149

Chapter 149 - Temporary Closure – 3

To think the black-haired barbarian would finish a pineapple pizza.

In the house of Sacheondang, there could be no greater evidence of blood than this.

The restaurant fell quiet as the members of Uigak focused their attention on me. I asked the leader of Uigak if he would finally acknowledge it now.

The leader of Uigak looked around and seemed to realize the gravity of the situation, wearing a troubled expression.

Just admit it already. You've seen clear evidence and the proof in blood. Once you acknowledge it, it'll be over.

With a displeased look, the leader of Uigak kept his gaze on me and finally opened his mouth.

"Prepare to depart for Sacheondang."

At last, he admitted it.

The declaration of the Uigak leader that he wouldn't contemplate severing my limbs anymore also implied, in a roundabout way, his acknowledgment of me as the illegitimate child of the Sacheon family head.

"That is not enough."

I spoke firmly, without showing any sign of backing down.

The leader of Uigak kept throwing me dissatisfied looks, but I continued the stare-down with him.

You think you can get away with this? You have more to say. Reading my unyielding attitude, the leader of Uigak gave up, sighed deeply, and declared loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Whew. Fine. I'll swear on my name to protect you and the child, and ensure your safe travel."

That's more like it.

Now, in front of everyone's attention, the leader of Uigak had declared his duty to protect me with those words.

"When do you intend to depart?"

"Immediately tomorrow."

"If it were only Hwa Rin going, that'd be one thing, but if I am to go as well, the Daesogak needs to temporarily close. Leaving immediately tomorrow is out of question."

Debt issues to settle, paperwork to be processed, and matters of Dang family's influence - leaving right away tomorrow was impossible.

"Is it really that hard to close a store that you ask for more time?"

Never run a business, have you? Rush an important announcement and deal with it carelessly, and you'll provoke a carriage protest. The mere thought of a protest by the Daesohwe is horrifying.

"There are more than one or two matters to resolve before I can simply up and leave."

"The delay in schedule is too long; I cannot wait."

"It's not like we're going to slaughter piglets; we're to escort a guest. Since you've acted as you pleased upon your arrival today, show some consideration this time."

"..."

Not willing to concede, huh? The Uigak leader didn't answer but crossed his arms and glared at me.

Surely, Sacheondang might be hesitant to delay the schedule because of the legitimate heir's crisis over an illegitimate one. But that's Sacheondang's concern, and my own situation takes precedence.

I'll have to employ a different tactic.

"Perhaps I ought to introduce myself. Greetings!"

Breaking the deadlock with the Uigak leader, I stood up and turned to the transfixed Uigak members with a smile.

"Ah, greetings."

"Hello to you."

Not sure how to deal with me? Understandably, illegitimate children are usually not treated as part of the family, receiving lower status than servants, but given the current delicate situation within Sacheondang...

"It is an honor to meet the people of great Sacheondang. My name is Kang Yoon Ho, the one who ate an entire pineapple pizza."

For now, I'm just an illegitimate child of Sacheondang with no right to the Dang surname. However, emphasizing my blood—albeit jokingly—to prevent any disrespect.

"I believe you've already heard about me from others. Given the many listening ears, let's reserve our conversation for another time in a quieter place. For today, I'd rather host the people of Sacheondang. Jeomsoyi!"

"Yes!"

"Bring the Sichuan sweet and sour pork, Gui Fu Chicken, and some other dishes - one for every two people - as starters."

"Oooooh."

"Serve as much liquor as they wish. Charge it to the Daesogak."

"Waaaaah!"

Cheering erupted from the Uigak members. This is how you win favor.

"Ha ha. Let's ease up on our belts today, shake off our journey's fatigue, and prepare to head back to Sacheon tomorrow. I'm counting on your support."

"We'll enjoy the meal!"

I respectfully greeted the Uigak members, playing the part of the polite young man, then sat back down.

"It looks like the members might be too hungover to depart immediately tomorrow."

Telling the Uigak members, who barely had a meal since arriving and just returned from a march, not to eat now would ruin the mood. Even someone acting like an autocrat wouldn't want to spoil the current atmosphere.

I gave the Uigak leader a victorious smile.

"...Tch. I'll give you one day."

"Let's discuss the schedule later."

One day? That's laughable. If he's still unwilling to give more time then, I'll have other means to use.

I passed around drinks to the Uigak members, concluding the meal at Gukharu.

------------------------

The security at Daesogak is quite strict.

Since thieves once attempted to steal the Dang family's secrets, money was invested in bolstering its defenses.

I thoroughly locked up Daesogak, checked the safety mechanisms, then went upstairs, locked the second-floor door, and finally locked the door to the attic.

Although the Uigak members had offered protection, I declined, telling them to rest for the day because there is a reason why no one should enter Daesogak tonight.

I turned my head to look at the reason.

"Hey. Yoonho. Explain."

There stood Hwa Rin, arms crossed and glaring at me with an ominous look.

"A friend's story, you said?"

Hwa Rin, after hearing the rough situation, questioned me.

It's absurd how the real story got entangled with coincidences and Hwa Rin's presence, driving me to a corner with lies. The notion must be preposterous to Hwa Rin.

I too wanted to tell the whole truth regarding this incident. She's the only one I could complain to about these injustices. Yet, I had to swallow this unfairness and keep it within.

Once a lie has begun, it must be seen through to the end.

The fiction of a poisonous friend was the foundation I built to establish a relationship with Hwa Rin. To renounce it now would lead our relationship to catastrophe.

"Yeah. It's not me who's the illegitimate child of the Dang family head, it's my friend."

I decided to deny one of the two contradictory setups.

"Why did you tell a story about your friend as if it were your own?"

"What else can I do? Even if Hwa Rin is a friend, they wanted to sever my wrists. If I admit that I am the friend of the illegitimate child of the family head, will they not cut them?"

"That... must have been the case."

"I had to use wit in a crisis to avoid having my wrists cut."

This crisis was worse than the Black Tiger Debt affair. There was no reason for me to lie further to Hwa Rin. I had lied to the people of Uigak that I was the illegitimate child, now I had let Hwa Rin know it was a lie.

Let's reverse the situation, which might have disastrously ended due to my contradictory lies, by crafting a secret that both of us could share in this crisis.

Utilizing both truth and falsehood, I aimed to strengthen our relationship even more.

Hwa Rin seemed convinced by my words, nodded, and then asked.

"Why did you include the story of a friend in 'Dangga Pungwoon'?"

I nearly blurted out that I needed a friend's shield.

No, that won't work. Remember, I am a man who thought of the deceased toxic friend as a kindred spirit. To admit I used it just for that would seem too selfish. Let's go with something that fits my concept.

"I wanted to see the face of the man calling himself my friend's father."

"All that for such a reason?"

Hwa Rin seemed slightly angry as she questioned me. To her, it might seem like I had engineered this crisis.

I needed to act for a moment. Adjust my emotional line. Be the man profoundly upset by a friend's tragic fate. Imagine someone pushed into tragedy by a wretched destiny. Who comes to mind... Ah!

"It's ridiculous. Some are cursed by their lineage, doomed to live a life of pain before dying. The very person who passed down that bloodline lives in prosperity. So, I wanted to see his face just once. If he turned out to be decent, maybe I'd even want to... tell him about the death of my friend."

Why did my friend, and not someone else, bear the brunt of all that misery?

I immersed myself in the emotions of a black-haired young girl tortured by a cruel fate, and with a tart and pained look, I spoke to Hwa Rin.

"..."

Hwa Rin wore an odd expression after seeing my face. Indeed, when logic fails, appealing to emotions is supreme.

"I know the friend y..."

"That's..."

Hwa Rin cut off her words and scowled at me.

"Uh?"

"Was it so important that it was worth risking our lives?"

Hwa Rin asked with a mix of frustration and injustice in her expression.

Does Hwa Rin dislike the story of the toxic friend? I understand. It led us into this crisis.

"Hwa Rin. No, it couldn't be. The stories about the lust demon were new to me too. I only included the story about my friend's father, thinking it could be challenged in 'Dangga Pungwoon,' then I'd use this Memorance Ring."

"Then why didn't you talk about your friend earlier?"

"After hearing what the leader of Uigak was saying, I realized halfway that my friend's father must be the family head. It all made sense then. It's all too common for illegitimate children of high officials to be discarded. Besides, the focus needed to be on you, not my friend, who couldn't even reach here. I thought it unnecessary to complicate the situation by bringing up a story about the family head who couldn't possibly be involved here."

I framed my interpretation of events to avoid compounding your problems.

"..."

Hwa Rin's expression didn't relax. Rather, she looked at me with a somber, almost sad, expression. Why? Ah, upon reflection, I realized I had omitted something important.

"But let me say again, I truly didn't know about your father. If you're angry about that, I'm deeply sorry. Actually, I'm sorry for getting you involved in this whole situation."

I apologized to Hwa Rin with a sincere bow.

Although I suspected something, Hwa Rin was thrust into a life-threatening ordeal without knowing the whole story, and to make matters worse, she had inadvertently learned a shocking secret about her birth.

An apology was certainly warranted.

"It's okay. How could that man be my father. He's nothing but a rapist. And it's not just you who should be sorry. The story of the lust demon was used, and because I was in Daesogak, it led to this situation. I am sorry too."

Hwa Rin swiftly lifted my bowed head with her hands. It was a relief she saw it that way.

"I wanted to insist it was coincidence, but it just wouldn't have been believable."

I lamented to Hwa Rin with a sense of injustice.

"You did well. Thanks to you, we can go to the Dang house and even punish that bastard Dang Geoho. I'm actually grateful."

"That is truly fortunate."

"Just..."

Hwa Rin hesitated as if something was still weighing on her mind.

"Just what?"

"I keep thinking... that crazy woman had her reasons for hating me... Secrets she kept all her life."

Hwa Rin muttered somberly, seemingly thinking about her mother. Her mother, who had been cold to her all her life.

Despite everything, it's possible that she never spoke of you being born of rape out of some basic recognition of you as her child or because it was a secret a woman couldn't bring herself to share.

Was that the cause of the somber mood?

"Hwa Rin. Even so, abusing you can't be justified."

Hwa Rin. She evolved from just a crazy woman to a crazy woman with a bit of reason.

"I know. Just... Knowing that even the crazy woman had her reasons makes me feel like crap."

"Hwa Rin..."

There was nothing I could do but offer comfort. I gently held Hwa Rin's wrists.

Feeling my action, Hwa Rin firmly grasped my hands and shifted her weight to rest her forehead against my chest.

"Why does my life have to be such a mess?"

I could sense a wetness in Hwa Rin's voice.

"It's our life now."

Mine's a mess too.

"You really... have a talent for messing with someone's emotions even in a situation like this."

I didn't even know I had that talent.

Hwa Rin buried her face in my chest and stayed still for a while.

*****************

The problems were stacking up.

Dang Hwa Rin thought to herself while feeling the sturdy chest of a man. 

It was only a brief respite. There would likely be more to come. But Dang Hwa Rin wasn't overly worried.

As long as he, filling her heart and by her side, was there, she felt she could move forward.

With this incident, there were many questions to ask and many things to do. There were matters that needed to be addressed urgently, similar to the events that had unfolded at Gukharu. However, Dang Hwa Rin wanted to ask something else first.

"Yoon Ho. I have something to ask you."

Dang Hwa Rin detached her forehead from the man's chest and lifted her head to look at him.

"Yes?"

"Yoon Ho. It's about your fr-, friend."

Dang Hwa Rin's heart trembled, which caused her tongue to tremble as well.

"Uh."

Struggling to keep her heart from fluttering noticeably to Kang Yoon Ho, Dang Hwa Rin tried her best to keep a composed expression.

There was something she wanted to ask him.

A question that had always been

hovering in her mind, occasionally slipping out onto her tongue before she would tuck it away deep into her heart again.

Though she tried not to care, it nagged at her like a thorn in her shoe.

Dang Hwa Rin now decided to finally address this lingering curiosity.

"Could it be... a woman?"