A Father's Priorities
“Where else? To see my dad, of course.”
Yoo Eunhyeon startled at Ju Yu-ryeon’s words and shot back a question.
“Uncle? Uncle’s here?”
“Just follow me for now.”
Yoo Eunhyeon still hadn’t fully grasped the situation and asked in bewilderment. But Ju Yu-ryeon looked so urgent, and as she said, he could always ask while they walked, so he moved as he spoke.
“What is it? Something didn’t happen, did it?”
“Nothing you need to worry about. The greetings went fine and wrapped up quick. There wasn’t time for idle chat to begin with.”
“Then? Isn’t Uncle resting here too?”
Yoo Eunhyeon’s follow-up made sense. Ju Wongong, Yeo U-hui, and Ju Yu-ryeon were family. There was no real need to split them up, so his question was perfectly reasonable.
“He probably would have… but I don’t think he’s coming.”
“Why?”
“He headed straight for Dok-yeon-won.”
“Dok-yeon-won…”
“Yeah. Officially it’s the place where they research poisons, and Lady Dang Eunseon is the head there… but you can guess what they’re researching right now without me saying it, right?”
At Ju Yu-ryeon’s question, Yoo Eunhyeon simply nodded. Given the recent events, it was obvious they would be pouring everything into studying the Jeokgang-dokshi. There was no need to ask.
“He just went straight there? Without even unpacking?”
“Haa. Dad’s always like that. He’s a medicine maniac.”
“You have to be a little crazy about something to get really good at it. I get it, more or less.”
Yoo Eunhyeon nodded. If he could see and experience a new crop or farming method with his own eyes, he was confident he would set everything else aside and prioritize that. Ju Yu-ryeon, however, frowned.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Even so, it’s too much.”
“They say people can’t see themselves objectively. Looking at how you sneak out to play at night, you’re pretty similar.”
“Th-that so?”
Ju Yu-ryeon fell silent for a moment at Yoo Eunhyeon’s words, then realized he wasn’t wrong and hung her head. In that time the two of them reached their destination.
“This is Dok-yeon-won? Where’s Aunt?”
“Mom still has things to discuss with the clan head. She’s going over the finer details with the other staff.”
“Really? But can we just walk in? Isn’t this a top-secret area?”
“Should be fine? I already told them we were coming. It’s not like there’ll be traps or anything, right?”
At Yoo Eunhyeon’s words, Ju Yu-ryeon, who had been about to open the door, hesitated for a beat before simply pushing it open. The moment the door swung wide, a strange scent washed over them and both of them instinctively wrinkled their noses.
Depending on how you took it, the scent was both nauseating and strangely pure at the same time. One thing was certain: it did not seem good for the body.
“Greetings. Are you Lady Ju Yu-ryeon and Young Master Yoo Eunhyeon?”
“That’s right.”
“Yes. The head of the institute informed us that the two of you would be arriving. Please come inside.”
A man who looked thoroughly exhausted—much like Dang Eunseon—opened the door and came out to greet them. Yoo Eunhyeon muttered to himself.
For someone who works in a place like this, he looks pretty weak. Maybe because he doesn’t fight himself?
While Yoo Eunhyeon was thinking that, they stepped inside. The scent grew thicker, and Ju Yu-ryeon, unable to contain her curiosity, asked again.
“This… is it poison?”
“Yes, it is. Martial artists who have cultivated inner energy will be fine, but ordinary people who enter this outer courtyard would die within a single shichen.”
“That secretive a facility, then.”
“Yes. And even martial artists who have cultivated inner energy will suffer severe internal injuries if they remain in the outer courtyard for more than half a month. It’s a precaution against possible spies.”
Hearing the man’s words, Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon fell silent and glanced at each other. They had no intention of staying half a month, so they would be fine, but the thought of poison circulating around them was hardly pleasant. It also made clear just how seriously the Dang Clan treated this place as top secret.
“This outer courtyard is where we exchange opinions and copy or store research materials. Actual research on poisons takes place in the inner courtyard.”
“It looked quite large from the outside, but this is still the outer area. Does the inner courtyard have the same poison as here?”
“No. The poison in the inner courtyard is different from the one outside. Ordinary people who have never cultivated martial arts feel nothing at all, but anyone with even a little inner energy will be poisoned unless they possess Mandok-bulchim.”
Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon both paused. It was true that among poisons that acted on the blood vessels or inner energy, many affected only those of the martial world.
But that meant they could not simply walk into the inner courtyard. Sure enough, the man took a white pill the size of a fingernail from his robes and held it out to them.
“An antidote?”
“No. If there were an antidote, that would create a gap for someone to exploit. The poison filling the inner courtyard is a mixture of dozens of poisons and medicines; there is no antidote.”
“Then what is this?”
“This is not an antidote. It is a medicine that temporarily narrows the blood vessels and restricts the flow of inner energy. Once you take it, you will barely be able to use inner energy, and thus you will not be affected by the poison in the inner courtyard.”
The man’s explanation made perfect sense. Since the poison acted on inner energy, restricting that energy would render it harmless. Separately, Yoo Eunhyeon was impressed by the thoroughness of the Dang Clan’s security.
So there’s no antidote at all. The outer area keeps out people who haven’t cultivated martial arts, and the inner area keeps out people who have?
In any case, without taking the medicine the man offered, they could not enter the inner courtyard. Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon accepted the pills without complaint and swallowed them.
At once a throbbing sensation ran through their blood vessels, and the flow of inner energy circulating through their bodies rapidly weakened. Completely sealing the vessels would kill a person before the poison ever could, so they were not fully blocked—but it was enough to reduce them nearly to the level of ordinary people.
“Your inner energy has not disappeared entirely, so if you forcibly push a strong surge of it, the medicine’s effect will break. But I recommend you do not do so inside the inner courtyard. You would be poisoned immediately.”
As he listened to the man, Yoo Eunhyeon moved while sensing the flow of natural energy around him instead of his inner energy. Since natural energy was the core of his martial arts, as long as he could feel its flow, being unable to use inner energy was still manageable.
A little uncomfortable, but I can still feel the natural energy and move… hmm?
As he moved while sensing the natural energy, Yoo Eunhyeon noticed that its flow was similar to the flow of the poison spreading around them. When he quietly stirred the natural energy near him, he felt the poison weaken. He almost laughed to himself but gave no outward sign.
“What’s wrong? You okay? Not a side effect, is it?”
Seeing his expression, Ju Yu-ryeon asked with concern, but Yoo Eunhyeon shook his head.
“Nah. Just a feeling I’ve never had before. You okay?”
“I’m fine, but not being able to use inner energy properly is a little unsettling. Everyone else is probably the same, though… So, can we head to the inner courtyard now?”
At Ju Yu-ryeon’s question the man nodded.
“Yes. The medicine seems to have taken full effect. I will guide you.”
Yoo Eunhyeon followed, thinking that the reason the man in front of them did not look particularly strong was probably because he had taken the same medicine. Even though the outer and inner courtyards were separate, they were part of the same building, so at a glance the two first-time visitors could not tell which was which.
“Hmm…”
But Yoo Eunhyeon did not need his eyes to tell the difference. The moment they entered the inner courtyard, he felt the air change abruptly.
“The air’s different.”
“The color too.”
Ju Yu-ryeon whispered softly by Yoo Eunhyeon’s ear, and he nodded, adding a word of his own. Upon entering the inner courtyard, not only the scent but even the color seemed slightly murkier.
“You’ll get used to it quickly.”
Even though she had whispered, Ju Yu-ryeon had not particularly tried to hide it. The man, without turning around, spoke as if he had heard, and sure enough their sight and smell soon adapted to the surroundings.
Aside from their weakened inner energy, there was no hindrance to moving about, so the two of them looked around the inner courtyard as if sightseeing. Every room, however, was tightly shut, so they could not properly gauge the atmosphere.
“This is the place. Please go in…”
They were led to one of the rooms that all looked so identical they might have been copied. When the two of them stepped inside, the three people already there lifted their heads and looked at Yoo Eunhyeon and Ju Yu-ryeon.
“Ah. You’re here.”
Dang Jaseung, who had been leaning back in his chair with a bored expression, brightened at the sight of them, rose from his seat, and guided them to empty chairs.
“You’ve arrived. Welcome.”
Dang Eunseon also raised her head and offered a light greeting. The remaining man—especially the one who had been staring fixedly at Yoo Eunhyeon—approached him, smiled, and held out his hand.
“You must be Yoo Eunhyeon. I am Ju Wongong.”
Yeo U-hui’s husband and Ju Yu-ryeon’s father, Ju Wongong, sported a thick, handsome mustache. His thick eyebrows, strong eyes, and high nose gave him the look of a dashing, manly beauty.
Here and there fine wrinkles and strands of gray hair, along with skin that looked sun-faded yet completely free of blemishes, lent him a clean, mature dignity that spoke of the years he had lived.
“I am Yoo Eunhyeon.”
“Good. Call me comfortably. As Hwa-seon’s son and Yu-ryeon’s friend, you’re no different from a child of my own.”
Yoo Eunhyeon returned the greeting, but inside he was greatly surprised. From what Yeo U-hui and Ju Yu-ryeon had told him, he had pictured a few possible appearances. Seeing Ju Wongong in the flesh, however, was completely different from anything he had imagined, so he could not help but be startled.
“Hey. Dad, don’t you care about your own daughter?”
“Of course I do. But work has priorities, doesn’t it? It’s only natural to prioritize a newly met guest over the daughter I just saw a moment ago.”
“Ugh. Always with the priorities. You only care about what’s important and ignore everything after that?”
“Priorities can change at any time. And Young Master Yoo is a candidate for son-in-law, isn’t he? At this very moment, isn’t he the most important person?”
“Aigoo, Dad. Son-in-law candidate…”
At Ju Wongong’s words Ju Yu-ryeon flushed and squirmed, but Yoo Eunhyeon only gave a dry little laugh and made no reply.
“Wait. Since when have you two been like that?”
Dang Jaseung asked in surprise, turning to Yoo Eunhyeon, while Dang Eunseon also began watching him with keen interest.
“She goes around saying every decent man under heaven is a candidate, so just ignore her. You’re probably buried somewhere on her list too.”
“I-is that so?”
At Yoo Eunhyeon’s retort Ju Yu-ryeon shouted.
“Hey! How can you just spill a secret like that?”
“It was a secret? There are that many son-in-law candidates?”
“Dad heard!”
“It’s fine. The more the better. Having many of something is never a bad thing.”
“Right?”
Yoo Eunhyeon watched the father and daughter, thinking that if Yeo U-hui had been present she would have scolded her daughter to just pick one of the many and get married already.
He’s an incredibly handsome middle-aged man, but at a glance he doesn’t look particularly special… There has to be a reason Aunt and Yu-ryeon shudder at the mention of him.
On the surface they looked like a doting father and a daughter who had him wrapped around her finger—a close, affectionate pair. Yoo Eunhyeon could not understand why Yeo U-hui and Ju Yu-ryeon reacted so strongly to Ju Wongong.
Yet precisely because he could not see the reason, he found himself growing more curious about the man.