Painter of the Night: The Runaway Agassi

[Side Story 3]: Finale

Na-bi looked at her parents with irritation.

Her father, Seungho was sipping with his tea

While her mother Ae Shin was sitting on the bench beneath the cherry blossom tree silently and staring mindlessly.

The two seems didn't communicate each other since last night and she was wondering what happened between them.

The female teenager is preparing for her day at the marketplace. She approached her father and she thought of her rude actions last night, "Father, there's something that I would like to say to you." Na-bi said in a calm tone and Seungho looked at his daughter with a deadpan expression, "Let me guess, You wanted to apologise to me, Na-bi. Don't worry, I already forgive you that night but I was thinking about what you just said and you we're right." The girl was stunned at her father's guilt expression, "Back when I thought that your mother left me for good, I was lost. I was seeking any sort of pleasure that would erase this loneliness and anger but now, that your mother is here, it seems that this pain in my chest suddenly relieved for some reason." He smiled and Na-bi was in dazed that her promiscous and cold-hearted father would smile like that because of her mother. She noticed her father's gaze went to her melancholic mother under the cherry blossom tree.

"I...will never let go of your mother, again." He vowed to himself for real this time."

"Father...you are..." Na-bi was teary eyed, is this really a dream? Did her father really vowed that he will cherished mother for real?

She hummed herself and she gave her a brillant idea. Na-bi searches through her chest from the table and found a beautiful crafted binyeo that would surely make her parents' make amends. She grabbed the binyeo and Na-bi started to gave it to her father, "You should tell mother how you really feel, Father. We're thankful to the heavens that she's returning back to us alive and there's no second chances so, father should court mother like any other lovers do." His daughter suggested with a toothy grin and Seungho finds this laughable that his own daughter was playing a matchmaker for her own parents. "Alright. Then." He took the binyeo and he gently approached the sulking Ae Shin and when she noticed the shadow covered her, she was in dismay to see the same man who was hurting her, "Why are you here? Do you want something?" Ae Shin asked him suspiciously but then, to her surprise, he was showing her a binyeo much to her surprise and embarrassment. "This has an intimate meaning amongst lovers. Is he aware of it?" She thought with her cheeks went red.

Meanwhile, seeing how his supposed wife was blushing when he show to her the hair ornament given to him by his cheeky daughter, he smirked, "What do you think? I'm here once again, to offer you to become my wife and be with me for the rest of my days until my dying breath." He said in the most charming way as possible and the serious look on his eyes indicates that he was for real this time; he chooses her over his previous partners.

Ae Shin sobbed, she had never experienced this kind of proposal in her entire life ever since she became the King's concubine but it came no less from this cunning, wicked, perverted, and cruel man who at first, was using her body for his own pleasure and now that they had a daughter but it seems that his old habits never changes and she wanted to confirmed it.

She narrowed her brows, "You promise me that you will never seek another people's warm in bed ever again particularly men." She omitted that part because it pains her to see the man of her life seeing other people and invited them to his bedchambers. After he heard this, Seungho resigns himself and decided that he will now solely look at Ae Shin from now on, "I promise. If I did break my vow, I will allow you to kill me." He said in a serious tone because he realized from Ae Shin's bitter tone that he, indeed, hurt her emotionally because of his unbridled lust for another man's comfort.

That sent shivers down to Ae Shin's spine, "I won't kill you. But if you did break your vow. I will just have to castrated you instead. My dear husband." She said in a dangerous tone and this distrubs Seungho because this is something new on Ae Shin's calm and light demeanor and realise that she's capable on threatening him like this, it amuses him.

He chuckles lightly, "It proves that I indeed didn't get to know her deeply." He mused and he was surprise when she took the binyeo as a symbol that she indeed willing to become his bride even though it's late because of them getting older.

The two of them sat next to each other and share a deep, warm passionate kiss. His large hand was supporting her skull and Ae Shin just closed her eyes and her tears fell "Is this really okay? Can I really be happy with this man?" She mused with a hesitant voice but it doesn't matter anymore, for better or for worst, Ae Shin and Seungho will face everything that will happened to them in the future.

The broke their lips apart and the two of them blushed and smiled, "I love you, my lord. Thank you for accepting me again." Ae Shin leaned her head against his exposed chest and Seungho just smiled at her late confession, "Ever since I first met you, I knew that you are fated to be mine, my dear Ae Shin." He replied in a gentle manner. The two fated couple just rest there under the cherry blossom tree while their daughter from behind just smiled warmly at her parents.

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News broke out that the most vulgaristic person in town was now settled in with a woman and that was the hot topic amongst aristocrats and commonfolks alike. At first, they didn't believe the rumors but as soon as Yoon Seungho, the notorious hellraiser, was wearing his scholar clothing was accompanied by two women; his famous teenage daughter, Yoon Na-bi who was a young merchant in town and another was a beautiful woman wearing a beautifully crafted hairpin on her braided hair and the family was having a small outing and it seems the unbelievable rumors about Yoon Seungho having a family is true. She was wearing a beautiful smile towards the hellraiser and they were distrubed by this.

"That Yoon Seungho had becoming a change man just like rumor says," one of the spectators observed the three members of the Yoon Family.

"Who would have thought that the sodomizer even had the guts to marry after all the atrocities he did in this town especially the scholars he slept with." One person says as he badmouthed the decline nobleman but he shudders when Seungho suddenly glared daggers at him and the rude person was cowering in fear.

Obviously, Na-bi and Ae Shin could hear them and was really annoyed but, it seems that these commonfolks and the aristocrats who has distain for their patriarch and it doesn't matter anymore, he promise that he would change and he does. Seungho always seek Ae Shin's warm on his bed every night and Na-bi was embarrassed at this as they were so loud during at midnight.

"Ignore them." He told the mother and daughter, "What is important right now is that we're celebrating your eighteenth birthday, my dear daughter. The three of us." He patted Na-bi's head and the teenage girl just grinned, "You're right. Father! Let's go to the near Han River. We will go fishing there!" She exclaimed enthusiastically like an exciting child. Ae Shin jusr giggled beside her husband who was smirking at their daughter while carrying the basket filled with desserts and tea.

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"Are you tired?" Seungho asked his wife who was wearing a sleeping attire and the two couple were sleeping on the same bed like any married couple. Ae Shin just smiled at him and gently kissed him on the lips, "I'm fine as long as our daughter is enjoying her birthday outside the manor, it'll make me happy." She told him with her warm hand cupped on his handsome face, "I think my husband is getting tired from catching so many fish with Na-bi yah earlier." She lightly giggled and Seungho was just happy seeing his beloved smile for him. If this is a dream, he wouldn't wake up, because after all those abuse and torment that he had experience when he was just a child, this eternal happiness together with Ae Shin is nothing.

He hugged her tightly with his arms and Ae Shin could smell his natural body scent on his exposed neck, "Are you alright, my lord? You're trembling." Ae Shin said with worried tone. His tender orange eyes looked at this beautiful woman laying next to him, "Promise me again, don't ever leave me, Ae Shin." He said in a desperate manner with a hint of possessiveness and this disturbs Ae Shin a little.

She smiled at him, "Again, and again, I will never leave your side, my lord." She replied and fell asleep on his arms.

FIN