Born As The Daughter Of A Lowly Concubine [EN]: Chapter 266

‘Brother Munwon, you haven’t visited or even sent a letter.’

Munyoung sighed as she organized her and her younger sibling’s clothes.

To be honest, she still didn’t quite understand why Brother Munwon had her enter the Siyoungwon [a charitable institution, possibly an orphanage or a place for vulnerable women and children].

‘What could I possibly find out in this place?’

It was just that, after some time, she had grown accustomed to living there.

She had hoped he might visit her at least once during the first month of the Lunar New Year, but it was a futile thought.

It was difficult to secretly meet in Siyoungwon, but if he came to Siwolgak [likely a workplace or establishment where Munyoung is employed], where Munyoung worked, they could at least have a conversation.

Munwon must be doing something important, because he hadn’t shown his face since Munyoung entered Siyoungwon.

‘……Maybe he won’t come.’

She was trying to deny it, but he was a lost cause from the start.

Of course, she didn’t know that when she was younger.

Everyone praised him and called him a great brother, so she just thought that was true.

But now, Munyoung had been raising her younger sibling alone for too long to blindly trust and devote herself.

It was strange.

She thought she had become used to raising her sibling alone, but when Brother Munwon was in front of her, she couldn’t help but follow his instructions.

And after a while of not seeing him and being alone, her composure seemed to return little by little.

‘He must have just sweet-talked me, taken the money I had saved up, and run away.’

Wasn’t he the one who had abandoned his family once before to live on his own?

This time, he must have completely forgotten about his cousins who believed in him and faithfully followed his instructions, waiting for him, and was just doing whatever he wanted.

He shouldn’t have shown up in the first place.

She had foolishly placed her hopes on him and even given him the money she had saved up.

‘But if our parents were alive, they would have told me to do it.’

They would have said that she shouldn’t judge with a woman’s narrow-mindedness when a man was doing great things, but should instead think about how to help.

Munyoung had no doubt that she would have heard those words.

But when she told her story, everyone laughed at her for being foolishly deceived or pitied her.

Then they would say,

‘You’re too kind.’

To be honest, she didn’t even know if it was kindness anymore.

She had often heard at Siyoung Academy [an educational institution] that she should be careful not to get scammed.

Of course, it wasn’t just Munyoung who was told that.

It was said to all the students taking the class.

Victims are not guilty, but if you are deceived in the same way by the same person multiple times, then even if the victim is not guilty, it is no longer just the perpetrator’s problem.

Brother Munwon had already left them once. At that time, he took all the remaining wealth in the house with him.

But they were taught that they shouldn’t resent him.

Some people said that if her brother did well, they would do well too, and that he needed capital to do well, so it was only natural.

That she should follow her brother’s lead.

That’s what women should do.

So, was that what she should do? Even though it was a natural thing, she was sometimes taken aback.

As she learned to read and write, she began to think it was increasingly strange.

If her brother did well, wouldn’t it just be her brother who did well?

Would someone who had abandoned his family when they were struggling really come back to take care of them after he had succeeded?

Someone who had taken all the meager wealth of a family struggling to make a living?

And then she suddenly realized.

At least in Siyoungwon, no, in Siyoung Academy, no one said such things.

Was that why? She felt like she could breathe easier while living in Siyoungwon, just as she had in the academy.

‘The money I had worked so hard to save up is all gone without a trace, though.’

She had just been foolishly deceived again.

Sometimes, when she thought about the money she had worked so hard to save, her chest felt tight.

But at least living in Siyoungwon was comfortable.

‘In a different way, my heart is uneasy, though.’

Munyoung herself knew better than anyone else that she hadn’t come to Siyoungwon with pure intentions.

Yet everyone was so kind to Munyoung and her younger sibling.

Feeling sorry, she took on the chores in Siyoungwon unless her sibling was sick, which improved Munyoung’s reputation.

It was the first time she had experienced everyone being so happy and praising her, so at first, she couldn’t say anything and just bowed her head.

But when she returned to her room at night, she would fall asleep thinking about the voices praising her.

Now, she wanted Brother Munwon to come, but at the same time, she thought it would be okay if he didn’t.

‘I should have come to Siyoungwon sooner.’

Back then, she didn’t want to be pitied enough to come to Siyoungwon.

She knew that if she took care of her sibling and made a living on her own, people around her would praise her for being admirable, but also gossip behind her back, saying that no one would take her with such a burden.

And conversely, she also knew what she would have heard if she had abandoned her sibling and run away to live on her own, unlike her brother.

So she didn’t know what to do.

When Siyoungwon was first established, people around her whispered that it was a place for beggars and warned her not to go near it.

When Siyoung Academy was established, she hesitated for a long time after hearing that it was presumptuous for a woman to study in the same space as men.

Ironically, because there were no adults left in her family, she was able to go to Siyoung Academy and get a job.

And after living here, she regretted it.

When her sibling was sick, she had to hold them and suffer alone, but here, there were people to take care of them and doctors to call.

Was that dilapidated thatched house she lived in with her sibling even a house?

Living with other people in Siyoungwon was uncomfortable at first, but it was nothing compared to the neighbors who frequently came and went from her house.

No, it was rather comforting. Because even if something happened to her, she didn’t have to worry about her sibling anymore.

Besides, she was so happy to get used to the fact that she no longer had to check the doors and windows several times at night and worry when she heard a man’s voice outside.

She wanted to keep living here.

Thinking that, she wandered around Siyoungwon as if it were a habit.

Thanks to that, she knew many faces.

“Munyoung, if you don’t mind, could you deliver this to that building over there?”

“Can I help you with anything?”

“No. I’m all done.”

“Munyoung unnie [older sister, a term of endearment]. Would you like to have some of this if you’re hungry?”

She couldn’t be happier when the familiar voices called her name and laughed with her every time they passed by.

When she worked at Siwolgak, she was always nervous that the neighbors would say she had become frivolous from working in such a place, so she couldn’t even chat with girls her age without worry.

Now, she didn’t have to worry about such things, so she was very comfortable.

Munyoung took what she was asked to deliver and moved her feet. Now she was familiar with most of the places.

When she arrived at the place where she heard a baby crying, a familiar face was busy soothing the child and greeted Munyoung.

“Yes, yes. Good girl? Oh my, what brings you here again?”

“I was asked to deliver this.”

“Ah. Thank you.”

Besides, there were not many, but there were also men of Munyoung’s age in Siyoungwon, and they would have casual conversations like this while working. In fact, they had often run into each other at the academy, so it wasn’t that unfamiliar.

It was awkward at first, but now Munyoung had become much more accustomed to it.

The name of the man who was soothing the crying baby and answering politely was Mohan.

At first, she wondered what was inside Siyoungwon, but when she happened to come to help because there was a shortage of hands, she found out that it was taking care of babies, and that was when she first met him and had a conversation.

Whenever there was a shortage of hands, she would occasionally come to help, and unintentionally learned about the inside situation. There were many people who were doing childcare instead of punishment for committing wrongdoings.

Other than that, there were people with tired faces who went in and out of the inner part, but to be honest, Munyoung couldn’t figure out what Brother Munwon wanted to know in this place.

Whether it’s inside or outside Siyoungwon, it seems the same with many people working hard and collapsing to sleep at night.

“Please tell them I’m sorry for constantly asking for laundry…….”

“You have so many children to take care of. There’s no end to the kids’ laundry, so it can’t be helped. If it’s too hard, I’ll help you sometimes! I practically raised my sibling alone, so I’m used to it.”

“Thank you for your kind words…….”

Mohan looked haggard every time she saw him, showing how much he was suffering from childcare.

When she was talking to people in Siyoungwon, the topic came up by chance and she said he looked pitiful, but she was told not to say such things because he had done something wrong.

No wonder there was someone who seemed to be only monitoring him from behind without helping with the children.

She doubted her ears when she heard that there was someone monitoring them in case they harassed the children or ran away.

But strangely, the older women were often sympathetic. They seemed to bring him food because they felt sorry for him, and they also advised Munyoung to treat him well because he was a good young man.

She was curious about what kind of wrongdoing he had committed to have such extremely divided opinions, but she didn’t think they would tell her.

‘Is this the discrimination between inside and outside?’

Maybe it’s just a shameful story that they don’t want to talk about.

In any case, Siyoungwon was peaceful, so Munyoung didn’t hate living here.

It was also nice not to be told that she was showing off because she studied a little.

“Actually, I was wondering if we could make a book out of the advice I’ve heard from others while taking care of the children and the things I’ve realized myself. I heard that you know a lot about childcare and are good at writing, so I was wondering if you could help me…….”

“Okay!”

Mohan also made such a suggestion.

She had heard that Siyoungwon actively encouraged writing and publishing books. There was no reason to refuse since there would definitely be demand for a childcare book.

If she could make money by publishing a book with this, nothing could be better.

‘I think it would be okay if Brother didn’t come.’

Well, she hadn’t found out anything inside, but living in Siyoungwon wasn’t bad.

‘I feel at ease…….’

What she’s worried about these days is Princess Ongju, who lives in the palace.

A tiger had invaded the palace.

Fortunately, everyone was relieved because there was a rumor that Cheonho [likely a person’s name or a title] had caught the tiger.

She was newly impressed, thinking that he was that great.

When people gather and that topic comes up, everyone boasts that they can do that much.

Even her foolish sibling said something similar, so she told him that it seemed impossible for him, and he pouted and ran out, but was caught by the unnie [older sister, a term of endearment] living next door and came back.

“Is it because it’s been so unsettling lately? There are a lot of strange rumors.”

“What kind of rumors are going around again?”

“There are all kinds of stories these days. Related to the royal family or something.”

“Aren’t most of them just nonsense anyway? If it were true, Princess Ongju would have published it in the newspaper.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Since her family had fallen, had there ever been a time when she felt so comfortable?

Munyoung smiled and thought with her now familiar acquaintances.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to just live like this, so I hope Brother never comes back.’

If he reappears to take the money she has saved up, wouldn’t the people of Siyoungwon protect her now?

Anyway, she doesn’t know any of the information her brother wants.