The residence opens into the stillness of night. Lanterns are lit to welcome the general and his wife.
Behind them, servants take charge of the young concubine, leading her toward an annex. She disappears into the shadows of the corridors — like a burden imposed.
Yi walks ahead, his steps heavy but measured. His wife follows, straight-backed and silent. She did not protest at the palace. Not a flicker of emotion crossed her face.
But now, as the doors close behind them, her voice finally breaks the silence:
— "So… another woman under your roof. Is this the reward of your victories?"
Yi Sun-sin answers coldly, without even lifting his eyes:
— "It is not a reward. It is a gift. One does not refuse what the king commands."
— "A gift? A woman is not a chest of silk to be stored away in a corner."
He turns to her, his gaze as hard as stone:
— "Do not pretend to ignore the world you live in. Concubines are not chosen out of desire, but duty. You remain my lawful wife. No one will contest your place."
Her reply comes low, trembling but firm:
— "Then my place is to be a silent witness… to a husband who shares his home, yet not his heart?"
He steps closer, his tone sharper still:
— "My heart belongs to my king and to the war. You are the wife given by the clans. You will lack for nothing. But do not expect from me what I never promised."
A heavy silence falls. She lowers her head, but her eyes glisten with unshed tears.
He turns away, expression unreadable — as if already bearing the weight of another battle.