The Mother and Daughter's Comedic Morning Mishaps
“I was curious what kind of person your father might be, so I wanted to meet him at least once.”
Ju Yu-ryeon’s eyes narrowed at Yoo Eunhyeon’s unexpected answer as she pressed him for a reason.
“Why Dad, though?”
“You get to see him every now and then, but I don’t live in a great family. If I don’t meet him now, I might never get the chance. I’m not going to go out of my way to hunt him down, but since he’s coming here, the least I can do is pay my respects.”
“Well… you’re not wrong, but…”
Even as she said it, Ju Yu-ryeon looked at him with a faintly uneasy expression. Yoo Eunhyeon added one more reason.
“They say he’s the greatest physician under heaven, right? I’d also like to have a conversation with him.”
“Hmm, is that so? You’re the greatest farmer under heaven, so maybe the two of you will hit it off?”
“Greatest under heaven, my foot. There might not be anyone quite like me, but I’m nowhere near that level.”
In truth, Yoo Eunhyeon had spent his whole life cooped up on Mount Taesan, so he had no objective standard by which to measure his own farming skill. Compared to the rest of his family—especially Su Hwa-seon, who was a bit lacking when it came to farming—he knew his methods were unusual. Still, he had always assumed that if he looked hard enough, he would find plenty of people who farmed just as well.
That notion had been thoroughly shattered during his time at the Demonic Cult. Seeing other people’s farming up close had been an eye-opener. Their level had looked surprisingly low, and he couldn’t help thinking that he was actually pretty good at it.
Still, ‘greatest under heaven’ is going too far.
He had seen true monsters like Sa Unsik and So Biwon with his own eyes. Even if it was only farming, putting his name alongside theirs felt absurd.
“Then I’ll wait too. As for Mom’s nagging… ughhh.”
“This girl. Anyone would think I torment you for fun. If you just did things properly, I wouldn’t have anything to nag about.”
“That’s because you pick at every little thing I do.”
“So I’m supposed to just sit there with my eyes open and watch that mess of yours?”
Watching the mother and daughter bicker, Yoo Eunhyeon felt a strange sense of having returned to the Uiseon Suga and let out a quiet chuckle. Fights like this—cutting water with a knife—were miserable when you were in the middle of them, but as a spectator they made for excellent entertainment.
Two days passed. During that time both Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon remained shut away in their rooms. Only Yeo U-hui was constantly out and about; as the official visitor from the Uiseon Suga, she seemed to have no end of business and was rarely in her room except when sleeping.
As a result, the only time Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon saw each other was at meals—and even then Yeo U-hui was often too busy to join them, so the two of them ate alone.
“Hey. Time to eat.”
Ju Yu-ryeon, who looked like she ought to be bored out of her mind, was apparently working hard on something inside her room. If Yoo Eunhyeon didn’t call her, she sometimes skipped meals entirely, so he made a point of fetching her at every mealtime.
“Uweh? Eunhyeon, is it morning or evening right now?”
“Morning. With every window shut like this, of course you can’t tell day from night.”
He stepped into her room—which was practically a darkroom—and threw open the windows. Sharp morning sunlight flooded in. Ju Yu-ryeon squinted and let out a huge yawn.
“Hwaaam. Did I pull an all-nighter? The sunlight’s making me hungry, hehe.”
She scratched her exposed belly as she spoke. The pose might have looked alluring on someone else, but the deep shadows under her eyes and the greasy, matted hair instantly killed any such impression. Not that such thoughts would ever have crossed Yoo Eunhyeon’s mind in the first place.
“What are you studying so hard?”
“Ah, well. Since this is the Dang Clan, their collection of books on poison is incredibly thorough. After hearing about the Jeokgang-dokshi I got really interested in poisons, and I’ve got plenty of free time, so…”
“Hmm. Looking at your usual behavior it’s hard to believe, but you actually like studying.”
Ever since leaving the great family she had done nothing but play, yet back home her days had been filled with work and study. Someone who only knew how to fool around could never have reached Ju Yu-ryeon’s level of martial arts and ability. Of course, when she did play she went completely overboard, which was a problem in itself.
“My usual behavior? You’re going to start nagging me too?”
“You’ve got a disease. Anyone says anything and it sounds like nagging to you.”
“I-is that so? Ah… maybe it’s because I haven’t been able to play enough lately? Studying’s fun and all, but at this rate I might actually get sick and die.”
“Just go wash up and come eat.”
“Aww… washing’s such a pain. Eunhyeon, won’t you wash me?”
“If tools are allowed, sure.”
“Forget it. I’ll just splash some water on myself. Uham.”
“Don’t fall asleep.”
Leaving that warning behind, Yoo Eunhyeon left her room and headed for the dining room. Fortunately her stomach was empty enough that Ju Yu-ryeon soon appeared with damp hair she hadn’t even bothered to dry properly.
“At least dry your hair with internal energy.”
“What are you talking about? That ruins the hair.”
“You haven’t washed it in days and you’re worried about the condition of your—”
He was about to finish the sentence when he realized it really did sound like pure nagging, so he shut his mouth. Ju Yu-ryeon, more interested in the food in front of her than in arguing, simply picked up her chopsticks without comment. The two of them focused on eating for a while. Once her stomach was reasonably full, Ju Yu-ryeon chewed slowly and asked,
“So what were you doing in your room?”
“What else can I do besides farm?”
“Martial arts?”
“Yeah, that.”
There was no way to farm here, so the only thing he could do with his time was train. The black gold powder he had been looking for at the inn had actually been in Ju Yu-ryeon’s possession; he had taken it and was doing light training with it.
Applying Eoheolsangong directly in the fight against Chang-hae had been a first for him, and it had helped a great deal. The martial arts Yoo Eunhyeon currently practiced were Mudong Hwanmu and Eoheolsangong, both built on the foundation of Mahon Cheongong. Mahon Cheongong was solid enough, but Mudong Hwanmu and Eoheolsangong were still half-baked techniques that he was more or less cobbling together as he went.
“You’re pretty ruthless. Trying to get even stronger?”
“It’s not like that. I just don’t have anything else to do.”
All three of his martial arts had already been heavily modified based on his farming experience. Their common trait was sensing the flow of natural energy, so he could train perfectly well even in a small room.
“Not interested in poisons or hidden weapons?”
“Hidden weapons, zero interest. Poisons I know a bit about because I’m a farmer, but I don’t feel like studying them any deeper.”
“Oh, right. Have you ever grown poisonous plants?”
“Of course I have. Growing medicinal herbs and poisonous ones is basically the same.”
When he muttered it as if it were nothing special, Ju Yu-ryeon suddenly remembered something and asked,
“But didn’t I give you those books on cultivation methods that increase the potency of poisonous plants? Did you read them?”
“I did. Nothing special. They were just ordinary methods for growing them well.”
He had indeed looked through the books she had given him, the ones that supposedly taught how to raise the efficacy of poisonous herbs. To his eyes they were simply good cultivation techniques—techniques he already knew thoroughly—so they had been of no help whatsoever.
“So you’re already an expert in that field too?”
“If I grew them, they’d turn out way better.”
He said it without the slightest exaggeration and set down his chopsticks. Ju Yu-ryeon, thinking that when it came to raising plants he might actually be right, finished the meal with him.
“Are you two in here?”
Just as they were about to stand, the door burst open and Yeo U-hui strode in. Both of them turned toward her.
“Huh? Mom?”
“Auntie? If you were coming now, you should have eaten with us.”
They both looked startled by her sudden appearance, but Yeo U-hui shook her head.
“No. I already ate with Institute Head Dang Eunseon.”
“Then why are you here?”
Before Yeo U-hui could answer, Ju Yu-ryeon’s eyes sharpened.
“Don’t tell me… he’s here?”
“Correct. Your father just arrived.”
“Ugh, why does it always have to be morning?”
“Stop grumbling. Now that everyone’s gathered, we’re going to pay a formal visit to the Clan Leader. You two get ready as well.”
Yoo Eunhyeon pointed at himself.
“Me too?”
“Hmm? Of course. Why?”
“Well… I don’t really see any reason for me to go.”
“Now that you mention it… Even though this is half-secret, it’s still a semi-public occasion. If you show up, it could cause trouble with the Cheonmumaeng later.”
Yeo U-hui nodded slightly, as if that possibility hadn’t occurred to her. Ju Yu-ryeon immediately voiced her dissatisfaction.
“You just don’t want to go, do you?”
“Yep. I hate it. Stiff formal occasions make my skin crawl.”
“Tch. You’re so honest it’s no fun. Fine. One child suffering is enough. Eunhyeon, please live happily in my place. Sob, sob.”
“Cut the theatrics…”
Ju Yu-ryeon pretended to cry and hung her head, only for Yeo U-hui to smack her solidly on the back.
“Stop the nonsense like Eunhyeon said and go wash up and change.”
“Ow! Mom! Why’d you put internal energy into that?!”
“Because otherwise the rebound hurts my hand! Why is your first instinct to bounce your mother’s loving discipline with internal energy?”
“That’s a martial artist’s instinct!”
“Ugh, always talking back. Not a single word of surrender. Hurry up and get ready. We’re meeting the Dang Clan Leader—you know you can’t go looking like that.”
“Don’t worry. It’s not my first time.”
Ju Yu-ryeon stretched once, then vanished in a hurry as if time were short. Yeo U-hui watched her daughter’s retreating back and let out a long sigh.
“Aigoo. That girl, really…”
“Don’t worry. When it counts, Yu-ryeon does things properly.”
“That’s exactly the problem. If she were an obvious problem child I could just give up. But a kid who’s perfectly capable when she wants to be, acting like this? That’s what drives a parent crazy.”
“W-well, that’s true too.”
Yeo U-hui was right. When a child clearly possessed sparkling talent yet insisted on letting it go to waste, it was enough to make any parent’s blood pressure rise.
“Eunhyeon, you just rest a little longer. It won’t take long.”
“I’d actually like to meet Uncle as soon as possible myself.”
Meeting Ju Wongong was the whole reason he was still here, so he answered honestly. Yeo U-hui smiled at that—then a noisy clamor rose from outside.
“Mom! My hair!”
At her daughter’s shout, Yeo U-hui gave Yoo Eunhyeon’s shoulder a light pat and went out. Yoo Eunhyeon returned to his own room and sank into meditation, using the mother-daughter racket as background noise.
Some time later—he couldn’t say exactly how long—the surroundings, which had grown quiet, became noisy again. He opened his eyes.
“Is it over already? Just like Auntie said, it really didn’t take long…”
His meditation had been half-sleep, so he had no precise sense of time, but it felt like no more than an hour at most. He opened the door and stepped out—only to run straight into the source of the commotion: Ju Yu-ryeon.
“Oh…”
“Hmm? You were in your room, Eunhyeon?”
“Nothing else to do.”
“Perfect. Come with me… Wait, why are you staring at me like that? It’s creepy.”
Yoo Eunhyeon was staring in open admiration. For once Ju Yu-ryeon had applied light makeup, put her hair up, and dressed in a refined white palace-style gown. Whatever the fabric was, it shimmered with a faint pink whenever she moved, making her slender frame look genuinely demure and elegant.
Normally when she went out to play she wore heavy makeup and only black or red clothes, so the change was striking.
“You look pretty good today.”
At his words she lifted her chin and smirked.
“Heh. Really? Fallen for my charms? Too bad—this is just for decoration.”
“Why? It suits you.”
“I’ve tried it all before. When I go out looking like this, guys don’t even dare talk to me. They say I look like some lofty, untouchable flower. When I play at night I prefer flashy outfits. That’s more my style anyway.”
“You’re talking nonsense.”
Yoo Eunhyeon muttered in disbelief, but the compliment seemed to please her; she twisted her body coyly for a moment before suddenly lifting her head.
“Oh right—this isn’t the time. Eunhyeon, are you free right now? Come with me.”
“Where to?”
As she spoke she quickly changed only the outer layer of her palace gown. When he asked again, she shrugged.
“Where else? To see my dad.”