How Can a Soldier Be So Fair? (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 3
Yeon Woo’s days continued in an unremarkable routine.
Every morning, she delivered medicinal herbs gathered from the mountains to the apothecary, and in the afternoons, she walked around the neighborhood looking for sewing work.
Yeon Ho kept frequenting brothels to dally with women, and Madam Park still gave Yeon Woo cold, resentful meals.
Although Bi Young told her not to use the bow, Yeon Woo refused to give up hunting with it.
It was because with just a little extra effort, she could earn even a single extra coin.
Moreover, by now, her body would itch restlessly if she didn’t climb the mountain and shoot her bow.
The only thing different from her usual routine was that Bi Young sent her rice and meat every day.
Thanks to this, their household became more comfortable than usual, and Yeon Woo gained a bit of breathing room.
With that small comfort, she occasionally met Bi Young, chatted idly, and heard stories about life in the military camp.
Today, just like any other day, Yeon Woo returned home after finishing a neighbor’s sewing job.
“I’m back.”
As she entered the gate, she sensed an unusually excited atmosphere inside the house.
Stepping into the yard, she saw piles of gift bundles stacked on the veranda.
Curious, she examined them and found inside delicious meat pancakes, fruit, and women’s ornaments—hairpins, ornamental plaques, and rings.
In addition, various bundles filled with luxury items like trinkets and embroidered pouches lined the yard.
Puzzled by this mysterious caravan of bundles, Yeon Woo opened the door to the main living quarters.
“Mother, what are these bundles…?”
Just as she was about to ask Madam Park about them, Yeon Woo gasped at the scene before her.
Inside the living quarters lay even more bundles than those in the yard—so many they couldn’t be compared.
Madam Park sat neatly in the room, holding a bright red bridal robe usually worn only during wedding ceremonies.
The elaborately embroidered robe looked ominously grand to Yeon Woo, who asked,
“Why do you have a bridal robe?”
“It’s the outfit you’ll wear for your wedding.”
Madam Park, wearing an unfamiliar, colorful ring on her finger, gently smoothed the robe’s surface.
At her mother’s reply, Yeon Woo raised her voice sharply.
“Didn’t I already tell you I won’t go through with this wedding!”
“It’s rude to shout like that in front of a guest!”
At Madam Park’s words, Yeon Woo looked around—and spotted an old man across the room who appeared to be about sixty.
His skin was rough like basalt, and his face was spattered with dark moles and age spots.
His nose was blunt and huge, about the size of Yeon Woo’s fist, with fine hairs visible between his nostrils.
Madam Park, who moments ago had raised her voice, now smiled gently at the old man.
“We apologize for this impropriety. My daughter is still young and unrefined—please be so kind as to overlook her rudeness.”
At Madam Park’s words, the old man half-opened his narrow, frog-like eyes and slowly scanned Yeon Woo up and down.
Under that lecherous gaze, goosebumps rose all over Yeon Woo’s body.
The old man parted his toad-like purple lips and spoke with a metallic rasp.
“The wilder the flower, the greater the thrill in breaking it. And its beauty shines brightest when it’s young—so I understand the arrogance of youth.”
Though humiliated by his degrading words, Yeon Woo turned red and pale—but Madam Park ignored her and continued.
“We are simply grateful for your generous understanding, honored sir.”
Madam Park lowered herself excessively and bowed deeply to the old man.
Then she grabbed Yeon Woo’s skirt and forced her to sit beside her.
“This is Old Man Bae Jin Seo, who will become your husband. He’s kindly sent all the wedding necessities ahead of time—go on, pay your respects.”
“…”
Old Man Bae Jin Seo.
He was the very man Madam Park had recently mentioned arranging a marriage with for Yeon Woo.
Now that she saw his face in person, she realized the nasty rumors she’d only heard about were no exaggeration.
Refusing to accept this match, Yeon Woo kept her mouth tightly shut and stared at the floor.
Seeing this, Madam Park scolded her.
“What rude behavior is this! Hurry up and greet him properly!”
“Heh heh. It’s fine, it’s fine.”
Surprisingly magnanimous, the old man brushed off Madam Park’s scolding.
But his next words made Yeon Woo’s face twist in disgust.
“Your figure lacks pleasing curves. With breasts that small, will you even produce enough milk? Your face is pretty enough—I suppose that’ll have to do.”
He flicked his dark, thick tongue and once again ran his eyes over Yeon Woo’s body.
But his rudeness didn’t stop there.
“How wide might your hips be? I must check how well you’ll bear children—come, sit on my lap for a moment.”
He lightly slapped his thick, fleshy thigh with his short, stubby hand.
Did this old man think this place was a brothel?
Yeon Woo barely restrained herself from covering that repulsive mouth of his with her hands.
She’d occasionally encountered men like him before—
people who couldn’t distinguish between what should and shouldn’t be said. When dealing with such people, one shouldn’t respond as a human being would.
Her principle was simple: answer rudeness with equal rudeness.
After taking a deep breath, Yeon Woo spoke.
“You’re quite different from what I imagined, honored sir.”
“Oh? Really! And what do you think now that you’ve seen me in person?”
Intrigued, the old man leaned his heavy torso toward Yeon Woo.
Though clearly surprised by her sudden interest, his tiny eyes—no bigger than buttonholes—barely widened.
Yeon Woo stared intently into his face, staying silent for a moment.
Unable to bear the brief pause, the old man shifted impatiently and urged her with curious eyes.
“Am I better-looking than you expected?”
He spoke without a shred of conscience, as if he’d never once seen his own reflection in a mirror.
Yeon Woo looked straight into his eyes and slowly began to speak.
“When I heard an old man whose death must be near was seeking a granddaughter-aged bride, I wondered whether you were shameless or possessed some hidden charm.”
“What? What did you say? Death?”
“But now that I’ve met you in person, not only is there no charm—I see your influence doesn’t stretch further than the fat around your belly.”
The old man, his face turning crimson at this unprecedented insult, shouted,
“How dare you speak so disrespectfully!”
“You judged my appearance—why can’t I judge the appearance of the man who’s to be my husband? Your mind is as narrow as your pinprick eyes.”
“You dare talk back?! A penniless girl like you, lifting your head so proudly—now I understand why you’ve never married!”
Even as the old man raged, Yeon Woo remained calm and retorted,
“A man who can’t even distinguish between a private home and a brothel shouldn’t lecture me. Besides, didn’t you just say you’d understand youthful arrogance? Yet you break your own word—a true disappointment for a man who claims to uphold honor.”
“So you only plan to win with words! You never even think of yielding to your elders!”
“Then let’s see who wins.”
As Yeon Woo gained the upper hand in words, he clutched his throat in frustration.
His already ugly face twisted further as he bellowed at her,
“I can’t even stand to look at your face!”
“Then leave, if you can’t stand the sight of me. This is my home.”
Yeon Woo’s tone remained calm and steady, her expression utterly unchanged.
Madam Park quickly caught the old man as he nearly toppled backward in fury.
“How dare you speak such nonsense to our guest! Apologize this instant!”
“Won’t you leave, then?”
Though Madam Park glared fiercely at her and shouted, Yeon Woo didn’t so much as blink—she just stared steadily at the old man.
Seeing her daughter showed no sign of apologizing, Madam Park began pleading with the old man.
“Please, honored sir, forgive my daughter’s rudeness.”
Though Madam Park often gave her cold treatment, they were still mother and daughter—a bond ordained by heaven.
Seeing her lower herself so excessively before the old man stirred an indescribable surge of emotion in Yeon Woo’s throat.
Anger, pity, sorrow, pain, guilt—
all these feelings tangled together and burned blackly inside her.
With great effort, Yeon Woo swallowed her swirling emotions and finally opened her heavy lips.
“…If you won’t leave, then I will.”
Unable to bear witnessing the scene any longer, Yeon Woo rose and walked out of the room.
Just as she stepped outside the front gate, Madam Park came rushing after her.
“Stop right there!”
“…”
Yeon Woo’s feet halted abruptly at her mother’s voice from behind.
Breathless from running, Madam Park raised her voice, her tone flustered and sharp.
“How long will you keep acting like a runaway colt, doing whatever you please!”
“When have I ever acted selfishly!”
Yeon Woo spun around sharply, her voice trembling with unshed tears as she shouted back.
She’d reached her limit.
All the emotions she’d suppressed surged up as bitter sorrow.
“I’ve never once lived life on my own terms! I’ve spent my whole life caring for this family!”
Others called it the bloom of youth—but Yeon Woo had never lived her own life, only tending to her family’s needs.
She woke before dawn to gather herbs and hunt in the mountains, then walked the village in the afternoons looking for sewing work.
The only freedom she had was a brief moment of rest at So Hwi Yeon.
But Madam Park clearly saw things differently.
“Do you think you’re the only unhappy person in the world? Life is the same for everyone. A woman supports her father when young, her husband after marriage, and her son after her husband’s death—that’s a woman’s life.”
Madam Park had lived her life for others, as had her own mother before her.
Thus, to her, it was only natural that Yeon Woo should sacrifice herself for the family too.
But Yeon Woo didn’t want to live the same life they had.
“Even animals fly toward where they please and run toward places that feed and protect them. How can a human life be worth less than that of a beast?”
“That is your life.”
“The life I envision isn’t like this.”
“Think what you will. Your wedding has already passed the betrothal gift stage—and the date is set.”
Yeon Woo had no choice.
As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Park turned her back on Yeon Woo coldly.
Not a trace of sympathy could be found in that retreating figure.
“If you act so willfully again, I’ll strike your name from the family register.”
“…”
Having delivered her cold warning, Madam Park hurried back inside.
Watching her mother’s back, Yeon Woo lowered her gaze to the ground.
She’d lived through sacrifice—yet they said it wasn’t sacrifice.
She longed for freedom—yet they told her not to dream of it.
She’d struggled and spoken her mind to reject the fate handed to her—
but nothing changed.
She didn’t know.
She didn’t know what had gone wrong, or where it had started.
Yeon Woo felt her life had become a tangled thread—she couldn’t even tell where it had first knot.
“Huk…”
Sorrow welled up in Yeon Woo’s large, dark eyes.
It spilled onto the ground, dampening the dry earth.
“Huhuk…”
Her slender shoulders trembled slightly.
Even lotus flowers bloom beautifully—
but her life felt like one trampled into the mud before it could ever blossom.
***
The clear sky had long since been covered by dark clouds.
Perhaps because of the gloomy weather, everyone who’d been out had already returned home.
Now with no more tears left to shed, Yeon Woo wandered the deserted marketplace with a dry, blank expression.
If she went home, she’d be forced into marriage with Old Man Bae—but death itself would be preferable.
She was tired—of marriage, of family, of everything.
Yeon Woo wished she could vanish somewhere no one would ever look for her.
Just then, a public notice posted on the wall caught her eye.
It roughly said:
“Patriotic soldiers are urgently needed to defend the nation against northern Jin invasions. Applicants of any age or social status are welcome.”
“So this must be what Bi Young hyung spoke of…”
Recalling Bi Young’s mention of military recruitment, Yeon Woo read on.
“Volunteers will receive one seok of rice and a monthly stipend of two nyang?”
Her eyes widened in astonishment as she read the rest.
One seok of rice alone was generous—but two nyang every month!
That would be twenty-four nyang a year—enough to easily buy a thatched-roof house.
“Oh, I wish I could do it…”
Yeon Woo let out a genuinely regretful sigh.
But as a woman, she couldn’t enlist as a soldier.
Unless, of course, she looked like a boy.
Then a question occurred to her.
“But why such generous terms for ordinary conscripts, not even armored cavalry?”
It was odd for such lavish treatment to be offered for simple soldier recruitment.
Puzzled, Yeon Woo examined the seal stamped on the notice—
“Oh… Prince Gwang Ho…”
The vivid red seal was unmistakably Prince Gwang Ho’s.
She suddenly remembered that Bi Young’s unit belonged to Prince Gwang Ho’s division.
Rumors claimed Prince Gwang Ho was the king’s disgraced son—and none who associated with him met a good end.
Who would willingly serve under such a man with such a fearsome reputation?
That explained why such generous incentives were needed—otherwise, no one would join his unit.
But for Yeon Woo, that monthly stipend of two nyang was incredibly tempting.
With that money, she could live independently away from her family without worry—
except for one problem.
“How could a woman possibly become a soldier? Unless I looked like a boy…”
As a woman, she couldn’t enlist.
So even a role everyone else avoided wasn’t truly available to her.
Just as she decided to let go and turn away—
an idea flashed through her mind.
“…What if I disguised myself as a boy?”
With Yeon Ho at home, she had plenty of men’s clothing.
Yeon Woo was also taller than most girls her age—so a convincing male disguise seemed feasible.
But she shook her head firmly.
“No, that’s absurd. If I’m caught deceiving my status, I won’t escape punishment.”
Impersonating one’s status before royalty was considered sedition—a crime that could cost her life along with the money.
Yet if she returned home as she was, she’d be forced to marry that old man—something she despised even more than death.
“Either way, it’s death…”
Yeon Woo stood there, lost in deep thought for a long while.
If death was inevitable either way, why not take a chance instead of meekly accepting marriage to that old man?
At the end of her deliberation, Yeon Woo finally decided to gamble her life.
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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