In true Nam Seon-Ho fashion, he swooped in as soon as he got the chance to be alone with me and threatened me to just obey his orders and put my own grudges aside for him to handle later on, without acknowledging his reunion with his first love. And as usual, he wasn't gentle about it at all; he actually hurt my hand on purpose when he found out about my embroidery work so that I could rot in this place more and suffer without him. But he has already made his intentions clear to me with her…even though he was still behaving so strangely ever since he came back from the war…what was going on with him? Was he suffering from some kind of shock? No, he was a little weak emotionally, but not when it came to war, he usually threw himself into those kinds of things, so what was it? Did it have anything to do with what Hui-Jae was hanging over his head? Seon-ho was usually intense, but not this much, and no matter how angry he got with me, he would never hurt me like he did just now. my hand wasn't bruised, but i was injured enough to feel hurt every time i started my embroidery project. I wasn't going to make this on time and I needed help, but Hui-Jae was intent on seeing me suffer like this, so what choice did i have? I was just going to have to suffer like this alone...
"…Concubine Choi, it has been reported that The Concubines have fainted out of starvation. Their servants wanted to bring in a physician to see them, but the guards blocked their way and...." "Then what happened? They both fainted? At the same time? What a coincidence...." "…and one of the servants took a hit and died, right as the ministers were leaving to go home…" "What! No, this cannot be happening…they will be calling for my head next…I only ordered confinement! i didn't instruct any true upon them yet! What is going on! Why did this all happen! Where s Hui-Jae! She was supposed to handle this situation for me! I have already blocked their access to physicians, but nobody should have gotten hurt like that! What if The Emperor hears of it! Who will take responsibility if something happens to them!" "Forgive me, My Lady, my crime deserves 1000 deaths!" "The leader of the guard will be flogged to death for his crime, and release Seo Yeon into the company of Concubine Park so that we can finish this embroidery for The Third Prince when he wakes up. aAd get Moon-bok to check on the Concubines before releasing them back to their quarters on home arrest until The Third Prince wakes up."
"…this embroidery piece is simply exquisite Yeon! How were you able to come up with so much in such a short amount of time….?" "I had all of the time in the world, i was actually working on something similar before so i managed to sneak it in with me. I knew that he would end up driving me crazy..." "Excuse me?" "Ignore me, but we need to finish this off for The Third Prince..." "The face is round and is tenderly white, the folds are alive and it is a good analysis for the work that she has produced, don't you agree, Concubine Park?" "Welcome Nam Seon-Ho, Hwa-Wol and Mistress Nam! I shall set out our lunch table immediately…" "And just what are you doing here, Young Master Nam!" "Sister-in-law! Didn't Concubine Park inform you that we were meeting for lunch? Watch out for that snappy tone of yours!" "I thought that you wee going to have breakfast with…" "Something came up last minute and it got postponed to dinner instead." "That is still no reason for him to come along…" i sulked before my sister placed my nephew in my arms so that she could enjoy her lunch in peace whilst Seon-Ho paid attention to everything in theses quarters apart from myself, which just made me even more angry. But nothing made me more angry when Hui-Jae invited herself over without a moment's thought just as we were finishing up our food and we were watching Bo-Geom play mother to her baby brother and Chul in delight just as Hwa-Wol was called to her husband's side. But something was off with her; her face looked bruised and bloodied, and she was limping badly. Her clothes were torn and they stank of something musty…and she was terrified of Seon-Ho, anyone in the room could see that. She wouldn't even look at him as Bo-Geom hid behind him in fright at the sight of the woman.
"What a splendid and magnificent embroidery, it is very lifelike indeed and it is very rare to see such artwork like this, I suppose that it is finished now?" "It will be ready by the end of this week, i still have to work on the hair." i replied silently as i continued to observe both parties in front of me; Seon-Ho buried himself into keeping Bo-Geom distracted and keeping an eye on the babies whilst Hwa-Wol kept giving me death stares, although i could not think of a reason for her to hate me even more than she already did…unless something happened between them. Maybe they were really not together after all and i just over-exaggerated, because whatever happened between then, Seon-ho would never treat me like that ever…he wouldn't do that to me…because he still cares about me…doesn't he?
"…maybe I should use my own hair to embroider…." "Don't even think about it Yeon, you are not touching your own hair at all!" Seon-ho snarled at me so unexpectedly that I couldn't help but to jump in my seat, but that was nothing compared to what happened next; when he suddenly jumped up and placed Bo-Geom in my arms. He then proceeded to snatch the scissors next to me and cut off the ends of Hui-Jae's hair instead. And she didn't even flinch at all in the slightest, she actually looked liked she was used to my lover's erratic behaviours, but I was not, especially when he handed me her hair in her arms. Under Confucius laws, men and women were never allowed to cut their hair for any reason at all, and committing this act was a punishment that was worthy of death itself. But as i looked around me, I found i extremely odd that nobody else had reacted to the situation at all. It was as if they were all used to him acting like a maniac…it was as if they all knew something about him that i didn't. They were all under his spell as i was, and I had no idea if they were all on his side, or on mine, or my brother's.
"...here, use this instead, this will greatly enhance your skills and diligence to your work. And i shall have an extra burner sent to these quarters, winder is descending upon us all. Excuse me, i have some work to do…" "My Lady, an intruder has been identified to visiting Seo Hwi unauthorised…" "very well, let us see who dares to defy my orders…." "My Lady! We have just received word that Concubine Kim has escaped! She is nowhere to be found at all!" "What? What on earth are you saying? How can anyone possibly escape the palace undetected? Quickly, take me to them!" i looked around once again to the women that I had been left alone with and once again, they were just going on with their normal lives as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening at all. So, it looked like they had all conspired with each other and they were all keeping it from me. Nam Seon-Ho, he didn't just take-over my mind and my body, he was now completely taking over my plans without knowing what i was really dealing with and...and he was isolating me from everything so that he could still control me and my life…that jerk…
"Sister, i am going to take my nephew to see my brother…." "Very well, but do not take too long, i need to put him down for a nap, and mine as well..." "you are very welcome to use Yeon's bed in her absence, I really am longing for company since the loss of my sister's recently…" "I thank you, Concubine Park…" "Hey! i am still here, you know! Why is everyone ignoring me? What is going on?" "What are you talking about, sister?" "Is my brother in on this? Does he know how you are all treating me? What? What is it? Why are you all laughing at me?" "How uncomfortable you are when you are not the one in charge, sister. They were right about you, you know." "Who? Who was right about me?" "Your brother and your fiancé…" "My fiancé? What are you talking about? Who says that I am engaged?" "Didn't your brother talk to you about this? That he already gave his best friend his blessings to marry you?" "Hyeon! Don't you know how much Seon-ho likes to exaggerate yet? He is just lying to…" "Yeon, I saw him sign the document myself, your brother gave his consent over a year ago…." "A year ago? When?" "When you were housed with The Fifth Prince still…" "And i couldn't find him anywhere? But it turns out that he was with you all then?" "That was when he started coming up with all of his plans with your brother." "What plans?" "His plans for all of us, inside and outside of the palace." "And me? Does he....have anything planned for me at all?" "Yeon, the only way that all of us can leave the palace forever, along with the concubines, all depend on your union with Nam Seon-Ho; the rising star in the palace alongside the women who this entire country owes a debt to her father. Sister, all of our lives now depend on this union between you both that is bigger than your feelings and disputes…"
"…what did he tell you all? To make you all trust him over me!" "He isn't your enemy sister, he is your biggest well-wisher that just wants you to be happy by his side…" "…even at the cost of his own life? His dreams? His ambitions? Everything that he has been holing onto throughout his father's abuse? Do you really think I will let him give that up? Because of me? Do you really think that I will let him do that? So tell me, what is it that he told you all?" "He told us that you…were changing too much, and he isn't wrong you know. He also said that you are obsessed with seeking power and wealth...." "excuse me! i am not obsessed with anything! Power and wealth is what I want, but not for the reasons that you think!" "Then what is it that you are going after, Yeon? You can trust us…." "What I want…my dreams are the exact opposite of his dreams, and that is why we cannot work together, never mind getting married. And if he finds out what i am trying to do, then he will either crush my goals, crush me or crush my brother if i ever stand up to him! You all have no idea what he is really like! How forceful and scheming he truly is…" "But you do, and you still fell for him Yeon, so much so that you are trying to actively distance yourself from him, even when you know it will not work. And if The Seo's and their friends trust him this much, then why shouldn't we? Look, I have no idea what is going on between you both, but I am sure that it can be resolved if you jus talk to him instead of just sulking like this." "And what if it can't be resolved?" "Then let go of it, because he is never going to give you up either. I know that your goals are important, but isn't he important to you either?" "I would rather have him hate me than to loose anything because of me, even his own life." "We are not blind Yeon, we can all see that he keeps tying his fate with yours. So stop believing everything that you see and just trust him, all right?" But how can i trust someone who clearly doesn't trust me at all?