Chapter 6
Negotiations Concluded…
Yeo Bak-seung looked straight at So Cheong-yeong and spoke firmly.
“Even if it’s not you, someone else will eventually take that place. I don’t want to ruin your life. If I die, you may remarry freely, so don’t worry. Before I leave, I’ll leave behind a letter stating that clearly, and I’ll inform my father in advance. Oh—and my mother’s dowry will be left entirely to you as well.”
So Cheong-yeong replied calmly.
“That’s not what I want.”
Yeо Bak-seung glanced at her once, then lowered his head and spoke quietly.
“There’s no need to feel burdened. I just… don’t want to hand over the farmland my maternal grandfather left behind, or the shops that were my mother’s share, to them.”
She had guessed he didn’t get along with his stepmother and the others, but she hadn’t expected it to be this bad. So Cheong-yeong thought for a moment, then carefully suggested,
“Then why not sell everything before you leave and take the money with you?”
Yeо Bak-seung shook his head with a bitter smile.
“I can’t even be sure I’ll stay alive. What use would that money be then?”
“……”
After a brief silence, Yeо Bak-seung spoke again.
“Besides, my father would never allow it in the first place.”
He looked at her once more and added,
“Anyway, my father will insist that I marry before I leave. Even if it’s not you, he’ll force some woman into the household. If you don’t want to live with them after the wedding, I’ll ask my father to let us live separately before I go. And if I die on the battlefield, all that property will be yours. You can even take it with you if you remarry.”
So Cheong-yeong stared straight into his eyes. Just moments ago, he had been displeased, calling her a “country bumpkin girl” chosen by his stepmother at the drinking table—yet now he was refusing her proposal to call off the engagement. She couldn’t understand it.
Getting back the fifty nyang from her step-grandmother would never be easy, but if she steeled herself and caused a scene, it wouldn’t be completely impossible. The problem was what came after. Even if she retrieved the money, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t simply be sold off somewhere else again.
In this era, filial piety was valued above all else. Once the elders of a household made a decision, sacrificing a single child was considered no great matter. Even if she declared to her parents that she would not marry, would they truly accept it?
Of course not.
Perhaps becoming a widow would be less troublesome than growing old unmarried and remaining a burden in her parents’ home.
As So Cheong-yeong pondered Yeо Bak-seung’s proposal, another thought suddenly surfaced, making her uneasy. Come to think of it, hadn’t there been rumors that this man frequented courtesan houses as if they were his own home?
She narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke.
“Come to think of it, they say you go to courtesan houses as if they were your home?”
At her words, Yeо Bak-seung’s face flushed bright red in an instant. Even the tips of his ears turned crimson. He hesitated, then bowed his head deeply.
“I-I don’t go that often. Just sometimes, really only sometimes… I go there to drink and eat side dishes, that’s all. I’ve never done anything else, not even once…! I swear….”
His voice grew smaller and smaller as he spoke.
He quickly lifted his head to check So Cheong-yeong’s expression, but she was only looking at him with clear disbelief. Panicking, Yeо Bak-seung hurriedly raised his hand and swore.
“It’s true! I promised my mother. She hated men who strayed more than anything. If you don’t believe me, I can call Geo-eop or my close friends right now and have them testify!”
He sprang up from his seat, about to head to the front courtyard where his friends were, when So Cheong-yeong quickly reached out and grabbed his sleeve.
Sitting back down, Yeо Bak-seung repeated his oath.
“Really. You might’ve heard bad rumors about me, but I truly haven’t done anything bad. I did go to courtesan houses, but I never once sought out a woman there! And even if I didn’t study diligently, it’s not like I’m illiterate. I really, truly…!”
Seeing how earnestly he protested his innocence and how certain his voice was, So Cheong-yeong decided, for now, to believe him.
She turned her head and looked at the twin siblings quietly eating their snacks. Their eyes sparkled as they stared at the treats on the plate, their faces full of happiness.
Though the twins were six years old, they were smaller and thinner than other children of four or five. Their clothes were patched all over, and on their feet were worn-out straw sandals. Just coming to town once would probably wear the soles completely through.
So Cheong-yeong felt a dull ache in her chest.
She looked straight at Yeо Bak-seung again. When he couldn’t bring himself to meet her gaze, she fell silent for a moment. Then, at last, she spoke softly.
“Then, before you leave, write me a hwariseo—a letter of mutual divorce. If you die on the battlefield, I won’t remarry. I’ll remain a member of the Yeо family, hold memorial rites for your mother and maternal grandparents every season, and burn paper offerings. And if you later rise in status and find someone else you love, I’ll quietly step aside then.”
For a brief moment, a bright light crossed Yeо Bak-seung’s face. He looked up at her, as if about to say more, but upon seeing her cool expression, he closed his mouth and obediently nodded.
“Let’s do that. I promise.”
They exchanged a few more words after that. Judging that she had largely achieved the purpose of coming to town today, So Cheong-yeong glanced up at the sky and rose from her seat.
“Well, um—”
As she called the twins and began preparing to leave, Yeо Bak-seung trailed off, then spoke as if something had just occurred to him.
“If you walk back, it’ll take quite a while. I’ll have a carriage rented from the relay station—take that instead.”
After a moment’s thought, So Cheong-yeong nodded. The twins must already be exhausted from walking around all day. Holding their hands, she headed for the front courtyard.
The friends who had been waiting there stood up and approached as soon as they came out. They exchanged glances with Yeо Bak-seung, then looked back and forth between him and So Cheong-yeong. She paid no attention to their stares and walked on calmly.
Ryu Geo-eop and the others followed behind, grinning, draping arms over Yeо Bak-seung’s shoulders as if close, and sneaking curious looks at So Cheong-yeong. But since her inner self wasn’t that of a woman of this era, she didn’t lower her head in embarrassment.
Before long, Yeо Bak-seung paid the fare and brought over a carriage. Before So Cheong-yeong and the twins boarded, he handed a large bundle of snacks to the children. The twins hesitated instead of accepting it right away.
Ever since hearing who that man was from her brother earlier, Cheong-haeng had been watching him carefully even in the back courtyard. Already wary, she followed her brother’s lead and didn’t take the bundle, only looking up at Yeо Bak-seung quietly.
He smiled without a word and gently patted Cheong-haeng’s head. Seeing that, So Cheong-yeong said to her younger brother Cheong-yang,
“Take it. Say thank you.”
“Thank you….”
“…Thank you.”
When the adorable children shyly expressed their thanks, Ryu Geo-eop and the others crowded over, each patting the twins once. Startled by the sudden attention, the twins’ faces flushed red. Though they shrank back shyly, they kept turning to look at Yeо Bak-seung even after the carriage set off.
Once the carriage disappeared completely from view, Yeо Bak-seung’s friends surrounded him at once and began interrogating him.
“She’s impressive, huh? Didn’t expect a girl raised in the countryside to have the guts to come to town alone—on top of that, to seek out her fiancé and ask to talk!”
They clicked their tongues and laughed.
“Now hurry up and spill everything you talked about!”
So Cheong-yeong didn’t see them bickering.
Only after the carriage had gone far and their figures vanished did the twins finally look away. Then, lifting the snack bundle they were hugging tightly, they shouted excitedly,
“Unni! Look at this! There’s so much!”
So Cheong-yeong smiled and nodded.
“Open it and try some.”
But the twins shook their heads at the same time.
“No, we’ll take it home and eat it with Father and Mother!”
Before they even finished speaking, a shadow crossed Cheong-haeng’s face.
“But if Grandma sees it, she’ll tell us to give it to Yubok and Yugwi.”
She hugged the bundle of rice cakes and sweets even tighter.
Looking at them with gentle eyes, So Cheong-yeong spoke softly.
“Don’t worry. I’m here.”
The twins believed her without hesitation. Yes—if So Cheong-yeong was there, no one would take their snacks away. Only then did they sigh in relief and begin looking around the inside of the carriage in wonder. Since it was their first time ever riding one, everything seemed fascinating; they touched things here and there, firing off endless questions.
So Cheong-yeong, however, felt nothing special. She only found the violent shaking uncomfortable.
After examining the carriage for a while, the twins moved closer and sat snugly beside her. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, Cheong-yang spoke.
“Noona, that man… he didn’t seem like such a bad person.”
Who?
She was about to ask, but when she noticed his gaze lingering on the snack bundle in his sister’s arms, she immediately understood. After a moment’s thought, she slowly nodded.
“Yeah. He’s not a bad person.”
Cheong-haeng caught on as well and hugged the bundle tightly.
“Right! That big brother seemed like a good person!”
At that, So Cheong-yeong let out a small laugh. Her heart felt noticeably lighter.
Thanks to the carriage—far faster than walking or an ox cart—they soon neared the village entrance. Suddenly, the twins shouted at the same time,
“Brother Dae-ho!”
“Brother Dae-ho!”
Turning to look, So Cheong-yeong saw So Dae-ho striding toward them from afar. She immediately asked the driver to stop, then got down from the carriage with the twins and took Dae-ho’s hand.
“Brother Dae-ho! Were you heading to town?”
Cheong-yang asked, holding his hand tightly.
So Dae-ho swept his gaze over So Cheong-yeong. Only after confirming she seemed unharmed did his expression soften with relief.
“Your aunt said you still hadn’t come back. Since it was getting late, I got worried and thought I’d go to town just in case, to look for you.”
Only then did So Cheong-yeong realize he hadn’t been heading to town for his own business. She told the driver to return to town, and they all walked back toward the village together.
She quietly observed So Dae-ho. Honest and dependable, a bit lean but tall and strong—an eighteen-year-old youth.
If they hadn’t been discovered by her step-grandmother that day, the two of them might already have left the village. Perhaps, though ordinary, they could have lived a simple, happy life together someday. But the timing had been wrong, and fate had not allowed that path.
So Dae-ho walked while holding Cheong-yang’s hand, yet kept glancing at So Cheong-yeong with worried eyes. Feeling that gaze, she let out a light sigh inwardly.
He carefully examined her.
“Cheong-yeong, how’s your head? Does it still hurt?”
She smiled and shook her head.
He studied her again. There were no obvious signs of pain on her face, yet his heart still wouldn’t fully settle. Along with relief, an inexplicable bitterness lingered in his chest.
Lowering his head, he gently asked Cheong-yang,
“Why did you go to town without telling me? Nothing bad happened, right?”
Cheong-yang lifted his head to answer, but Cheong-haeng jumped in first, as if she’d been waiting for the chance. Having gone to town for the first time, she’d been excited all day, and now she finally had an opportunity to pour out everything she’d been holding in.
So Dae-ho listened with interest, occasionally chiming in with, “Oh! Really? I see!” Encouraged, Cheong-haeng grew even more animated, her chatter filling the quiet road.
So Cheong-yeong smiled softly, holding Cheong-haeng’s hand as they walked slowly. Her small, excited voice tickled her ears. When the gentle summer evening breeze brushed her skin, the fatigue that had seeped into her body seemed to fade away at last.
