It had been over 17 years since they were separated because of the exile.
Although the couple were apart for a long time, the moment they met each other, they couldn’t help but be affectionate.
Yu Yeop-kyung and his wife hugged each other and wept.
They waited so long for the day to come.
“Wife.”
“My husband.”
The workers couldn’t help but be moved by such a sight.
Even Oh Ji-kang, who was an outsider, was so moved that his eyes became red.
‘He must really like her.’
Even Yu Jin-hyuk had no choice but to admit it.
How much the existence of his father meant to his mother.
Seeing that, he thought that if his father was by their side, his mother would no longer suffer.
But,
‘… Mumu?’
The moment he saw the kid with an unusual name, a strange feeling of rejection arose.
He hated him so much, and when he heard that he raised that child in the forest during exile for 17 years, something unpleasant crept in.
“Hello.”
Mumu looked at him and waved his hand.
Yu Jin-hyuk, who had a preconceived notion, turned his head away.
‘I think the book was right…’
Mumu scratched his head feeling shy.
After such a thrilling event, they went to have their meal.
Oh Ji-kang was asked to come eat with them, but he refused and left saying that he didn’t want to interfere with the meal a family was having after a long time.
“Woah!”
It was no exaggeration to say that the meal was more like a party.
For Mumu, who preferred grilled meat, this table was the best.
‘Simple-minded.’
Yu Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue seeing Mumu.
Of course he, too, hadn’t seen such an extravagant table, but he wouldn’t cheer and look surprised.
“Is this oyster sauce?”
“The meat is so tender. Ah! It was marinated and then boiled?”
“Dried fish? This is my first time seeing fish!”
It seemed like it was true that he only lived in the mountains.
As Mumu was laughing, Jin-hyuk looked at his mother.
‘…’
Somehow, her mother had a sad expression as she looked at Mumu.
She was a little awkward, but as food worked as the medium, it seemed like his mother liked Mumu.
And on the other hand, she seemed a bit sad that Mumu was unaware of such things.
Grip!
Jin-hyuk’s hand, which was holding the chopsticks, gripped them harder.
She was his mother.
While looking at Mumu’s face, the uncomfortable feeling was now turning into envy.
And with that, the meal ended.
The empty bowls were removed from the table and tea cups were placed.
“This feels like a dream come true. My wife.”
“For me too. Husband.”
The couple would hold hands every now and then to express their affection.
Something like trying to fill the long gap.
They drank tea and talked about many things that happened.
As they unraveled each story to fill the gaps which had been left open for 17 years, they didn’t even realize that the sun was setting.
“It would have been great if Jin-sung was here today.”
“He’s a child who works for the nation now. It’s okay. My wife.”
The first child was on a mission to inspect the Shanxi province.
Since the mission was going to take at least three months, it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to meet his father right now.
While listening to the conversation, Yu Jin-hyuk drank five cups of tea.
‘I’m bored.’
The two of them were happy, but not him.
It was terribly boring to listen to the things which happened in exile and stories about him and his brother.
‘Mumu lifting firewood… boring.’
Listening to his father, it seemed like Mumu had a lot of strength.
What was so great about carrying weight?
It was something he hadn’t done before, but after learning martial arts he was able to do a lot of things.
‘What. Well for ordinary people who haven’t learned martial arts these trivial things may be great ones.’
Although the family was now reborn as a family of warriors, his father’s thoughts haven’t escaped from his time as a scholar.
Will his father be able to adapt to the changing world?
In the meantime the conversation came to the current situation.
“But, my wife, did you say that our Jin-hyuk will join the Heavenly Martial Arts Academy?”
Yu Yeop-kyung looked at the second child and asked.
To that, Lady Jang replied with a smile.
“Well, the three teachers who taught Jin-sung told me to send Jin-hyuk to the same academy as he had the same talent as his brother.”
“Huh. Is that so? Who would have known that our family would have two warriors, a family which had no talent other than teaching.”
Yu Yeop-kyung was emotional.
His children were exceptional.
After all, it wasn’t like graduating from that academy was an easy task, and to get a high-ranking official position was no easy feat either.
He looked at his son and said,
“Son. I’m not ashamed to admit that I did nothing for you as a father since I was in exile, but I’m really grateful that you have grown up so well.”
Yu Jin-hyuk, who was bored, looked at his father.
He was curious about what kind of person his father was.
But he never thought that his father would be so concerned about him.
It was just a few words, but his father didn’t seem like a bad person.
‘… father.’
Despite trying to deny it, his lips twitched into a smile.
It was right when he was about to feel better.
Unexpected words came of his father’s mouth.
“We’re lucky. So lucky. All my sons will be enlisted in that academy.”
“Oh my, what do you mean?”
“This wasn’t something I expected. But there’s something I need to ask of Mumu and Jin-hyuk.”
Yu Yeop-kyung, talked about what happened during the day.
The incident that happened and what caused Mumu to join the academy.
Lady Jang was shocked.
“Are you saying that he asked our sons to take care of his daughter?”
“Exactly. I can’t show my face to you or our sons for accepting that.”
At that, Lady Jang shook her head.
And said something to Yu Yeop-kyung.
“What do you mean, husband?”
“Wife, why are you laughing like that?”
“Where could we find such a good opportunity?”
“Opportunity?”
“He was asking our kids for the sake of his daughter. If we accept, won’t this cause a good relationship between us and their family?”
“Yes, but…”
Yu Yeop-kyung never thought of it that way.
Hearing that, he thought that it was a good opportunity.
After all, his wife would always do this.
[Husband. Your dignity is good and so is your morality, but please make connections and communicate with various officials. You never know when we might need their strength.]
As a woman of a prestigious family, she had insight.
Which was why she would tell him to create a network.
Each time he would insist that if he fulfilled his duties as a scholar and followed his morals, wealth and fame would come.
In the end, he was wrong.
When she seemed excited, he asked her again.
“Are you really fine with this?”
“I am. Our Jin-hyuk is blessed.”
Lady Jang was truly delighted by it.
If things were done well, their relationship with them would bear fruits, so she had no reason to refuse it.
However, unlike her, Jin-hyuk didn’t seem happy.
“Jin-hyuk?”
At her question, he looked at Mumu and said,
“Didn’t you say that he… no, Mumu will also enter the academy with me?”
“Yes, Jin-hyuk.”
It was his father who answered.
At that, JIn-hyuk couldn’t understand.
“I heard that Mumu didn’t learn martial arts.”
“Which is why I’m worried about this…”
“Don't worry, he could get hurt and our family might be disgraced in the entrance exam.”
Yu Yeop-kyung frowned at those words.
Disgrace the family?
“What do you mean?”
Yu Jin-hyuk answered.
“Our family has risen to the status of a prestigious warrior family, which is why the academy wants us. And I did my best to practice my martial arts so that I don’t dishonor my brother and family.”
He showed his palm.
It was full of calluses, traces of how hard he worked.
‘Jin-hyuk this one…’
Yu Yeop-kyung was moved by his son’s efforts.
While he was in exile, his sons worked hard for the sake of the family, he was deeply moved by them.
And Jin-hyuk continued.
“But what will a person who hasn’t even trained in martial arts achieve if they take the entrance exam? He may fail, he may get hurt along the way, and our family will be disgraced for trying to enlist someone who doesn’t even know the basics.”
He spoke as calmly as possible, but his voice was failing him.
Yu Jin-hyuk was frustrated that his father knew nothing about the Murim and was taking it so lightly.
That was when Mumu asked.
“Is the exam so difficult?”
To that, Jin-hyuk replied in a stern tone.
“You. Did you even hear what I said till now? That place isn’t somewhere that a person without the basics of martial arts can enter. Literally, the academy is a place where the outstanding ones are gathered and taught.”
“So if martial arts isn’t learned, it can’t be entered?”
At Mumu’s innocent question, Jin-hyuk was taken aback.
The guy knew nothing, nothing.
He was a village boy who only knew about the mountains, and it didn’t seem like words would clear his doubts.
Jin-hyuk got up from his seat.
“Jin-hyuk, what are you doing?”
Lady Jang felt like things weren’t going in the right direction.
Jin-hyuk stood in the empty space and said.
“Father and Mumu don’t seem to know about the world, so I will teach them. Mumu, stand in front of me.”
“Jin-hyuk-ah. stop. Your father understands what you are talking ab…”
“No. You don’t understand it at all. Come here.”
“Annoying… I’m full.”
In the end, Mumu got up from his seat and walked in front of Jin-hyuk.
Jin-hyuk clicked his tongue at the reckless attitude and drew a circle around himself, then he concentrated his internal energy at the top of his toe.
Srrrr!
A circle was drawn on the ground.
Jin-hyuk, who drew it, pointed to Mumu and said,
“I’ll teach you about what martial arts are. Make me take one step out of this circle.”
“You should be pushed?”
“Yes. If you can’t do that, you don’t have the right to enter that academy.”
The couple was worried that the kids would start fighting, but were relieved that they weren’t.
He was trying to show what Mumu couldn’t understand.
But would it be possible to stay in the circle which was only shoulder-width wide?
To him, Lady Jang said.
“Husband, you will see something amazing.”
“Amazing?”
“I was surprised by the talent and skills shown by that teacher, so asked him to teach Jin-sung and Jin-hyuk.”
She still remembered it.
A slender man, who was said to be one of the three heads of the martial arts school he went to drew a circle and stood on one leg, and she witnessed the strange sight of him standing despite others trying to push him away.
And Jin-hyuk seemed to be trying to show that same thing.
‘But…’
Although she didn’t say it, she agreed with her son.
It wouldn’t be possible for an ordinary person who wasn’t trained in even the basic martial arts, to enter that place which was full of martial arts warriors.
“I should just get you out of the circle?”
“Yes. Use your hands and feet. But I will still be here.”
Yu Jin-hyuk folded his arms and said.
It felt like a waste of talent to take on someone who never even learned what martial arts are, but it felt like showing it to Mumu would be more effective than explaining it.
‘The Mystery of the Four Way Foot Extreme Weight.’
A secret taught to him by Jo Il-ryang, one of his three teachers.
A high-level art which puts power on the feet.
Though he couldn’t do what that man showed, Jin-hyuk believed that what he could do was enough to show Mumu the difference.
“So you should leave.”
“Do whatever you want.”
Jin-hyuk answered.
Mumu stepped forward and placed his hand on Jin-hyuk’s chest.
And tried to push him.
His force was dispersed by the technique.
The body didn’t move.
Yu Yeop-kyung was surprised.
‘He withstood Mumu’s strength?’
Then the kid was amazing!
Mumu, too, was shocked.
“Oh! This is amazing!”
“You saw it? This is the martial arts…”
“May I give more strength?”
“Huh?”
Mumu rolled up his sleeve to the top of his forearm.
Jin-hyuk saw the gigantic muscles.
‘What muscles?’
He and his body were trained too, but it was his first time seeing a human body so developed.
Mumu put his hand on his chest again.
And pushed.
‘It’s no use. You aren’t even using internal energy and just ignorantly pushing with strength, no one will take a sing…’
Drrrrr!
‘!?’
As soon as he was thinking, Yu Jin-hyuk, who wasn’t supposed to move out of the circle, was pushed towards the wall at the end of the room in an instant.
Flustered, he raised his energy to the maximum, but nothing worked.
‘…’
He stared at the floor, blankly.
The wooden boards on the floor where his feet were pushed were cracked and broken.
Not being able to believe that, Yu Jin-hyuk opened his mouth.
“You… what are you?”