Cough! Cough!
Hearing my grandson’s name, which I had never expected, made me spit out water and cough painfully, while Dokgorin beside me gently patted my back with a worried expression.
“Chilbok, are you okay?”
“Yeah… just choked a bit.”
As my coughing finally calmed down, I looked at Jeongalgeondam, Jeongalgyun’s grandson, who was still chatting with Dokgoseok, tears brimming in my eyes.
‘No way, how can a person be named that….’
Of course, it wasn’t given with that meaning, but with my modern knowledge, it sounded like just a famous robot name.
“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves, let’s really eat.”
As Dokgoseok said this and gazed at Jeongalgyun with a pleading look, Jeongalgyun seemed a bit guilty as he cleared his throat and picked up his chopsticks.
“Everyone, let’s eat.”
That was a lovely invitation, so we all picked up our chopsticks and started the breakfast we had been waiting for.
Slurp!
*
“By the way, Sir, you mentioned you were on your way to participate in the Murim Association’s 60th birthday celebration, right?”
After finishing our meal, while we all enjoyed some tea, Dokgoseok asked.
“That’s right.”
“Then how about going with us?”
At this, Jeongalgyun raised an eyebrow as if he’d heard something amusing.
“Ho, would that really be okay? We plan to leave tomorrow.”
“Honestly, I was just stopping by to replenish supplies for the trip, so I wasn’t planning on staying long. Plus, no one’s going to hold us back just because we speed up the schedule.”
“Haha, that’s a fair point.”
Naturally, the plan to travel together with the Jeongal family was settled, but Dokgorin seemed to find it displeasing and slightly bit her lip.
However, it was such a small expression of emotion that no one but me noticed her discomfort at the table.
“More importantly, Dokgo Sojeo.”
Suddenly, Jeongalgyun spoke up, and Dokgorin replied in a dry voice.
“Yes?”
“How do you find our grandson?”
“…Huh?”
Dokgorin looked at Jeongalgyun in shock at his sudden question.
At that moment, Dokgoseok quickly jumped into the conversation.
“Sir, it seems there’s quite an age difference between them; such jokes are inappropriate.”
Jeongalgyun chuckled and pointed at his grandson.
“This boy may look older, but he’s only sixteen.”
“Excuse me? Sixteen?”
Dokgoseok looked at Jeongalgeondam in disbelief as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.
Then Jeongalgeondam lowered his eyes slightly and said.
“I’m the younger brother. Gege.”
At being confirmed to that extent, even the usually nonchalant Dokgoseok couldn’t help but show a look of embarrassment.
Just then, Dokgorin, who had been quietly sitting, spoke up.
“I’m sorry, Sir, but I already have someone I’m fond of, so it wouldn’t be possible.”
“Huh, a soulmate at such a young age?”
“Yes. Right here.”
As she said that, Dokgorin pointed at me, who was eating snacks beside her.
“Excuse me?”
As a result, the eyes of Jeongalgyun and Jeongalgeondam were suddenly fixed on me, and having suddenly become the center of attention, I could only stammer in fluster.
Soon, Jeongalgyun burst into laughter, thumping his palm with his fan and said cheerfully, “I never expected that there would be someone promised next to me, no matter how I guessed!”
“Of course, one should keep someone they love close, so they can see them whenever they want, right?”
“Haha! Sojeo is right! That’s true!”
Despite Dokgorin’s bold statement, Jeongalgyun simply laughed heartily as if he had heard something funny.
Wiping his tears from laughter, Jeongalgyun immediately apologized to his grandson.
“I’m sorry, Dam. The old man overstepped and made you embarrassed unnecessarily.”
“It’s fine, Grandpa. After all, you know I’m not popular with the ladies.”
“That’s indeed true.”
“And I want to find the woman I will love for the rest of my life on my own.”
Though their conversation felt far too casual for that of a grandparent and grandchild, it strangely made them seem closer.
“Anyway, I’ll take my leave now.”
Choosing to escape first, presumably because she didn’t want to talk with Jeongalgyun any longer, Dokgorin made her exit.
Thanks to that, without any chance to offer an excuse, I quickly bid farewell to Jeongalgyun and everyone else before hastily following Dokgorin as she headed to her room.
*
The infamous Jeongalgyun.
The moment she saw the old man’s face as we sat at the inn’s table, Dokgorin couldn’t help but think of his name, even if she hated to.
After all, in her past life, he was the person who had woven the inescapable web she found herself trapped in when she became the target of the Murim Association due to Weijichun’s schemes.
‘Why the hell is that old man here with Dokgoseok?’
Her memories of the past were now hazy.
But if her memories were correct, her first meeting with Jeongalgyun was supposed to be much later in the future, not now.
In other words, it meant that circumstances had shifted both before and after her rebirth.
If she had to pinpoint a reason for that, it would probably be ‘because of me.’
That was the only reason that made sense.
Otherwise, things that shouldn’t have happened wouldn’t have happened.
The somewhat fortunate thing was that she wouldn’t significantly affect the historical events she was familiar with.
To Jeongalgyun now, Dokgorin wouldn’t look like a must-capture target, but merely the daughter of Jeongaljin, who was one of the three unrivaled masters in the realm.
Even though he was one of the prominent figures in the righteous faction, she couldn’t shake the instinctive discomfort she felt around him.
After all, Jeongalgyun was the one who had nearly pushed her to the brink of death by Weijichun’s orders.
From her standpoint, it was no wonder she found him unpleasant.
Moreover, with Jeongalgeondam by his side, he was someone to be even more cautious of, especially since Jeongalgeondam was bound to catch the eye of Gwonwang Son Yuseong later on and become his successor.
‘How troublesome.’
Ideally, she wouldn’t want to exchange a word with them, but regretfully, the leader of their group on this trip was Dokgoseok, not her.
This meant that even though she didn’t want to be with them, she would have to stick around until they reached their destination, Chang’an.
*
The next day.
Early in the morning, after purchasing all necessary travel supplies from the market, we set off from Hanjung with the Jeongal family duo as promised.
In reality, there was no need to travel with them so forcefully, but Dokgoseok wanted to seek the protection of Jeongalgyun, a soldier of the Murim Association, to avoid the same troubles as before, while Jeongalgyun seemed to readily accept his proposal since he had no better travel companion than Dokgoseok.
Clop-clop-clop—
On our way to Chang’an.
It was a fresh memory, but the closer we got to the ancient capital of Chang’an, the better-paved the roads felt compared to other regions.
After all, since it used to be where all the wealth of the country gathered, it makes sense that there would be a need for well-maintained roads.
After riding horses for about half a day, we decided to take a break and let our horses rest.
“Chilbok, we need to cook, so can you fetch some water nearby?”
“Sure, Sister.”
To prepare for a late lunch, Kyungah sister rolled up her sleeves and started cooking.
Among our group, only Kyungah sister could cook, so everyone, including me, had no choice but to absolutely obey her orders.
After all, we had learned from past experiences that if we got Kyungah sister angry during times like this, the food would instantly turn incredibly awful.
As I headed toward the nearby stream with my leather water bottles, Dokgorin, seemingly bored being alone, flounced along behind me with her arms crossed.
“Chilbok, what do you plan to do after we eat?”
“Well, I guess I’ll rest.”
If I didn’t take a break now, it would be far too tough for a child like me to keep up with this demanding journey.
On the first day of the trip, I had even fallen ill for an entire day due to exhaustion.
But once she asked about my plans, she must have had something in mind, as she took a beat before continuing.
“Then can you spare some time after we eat?”
“I don’t mind, but what for?”
To that, Dokgorin, with a confident smirk, replied.
“Of course, it’s for martial arts training.”
Since I had everything prepared, shouldn’t I finally start learning?
