As Seo-jun and his group returned to where Wang Daesan had been, they found him sitting by a small fire, staring into the flames with a somber expression.
Seo-jun gently patted the girl he was holding in his arms.
"Go on, your father’s waiting."
"Huh…?"
The girl, who had been dozing off, blinked her eyes open. Her eyes widened in surprise.
"Ah, Daddy!!"
Wang Daesan, who had been staring blankly into the fire, came back to life at the sound of his daughter’s voice.
"S-Soryeong…!"
"Daddy!!"
The girl slid down from Seo-jun’s arms and ran toward her father. Wang Daesan scooped her up and hugged her tightly, openly sobbing without caring about appearances.
Seo-jun, watching the reunion from a short distance away, glanced at Chun-bong, who was staring at them with a complicated expression.
"You want a hug too?" he teased, spreading his arms.
Chun-bong scoffed. "…Don’t be ridiculous."
"Aw, come on, my cute Chun-bong."
"…If you’re just going to do it anyway, why ask?"
Seo-jun laughed and picked her up, though she was getting a bit heavier. She no longer fit so snugly in his arms.
Still, I’m not done growing either, he thought. Who knows what’ll happen later?
"Idiot," Chun-bong muttered, but she held onto him tightly.
As Seo-jun patted her back, he glanced at the women following them from behind.
"Can you walk a little further?" he asked.
"Yes, of course!" one of the women replied eagerly.
It would be ideal if they could reach the village before sunset, but if not, they might have to camp in the mountains.
As Seo-jun glanced at Wang Daesan and his daughter, who were still crying and holding each other, Chun-bong grew quiet, seemingly lost in thought, likely thinking of her own family.
"Hmm… I suppose we can’t rush this reunion," Seo-jun muttered.
But they still needed to ask Wang Daesan about the nearby village.
"Thank you… thank you so much, young hero! I will never forget this debt, even in death! Should you ever need the help of Wang Daesan, just call upon me! I’ll lay down my life to repay your kindness!"
Wang Daesan was bowing repeatedly, prostrating himself on the ground. While the man was a bit of a fool, his repeated displays of gratitude were starting to feel overwhelming.
"Please, stand up. Is there a village nearby?" Seo-jun asked, trying to redirect the conversation.
"You honor me too much by speaking to this lowly fool! I am not worthy of your respect!" Wang Daesan exclaimed.
"No, seriously, just tell me about the village."
"Oh! Yes! There’s a village about half an hour’s walk from here!"
Wang Daesan sprang to his feet and, upon seeing the women following behind them, his eyes filled with rage once again.
"Those damned bandits! My blood boils at the thought of their crimes! But you, young hero, have avenged us and saved so many! You are not just a hero, but a great hero!"
This guy is really something else, Seo-jun thought. He leaned toward Chun-bong and whispered.
"I think he’s suffering from a minor deviation of qi. Maybe it started when his daughter was kidnapped."
"That’s possible," Chun-bong agreed, nodding. "Qi deviation can be pretty scary."
"Yeah, it’s kind of terrifying to think about," Seo-jun mused. "By the way, you’re not dealing with a qi deviation, right?"
Chun-bong blinked at him in disbelief. "Are you seriously asking me that?"
"Yeah."
Seo-jun glanced back at Wang Daesan. Would I act like that? No way… right?
"You’ve lost piggyback privileges for a whole day," Seo-jun declared.
"Huh? Well… fine, I guess."
"Wait, no! I don’t want that! Say something to stop him!"
"You’re insane."
Chun-bong shook her head, clearly done with him.
Just as Wang Daesan had said, after about an hour of walking, a small village came into view. From a slightly elevated vantage point, the village’s modest size became apparent, its boundaries clearly visible.
Seo-jun, now leading a significantly larger group, made his way toward the village.
Their party consisted of nine people in total: five women, Soryeong, Wang Daesan, Chun-bong, and Seo-jun. It was quite the peculiar group, and as they approached, two young men holding crude spears stepped out to meet them.
"Halt! Who goes there?" one of them called out.
Seo-jun nodded at Wang Daesan, who eagerly stepped forward.
"You dare block my path, you fools!?"
Maybe I should have handled this myself, Seo-jun thought with a hint of regret as Wang Daesan dramatically pulled a bloodstained letter from his coat.
"This letter is from my daughter’s guard. These women were kidnapped by the Green Forest Bandits, and these two here are the heroes who rescued them! There will be no trouble in this village."
His words were a bit jumbled, but the guards seemed to understand.
"Oh, I think I’ve seen someone staying at Old Lady Chun’s house who matches that description. Go on in," the warmer of the two young men said, lowering his spear.
What a nice guy, Seo-jun thought.
As they prepared to enter, the second young man’s eyes widened, and he grabbed his companion’s arm.
"Wait! Isn’t that the missing daughter from the Seong family?"
"What!? Are you sure?"
The first guard, startled, rushed over to check the face of one of the women in their group.
"It is! It’s her!"
"You go tell the village chief! I’ll lead these people in!"
"Right, got it!"
With that, the first guard ran into the village, while the second one began leading Seo-jun and the others toward the village proper.
"If you need a place to stay, you can go to the village chief’s house or the building with the sign over there. I’ll make sure you don’t need to pay," the young man explained.
"Oh, there’s really no need for that."
"How could we possibly charge the people who saved our village members?"
"Ah, well, thank you."
This village sure has good people, Seo-jun thought. It’s nothing like the alleyways I used to live in.
A small village like this, though… sometimes that kindness can turn into trouble.
"Here we are. This is Old Lady Chun’s house. She’s the village’s only doctor."
"Is Mr. Jang inside?" Soryeong asked, peeking out from behind her father.
Wang Daesan gave her a fatherly smile and nodded.
"I think so. Shall we go see him?"
"Yes!" Soryeong nodded enthusiastically.
Her smile was wide, but Wang Daesan’s expression was a mixture of happiness and anger. He clearly couldn’t forgive the guard who had fled and left his daughter behind, even if it had been the right choice. Emotions don’t always follow logic.
Seo-jun watched them for a moment, then turned to the other women in the group.
"Let’s rest here for a bit. The villagers will probably come here soon."
One of the women, who had been identified as Seong’s daughter, flinched at his words.
Seo-jun noticed her reaction but said nothing, instead shifting his focus back to the guard they were about to meet.
The young man led them to the door of Old Lady Chun’s house, and Wang Daesan knocked.
"Is anyone home?"
The door opened, revealing an elderly woman with white hair, leaning on a cane.
"What brings you folks here? You all look like strangers to me."
"We heard that Jang Yu-ho is being treated here. Could we see him?"
"Ah, I see. You must be his companions. Come on in."
The elderly woman led them inside, her cane tapping against the ground as she walked.
"Excuse me, Grandma?" Seo-jun asked.
"Yes?"
"Do you have a place where these women can rest? They’re pretty worn out."
The elderly woman glanced at the women behind Seo-jun and nodded.
"Goodness, they’re in bad shape. I’ll give them a room to rest in."
"Thank you very much."
"And as for you, Soryeong, if your father starts acting like a fool, you come find me."
"…Yes, ma’am."
It seemed the Seong family’s daughter knew Old Lady Chun. Bowing her head, she led the other women to the room provided.
Seo-jun, curious, tilted his head in thought, then followed Wang Daesan into the room where Jang Yu-ho was being treated.
The room smelled strongly of herbs, like a traditional medicine clinic.
"You lazy fool! We’ve got visitors!" the elderly woman called out.
"Visitors? Who… oh! Is it really…?"
A man was lying on a bed in the room. When he saw Wang Daesan, his eyes widened in surprise, and when he saw Soryeong, he teared up.
"Miss Soryeong…! You’re safe!"
"Mr. Jang…!"
Soryeong ran toward him, but Old Lady Chun held her back.
"Now, now. Don’t go jumping on an injured man."
"O-oh… I’m sorry…"
Soryeong bowed her head, looking genuinely remorseful.
What a polite child, Seo-jun thought, nodding approvingly. As he watched, Soryeong carefully approached Jang Yu-ho and held his hand tightly.
"Mr. Jang… I’m sorry… It’s my fault for wanting to go into the mountains…"
"No, it’s not your fault. It’s my failure for not being able to protect you."
"What? Wait, Jang Yu-ho, are you saying Soryeong wanted to go into the mountains?" Wang Daesan asked, his voice rising in shock.
Jang Yu-ho nodded. "Yes… We thought the mountain would be safe since there aren’t many monsters or bandits in this area… I’m so sorry, my lord."
"Oh, Soryeong! How many times have I told you not to be so stubborn!"
"But…"
As the situation rapidly devolved, Seo-jun blinked, slightly stunned.
Wait… so the bandits didn’t kidnap her because of her looks? She wanted to go into the mountains?
Looking back, it seemed unlikely that bandits would kidnap such a young girl based on her appearance. It was simply the mistaken paranoia of an overprotective father.
"Huh. So that’s what happened," Seo-jun muttered.
Just as he began to piece it together, he noticed several pairs of eyes turning toward him.
"Are you the one who saved them…?" Jang Yu-ho asked.
"Yup! The handsome older brother saved us!" Soryeong chimed in enthusiastically.
Who, me? The handsome older brother?
Seo-jun grinned proudly. From the corner of his eye, he could feel Chun-bong glaring at him, which only made him smile even more.
"Ouch!"
Chun-bong pinched his side. It hurt. A lot.
"Thank you so much, young hero. I never properly introduced myself. I’m Jang Yu-ho, Soryeong’s guard."
"Soryeong, huh? So, is she from a noble family?" Seo-jun asked.
Jang Yu-ho glanced awkwardly at Wang Daesan, who answered for him.
"Not exactly. We’re just a small family from the outskirts. Jang Yu-ho happened to join us by chance."
"Ah, I see."
It made sense.
Soryeong, now feeling more comfortable, cautiously tugged at Seo-jun’s sleeve.
Does she want to be picked up?
Seo-jun hoisted her into his arms and gently patted her back. She quickly fell asleep, and Chun-bong’s obvious jealousy could be felt even more strongly.
"You want me to rock you to sleep too, Chun-bong?"
"…Shut up."
"Aww, is someone feeling left out?"
"I’m not upset!"
"This is no good. Maybe I should sing you a lull—"
Thump thump thump thump!
The sound of someone banging on the front gate interrupted them. Seo-jun peeked outside and heard a man shouting.
"My daughter! I heard my daughter I-hyang is here!"
"Now, now, calm down…" Old Lady Chun replied.
"Shut up! I-hyang! Come out here right now! Where have you been all this time?!"
Old Lady Chun clicked her tongue and stood up, leaning on her cane as she made her way to the gate.
"Stay seated, all of you. I’ll deal with him quickly."
She opened the gate to reveal two men. One was red-faced and clearly angry, while the other tried to hold him back.
"Who do you think you are, causing such a ruckus in my house? Get out of here!"
"My daughter is in there! How could you say that?!"
"If you were a proper father, you would have found her by now! Now get out before I make you leave!"
"You must be losing your mind, old hag…!"
The angry man paused, his hand raised, as he caught sight of something behind her. His eyes widened, and he shouted again.
"I-hyang!"
"…Father."
It was Seong I-hyang, the woman who had been with them earlier. She approached Old Lady Chun with her head bowed.
"Thank you, Grandma."
"…I-hyang."
"You, you wretched girl! What were you doing all this time? Why didn’t you come home right away, instead of hiding in a place like this? Are you trying to humiliate me, just like your mother did?!"
"Father… it’s not like that…"
"Not like that? Hah! Don’t lie to me!"
I-hyang flinched as her father shouted at her.
"Actually, I was kidnapped by bandits…"
"Bandits!? Ha! So you’ve lost your honor too! Why did you even bother coming back if you’ve been defiled? You should have just died instead of returning to be a disgrace to this village!"
"How dare you…! What kind of father says something like that to his own daughter!?" Old Lady Chun snapped.
"You’ve been running your mouth long enough, old woman…!"
The man raised his hand again, but his companion quickly grabbed his arm, trying to stop him.
"Hey! What’s gotten into you?!"
"Let go of me! You might as well just die, you worthless daughter! I never want to see you again— Aaaah!"
Suddenly, the man screamed in pain, clutching his frozen hand.
"It shouldn’t hurt that much," Seo-jun said, sighing as he handed Soryeong back to Wang Daesan. He had used a technique to block the child’s hearing so she wouldn’t wake up.
"Man, what a mess," Seo-jun muttered, stepping forward. The man, still clutching his frozen hand, shrank back in fear.
Seo-jun laughed coldly.
"I wasn’t going to get involved, but you just had to go and ruin my Chun-bong’s mood."
If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s seeing Chun-bong upset. How dare you make my girl cry!
This guy was asking for it.
"So, how many hits do you want?" Seo-jun asked, covering his fists in qi.