TDLWFJ 09

Chapter 9

“Ah!”

The moment Hari let out a short scream, she lost her balance and swayed violently.

I’m going to get seriously hurt!

Just as she squeezed her eyes shut, a faint scent of plum blossoms brushed past her.

Then, Woon’s firm arm caught her around the waist.

“Ugh.”

Hari’s forehead collided with his chest.

The force of her fall combined with his pull, making the impact quite strong.

The shock rattled her entire head, leaving her unable to even breathe properly.

Because of that, Woon couldn’t let her go immediately.

If he was going to help, shouldn’t he at least do so until she regained her senses?

So he stayed still.

But then, an improper thought suddenly crossed his mind.

Is that really the only reason I can’t let go of this small body?

Why was his mouth going dry from the warmth he felt through the thin fabric?

“…Are you alright?”

Woon spoke after a long pause.

At his low voice brushing past her ear, Hari, who had been catching her breath, slowly lifted her head.

Woon was much closer than she had expected.

Their gazes collided instantly.

For a brief moment, it felt as if time had stopped.

They simply looked at each other.

“M-My lady?”

It was only when Maldong called from behind that the two hurriedly stepped apart.

Hari’s heart pounded wildly. Woon’s was no different.

Ahem.

Clearing his throat, Woon spoke briefly before turning away.

“Be careful.”

Before Hari could even thank him, he had already walked off—his ears tinged red.

* * *

She had thought his words about following him were casual, but had she ignored them, she might have gotten lost.

That was how maze-like the buildings of Hongyeon Pavilion were.

“I don’t think I can find my way out alone either.”

“That’s right, my lady.”

As Maldong agreed with Hari’s muttering, Woon stopped in front of a small annex.

Unlike the other flashy buildings, this isolated structure gave off the neat, restrained feeling of a scholar’s residence.

“This is the place. The woman you’re looking for should be inside.”

Hari’s gaze fell upon the stepping stone.

There lay a pair of worn-out silk shoes.

Even that alone told her that Yang Heoyoung’s life had not been easy.

She could’ve lived comfortably in Hanyang… yet she chose to leave and suffer.

“From here on, I will go alone.”

Though Woon was curious about Yang Heoyoung’s story, he stepped back cleanly.

“You wait here as well.”

Leaving even Maldong behind, Hari opened the door.

The moment the door cracked open—

“Please spare me! I was wrong!”

A desperate voice rang out.

A woman with completely white hair knelt on the floor, begging.

Hari’s first meeting with Yang Heoyoung was nothing like she had imagined.

* * *

“Have you calmed down now?”

At Hari’s question, Yang Heoyoung, seated across from her, spoke with difficulty.

“Yes… now… sob… I’m alright.”

Though her tears had stopped, she was still sniffling and breathing unevenly.

But she was at least able to talk now.

Compared to fifteen minutes ago—when she had clung to Hari’s skirt and wailed—she had calmed down significantly.

Hari quietly observed her from head to toe.

Her wrists and neckline, exposed through loose clothing, were as thin as branches. She kept picking at the skin around her nails nervously.

Her pale face, as though it had never seen sunlight, was blotched in places, and a stale smell lingered whenever she moved her tightly bound hair.

She looks like someone who’s been hiding for a long time.

“You must have suffered quite a bit.”

Yang Heoyoung flinched.

“W-What do you mean…?”

“I mean you must have had a hard time getting here.”

Hari deflected vaguely, unsure how Woon had found and brought her.

If she asked directly—whether she had been hiding or running from someone—the woman might panic.

“Ah… yes. But… I heard you were looking for me. Why…? Why would the young lady of the Chief Inspector’s house seek me out?”

Yang Heoyoung couldn’t even begin to guess why she had been summoned to Hanyang.

She had simply followed because she was told the young lady urgently needed her—and because Woon had promised to fill her rice jar.

After ten days of eating roots from the mountains due to starvation, she felt like she would do anything for money.

But when the man who came for her headed toward Hongyeon Pavilion—

She froze.

That place was connected to the family that had driven her out of Hanyang.

Fear gripped her.

What if this is their trap? What if it’s not the young lady, but the mistress of that house calling me?

That was why she had fallen to her knees the moment the door opened.

Fortunately, Woon hadn’t lied.

The one who had summoned her was indeed the young lady.

Which naturally led to the question—

Why me?

“I have a few things I’m curious about. If you answer honestly, I will reward you generously.”

Yang Heoyoung swallowed hard.

“H-How much…?”

“That depends on your answers. But I can assure you—this will be your last chance to turn what you know into money.”

It wasn’t just a threat. It was the truth.

Whatever had happened at Choi Champan’s house during the wedding—who else would care about it besides Hari?

Yang Heoyoung licked her dry lips repeatedly before finally speaking.

“…What do you wish to know?”

“You remember the second son of the Choi household, don’t you? Don’t say you don’t. It was the last marriage you arranged before leaving Hanyang. I want to know everything about that marriage.”

In an instant, all color drained from her face.

Her lips trembled. Her unfocused eyes shook violently.

Suddenly, she dropped to her knees and pressed her forehead to the ground.

“Please spare me! If it’s known that I’m here, I will truly be killed! People like you wouldn’t understand—but to them, people like me are no more than flies!”

She was terrified.

At that moment, Hari became certain—

Her vague suspicion was true.

The second son of the Choi household hadn’t died of illness.

He had been murdered.

By his own older brother.

* * *

Late at night, a candle flickered in Hari’s quarters.

“My lady, won’t you sleep soon?”

Maldong asked carefully while laying out bedding.

She had been worried ever since Hari met Yang Heoyoung.

“I’ll sleep soon. Don’t worry about me—go and rest.”

“Did that woman say something rude? Should I go teach her a lesson?”

Maldong clenched her fists and threw punches into the air.

Hari let out a faint laugh.

Only then did the gloom on her face lighten a little.

“When you smile, my lady, it feels like the sun has risen. I’ll take my leave now—but you must sleep early, alright?”

“Alright. And you—don’t stay up reading those naughty picture books.”

Maldong’s eyes widened in shock.

“I-I don’t read those!”

She shouted before fleeing the room.

Smiling, Hari watched the candle flicker in the breeze from the closing door.

Gradually, a cold clarity settled over her face.

Without blinking, she organized the information she had obtained.

It had taken a great deal of time—and money—to persuade Yang Heoyoung.

But it had been worth it.

Her testimony contained several details that could be used in court.

“The second young master of the Choi household had long been ill. They insisted it never be revealed.”

The Choi family had deliberately concealed information the bride’s side absolutely needed to know.

That alone could be argued as fraud.

“I was so curious, I asked what illness he had… but no one would answer. Then I saw it myself.”

Yang Heoyoung had witnessed the eldest son locking the younger brother in a storage room and beating him.

No one stopped him.

No one even brought the trapped boy a single cup of water.

Everyone simply watched, as if it were routine.

“Again today…”

Violence and abuse that had continued since childhood… even the household had grown used to it.

And what could servants do?

Even the parents turned a blind eye.

Unable to stop her eldest son, the lady of the house had rushed to marry off the second son and send him away.

They searched for a low-status family—one that wouldn’t question the proposal and would immediately offer their daughter.

That was how Nahee had been chosen.

On the wedding day, the eldest son killed the groom.

And the dead cannot speak. Those who could testify have all disappeared.

Trying to annul the marriage based on concealed illness wouldn’t work.

There were no medical records proving consistent treatment.

Of course not. They had to hide the beatings.

What should I do?

As the night deepened, so did Hari’s thoughts.