“Now. You are all safe. Please…tell me what’s going on,” Bo A demanded as soon as she and Se Ri were safely ensconced in her bedroom.
“You only invited me over to make me tell you my secret,” Se Ri pouted instantly. Withdrawing from her friend.
“I invited you over so that you would be safe. Come on, Se Ri. I’ve known for a while that something isn’t right with you. Please tell me what’s going on. What did he do to you?”
“Who?” the younger girl queried.
“I don’t know. But you do,” Bo A insisted.
Still, Se Ri remained silent. She did, in fact, turn away from her friend and wander over to her bedroom window. She stood staring outside. Not a sound escaping her lips.
“It won’t get better until you tell on him. I was only helped when someone intervened. Oppa Soo Ho saved me from my father’s wrath. So did Unnie Jung Sook.”
Se Ri turned towards her. “What? What are you talking about?”
“My father used to beat me. One day he raised his hand to me while we were at the marketplace. I knew that I was about to get slapped across the face in front of half the village. But then Oppa Soo Ho stepped up and grabbed my father’s wrist. He prevented him from hitting me. Father was furious. I knew that I was going to get the beating of my life when we got home.
“I was so terrified. I was trembling in my shoes out in the road. But then Unnie Jung Sook came to my rescue and offered to give me a home with her. They saved me, Se Ri. And they will save you too. But you must tell us what happened.”
Se Ri blanched. “I cannot,” she whispered. “He threatened my mother. And Se Yeon.”
Bo A was boiling now. “Then you can stay here. With us.” She studied her friend for a moment. “Is he someone in your grandmother’s household?”
Her eyes wide, Se Ri pivoted towards her friend. Wondering how Bo A could have guessed that.
“It’s pretty obvious. You go mostly three places. Your house. My house. And the school. And at school we’re together all day long. And we’re together here too. That leaves only your house.
“You didn’t want to leave your mother and sister behind, but you were perfectly happy to come here with them. So you felt that they would be in danger at your grandmother’s house.
“Who is he, Se Ri? And what did he do to you?”
The younger girl shook her head. “I cannot,” she breathed again. She was shaking like a leaf now.
Bo A knew that feeling well. She reached out and put her arms around her friend and drew her close. “I know how you feel. I know the terror. Too well.” Then she burst into tears as Se Ri clung to her and wept too.
Just then, Jung Sook opened the door and peeked into the room. And saw the two tearful girls. She slipped into the room and shut the door.
“All right, girls,” she spoke very softly, “what’s going on here?”
Bo A felt Se Ri tense. “It’s all right. You can trust Unnie Jung Sook. Please…tell her the truth.”
Quaking, Se Ri glanced up at the teacher.
“My dear, I cannot help you if you don’t tell me what’s wrong.” Jung Sook crossed the room towards the child. “Please tell me.”
“She’s afraid that he’ll hurt her mother and sister.”
Now Jung Sook could feel her blood boiling. “He will not. He cannot if you tell us. You will strip him of all his power over you with a few words.”
She knew that the girl was not afraid of her own father, for she had no father to fear. Nor did she have a grandfather or an uncle living with her.
So who could it possibly be?
Jung Sook wracked her brain. The girl was surrounded by women. Was one of them abusing her?
She shook her head. Surely, her grandmother was innocent.
That left…the servants?!
Jung Sook gasped. “Is it a servant? One of the boys?” She watched the girl closely. “Or…one of the men?”
She saw Se Ri tense and knew that she’d discovered part of the truth.
“Who is it, sweetheart? It’s one of your grandmother’s servants, I can tell. A man. Name him. Please.”
Her teeth were chattering. Se Ri was still hugging Bo A close. She buried her face in the other girl’s shoulder.
“Whatever happened, Se Ri,” Jung Sook spoke in a low, steady voice, full of tenderness, “it wasn’t your fault.”
“You’re wrong!” the girl spat out suddenly. “It’s always my fault! There’s something wrong with me!”
Jung Sook’s eyes widened, making her look ten years younger. “No, sweetheart, that is a lie. It was not your fault. He is a grown man. He’s abusing you. He’s doing wrong. Not you. You didn’t ask for it. He preyed upon your innocence.”
Jung Sook had a sinking feeling. She had the sense that the abuse the girl had suffered went beyond the physical. She felt her stomach revolting now. And it wasn’t because of her baby.
“Do you want to tell your mother? I will get her if you like.”
“No!” Se Ri cried out. “No,” she whispered brokenly. “I cannot tell my mother.” She began to sob then.
A moment later, a knock sounded on Bo A’s door. Jung Sook turned and crossed the room. She stepped out into the hallway.
“Madam, Kim Yeo Wool is here. He brought a message concerning your husband and Ban Ryu.”
“Is he now?” Her eyes lit up. “What wonderful timing.”
She smiled and followed the servant out to the sitting room. Where she found Yeo Wool conversing awkwardly with Sam Sook.
Jung Sook hid her smile as she turned to face the adorable couple. If only they had already figured out that they were a couple. Things would have been so much easier between them. She recalled her own first, difficult days with Soo Ho. And recognized that there was hope for them.
“Yeo Wool! I am so happy to see you!” she greeted him happily.
Surprised, he turned towards his friend’s wife. “You are?” he asked, sounding confused.
“Indeed. I need your help tonight. But first, you have a message for me. From Soo Ho?”
“Yes. He’s going to be gone an extra day. He and Ban Ryu both.”
“Is everything all right?”
“Oh, yes,” his face cleared as he gazed guilelessly at her. “One of the other men woke up sick this morning, so they are postponing their departure another day.”
She furrowed her brow. “But…how do you know this?”
“They sent a message with a peddler who was headed this way. He delivered it just a few minutes ago. I didn’t want you or Soo Yeon to worry, so I came straight here.”
“They seemed to believe that the sick man will have recovered by tomorrow?”
“Yes. He was already improving by the time the peddler left.”
She nodded. “I need to check on the girls. I’ll be back in a moment.”
“You said you needed my help,” Yeo Wool pointed out, stopping her forward movement.
“I do. But…can you stay a while?”
“Yes,” he smiled at her before glancing at Sam Sook.
And Jung Sook didn’t miss the yearning in his countenance.
She left them alone with Se Yeon as she headed down the hallway. She decided to take a quick detour to the kitchen before heading for Bo A’s room.
––
“What was that about?” Yeo Wool queried as he turned to face Sam Sook.
“I have no idea,” she breathed cluelessly.
“Hmm. Curious. Whatever it is, I hope she tells me soon. I’m supposed to meet Moon Won for fencing practice in an hour.”
“Moon Won?” she quizzed him. “My mother’s servant?”
He bobbed his head. “Yes.”
“You’re teaching him how to swordfight?”
“I am. Soo Ho was the one who offered to train him. But he’s roped me into filling in for him on several occasions.”
“You sound like you are less than enthused.”
He shrugged. “There is something about the man that I am not entirely comfortable with.”
“Really?” That same sense of unease slid along her nerves again. She narrowed her eyes. “Do you know what it is? Why you feel that way, I mean?”
He shook his head. “Not really. It’s just a gut feeling.”
“It’s a good one. I’ve never liked him either,” she admitted suddenly.
“What?” He glanced up sharply at her. “You haven’t?”
“No.”
“So you also have a bad feeling about him?”
“I do.”
“There must be something wrong with him then.”
“There is,” a third voice spoke up. A tiny one. From the doorway.
Sam Sook glanced up in surprise at her elder daughter.
Se Ri stood in the doorway to the sitting room and gaped at her mother’s friend. She had just overheard their conversation about Moon Won. She swallowed.
“Sweetheart?” her mother then queried as she gazed at her daughter’s drawn face.
But Se Ri was staring at Yeo Wool. Had she finally found a man whom she could trust?
In the past, her instincts had been wrong. She had chosen to trust her older brother. And been betrayed by him too. But she had carefully watched her brothers with her sister. And neither of them had been kind to her. Unfortunately, she hadn’t realized this about the elder of her two brothers until it was too late.
But she had been watching Yeo Wool for over a month now. Carefully studying how he treated her mother. And her sister. She’d seen the way that he looked at her mother. An inner light seemed to illuminate his countenance when he was basking in her mother’s presence. That same delight lit up his face when he glanced down at her baby sister.
And he had offered on more than one occasion to tote Se Yeon around. But he had never touched her inappropriately. He’d been only tender with her. And he’d always been kind to Se Ri too.
Could she really trust him? Was there any chance that he would defend her?
He didn’t like Moon Won. That truth seemed to be quite promising. From Unnie Jung Sook, she’d heard several tales of valor that had involved Yeo Wool. He seemed to be quick to defend the weak. And the powerless.
She drew a deep breath. “I don’t like him either,” she admitted a moment later. Her voice trembling. She felt the bottom of her stomach drop away from her.
Her mother’s eyes watchfully perused her countenance. “Se Ri?” she queried. Then silence ensued.
None of them spoke.
Then another voice entered the conversation. “Se Ri? Is Moon Won the one?”
The two adults glanced towards the doorway. Bo A was standing behind Se Ri. A worried look on her face.
“Se Ri? What’s going on?” her mother queried suddenly, sensing a problem.
Yeo Wool saw the girl begin to shake. Visibly.
Bo A stepped forward and slid her fingers around the young girl’s hand. “It’s all right, Se Ri. I’m right here. Your eomma’s here. You’re safe. This is a safe place. Please…tell us what he did to you.”
“What he did to you?” gasped Sam Sook.
And her world spun upside down again. She stood up. Her heart suddenly pounding.
No! It could not be!
Not her precious Se Ri! Not after all that she’d done to protect her!
Yeo Wool was still standing, but he took a step towards his beloved. Her face was a study in devastation right now. He reached out and slid his fingers around hers, gently clasping her hand.
“I am here. Whatever you need…it’s yours,” he breathed as she turned her head to glance at him before, horrified, she looked at her young daughter once more.
She stepped forward, dropping his hand, and exclaimed, “My poor baby!”
She crossed the room in three long strides and pulled Se Ri into her arms. Drawing her close to her heart. And the young girl burst into tears as she buried her face against her mother’s chest.
Just then Jung Sook arrived. And glanced around the room.
“Jung Sook, do you think that Se Yeon could play with Bo A’s dolls for a little while?” Sam Sook requested before glancing at Bo A. “Would that be all right? Would you show her your dollies?”
Bo A nodded her head. “I’ll be back, Se Ri. It’s going to be okay now. Just tell your eomma the whole truth. Please.” Then she glanced at the younger sister. “Se Yeon. Would you like to play with my dollies?”
The tiny girl jumped off her chair and shot across the room. “Yes! Let’s go!”
Jung Sook escorted the two girls down the hallway towards Bo A’s room.
Leaving Sam Sook and her elder daughter alone with Yeo Wool.
––
“Darling, did Moon Won hurt you?”
The girl bobbed her head up and down against her mother’s robe.
“Can you tell me what he did?”
She shook her head.
Yeo Wool was furious. He stepped forward. “Se Ri? Did he threaten you? Did he threaten to hurt you more? Or…your sister? Your mother?”
Sam Sook felt her daughter go perfectly still. “He did, didn’t he? Se Ri. Did he touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?”
The girl began to sob again. And that was enough confirmation for her mother.
Yeo Wool stepped up next to her, and Sam Sook met his gaze.
“I will arrest him tonight. When I arrive at the field, I will have several hwarang with me. And we will take him to the king.”
Se Ri glanced up at him frantically. “I don’t want anyone to know!”
“No one will know but me and the king. I trust Jin Heung, Se Ri. He is the most powerful man in our country. And he will use his power to protect you.
“I will tell the other hwarang that Moon Won has broken the law, and we are arresting him at the king’s request. It’s not a lie. Jin Heung would want me to protect you. It’s my job to keep the king safe. But it’s also in his best interest for all noble families loyal to the crown to be protected from those who would prey on the innocent.”
Se Ri continued to tremble in her mother’s arms.
“Sweetheart, will you tell me exactly what he did to you?” breathed Sam Sook.
Yeo Wool murmured, “I can go into another room if you don’t want me to hear what you have to say, Se Ri. But if you’re willing to tell me too, my testimony before the king will be all the more compelling.”
The child glanced up at him. “What will happen to him if you tell the king?”
“At the least, he will never set foot outside of the prison ever again.”
It was possible that Jin Heung might sentence the man to death. Depending upon how horrible the abuse had been.
Se Ri buried her face against her mother’s chest again.
“Se Ri, what happened?”
“He touched me,” she whispered. “In places that made me uncomfortable.”
“Did he do anything else?” her mother asked, her heart racing away with her now as her stomach did continuous nosedives. The very thing that she had feared had come upon her child. Despite her every effort to prevent such abuse from touching either of her daughters. “Did he hurt Se Yeon?”
Se Ri shook her head vehemently. “No. I do not think so. He promised to hurt her if I told anyone,” she continued shakily. “So I think he has left her alone. So far.” Great tremors shook her body suddenly. “Will he hurt us?” she cried out suddenly.
“No,” Yeo Wool spoke emphatically. “I will not allow that man anywhere near you again.”
“Can you really promise that?” Se Ri asked.
“Yes.” His normally mild and sympathetic countenance was positively fierce right now.
That man had dared to touch this precious child?! Sam Sook’s child?!
Yeo Wool had wanted to return Sam Sook’s favor. To defend her against that which would bring her pain. But he had never imagined that her daughter would be at the mercy of a grown man.
Rage was bubbling up from deep within him. It was marrying itself to a deep despair too. That such a sweet child could be so horribly used. And suffer such dread that she hadn’t even been able to ask any of them for help.
“When did it start?” he asked abruptly.
“About a week after we moved in with Grandma,” Se Ri responded tremulously.
Her mother gasped. “That long? Oh, Se Ri, why didn’t you tell me the first time?” she wailed as she buried her face in her daughter’s hair.
“Because he said he’d hurt you. He just slid his hands up my legs the first time,” she murmured. “I hoped he’d stop there. Then he didn’t return for a week.”
“And after that?” Yeo Wool breathed quietly.
“He came back,” her voice quavered again. “Not every night. But many nights.”
“Did he do more than just touch you?” her mother asked. “Did he undress in front of you?”
The girl shook her head. “No. But last night, he made me undress. All the way. He,” her voice broke, and she stopped speaking.
Her mother’s arms tightened around her.
Sam Sook glanced up at Yeo Wool. “Do you have enough information?”
“Yes,” he ground out. “Now I’m going to go take care of him.”
He squatted down next to Sam Sook and glanced up at Se Ri. Making himself as non-threatening as possible. “Se Ri. You are safe now. That man will never touch you again. I will personally make sure of it. He will never enter your grandmother’s house again. You do not need to fear him.”
She glanced up at her mother. “Can we still stay here tonight?”
“Yes, darling. But would you be all right with me leaving you and Se Yeon here with Unnie Jung Sook for a while? I need to go home and tell Grandma.”
“Is she going to be angry with me?” Se Ri’s voice quivered once again.
“What? Baby, why would you think that she’d be angry with you?”
“Because it was my fault.”
“What?” her mother gasped. “Se Ri, what that man did to you was not your fault. Not in any way.”
“But if that’s true, then why did it happen again?”
“Again?” her mother asked sharply.
“There’s something wrong with me, Eomma. Boys want to touch me,” she murmured softly.
Horrified, Sam Sook glanced down at Yeo Wool. His eyes met hers, and he stood up. He wanted quite desperately to pull them both into his arms and comfort them with his touch. The other half of his heart wanted to rip Moon Won’s face apart. And break each and every single one of the man’s fingers. And use his sword on another very distinct part of his anatomy. But Yeo Wool held his wrath in check.
“I’m going to let you two speak alone. But…I will return after I’ve taken Moon Won to the king.”
Sam Sook nodded at him. She felt like she was going to fall apart momentarily. But for the sake of her daughter, she would remain strong.
Until the girl had fallen sleep anyway.
Then she just might disintegrate.
