[AFYC] Chapter 22

A brothel. 

What did that even mean?

Seo Ah stood at the door, repeating the unfamiliar word over and over in her head. 

Brothel, brothel… 

But saying it didn’t help her understand it any better. What she knew was that it was a specific term for a place, and it certainly wasn’t good. 

“Did you know this is a brothel?” 

The man’s question made the madam jump, and though she had tried to reassure Seo Ah, she never denied that this place was a brothel. All she had done was emphasise that Seo Ah was just a paying guest for the night. 

Seo Ah bit her lip hard. 

The man, who seemed sculpted from shadows and shrouded in cigarette smoke, radiated danger and violence. 

She didn’t trust the madam but couldn’t bring herself to follow that man out into the night either. Closing the door had been her way of escaping to buy herself time to think. 

Then, she sensed the madam’s presence just beyond the door. 

“Are you alright?” the madam called out, her voice faint. It sounded like several men had come to help her up. She didn’t respond to them, and soon, their footsteps faded away as they left. 

Seo Ah swallowed hard, feeling the dryness in her throat. 

She gripped the doorknob tightly with one hand and slid the latch into place with the other. After ensuring the door was securely locked, she also double-checked the window latches. 

Then, standing in the corner of the room, she took a good look around. 

At first, this place had seemed like a paradise, if only for a short while—a place where she might finally rest after everything she had been through today. 

She had felt like she could breathe again after shedding the heavy winter coat and dress that had clung to her in the stifling heat. After so long, the meal she had eaten seemed to rejuvenate her, and she realised she hadn’t seen a proper bed in days. The thick mattress looked so inviting that she knew she would fall asleep as soon as she lay down. 

But where there had been a brief sense of comfort, a powerful sense of danger now filled the void. 

She couldn’t afford to fail before she had even started. 

Seo Ah quickly changed back into her original clothes. Now that she had taken them off, she noticed how the sweat and dust clung to them. 

She didn’t put the coat on immediately but spread it out on the bed, inside up. With quick hands, she checked each pocket carefully, ensuring there were no holes and that everything was in its place. 

The inspection ended when she verified the presence of the key and the certificate of ownership she had received earlier that day. She unfolded the certificate and reviewed its contents again. 

Her name, written carefully, today’s date, the vault number, and the official seal. 

Worried that any crease might smudge the writing, she carefully placed the certificate between two pieces of paper and tucked it into one of her pockets. She tied the pocket’s opening securely with string, making sure it was fastened tight, and then straightened up, looking at the inside of her coat. 

The mismatched pockets and haphazard stitching brought back memories of that day. 

That day, the attack came in the dead of night. 

The day her grandfather’s grave was desecrated, the day the fire that consumed Ho Yeon Jae also took her mentor. 

“This is it, right? This is what he’s been searching for, isn’t it?” 

The night the golden key, hidden away for so long, was finally brought out. 

“Don’t go. The odds of failure are too high. You’ll get caught up in so many things before you even have a chance to execute the plan.” 

Seo Ah smiled bitterly at the memory. 

“You’re right. I’ve already gotten caught up in so many things the moment I arrived, like a fool…” 

She brushed the hem of the worn coat, smoothing out the frayed threads that stuck out. As she carefully tidied up the loose threads, she pushed the painful memories back down into the depths of her mind. 

Her hands moved quickly again. 

After tidying up her coat, she opened her suitcase. She folded the hastily washed underwear and placed it in the corner of the suitcase. It hadn’t dried properly, so it had a bit of a smell, but there wasn’t much she could do about that. After packing her laundry, Seo Ah hesitated momentarily before reopening the suitcase. 

She carefully lifted out the crumpled red silk that had somehow gotten tangled up inside. 

Back in the day, if she sat quietly in the courtyard after lunch, she could hear the girls playing. She could see them through the gaps if she approached the wall and stood on her tiptoes. 

Girls with smooth, shiny black hair and bright, almond-shaped eyes. 

Their neatly braided black hair swayed in the breeze, the red ribbons tied at the ends fluttering. Seo Ah had often wished that her hair and eyes were as dark and beautiful as theirs so that red would suit her, too. 

She folded the frayed ribbon neatly. She folded it in half, then in half again until the butterfly embroidered on one end was 

visible. She placed it with the cleaner items in her suitcase before closing it without any further hesitation. 

She pulled on the coat, tying the belt around her waist to keep the bulky garment in place. Now fully dressed to leave at a moment’s notice, Seo Ah moved to the window, pressing her body against the wall. She carefully lifted the edge of the curtain to peek outside. 

How can I get out of here? And when? 

She carefully considered her escape route, listening intently for any signs of movement outside her room.