her mother was secretly pleased that Myeongsun's feelings had changed from before.

“Cheol-ha is a smart person, but what good is being smart if you don't have money? Look at this time too! You received a letter asking you to send money and went to see Byeon-gyojang, and when you explained the situation, he didn't refuse at all and even gave you more than the amount you requested. Where can you find such a grateful person?”

Not realizing that her mother was using money as a means to attract people, she praised Byeon-gyojang as if there were no one like him in the world.