DKM 30

“Why am I a scary guy?”

Myoryeong let go of my cheek, which he had been stretching out, and shook his head slightly.

“It’s nothing. Go on and have a good talk with Moyong Hwa.”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you if anything else happens when I get back.”

“Kyaa, I love you!”

Leaving Myoryeong’s send-off behind, I stepped outside. But where and how was I supposed to find Moyong Hwa? According to Soseo, he was hiding and watching me, so he was definitely nearby… After pondering for a moment, I cupped my hands around my mouth.

“Ah, I just can’t forget how Young Master Moyong Hwa fought in the Martial Arts Arena!”

I recalled the fan clubs of the female leads in the romance fantasy novels I read back in high school. Whenever the female lead passed by, they would all collapse like dominoes. I possessed the spirit of those fan club members and shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Even just once would be enough! I wish I could speak with the brave Young Master Moyong Hwa!”

“…….”

“If that happened, I could die without any regrets—waah!”

It actually worked. He really is weak to praise. Calming my pounding heart, I looked at Moyong Hwa, who was standing under the wall like a shadow. First, I needed to move to a quiet place… Ugh, the streets were swarming with people again today. To get to a secluded spot, I had to pass through here. I glanced back at Moyong Hwa. Sure enough, he had already retreated one step. Is there no quiet back alley around here?

As I scanned the surroundings and racked my brain, Moyong Hwa beckoned to me with his finger. Was he telling me to come over? I approached him without suspicion. Just as I was about to ask what was up, my vision suddenly flipped. Moyong Hwa had hoisted me over his shoulder like a piece of luggage. Wait, this position? I snapped awake. I began flailing my arms and legs wildly.

“Excuse me? Excuse me, Young Master!”

Without even a running start, Moyong Hwa leaped effortlessly onto the roof of a nearby building. While I doubted he would actually drop me, the anxiety wouldn’t stop. I called out loudly to Moyong Hwa as he prepared to jump to the next building.

“Let me ask you one question, Young Master Moyong Hwa!”

Moyong Hwa looked at me as if asking what it was. This man, surely… No, it couldn’t be. The people here might be crude because they spend every waking moment training and fighting, but surely not to this extent. I asked very seriously.

“Would you have carried me like this even if I were your wife?”

“…….”

A heavy silence fell. Moyong Hwa spoke.

“Why would you be my wife?”

You finally spoke for the first [stolen content]time since we met today, Moyong Hwa. Ah, that’s not what’s [Read on Read BL Novels]unauthorized copyimportant right now. I explained in simpler terms.

“I don’t mean that I am your wife, but I’m asking what you would do if the person you were currently carrying were your wife.”

“I don’t have a wife.”

“That’s why it’s a hypothetical! A hypothetical! I’m asking how you would move her if you get a wife later!”

“I’d just move her.”

As expected, my ominous intuition was correct. This man is the type who would carry his future wife like this too. As a romance fantasy geek, I absolutely cannot tolerate this lack of manners. No, I shouldn’t even call it ‘manners’!

“It’s fine to carry someone like me like a piece of luggage, but you shouldn’t move someone precious, like a wife, this way. You have to move them very carefully with both hands. Got it?”

“……Why are you worrying about such a thing?”

“I’m sorry.”

Whenever I see the crude and rough behavior of Martial Artists, I just can’t help it… Having nothing left to say, I scratched my head awkwardly. Moyong Hwa began moving toward a secluded area again. Once my anxiety subsided a bit, I relaxed, finding the ‘ride’ surprisingly not bad. After leaping over a few pavilions and walls, just as I was starting to get bored, Moyong Hwa stopped. Having finally found a decent spot, he set me down. However, he dumped me just as carelessly as he had picked me up, and since I had let my guard down, I stumbled and landed hard on my backside. Dusting off my clothes, I made a resolution.

If I ever have children in the future, I will absolutely teach them to act as sweet as a strawberry and as soft as tiramisu. Acting sweet like a strawberry or tiramisu might be quite out of place in a wuxia world, but who cares? I like romantic things. By the way, where is this? As I grumbled, a pond filled with blooming lotuses caught my eye.

“Wow…”

Not only was it atmospheric, but there was only one person there. I looked at a man leisurely fluttering a fan in a pavilion. Moyong Hwa probably wished that person wasn’t there either, but at this hour, there are always a few people everywhere… Just then, the man must have felt my gaze, as he looked back at us indifferently. The moment I saw his face, my mouth fell open automatically. Can we change the genre of Tales of the Martial Arts World to a wuxia romance fantasy right now? Why are there as many handsome men here as in a romance novel? If Soseo is a beauty with a kind and soft vibe, and Moyong Hwa is a taciturn handsome man who stimulates one’s hidden desires, then this man is… Huh? Our eyes met. The man, having spotted us, gave a bright smile and stepped down from the pavilion. He must have been planning to leave anyway. Not only is he handsome, but his timing is perfect too. Thinking that, I turned back to Moyong Hwa.

“Um, Young Master? Where are you?”

Huh? Moyong Hwa, who had been right beside me a moment ago, was gone. Where did he go? After searching the area like I was looking for a needle in a haystack, I finally found him hiding behind a tree. I have no idea when he went there. Moyong Hwa stayed hidden behind the tree and only emerged after the man had completely disappeared. How on earth did he fight in the martial arts tournament when he’s this timid and afraid of people? I became genuinely curious.

“Now then, since there’s no one around, shall we talk with a relaxed mind?”

“……A relaxed mind?”

“Yes, with a relaxed mind.”

The moment I nodded and emphasized ‘relaxed mind’ once more, Moyong Hwa hid behind the tree again. What is happening now? I stared blankly at the tree trunk, my thoughts momentarily frozen. Then, Moyong Hwa spoke honestly.

“It’s uncomfortable to talk while facing each other.”

“Ah.”

You should have just said so from the start. I nodded and approached the tree. When Moyong Hwa flinched, I smiled to reassure him and stood on the opposite side. Then, with the tree between us, I asked tentatively.

“This is okay, right?”

“……Yeah.”

Moyong Hwa nodded slightly and bent his body. He was clearly about to sit. I shouted loudly to stop him.

“Wait!”

“……What now.”

Without a word, I took a handkerchief from my clothes and spread it on the ground. Just like five years ago, when Moyong Hwa was alone in the martial arts training ground after being dealt with by Soseo.

“……Why are you doing this for me?”

“My answer is the same as it was back then.”

And you can’t get dirt on expensive clothes. As I plopped down on the ground, the hesitating Moyong Hwa sat down on the handkerchief. As soon as he was seated, I asked.

“By the way, why were you hiding and watching me?”

As I asked while leaning my back against the tree, Moyong Hwa’s voice reached me, thin as a thread.

“About earlier.”

“Yes. You mean the martial arts tournament?”

“Did Soseo make you shout like that?”

“No.”

“Then your father?”

“He seems to dislike me because I’m from the Paeng Clan.”

“……Well, that’s true.”

The conversation paused for a moment. I rested my chin on my knees and looked at the pond before speaking.

“Looking at you, Young Master Moyong Hwa, reminds me of my old self.”

“……Based on what, exactly?”

At my words, Moyong Hwa asked back in a tone of genuine disbelief. I didn’t know whether to consider it a misfortune or a blessing that a bit of his confident and arrogant old self still remained. I sighed and said,

“Yes, you are noble, strong, and wonderful, far [visit our site][unauthorized copy]beyond comparison to me. There [stolen content]isn’t a single thing we have in common, but strangely, I keep thinking of myself.”

“I’m asking, really, why?”

“…….”

I could tell how insignificant he viewed me. Now that a hint of irritation was creeping in, I quickly gave the reason.

“Because I once spent time with people similar to those around you.”

“……Ah.”

I couldn’t see Moyong Hwa’s expression because of the tree, but the irritation was gone from his voice. I continued.

“Back then, those people constantly compared me to others and made unreasonable demands. And if I failed, they got annoyed. I didn’t understand it. I mean, why did they think I could do things that they themselves couldn’t? They didn’t even ask if it was possible before just ordering me to do it.”

“……And then?”

“Pardon?”

“So, what did you do?”

What did I do back then? I sank into deep thought, stroking my chin as I spoke.

“Well, honestly, I don’t think those people did it with bad intentions. They probably did it because they sincerely wanted me to succeed.”

Moyong Hwa agreed in an even smaller voice.

“Right, that’s probably it.”

“But why should I care? I hated it.”

Moyong Hwa reacted a beat late.

“……What?”

“Of course, at first, I tried to live up to other people’s expectations. But at some point, I started to wonder. I wasn’t born to achieve other people’s goals for them, so why should I live like this? From that day on, I stopped living my life worrying about what others thought.”

“Weren’t you scared?”

“Of what?”

“That people would be disappointed in you.”

“Of course I was scared. But…”

I looked up at the sky. A single bird was soaring high, spreading its wings wide. Watching it, I finished my sentence.

“Living like that for the rest of my life was scarier.”

“…….”

“There’s really no end to living according to expectations.”

Someone who wanted 1 would eventually want 3, and then 5… Eventually, they’d probably want 100. But humans have limits. I felt like I would wither away and die if I kept living like that, so at some point, I stopped trying, and people were greatly disappointed. At first, I felt like I was dying of guilt for betraying their expectations, but as time passed, I grew numb and felt at peace. And then I realized.

How sweet it is to live leisurely at one’s own pace.

Having tasted that sweetness, I can never go back. I will probably continue to live my life disappointing people. But so what? Aren’t the people who expected things of me without my consent the ones in the wrong?

“……Still, isn’t there something you regret?”

“Ah, there is one thing I regret.”

“Right? I knew it…?!”

I let out a sigh and revealed my true feelings.

“I should have disappointed them sooner. Why was I so foolishly enduring it for so long?”