Chapter 07 ….
“Come on, that was ages ago. I was curious too, so I asked a local interpreter, and he got all worked up, saying it was complete nonsense.”
Prosecutor Kang, who had abandoned any semblance of restraint, raised his voice as if he were at a class reunion.
“But it’s not entirely baseless, is it? There are movies about missionaries getting beaten to death for refusing. Apparently, they took rejection as an insult.”
“……”
“If I ever got an offer like that, I wouldn’t go out of my way to insult anyone either.”
He chuckled crudely as he fiddled with the hem of his pants. Each time he peeled his cigarette-stained, dark lips apart, Sehee’s face grew paler. Her pulse raced irregularly, and breathing became difficult.
Was this the “use” Chaido had in mind for me?
Not only a trophy—but even as a courtesan?
Only then did Sehee realize that all the hopes she’d harbored were nothing but foolish delusions. The vow she’d made to do anything hadn’t meant this.
She had been angry at Chaido for reducing her to a mere trophy. She’d planned to unleash all her pent-up resentment the next time she saw him.
Because he had always accepted her, she’d started to believe she actually meant something.
But now, that feeling had completely evaporated. Her mouth went dry at his silent, unreadable expression.
Even with naked women on either side of him, he didn’t bat an eye—his indifference was terrifying.
He didn’t want a proper wife or a plaything. He wanted something else entirely—something to elevate his status, a decorative joke.
‘He’s waiting for you to cling to him, Sehee.’
She remembered the mocking words of that woman—and had no choice but to accept them. The only person she could cling to was Chaido. The image of the woman who had just been dragged out like a corpse, stinking of Kang’s filth, flashed through her mind.
“Isn’t it a shame? What a wonderful tradition to lose.”
Under the table, Sehee’s trembling hand fumbled and grabbed Chaido’s collar.
Just like he had saved her from that terrifying mob before, she believed he would again be the “lesser evil” in this situation. Her hand, clutching him, shook uncontrollably.
“Precious things should be shared and passed around…”
Chaido let out a short laugh and set down the glass he’d been lazily rubbing between his fingers.
While the man made vulgar jokes, Chaido only smiled in response—until finally, he lowered his arm and took Sehee’s hand.
“Ah…”
A shiver she couldn’t explain ran through her at the sudden warmth of his touch. That moment felt endless.
“You must still be feeling the effects of the trip. Lost in a daydream, are you?”
Prosecutor Kang, who had been about to pick up his glass again, froze.
“Do you desire my wife? You’ve been eyeing her since earlier.”
“Well, Director Cha, you have such good taste… Pardon?”
The man looked up, blinking his thick eyes as he gauged Chaido’s expression. Finally realizing the shift in atmosphere, he quickly withdrew his gaze from Sehee and pressed his spread legs together awkwardly.
“N-no, of course not. How could I dare…”
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, he glanced around at the staff stationed behind Chaido, belatedly realizing this was his fortress.
“I was only joking… You know, just a joke. Honestly, how could Prosecutor Yoo’s daughter ever belong here? I thought you were teasing us, Director Cha… Haha…”
The awkward laughter died abruptly. Sehee squeezed Chaido’s hand even tighter. And he didn’t ignore that desperate plea.
“Let me make this clear. Yoo Sehee will become my wife.”
Shock spread across Kang’s already disgusted face.
“There’s been a minor disturbance in her family, but I trust you’ll keep things quiet. We wouldn’t want her household in an uproar.”
The woman who had been chatting with him earlier covered her mouth. She swallowed back whatever words threatened to escape, though her disdainful gaze was obvious.
No one in this room actually believed he would accept the traitor’s daughter as a real wife—perhaps as a decorative companion at celebratory events, but nothing more.
Once the news spread, however, no one would dare treat Yoo Hyungjin or his family lightly again.
“I believe it’s time we took our leave. We’ll meet formally next time.”
Chaido stood first, still holding Sehee’s hand. She staggered, her face pale as if she might collapse at any moment. Quiet murmurs followed them through the paper-paneled doors.
Outside, Sehee immediately yanked her hand away and stepped back.
The human heart was fickle. In moments of desperation, she wanted to cling to his leg and beg, but once the immediate danger passed, resentment welled up first.
She couldn’t even remember how desperately she’d longed for him to arrive.
“Was I just a trophy from the beginning?”
She tried to cover her bare shoulders with her loosened hair. Not that Chaido would care.
“Did I ever say that?”
His slow, measured steps halted as if he’d been waiting for her.
“People said it! That I was made into a warning. That anyone who thought of running away would have a family member end up like me—taken as Chaido’s hostage and paraded around. And I didn’t even realize…”
The words tumbled out in a storm, unfiltered and chaotic.
“So, you’re upset?”
He looked neither surprised nor guilty. Confronting his calm face made her own ragged breathing feel foolish.
Why should it matter how he used her? She was already in his hands. Did she even have the right to feel hurt?
“Do I even have that right? At the very least, I should know what role I’m supposed to play.”
“So you’re saying you’ll behave like a trophy from now on?”
Chaido let out a dry laugh, as if the idea were absurd. Sehee bit her lip hard at the sound.
She’d misunderstood his kindness. She’d thought he might truly accept her as his wife.
He had never laid a finger on her, never looked at her with lust, never considered her a woman even for a moment.
But sometimes, his gaze was so warm that she couldn’t help but fall into it, as if they were lovers. As ridiculous as it sounded, there were moments she thought she could even love him.
It was simple, really. Why would someone like Chaido ever care for her? She was just the daughter of a traitor.
“Did someone you love die? Did she look like me? I didn’t think you had such a pathetic side. So what am I—if not a trophy, then a replacement? Do you hold me while thinking about her and get off on that?”
“You’re being rude.”
His eyes shifted subtly as he draped a coat over her shoulders. There was a faint, indescribable sadness in them.
Even in her anger, she feared incurring his wrath. As she hurled accusations, a part of her still trembled—because if he abandoned her, she would have nowhere left to go.
“…I…”
She’d thought she was good at controlling her emotions. She’d thought she could adapt to anyone. But all that resolve shattered before Chaido.
“…I trusted you…”
She covered her eyes, trying to stop the tears from spilling.
“I thought… you were treating me like a person…”
The pathetic one was her. She didn’t even know why she was saying these things to him.
Had she ever given him affection? To the man who had destroyed her father? Wasn’t that truly insane?
She didn’t want to be disowned. She didn’t want to be thrown out of this house. This time, she truly had nowhere to go. She was sick of being abandoned.
No matter how bitter or humiliating it felt, the only place left to cling to was Chaido. And that realization was unbearably cruel.
“…Yes. I’ll marry you, Chaido.”
She wiped her freshly fallen tears with her hand.
Today she finally understood—whether she was a substitute for a dead lover, a trophy, or a plaything, being Chaido’s wife was still far better than being tossed out into the streets.
“No—please marry me. It’s not like I have a choice anyway.”
Chaido had shown her the truth: this was the only way she could survive now.
“Help me…”
“……”
“I don’t care how you use me. I’ll do… everything… anything you say…”
Her sobs grew so intense she couldn’t speak properly. She let everything go and wept like a child.
“…I’ll do as I’m told…”
Her legs gave out beneath her. As she stumbled, maybe he saw someone else’s shadow overlap her figure.
Then Chaido wrapped a large hand around her waist and pulled her in—capturing her lips with his.
