206 – A life of atonement
Seo Ji-yoon kneeling in front of her eyes and begging.
Looking at her, I said in a calm voice after thinking about it for a while.
“… Punishment… cannot be imposed.”
“!…Uh…why? I… I’m a sinner! It’s trash that ruined Jinhyeon’s life! It’s a shame because Jinhyeon-nim was mentally strong, and in some cases, it could have made him think of suicide! Please think again, I don’t want any flimsy mercy. Sternly but thoroughly, please punish me!”
Seo Ji-yoon begs to be punished.
However, to be honest, I had no intention of punishing her, and I already knew that I shouldn’t.
“I can’t. Because.. Seo Ji-yoon, you are no longer a sinner. Seo Ji-yoon, who sinned against me. Because it has already disappeared by you.”
“!…”
Seo Ji-yoon begins to show embarrassment at my words.
Seeing her like that, I let out a small sigh in my heart.
No matter how much she was born out of Seo Ji-yoon’s guilt, she was not Seo Ji-yoon.
Seo Ji-yoon, who had given me pain for four years, had already disappeared from this world.
What I see in front of me is just a poor woman pleading in front of me for a mistake she did not commit, unintentionally carrying only the guilt of it.
Recognizing that fact, I spoke to her in a calm voice.
“Even if you were born out of Seo Ji-yoon’s guilt, you don’t have to bear that fault. As legally you cannot hold a child accountable for the sins of the parents, there is no need for you to suffer or feel guilty about it.”
“… ”
Seo Ji-yoon kept silent for a while with her head bowed in response to my words.
And after a while…
She still lowered her head and spoke in a trembling voice.
At the same time, he spoke to me in one voice that seemed to contain deep despair.
“It can’t be… even if it were… Even if that is true… you… must punish me. As I said, I was born for this.. Without this… I have nothing left.”
Seo Ji-yoon speaks with sincerity and earnest voice.
Seeing her like this, I began to feel a feeling of deep compassion for the woman who prostrated herself in front of me and begged me.
For her, who was born out of a sense of guilt, the disappearance of atonement could be said to mean her very existence being denied.
And considering the other hurt she would receive as a result, it became difficult for me to forgive it easily.
However, it was something I didn’t want from my point of view to treat a normal person as a person and punish him.
Seeing me hesitant again, she spoke to me in a voice full of earnestness.
“I beg you.. please.. allow me.. to fulfill the reason for my existence.. punish me as much as you want. I beg you like this… Please trample on this worm-like human to your heart’s content!”
Seo Ji-yoon prayed earnestly and begged earnestly with her hands together toward me.
To her attitude, I couldn’t decide what to answer hastily.
at that time..
“Haa.. Anyway, I like people so much that I’m wearing a mask.”
“I agree.”
“!”
“uh?”
The next moment, Kwon-soon and A-re literally walk out of the bush.
At their sudden appearance, Na-sun Na, who was standing behind and watching the situation, looked a little taken aback, and Seo Ji-yoon, who was praying on the floor, also looked surprised.
However, apart from their reaction, Kwon Soon came to my side and spoke in a slightly sincere voice.
“You are begging for atonement. So wouldn’t that be the answer? What are you worrying about so much?”
“Ha.. but no matter how much, this person now is..”
“Isn’t that the original Seo Ji-yoon? Adjutant… think about it with that good head.
“That’s right. No matter how much Jinhyeon is okay, it may not be okay from the other person’s point of view. An apology is important to the victim, but it is also important to the perpetrator.”
Are speaks in a clear voice.
Regarding this, Na Ji-sun, who was listening to the situation, also began to express her agreement.
“That’s right, brother. Think of a case like me the other day. Of course, it was for my brother, but why did I want to be forgiven so much? The biggest purpose of apologizing is also to erase one’s own guilt.”
“Ummm..”
Certainly, considering Na-sun’s case, Seo Ji-yoon’s actions in front of me were not incomprehensible.
However, when I thought about it, I had a new problem that came to my mind.
It was about the question of what kind of punishment I should give Seo Ji-yoon.
Whatever she said, since she was born to atone for sins, a clumsy punishment would not be able to alleviate her guilt.
In addition, from my point of view, it is difficult to make her do bad things easily.
In connection with these thoughts, I decided to tell the story that was best for the woman in front of me.
“I think it would be better if the punishment was decided by you.. Seo Ji-yoon.”
“you… yes?”
Seo Ji-yoon looks at my words with a doubtful look on her face.
About this, I spoke to her more clearly with a sincere face.
“I can’t think of any punishment that would alleviate your guilt. Since this is only to appease your heart, I think it would be better for you to decide for yourself how to atone for your sins.”
“Ugh..”
Seo Ji-yoon starts to think seriously while making a slightly embarrassed expression on my words.
Regarding this, I calmly waited for her opinion, thinking that it would be necessary to adjust the level to some extent if the story was too harsh.
And after a while…
At the point where it seemed that a fairly long time had passed, Seo Ji-yoon slowly raised her head and looked up at me.
“I have decided..”
“What is?”
Watching Seo Ji-yoon speak in a determined voice, I felt a little curious and asked a question.
At the same time, Are, Kwon Soon, and Ji Seon look at her with a slightly curious reaction, just like me.
And right after that…
Seo Ji-yoon looked at me and spoke with sincerity.
“Anyway.. I was born to atone for Jinhyun Lee. So, of course.. My body, mind, and life are all Lee Jin-hyun’s..”
“… yes?”
I started to feel uneasy, as if something came to my mind in the introduction that somehow made me feel a little strange.
and..
Looking at me like that, Seo Ji-yoon said in a determined voice.
“In that sense, I would like to ask you a favor. Lee Jin-hyun, from this moment on, I will dedicate my body and mind to Lee Jin-hyun! For the rest of my life… let Seo Ji-yoon live as Lee Jin-hyun’s slave!”
“yes?”
-“Knapped!”-
“Muh.. what..”
“what?”
Seo Ji-yoon blows up a declaration that could have been a bomb in many ways.
As a result, expressions of astonishment began to appear on the faces of the three people who were watching this situation, as well as me, who became the party.
“Ah.. no no.. slavery.. no matter how much it is.. that’s how it is in modern Korea..”
“It doesn’t matter whether it’s law or custom! Anyway.. I already have a body that can’t live without atonement for Lee Jin-Hyun. As such, I will live the rest of my life only for Lee Jin-hyun! please! Please accept me Seo Ji-yoon as your slave!”
Seo Ji-yoon bowed deeply in front of me and begged once more earnestly.
Regarding this, I felt like my head was spinning for a moment and at the same time…
For some reason, I began to feel a slight chill run down my spine at the subtle, life-like sensation felt behind my back.