Chapter 73
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Festival and Farewell
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"Wow!"
An involuntary gasp escaped Dan Ak-seon's lips at the sight of the festive street.
For a moment, he was captivated by all the food and attractions, but then he felt a strange sensation and turned around.
Han Seol-hwa, who had been following him silently, was nowhere in sight.
She was standing stock-still in the distance.
"Auntie?"
Dan Ak-seon called to her, but she didn't answer. She simply frowned, her delicate brow furrowed, and raised a sleeve to cover her nose.
Her behavior was nothing but puzzling to him.
"What's wrong?"
"There's a smell."
"Huh? What kind of smell?"
"He's here."
As Han Seol-hwa scanned the surroundings.
*Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop!*
The loud crackle of firecrackers filled the street, along with a thick cloud of smoke.
Following that, a gorgeously decorated lion appeared, and a massive cheer swept through the crowd.
Dan Ak-seon stood on his tiptoes to watch the lion dance. But with so many people gathered, he couldn't see a thing.
Just then, Beom Gye-wi lifted him up in a flash and placed him on his shoulders.
"Thank you."
Beom Gye-wi, in his disguise, grinned.
Dan Ak-seon, for his part, was savoring his happiness.
Beom Gye-wi was so large that the view of the grounds from atop his shoulders was very much to his liking.
Besides, it was the first time he had watched a street festival since he was very young, when he had come with his parents.
Just as Dan Ak-seon was enjoying the festival.
Han Seol-hwa stopped Cho Ak-ryang.
"I think we should leave."
Cho Ak-ryang, disguised as a scholar with a human-skin mask, looked puzzled.
"Why?"
"The beggar chief is here."
"The leader of the Beggar's Sect?"
Han Seol-hwa nodded.
"Only he has such a foul stench."
Nodding, Cho Ak-ryang sent a telepathic message to Beom Gye-wi.
—Let's head back. She says the leader of the Beggar's Sect is nearby.
—Can't I just show Doctor Dan this one thing?
—Let's go back before we cause any trouble.
Beom Gye-wi nodded with a disappointed look on his face.
In the end, the two of them told Dan Ak-seon they were heading back to Divine Demon Valley first.
"Why? Let's watch a little longer together."
Faced with Dan Ak-seon's plea, their eyes wavered for a moment.
"Places with a lot of people are quite uncomfortable. This fellow and I will head back and rest first. You take your time and have fun with Sister Han."
Leaving the clearly disappointed Dan Ak-seon behind, Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi disappeared into the crowd.
At that, Dan Ak-seon's excitement seemed to fizzle out as well.
"Do you know why?"
Seeing no reason to hide it, Han Seol-hwa answered honestly.
"The leader of the Beggar's Sect is here. They went back first in case he recognized them."
"Ah..."
Finally understanding the reason, Dan Ak-seon let out a sigh.
His mind suddenly grew complicated. At first, his disappointment was great, but as time passed, a feeling of injustice grew stronger.
"They must feel as stifled as I do, right? Not being able to reveal themselves openly."
Both were men who lacked for nothing, no matter where they went.
Who in the world could disregard the Blood Hand Honored One and Mang Mountain's Thistle?
Yet, to be with him, they had to go through the trouble of disguising themselves and hiding their very existence each time.
Dan Ak-seon suddenly felt sorry for the two of them. If it weren't for the shackle that was him, wouldn't they be able to enjoy their lives in the martial world freely, treated as esteemed masters?
At this point, Dan Ak-seon no longer felt like having fun.
"Let's go back too."
Reading Dan Ak-seon's expression, Han Seol-hwa nodded silently.
After stopping by the market to buy food, fireworks, and other items for the holiday, they were on their way back to Divine Demon Valley when Dan Ak-seon's face lit up at a discovery.
The door to his regular apothecary, which had been closed for some time, was wide open.
"The apothecary mister must be back!"
After being abducted and severely tortured by the villains of Jangrak-bang, the apothecary owner had returned to his hometown to recuperate. It seemed he had come back for the new year.
Dan Ak-seon ran inside the shop.
"Mister!"
Indeed, a familiar face was there.
Overjoyed, Dan Ak-seon offered his New Year's greeting.
"Happy New Year, Mister. Are you feeling better now?"
"..."
But unexpectedly, the look on the apothecary owner's face as he gazed at Dan Ak-seon was not bright.
"Mister?"
Dan Ak-seon was bewildered.
He had always been so friendly, but today there was an inexplicable distance. It didn't take him long to realize why.
"I'm sorry."
The owner continued, his expression troubled.
"Seeing you brings back the memories of that time..."
As the owner's voice trailed off, Dan Ak-seon fell silent.
Physical wounds may heal, but the scars etched on the heart linger for a long time. He was an ordinary man who had been forced to endure torture at the hands of martial artists.
Forgetting such a horrific experience in a short time was a difficult thing.
"I understand. Please take care of yourself."
As Dan Ak-seon turned to leave after his farewell, the owner suddenly spoke.
"From now on, I'd appreciate it if you'd do business with another apothecary."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
The owner averted his gaze, avoiding Dan Ak-seon's eyes.
"I just can't face you. I shouldn't have... No matter how much pain I was in, I shouldn't have told them about you..."
"It's okay. In that situation, anyone would have done the same, not just you. I'm fine, so..."
"It's because it's too hard for me."
"...!"
"I suffered from nightmares every night, unable to sleep. I've only just been able to get some rest these past few days. But seeing you again like this..."
The owner's words trailed off. But Dan Ak-seon could well imagine what he was trying to say.
Dan Ak-seon bit his lip.
"I'm sorry. I'm really... sorry."
Turning away, Dan Ak-seon walked out of the apothecary and continued on in silence for a long while. Then, for the last time, he looked back at the shop.
It was to imprint the place, filled with old memories, in his eyes.
He could see the owner closing the shop door, limping and looking uncomfortable.
The sight pierced Dan Ak-seon's heart with an unbearable ache.
He was fighting back tears that threatened to burst forth at any moment when Han Seol-hwa silently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Dan Ak-seon looked up at her and smiled.
It was a smile so sorrowful that it would have been better if he had cried instead.
And for that, Han Seol-hwa's heart ached even more.
"I've known him for so long... And now I've lost another connection."
"It's not your fault."
Dan Ak-seon nodded at Han Seol-hwa's comfort.
Han Seol-hwa wanted to console him further, but she couldn't think of the right words.
* * *
Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi greeted the earlier-than-expected return of Dan Ak-seon with puzzled expressions.
He was trying his best to look cheerful, but they were not so unobservant as to miss the shadow lingering in a corner of his face.
"Did you get to see all of the lion dance?"
At Beom Gye-wi's question, Dan Ak-seon held up the things he had bought, his hands full.
"Let's set off some fireworks!"
"All of a sudden?"
Beom Gye-wi asked back with a quizzical look at Dan Ak-seon's out-of-the-blue suggestion.
"They say setting off fireworks makes bad things go away."
Dan Ak-seon took out a firecracker and tied it to a long pole. Then, he lit the long fuse.
An ear-splitting boom and the acrid smoke of gunpowder.
Amidst it all, dazzling sparks flashed noisily, continuing for some time.
It was then that puzzlement dawned on the faces of Cho Ak-ryang and Beom Gye-wi. The one who had suggested the fireworks didn't seem very excited himself.
He just sat there with a blank expression, his chin propped on his hand, staring at the sparks scattering into the empty air.
Dan Ak-seon spoke abruptly.
"I hope it works."
Cho Ak-ryang cast a questioning glance at Han Seol-hwa.
In response, Han Seol-hwa silently shook her head.
She knew better than anyone why Dan Ak-seon had suddenly suggested setting off fireworks. How could she explain that to others?
She could only hope that he would feel even a little better with the fireworks.
The line of firecrackers was soon exhausted.
And silence quickly fell.
Dan Ak-seon, who had been sitting dazedly with his chin in his hand, suddenly realized how quiet it was and looked up.
Worried eyes were fixed on him.
Dan Ak-seon gave an awkward smile.
"Did you know? A long time ago, people used to burn bamboo and use the sound of the popping husks to chase away ghosts. Now we use gunpowder instead, but that's why they're still called firecrackers."
Neither Cho Ak-ryang nor Beom Gye-wi had any particular desire or curiosity to know the origin of fireworks, but they listened silently to Dan Ak-seon's story.
It was hard to pinpoint, but Dan Ak-seon's mood had been strange for a while.
Noticing the peculiar atmosphere, Neung So-mil spoke up cheerfully.
"Um... shall I bring out some wine?"
Sa Mu-sim received his words with a smile.
"A fine idea. It's a shame to have a holiday without wine."
The two of them began to move about busily.
With the food Dan Ak-seon and Han Seol-hwa had bought from the market, plus wine brought from the storehouse, a meal was prepared in no time.
* * *
Beom Gye-wi suddenly felt Dan Ak-seon's gaze fixed intently on him.
"That..."
"Hm?"
"Can I try some of that?"
Only then did Beom Gye-wi realize Dan Ak-seon's gaze was directed at the wine cup in his hand.
Beom Gye-wi casually offered the cup.
In that instant, Han Seol-hwa's ice-cold voice cut through the air.
"Are you insane?"
While Beom Gye-wi was taken aback, Han Seol-hwa flicked her sleeve.
In a flash, the cup Beom Gye-wi had offered was in her hand.
"Trying to give a child alcohol, are you in your right mind?"
Beom Gye-wi bristled at Han Seol-hwa's scolding.
"Why? What's wrong with it? I've been drinking since I was ten!"
"And look how you turned out."
"What?"
As if deciding it was a good opportunity, given his already agitated mood, Beom Gye-wi gathered his internal energy for the first time in a while.
The same was true for Han Seol-hwa.
A bone-chilling coldness swirled around her, creating a layer of white frost on her surroundings.
Just then, Cho Ak-ryang stopped the two of them and asked.
"Are you curious about the taste of wine?"
"No."
"Then?"
"I heard that drinking makes you feel better. I wanted to see if that's really true."
He must have been in a bad state to say something like this.
Staring at Dan Ak-seon, Cho Ak-ryang slowly shook his head.
"It depends on the person, or the situation. It doesn't necessarily make you feel better. In fact, it might make you feel even more down."
Beom Gye-wi, on the other hand, had a different idea.
"One cup should be fine, shouldn't it?"
Feeling frustrated with the current situation, Beom Gye-wi had wanted to use the influence of alcohol to hear Dan Ak-seon's honest feelings.
Cho Ak-ryang stopped him with a look.
"You look tired. Why don't you get some rest?"
At Cho Ak-ryang's words, Dan Ak-seon gave a weak smile.
"I think I should."
As Dan Ak-seon headed for his own quarters, Cho Ak-ryang, who had been watching him silently, turned his head towards Han Seol-hwa.
"Something must have happened in the village."
Han Seol-hwa recounted the story of Dan Ak-seon's meeting with the apothecary owner.
Having grasped the situation, Cho Ak-ryang let out a low sigh.
"He shouldn't blame himself."
"With Doctor Dan's personality, how could that be easy?"
Beom Gye-wi's face was also filled with pity.