📢 Loves Points Top Up is Closed Until it Fixed

    Discord

    Peok, peok, the sharp, tearing sounds filled the courtyard, and the male servants, unable to bear watching the dreadful scene, shut their mouths tight and lowered their heads. The flogging, which had gone on for some time, finally stopped, and Madam Han, standing before them with her anger simmering, shouted sharply.

    “How dare a lowly thing like you harm our precious Seunghun!”

    Her fierce, ear-splitting voice continuously tore at his eardrums. Blood from his head flowed into his mouth, and a metallic taste lingered between his teeth. He had to answer that it wasn’t true, but his mind kept growing hazy, as if a deep slumber was washing over him.

    “Did Hyowon make you do it?”

    “…N-No, Madam.”

    The sound of that precious name brushing past his ears made Yoonyi squeeze out every last bit of his strength to finally answer.

    “Then how did this happen!”

    “Th-That is…”

    “Seeing as you can’t answer, it seems you haven’t had enough of a beating yet. What are you all doing? Get on with it.”

    He himself had no way of knowing what had happened. As Yoonyi’s lips merely gaped in the air like a goldfish, Madam Han flew into a rage and gestured with her eyes to the strong men holding the clubs. They once again swarmed in and mercilessly beat Yoonyi’s body, which was wrapped in a straw mat.

    “Keut…!”

    Pain, as if every joint in his body was shattering, wrapped around his entire being. Even so, Yoonyi clenched his teeth, determined not to scream. Veins stood out starkly on his smooth forehead.

    “Oh, Madam. Please, calm your anger. This boy Yoonyi surely didn’t do it on purpose.”

    “What? Gatekeeper, are you saying that I am making a fuss over nothing?”

    “Heavens, of course not. It’s just that I fear he might truly die at this rate…”

    Unable to watch any longer, the Gatekeeper prostrated himself on the ground, pleading with tears. However, it was not enough to sway Madam Han’s heart, which was already frozen colder than a winter month.

    “Old man, get out…! Not now.”

    Another male servant roughly dragged the Gatekeeper away by both arms. Tears welled in the old man’s eyes.

    “…Yoonyi.”

    Just then, Hyowon, who had just entered the courtyard, finally witnessed the scene unfolding before him.

    “Y-Yoona.”

    Dried bloodstains were splattered everywhere like dye. Like a man who had lost his mind, Hyowon slowly closed the distance. The once-slender face was so swollen it was hard to recognize, and dark purple bruises rose fiercely on the fine skin. How could something like this have happened in the short time he was away? He was so utterly dumbfounded that no words would come out.

    “Y-Yoona, how… Please, open your eyes.”

    At the warm voice brushing past his ear, Yoonyi, wrapped in the straw mat, barely managed to lift his eyelids. His once-clear eyes were clouded from the severe beating, unable to even focus.

    “…Y-Young Master.”

    Faced with a voice that was more like a metallic rasp, it felt as if a ball of fire boiling up from his core was scorching his entire chest. Unable to hide the surging rage, Hyowon stared directly at Madam Han.

    “Hah? What do you think you’re going to do, staring at me like that?”

    “Mother, what is the meaning of this…”

    But as their eyes met, his furious gaze quickly lost its momentum and fell downward.

    “It is merely that this lowly creature harmed Seunghun, so I was disciplining him sternly.”

    At the sight of him, like a terrified young dog tucking its tail between its legs, the corners of Madam Han’s mouth twisted slightly.

    “Even so, how could you… to a person…”

    Faced with Madam Han’s imposing demeanor, his not-yet-fully-grown body lost its nerve and flinched. Reflected in his tear-filled eyes was the image of Yoonyi, barely breathing, looking as if his faint life could be extinguished at any moment.

    “Did you say a person? What if this lowly thing did it with other intentions in the first place?”

    “Th-That’s impossible, Mother. Yoonyi is not someone who could ever harbor such cruel thoughts. He must have been clumsy looking after the child, that must be it.”

    Hyowon frantically shook his head and pleaded. There was no connection between Yoonyi and his younger brother to begin with. There must be some kind of misunderstanding.

    “Are you then saying that I am insisting on something that didn’t happen, that I am being unreasonable?”

    Her tone sharpening even more, Madam Han slowly approached and stood before Hyowon. His lowered gaze saw only the hem of her red skirt.

    “I did not mean that, Mother…”

    “Then what did you mean? Speak.”

    As if facing a great, insurmountable mountain, he simply could not open his mouth. Madam Han, scoffing, pressed him even more harshly.

    “It’s nothing, Mother. I-I am sorry. Please forgive me.”

    Suddenly, his downcast eyes caught sight of the gasping Yoonyi. His pale complexion looked as precarious as a candle in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment. There was no good in dragging this out any longer. If he were to turn into a fox here, in front of everyone, the aftermath would be something he could never handle. His clenched fists trembled. Hyowon cast aside all his pride and dropped to his knees.

    “Y-Young Master…”

    Suni, watching this, couldn’t say a word and covered her mouth.

    “Are you admitting that you failed to control your servant?”

    “Yes, Mother. I will also instruct him well from now on…”

    “Now how am I supposed to take this.”

    Kkiiik— With the sound of an old hinge, Lord Kim’s wrinkled eyes trembled faintly as he slowly walked in. As if to assess the situation, he slowly looked around.

    “My Lord! This lowly thing hurt our Seunghun. So I was punishing him a little, and this boy, well!”

    As if she had been waiting, Madam Han quickly ran to Lord Kim’s side and stood close. At that, the worry on his wrinkled face deepened. In the midst of the chaos, Hyowon dared not even lift his head.

    “Wife, you too should maintain your dignity.”

    “…My Lord? What did you just say.”

    Lord Kim, who had only been sighing, finally spoke. Contrary to her expectation that he would fly into a rage, her husband’s overly calm demeanor made Madam Han’s eyes tremble violently.

    “And get rid of that boy immediately.”

    “F-Father. W-Where do you mean to get rid of Yoonyi?”

    Hyowon, who had been dazed by the bone-chilling command, crawled on his knees like a madman and clung to Lord Kim’s trousers.

    “What are you doing now.”

    Lord Kim looked down at Hyowon with blade-sharp eyes. At his icy gaze, like a blade slicing through flesh, the corners of Madam Han’s lips finally lifted ever so slightly.

    “F-Father, I will talk to Yoonyi. So please allow me to take him to the small detached quarters.”

    “Did she not say that he harmed Seunghun?”

    His snow-white skin turned deathly pale, as if he would faint at any moment. Hyowon trembled pitifully, clinging to Lord Kim’s calves and begging. Even so, Lord Kim, as chillingly cold as a winter wind, showed no sign of wavering.

    “I will investigate that matter in detail and report back to you.”

    Tears looked ready to fall from his red, swollen eyes at any moment. Hyowon swallowed a sob again and again.

    “Report back? Are you saying I made things up!”

    Madam Han’s cool expression twisted horribly, followed by a roar that thundered through the front yard.

    “No, Mother, th-that is not what I meant…”

    Hyowon shook his head frantically and looked at Lord Kim with desperate eyes. Lord Kim, ignoring that desperate gaze, shook off his hand and crossed the courtyard. With devastated eyes, Hyowon stared blankly at his ruthless father’s receding back.

    “Madam, shall we continue the beating?”

    Once Lord Kim had left, the man holding the club abruptly stepped forward and asked.

    “No, you will not!”

    Hyowon shielded Yoonyi with his entire body. The gathered people, unable to face the devastating reality any longer, turned their heads away.

    “That’s enough. We will stop here for today.”

    A faint smile spread across Madam Han’s face. She turned her back and headed for the inner quarters. Her departing steps seemed incredibly relieved.

    “Yoonyi, Yoonyi, please come to your senses. …Huh?”

    As the presence of people faded one by one, Hyowon finally let out the breath that had risen to his throat and carefully unwrapped the straw mat from his body. His body temperature had dropped significantly, making him colder than usual.

    “Aigoo, how could she be so cruel…”

    “It’s understandable. He did hurt the young master she doted on so much.”

    “Is this a spectacle for you all!”

    As a few of the lower servants still lingered, muttering amongst themselves, Suni glared and shouted loudly. At her fierce demeanor, the gathered people said, “Let’s go, let’s go,” and slowly dispersed.

    “Young Master, I’ve brought Manseok orabeoni.”

    “L-Let’s go to the room.”

    Manseok quickly lifted the body, which hung limp like a waterlogged cotton ball, onto his back and ran to the quarters.

    🎐⋆。🍥

    “Orabeoni, lay him here.”

    The battered body was carefully laid down on a neatly spread yo mattress.

    “Yoonyi! Are you conscious?”

    “…Young Master.”

    Hyowon held the limp hand that hung below and kept speaking to him. At that, the closed eyelids rolled up and the lips parted with difficulty.

    “Do you recognize me?”

    “O-Of course.”

    His fair skin was stained and blotchy with tears. Seeing his pitiful state, as if he would break at any moment, Yoonyi’s heart grew heavy, and he forced the corners of his mouth to curl up.

    “You don’t have to force a smile like that. You must be in pain as it is.”

    “…Are you unharmed, Young Master?”

    Yoonyi blinked slowly, then raised his eyes to stare at Hyowon, from the top of his head to his slender jawline.

    “Am I the problem right now?”

    “That’s a relief.”

    Hyowon quietly ground his molars at the sight of him worrying about him instead. Only then did Yoonyi, barely catching his short breath, slowly close his eyes.

    “Y-Yoonyi!”

    Startled, Hyowon leaned his waist far forward and stroked the face with the closed eyes with both hands. Perhaps because the searingly hot body temperature had spread throughout his body, Yoonyi could no longer regain consciousness.

    “It seems he’s fallen asleep.”

    Suni spoke as if to calm him. But his heart, which felt like it would break through his ribs, could not be easily calmed. The anger he had buried deep inside surged up. More than anything, the fact that he could do nothing even in this situation made him so furious he couldn’t stand it.

    As time passed, the small face swelled up as if it had just been pulled from the water, looking wretched. The dark blue bruises turned purple, making him look mottled as if he had caught smallpox. How could anyone do this to a person? His tightly clenched hands turned pale.

    “Young Master, I think his bone might be broken… You should call a physician.”

    Suni frantically wiped his body with a hot, wet towel. Manseok, who had been watching silently, continued with a serious face.

    “…What?”

    “Ointment won’t be enough.”

    Hyowon’s gaze slowly shifted. Manseok quietly pointed to the left leg. Unlike the right, which was as thin as a tree branch, it was swollen to twice the size, blunt like a laundry bat.

    “…I’ll be back in a moment.”

    “Where are you going?”

    At Suni’s question, Hyowon just showed a bitter smile.

    “Y-Young Master…?”

    “Take care of Yoonyi.”

    Hyowon slowly got up and walked out to the wooden porch. In the charming courtyard, Makgae stood alone.

    “What are you doing there?”

    Where had he been all this time, to show up now? Hyowon furrowed his brow.

    “Yes? No, that is, I was worried too…”

    “He will be fine, so go back.”

    All emotion was wiped from his tear-stained face like a mirage. As long as he stayed in this house, could he guarantee that something like this wouldn’t happen again? He needed power to protect Yoonyi. With a hardened face, Hyowon passed through the side gate.

    🎐⋆。🍥

    “Honestly, this one and that one, all the children I have are like this…”

    Lord Kim, alone in his room, panted heavily and grumbled fiercely. Today’s incident was surely orchestrated to break the spirit of the now-grown Hyowon. Since he had backed down like this, there would be no more trouble from behind.

    But that Hyowon fellow, he was like that when he was little, too. Who did he take after to be so timid? To think a man would show tears over a mere servant. Just when he was starting to think he was becoming useful, he felt like his insides would explode.

    “Is anyone there? Go and fetch me a bowl of cold water!”

    Unable to overcome his surging anger, Lord Kim shouted harshly towards the other side of the door.

    “My Lord. The elder young master has arrived, what should I do?”

    “Hyowon?”

    The servant, with a very troubled look on his face, hesitantly entered. It was rare for him to come on his own accord, so a question arose in Lord Kim’s eyes as he glanced towards the paper screen.

    “…Let him in.”

    After a moment’s hesitation, Lord Kim reluctantly moved his lips.

    “Did your mother finally tell you to throw that lowly thing out?”

    Hyowon, who always entered with his eyes on the ground, strode inside without any hesitation for some reason. At this, Lord Kim tilted his head and asked.

    “…No.”

    A still-fragile voice echoed softly. He had expected him to plead with tears not to throw away the lowly creature, but Hyowon’s face was more composed than ever. Suddenly, Lord Kim’s eyes narrowed.

    “I wish to take the military examination.”

    “Is that true?”

    Hyowon knelt down flat before Lord Kim. At the unexpected words, Lord Kim, who had been lounging, pulled himself up to sit straight.

    “…Now that you’ve made up your mind, I suppose you’re finally coming to your senses.”

    His thick, dark eyebrows shot up over his forehead. Lord Kim couldn’t take his eyes off Hyowon. When stared at so intently, the boy who would usually shrink his shoulders in like he’d seen a tiger, for some reason, met his gaze without backing down. His jet-black, sunken eyes were even serene, as if he had let go of everything.

    “As you said, I will take the military examination, and from now on, I will never bring shame upon the family.”

    “Seeing you like this, it seems there is something you want.”

    There was not a single tremor in his calm voice. Lord Kim squinted one eye as if to size him up.

    “…Please call a physician.”

    “Hah? You’ve acted so desire-free your whole life, and now you’re doing this because of that one lowly thing?”

    Suddenly, a hollow laugh escaped from between Lord Kim’s teeth. He leaned his upper body back leisurely, as if he had lost interest.

    “To me, Yoonyi is not just a lowly thing. My teacher said Tasaengjiyeon (a bond from a past life), that even the most trivial of relationships are formed by a deep bond from a past life. How can I so easily cast aside someone I have been so close to?”

    How could he dismiss Yoonyi as a mere lowly thing? To Hyowon, Yoonyi was the only escape from this suffocating place, a friend, and the object of his first affection. The image of that bruised face kept floating before his eyes. Hyowon calmly replied, barely swallowing his welling tears and anger.

    Tasaengjiyeon, is that truly all you desire?”

    “If I may dare to ask for one more thing…”

    Lord Kim lit his long pipe and took a deep drag. As the tobacco leaves burned, a hazy white smoke rose up. It was a peculiar habit of his when he was deep in thought. The silence seemed to stretch on, and Hyowon’s fists, resting neatly on his thighs, finally relaxed.

    “I too will thoroughly manage my servants, so I would appreciate it if you would never again treat my people so carelessly as you did today.”

    “Alright. I will relay that much to the inner quarters.”

    The puppy who always trembled in fear had, overnight, become a rather dignified tiger. Lord Kim couldn’t hide his satisfaction. A smile naturally spread across his wrinkled face. He replied all too readily.

    “…Thank you, Father.”

    Hyowon dropped his head impassively, like a person with no emotions. Lord Kim, with a slightly strange expression, rummaged through a drawer and pushed a silk pouch onto the desk.

    “This is…?”

    Hyowon stared blankly at the fine silk pouch placed before him.

    “Didn’t you say you were calling a physician? Must I call one for you myself?”

    “No, I will take my leave then.”

    “Will you continue your training with Master Choi?”

    There was no reason to stay here any longer. Hyowon quickly stood up, bowed his head, and turned his back without any lingering attachment. Just as his straight back was about to create some distance, Lord Kim, as if possessed, spoke again.

    “I would like to.”

    “Fine, do as you please.”

    “However, I would appreciate it if you would give me some time for now.”

    After a moment’s hesitation, Hyowon managed to move his lips with difficulty. He simply couldn’t leave Yoonyi as he was.

    “I will do so. I will send a separate message to Master Choi’s house.”

    Lord Kim nodded his head and slowly scanned Hyowon’s entire body, from head to toe. Every time his fierce gaze landed on him, his hesitant eyes wavered powerlessly. His fidgeting hands, too, showed that he was still far from being a complete tiger, nothing more than a novice. But when cornered, even a mouse will bite a cat, and there was nothing to be gained by pushing him further.

    Note

    This content is protected.