Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: Part 6. The One Who Forgot the Past, The One Who Can't Forget (2)
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A feast broke out.
A massive bonfire blazed in the large clearing, with hundreds of mats and platforms laid out. Mountains of food piled up on every mat and platform.
"Uhahaha!"
"This is the life!"
Smiles spread across people's faces.
The joy was even greater since it had been so long since their last feast.
Damho and Muk Ilgwang claimed a spot and sat down. It was a platform near the bonfire.
"Hyungnim, let me pour you a drink."
Muk Ilgwang filled Damho's cup to the brim. Ever since the day he decided to serve Damho as his elder brother, he had treated him with utmost respect.
Damho poured a drink into Muk Ilgwang's cup as well.
"Thank you, hyungnim."
Muk Ilgwang's face lit up with emotion.
Damho gazed at him for a moment before downing his cup.
The fiercely potent liquor brewed in the stronghold burned its way down his throat. Yet Damho's expression didn't change as he drained the cup in one go.
Muk Ilgwang followed suit and emptied his own.
"Kuh!"
A sigh of satisfaction escaped him naturally.
The harsh liquor made it real—they were back at the Overlord Stronghold.
It was then.
"Waaaa!"
"It's the Chaeju."
Cheers erupted from the crowd as Hwang Gyeongmun appeared, followed by Hwang Hye-ryeong and Yun Chung.
As the people cheered, Hwang Gyeongmun raised his hand to quiet them.
"Are you all enjoying yourselves?"
"Yes!"
"There's plenty of liquor and food. Enjoy today to your heart's content."
"Waaaa!"
A tremendous roar of cheers exploded.
Hwang Gyeongmun waved to them once more before taking his seat on the raised platform. The Overlord Stronghold's leadership, including Hwang Hye-ryeong and Yun Chung, gathered around him.
A smile played on Hwang Gyeongmun's lips.
"Now, bring it out."
"Understood."
One of his subordinates dashed off quickly. Moments later, a group of people entered the clearing.
"Whoa!"
"What is that?"
Exclamations burst from the onlookers.
Four men were walking into the clearing, each shouldering a whole pig skewered on a massive wooden spit. Behind them followed women carrying baskets and Bang Jinbo.
"Hup!"
The men set the pig down on the ground.
Its belly had been slit open and emptied. The women stuffed it with herbs, fruits, and vegetables from their baskets.
The pig's formerly hollow, scraped-clean belly swelled up plump in no time. The women then tightly sewed it shut with thread.
"Hup!"
The men hoisted the pig back up and placed it over the bonfire.
"Whoa!"
Bang Jinbo, who had been watching from the side, stared wide-eyed.
He had never seen a cooking method like this before.
Crackle! Crackle!
The pig's skin turned golden brown over the fierce flames, and a delicious aroma wafted through the air.
The eldest of the women spoke to Bang Jinbo.
"Now, just wait, so go back to your seat."
"How long do I have to wait?"
"Well! With a pig this big, it'll be about two hours, I reckon."
"Two hours?"
"Ho ho! Sit and nibble on this and that, and time will fly by."
"Got it. Thank you for all your hard work today."
"You're the one who worked hard, Jinbo. Thanks to you, things went much smoother."
"What did I even do?"
"Our Jinbo doesn't have a girlfriend? Want me to introduce you to my daughter?"
"Pardon?"
Bang Jinbo's eyes widened at the woman's unexpected remark.
"Hey! Your daughter's only five!"
"So what if she's five? Close your eyes for a few years and wait. How about it?"
"Forget it."
Bang Jinbo bolted toward Damho's platform without hearing the rest.
The woman watched his retreating back with a warm smile.
She had been half-joking, but she genuinely liked Bang Jinbo.
He was good at cooking and had a great personality. Working with him had made the time fly.
"What a shame! He'd make a fine son-in-law."
By then, Bang Jinbo had reached the platform.
"Hyung!"
Bang Jinbo plopped down in front of Damho with a beaming smile. Happiness radiated from his face.
His smile was infectious, lifting the mood of anyone who saw it.
"This place is amazing. The cooking, the scale—it's insane. I've never seen food prepared in such massive quantities before. And the herbs that only grow on Mount Hwang are incredible. Just a bit changes the flavor completely. The aunties gave me some to take. Hehe!"
Bang Jinbo shook the bamboo tube in his hand. It was tightly sealed and filled with finely ground herbs unique to the area.
As Bang Jinbo chattered excitedly, Hwang Hye-ryeong approached.
"Jinbo looks happy."
"You bet! It's awesome."
Bang Jinbo thrust his thumb up. Hwang Hye-ryeong burst out laughing.
She sat on the platform and looked at Damho.
"How about you, orabeoni? Is everything comfortable?"
"It's fine."
"That's a relief."
Hwang Hye-ryeong smiled.
"Everyone seems so lively since it's been a while since our last feast. I'm glad."
"......"
"Have you been to many feasts like this, orabeoni?"
"Once, when I was a kid."
"Really? Where? In your hometown village?"
"Yes."
"How did they hold feasts in your village, orabeoni? Did they slaughter as many cows and pigs as we do?"
Hwang Hye-ryeong peppered him with questions, her cheeks flushed.
Damho closed his eyes briefly. Hwang Hye-ryeong stared intently at his face.
With his eyes still shut, Damho spoke.
"The place I grew up was extremely remote. We couldn't even dream of slaughtering a cow, let alone a single pig."
"Then how did you hold a feast?"
"My father knew how to hunt. Even amid busy farming, he'd go out whenever he had a moment. He mostly brought back small game like rabbits, but once he caught a huge wild boar. That's when the village held a feast."
It had always been an impoverished backwater. Meat was a luxury they couldn't even imagine in their poor lives, dominated by the struggle to feed their own family.
Yet his father was never stingy when it came to sharing with others. No one would have blamed him for feeding only his own, but he gladly offered the wild boar for the village.
A feast broke out in the starving village. Smiles bloomed on faces after so long, and the savory aroma filled the air.
His father and mother were busy preparing the boar, while young Damho had to look after the even younger Gareung.
But it was good. It was the first time he had eaten his fill of meat.
He tore the meat into small pieces to feed young Gareung.
Her red cheeks as she chewed the meat, and the eye smile she gave him.
All those memories now felt faintly faded, like discolored wallpaper.
When he opened his eyes, he saw Hwang Hye-ryeong gazing at him with her round eyes. Nearly twenty years had passed, yet Gareung's face from his memories perfectly overlapped with Hwang Hye-ryeong's features.
'I'm glad.'
Damho truly thought so.
If Hwang Hye-ryeong had been living an unhappy life, he could never have endured it.
"Orabeoni."
"Mm."
"Have we really never met before?"
"Why?"
"Your eyes don't feel unfamiliar."
Hwang Hye-ryeong reached out and gently caressed Damho's face.
The warm touch from her small hand felt familiar. If possible, he wanted to keep her close and watch over her from now on.
But Damho said coolly,
"It's just your imagination."
"Is it?"
"Yes!"
She was no longer Dam Gareung but Hwang Hye-ryeong, living her own life. Damho believed that was the path for his sister's sake.
Hwang Hye-ryeong withdrew her hand. But the shadow of doubt on her face didn't fade.
Damho was called a murderer by all.
His nickname, Fist Demon, was terrifying enough, and his ruthless personality made everyone fear him.
Yet Hwang Hye-ryeong didn't find him scary at all. On the contrary, he felt familiar.
That made it all the stranger.
'Am I the only one who feels this way?'
She had so many questions for Damho. But he had turned his head to look elsewhere.
"Orabeo......"
It was as she tried to call him again.
"People are coming up."
The bandits guarding the entrance shouted suddenly.
Hwang Gyeongmun, who had been enjoying the feast, furrowed his brow.
"What's going on?"
"People are heading toward the stronghold."
"People? Check their identities first."
"Yes!"
The stronghold gates opened, and a group of bandits rushed out.
The merry atmosphere vanished in an instant, tension etching onto the bandits' faces.
They were the Overlord Stronghold's elites, rigorously trained by Hwang Gyeongmun and ready to fight at any moment.
It was then.
"Brothers from Black Water Stronghold are coming up."
A loud voice boomed from outside the stronghold.
A glint flashed in Hwang Gyeongmun's eyes.
"Black Water?"
"Yes! Brothers from Golden Tiger, White Deer, and Blue River Strongholds are coming up with them. What should we do?"
"Hm!"
Hwang Gyeongmun's eyes sharpened.
'That guy!'
Black Water, Golden Tiger, White Deer, and Blue River—all were among the top powers of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds. Individually, none matched the Overlord Stronghold, but together, their combined might could overwhelm the rest of the Eighteen.
'He even pulled in Blue River? Impressive maneuvering.'
It was a meeting that had been anticipated anyway.
The timing wasn't ideal, but turning them away wasn't an option either.
"They must have heard about the feast and come. Prepare seats for them."
"Yes!"
At Hwang Gyeongmun's command, people bustled about to welcome the guests.
Soon, the gates opened, and hundreds of bandits entered the Overlord Stronghold.
"Uhahaha! A feast, eh?"
"Did the Total Chaeju hold it knowing we'd come?"
The venue buzzed with noise in an instant.
They were all brothers of the bandit world. Though different strongholds meant infrequent visits, their shared identity as bandits bridged the gap instantly.
Among the hundreds of bandits, a few stood out.
"Haha! White Deer Stronghold Chaeju Gwak Sam pays respects to the Total Chaeju."
A massive middle-aged man in ornate tiger skin robes cupped his fists toward Hwang Gyeongmun with a hearty laugh.
Behind him followed a sixties-looking elder in red robes and a voluptuous woman in her thirties.
"Golden Tiger Stronghold Chaeju O Jong-sam pays respects to the Total Chaeju."
"Blue River Stronghold Chaeju Lee Ga-heun comes to see the Total Chaeju."
They were all Chaejus of the Eighteen Bandit Strongholds.
Eighteen supreme figures in the bandit world.
Hwang Gyeongmun rose to greet them.
"It's been a while, everyone."
"Ho ho! The Total Chaeju looks even healthier. Eating something good?"
"If I had something like that, I'd share it with you all. You all look well yourselves."
Hwang Gyeongmun's gaze swept over them one by one, stopping on the last man.
He appeared to be in his early fifties.
A large nangaedo hung at his waist, and a long scar like a knife slash marred his left cheek.
He spoke as he looked at Hwang Gyeongmun.
"Jo Yun-san of Black Water Stronghold pays respects to the Total Chaeju."
The man's name was Jo Yun-san, Chaeju of Black Water Stronghold.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.