Chapter : 05
I Cannot Tolerate Anything That Offends My Eyes
Sim Hwek suddenly opened her eyes on the bed.
Her heart was pounding as though it might burst. The scenes that had appeared before her eyes moments ago were clearly events she had experienced in her previous life, yet they had ensnared her like a nightmare.
Sim Hwek stared blankly at the ceiling. In an instant, a nauseating sensation seemed to coil around her entire body, and cold sweat broke out.
“Young Lady, did you have a nightmare?”
Ui Chwi helped Sim Hwek sit up and carefully placed a soft pillow behind her back. Afraid that Sim Hwek might be shocked, she spoke in the gentlest tone possible.
“The physician said that you were badly frightened, Young Lady, and that your body has become even weaker because you have been overworking yourself these past few days.”
Ui Chwi picked up the bowl of medicine from the table and handed it to her.
“It would be better if you drank it while it’s still warm.”
Sim Hwek accepted the bowl, its faint medicinal scent wafting toward her. It was a smell she was more than familiar with, yet for some reason, today it made her stomach churn, and she gagged.
“Urgh!”
Ui Chwi was startled and hurriedly asked,
“Young Lady, are you all right?”
Sim Hwek lowered her eyes and suddenly asked,
“Ui Chwi, do you remember when my older brother passed away?”
Ui Chwi’s expression darkened slightly.
“It has been two years since Young Master and Madam passed away.”
Two years.
Sim Hwek repeated the words silently to herself.
Time really had passed quickly.
“As I remember it, my older brother had a woman he loved deeply. He worked even harder at his studies because he intended to propose marriage to her.”
But things in this world did not always go as one wished, and half a year ago, that woman married someone else.
That day, a long wedding procession stretched through the streets, while the loud music of the wedding band echoed through the air.
Dressed in a red wedding gown and elaborately made up, she was as beautiful as a flower. It was the first time Sim Hwek had seen the woman, yet the woman could not take her eyes off Sim Hwek for quite some time.
It was as though she were seeing her former lover through Sim Hwek.
“Are you perhaps Young Master Sim’s younger sister?”
When Sim Hwek awkwardly nodded, the beautiful woman’s eyes reddened.
After seeing the wedding procession off, Sim Hwek could not contain her emotions. She went to Sim Chi’s grave, pulled out the weeds, and muttered incessantly.
“Miss Xiao got married today. I went in your place to see her. The groom wasn’t as handsome as you. I don’t know what his character is like, though.”
Yet no matter how much she talked, no answer came.
At that moment, Sim Hwek’s emotions surged. Her tearful voice echoed through the empty mountain forest.
“Brother, I really hate you! You liked that woman so much, didn’t you? Then you should have gone and stopped her! Don’t expect me to help you. I had no intention of helping you anyway.”
The years passed relentlessly, and after that, she could rarely bring herself to think about those old events.
Sim Hwek forced the thoughts that had surfaced in her mind away.
Just then, Ui Chwi informed her through clenched teeth that Jo Ro had left.
But Sim Hwek merely nodded indifferently.
“I see.”
“……?”
Rather than being relieved, Ui Chwi was upset by Sim Hwek’s indifferent reaction.
‘Young Lady must be enduring this because she cannot afford to make enemies right now. Even though she has been wronged, she has no choice but to endure it. When will this miserable life finally come to an end?’
The thought tore at her heart.
But Sim Hwek wore a faint smile before speaking in a voice that had turned cold.
“Let’s wait and see how well she gets along.”
She had no desire to hold onto someone who had given up on living as a decent human being and deliberately chosen to become Sim Seol’s dog.
“Get rid of this medicinal decoction. Just smelling it makes my stomach churn.”
She had been drinking that bitter decoction, bitter enough to numb her entire tongue, for years, yet her body had only grown weaker with each passing day.
So nothing would happen if she skipped it for one day.
Sim Hwek sneezed and spoke weakly.
“It’s chilly. Put some more charcoal in the brazier.”
But Ui Chwi merely stood there hesitantly.
Sim Hwek immediately realized what had happened.
“They say they won’t give us charcoal?”
Under Sim Hwek’s suspicious gaze, Ui Chwi had no choice but to reveal the truth, her eyes brimming with tears.
“Old Madam Wang, the steward serving the First Madam, came over and threw her weight around. She said the Old Master’s funeral had cost a lot of money, so they couldn’t give Young Lady any more charcoal and told us to fend for ourselves. But the First Madam’s quarters were as warm as spring. They were burning high-quality charcoal.”
Sim Seol’s methods were as despicable as ever.
As though she had merely been waiting for Sim Oe to leave, she had changed her attitude and begun tightening the noose around Sim Hwek.
“I was raised in luxury, so I can’t endure that kind of hardship. So she intends to torment me like this? They cut off my charcoal today, so perhaps tomorrow they’ll cut off my medicine as well.”
“Ui Chwi, sell the pearl Sim Gu gave me at a pawnshop and come back.”
Ui Chwi’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Young Lady, did you accept that gift intending to pawn it?”
Sim Hwek replied calmly,
“That fellow Sim Gu is not someone you can trust, but there isn’t a person in this world who would refuse silver. We need to get as much money for it as possible.”
Only then did Sim Hwek notice the dark circles beneath Ui Chwi’s eyes.
She sighed softly and added,
“Ui Chwi, you’ve been having a hard time lately. Oh, and go to the Tong’an Pawnshop. They have someone there who works until late.”
Ui Chwi understood what Sim Hwek was getting at, and her eyes lit up.
“Yes. I’ll go.”
After Ui Chwi withdrew, Sim Hwek sat there lost in thought.
In her previous life, consumed by grief after losing her father, she had not even considered standing up to Sim Seol. Unlike her usual self, she had obediently remained shut inside her room, doing nothing but lamenting her circumstances.
Sim Seol had considered her so powerless that she was not even worth exerting authority over.
But this time was different.
Sending Ui Chwi to the Tong’an Pawnshop was partly because they accepted customers until late, but more importantly, the shopkeeper there was loose-lipped and deeply chivalrous.
If Ui Chwi went there and merely poured out her grievances, rumors would spread throughout Fengzhou about how vicious the stepmother of the main branch of the Sim family was and how sinister her adopted son was.
Sim Hwek pulled the blanket over herself again.
Her body was clearly warm, yet for some reason, she kept shivering.
As Sim Hwek stared blankly into the air, her nose was red.
She looked like a pitiful child whom no one paid any attention to.
The next morning, several more maidservants left Sim Hwek’s courtyard through connections they had used to secure other positions.
Of course, those who remained were hardly diligent.
They frequently made excuses, slacked off, and idled around.
Ui Chwi was furious and finally lost her temper.
“The snow has piled up and blocked the entire path. Aren’t you going to clear it? Do I have to beg you before you’ll pick up a broom? Who went to get Young Lady’s breakfast? If you don’t want to work in this courtyard, then all of you can leave! Do you think you’re the masters of this place?”
The servants gathered around Madam Xu and exchanged glances.
Madam Xu, who had never been one to speak politely, now strutted around as though she were someone important.
“Ui Chwi, what exactly do you mean by that? If the Young Lady, whose health is already poor, hears you, she might be frightened and collapse. And if something happens again, wouldn’t we have to ask the Young Master to call a physician?”
Madam Xu swept her gaze around before continuing.
“Jo Ro used to take care of breakfast. If Jo Ro was late, the kitchen would send it over on its own. Now that no one is taking care of the Young Lady’s breakfast, it seems the Sim family doesn’t care about our courtyard at all.”
At that moment, one timid servant hurriedly grabbed a shovel and began clearing the snow piled along the path.
Madam Xu snorted when she saw this.
“What are you all so afraid of? All the guests have already returned home, and even the head steward isn’t here. Do you really think this paper tiger of a Young Lady would dare confront the First Madam? Just wait and see what happens from now on.”
Meanwhile, Sim Hwek, who had awakened early because of the commotion outside, rubbed her sleepy eyes and thought for a moment before getting up and changing into her mourning clothes.
Creak.
Just as Ui Chwi was about to raise her voice again, the door opened.
Sim Hwek stepped out of the room. She casually looked at the branches drooping under the weight of the snow and let out a faint chuckle.
Sim Chi and Madam Sim Sun had died so suddenly that they had not left Sim Hwek even a single trustworthy confidant.
Afterward, Sim Seol had quietly replaced the servants working in Sim Hwek’s courtyard one after another.
Madam Xu trusted only Sim Seol, who had sent her here, and thus behaved arrogantly and recklessly.
Sim Hwek, having lost all her power and fallen into such terrible luck that she could break her nose even when falling backward, was now being ignored even by the servants who were supposed to serve her.
But even if she had fallen from grace, Sim Hwek had vowed that she would never stand by and watch those living in this residence enjoy peaceful lives.
There was no way she would tolerate insults from the servants beneath her.
“Ui Chwi, go and call a yapo.”
Her voice was quiet, yet more than enough to send a chill down their spines.
Seeing Sim Hwek’s expression turn cold and composed, Ui Chwi’s heart dropped.
The servants instantly went pale as well.
Sim Hwek continued in an icy voice,
“I cannot tolerate anything that offends my eyes. I will deal with all of you first, and when the opportunity arises, Jo Ro, who betrayed her master, will pay the price as well.”
Upon receiving Sim Hwek’s order, Ui Chwi straightened her back proudly and hurried off to summon the yapo.
Only then did the remaining servants stare helplessly at Ui Chwi’s retreating figure as she walked away along the path that had just been cleared of snow.
“Young Lady, surely you aren’t going to sell us off?”
Sim Hwek looked at the servant who had asked the question and gave him a satisfied smile, as though praising him for being quick-witted.
The servants were so frightened that they could barely breathe.
The fate of a servant sold away from a great household was miserable, and there was little hope of a good future.
Madam Xu, on the other hand, stood calmly, occasionally glancing at the sickly Sim Hwek before letting out a contemptuous snort.
“What are you all so afraid of? The mistress of this household is the First Madam. Even if the Young Lady had the ability to do such a thing, how could she possibly sell us off? I’ll go straight to the First Madam and tell her about this.”
But Sim Hwek truly could sell them off.
As she watched Madam Xu walk away, there was not the slightest trace of hesitation in Sim Hwek’s eyes.
In her previous life, these servants had fawned over Sim Gu and pocketed money from him. They had not only turned their backs on all the years they had spent together, but had also helped imprison Sim Hwek.
Led by Madam Xu, they had hurled all kinds of vicious insults at her and pushed her toward the edge of the cliff.
Sim Hwek still remembered it vividly.
She remembered the sight of Madam Xu greedily biting into a silver ingot while giving her a sinister smile.
“Young Lady, I know things may seem complicated because Master Ju Pan is the father of Second Madam, but do you know how many women are lining up to become his concubines? Why are you never satisfied? Who would want to marry someone as sickly as you? Who knows? If you win Master Ju Pan’s favor, you might receive all kinds of precious medicinal herbs and live a little longer.”
Back then, aside from Ui Chwi, no one had helped Sim Hwek.
So why should she go out of her way to give these people a chance to survive?
Ignoring the servants’ gazes, Sim Hwek went back into her room.
