Soyak looked down at his small hands.
“If I die, my father will be very sad, won't he? Because there will be no one to tell him 'I love you' every day. There will be no one to hug him every day, and the child who would receive toys on his birthday will be gone. I….”
Tears welled up in the child's eyes.
“I… won't be able to stay by my father's side….”
Drip, drip, tears flowed down. The child, who had resolved to be strong, quickly forgot his determination. But he did not burst into loud sobs.
As if it had been a habit for a long time, Soyak forced back his sobs.
“Become my sibling…. I'll give you all of this.”
Soyak pushed his bundle of treasures in front of Hwarin. It was the memories Soyak cherished with his father. Soyak was ready to hand over everything he had to the one who would become his father's new child.
“Huh?”
Hwarin could not answer. When Soyak was boasting about his father, Hwarin was actually thinking of her own father, Namgung Cheongsan. My father is like that too.
This kid's father is cool too. She was just thinking that, and suddenly she was being asked to become another family's daughter.
“Hwarin, just a moment.”
Yu Kang stepped forward, gently tapping the shoulder of the dazed and frozen Hwarin. Hwarin, relieved by his gentle smile, stepped back. Yu Kang plopped down in front of Soyak.
“Will you be my brother?”
“No.” Soyak became sullen.
Yu Kang gently patted the sullen Soyak's head.
“That's amazing. To think of something so admirable. Your father would be pleased.”
Yu Kang pushed the bundle back in front of Soyak.
“But, it would be better for you to keep this. Your father gave it to you.”
“But… I can't play with these anymore…. And these are the best things I have.”
The most precious treasure to give to a new sibling. The greatest price a child could think of.
“Your father probably chose those things while thinking of you. If another child had them instead of you, he would only become sadder.”
“…You think so?”
Yu Kang nodded.
“Besides, a family isn't something you can get by paying a price.”
Among Soyak's treasures was a small statue that looked like it was carved directly from wood. Perhaps received a very long time ago, parts of the statue were polished smooth. Soyak picked up the statue and held it preciously.
“To be honest, I don't want to give it away either.”
“Right. It's yours.”
It wasn't just the statue the child didn't want to have taken away. Soyak rubbed his nose and continued in a stuffy voice.
“Can you tell I cried?”
“No? Not at all.”
Yu Kang grinned and brushed the dirt from the corners of Soyak's eyes.
“You're strong, Soyak.”
Evening, with flickering lanterns. The door opened quietly. Soyak, who was watching the moon rise outside the window, beamed when he saw the person who entered.
“Father!”
Maeng Deungho's lips also curved at his son's smile. He naturally sat beside his son's bed. He placed a rough hand on the forehead of his son, who lay down and pulled up the blanket.
The child's lips formed an arc.
“What did you do today?”
“I played with my friends! I gave them a tour of the fortress, and we played hide-and-seek and tag.”
“Friends?”
“They're the new kids who came to the fortress today. An older brother, an older sister, and a girl my age.”
Maeng Deungho recalled the three children he had seen during the day. The daughter of Namgung who he had his men abduct, and the two new children.
‘One of them had learned the martial arts of Mount Hua.’
The other one...
‘Was it a girl?’
Unlike the boy, she didn't seem to have learned any martial arts. Her presence was so faint that he couldn't remember her well.
More importantly...
‘I should check if the Namgung young lady is alright.’
A while ago, the Fortress Master of the Blood Evil Fortress, which was based in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, had proposed a deal. The deal was that he would reveal a way to cure his son's blocked meridians in exchange for bringing him the Namgung young lady.
For Maeng Deungho, who had been searching everywhere for physicians to cure Soyak's blocked meridians, it was an offer he couldn't refuse. He didn't know if the Fortress Master of the Blood Evil Fortress truly had a cure for blocked meridians, but if there was even a sliver of a possibility, he had to try.
“…That must have been fun.”
“Yes. We're going to play tomorrow too. I'm thinking of trying to fish. I'll catch fish with the net you made for me. If I catch a lot, I'll give some to you, Father!”
“Alright.”
Maeng Deungho's gaze as he looked down at his son was endlessly gentle.
“I'll look forward to it.”
After Soyak left, Seolhwa's group headed toward the tent they had been assigned during the day. Yu Kang walked ahead in silence, carrying the sleeping Hwarin on his back. After the incident with Soyak, Yu Kang's expression was uncharacteristically dark.
Who knows what he was thinking, but he became less talkative, and after Hwarin fell asleep, he didn't say a single word. Seolhwa also had much on her mind after hearing Soyak's words, so the two of them walked to the tent in silence. Just as they reached the tent, Seolhwa stopped walking. - He's the Fortress Master's son.
At Seolhwa's words, Yu Kang also stopped and looked back at her. - Jin Soyak. He's Maeng Deungho's son. The reason their surnames are different is because he took the surname of Maeng Deungho's deceased wife.
“I see.”
He seemed to have roughly expected it. After all, he must have seen the bandits watching over Jin Soyak all day while they were hanging out with him.
“This is an opportunity.”
At Seolhwa's words, Yu Kang slowly closed and opened his eyes. - If we take Jin Soyak hostage, we'll be able to escape this place easily. Under the moonlight, Yu Kang and Seolhwa looked at each other with unwavering gazes. After a long silence, Yu Kang opened his mouth, his voice low as if seeping into the darkness.
“Why are you saying something you don't mean?”
“…What?”
“As you said, that method might be worth a try. But… you don't want to do that, do you?”
You don't want to take Jin Soyak hostage. Seolhwa unknowingly clenched her fists slightly.
“…Why would I? Why do you think that?”
Taking the weak hostage is the easiest way to pressure an enemy. Jin Soyak is clearly Maeng Deungho's son. Moreover, he didn't suspect them in the slightest.
‘The hostage is walking right up to us. It's a great opportunity, but you think I don't want to take it?’
Ridiculous.
All the experiences of her past life and her survival instincts were telling her. If she missed this chance, there wouldn't be another.
“I….”
“You.”
“....”
“You look like you really want to cry right now. You know that?”
Her heart dropped with a thud. Her mind felt muddled, as if her thoughts had stopped.
‘I… want to cry…?’
Seolhwa placed her clenched fist on her chest. At some point, her heart had started to pound, thump, thump. It felt as if her heart was fiercely rejecting the decision made by her head.
‘Rejection….’
Why?
There's such a clear method, so why does she feel the desire to reject it?
‘…Am I… feeling pity…?’
For Jin Soyak…? She was confused. The unfamiliar emotional turmoil made her feel breathless.
As Seolhwa slowly caught her breath, Yu Kang's voice reached her ears. - Let's just watch a little longer. Fortunately, we're in a situation where we can take care of Hwarin. Seolhwa looked at Yu Kang.
Yu Kang smiled faintly, as if to say it was alright.
“Don't be so impatient. It will be fine.”
The next day. Soyak came to find Seolhwa's group early in the morning. At his suggestion to go to the river and catch fish, the three readily followed Soyak.
Yesterday, they had surveyed the structure of the river bandits' fortress and the area around the fence, so today was a good opportunity to check the terrain by the water and the fortress's boats.
“If you put rice in here like this and throw it in, you'll catch fish.”
“Wow-” “Should I throw it for you? Far, far away?”
Seolhwa sat in the shadow of a large boat and watched the three who were gathered by the riverbank to cast the net. Seolhwa sighed without realizing it.
‘Is it really okay to be this leisurely?’
I don't know. I need to get out of this place as soon as possible.
‘The Namgung family must be looking for us.’
The pale face of Namgung Cheongun came to mind. She felt sorry for making him, who had already lost a daughter once, suffer the pain of losing a daughter again.
‘It seems I can't be a good daughter.’
As she let out a low sigh, Seolhwa's gaze turned to the excitedly chattering Jin Soyak.
‘Maeng Deungho's son. Jin Soyak.’
Last night, when she heard Jin Soyak's story, a forgotten memory from her past life finally came back to her. It was a story about Maeng Deungho's son that she had heard in passing and hadn't remained deeply in her memory.
‘I heard he suffered from blocked meridians in his childhood.’