Lady Shin, a woman in her late fifties, was scolding a young woman who had once again attempted to flee from the Kisaeng House. The young woman stood with her head bowed, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

"Lady Shin, the customers might overhear. Please, lower your voice," Choi Min-Joo, a man in his late thirties, reminded her calmly. He managed the Courtesan House and diligently kept its records. With a small smile, he added, "Don’t let anger crease your face with wrinkles."

Lady Shin pressed a hand to her temple, taking a deep breath as she allowed herself to relax slightly. "This girl is a constant source of trouble. It’s the tenth time in just two months that she’s tried to escape." Her tone had softened, though the frustration lingered. Her assistant, Eun Mee, immediately brought a fan to cool her, while another servant swiftly arranged a chair for her. Lady Shin sat with poised elegance, though the exasperation still clung to her expression.

"Give her one hundred lashes on the legs," Choi Min-Joo commanded coldly to the two servants nearby. He eyed the young woman, Ae-Ra, without an ounce of sympathy.

"If you attempt to run again, the punishment will be far more severe. Remember, the only reason I’m lenient with you is out of respect for your mother’s past service," he told her. Ae-Ra, however, remained unresponsive, her face a mask of defiance.

Choi Min-Joo waved his hand in the air, signaling them to begin.

"Lift your skirt," Eun Mee instructed, her voice devoid of emotion.

With trembling hands, Ae-Ra slowly raised her skirt, revealing her legs. They were marked with fading bruises, evidence of past punishments. Her once smooth skin bore the scars of this cruelty.

A servant stepped forward, holding a stick, and without hesitation, the lashes began. The sharp crack of the stick against her legs echoed through the room.

"Ahh," Ae-Ra cried out involuntarily, the pain ripping through her. But she refused to let the tears fall, biting her lip until it almost bled. Her grip on her skirt tightened with every strike, and though her body trembled, her mind remained steady. Each lash only strengthened her resolve—to escape this place, no matter the cost.

Eun Mee continued to fan Lady Shin, who sat with her eyes closed in a moment of quiet repose. Meanwhile, Choi Min-Joo was focused on the record book in his hand, methodically reviewing the list of Courtesans, and the young women soon to follow in their footsteps.

The hundred lashes came to an end, and the servant stepped back. Ae-Ra collapsed onto her knees, gasping for breath, her legs trembling from the pain.

Lady Shin opened her eyes, her gaze settling on Ae-Ra with a mixture of disappointment and disdain. "Your mother was the most celebrated Courtesan of this house. No one could match her beauty and grace. How could you bring such disgrace upon her legacy? Just yesterday, you deliberately spilled tea on a sixth-rank government official," she scolded her, her voice dripping with irritation.

"He...he was touching me inappropriately, Lady Shin," Ae-Ra stammered, her voice quivering as she spoke up.

Choi Min-Joo snapped the record book shut with a sharp sound, his expression darkening. "This girl!" He glared at her, fury in his voice. "You are a Courtesan. It is your duty to serve your patrons without resistance. How dare you defy a customer!"

Lady Shin waved her hand dismissively. "Get out of my sight. And remember, if you try to escape again, the punishment will be far worse." Her cold, indifferent words hung in the air as Ae-Ra shakily rose, barely able to stand, her heart filled with both pain and defiance.

With a low bow, she turned and walked away. It took her nearly twenty minutes to reach her shared room. The small, cramped space barely accommodated two people, with just enough room to sleep.

She collapsed onto the thin mat and slowly lifted her skirt, revealing her bruised and battered legs. The tears she had held back for so long finally spilled over, streaming down her face as she stared at the angry red welts.

Born into this fate, Ae-Ra had been condemned to the life of a Courtesan from the moment she could understand words. A Courtesan’s daughter had no other choice—she was expected to follow in her mother’s footsteps.

At the age of four, she had been told that her life would be devoted to entertaining men, particularly those from the military. Since then, her every movement had been trained for this purpose, her every thought molded to please those who would eventually seek her out.

Every day, she cursed herself for being born a girl, for being trapped in a life she never chose. She tried to wipe away the tears, but more kept falling. No one understood her pain—not even the women around her, who constantly reminded her of her station.

"Ae-Ra, a Courtesan carries no emotion. Her only duty is to please her customers, no matter what," they would say, as if it were an unchangeable rule of the world.

Ten times she had attempted to flee in the last two months from this suffocating life, and ten times she had been caught and dragged back. Each time, the punishments grew harsher—lashes on her legs, her back, her hands. The pain left her body marked and scarred. But the worst part wasn’t the physical torment—it was the way the men treated her. They saw her as nothing more than an object to satisfy their desires, a thing to be used and discarded.

Just then, the door slid open quietly, and Ha-Neul entered, carrying a bowl in her hands. She closed the door behind her and hurried over to Ae-Ra's side.

"Why did you try to run away again? Have you lost your mind, Ae-Ra?" she asked, concern evident in her voice. Sitting down beside her, she set the bowl down and gently wiped the tears from Ae-Ra’s face.

"I don’t want to live here, Ha-Neul. I can’t do this work, but I can’t die either," Ae-Ra sobbed, her voice breaking as she spoke. Ha-Neul wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a comforting embrace, her hand soothingly stroking Ae-Ra’s back.

"It’s fine, Ae-Ra," Ha-Neul whispered softly. She pulled away to inspect Ae-Ra's legs, her heart aching at the sight of the fresh welts. Without a word, she took the herbal paste she had prepared and gently applied it to Ae-Ra’s wounds. The coolness of the paste brought some relief, and Ae-Ra’s breath hitched as the pain dulled slightly.

"Lady Shin told me that a few guests are coming tonight—most of them are Ministers. You make excellent tea, so you’ll need to prepare it for them, and serve," Ha-Neul informed her, watching for a reaction. Ae-Ra knitted her brows.

Ae-Ra hummed in acknowledgment, but the tears continued to fall, sliding silently down her cheeks. She didn’t say a word. Ha-Neul lightly shook her shoulder, trying to pull her back from her despair.

"Ae-Ra, maybe someday a man will come along and desire to marry you," Ha-Neul offered, her tone hopeful.

Ae-Ra’s eyes darkened, her voice bitter. "Men see us as nothing more than objects for their pleasure. I’ve heard that lie enough times. No Kisaeng has ever been taken as a wife. Do you know why? Because we have no status, and we’ve served too many men. Don’t give me false hope with talk of marriage." Her anger simmered just below the surface, her hatred for men unmistakable in those words.

Ha-Neul’s worry deepened, and she leaned closer. "Ae-Ra, don’t tell me you’re going to try to run again. You could be punished even more harshly next time."

"Until my last breath, I will try to escape this hell," Ae-Ra replied, her voice steady with conviction.

"You’ll be caught again, Ae-Ra. We are Kisaeng. Even if you manage to escape, the world will judge you. People out there will tear you apart for your past. The outside world isn’t any kinder to us than this place. It’s better to live here," Ha-Neul pleaded.

Ae-Ra shook her head. "I want freedom in my life, even if it’s just for one day. I know I can only find that Heaven if I escape this place. Even if I die, I’d give everything to see the outside world," she declared with a fierce longing for freedom.