A Handshake and a Hug
As they left the Guan Clan Residence behind and climbed further into the mountains, the trail narrowed, and passersby vanished entirely.
Along this deserted mountain path, Woon-hyeon and Yeon-woo walked together, hand in hand.
“Does where you were struck still hurt?”
Taking wide strides while relying on the steady pull of Woon-hyeon’s hand, Yeon-woo shook her head.
“Nope. Doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“Good. I am glad you were not seriously injured.”
“Hey, Grandpa.”
“Hm?”
“Why did I lose?”
Woon-hyeon paused to look down at her. The child’s round, dark eyes were remarkably earnest.
“Are you curious why you were bested?”
“Yeah. Because I was stronger than my son.”
Woon-hyeon arched an eyebrow slightly.
“By what standard did you determine you were stronger than that boy?”
“My physical strength was way bigger than his. You just know once you clash.”
Ho?
A glint of intrigue lit Woon-hyeon’s eyes. Gauging an opponent’s internal and physical reserves was no easy task, even for a seasoned martial artist.
“So your keen sense of smell isn’t your only extraordinary trait.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind. Yes, just as you said, you were indeed stronger.”
Whether due to her blessed constitution or sheer natural vitality, Yeon-woo’s physical might far eclipsed that of any ordinary child her age.
“However, what mattered was the difference in experience.”
“Experience?”
“Indeed. That boy has trained in martial arts for at least five years. In that time, he must have exchanged strikes countless times with his clan’s guards.”
Though judging by his movements and stance, the boy seemed to have practiced archery far more than the sword.
“In martial combat, raw strength alone does not decide the outcome. That holds especially true among those who cultivate martial arts.”
“Then did I lose because I haven’t learned martial arts?”
“You could say that, yes.”
“I seeeee—”
Watching Yeon-woo stretch her arms out wide as if a great mystery had been unraveled, Woon-hyeon harbored a quiet glimmer of hope.
Perhaps this will finally kindle her interest in martial arts.
No matter how much one attempted to force instruction onto a pupil, the most vital element of learning was the student’s own desire. While seeing her bruised had pained his heart, if this incident planted even a tiny seed of ambition within her, today’s scuffle would prove to be an invaluable blessing in disguise.
“Oh! Grandpa, look! It’s Dark Shadow!”
Yeon-woo pointed ahead with a bright shout.
Far in the distance, standing right at the end of the path before their house, the Dark Shadow Demon Lord was casually waving at them, having returned when they weren't looking.
“Dark Shadoooow—!!”
Woon-hyeon watched with a serene gaze as Yeon-woo sprinted ahead, yelling the Demon Lord’s name as if calling out to a neighborhood playmate.
One step.
Hoping with all his heart that this single step would change the course of the child’s entire life.
“Here. A rabbit.”
Late in the afternoon.
Yeon-woo blinked in total bewilderment at Gwan Hyeok, who had materialized out of nowhere to thrust a dead rabbit straight toward her chest.
She glanced over her shoulder at Woon-hyeon, her eyes practically pleading for an explanation. Woon-hyeon merely offered a helpless shrug, leaving Yeon-woo to turn back toward the limp creature dangling before her.
Gwan Hyeok looked away awkwardly, giving the hare a slight jiggle.
“You said you liked them.”
“Is this for me?”
“Yeah! Why else would I be holding it out to you? It took some time to catch, so that’s why I got here late.”
Only then did Yeon-woo’s face break into a brilliant, beaming smile as she accepted the rabbit.
“Welcome, son.”
“Don’t call me—!”
Don't call me that! Gwan Hyeok nearly roared, but bit his tongue just in time.
I came here to apologize.
He had to keep his temper in check. No picking fights. No screaming. No matter what bizarre nonsense came out of her mouth, he couldn't let himself get dragged in…
“Wait, only one? Ehh~ Son, who’s this supposed to feed? It barely covers the tip of a nose!”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to catch even one rabbit?! I had to wander way off the mountain trails for this, and I waited over two whole hours watching the trap until my eyeballs almost popped out of my head—!!”
Oops.
C-Calm down… Don’t get mad…!
“S-So what I’m saying is! It wasn’t easy to catch, so just… enjoy it, alright…?”
“That happens to be what Yeon-woo does best.”
After all, Yeon-woo knew about one thousand thirty hundred million ways to make rabbit meat taste delicious!
“One thousand thirty hundred million ways?”
What kind of unhinged arithmetic was that?
He was briefly dumbfounded, but—
“Rabbit meat for dinner today~”
Gwan Hyeok ended up letting out a soft chuckle. Seeing Yeon-woo break into an ecstatic little dance, giggling with pure delight, stirred a strange sense of accomplishment deep in his chest.
It took a while, but…
Hunting it down had definitely been the right choice.
Gwan Hyeok cleared his throat with a loud, embarrassed cough and scratched the back of his neck.
“And, um…”
“……?”
“A-About earlier… I’m sorry. For taking my anger out on you like that.”
“Son, you came all the way here to apologize?”
“Yeah.”
Before he realized it, Gwan Hyeok’s cheeks had flared a blazing crimson. Apologizing to anyone—let alone a child younger than himself—was a completely foreign experience, and the sheer mortification made him want to melt into the earth. Every instinct urged him to turn tail and flee down the mountain right this second.
“I’m really sorry.”
Yet Gwan Hyeok forced his chin up and met Yeon-woo’s gaze squarely.
“I still believe I’m the one who should go to the Demon Dragon Hall. You’re weak, and you’re not prepared. But…”
He understood that swallowing this burning shame was the only way to offer a true, heartfelt apology.
“Even so, that was no excuse for what I did today. I crossed the line. I’m sorry for hurting you.”
“…….”
“I just wanted to prove myself to Father so badly that I lost my head…”
“I think my son should go, too.”
“…! What…?”
Yeon-woo tilted her head, tapping her chin thoughtfully.
“Because you want to go so badly, and, um, you’ve been training really hard for it, right?”
“…….”
“That’s how it should be!”
“…Really?”
“I’m sorry for stealing what was yours, son.”
Gwan Hyeok’s eyes trembled.
Stealing… it?
Deep down, Gwan Hyeok knew the truth. He understood what it truly meant for Yeon-woo to be sent to the Demon Dragon Hall in his place. He knew why his father had handed over an astronomical fortune to her parents.
It had all been engineered to shield him; it was fundamentally his burden and his fault.
Yet she was apologizing for stealing his spot…?
This kid is really something else…
At that moment, something round and pale abruptly thrust itself into Gwan Hyeok’s lowered line of sight. It was Yeon-woo’s small, chubby hand.
“……?”
Gwan Hyeok blinked at her, utterly lost.
“A handshake of reconciliation!”
“A hand… shake…?”
What in the world was a handshake?
Before he could wrap his head around the concept, Yeon-woo snatched his fingers in a firm grip and vigorously pumped his arm up and down.
“……!”
Gwan Hyeok’s eyes shot wide open.
“Next is a hug!”
“A h-hug—?!”
He actually understood that word, which sent his panic spiking through the roof, but before he could muster any defense—
Oof!
“…!!”
Yeon-woo threw her arms around him, pulling him into a fierce, wholehearted embrace. Pinned in an instant by a girl far smaller than himself, Gwan Hyeok froze like a statue, his eyes bulging in pure shock. His mind went completely blank, leaving him utterly incapable of even thinking about prying himself free.
“Wh-What on earth are you doing?!”
A startled Woon-hyeon dashed over and hastily pulled the two children apart.
“Young Mas…!”
The attendant page stood nearby, jaw dropped so low it threatened to detach.
While Woon-hyeon began sternly reprimanding her, Yeon-woo innocently spread her arms wide and pouted. “It was just a reconciliation hug, though—”
It was a scene she had once witnessed through a tiny window in her previous life: a mother making two squabbling brothers make peace. Having learned from that distant memory, the child had simply done what she thought was proper—only to receive a crisp, stinging knuckle flick to the forehead from Woon-hyeon.
“No hugging boys!”
“Owieee.”
Even as she clutched her brow and squeezed out a tear, Gwan Hyeok and his young attendant remained paralyzed on the spot, unable to twitch so much as a finger.
“That was truly astonishing!”
On the path winding back down the mountain, the page giggled as he replayed the spectacle in his mind.
“I’ve never seen anyone approach you with such utter lack of hesitation, Young Master! You were quite flustered, weren’t you?”
Did he even need to ask? Trudging along with his head hung low, Gwan Hyeok’s cheeks were still burning a furious, glowing red.
Yet Gwan Hyeok considered himself an honorable young man of the martial world.
“Me? Pfft. Not really.”
“Pardon? You felt nothing at all?”
“Yeah. Whatever. Not particularly. Just walk.”
“……?”
Why is the Young Master talking like that?
The page stole a sideways glance. For a moment, Gwan Hyeok wore a vacant, glassy-eyed expression, as though his soul had floated right out of his body. Then, snapping back to reality, Gwan Hyeok caught his servant staring and immediately bristled, his voice rising defensively.
“Wh-What’s the big deal about a stupid hug anyway?! I don’t care at all!”
“Ah. Of course, Young Master.”
“I’m telling you, it was nothing! Why would a silly little h-h-h-hug like that…!”
Poof!
The heat that had barely begun to dissipate flared right back up, turning his entire face into a ripe tomato.
As the page hid a broad grin behind his sleeve, Gwan Hyeok suddenly kicked up his stride, marching aggressively ahead.
“I-I’m going to go check on my hunting traps on the way down!”
“Excuse me?”
Check traps now?
The page gasped in alarm, scurrying after him.
“It’s far too late for that! Even if we head straight home right now, the sun will have fully set by the time we reach the gates!”
He hurried to catch up, but Gwan Hyeok’s long, practiced strides were far too swift for the younger servant to match.
“Young Master!”
“What if an animal got caught and manages to chew through the snare during the night? If I sprint, it’ll take no time at all! I’ll take a quick detour alone, so just wait for me at the crossroads!”
“B-But that’s dangerous! I should come along—”
“You’ll only slow me down! I’m going ahead, so wait at the fork!”
“Y-Young Mas—!”
Before the page could even finish his plea, Gwan Hyeok bounded over a thick patch of underbrush and vanished into the trees. Having deployed his lightness skill to bolt, there was no earthly way the attendant could keep up.
The page turned an anxious gaze up toward the darkening canopy. The sky was rapidly bruising into a deep twilight purple.
“It really is too late for this…”
If they arrived after full dark, the Clan Head would surely fly into a terrifying rage. Perhaps they should have listened to the old gentleman staying with Lady Yeon-woo, accepted his offer to spend the night, and headed down in the morning.
“Yikes! At this rate, I’ll be the late one!”
The attendant page broke into a desperate sprint down the mountain trail, praying fervently with every breath that his young master would return before the shadows swallowed the forest whole.