Chapter 15: Seon-Ho

I simply cannot describe what the hell possessed me about that brat...Yeon was just always so good to me, so kind and willing to help anyone with anything... to the point where I felt I could no longer isolate myself from her just to protect her...I mean...after I realised my mistake pursuing Hui-Jee I had time to...well...you know....goodness gracious the current situation of my personal life is so messed up I cannot even describe it. I don't even know how this spoilt brat caught my attention; my father cut off my circulation in his mansion, I had the King relying on me, Prince Bang-Won belittling me, Hwi drowning me in guilt every time I saw him and Hui-Jee humiliating me every time we spoke...just like my father. So Yeon...was really a breath of fresh air to come home to despite being guarded in her own room! My father sure knew how to stick to his threats...but the girl didn't complain! Even once!

I think at first the injustices being done to her were really getting to me since she lived with me, and she lost her memories...to the point where I would even take it out on her sometimes! And that brat didn't get upset with me even once or my father! The sweeter she was to us the angrier I was getting at her...I was even ashamed to admit that was a little mean to my only friend's sister...but she defeated me, my rage and my own injustices laid onto me by my own father every damned day I was in prisoned in his home just as much as she was...with her bright smile that never seemed to fade, despite her own problems which were far worse than mine, being a girl. I just couldn't do it to her anymore. In fact...she had somehow in some way stopped me from constantly critiquing myself and she actually builds up my self-confidence every time she looked at me for some question she had, when she needed my help with anything...when she cared for me; when I allowed that to happen anyway. I still had so much guilt clawing its way out of my throat every time I saw the Seo's.

My heart was doing that weird thing again whenever I thought of Yeon in that way. And it was true that I was paying more attention to her as usual...sending her things...seeing her everywhere... her damned perfume lingered everywhere, she was cooking heavenly food; she was everywhere ready to welcome anyone with open arms and she was so incredibly warm that you couldn't help but want to around her all the time.

I was confused by her from the moment I had her move in with me; to the way she trusted me almost instantly when she lost her memories, her new demeanour and look which was so different from before, which shocked me so much I almost dropped the tea tray she gave me, her laughter that ran across the mansion for once instead of stony silence. It took her a while to get settled in and there were even times she got into trouble but she would never let me take on the punishments for her. In a way I don't know how or when; she began to protect me from my twisted father.

The more confused I got the drunker I got...to the more I wanted to be around her even when I was at work in the palace...to the more I began to forget whatever it was I felt for Hui-Jee, what I had felt then wasn't even half of all the things I had slowly begun to feel for Yeonnie.

Soon enough she really became the only good thing to look forward to in that horrible mansion, the only one who didn't neglect and humiliate me on a constant basis...to everyone in every aspect of my life I was a failure but to her...I was still someone she idolised from the day we met. She brought life back to me every time I saw her bounce through my door that I couldn't help but notice a few nice pieces in the market after a long draining day at the palace that I'm sure she would appreciate even though she was never really...feminine in that way. Yeon had no choice but to be around myself and her brother since childhood so she was a little...different....more...tomboyish. She had a honey-sweet voice but she also knew when to be heard as well; when women would crowd the accessories stalls Yeon would be the only women in our village to head straight to where the books are...the number of times myself and her brother had to almost drag her out kicking and screaming brought a rare smile to her face. She had a real thirst for knowledge that was so rare in women...actually, a lot of things about her were so rare that I couldn't fight my curiosity anymore as I sort of invited her to keep me company at long last when my father was busiest.