Chapter 92
Chapter 92
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 92
Chapter Title: Walking Under the Moonlight
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Heuk Ye-mong walked along a secluded seaside path under the moonlight. Today had been nothing but strange, frightening, and astonishing events.
The image of the venomous snake spilling his guts as he was hurled into the sea still lingered vividly in her mind.
'That terrifying snake died without even swinging his hook once. How could that happen? How could a person fall from the sky?'
She glanced back, and he was still following at a distance. When she stopped, he stopped. When she walked, he walked.
'He's keeping his distance on purpose so I won't be scared.'
She had never seen anyone move that fast in her life. He was undoubtedly a martial arts master. Even the gang leader of the Blood Sea Gang, the strongest expert in Bongrae Port, couldn't have killed the snake that quickly.
If this man was truly her father...
'Then I could pay back everyone who looked down on me and my mother all this time.'
She looked back again.
He was still maintaining a distance of about ten paces.
Suddenly, Heuk Ye-mong realized that she wasn't turning around out of fear of him following, but to check if he was.
'Is he really my father?'
After taking a few more steps, Heuk Ye-mong stopped in her tracks and turned around once more.
He halted abruptly at a distance.
"If you're too far away, it might get too dark and you'll lose sight of me."
"I'm fine."
She had said it out of concern, but he responded with something unexpected. His martial prowess was so high, yet was his head a bit slow?
She was too young to understand the bewilderment, confusion, and extreme caution of a father meeting his daughter for the first time after over a decade apart.
'Hmph, do whatever you want.'
Heuk Ye-mong turned sharply and started walking. In that instant, she tripped over a stone and fell forward.
"Ah!"
The ground rushed toward her face. Then she felt something wrap around her waist from behind.
Pulled by a strong yet gentle force, she sprang to her feet to find that he had closed the distance in an instant and was holding her waist.
'When did he...!'
"A girl your age should be more careful! You nearly broke your nose!"
"......!"
"Sorry. I didn't mean to get angry, it just came out..."
"I'm fine. See? Not a scratch."
Heuk Ye-mong spread her arms wide and spun around once. When she came back to her spot, the corners of her mouth were slightly upturned.
"That's a relief."
An awkward silence followed.
Heuk Ye-mong spoke.
"Shall we go now?"
"Sure."
"From now on, let's walk together. Side by side."
"......?"
From that moment, the two walked shoulder to shoulder. The moon, free of the clouds, shone down on their shoulders.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Are you a martial artist by any chance?"
"That depends on the perspective. If you've set foot in the martial world, you're a martial artist. If not, no matter how skilled you are, you're not."
"Which one are you, Uncle?"
Earlier, calling him 'father' felt awkward, and now 'uncle' sounded strange. It felt both unfamiliar and a bit disappointing. Of course, it probably wasn't easy for him to say 'father' either.
'Let's take it one step at a time.'
"I'm not sure myself."
"Why not?"
"I want to live like the latter, but it doesn't seem like it'll go my way."
"How strong are you, Uncle? I mean, how many guys like that snake could you take down alone?"
"Was that bald guy the snake?"
"Yes."
"Why were they harassing you?"
"I did some work in their territory."
"You mean the time they tried to pickpocket me?"
"Sorry about that."
'It should be me apologizing. I'm the one who let you live like this. How hard must it have been taking care of your sick mother alone all these years.'
"Have you and your mother been living alone all this time?"
"There's Old Man Pang, the limping grandfather. He lives next door, but with only two houses in the neighborhood, we live like one family. He's a kind soul who helps us poor mother and daughter."
"How does he help?"
"When we're short on firewood in winter, he secretly brings some. When rice runs out, he quietly fills our jar."
"He's a good man. How did you come to know him?"
"About three years ago? He suddenly appeared and built a thatched hut next door. We've lived together since. He's all alone without family, so we share food with him sometimes, and he takes great care of us."
Three years ago was around when the hairy man must have informed the academy of his death notice. The timing felt a bit suspicious.
For a stranger to suddenly appear where a mother and daughter lived alone and build a hut was odd. From experience, when multiple suspicious things piled up, there was always a reason.
'I'll find out when I see him.'
"What's wrong with your mother?"
"I'm not sure. No specific illness, she just wastes away bit by bit. Lately, she can barely see."
"She can't see?"
"People say it's optic atrophy. But Old Man Pang says it's a disease of the heart. A young woman who's been through too much, her mind is sick. So I have to take good care of her."
"What do the doctors say?"
"They say she might never see again, so if there's anywhere she wants to go while she can still see a little, take her. But Mother refuses."
"Why?"
"She says there's nowhere she wants to go, but I think it's because she hates people whispering about me when we walk together."
"What do they whisper?"
"Just this and that."
Heuk Do-san regretted asking immediately. He could guess what they said. Probably things like fatherless child, whore's daughter, she'll become a whore too.
Thinking of the pain the young girl must have endured made his heart ache.
"How long have you been pickpocketing?"
"About five years. But not often. And I swear I'll never do it again."
"......?"
"Are you... disappointed in me?"
"Why do you think that?"
"I would be."
Heuk Ye-mong hung her head.
Heuk Do-san paused before speaking.
"There are people in this world who steal far greater things and strut around shamelessly. Pickpocketing is certainly wrong. But it's not a capital crime, so no need to be so downcast. And it's not your fault. The fault lies with the adults who failed to look after you."
'To be precise, it's my fault.'
Heuk Ye-mong lifted her head and stared at Heuk Do-san. Her eyes were as clear as a deer's. How had she pickpocketed with eyes like that?
"Why are you staring like that?"
"You're the first person to say something like that to me, Uncle."
Guilt weighed heavy on his chest.
"Are you disappointed in me?"
"Why?"
"As you can see, I'm neither rich nor a powerful official, and..."
"I'm not disappointed."
"Don't you resent me?"
"Can I be honest?"
"Yes. Be honest."
"I don't know. I don't understand what's going on, or what to call you, and suddenly there's this huge wall between yesterday and today, my head feels like it's going to explode."
"To be honest, I feel the same."
"Really?"
"How could I not?"
"So we're both worrying about the same thing."
"Is that how it is?"
"It's amazing."
He didn't know why it was amazing. And to Heuk Do-san, she didn't seem amazed so much as a bit excited.
'It'll be hard and difficult, but we'll solve it step by step together. If you and your mother can forgive me.'
"Since things have come to this, want to share a secret?"
"A secret?"
"That I pickpocketed out there. It's a secret just between you and me, Uncle."
"To me, it seems less like sharing a secret and more like getting ahead of me so I won't tell your mother."
"Does it show?"
"Plainly."
"Sigh..."
"Don't worry. I won't say anything."
"Thanks."
"But in return, never do it again."
"Yes. I promise."
'You won't need to do that ever again.'
"By the way, you still haven't answered my question. How many can you take down alone? With that skill, at least ten, right?"
"Why are you curious?"
"The snake is nothing. The real boss of the Black Snake Faction is his brother, Great Python. They say he's killed more than ten people, a murderer. And he's an officer in the Blood Sea Gang too."
"The Black Snake Faction leader is a Blood Sea Gang officer?"
"When the Blood Sea Gang unified the local gangs, they gave positions to the leaders. But now that you've killed the snake..."
"So you're worried?"
"We might have to leave Bongrae tonight with Mother. But she absolutely refuses to go."
"Why?"
"I don't know. But if you're really my father... maybe we can leave now."
"If you're scared of them, no need. As long as I'm here, not even the Blood Sea Gang's grandfather could touch a hair on you or your mother's head."
"Really?"
'If they touch you, Blood Sea Gang or whatever, I'll dump them all in the sea. No, better to visit their leader tomorrow and give him a preemptive lesson to avoid trouble.'
"I promise."
Heuk Ye-mong's face bloomed into a smile.
As they chatted, they arrived at the seaside where two thatched huts leaned against each other.
"We're here. That small thatched hut is our home."
* * *
The hut was cramped and musty.
The room, about five or six pyeong, was filled with the air of death. Seol Mae-ran sat before her embroidery frame, stitching flowers onto what looked like a man's white silk garment.
Watching her embroider with her failing eyes felt heartbreaking, like she was desperately clinging to her fading sight.
The beauty that had once made her a top courtesan of Nakhwa Pavilion was gone. Her jade-like skin was sallow with illness, her slender hands bony like bamboo roots.
Yet her clean, though shabby clothes and neatly combed hair showed her refined nature remained unchanged.
"Who... is it?"
She gazed vaguely into the distance and asked. It was her first response after Heuk Ye-mong introduced Heuk Do-san moments earlier.
As Heuk Ye-mong opened her mouth to speak again, Heuk Do-san cut in.
"It's me. Heuk Do-san."
"No, it can't be. He's dead. I don't know who's playing this joke or why, but please have pity on us mother and daughter and leave."
"It's hard to believe, but I didn't die."
"Please stop. Even blind, I remember his voice clearly, no matter how long ago. You're not the senior disciple of White Deer Academy I knew."
"The stars are too far to grasp, flowers wither in autumn, silk tears easily, so alas, I can only engrave my heart on this golden coin."
It was the poem Heuk Do-san had recited long ago when he gave Seol Mae-ran a fake golden coin as a ploy.
Even now, it made his face burn with embarrassment; he wanted to crawl into a hole. But it was proof enough of who he was.
The color drained from Seol Mae-ran's face. Silence stretched as she couldn't speak.
It had been mere playful banter between a foolish playboy and a seasoned courtesan for one night, but Heuk Ye-mong blushed, imagining her parents' passionate past.
She rose quietly and disappeared somewhere.
"How could this..."
"I'm truly sorry. I had no idea you'd become like this. Why didn't you tell me back then that I had a daughter? How could you handle it alone?"
Seol Mae-ran suddenly stood and yanked urgently on a cord hanging from the ceiling corner.
Moments later, a limping old man entered, coughing. Spotting the burly Heuk Do-san, he froze.
Seol Mae-ran said.
"The moon is up. Send word quickly."
"A-are you sure?"
"No doubt."
The old man glanced between Heuk Do-san and Seol Mae-ran, then hurried out.
Heuk Do-san stared at Seol Mae-ran with wide eyes. He had no idea what was going on.
Seol Mae-ran sighed deeply, as if the ground would cave in.
"Sigh... I don't know where to begin. I hoped against hope, but to think you really came back alive."
"......?"
"To cut to the chase, everything you saw and heard today was fake. It was all a plan to lure you here."