Chapter 07
“Why, miss?”
“I’m sorry, Bokrye… I think it would be best if I went back.”
“…What?”
“I have to go.”
As Sohwa turned to leave, Bokrye suddenly grabbed her wrist.
“If you keep backing out like this, what am I supposed to do? I already told the Taoist priests I’d bring you. It’s only hard the first time. After that, it’s easy. You’ll wonder why you were so stupid, breaking stones and doing laundry, when there’s work this easy and this good.”
“…What?”
“—Ah! Our Bokrye brought us a new flower!”
At that moment, three or four Toya soldiers emerged from the alley. Each of them held a bottle of liquor, grinning crudely as they approached. Bokrye spoke as if this were all perfectly natural.
“Yes. She’s a noble lady I once served. A real flower. Her name is Sohwa—little flower.”
“Oh? She’s pretty. I’ve been watching you for a long time,” one of the men said, his gaze crawling over her. “Now that you’re all cleaned up, you’re even prettier than I imagined. From today on, I’ll be your husband. Come here.”
The moment the man stepped closer, Sohwa’s skin prickled with revulsion. When he grabbed her shoulder, she screamed and slapped his hand away.
“Get away from me! How dare you touch me!”
“Oh? You’ve got guts.”
The man burst into laughter and seized her hair. Her neatly combed locks were instantly ruined by his rough grip.
“You were born noble, yet you still think you’re a noblewoman,” he sneered. “Today, I’ll show you exactly where you belong.”
He dragged Sohwa into a nearby barracks. She struggled with all her strength, but as if some kind of sorcery bound her, her body refused to move as it should.
“Hey. Don’t let her scream,” someone muttered. “What if Do Jae-ah finds out?”
“He won’t come near a place like this. He’s not interested in women.”
The man laughed as he loosened Sohwa’s outer garment. Desperate, she cried out—
“Brother! Juan! Please—save me!”
But no one came.
“What are you doing?”
A cold voice cut through the air.
The man froze, his hand mid-motion. At the same time, Sohwa felt the strange weight restraining her body lift. Seizing the chance, she shoved the man away and staggered to her feet—but her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor before she could take two steps.
“D-Dojae-ah…! You’re here!”
The men who had been laughing moments ago dropped to their knees, bowing deeply. Sohwa lay facedown, trembling violently, unable to move. All she could see were the black combat boots of the Toya commander who had just entered.
“Aren’t you going to answer?” the man said coolly. “I asked what you’re doing.”
His low, icy voice froze the air inside the tent, colder than the depths of winter. The man who had attacked Sohwa finally stammered an answer.
“W-we were just… playing with a girl.”
“You were playing?”
“Yes, yes….”
“She was screaming for help.”
“That—that was part of the game… yes….”
“Really?” the man said softly. “You were playing?”
“….”
“Then let me ask her myself.”
His gaze shifted to Sohwa.
“Answer me. Were you playing with him?”
“….”
“If you don’t answer, I’ll assume that you were and leave.”
“N-no—!”
Terrified that he might turn away, Sohwa clutched the hem of his boots. She shook her head desperately, tears streaming down her face.
“No… no… it wasn’t playing. Please save me. Please… save me….”
“…She says it wasn’t.”
The man turned his gaze back to the soldier.
“Were you trying to rape her?”
The man’s face drained of color. He threw himself flat onto the ground.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Dojae-ah! Just this once—please forgive me! I swear I’ll never do it again!”
His plea ended abruptly.
In a single motion, Do Jae-ah swung his sword.
The head separated from the body cleanly. Blood burst forth, splattering the ground as the severed head rolled across the dirt. Sohwa’s eyes met the lifeless gaze for a split second before she screamed, clutching her head in horror.
Do Jae-ah spoke calmly, as though he had merely corrected a minor mistake.
“…As one who walks the path to immortality, I vow not to use force beyond necessity, not to kill without cause, not to rape, not to indulge in debauchery, not to grow lazy or arrogant, not to practice forbidden arts, and to enlighten the ignorant. Is this doctrine difficult for you to understand?”
“N-no! Not at all! Absolutely not!”
“We didn’t touch her!” another man cried. “He acted on his own!”
“That’s right! You can read our minds with your arts—please believe us!”
The remaining Toya soldiers trembled as they pleaded. Do Jae-ah let out a slow sigh.
“Who brought this woman here?”
At those words, all color drained from Bokrye’s face. She dropped to her knees at once, pressing her hands together in frantic supplication.
“P-please spare me, Nari! Please! I didn’t know! I truly didn’t! I only brought her because she was suffering from forced labor! I never imagined she would hate it this much! Miss Sohwa and I grew up together like sisters—why would I ever harm her? Please believe me!”
She sobbed uncontrollably, but no emotion crossed Do Jae-ah’s expression. He adjusted his grip on the sword.
“Ah—!”
Bokrye screamed and collapsed, but the blade never fell. Instead, Do Jae-ah flicked his sword lightly. The blood staining it vanished instantly, as though wiped away by magic.
“If I brought the wrong person,” he said coldly, sheathing his blade, “I will take responsibility and return her.”
“Put her back where she belongs. Immediately.”
“Y-yes! Yes! I will! I’ll take her back right away!”
Bokrye helped the barely conscious Sohwa to her feet and led her out of the barracks. They passed through the red-lit alleyways and emerged into a place flooded with sunlight.
Hands still trembling, Sohwa grabbed Bokrye by the collar.
“Bokrye… you should run away too. You shouldn’t stay in a place like this.”
In the next instant, a sharp pain exploded across Sohwa’s left cheek.
Bokrye had slapped her.
Her face twisted with venom as she spat,
“You idiot. You’re not even a noble anymore—why are you still acting so high and mighty? Your useless pride has only gotten people killed. You, Moon Sohwa, are a murderer.”
Sohwa stared at her in shock. She had never heard such words from Bokrye before.
Bokrye sneered.
“Why have you always acted so superior? You’ll spend your entire life breaking stones and working yourself to death. I’ll make the Toya commander my backing and live in luxury for the rest of my days.”
With that, Bokrye turned and disappeared back into the red-lit district.
One by one, the gazes of patrolling Toya soldiers fell upon Sohwa. She hastily fastened her jacket and fled, desperate to escape that horrible place as quickly as possible.
Sohwa lay sick for four full days.
Until then, she had endured everything by clinging to thoughts of her younger brother Juan and her frail mother. But what had happened at the Toya Army barracks—so close to death—shattered her body and mind alike.
When Kkotbun learned that Sohwa had been dragged to the place where the “playing women” stayed and nearly killed, she beat her chest and wept bitterly.
“Oh, heavens! My poor lady! She should have lived her whole life seeing and hearing only beautiful things—how could she be dragged to such a place? I’ll twist that wretched Bokrye’s neck myself and kill her!”
“Master, please calm yourself,” Pandong pleaded. “Listen to me, Madam!”
“How can I calm down?” Kkotbun cried. “Oh, my heart—this is unbearable…!”
