Chapter : 04
The Pitiful Fate of Having to Live by Watching Other People’s Reactions
Sim Hoek snorted as she listened to Madam Ha’s words.
‘Does she think becoming a giant is that easy? Anyone listening to her would think giants are lying around everywhere for the taking.’
Even after Ha Jeo and his mother left, the atmosphere did not ease in the slightest. The wandering gazes of everyone present remained fixed on Sim Hoek, who felt as though thorns were growing all over her body.
However, Sim Hoek simply knelt before the coffin and silently burned paper offerings. No matter how eccentric her temperament was, she could not cause any more trouble in a situation like this. Nor could she stop Sim Gu from conducting the funeral.
The dynasty strictly adhered to family rites. A deceased person could only be buried after a son had broken an earthenware vessel. If the deceased had no descendants, the family would adopt a son, and in some cases, a nephew would be asked to serve as the chief mourner.
For women born in such an era, their circumstances were nothing short of harsh. Even if they were the deceased’s biological daughters, all they could do was stand at a distance and watch.
‘If I had a husband, I would have tried anything I could. But as things stand…’
Besides Sim Gu, Sim Hakmun had other sons as well. In the Sim family, everyone except Sim Oe had many children.
Sim Hoek alone, without any power, was incapable of standing against all of them. For now, she had to think only of peacefully seeing her father off on his final journey.
As the flames devoured the golden paper offerings and reduced them to ashes, a little color returned to the pale woman’s face.
‘Whatever else happens, as long as I remain alive, I will repay them slowly.’
At last, Sim Gu lifted the earthenware vessel high and smashed it onto the ground. With a shattering sound, fragments flew in every direction.
Cries rang out from all around.
Perhaps not a single person here was shedding genuine tears.
Sim Hoek’s heart ached terribly. She tried desperately to hold them back, but clear, hot tears eventually rolled down her cheeks.
The old master of ceremonies’ voice rang out.
“Time to depart!”
The funeral procession left the Sim residence, stopped by the embroidery workshop that belonged to the Sim family, and then climbed the mountain.
Although Sim Hoek’s legs had lost their strength, she endured until the very end. Even after all the funeral rites were completed, she remained alone by the grave for quite some time.
The people most familiar to her were buried here.
Sim Hoek bowed before her father’s and mother’s graves.
‘I am sorry that your daughter was so powerless. But today, here in this place, I swear this to you. As long as I draw breath, I will make sure they cannot live peacefully for even a single day. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that none of our Sim family’s businesses fall into the hands of others.’
Before long, the grave of her elder brother, Sim Chi, came into view.
Sim Hoek gave a lonely smile.
As dusk began to fall, Sim Hoek finally descended the mountain along the narrow path.
The snow continued to fall heavily without any sign of stopping.
Although Eui-chwi held an umbrella over her, it could not block the bitter cold. Before long, not only the hem of her skirt but even her shoes were soaked through, leaving her toes numb with cold.
After returning home, Sim Hoek eventually collapsed.
Bubble, bubble.
Eui-chwi was brewing medicinal decoction when she turned toward the window. Her expression immediately darkened.
A maid was leaving Wonrak after packing her belongings.
Eui-chwi strode after her.
“Where are you going?”
The maid, Joro, flinched in surprise, but then looked down at Eui-chwi without the slightest hesitation, acting as though she were the superior.
“I’ve decided to serve the First Madam from now on.”
Eui-chwi became furious.
“Has Young Miss ever treated you badly? Young Miss is still perfectly capable of ruling this household! And yet, just because you want to climb higher, you’re already watching people’s faces and currying favor with Madam?”
But Joro merely scoffed.
“She’s still capable of ruling this household? Young Miss has collapsed, but did First Madam ever send anyone to ask about her condition? If the Eldest Young Master hadn’t given permission, who in this household would have dared secretly summon a physician?”
Joro considered herself an exceptionally clever and wise person.
In her mind, it was only natural to weigh one’s gains and losses and change the master one served accordingly.
Rather than remain beside Sim Hoek as a first-class maid, she would be far better off sweeping the floor beside Miss Sim Seol.
Eui-chwi was so dumbfounded that she let out a hollow laugh.
“Fine. I won’t stop you, so get out!”
In Joro’s eyes, Eui-chwi was simply too foolish.
If she were in Eui-chwi’s position, instead of wasting her time brewing medicine, she would have abandoned Sim Hoek long ago and gone looking for a master to depend on.
Joro swaggered out of Wonrak under the envious gazes of the servants who had gathered after hearing the rumors.
Only then did the servants gather in small groups and whisper among themselves.
“Joro unni certainly has some nerve. I heard she’s involved with Old Madam Wang’s son.”
Old Madam Wang was one of Sim Seol’s people.
If one joined forces with Old Madam Wang in this household, one’s hardships would be over.
“Does Old Madam Wang have more than one son? I’m not bad-looking myself. I wonder if I could somehow—”
“Young Miss’s health is getting worse by the day. Didn’t the physician shake his head earlier and say that her vitality had already declined severely? They say that when Old Master was alive, he spared no expense on precious medicinal herbs. But now that First Madam rules the household, you know how things are.”
The most honored young lady of the Sim family had fallen from grace overnight and become the lowest-ranking person in the household.
Eui-chwi was so furious that she nearly snapped the fan she was gripping.
Sim Hoek knew nothing of what had happened in the courtyard.
She lay on the bed behind the hanging curtains.
Her forehead was burning like fire, while the only color on her otherwise pale face was the flush across her cheeks.
For a moment, she felt as though her body were floating.
In her half-conscious state, Sim Hoek was drawn by some mysterious force and sucked into the memories of her past.
There, Sim Hoek was seven years old, the beloved child who had all the affection of her family.
Her elder brother, Sim Chi, and her biological mother, Madam Sim Sun, were still alive.
“Yangyang, how did you end up getting sick again?”
A young boy had hurried back after hearing the news while he was studying at the academy.
The boy wore a light-colored nansam, the most common attire worn by scholars.
The servants gathered in the room all immediately knelt and respectfully greeted the boy, Sim Chi.
Sim Hoek spoke in a weak, barely audible voice.
“Big Brother.”
“Yes, it’s me.”
When Sim Chi sat down beside the bed, Sim Hoek raised herself and wrapped her short arms around his arm.
At that moment, she felt a sharp sting on her forehead.
Sim Chi had flicked her forehead with one of his long fingers.
“Feeling a little better now? Hurry and lie back down.”
But Sim Hoek did not loosen her grip. She stubbornly clung to Sim Chi.
Sim Chi gave a helpless chuckle, then gradually wiped the smile from his face and looked toward the servants prostrating themselves on the floor.
“How exactly have you been taking care of Young Miss?”
He did not raise his voice, but the stern words carried an unmistakable authority.
Sim Chi was only ten years old that year, but as the only son of the main branch, he held an honored position.
The servants, frightened, lowered their heads even further.
At that moment, Sim Hoek, who was three years younger than Sim Chi, complained in a coquettish voice.
“I deliberately kicked off my blanket while I was sleeping.”
Sim Hoek did not think she had done anything wrong. Instead, she pointed accusingly at Sim Chi and continued to complain.
“This is all because Father and Mother abandoned me and left.”
Sim Chi calmly explained the situation.
“You little rascal. There was a flood in Fengzhou, so business hasn’t been going well. Naturally, Father has been so busy that he barely has time to breathe. As for Mother, she went to Shengjing after hearing that a miraculous physician had appeared. Apparently, he’s a physician with quite a reputation for having an eccentric personality. Mother said she couldn’t bring herself to entrust you to someone else, so she went herself.”
Sim Hoek had been born with a weak constitution and had often fallen ill since childhood.
Once, she had suffered such a severe cold that even the physician could do nothing, and her life had been in danger.
Fortunately, she survived the crisis, but her family could never fully put their minds at ease.
Even after hearing Sim Chi’s explanation, Sim Hoek did not seem convinced and continued to sulk.
“Then what about you, Big Brother? You haven’t come home for so long! There’s no one here to fly kites with me!”
“Do you think your brother goes to the academy just to play and eat? If you want to fly a kite, fly one with Sim Chu.”
Sim Hoek puffed out her cheeks.
“Sim Chu is a concubine’s daughter, and she’s narrow-minded. Anyway, there’s a clear difference between a legitimate daughter and a concubine’s daughter. I don’t want to play with her.”
Sim Chi also had little interest in Sim Chu, who was not his full sister, but he knew he had to correct such improper behavior.
His tone became slightly more solemn.
“She may be a little slow-witted, but Sim Chu is still your younger sister. And besides, are you going to keep acting however you please when you can’t even take care of your own body? You deliberately caught a cold? Do you think I won’t scold you just because I dote on you? Yangyang, you’re already seven years old. It’s time you started behaving more sensibly.”
Sim Hoek’s eyes widened in surprise at his unexpected response.
“Are you teaching me proper conduct now?”
Before Sim Chi could even nod, Sim Hoek frowned as though she could not understand him at all and stared directly at her brother.
“Why do you think I need to know proper conduct?”
Sim Hoek, the legitimate daughter of the Sim family, was famous for being eccentric and arrogant.
Her life had always been smooth. She had received an abundance of love and had never experienced hardship.
After Sim Chi and Madam Sim Sun died unexpectedly, and Sim Oe suffered a serious illness, Sim Hoek was raised even more spoiled and willful.
Even later, when Sim Oe took Sim Seol as his second wife, he never allowed anyone to mistreat her.
Suddenly, the scene in the dream changed.
Sim Chi’s face transformed.
It became Sim Gu’s face.
His eyes gleamed sinisterly as he leaned slightly forward and gripped Sim Hoek’s chin tightly with one hand.
The pain in her chin made Sim Hoek bite her lips hard, forcing herself not to groan.
As though he found her reaction amusing, Sim Gu casually ran his finger across Sim Hoek’s pale lips and whispered coldly.
His voice resembled that of a snake flicking its tongue.
“Yangyang, you’d better listen to me carefully. My second uncle and I are being generous by choosing not to make an issue of the fact that you ran away today. There is already no one left in this world who will stand up for you. The daughter of the Sim family’s embroidery workshop in Fengzhou? Heh. From now on, you’re nothing more than a pitiful woman who has to live by constantly watching other people’s reactions.”
Sim Hoek could not believe that even the household servants had joined forces with them.
“Sim Gu, let go of me! You bastard who deserves divine punishment!”
Sim Gu gazed intently at Sim Hoek’s beautiful face with a look of pity.
She was clearly sick, and that only made her appear even more vulnerable, causing his heart to ache.
If the abacus master, Ju Jeong, had not pointed Sim Hoek out, Sim Gu would have hidden her away.
He wanted to chain her hands and feet with shackles that fit her perfectly in a dimly lit room, toy with her as he pleased, and satisfy his selfish desires.
Sim Gu let out a low sigh.
“Yangyang, you certainly know how to stir up my heart.”
BOOM!
At that very moment, a thunderclap loud enough to shatter the eardrums rang out outside.
Lightning tore across the sky, briefly illuminating Sim Hoek’s face as she remained trapped in fear and helplessness.
