The dawn of the Zhuge family arrived as if the birds that had kept vigil through the deep night were now chirping cheerfully.
“Really interesting…!”
Zhuge Geuk, the head of the Zhuge family, couldn’t put down the book even after staying up all night and having breakfast.
“Is your son-in-law’s book really that interesting?”
Just as expected, his wife, Jang Young-young, subtly asked him about his husband who hadn’t returned to the bedroom all night.
“Did you know?”
Zhuge Geuk looked up from his book at his wife’s unexpected question.
“Our daughter was making such a fuss trying to hide it. If she was going to lie to her mother, she could have at least not shown off when mentioning Ho Pil.”
The child had a serious lack of conversational skills. The fact that she was trying to hide something was impossible to miss for her mother.
Of course, Jang Young-young had heard about it beforehand from her father, Man Geum-jeon.
“…It’s something to be proud of.”
A voice flowed out that could only reluctantly acknowledge it.
“You…!”
In that moment, Jang Young-young could only widen her eyes in surprise and look at her husband.
“I can’t even remember the last time I stayed up all night because of a novel. It feels like the first time since reading the writings of my ancestors as a child.”
“I didn’t expect you to admit it so easily.”
“Even if the writer is a thief trying to take my daughter away, one must be impartial in literary criticism. This… This is… something I’ve never seen before.”
“I’ve heard that there’s been quite a stir among the family and the elders.”
Of course. Zhuge Geuk nodded and continued.
“There are times when gossipers talk about romance and grudges in the Martial Arts World just for fun, but this novel focuses on an individual, weaving a narrative and excitement I’ve never seen before. This is… This is truly…”
How could one possibly downplay this novel?
It was a piece of writing unlike anything he had seen before. Who on earth could write about the Martial Arts World so entertainingly? Why did that “thief” daughter of his have to be the one to write it?
As the father of a daughter, Zhuge Geuk felt frustrated, yet as a martial artist, he found it impossible to take his eyes off the book.
“How about giving that look to your son-in-law?”
“Ahem! Anyway! If this novel doesn’t set your heart ablaze, you’re not a true martial artist.”
Even if it was written by the thief who took his daughter, it was a piece of writing he had to acknowledge. That was Zhuge Geuk’s honest sentiment.
—
“What did you think?”
His son-in-law had successfully navigated another of his husband’s challenges. Jang Young-young smiled and decided to ask about the events of yesterday.
“What do you mean?”
“It seems our son-in-law has revealed himself to be Ho Pil. What happened?”
What kind of chaos had occurred that even the Elders’ Council had requested a recess? Jang Young-young asked her husband, who was looking at her with a somewhat displeased expression.
“Dear, it seems you’ve been calling that boy by the wrong name for a while now…”
“Oh my. Did I?”
Feigning surprise, Jang Young-young put her hand to her mouth as if she hadn’t realized it.
“……”
“Don’t sulk now. Tell me about the man our daughter loves. What was it like?”
Zhuge Geuk knew his wife was provoking him on purpose, but he sighed inwardly and recalled the true source of all his worries.
Kang Yoon-ho.
That “thief” of his daughter. The black-haired boy who had the audacity to claim he would surpass him. To think he actually showed up at the exit of Hongcheonmirijin as promised in just seven days.
As a potential son-in-law of the Zhuge family, he was already proving himself worthy in front of everyone.
Yesterday, that “thief” daughter stood before him and the Elders’ Council.
“I spotted a cunning snake.”
Zhuge Geuk recalled Kang Yoon-ho’s confrontation with the Elders’ Council.
“A cunning snake?”
“He’s no longer just a lad. Martial artists, especially the elders of the Zhuge family, would be quite intimidated in front of such esteemed figures.”
“Of course.”
On the days when the Elders’ Council called for him, there were men who would complain about not wanting to get out of bed. Jang Young-young refrained from bringing up stories from decades ago.
Her husband’s expression seemed like it was about to get interesting.
“He seemed completely unfazed.”
“Really?”
“During the meeting, the elders asked about the engagement issue without family approval. They wanted to know who would take responsibility. What do you think that boy replied?”
“I suppose he must’ve talked about himself or his father.”
The engagement without the family’s blessing was a grave matter that could see him kicked out on the spot if he placed the blame on the elders.
It was too harsh a situation for a mere young man to withstand. The safest thing would be to shift the blame to the elders.
That’s what Jang Young-young thought.
“What did he say as if it didn’t matter?”
“You mean he said that?”
Even she had to ask back in surprise.
“He already resolved any misunderstandings with the head of the family, so what good would it do to bring it up again? He understands that whatever blame he shifts to someone else will not end well for him. Quite a funny fellow.”
Amid the ridicule in her voice was a tone of approval. Noticing her husband’s mood shifting, Jang Young-young eagerly pressed on for more stories.
“The elders must have been furious.”
“They didn’t hold back in questioning that boy.”
“It must have been hard for him to hold his ground in that situation. Was he alright?”
Zhuge Geuk quietly recalled what he had seen yesterday.
Old foxes. Waiting to devour their defenseless prey, it was a scene that reminded him of any era.
Typically, there were two scenarios. Either the prey would resist and get devoured or beg for mercy to avoid harm.
But that boy…
“He consistently looked for opportunities.”
“Looking for opportunities?”
“Usually, one ends up injured severely when defending oneself from an unavoidable attack or shrinks back in fear. But that boy, brazenly, wagged his tail.”
A cunning snake, not at all flustered by the old foxes surrounding him.
In a situation where a single mistake could be fatal, the snake did not fear wounds and waggled his tail.
“The tail?”
“His weak point. It drew everyone’s attention to a single spot. The skill was such that they had no choice but to fall for it. Ultimately, all the elders rushed to bite that tail…”
“And?”
The strong, being strong, cannot endure certain things.
How dare the prey resist us? There would have been no consideration. As it looked like a weakness, it would appear as easy prey instead.
The old foxes had no hesitation in lunging at the snake’s tail.
“And in return, he bit back.”
It forced them to retreat in shock from that decisive blow.
“You seemed quite surprised by that.”
Zhuge Geuk nodded while sipping tea offered by his wife.
“…If he were a martial artist, at the very least, he would have reached a minor success.”
“Is it that much?”
That was an extraordinary praise that was hard to believe coming from her husband. Jang Young-young asked with a surprised tone.
“One of the hardest things for a martial artist is facing an unchangeable weakness. What’s harder is to even acknowledge that it’s a weakness. But that boy went beyond that and used his weaknesses.”
The strong eventually break. Simply knowing your weaknesses results only in shrinking back. To achieve something as a martial artist, you must be able to recognize and utilize what you dislike.
It was an attitude that couldn’t help but impress him as a martial artist.
“You seem to be suddenly generous with your praises.”
Zhuge Geuk didn’t respond to his wife’s surprised question.
The Elders’ Council were astonished by Kang Yoon-ho’s literary talent, but what truly surprised Zhuge Geuk was something else.
“Just where did he prepare all this… To pass through Hongcheonmirijin, to have everything set up in advance, and to gain the hearts of people without the Elders’ Council knowing? Timing, geography, and human relationships, is it? If he were a martial artist, he’d at least be minorly successful, but as a strategist, surely… Ahem!”
Zhuge Geuk awkwardly cleared his throat in response to the gaze that had turned to him, but the moment had already passed.
“It seems your father-in-law wasn’t wrong to desperately wish for him as a successor.”
“…At the very least, it would have been nice if he had given some hint.”
Zhuge Geuk couldn’t deny his wife’s smirk-laden inquiry.
—
“What kind of boy do you think he is?”
Jang Young-young poured her husband another cup of tea and asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Be it as a strategist or a merchant, what is his worth? This isn’t just about our daughter.”
“You expect me to suddenly learn a lot in such a short time?”
In truth, he already knew a lot.
Navigating Hongcheonmirijin had been decades ago, but he could recall it as if it happened yesterday. How many temptations can sway a person?
In that instant in Hongcheonmirijin, if he just closed his eyes, the image of Miss Zhuge would come to mind.
Zhuge Geuk thought about Kang Yoon-ho as he emerged from Hongcheonmirijin, audaciously holding his daughter while speaking those words.
He disapproved of the situation, yet he understood.
To avoid losing himself to countless temptations, instead of aiming for the title of Deputy Head of Family, he had thought solely of one woman.
That boy must be the same, someone who can love a single woman without losing himself to greed.
Though he disliked admitting it.
“Is it that you don’t want to say it?”
“Dear…”
“Hmph. If you don’t want to, fine. I’ll take the teacup away.”
At her small provocation, her husband raised the white flag immediately.
The father acknowledged him as a potential son-in-law, yet remnants of discontent lingered regarding that “thief” who took his daughter.
“I think I understand why he fell for my daughter.”
“That boy?”
“Our Hyang is said to be the first to figure out his identity.”
Zhuge Geuk recalled the face of the man speaking about the most precious thing. Somehow, he felt a pang in his heart, but simultaneously, a sense of strange relief.
“I haven’t heard that before.”
“Ho Pil… Reflecting back, it’s a curious thing. Even though he already revealed his identity in a pen name, none of the elders could figure it out.”
“Because he has black hair.”
A black-haired person writes about the Martial Arts World. If he hadn’t revealed it himself, they would have failed to notice. Zhuge Geuk nodded at his wife’s words.
“He seemed calm as he spoke, but it felt like he was hiding some unresolved pain. Despite everyone praising him, he clearly felt the need to conceal his identity, which meant he must have felt loneliness too.”
The boy who had been consistently composed, revealed the only moment of intense emotion he had experienced.
Kang Yoon-ho might have thought it was an act; he merely delivered his emotions yet, even within that performance, feelings were undoubtedly present.
“Our daughter figured out the identity of that lonely Ho Pil?”
“…”
Zhuge Geuk unconsciously imagined the meeting between his daughter and Kang Yoon-ho.
—Ho Pil had no one to share his heart with.
Everyone praised him, but he could never receive sincere praise himself.
“He always just read books in his room and drew. It seems he had an eye for men.”
“I don’t think our daughter likes him just because he’s from the Zhuge family.”
“Usually, that’s what people call destiny.”
“Dear…”
“Oh my, what is it?”
The father avoided answering and continued with his imagination.
In the idle days. The only person in this world. The woman, who had realized the true identity of that man, rushes over, breathing heavily.
—Only Miss Zhuge saw me exactly as I am.
If asked to marry that woman, what would that man feel? If the woman received a proposal to marry that man, what would she think?
“I think Hyang…My daughter might be the one he calls a soulmate.”
The father muttered as if he couldn’t help but admit it.
Not superficial flaws like appearance or condition, but rather someone who truly understands the inner self. He knew what it meant for a woman to see a man as the only one who recognizes them.
“What is that?”
“Such a thing exists.”
A person desperately wanted to be forgotten now. As he thought of that very man who kept appearing in front of him, the father simply continued to sip his tea.
