DKM 8
“Brother!”
As soon as we arrived at the inn, a thunderous voice rang out. We had walked in without a second thought and nearly had our eardrums burst.
“Who is that now?”
“I don’t know.”
At that moment, I noticed Soseo’s face. Soseo, who always wore a gentle smile, was looking at the child marching toward us with a colder expression than ever before. Soseo spoke in a low voice.
“……Paeng Soyu.”
“Yes, Brother! I, Paeng Soyu, have arrived!”
Up close, the boy was much taller and bulkier than Soseo. Other waiters at the inn, not just us, looked at the two with disbelief.
“Just how long do you plan on staying in this backwater? Everyone misses you, Brother!”
……Backwater. We looked at Soyu with wounded eyes. Soseo spoke with a look of sheer disgust.
“Please lower your voice. Or at least be mindful of your words.”
“Haha, yes! By the way, who are the people behind you?”
“……Siblings I met here.”
“They must be Brother’s friends!”
Soyu grabbed my hand firmly.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you! I am Paeng Soyu!”
“Yes, I’m Ha Myoha—”
Soyu shook my arm up and down with extreme intensity.
“Please speak comfortably. You’re older than me, and you’re Brother’s friend.”
I had only shaken his hand, but my arm was throbbing. Just how strong is he? After finishing the handshake, Soyu began stolen [visit our site]contentslapping Soseo’s back repeatedly.
“Let’s not talk here; let’s go upstairs! I have a mountain of things I want to tell you, Brother!”
“……I told you to speak quietly.”
“I am speaking quietly!”
“…….”
“Now, quickly, to Brother’s room……!”
I quickly intervened.
“Um, sorry. Soseo promised to talk to me first.”
“Ah, is that so?”
“Yes, so maybe a bit later……”
“Then let’s just all talk together. I wanted to talk to Brother’s friends anyway, so this works out well. Now, let’s all style="opacity:0;font-size:0;">visit our sitego up together……. Huh? Brother, where are you going!”
Soseo had already climbed the stairs before Soyu could even finish his sentence. Looking down at Soyu, Soseo spoke coldly.
“Don’t even think about following me.”
Soyu looked bewildered.
“Why is he angry again?”
“…….”
Myoryeong and I looked at Soyu in silence. Our expressions had long since turned as cold as Soseo’s. I now understood why someone would develop a negative prejudice against a younger sibling. I quickly followed after Soseo.
“Soseo, are you okay?”
“…….”
“Soseo, I’m coming in.”
Normally, I would have waited for permission, but I couldn’t do that today. I opened the door and stepped inside. Soseo was lying on the bed, facing the wall. After a moment of hesitation, I reached out and stroked Soseo’s long, soft black hair. Soseo still didn’visit our site]our site">visit our site;t say anything, but he didn’t push my hand away either. I asked,
“Is the reason you want to take me to Habeuk because of your family?”
“……Yes.”
Soseo curled his body up in affirmation.
“I’m truly sick of it. Everyone except me is like that. Unnecessarily loud, without a shred of tact…… always trying to solve everything with force. No one understands me. They just think I’m unnecessarily sensitive.”
When everyone else is blunt and you’re the only one who is delicate, it’s truly exhausting to adjust to those around you. I understood Soseo’s feelings a hundred percent. I spoke comfortingly.
“That must have been hard.”
Soseo turned slightly to look at me.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course I am.”
“Then, Myoha. ……Stay by my side.”
Soseo took my hand.
“I don’t care how many family members come along. I’ll provide whatever money is needed for living.”
“…….”
Then, he whispered something more softly into my ear. How hard must it be for a thirteen-year-old to say such things? I felt a deep sense of pity for Soseo.
Even after getting off work, I couldn’t rest easy. Soseo’s proposal kept flickering in my mind. Seolhwa asked,
“……Is something wrong?”
I quickly shook my head. Unable to watch any longer, Myoryeong dragged me out into the yard.
“What is wrong with you? You already decided you weren’t going. Why do you have that look on your face?”
“No, it’s just……”
As I trailed off, Myoryeong’s eyes grew fierce.
“It makes no sense. Moving house just because you’re worried about a kid you barely know? We aren’t protagonists in some story who live and die for friendship.”
I shouted hurriedly,
“That’s true! But……!”
“But what? What on earth is the problem!”
“It’s, well……”
I hesitated before saying,
“He says he’ll pay a lot of money.”
“Hah, and how much is he offering?”
I whispered to Myoryeong. After standing in silence for a moment, Myoryeong clicked his tongue.
“Unbelievable.”
“Myoryeong?”
“Hah, this is truly absurd. What does he take us for?”
Myoryeong continued to click his tongue as he walked back into the house. Then he said,
“Seolhwa, let’s go to Habeuk.”
“……Huh?”
“Hey!”
Seolhwa, who was waiting for us at the dining table, widened his eyes. Myoryeong gave a sly smile.
“This is why I love scheming tops. Scheming tops usually have a lot of money.”
“…….”
“If he’s like this now, imagine how much he’ll splurge when Read on Read BL Novelsvisit our sitestyle="position:absolute;left:-9999px;font-size:0;">[visit our site]-->he grows up. I’m already looking forward to it.”
……Please, keep the BL in the BL. Don’t do that seriously in a martial arts world. I might be okay with it, but it’s rude to others. However, I couldn’t say a word.
The next day, as soon as it dawned, Myoryeong dragged me to the inn.
“My thoughts were short-sighted, Young Master. I heard all night how much you cared for us. If it weren’t for you, we would have surely died in the streets. Ah, just thinking about it brings back the tears.”
“…….”
“We are practically your loyal servants now. Whether it’s Habeuk or anywhere else, we will follow, so just say the word. By the way, Young Master, do you know there’s something stuck on your face?”
“Huh? What’s stuck?”
“Handsomeness! Your handsomeness! Ohoho!”
He’s my friend, but he’s truly loathsome. Soseo watched Myoryeong, who was rubbing his palms together like a fly to flatter me, and then asked me,
“Why are you crying?”
Poor Myoryeong. Having worked at a black company that didn’t even pay minimum wage stolen contentimmediately after graduating high school, Myoryeong was bound to be weak for money. What is it about that damn money. Soseo waited until I calmed down and then asked,
“What are the other family members like?”
I replied while wiping my face with a handkerchief,
“They’re very quiet and gentle.”
Myoryeong, still rubbing his palms next to Soseo, said,
“That child will surely love you too, Young Master! Because there isn’t a single person in this world who would dare dislike the Young Master!”
“I appreciate you saying that, but you need to calm down too, Myoryeong.”
“By the way, when are we leaving for Habeuk?”
“I originally planned to stay here for another month, but since Soyu has arrived……”
Soseo tapped the table with his finger and said,
“It would be best to return as soon as possible.”
At that moment, the door swung open and someone shouted,
“Brother! Let’s train together! My body is itching for it!”
Speak of the devil; it was Paeng Soyu. Soyu raised his arm high. The blade in Soyu’s hand flashed a cold blue. Soseo, who seemed used to this sight, remained composed, but we were not. As expected, the martial arts worldview is dangerous. We hugged each other and retreated to a corner.
“I’m trembling with excitement at the thought of training with Brother after so long!”
“I haven’t answered yet.”
Every time Soyu swung his arm, the blade gleamed coldly. Please put that dangerous thing away. Swinging a sword in front of civilians……. No, wait. Is that a sword? I became curious. The shape was slightly different from the sword the protagonist held on the cover illustration of Tales of the Martial Arts World. It seemed larger than a sword. Then, Soseo stood up and said,
“That is a great saber, the weapon favored by the Habeuk Peng Family.”
“Huh?”
“Weren’t you curious about what weapon Soyu uses?”
“Was it that obvious?”
Instead of answering, Soseo gave a small smirk. The moment my face flushed with embarrassment, Soyu’s eyes sparkled.
“Oh, is this your first time seeing a great saber? You’re welcome to try holding it.”
“Ah, no. I’m fine.”
“Don’t be like that, just try it once. It’s heavy and perfect for swinging!”
Soseo stepped in front of us and said,
“It’s dangerous, so don’t swing that.”
“Haha! Brother, really, saying a weapon is dangerous to a martial artist!”
“Myoha and Myoryeong are not martial artists.”
In the end, Soseo snatched the great saber right out of Soyu’s hand. The great saber, which had an imposing presence even in the bulky Soyu’s hand, looked even more magnificent when held by the relatively frail Soseo. To think a kid who would be an elementary student in the original world could swing that thing around so casually. I stared blankly at Soseo. Soseo smiled awkwardly.
“It doesn’t suit me at all, does it?”
“…….”
“Don’t look at me like that. I know.”
I thought I liked the trope of a frail female character using a massive weapon that contrasted with her, but that wasn’t it.
“Soseo.”
I just liked the trope of a frail character using a monstrous weapon. Gender didn’t matter. Not knowing I would be struck by such a sudden obsession in a place like this, I spoke with a trembling voice.
“It’s even better because it doesn’t suit you.”
“Huh?”
“It’s truly the best.”
“Right? The great saber is the best, isn’t it?!”
“Soyu!”
The tactless Soyu slapped my back, sending me face-first into the floor, but I didn’t care. Tears streamed down my face. This world was starting to become a little more likable.
That night, lying on my blanket, I muttered as if possessed.
“Truly the best. I love the great saber so much.”
Seolhwa, who was watching me with only his head poking out from the doorway, asked Myoryeong, who was preparing dinner,
“What’s wrong with him?”
“He saw a pretty kid holding a weapon.”
“……Why does that matter?”
“You’re a civilian; you don’t understand our hearts.”
Myoryeong gave a shrug and went back to preparing dinner.
Enjoying the story?Support me on Ko-fi
Comments 0
You must be logged in to comment.
No comments yet. Be the first!