A Balanced Farewell
Since we were near the training grounds of Tanggidae, the servants never wandered around unless it was a specific time of day. That meant no one heard Tang Gihyo’s agonized screams.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. It broke cleanly, so there shouldn’t be many lasting side effects.”
I gave the back of the quietly wailing Tang Gihyo—who was leaking tears and snot like a broken faucet—a comforting pat, then slowly took hold of his leg.
“Hoo… And since it’s your right arm, I’ll break the left leg. Keeping things balanced, you know.”
I was even considerate enough to think about symmetry. What a guy.
“Look at me. No matter what a piece of trash you are, I’m still showing you this much care. Right?”
I felt genuinely satisfied with my own personal growth as a human being.
“Ugh… ugh… ugh!”
He kept sobbing and begging with his eyes, but I simply answered with a warm smile.
“I’ll make sure to break your friends’ bones in a nice, friendly way too. You can all spend the next couple of months chatting in bed together~”
Now that was the kind of consideration as vast as the sea.
With a gentle voice, I slowly applied pressure to the hand gripping Tang Gihyo’s left ankle.
“Here we go~”
“Ughhhhh!”
Crack!
The brain-melting pain made him flop around like a freshly caught fish.
“Ughhhhh! Gack!”
In the end the pain knocked him unconscious.
“Whew… I just washed up, but I’m already sweating again.”
I turned around with a satisfied smile and looked at Tang Gu and Tang Gi collapsed beside us. They probably hadn’t felt the pain as vividly as Tang Gihyo, but they were definitely going to wake up hurting like hell.
“Should I break all their limbs?”
As I pondered it for a second, a brilliant idea flashed through my mind.
“Oh. I can break both arms on one and both legs on the other. Perfect.”
The sight of them helping each other would be truly beautiful. Wasn’t that the very definition of real manly friendship?
Excellent idea, if I said so myself.
“Directly snapping them is a bit inconvenient. Maybe I should use a tool?”
I picked up the rock I’d thrown earlier.
“While I’m away in Guya-rim, you boys rest up nice and long.”
I genuinely meant it. Whether they’d take it that way was another question.
“By the time these guys are found, I’ll already be on my way to Guya-rim.”
After finishing the job, I neatly arranged them in a corner. Hoping the servants wouldn’t discover them before they regained consciousness, I headed toward the carriage.
“You’re ready fast.”
The coachman—who usually dragged his feet and gave half-hearted greetings whenever I wanted to go somewhere—was standing there politely waiting today. He must have been thrilled that I was heading to Guya-rim instead of the gambling den.
Yeah, yeah. It’s all my fault. My sins.
As a servant he had every right to hate me, so I generously decided to overlook that kind of reaction.
“What are you looking at!”
Still, human emotions weren’t that simple, so I ended up snapping at him anyway. Both Aeng-hwa and the coachman wore expressions that basically said, Is some dog barking?
“You’re here? Here, the bundle!”
Unlike usual, both Aeng-hwa and the coachman had bright, cheerful looks on their faces.
“Is there a festival or something?”
“No.”
“Not at all.”
They said no, but their faces were screaming that my departure for Guya-rim was a festival for them.
“Please come back safely!”
Why did Aeng-hwa’s words sound completely backwards to me? It felt like she’d spend three whole days and nights singing and dancing if I went and died.
I’ll come back alive no matter what.
Once again steeling my resolve for survival, I slowly grabbed the carriage handle.
“You even cleaned it? What’s that smell?”
“I wiped down the interior with scented flower water today.”
“This is the same carriage I usually ride, right?”
Had they brought one of my older brother or sister’s carriages instead?
The unique, subtle stench that always lingered whenever I rode it was completely gone.
“Yes.”
“I thought the smell never came out.”
“Right. The fragrance doesn’t fade, does it?”
…Should I punch him before I left?
My fist was seriously clenching when I noticed someone approaching from far away.
My eyesight really is good.
Maybe it was because I was young? Compared to my previous life, this body was honestly outstanding. I didn’t know about the bone structure, but it was sturdy as expected of a martial family’s bloodline. On top of that, I had inner energy, so my vision, reflexes, and senses all surpassed those of an ordinary person.
If I’d had this kind of ability in my past life, maybe I could have broken past the limits of a C-rank hunter? Anyway, I could clearly see the face of the person coming toward me.
“Huh?”
I found myself tilting my head.
“Maknae?”
“Older Brother!”
It occurred to me that because I’d been trapped in my inferiority complex and living like a proper maniac, I hadn’t properly faced him in a long time. Even so, seeing Tang Oryong—whose cute childhood face remained largely unchanged—gave me a strange feeling.
He’s going to be incredibly handsome.
They say the sprout shows from the start. Good-looking people give off the vibe even when they’re young.
My face isn’t bad, but this kid is seriously good-looking. Father’s third wife really was a beauty.
My own mother had been exceptionally beautiful too, but I took after my maternal grandfather more than either of my parents. Fitting for a scholarly family, I had the kind of face that looked like it belonged behind a book.
Hmm. I’m jealous.
In contrast, Tang Oryong was simply handsome. On top of that, his martial talent was outstanding—he picked up any technique in no time. No wonder my inferiority complex had exploded.
Well, that’s that. He’s grown a lot.
It had been about two years since we last faced each other properly, and he looked noticeably bigger now.
But why is he here? Did he come to tease me like Aeng-hwa and the coachman?
His expression didn’t seem like it, though.
“What brings you here?”
“I heard you were going to Guya-rim.”
“Yeah. If the clan didn’t know about this news, they might as well be spies.”
We used to train together as kids and run around the clan grounds having fun, but now that we’d grown distant, this meeting felt slightly awkward.
But I’m a man who dealt with countless people in my previous life. I can overcome awkwardness of this level easily.
With that resolve, I continued.
“So what is it? Did you come to mock me?”
“Older Brother… I…”
Tang Oryong’s expression darkened slightly.
Our meetings had always been like this. Whenever the youngest approached with good intentions, I would raise my hackles and push him away. Even though he’d expected it, he still looked quite bitter—until I suddenly burst out laughing.
“Ahahaha! I’m kidding! Kidding! Ahahaha!”
“Huh?”
Whether in my past life or this one, watching my younger siblings’ flustered, dumbfounded faces was always entertaining.
“I’m being punished because I did something wrong, so I honestly wouldn’t have any right to complain even if you mocked me. But I don’t think you’d actually do that.”
This was something the current me had already known. I’d simply been turning a blind eye to it.
Feeling refreshed as if the fog in my head had cleared, I glanced up at the blue sky for a moment.
Sigh… Good-looking and kind. He’s going to have to be careful with women.
Guys like him could fall seriously hard if they met the wrong woman and end up completely corrupted. Hoping that wouldn’t happen, I said,
“So, you came to see me off?”
“Yes…”
Seeing his slightly drooping shoulders, I walked over and put an arm around him—just like I used to do before I fell into that pit of inferiority.
“Thank you.”
“Older Brother…”
Was this the reward for waiting? At my warm words, Tang Oryong looked like his heart was melting. Seeing the moved look in my younger brother’s eyes, I felt like giving him some encouragement.
“Make sure to eat properly, listen to our parents, and also…”
“Um…”
As my signature older-brother nagging continued, Tang Oryong’s initial joy at seeing his old brother return quickly turned into ear pain.
“Older Brother…”
“And be careful with women. Lastly…”
How many times had he heard “lastly” now? It seemed like it would never end, so he seized the tiny gap when I paused for breath.
“Older Brother! I have something to give you.”
“Lastly… Huh? What?”
“Please take these with you.”
It was a well-sharpened throwing knife and a needle case packed full of slender needles.
“I’m being sent away as punishment, so I really shouldn’t take things like this.”
Despite what I said, my hands were already reaching out. Seeing that I looked pleased, Tang Oryong seemed happy.
“Take them secretly.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
I’d been planning to make stone tools and survive like a caveman, but now it looked like I wouldn’t have to completely abandon civilized life.
I quietly slipped the throwing knives and needle case into my wide sleeve.
“Please take care of yourself and come back safely.”
“Yeah… Hm?”
Swish!
Something flew at us with a chilling sound. I instantly pulled Aeng-hwa in front of me and used her as a shield.
“Kyaaaak!”
“Oh no!”
Clang!
Thanks to Tang Oryong reacting before I could fully hide behind Aeng-hwa, three throwing knives rolled weakly across the ground.
“Older Brother, are you—”
“Hmm.”
“Kyaaaak!”
Only after the situation ended and she realized what had happened did Aeng-hwa finally scream. I patted her back soothingly.
“Calm down. It’s over.”
“You bad… person!”
Maybe because Tang Oryong was there? She usually muttered her true feelings out loud, but in this urgent situation she actually managed to hold back.
That confirmed it for me.
“All this time, you’ve been saying those things so I would hear them, haven’t you?”
“No?”
“No? Really?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Leaving the denying Aeng-hwa behind, Tang Oryong looked somewhere and shouted.
“Older Sister! Isn’t this joke going a bit too far!”
At the same time as Tang Oryong’s cry, Tang Saryeong gracefully descended from the roof.
She completely ignored her younger brother’s shout and opened her mouth.
“Hiding behind a maid? That’s quite a sight, Tang Sanlong.”
“If it’s a good sight, then I’m glad.”
At my words, a vein popped slightly on Tang Saryeong’s forehead.
In the past I would have been too scared to say a single word. It seemed that smashing my head on the marble floor had changed me.
“Using a helpless child as a shield and acting all proud about it?”
Her words almost made me burst out laughing. To me, who had regained my past-life memories, her provocation was completely ineffective.
“Why did you suddenly attack the maid?”
“I was aiming for you.”
“So you were trying to kill me?”
“That…”
For a moment, Tang Saryeong couldn’t answer. She seemed to sense that giving the wrong response here would be bad.
No matter how much of a maniac I was, I was still clearly a member of the clan. Attacking me without reason could lead to punishment—especially now that Aeng-hwa’s scream had started drawing servants over.
“Trying to kill me? It was just a greeting. Aren’t you being too sensitive?”
“I see. So throwing three razor-sharp throwing knives is how you greet someone.”
I examined the knives Tang Saryeong had thrown. The edges were sharpened so finely they could cut just by grazing.
She threw them at a level I could dodge by reacting, but that’s not what matters.
She’d probably just thrown them as a threat because she disliked me.
Should I mess with her a bit?
I picked up one of the knives she had thrown.
“Then I should return the greeting, right?”
“You’re going to throw that at me?”
“You said it was a greeting. Wasn’t it?”
“That…”
“Since it’s a greeting, you have to accept mine too. Don’t you think?”
I deliberately raised my voice. Tang Saryeong looked at me like I was ridiculous.
Yeah, go ahead and throw it. How impressive could you possibly be?
No matter what, how threatening could something thrown by me be?
She nodded lightly.
“Fine.”
“Hup! Uaaaaahhup!”
“…What are you doing?”
“Heave-ho~ Heave-ho! Hup! Hup!”
I performed bizarre movements that naturally made everyone frown. Just as they were all tilting their heads wondering what the hell I was doing—
“Older Sister!”
At Tang Oryong’s shout, Tang Saryeong finally noticed the single throwing knife that had already reached right in front of her nose.
“This is—!”
Bang!
The knife embedded itself so deeply into the pillar behind her that the entire blade sank in. Only then did she feel a burning sensation on her cheek.
…What is this.
Beyond shock, fear came first.
Watching my younger sister, I lightly brushed off my sleeve. Using Chuhon Shimpyo a bit forcefully had left my arm tingling.
“Remember this moment well. I hope you understand what it feels like to be on the receiving end of that ‘greeting’ you gave.”
With a truly mature lesson, I turned around with dignity.
So this was what a man’s back looked like?
Tang Oryong was momentarily flustered, but he couldn’t help admiring the sight.
“Older Brother…”
My dependable retreating figure looked impressive from behind, but from the front it was a bit different from what Tang Oryong imagined.
“Hey! Hey!”
When my eyes met the coachman’s, I urgently signaled with my eyes and hands. Having attended me for a long time, the coachman immediately understood what I meant.
We need to get out of here before Tang Saryeong snaps out of it.
At my desperate signal to escape quickly, the coachman promptly sat down in the driver’s seat.
“Ahem! I’ve stayed too long when I’m supposed to be receiving punishment. It’s about time I left. All right, let’s go!”
“Older Brother!”
“I’m off. You siblings get along well.”
“Yes!”
Only after my carriage disappeared into the distance did Tang Saryeong finally regain her senses.
“Tang Sanlong!”
By the time she thought about catching me to question what happened, I was already long gone.
“Haa…”
Ignoring the burning feeling on her cheek, she recalled the martial technique I had just used.
“Ilseombi? …No… It’s different from that…”
“Older Sister!”
“What!”
“Are you all right? I have some golden wound medicine.”
“I don’t need it!”
Slapping away Tang Oryong’s hand, Tang Saryeong turned her body haughtily.
Only after quite some time had passed did the Tang Clan become noisy over what I had done.