People Can't Give Infinitely
“People... people can't give infinitely. You can only give from what you have yourself. Of course, if you keep giving like that, it runs out eventually. So the higher-ups have to cherish those below them, and those below have to respect those above... It should be the same between family and friends too.”
“Doesn't have to be.”
“What?”
He'd muttered it so softly that she almost missed it. Ryeon shot Hwaryun a startled look and shook his shoulder.
“Did you really go to some weird cult or something? Do they exploit people there, telling them to give and give?”
“No, no!”
“Then what's this 'doesn't have to be'? You... you! Come to think of it, from the first time we met, you mentioned some temple you went to! That place! Where is it?”
“That was just a joke!”
“To a total stranger? Talking about some shady religion the moment you see my face is a joke?”
Ryeon grabbed Hwaryun's shoulders with a serious expression.
“Hwaryun, I... I'd really prefer if you kept your distance from religion. No Taoism, no Buddhism, nothing...”
“...”
“Of course, if you want to believe in Buddha, Buddha might be okay... or maybe even the Supreme Venerable Sovereign...”
“What about the Nine Heavens Maiden?”
Her appetite vanished in an instant.
That's what Machun-gyo believes in!
“Do you... need religion? Is your heart feeling empty or something? No, religion isn't for filling emptiness, but... Ah! How about you just believe in me instead?”
“...”
“Was that too much?”
“A little.”
“I was just kidding too. And I've noticed you act differently from what you say anyway.”
“Huh?”
Hwaryun looked at Ryeon in confusion.
“You take one thing, but you always try to give something back in return.”
“That's...”
He didn't hate snacks, but he never ate the ones others gave him—instead, he passed them to Ryeon. Because he believed if he accepted something, he had to repay it. That was also why he showed no interest in the things Ryeon suggested he learn. Learning something always came with a heavy price. He avoided it because repayment weighed on his mind first.
As Hwaryun chewed his lower lip, Ryeon shook her head slowly.
“You don't have to repay that stuff.”
“What's that supposed to mean?”
“I'm giving it because you're cute, so just say 'thank you' and take it.”
“What good is being cute? Now I'm even more lost.”
“So you do know you're cute?”
“Answering a question with a question feels like this—I just learned that.”
“Right? You shouldn't do it.”
Hwaryun shot Ryeon a quick glare for no reason and pouted. Ryeon started to say more but stopped herself. She sounded so wise, but could she claim she'd kept every word she'd ever spoken? Not confidently.
And from behind a wall a short distance away, another boy watched them bicker intently.
His face was hidden by tree branches, so Ryeon casually lifted her fan toward the presence she sensed.
The moment words flashed across the fan, Ryeon's face twisted in fury.
Danmok Jun, you little punk!
Danmok Jun. The instant she saw that name, she wanted to burn his files to ash and kick him out on his ass.
He was the one who'd forced Danmok Seong to stay behind alone to protect Danmok Bi in that wretched situation. By then, Ryeon was dead, so the only direct kin worth mentioning were Danmok Hyeon-yo—who hardly qualified as a supreme expert—and Danmok Hyeon-u, still plagued by his heart demon, plus Seong and Bi.
Danmok Jun figured if he just shoved Seong and Bi aside, he'd have it all. Amid Blood Valley's stirrings, he'd schemed from within the estate. That was one reason the Danmok family suffered worse than others from the disaster that struck the entire murim equally. They had so few direct blood relatives.
And he was even... close to Seong-ie.
Danmok Seong might look cold and aloof on the outside, but she wasn't like that deep down. That was why her trait was Two-Faced. She cherished her clansmen with the same surname and dreamed of advancing the family to meet everyone's expectations.
Danmok Jun had said they'd work hard together, and Seong had grown fond of him.
No. I can chase that bastard out later.
She wanted to rush to the wall, grab him by the hair, shake him, and boot him out right then—but she held back. She couldn't punish a kid who hadn't done anything yet.
Ryeon turned her head sharply, not wanting to look that way anymore. At that moment, a clattering tumble echoed, followed by fleeing footsteps.
Hmph, he didn't even come close and got spooked into tripping.
Ryeon inwardly scolded him once more, then deliberately stomped toward her quarters. Hwaryun matched her leisurely pace at her side. The sunset faded behind them.
And so, the final exam drew near.
* * *
The vast training ground buzzed with people, but since the bout with Geum Gajang had been more tense, Ryeon sat unfazed before the raised dais up front. The adults hadn't arrived yet.
As the young girl took her seat above, murmurs rippled through the grounds.
Ryeon paid close attention to that last voice—Danmok Jun's—while glancing at Hwaryun to check.
Hope Hwaryun didn't hear that?
Hwaryun pretended not to care, but he was deeply attached deep down—Ryeon knew he'd gone to great lengths to retrieve that jade pouch, even if she didn't know the details—and he couldn't stand insults toward her. Hadn't he once threatened to beat up Danmok Seong just for being a bit cold?
But Hwaryun, standing beside her, showed no sign he'd heard. As Ryeon sighed inwardly in relief, he whispered.
“Nui, mind if I step out for a bit?”
“Why? Legs hurt bad? Want a chair?”
“No, not that. Bi asked me to bring fish food for the carp, and I forgot.”
“You don't have to do that.”
Lately, Danmok Bi had been desperately trying to tame the carp in Danmok Hyeon-u's pond. Captivated at first sight by how they slinked toward Ryeon and splashed water with their tails.
Hwaryun shrugged.
“If I get it, he says I get a whole day off from playing with him.”
“Sounds like a lie.”
Danmok Bi was desperate to play with her or Hwaryun. No way he'd let Hwaryun off for a day.
But since Hwaryun clearly wanted to go—and standing there must be boring—Ryeon nodded silently. Hwaryun pulled the teacup on her seat closer to her, then left the grounds.
The moment Ryeon looked away from Hwaryun's retreating back, Danmok Hyeon-u, Danmok Hyeon-yo, and finally Danmok Cheon-gi entered.
The training ground tensed instantly. The fierce scars Danmok Cheon-gi had earned at Dongjeong Blood Massacre evoked both glory and fear.
Ryeon broke the silence first, jumping up to greet the adults.
“It's chilly out—why are you dressed so thinly?”
Danmok Cheon-gi, entering leisurely, frowned at Ryeon and quickened his pace.
Ryeon glanced down at her outfit, embarrassed. She'd dressed for autumn with a vest, but to him, it looked like thin cotton robes.
“Not that cold, and the clothes are warm!”
Danmok Hyeon-yo snorted but didn't say anything like I dressed her warmly, Father—why fuss? She couldn't undermine the family head or her niece in public.
“Your grandmother never felt the cold either...”
Danmok Cheon-gi muttered wistfully and took the seat beside Ryeon. Danmok Hyeon-yo swallowed a sigh instead of protesting You should sit in the middle, Father! Instead, Danmok Han-so memorized the scene, then dragged a dais over with dragging steps and plopped it down on Ryeon's other side.
With Danmok Hyeon-yo and Hyeon-u flanking Danmok Cheon-gi, it somehow put him in the center.
As the murmurs died down, Danmok Cheon-gi spoke.