A Man's Resolve
Seo Hwan held the newly crafted sword and swung it this way and that, examining it.
I hope it suits me.
“It looks like it’s made of Hyun-cheol, given its dark color. But with this weight…”
It seemed he had accurately grasped the weapon’s design intent. Since it was focused on lightweighting, it should be light.
“This is definitely a famous sword, no shame in calling it that. At least among the swords I know, there’s none that sharpens Hyun-cheol to this degree.”
Sigh… Fortunately, it seems to please him. Ten years of effort.
“You said it would please you? Dae-ju finally has a proper sword.”
“Haha… So-ju-nim’s words are not exaggerated at all. It has the skill worthy of being called the best under heaven. Thank you, Seo Hwan dae-hyeop.”
Dok-ryong Dae-ju sheathed the sword and bowed his head toward me.
For someone who had lived in Korea all his life, seeing an elder bow his head like that didn’t sit well with me.
I have to get used to it.
“Dae-ju-nim, and these silver swords are also of very high quality. The one that blocked Paeng Dae-hyeok’s strike.”
“Eh? Can those swords be mass-produced?”
“Of course. Every one of them was personally made by Dae-hyeop. Will you give these swords to Dok-ryong Dae-ju?”
“Yes, understood. With these swords, Dok-ryong Dae-ju’s combat power will change dramatically.”
With this, the Dang family’s power will also skyrocket.
But can this allow us to face the head of the Paeng family?
In wuxia novels, the head or sect leader is usually the strongest in the family or sect.
The Dang family has a head, but according to Bi-ryeong, he’s like a useless person… Can we win?
Honestly, with the Dang family’s declining power, I can’t guarantee victory.
If the head steps up, it might be worth a try…
At that moment, Bi-ryeong quietly grabbed the collar of my clothes.
“Um… Dae-hyeop, it’s embarrassing, but can I ask you for a favor?”
“A favor? What kind of favor?”
“…Can you take me to see my father?”
To see my father… It’s not a difficult request.
But why ask for this? Let’s go for it.
“I will. It’s not a difficult request.”
“Thank you, Dae-hyeop…”
Bi-ryeong, who had some liveliness during the time she stayed at the forge, now had a deep shadow on her face for some reason.
“Are you going to see the head of the family…?”
“Yes… It’s time to overcome the biggest obstacle.”
Dok-ryong Dae-ju showed a worried expression at the mention of going to see the head.
Bi-ryeong also mentioning the biggest obstacle suggested it was not easy.
The head’s condition was vaguely known to Bi-ryeong, but since it was father and daughter, what could go wrong?
“Sigh… Let’s go, Dae-hyeop.”
Bi-ryeong took a deep breath and led me somewhere with the head’s sword.
Opening a large door, there was a long corridor with torches on both sides, and at the end another large door.
“This is the hiding place where my father stays.”
The place where the head stays… This stuffy space seemed to represent the head’s current state.
“Haa… Come in.”
Creak-
Bi-ryeong pushed the large door with her strength, and it opened slowly with a loud sound.
The moment the door opened, the smell of alcohol pierced my nose.
In the room, liquor bottles were scattered messily, and there were no special decorations, just basic furnishings.
There was a small window on one side of the room, and the environment was dark and gloomy except for the light coming from there.
It looked like it embodied emptiness and despair…
In the middle of the room, a gaunt man sat looking out the small window, and that must be Bi-ryeong’s father.
“Father… I’m here.”
Even with Bi-ryeong’s greeting, the head showed no reaction. He didn’t even acknowledge her arrival, just quietly looked out the window without turning to her.
In the head’s eyes, it was as if his soul had left, empty and lifeless. Like he had given up everything after facing a great wall…
I have seen eyes like that before.
My father had that look after the divorce.
Empty eyes as if he had given up on everything…
Hollow cheeks, unkempt beard and hair, those eyes beyond them were like the perfectly dead eyes of someone who had given up on himself in a great swamp.
***
My father was a person like the sun of the Dang family.
Always warm and cheerful, always shining light on the people of the Dang family.
My father was the symbol of the Dang family itself and my hero. His wide embrace that always welcomed me with bright and cheerful smiles was my world.
'Haha Bi-ryeong! Did you come to see your old man?'
'If you hold the sword like that, you'll hurt your wrist. Let me hold it again like this.'
I was always afraid.
In every moment I was in the Dang family, fear was sitting in one corner of my chest.
I couldn’t face my father straight on because I was afraid that the hero of the Dang family I missed would never return.
Every time I saw my broken father, my heart was torn as if it was being stabbed.
It would have been better if he had scolded me.
“Father…”
I hugged the Cheongryeon, the sword my father had entrusted to me, tightly and called out to him again.
But in the quiet room, the pungent smell of alcohol filled the void.
“Father… The head of the Paeng family is coming. He says he’s going to trample the Dang family, which has accumulated thousands of years of history, and is heading to Sichuan.”
Even with my shout, the father didn’t move. Again.
Like a person who had lost his senses, he just stared blankly out the small window frame.
“Father… Can you at least look at me?”
I gripped the Cheongryeon in my hand tightly.
“Father… Seo Hwan Dae-hyeop, who is here, has made swords to revive the Dang family. If only you can rise up, the Dang family can stand again…”
The father didn’t turn his head, as if the Dang family’s situation was none of his concern.
At that moment, the figure of Seo Hwan Dae-hyeop standing beside me came into view.
The person who was the most reliable in this situation.
…
The weight of being So-ju, the crisis where the family’s survival was at stake, the sight of my broken father.
All these things became a heavy weight pressing on my shoulders, pressing me down.
I couldn’t escape from the swamp of tension that the Dang family might collapse and the fear that I might lose my father.
But at least from that unfamiliar and stuffy forge, I could escape from that swamp.
In the time when I stayed by the Dae-hyeop’s side beyond space, the regular ringing of the hammer echoed, giving me peace in my heart.
Every day, heavy rains poured in my heart, but the forge and the Dae-hyeop were the roof that blocked that rain…
When I saw Dae-hyeop’s firm gaze and smile, I even felt confident that everything would be okay.
As the colors of my world were fading, the existence of Dae-hyeop was adding color to my world.
That’s why I came to see my father with Dae-hyeop.
With Dae-hyeop, I thought this fear might wash away…
Perhaps he wouldn’t turn away from the new presence…
If he sees this sword, perhaps he would stand up again remembering his mother…
But still, the father didn’t turn his eyes or stand up.
At that time, after pouring out tears in front of my father’s room, I tried not to cry again. Every time I shed tears, I felt like I was being carved away like a rock under the rain, and I would soon collapse.
It seemed the bitter rain had pierced even the comfortable roof and settled in my heart.
“Sob… Father… Please…”
The shoulder holding the sword trembled pathetically. Through tear-blurred vision, the gaunt father distorted.
The father’s silence was a sharp knife digging into my chest.
Is it really… that the Dang family… the father… I… have to collapse…
Who… please…
At that moment.
Something warm was placed on my trembling shoulder.
It was rough and coarse but the warmest thing in the world, Dae-hyeop’s hand.
The Dae-hyeop who had been quietly watching this situation beside me was a person who always smiled confidently and brightly, but now his brows were furrowed.
He glanced at my face, which was a mess with tears, smiled faintly at me, and said this.
“Bi-ryeong. I’ll take a moment.”
Saying that, he picked up the Cheongryeon I was holding and slowly took a step…
Taking a step towards my broken hero.
“Haa…”
Dae-hyeop stood in front of the father and sighed deeply, scratching his head.
“Head. Seeing you like this, really… I can’t look away anymore.”
***
I don’t know why I did this.
The man sitting in front of my eyes, within reach of my hand, is the head of a family.
Although he looks so gaunt, if he wanted, he could erase me in an instant.
Who knows what kind of monster is sleeping in this gaunt appearance. If I act rashly like this, I might lose my head in an instant.
I once fought against the Heavenly Demon and defeated him, but compared to a warrior who is at least the head of a family, I am just an ordinary blacksmith.
This act is suicide, no matter how you look at it.
'Don’t do it.'
My reason says that, but my emotions don’t.
I wanted to protect Bi-ryeong’s smile, who had become So-ju and bowed her head to me apologetically, smiling.
I couldn’t ignore Bi-ryeong’s warmth as she poured her strength to help me even though she knew nothing about blacksmithing.
My heart was racing and my hands were trembling at the thought that I might die if I messed up.
But I couldn’t ignore this situation.
'A man is… Hey, Wan. A man is someone who, when there's something to protect even while sweating and crying, can be called a man.'
'Father. Then, if… really if… if I have to risk my life for you and the forge, what would you do?'
'Why are you saying that? Why am I living like this? It's obvious.'
Father… It seems it was that time.
I will risk my life for Bi-ryeong, just like my father did for me.