A lady in her late thirties was scolding a young woman as she tried to flee once again the Kisaeng House (Courtesan House). The Young Woman had tears in her eyes, and her head was lowered.
"Lady Shin, customers are hearing you. Please lower your voice," A man in his late 30s reminded her. He was Choi Min-Joo, a government official, who looked after the Courtesan House and had kept a record of it. "Do not get too angry as it can bring wrinkles to your face," Choi Min-Joo said. Lady Shin brought her hand to her forehead and gently pressed it.
"This girl gives me a headache. It is the tenth time that she had tried to escape," Lady Shin had calmed down a little. Her assistant, Eun Mee, brought a fan near her face and fanned it slowly. Another servant brought the chair on which Lady Shin sat gracefully.
"Give one hundred lashes on her legs," Choi Min-Joo ordered the two servants. "If you tried to run away again, the punishment would be more severe than this. Just because your mother once worked diligently, that's why I am not harsh to you," Choi Min-Joo reminded the young woman named Ae-Ra, who did not react. He waved his hand in the air, gesturing to them to start.
"Lift your skirt," Eun Mee told Ae-Ra.
Ae-Ra lifted her skirt up, and her smooth legs were visible. Some old bruises on her legs, showing she was punished this way many times.
A servant brought the stick and started to whip her legs with it. "Ahh," Ae-Ra let out a cry. She did not let the tears fall and pursed her lips tightly. Her grip on her skirt tightened, and with each hit, she was getting weaker.
Eun Mee kept fanning Lady Shin, who had closed her eyes. Choi Min-Joo, on the other hand, was looking at the record book in which she had listed the name of every Courtesan and soon-to-be Courtesan.
A hundred lashes ended soon, and the servant backed off. Ae-Ra fell on her knees and wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead.
Lady Shin opened her eyes and gazed at Ae-Ra. "Your mother was the famous Courtesan of this house. How could you not continue her legacy? Yesterday, you threw the tea intentionally at a sixth rank government official," Lady Shin again started to scold her.
"He was touching me i-i-i appropriately, Lady Sh-Shin," Ae-Ra with a quivered voice said.
"This girl!" Choi Min-Joo closed the record book in his hand and glared at her. "You are a Courtesan. You do not need to resist while giving services to your customer," He said furiously.
"Go away. If you try to run away again, the punishment will be severe," stated Lady Shin.
Ae-Ra stood up with injured legs. She bowed and walked away. She took gradual steps and, after twenty minutes, reached her room which was shared by one more. The room was not a big one. It was enough to sleep for two people.
She sat down and lifted her skirt. The tears that she held poured down her eyes, seeing the red marks.
Ae-Ra was born with this fate. A Courtesan's daughter was forced to become a Courtesan. She was told this since the age of four. She was trained to become an entertainer for the men, especially those men, who were from the military.
Ae-Ra cursed herself every day for being born as a girl. She wiped the tears off her eyes, but more fell. None could understand her pain. Even the women around her told her this- 'Ae-Ra, a courtesan carries no emotion. She only has to please her customers, no matter what.'
Ae-Ra ten attempts to flee from the Courtesan house went futile. Every time she was caught and punished brutally. Sometimes got lashes on legs while sometimes on the back, hands and even was flocked. She hated the men because of the way they treated her.
The door was slid and Ha-Neul came inside with a bowl in her hand. "Why did you try to run away again? Have you lost your mind, Ae-Ra?" Ha-Neul closed the door behind her and sat beside Ae-Ra. She put the bowl beside her and wiped the tears of Ae-Ra.
"I do not want to live here, Ha-Neul. I cannot do this work. I cannot die either," Ae-Ra said as she sobbed. Ha-Neul pulled her into a hug and caressed her back.
"Ae-Ra, it's fine," Ha-Neul stated. She pulled away and checked the legs of Ae-Ra. Her heart wrenched to see her legs. Ha-Neul had prepared a herbal paste for Ae-Ra and quickly put it over her wounds. The herbal paste was cold so it relieved Ae-Ra a little.
"Lady Shin told me that tonight a few guests are coming. Most of them are Ministers. You make good tea, so you need to make tea for them and serve them," Ha-Neul informed Ae-Ra, who knitted her brows.
Ae-Ra hummed as the tears rolled from her eyes to the sides of her nose. She had nothing to say. No one could understand her. Getting no response from Ae-Ra, Ha-Neul shook her shoulder lightly.
"Ae-Ra, maybe someday a man will come and desire to marry you," Ha-Neul stated.
"Men see us as a pleasure toy… nothing more. I have been hearing this for a long time. None of the Kisaeng (Courtesan) was taken by any man. Do you know why? Because we have no status and we have given services to many men. Do not give me hope in the name of a man," Ae-Ra stated. Her tone was full of anger and was clearly showing how much she hated men.
"Ae-Ra, don't tell me that you will try to flee again. You might get punished severely," Ha-Neul said worriedly.
"Until my last breath, I will try to escape this hell," Ae-Ra replied.
"You will be caught, Ae-Ra. You are a Kisaeng, and even if you run away, then people will always judge you and your character. The outside world is no less than hell for us. It's better to live here, Ae-Ra," Ha-Neul explained to her.
"I want a Touch of Heaven in my life. Even if it will be for a day, I will be happy. And I know that I can get that Heaven only if I escape this hell. Even if I have to die, I will try my best to see the outside world," Ae-Ra said with a confident tone.
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