Chapter 32: Operation Matchmaking (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 32: Operation Matchmaking (1)
When I returned to where Wang-whatever-his-name-was had been waiting, I found him staring blankly into a campfire he’d built.
He looked troubled.
I gave the child in my arms a gentle pat on the back.
“Go to your daddy.”
“Huh…?”
The little girl, who had been nodding off, snapped her head up. Her eyes flew wide open.
“D-Daddy…!”
The man, who had looked like an empty husk just seconds prior, instantly regained the spark in his eyes at the sound of her voice.
“So-so-ryeong…!”
“Daddy…!”
I set the girl down, and she sprinted over, diving straight into his arms. The man clung to her, sobbing uncontrollably, completely abandoning any shred of dignity.
Watching the father-daughter reunion from a short distance away, I glanced to my side.
Chun-bong was watching them with a complicated expression.
“You want a hug too?”
I spread my arms wide. Chun-bong snorted.
“…Cut the crap.”
“Aww, our little Chun-bong.”
“…Why do you even ask if you’re just going to hug me anyway?”
I scooped up the grumbling Chun-bong and lifted her. She was heavy. She was getting a bit too big to fit snugly in my arms now.
But it wasn’t like I had stopped growing either. Who knew how it’d be later?
“…Idiot.”
Chun-bong snuggled into my chest. Patting her back, I checked on the women following behind us.
“Can you walk a bit further?”
“Yes, yes! Of course!”
It would be best if we could reach a village before the sun went down. If not, we’d have to camp in the mountains.
As I organized my thoughts, I looked back at the father and daughter, who were still bawling in each other’s arms. Chun-bong had gone quiet, perhaps feeling melancholy at the thought of her own family.
“Well… it can’t be helped.”
A reunion was a reunion, but I still needed to ask if there was a village nearby.
* * *
“Thank you…! Thank you so much, Young Hero…! I will never forget this debt of gratitude as long as I live! If you ever need the help of Wang Dae-san, just call! I will gladly lay down my life for my benefactor!”
Wang Dae-san prostrated himself on the ground, bowing over and over. He’d been a real piece of work earlier, but his current behavior was getting a little overwhelming.
“Get up for now. Is there a village nearby?”
“Please, speak comfortably to me! Formalities are far too good for a fool like me who swung a blade at you without thinking!”
“No, this is more comfortable for me, so just drop it… So, is there a village?”
“Ah! I shall lead the way immediately! There is a village about half a sijin away on foot!”
Wang Dae-san scrambled to his feet, but his eyes nearly rolled back into his head when he noticed the other women.
“Ooooh! My blood boils at the atrocities of those damned Green Forest bandits! But you, Young Hero, have struck them down and saved so many! I respect you, Young Hero! No, Great Hero!”
This guy was definitely weird. I leaned in and whispered into Chun-bong’s ear, and she nodded in agreement.
“It looks like Qi Deviation. Nothing severe, but it seems the kidnapping of his daughter triggered an Inner Demon.”
“Is that right? Wow, Qi Deviation is scary stuff.”
“That’s why I’m asking. You don’t have Qi Deviation, do you?”
“…Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Yeah.”
I glanced sideways at Wang Dae-san. Me, acting like that? Surely I wasn’t that bad.
“Geum Chun-bong, your shoulder-ride privileges are revoked for the day.”
“Huh? What… fine, whatever.”
“Wait, why! You’re supposed to hate that! Hurry up and stop me!”
“Crazy bastard.”
Chun-bong shook her head in exasperation.
* * *
Just as Wang Dae-san had said, the village came into view after about an hour of walking. It was a tiny place; from a slightly elevated position on the road, you could see almost the entire perimeter.
I moved toward the settlement with our now significantly larger group.
There were five rescued women, plus So-ryeong, Wang Dae-san, Chun-bong, and myself—nine people in total.
As such a bizarre-looking group approached the entrance, two young men holding crude spears stepped forward to intercept us.
“Halt! Who goes there!”
I looked at Wang Dae-san. He nodded vigorously before stepping forward.
“You rascals! How dare you block our path!”
Maybe I should have just handled this myself.
Just as I was starting to regret my choice, Wang Dae-san pulled a blood-stained letter from his robes.
“My daughter’s guard is inside this village. These women were kidnapped by the Green Forest bandits, and these two are the heroes who rescued them! We have no intention of causing trouble.”
His explanation was a bit of a mess, but the young guards seemed to get the gist of it.
“Ah, I’ve seen the man staying at Grandmother Chun’s house. You may enter.”
This guy was surprisingly reasonable.
As the guard lowered his spear to let us through, the other young man beside him widened his eyes and tapped his comrade’s arm.
“H-Hey! Isn’t that Mr. Seong’s daughter who went missing?”
“What!?”
The reasonable guard practically jumped in place and rushed over to check the face of one of the women.
“It is! It’s Mr. Seong’s daughter!”
“You go and tell them! I’ll guide these people!”
“R-Right! Got it!”
The reasonable guard ran into the village, while the other one led us inside.
“If you need a place to stay, you can go to the village chief’s house or that house over there with the sign. I’ll let them know, so you won’t have to pay.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“How could we take money from someone who rescued our fellow villager?”
“Aha. Thank you.”
The people in this village were quite generous. It was a world of difference from the back alleys I used to live in.
Maybe it was because it was a small village?
But that was exactly when you had to be careful. Rural hospitality could be warm, but it could also turn into a total nightmare.
“This is Grandmother Chun’s house. She’s the only doctor in the village.”
“Is Mister Jang here?”
So-ryeong, who had been holding her father’s hand, poked her head out.
Wang Dae-san gave her a doting fatherly smile and nodded.
“It seems so. Shall we go see if he’s safe?”
“Yeah!”
So-ryeong nodded with a bright smile.
However, Wang Dae-san’s expression was a mix of joy and rage. I supposed he couldn’t look kindly upon a guard who had failed to protect his daughter and fled alone.
Even if it was the right tactical choice, emotions were a different story.
I watched them for a moment before speaking to the women who had been following quietly.
“Why don’t you rest here for a bit? I think the villagers will come here anyway.”
At those words, the woman called Mr. Seong’s daughter flinched.
I observed her closely before turning away. I was starting to get a bit curious about this guard.
* * *
After the young man who guided us left, Wang Dae-san knocked on the gate of Grandmother Chun’s house.
“Is anyone home?”
The gate opened, and an elderly woman appeared.
“What’s all this? You look like outsiders.”
“I heard a man named Jang Yu-ho is being treated here. May we come in?”
“Ah. Right. You must be his party. Come on in.”
The white-haired old woman led the way, leaning heavily on her cane.
“Um, Grandmother?”
“Eh?”
“Is there a place where these people can rest? They must be quite tired.”
At my request, the old woman looked over the women and nodded.
“Tsk, tsk. You all look like a mess. I’ll give you a room, so go in and rest.”
“Oh, thank you.”
“Hyang-ah, if your father starts acting up again, come find me.”
“…Yes.”
It was the woman from before, Mr. Seong’s daughter. She kept her head low as she guided the other women to the room. It seemed she and Grandmother Chun were already well acquainted.
Tilting my head in thought, I followed Grandmother Chun along with Wang Dae-san.
The room we entered was thick with the scent of medicinal herbs. It smelled exactly like an apothecary.
“Hey, brat! You have guests!”
“Huh? Guests? Ah! Could it be…?”
A man was lying on the floor inside the room. His eyes widened when he saw Wang Dae-san, and he burst into tears when he spotted So-ryeong beside him.
“L-Little Lady…! You’re safe!”
“Mister Jang…!”
So-ryeong tried to rush toward the man, but Grandmother Chun blocked her path.
“Child. You mustn’t jump on a sick person.”
“Ah, uh… I’m sorry….”
So-ryeong bowed deeply. What a polite kid.
As I nodded in satisfaction, So-ryeong crept up to the man and gently took his hand.
“Mister Jang… I’m sorry…. It’s because I said we should go to the mountain….”
“No, it’s alright. It was my fault for failing to protect you.”
“What? W-Wait! Guard Jang, what does that mean? Are you saying So-ryeong was the one who wanted to go to the mountain?”
When Wang Dae-san asked in shock, the man nodded.
“Yes…. I thought it would be fine since there aren’t many demonic beasts or bandits in these mountains…. I am truly sorry, Family Head.”
“Oh, heavens! So-ryeong! Didn’t I tell you time and again not to throw tantrums!”
“Uuu, but….”
The situation turned into a mess in an instant, and I blinked in surprise.
What? A bandit had seen the child’s beauty and come all the way to the village to kidnap her?
Now that I thought about it, unless the bandit was an absolute pedophile, there was no way they’d do that just from catching a glimpse of her. It turned out the crazy, doting father had just jumped to a massive conclusion.
I knew something felt off.
I was just accepting the reality of the situation when I felt eyes turning toward me.
“Ah, then this person is….”
“Yeah! The handsome older brother saved me!”
Who am I? The handsome older brother.
As I stood there grinning, I felt Chun-bong’s sharp gaze. I smiled even wider just to spite her.
“Oof…!”
She pinched my side. It hurt like hell.
“Thank you so much, Young Hero. Come to think of it, I haven’t introduced myself. I am Jang Yu-ho. I serve as Lady So-ryeong’s guard.”
“Lady So-ryeong, huh…. Is she from a wealthy family?”
Jang Yu-ho looked at Wang Dae-san and laughed awkwardly, so Wang Dae-san answered for him.
“It is nothing like that. We are just a small family on the outskirts, but Guard Jang and I happened to cross paths, and that is how this arrangement came to be.”
“Aha.”
So that was it.
Since they were talking about her, So-ryeong cautiously approached and tugged on my sleeve.
Does she want me to hold her?
I lifted her up and patted her back, and the child soon fell into a peaceful sleep. I could feel Chun-bong’s blatant stare. Cute little thing.
“What is it, Chun-bong? You want me to put you to sleep too?”
“…Shut up.”
“Aww, are you pouting?”
“What are you talking about? I’m not pouting.”
“This won’t do. Tonight, I’ll have to sing you a lulla—”
Thud, thud, thud, thud!
Someone was pounding on the gate. I poked my head out of the building and heard an unfamiliar man’s voice.
“My daughter! You’re saying Hyang-i is here!?”
“Now, I understand how you feel, but…”
“Shut up! Hyang-ah! Come out this instant! Where have you been all this time!”
At the sound of the man’s voice, Grandmother Chun clicked her tongue and stood up.
“That brat is at it again. Stay seated. I’ll go kick him out.”
She leaned on her cane and went out to open the gate.
Two men were standing beyond the gate. One was a man whose face was flushed red with rage, and the other was trying to hold him back.
“What do you think you’re doing, making such a racket here! Get lost!”
“I heard my daughter is here, so what do you mean get lost!”
“You should act like a father before you go looking for your daughter! Stop your nonsense and get out!”
“Has this old woman gone senile…!”
The man raised his hand as if to strike her, but then he froze. His gaze shifted behind Grandmother Chun, and he suddenly roared.
“Seong Yi-hyang!”
“…Father.”
Standing where the man’s gaze landed was the woman known as Mr. Seong’s daughter.
She kept her head bowed as she approached Grandmother Chun and gently tried to pull her back.
“Thank you, Grandmother.”
“…Hyang-ah.”
“You wench! What have you been doing that you’re only crawling back now! If you’re back, you should have come straight home! Why are you holed up in a place like this! Are you just like your mother, ignoring me!?”
“Father…. It’s not like that….”
“What do you mean it’s not like that!”
Yi-hyang flinched at the man’s shouting.
“Actually… the bandits…”
“Bandits!? Hah…! Then you must have lost your chastity! Why did you even bother coming back then! If you had any thought for the shame you’d bring upon us, you should have died right there!”
“You…! You bastard, what kind of nonsense are you spewing! Is that any way to talk to your daughter!”
“This old woman has been running her mouth since earlier…!”
The man raised his hand again, but the other man who came with him tried to stop him.
“Hey! What is wrong with you!”
“Let go of me! Forget it! A girl like you is better off dead! I don’t have a daughter like— Aaaargh…!”
The rampaging man grabbed his wrist and screamed. His hand had frozen solid.
“It shouldn’t even hurt that much, so stop overreacting.”
I sighed and handed the sleeping So-ryeong over to Wang Dae-san. Fortunately, I had blocked the sound with a Qi Membrane just in time, so the child didn’t wake up.
“This is really pathetic.”
I clicked my tongue and walked toward the man. He cowered, glancing at his frozen hand.
I let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
“I wasn’t going to get involved in someone else’s family business. But because of you, our Chun-bong’s expression has turned to total shit.”
I’m a bit of a helicopter parent, so I can’t stand this kind of thing. You’re upsetting my kid!
This guy really had a death wish.
“Let’s decide right now. How many hits do you want to take?”
I started by wrapping my hand in Fist Qi.