Chapter 107
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: A Boy's First Friends
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Having narrowly survived the crisis, Bang So-bang stared at Dan Ak-seon with wonder.
“So? What’s my condition?”
“Hmm… your muscles are severely overworked. You haven’t rested enough and have been training too hard, so you’ve accumulated significant fatigue. At this rate, it wouldn’t be surprising if you got injured at any moment.”
“Then what should I do?”
Bang So-bang, who had asked the question, flinched.
Dan Ak-seon was smiling quietly, holding up a needle.
“I can fix it quickly.”
Staring blankly at Dan Ak-seon, Bang So-bang glanced at Un Jung-san.
He could handle anything else, but backing down out of fear of needles, even among friends, would be a complete loss of face.
“Fine. Go on, then.”
Bang So-bang squeezed his eyes shut.
A moment later.
“All done.”
“Huh? Already?”
Slightly opening his eyes, Bang So-bang was astonished.
He hadn't even felt the needles pierce his skin, yet glittering silver needles were embedded all over his body.
But he wasn't the only one.
The same needles were stuck in various spots on Un Jung-san's body as well.
“You look like a porcupine.”
“Look who’s talking.”
Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang grinned at each other.
After about a quarter of an hour had passed.
Dan Ak-seon began to remove the needles.
“Ah, that smarts!”
Bang So-bang let out a sharp cry.
Unlike when the needles were inserted, removing them was quite painful.
Dan Ak-seon said with a smile.
“That’s because you’re tensing up. Relax and let go. It won’t hurt then.”
“Oh? You’re right.”
Once all the needles were removed, Bang So-bang jumped in place a few times. He tilted his head, then started running around the area.
“Whoa! What is this? My body feels so light!”
Meanwhile, Dan Ak-seon had removed all the needles from Un Jung-san.
Un Jung-san rolled his shoulders wide and looked at Dan Ak-seon with an expression of wonder.
“Doing this always used to cause a stabbing pain, but it’s fine now.”
“I drained the stagnant blood that was pressing on your nerves.”
Only then did Bang So-bang acknowledge Dan Ak-seon’s skill.
“To think we’d have a physician as a friend!”
“We’re friends?”
Surprised by the unexpected words, Dan Ak-seon asked with wide, round eyes. Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously.
“Yeah. Of course.”
“From now on, we’re friends.”
* * *
“I’m back.”
Seeing Dan Ak-seon’s bright, beaming face, Cho Ak-ryang smiled and returned the greeting.
“You look happy. Something good must have happened.”
Beom Gye-wi pouted.
“Was it that much fun hanging out with the witch? More fun than with me?”
Han Seol-hwa shot Beom Gye-wi a pathetic look.
“Physician Dan made a friend.”
At her words, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi were startled.
“He made a friend?”
“Hehe.”
Dan Ak-seon laughed sheepishly.
Looking displeased for some reason, Beom Gye-wi asked grumpily.
“Who are these guys?”
Thinking of his friends, Dan Ak-seon smiled brightly.
It was the first time he had ever played with someone his own age. Perhaps that was why just talking with them was so enjoyable that he lost all track of time.
“One is a disciple of the Wudang Sect, and the other is a disciple of the Beggar’s Sect.”
“What?”
Beom Gye-wi’s face crumpled.
“I’m against it!”
“Pardon?”
“Of all the people in the world, you had to befriend a Wudang brat and a Beggar’s Sect punk?”
Beom Gye-wi approached the bewildered Dan Ak-seon and whispered.
“Forget making friends. Just meet girls. That’s much better. Getting close to guys only ends up like this.”
As he said this, Beom Gye-wi stared pointedly at Cho Ak-ryang.
Inwardly dumbfounded, Cho Ak-ryang let out a dry laugh. Beom Gye-wi spoke to him.
“Brother Cho, you should say something too.”
“Say what?”
“Are you okay with Physician Dan befriending a Wudang punk and a Beggar’s Sect brat?”
Cho Ak-ryang chuckled.
“Physician Dan can do as he pleases.”
But at the end, he added with a reluctant expression.
“Still, Wudang is a bit much.”
Cho Ak-ryang was sick and tired of Taoists, especially those from the Nine Sects One Alliance.
Beom Gye-wi turned his head toward Han Seol-hwa.
“What about you, witch?”
“Wudang is fine, but a beggar…”
Han Seol-hwa trailed off, knitting her brows. The implied meaning was clear enough.
“……”
Dan Ak-seon’s face fell.
A wave of disappointment washed over him.
He had thought they would be happy for him for making a friend.
Belatedly noticing Dan Ak-seon’s expression, Beom Gye-wi immediately backtracked.
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter.”
When Cho Ak-ryang and Han Seol-hwa glared at him, Beom Gye-wi retorted shamelessly.
“It’s not like they’re guaranteed to be Taoists or beggars for the rest of their lives. In fact, let’s take this chance to get the Wudang kid expelled and throw the beggar kid in the river to wash him clean.”
“What?”
As Dan Ak-seon looked startled, Beom Gye-wi grinned.
“Next time you see them, be sure to bring them here. Lure them with the promise of delicious food.”
Cho Ak-ryang, who had been wearing a look of disbelief, spoke to Dan Ak-seon.
“We’re fine, so you don’t need to worry about it. This is wonderful. I’m glad you’ve made a friend.”
Only then did Dan Ak-seon flash his usual innocent smile.
“I can’t wait for tomorrow.”
“It seems you’ve made plans to meet again.”
“Yes!”
Cho Ak-ryang smiled faintly and nodded.
Until now, Dan Ak-seon had always been mature for his age.
Part of it was because he had lived alone for so long, but it was also because everyone around him was much older.
However, that wasn't entirely a good thing.
The higher the mountain, the deeper the valley.
A child should be a child.
“Bring them over anytime. A friend of yours is a precious guest to us as well.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
At Cho Ak-ryang’s words, Dan Ak-seon’s smile grew even brighter.
The next morning.
The moment the sun rose, Dan Ak-seon dashed out of the inn.
He only returned in the evening as the sun was setting.
He was grimy from head to toe, a testament to what he had been doing all day.
“What in the world were they playing to get like that?”
At Beom Gye-wi’s question, Han Seol-hwa shook her head.
She had accompanied Dan Ak-seon, keeping a slight distance to prepare for any potential danger.
The boys, who had acted quite dignified at first, revealed their true colors once they became friends.
They were the biggest troublemakers she had ever seen.
Oblivious to Han Seol-hwa’s thoughts, Dan Ak-seon went to meet his friends every single day without a break.
On the fourth day.
“Um… ma’am.”
Dan Ak-seon quietly called out to Han Seol-hwa as she prepared to follow him.
“What is it?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Dan Ak-seon spoke cautiously.
“Could I… go by myself today?”
A look of puzzlement appeared in Han Seol-hwa’s eyes.
Just then, Ga Du-dal, who was loitering in a corner of the inn, nodded as if he understood.
“He wants to play with his friends without being watched.”
Han Seol-hwa froze for a second.
Dan Ak-seon looked up at her with pleading eyes and spoke again.
“Please.”
Faced with those doe-like eyes, Han Seol-hwa finally let out a sigh.
“Very well.”
“Thank you.”
Before she could finish, Dan Ak-seon excitedly scampered off.
Cho Ak-ryang chuckled at the sight of Han Seol-hwa standing blankly, staring at the spot where Dan Ak-seon had disappeared.
“You can’t keep him in your arms forever, you know.”
Beom Gye-wi chimed in as if he had been waiting for the chance.
“Don’t do anything. Hehehe.”
Han Seol-hwa shot them a cold glare.
But it was only for a moment.
She soon turned and began to leave the inn.
“Huh? Where are you going?”
Han Seol-hwa answered Beom Gye-wi’s question without looking back.
“I will watch from a distance, out of sight.”
“Physician Dan won’t like that.”
“The situation now is more dangerous than ever.”
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi fell silent at Han Seol-hwa’s next words.
“Thanks to a certain pair of idiots.”
Leaving the inn, Dan Ak-seon ran frantically toward the clearing on the outskirts of the village where he had promised to meet his friends.
When he arrived, Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang, who were already there, waved to greet him.
Bang So-bang, in particular, welcomed Dan Ak-seon with his characteristic affability.
“Oho! And who might this be? The one who gives the disease and then the cure! Isn’t it our friend, Physician Dan, the Giver of Sickness and Salve?”
Un Jung-san, on the other hand, simply waved his hand in greeting. Dan Ak-seon smiled warmly at the two of them.
“Now that Ak-seon is here, shall we get started?”
Itching for action, Bang So-bang subtly initiated. Un Jung-san also began to warm up, looking at Dan Ak-seon.
“I won’t go down as easily as yesterday. I received some teachings from my senior uncles.”
“What kind of teachings?”
At Dan Ak-seon’s question, Un Jung-san smiled and replied.
“I learned about the principles of using stillness to overcome motion and using softness to overcome hardness.”
Bang So-bang chimed in knowingly.
“As the saying goes, ‘Wudang’s techniques are not primarily for offense, yet they cannot be easily transgressed.’”
“What does that mean?”
“It means Wudang’s martial arts aren’t aggressive, but they’re not to be trifled with. It’s the basic concept of Wudang’s martial philosophy.”
“But you’re from the Beggar’s Sect. How do you know so much about Wudang’s techniques?”
“Because he told me?”
Un Jung-san nodded.
“There should be no secrets between friends.”
“Won’t you get in trouble with the adults for that?”
At Dan Ak-seon’s concern, Bang So-bang scoffed.
“It’s not like that’s some great secret. It’d have to be something like the Ten Section Brocade or the Taiji Wisdom Sword to be considered a secret art.”
Bang So-bang grinned and struck a flashy pose for Dan Ak-seon and Un Jung-san.
“I, too, will be different from yesterday. Why, you ask? Because I have been taught this sect’s secret ultimate art, the Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms.”
“Wow! Really?”
While Dan Ak-seon gasped in awe, Un Jung-san sighed.
“Here he goes again.”
He then shook his head at Dan Ak-seon.
“Don’t fall for his bluffs every time.”
“It was a bluff?”
Bang So-bang bristled.
“Hey, this time it’s for real!”
“You said it was real yesterday too.”
Dan Ak-seon laughed as he watched the two bicker.
“So, what should we play today?”
At Dan Ak-seon’s question, Bang So-bang tilted his head.
“Play? You thought sparring with us was playing?”
“Yeah! It’s fun. If it’s fun, isn’t it playing?”
Bang So-bang and Un Jung-san fell into thought.
It was an unexpected question, but now that they heard it, he wasn’t wrong.
“But isn’t it only fun because you win every day?”
“No. I have fun doing anything with you guys. It’s fun even if we’re just looking around the village instead of sparring.”
Understanding Dan Ak-seon’s sincerity, his two friends nodded.
“Alright! Then let’s have some fun today too!”
At Bang So-bang’s shout, Dan Ak-seon also smiled brightly.
And the sparring match that day was, once again, Dan Ak-seon’s victory.
However, Un Jung-san and Bang So-bang didn’t take the loss to heart.
On the contrary, they were growing tired of their predictable spars, and Dan Ak-seon’s participation was a welcome change.
“Will there ever be a day when we can beat Ak-seon?”
At Un Jung-san’s words, Bang So-bang shook his head.
“It’ll be tough with martial arts.”
“Does that mean it’s possible with something else?”
“Tsk, tsk. This is why you guys with so little real-world experience are…”
Un Jung-san was provoked.
“You’re the same age as me.”
“What are you talking about? I’m different from a long-nosed Taoist who only practices martial arts under a roof.”
Suddenly curious, Dan Ak-seon asked Bang So-bang.
“By the way, why are Taoists called ‘long-noses’?”
“Huh?”
Bang So-bang let out a flustered sound.
Come to think of it, he had never deeply considered the reason himself.