The Love They Never Had

I almost ran to my bedroom when the servants announced his arrival just as I had thrown a winter themed dinner party for the month of December. I was aware of Seon-Ho's feelings about not wanting to do such things and becoming a part of the nobility class again, but that was his problem. I was and have been thankful to him for getting out of the brothel and giving me a roof over my head, clothes on my back and food on my plate. But I had plans for my future, plans that could no longer get by on his meagre salary. As high as his position was in the palace, he was bringing home probably 1/4 of his salary and he was determined to live like the Seo's did. They only used their money when necessary and saved the rest for god only knows what when Seon-Ho already knew what my daily expenses were. It was he who refused to let me out his home, it was he who refused to marry me despite the promises that he had made and the love he had for me that surpassed all of his old childhood bonds that were holding him back from his true potential. Chun-Ae, the Lady Min, and every other woman who had tried to come between us...I never thought that I would admit to this, but they were right. Seon-Ho really was capable of doing so much more than what he was doing, as long as he had the right guidance. Why else did he think I was spending so much money on mingling with our neighbours? Buying their children presents? Being charitable during the harsh seasons? Seo Yeon wasn't the only woman in the world who knew how to look after other's around her and have those same people repay her the timely favours that they owed her. I had long possessed a keen eye for talent, skill and reading what people wanted and desired before she was even born. Every skill that she possessed today came from myself when I foolishly taught her everything I knew with her best interests at heart, only for her to turn her back on me and leave me behind in the dust whilst she rose to fame as one of the most infamous women of our era just like her father was...

Her brother, Seo Hwi was different though, he was nothing like her at all. Out of all the men that I had come across, he was the least scheming, less complicated and most easy going men with a clean and pure heart that I had ever come across. But I lost him, years ago, all due to a misunderstanding that Seon-Ho caused. He was the most unadulterated person in my circle and I had always loved him from the moment I had set my eyes on him...from the moment that we set eyes on each other. But Nam Seon-Ho, just like his father, always took whatever he wanted without thinking it through. And despite his handsome face, he was never a well-liked person due to his birthright. He wasn't the only half-breed between a concubine slave and a noble person, but he was the only one accused of the murder of his older legitimate brother to take over his place in his father's household, only to be despised to him and the rest of the village. He had been a scheming lowlife from the day he was born and I was only sorry that his slave of a mother didn't take him in her arms and suffocate him the day that she showed up dead outside of his door the next day after his father was forced to acknowledge him since Seon-Ho was now his only heir. I had doubts about her death for a while, but since she was a slave, then nobody cared about her existence at all. But the problem that I had was the fact that she left the monster of our village to roam wherever he wanted when he knew full well that nobody wanted anything to do with him expect the Seo's, and he even managed to give them up just for me...

"The young master has arrived home." "Very well. And by the way, I have told you time and time again to address me as the young mistress..." "I will address you how the young master wishes for me to address you, since he is the one who pays me." "You bitch! How dare you insult your superior! You..." I went to slap her, but this girl instead caught my arm and had the nerve to push me onto the floor! I had never seen anything like it! At least back in the brothel that I grew up in, I could handle all sorts of women by the hateful, but this particular servant was right, I didn't own her, I didn't own any property or money, I didn't even have a single servant by my side. I had nobody apart from Seon-Ho, and he made sure of that. And Yeon had turned my only childhood best friend against me and took her for herself because she didn't have anybody that she could trust around her, leaving me all alone with the devil who wanted to use me and abuse me just like he did to everyone else! And I was tired of it.

"Servants! Break up this foolish fight once and for all!" His deep voice bellowed throughout the entire household and in an instant, I was the one who was being held down by my arms when that little lowborn rat practically ran into my man's arms as if she was a child! What was wrong with him? Why did he always favour the lowborn so publicly and choose them over the people who could actually do something for him and help to build up his career and wealth instead of staying in the same place all of the time. But of course, he couldn't see that and he actually had the gall to be angry at me!

"What is wrong with you! Why are you insulting the maids who look after you and give you the prestige that you are so desperate for!" "Are you joking? She was rude to me! Why else would I loose my temper over her!" "Young master, please forgive me! I only informed her of your arrival and she shouted at me for not addressing a whore like her as the young mistress!" "Whore? Whore? Who are you calling a whore you lowlife..." 'the one who was brought up in a brothel is the whore. That was that everyone at the party was laughing about behind your back whilst they purposefully ate all of the food and used up all of the charcoal so you could beg them for more resources like you have done when the master is away at work! More than once!" "Are you being serious?" You...you go through my money like water and you have the nerve to...beg everyone around us like you are the lowborn that you were born to be, no matter what ticks you pull to seduce men like me!" "You! I seduced you! Me? You lowlife jerk..."

"Young Master, she knew exactly where I have come from for weeks now and she tortures me every single time that you go to the brothel..." "What? What did she say? Where did you just come from?" "You are so cruel to hit the servants..." "Stop changing the subject! Who is she talking about? Where does she come from? And where have you been going all of this time when you say that you are going to work! Where!" "...you jealous, desperate and pitiful little minx! How dare you harm anyone around you! Who are you? Who do you think you are? These maids come from good family's and you? How about you? Where do you come from? Do you even know who your father is after your mother..." "Don't you dare bring up my mother!" "...your prostitute of a mother, just like mine was! What position do you have to threaten anyone when you are no different from her! From both of them!" "What...what are you...how dare you...insult me? I..." Mistress Jee does not deserve her position in this household and she is no longer welcome to set foot here!"

No, this couldn't be happening right now! What exactly was going on? Was he...throwing me out? Was he done with me? Did he find out something? But before I could even ask me, he just confined me to my bedroom whilst he and his little tramp of a servant that I had very little knowledge about, and I was left on my own to deal with my own shock and confusion. But I could still hear their conversation right outside of my room where I was now sure that the maid had set up something or exposed one of my secrets to him to turn him against me in my own home! The home that I had worked so hard to achieve, the only home that I had and now...was I going to loose it all to a maid? A maid who was younger than myself when I first met him? Was that her only appeal to him?

"Young Master? Thank you so much for saving me from..." "it doesn't matter just stay out of her way from now on." "Young master, you haven't eaten yet have you? Let me serve you..." I could hear the flirtatious intentions in her voice from a mile away and I suddenly stared banging on the door and shouting out for him to come back to me before he fell for her wiles. She wasn't the first young woman to throw herself at him and I knew that she wasn't going to be the last.

"Young Master? Young Master? What are you doing? Why are you..." "I know exactly who you are and who sent you to my household all those years ago. I know exactly what you have been doing and the only reason why I have been putting up with it and not saying anything is because I have no issue with what it was that you were sent here for. And that is also why I have been paying more attention to you than any other maid or woman that I have from the moment you stepped foot here." "Y-young master?" "Do not be fearful of me, I am not the monster that everyone makes me out to be. I will let you have your say before I interrogate you." "I..." "Servants! Clean up this maid and get her ready for service!I want her ready in an hour!"

That bastard! That adulterer! How dare he go back on his promises to me of staying faithful to me and never taking in any concubines at all, he was actually showing off that he was going to sleep with the maid! A penniless orphan girl? How was she any different to...