Even My Life Is Yours Chapter 98

“You don’t have to walk me back anymore.”

“I am not coming out to walk you back. I am coming out to get some fresh air.”

Sure, whatever you say. Even as Hongyo said that, he secretly liked the time spent returning to the dormitory with Jeonghwan. At first, it had felt a bit burdensome, but he was grateful to Jeonghwan for consistently walking him back to the dormitory whenever it was late, even after his return to Hwayeonggyeong. They say nothing is more terrifying than getting used to something; now, when it was time to return to the dormitory after finishing official duties, he would find himself staring blankly at Jeonghwan. Then, noticing that gaze, Jeonghwan would pretend not to notice and say he should go out for a walk, leaving the office together with Hongyo.

Today was one of those days as well. It was while they were returning, sharing silly jokes with Jeonghwan. Suddenly, Jeonghwan stopped walking. Standing beside him, Hongyo, who had been chattering away about the events of the day, turned his head along with his gaze. A fight was taking place in front of the dormitory. Although, to call it a fight, it was nothing more than someone being one-sidedly beaten. Hongyo watched Yeoryeong, who was just taking the beating quietly as he was being picked on. His expressionless face was as powerless as if he had given up on everything. He had worn that exact face ever since he returned. When Hongyo remained silent, Jeonghwan moved his steps toward them. However, Hongyo was faster.

“I will handle it.”

Jeonghwan looked back at Hongyo. On the day Hongyo had returned unconscious, it was said that Yeoryeong was also among Jang Daeho’s pack. Jeonghwan still could not understand why Yeoryeong had acted that way. He could not fathom what a discerning and clever lad hoped to gain, to the point of even betraying his friend, by committing such an act. He prided himself on being quite a good judge of character, but Gu Yeoryeong was still difficult to know. He could only infer, judging by the contents of the reports and the situation at the time, the fact that he had been entangled with Jang Daeho since before entering Hwayeonggyeong.

However, that was not what mattered right now. Jeonghwan looked at Hongyo with a face of genuine concern.

“You don’t have to overdo it. If it’s uncomfortable, I will settle it on my end.”

He had known for a while that the harassment directed toward Gu Yeoryeong these days was gradually crossing the line. No matter how entangled he was with Jang Daeho’s pack, there was a certain boundary. Especially when looking at the humans who were not even close to Hongyo, yet used Hongyo’s name, pretending it was for his sake when it was actually nothing more than venting their anger, an unbearable disgust surged within him. Therefore, he intended to handle the excessive harassment by issuing a warning on his end soon. However, Hongyo firmly shook his head.

“This is something I have to do. And I also have something to say to Gu Yeoryeong.”

Hongyo still had not heard from Gu Yeoryeong why he had betrayed him that day. He needed to know the reason to either forgive him or mind his own business, would he not? At Hongyo’s attitude, Jeonghwan eventually nodded his head reluctantly.

“If anything should happen, be sure to call for me.”

“I understand. I shall do so, so please go on in, Commander. I will see you tomorrow then.”

Bowing at the waist to give a greeting, Hongyo walked toward the crowd. Jeonghwan watched that figure anxiously. He is a full-grown adult, yet strangely, whenever he looks at Yeo Hongyo, he feels like a child left by the water. However, there is a time when he must step forward and a time when he must simply believe. Jeonghwan watched Hongyo’s receding back, then turned his steps and headed back to his office.

“Stop it.”

A crowd loitering in front of the dormitory was kicking the collapsed Yeoryeong, completely unaware that Hongyo had arrived. Watching Yeoryeong just taking the blows without throwing a single counterattack, Hongyo stepped between them and roughly shoved the fellow who appeared to be the ringleader.

“I told you to stop.”

Then, glaring as if to ask what kind of bastard he was, the fellow stopped kicking upon seeing Hongyo. Then he conversely raised his voice.

“The Vice Commander has quite a strong stomach. Protecting a fellow like that? Rather, shouldn’t you be grateful since I am doing what the Vice Commander cannot do due to his dignity?”

Looking closely, this fellow was someone who had flattered Jang Daeho in hopes of becoming part of his new pack, only to be roundly ignored. From the look of it, he seemed to be venting that anger onto Yeoryeong. Hongyo silently stared at the fellow who was sneering wildly. Showing anger to a fellow like that would only have the opposite effect.

“I will make the judgment myself. Don’t use my name to vent your pointless anger, and get lost.”

At those words, the fellow’s face turned flushed with rage. When the huffing fellow finally even raised his fist, the men beside him held him back. Hongyo watched the pack leading the fellow away, then turned his head toward Yeoryeong.

“Get up. How long are you going to stay sprawled out?”

Then, Yeoryeong, who had been lying prostrate, brushed himself off and stood up. Hongyo stared at Yeoryeong, who was looking blankly at him like a person wishing for some kind of sentence to be handed down. His face, stripped of its always playful smile, was entirely empty starting from his gaze. It was a look that was not like Yeoryeong at all. Hongyo stared at such a frustrating Yeoryeong and spoke.

“Let’s go inside first.”

Hongyo moved his steps toward the dormitory. Fortunately, Yeoryeong followed him quietly. Even if he wanted to, it was the room right next door, so there was nowhere to run anyway. Even when he was in the dormitory, there had been no sign of life as if he were dead or alive, and it seemed he had been entering while deadening even his footsteps like this. Pathetic bastard.

Hongyo stopped in front of Yeoryeong’s room. Then, as if he had intended to flee, the fellow showed a noticeably flustered face.

“Open it.”

“…Why.”

“What do you mean why? We have things to talk about.”

Then Yeoryeong reluctantly opened the door. Hongyo, who used to frequent Yeoryeong’s room regularly at one time, stepped inside familiarly. However, it had never been as clean as it was now. No, rather than clean, the inside of the room looked exactly as it did when he first moved in, as if it had been empty from the very beginning.

“Why is the room like this?”

At those words, Yeoryeong hesitated for a long while before opening his mouth.

“I intend to leave Hwayeonggyeong.”

In an instant, he felt the anger he had barely been holding back surge violently. This guy is thinking of running away first. Clenching his fists tightly, Hongyo opened his mouth.

“Fine. Even if you leave, let’s get hit once first.”

And with that, he threw a fist just like that. Whether he had not expected Hongyo to act this way despite the kind warning, his head where the fist landed turned helplessly. As Yeoryeong stared with a dumbfounded face, Hongyo, shaking out his fist once, spoke.

“What, you go around getting thrashed by bastards you don’t even need to feel sorry toward, so did you think I would just let it slide?”

His anger was still not appeased. Hongyo gave one more warning to Yeoryeong, who was staring stupidly at him.

“Clench your teeth.”

The second fist that landed was even more fierce than the previous one. Yeoryeong spat out blood-mixed saliva. Only now did Hongyo feel like having a conversation. He did not know if the other party would want to have a conversation, but if he did not want to, all he had to do was make it so.

“Why did you do it?”

The one who had handed over his ornament to Jang Daeho that day was Yeoryeong. Hongyo still could not understand such a Yeoryeong.

“I even tried to understand you, you know? I thought there must have been some circumstance. But no matter how much I think about it, I don’t know, which is why I am asking, so speak straight. Weren’t you my friend?”

However, no matter how long he waited, there was absolutely no answer from Yeoryeong. As the silence stretched, Hongyo’s face also hardened coldly. Ultimately turning his back, Hongyo grasped the doorknob.

“If I walk out this door right now, I have to spend the rest of my life resenting you. Every time I see you, I will hate you and be angry. Are you truly going to leave it at that?”

Yet Yeoryeong still said nothing. Bad bastard. In the end, just as Hongyo, having received no answer, was turning the doorknob, Yeoryeong, who had been looking down at the floor with his mouth tightly shut, suddenly approached and closed the door that was slightly open. However, even after doing so, Yeoryeong was hesitating for a long while. At his expression, which was a mixture of agony, fear, and apology, Hongyo did not press him further and waited for Yeoryeong.

Just what on earth is making him suffer to that extent? It was a moment when doubts were only piling up. As if he had resolved on something, resignation and agony simultaneously appeared on Yeoryeong’s expression. Then, suddenly raising his hands, he slowly began to take off his upper garment. It was an action completely unexpected. A startled Hongyo turned pale and shouted, asking what on earth he was doing, but Yeoryeong, who had already stripped off his top, spoke calmly.

“Don’t be too surprised.”

He couldn’t even ask what that meant. The moment he saw Yeoryeong’s back as he turned around, Hongyo was utterly lost for words. The marks of harsh whipping were densely engraved across his back. However, to say that Gamyoung had done it, they looked far older than the scars left on Jang Daeho’s back which he had seen before. But what was even more shocking than that was the word engraved over those bumpy scars.

‘Runaway Slave’

Like branding a beast of burden, the seal of Jang Daeho’s family was branded on Yeoryeong’s back as well. Hongyo put strength into his legs so as not to collapse. He had heard about slaves. That they mostly worked under nobles and had to live solely for their masters. However, even among them, there were bound to be those who could not accept that reality. Harsh scars were formed on the backs of slaves who were caught while running away like that. However, branding a person as a possession was something he had only heard of in words; it was his first time seeing it.

When Hongyo remained silent, Yeoryeong picked up his clothes and put them on one by one, as if he had expected as much. Then he spoke to Hongyo, who seemed unable to break out of the shock.

“I am truly sorry for what I did to you. I know that no matter how much I apologize, I will not be forgiven, and I have no intention of being forgiven.”

It was a calm voice. However, from that voice, Hongyo could feel how long and how much Yeoryeong had lived in resignation. A face possessed only by one who has resisted countless times, been filled with spite countless times, and given up just as much.

“But I must do everything Jang Daeho orders me to do. No matter what that task is, and no matter how painful it may be.”

Hongyo could no longer bring himself to question him and hold his sin against him.

“…Since when was it?”

Instead, Hongyo chose to listen. To Yeoryeong’s story.