My feelings towards Dokgorin were, if I had to choose, closer to favor.
She was the protagonist of my favorite martial arts novel and, as a lifelong virgin who had never held a woman’s hand, receiving unconditional favor from the S-rank beauty of the region felt utterly reasonable for a guy.
However, I hesitated to accept her kindness due not only to our social status difference but also because of the psychopathic nature described in the original novel.
Dokgorin, the Heavenly Witch, would stop at nothing to achieve her goals.
Of course, the Dokgorin before me was considerably milder compared to her portrayal in the book, but that was only when she was dealing with me.
While she always showed a smiling face when talking to me, her demeanor turned starkly dry when interacting with Dokgoseok or Kyungah, sometimes sending chills down my spine from the side.
That made it all the more difficult for me to readily accept her favor.
At the moment I accepted Dokgorin’s kindness, I felt a premonition that some sort of brake inside her would shatter.
“Chilbok, what are you thinking about?”
“Oh, just reminiscing about the past for a moment.”
I replied to the suddenly speaking Dokgorin while gazing up at the towering gray city walls.
Chang’an.
Once the capital of the prosperous Han dynasty.
The signs of time were clearly visible along the massive walls, but still, the walls of Chang’an appeared strong and grand.
While waiting in line to enter the city, Dokgorin, who had dismounted from her horse, spoke to me.
“Chilbok, you’ve worked hard on this long journey. We’ll be staying in Chang’an for a while until the Murim Association leader’s birthday banquet begins, so you can shake off your travel fatigue.”
“Did I really suffer? It’s the others who truly had a hard time.”
“Pfft, no need to be so humble. You ended up following me here even when you didn’t want to.”
“True, but it was a good experience in its own way.”
They say one must endure hardship to appreciate the value of everyday life, and through this journey, I realized how comfortably I had been living.
“Then how about we visit Dongjeong Lake together next time? I hear the scenery there is really nice.”
“I politely decline. Just getting from Sichuan Province to Shaanxi Province took nearly a month, thinking about going to Hunan Province feels overwhelming.”
I began to understand why people of old seldom left their hometowns.
The saying, “Leaving home is hardship,” wasn’t just empty talk; going on long-distance trips really felt like a piece of my lifespan was being chipped away in real time.
“Hmph, how pitiful.”
Dokgorin turned her head as if sulking while saying that.
But no matter how it was, I couldn’t deny the truth, so instead of soothing her, I awkwardly smiled.
*
Whenever there’s a meeting, there’s bound to be a parting.
“Thank you for everything during this time, Teacher.”
“Thanks to you, Seok, I could find some joy in this dull journey.”
I planned to part ways with the Jeongal family duo, who I met in Zhongzhong and traveled to Chang’an with, as scheduled in Chang’an.
“If anything happens, feel free to visit the Murim Association. I’ll help you without hesitation.”
“Haha, just your words make me feel secure.”
Dokgoseok joked as he spoke, then turned to Jeongalgeondam, who stood next to Jeongalgyun.
“Jeongal, you’ve worked hard too.”
“When we meet next time, let’s have a drink together.”
“That’s music to my ears. I’ll take you somewhere nice then.”
After exchanging final farewells, the two waved as they left.
Once they’d departed, Dokgoseok checked that only our original party from the departure in Sangam was left and smacked his lips, then spoke to the bodyguards beside him.
“Now that we’ve arrived in Chang’an, how about we grab a drink to celebrate?”
It was obvious he wanted a drink, so Kyungah nearby yanked on his ear.
“Sir! You haven’t even settled into your accommodations yet, and you’re thinking of drinking already?!”
“Ow! Alright! I’ll behave, so let go of my ear!”
Seeing the foolish antics of Dokgoseok and Kyungah lecturing him made the bodyguard uncles chuckle.
After getting scolded by Kyungah, Dokgoseok cleared his throat and said.
“Let’s first find a place to stay. Since we’ll be in Chang’an for a while, we should aim for a large and nice accommodation.”
Then one of the bodyguards raised his hand.
“Sir, let’s go to the Golden Star Inn.”
“Golden Star Inn?”
“I’ve stayed there once before, and the food is good and the place is clean, so it’s nice.”
“Oh, then let’s give it a try.”
Dokgoseok said that and instructed the bodyguard who spoke first to guide the way.
*
Following the bodyguard uncle’s suggestion, we arrived at the Golden Star Inn.
The scale of the inn was a bit lacking compared to other large inns, but seeing many people seated at the first-floor tables indicated that the food wasn’t too bad.
After unpacking in our room, I joined the other party members in heading downstairs, where I found Dokgoseok already starting a solo drinking session.
“Hey.”
Kyungah reacted immediately.
“What do you mean ‘hey’? Didn’t I tell you not to drink before you eat?!”
As Kyungah tried to snatch the glass away, Dokgoseok effortlessly moved with his drink and bottle to the adjacent seat.
“Today is a happy day, so cut me some slack. After a month of long-distance travel, when else am I going to drink if not now?”
“Ugh.”
Faced with his argument, Kyungah paused, and then in a defeated tone replied, “Okay, but only one bottle, alright?”
“Yes! Love you, Kyungah!”
As soon as he got the green light, Dokgoseok cheered with the expression of having gained the world.
Kyungah flushed and exclaimed, “Are you crazy?!”
I couldn’t hide my mixed feelings watching Dokgoseok.
‘What’s the real him, anyway?’
From the cheerful persona he displayed now, to how fiercely he cared for his younger sister, and then the part of him that sold Dokgorin to the Murim Association leader Weijichun in the novel.
To be honest, Dokgoseok didn’t seem like a bad person at all based on what I had witnessed until now.
He seemed just soft enough with his people, and when things got dull, he would get involved to lighten the mood, which was not indicative of someone too ruthless.
Thinking that he had fallen so far due to inferiority towards his elder brother, bringing in external forces only to get betrayed and die, it was quite ironic.
“Come on! Chilbok, come over and sit here! I’ll treat today! It wouldn’t be bad to learn about drinking now!”
“Are you out of your mind?! Trying to give alcohol to a kid?!”
“Learning to drink in a place like this isn’t bad either, right? You’ll drink someday anyway, so what’s wrong with practicing early?”
Dokgoseok insisted, trying to make me drink with the logic often used by adult relatives at drinking gatherings.
If offered, I wouldn’t refuse, but drinking as a child felt quite questionable.
With that in mind, I decided to join the lively atmosphere being created by Dokgoseok.
*
The drinking session led by Dokgoseok lasted quite late into the night.
Bodyguard uncles were all drunk and passed out, and just as Kyungah, who had been preaching the dangers of alcohol, ended up getting tipsy after a few glasses of Juyeopcheong by Dokgoseok’s smooth talk.
While I thought of taking a breath outside until the effects of the Juyeopcheong wore off, I felt a presence behind me.
Thinking it was Dokgorin as usual, I turned around only to be surprised by an unexpected sight.
“Second Young Master?”
“Hey, Chilbok.”
Despite being so drunk, he waved his hand lightly as if nothing had happened and approached me.
I asked him cautiously.
“What brings you here all of a sudden?”
As he came closer, Dokgoseok gave me a wry smile and said.
“I saw you outside taking a breath, so I thought I’d come out for a bit too. I don’t usually get a chance to talk when I’m stuck with Rin.”
He stood by me and gazed at me for a moment before suddenly asking.
“Do you dislike me too?”
“…Huh?”
“I’m asking whether you dislike me like Rin does.”
Him suddenly showing up to ask me if I disliked him caught me completely off guard.
It was a question I hadn’t anticipated at all, and as I looked at Dokgoseok in confusion, he leaned back against the wall and spoke.
“The harsh words I said to Rin were something I had already gone through once myself.”
He said that while looking at me with the white moonlight behind him.
“In fact, my wife is also from a humble farming background.”
Then he started to spill his emotional backstory.
