Chapter 162
What on earth is this?
No, leaving everything aside, is what Jin Won-tak said really true?
Such thoughts came to the minds of everyone in the room.
And how much more so for So-ah...
So-ah's steel-like shoulders were trembling like those of a delicate woman.
But as if Jin Won-tak had made up his mind, he did not pay any attention to the reactions of the people and continued to speak in a plain tone.
"My younger sibling, So-ah, was a very warm-hearted child. He was a child who was very fond of stray cats and dogs, and since he was so intelligent, he started to speak earlier than his peers."
"..."
"We often experience coincidences in our lives without much difficulty. So, at first, I also thought it was just a coincidence. But the fact that an orphan who uses the name Jin So-ah is from Deokyang-hyeon, Sichuan, and is extremely intelligent, and even has a red mole on his side, is by no means something that can be dismissed as a coincidence."
"Head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Jin..."
"Young Hero Jin. You are undoubtedly my younger sibling, Jin So-ah."
***
'Ugh...'
It was painful.
That pain was an extreme pain that could not be expressed in words.
When he was training with Moyong Cheon in his youth, So-ah had already experienced an ultra-extreme pain that a human could not endure, and in the trials of the first and second rooms of the <Ghost Valley Villa>, he had endured a pain that was not just terrible, but as if his soul was scattering, and had become a master of the Profound Realm today.
But all that pain was confined to the body.
The pain that was currently tormenting So-ah's body and soul was a pain of the mind, which was different in nature from the pain that was added to the body.
That mental pain was truly tormenting So-ah to the point of being dizzying.
Also, it began to pull out the fragments of memory that were latent on the other side of So-ah's conscious world, and only then could So-ah recall a few scenes.
—So-ah... my poor younger sibling, So-ah. I'll definitely get my wages today and buy you something delicious.
—Kekeke, you seem like a pretty smart brat. Kid. Please be born as the son of a rich family in your next life. Don't resent me! Kekeke!
—This brat, he seems to be only five or six years old, but why doesn't he listen? Hey, Mr. Jang! Just beat this brat to the point where he won't be crippled! He must not be crippled. Because he's a guy who will be a laborer in the mines for the rest of his life!
The scenes were truly terrible and miserable.
The death of his parents, whose faces and names he could not remember, and the existence of his older brother, who was doing manual labor in the marketplace, as thin as a scarecrow.
Furthermore, the rough-looking bandits who had kidnapped him and the desperate times of violence...
Those hellish memories were being formed in So-ah's consciousness, hazy and faint on a gray background like a dream world, and were rummaging through it.
As those childhood pains came flooding back regardless of his will, So-ah had to feel his liver turn cold and at the same time, his heart pound as if it would burst.
How painful must it have been?
How painful must it have been for a child as intelligent as So-ah to have erased his memories entirely...
'Is this... fear?'
No.
It was definitely a different emotion from fear.
So-ah had felt fear only once in his life.
When he was fifteen years old and had faced one of the Twin Demonic Old Freaks, the Rain and Heaven Demonic Sword, No Yeong-myeong, one-on-one.
That was the only moment he had felt fear, but the essence of this unfamiliar and heterogeneous emotion that was currently completely swallowing his mind, body, and the abyss of his soul was different from the fear of that time.
Fear is something you just have to overcome.
So-ah had learned that from his grandfather, had practiced it that way, and had lived that way until now.
But at the unknown emotional turmoil, which was different from fear but was like plunging his body into a sea of terror, So-ah, for the first time in his life, was in a helpless state where he could do nothing and was just blankly staring at Jin Won-tak.
Tremble-tremble-tremble—
The slight trembling was further amplified.
Before he knew it, So-ah's entire body began to tremble weakly and feebly like a lantern in a storm.
'So-ah!'
Moyong Baek, who was watching such a So-ah, was also quite shocked.
Although he was astonished by the current situation itself, it was because he had never seen such a weak appearance of So-ah in his life.
'So-ah...'
On the other hand, rather than being surprised, his aunt, Yeon So-so, bit her lip, worrying about the shock and pain that were weighing on So-ah's heart.
As So-ah, who was always confident and acted so arrogantly in everything, trembled like a child and looked so precarious as if he would collapse at any moment, her heart also ached as if it would break.
But, neither Moyong Baek nor Yeon So-so.
Including the two of them, no one in the room.
...dared to open their mouths.
It must be a difficult thing to accept.
Consolation would also be needed.
Moyong Baek would have carried firewood and jumped into a fire pit if he could just be a source of strength for the current So-ah.
But.
No one could be a source of consolation.
No one could give advice, and no one could share So-ah's pain, shock, and the heavy burden on his heart.
Only So-ah himself.
Because it was something that only he had to bear.
And...
So-ah, who had been looking at Jin Won-tak's eyes with a bewildered gaze.
...opened his mouth in a low voice.
"Are you... really my brother?"
***
"So-ah... my younger sibling, So-ah..."
Hot tears flowed down Jin Won-tak's eyes.
It had been a life where he had only looked forward and had run.
In order not to go hungry.
In order not to lose precious things again.
Jin Won-tak had run and run again.
Perhaps his life had been a more arduous path than So-ah's.
Because although So-ah had at least had the living Buddha grandfather, the God of War, Moyong Cheon, and all sorts of good luck and fateful opportunities, Jin Won-tak had not even had that.
But.
He was happy.
The tears he was shedding now were an expression of unspeakable joy, ecstasy, and a sense of relief.
It was a moment when a warm and gentle sunlight was shining on the heart of Jin Won-tak, who had shaken off the mistakes and the yoke on his heart, which he had thought he would never be able to wash away until the moment he was on the verge of death at the end of his life.
And...
"...Brother."
The moment So-ah's one sentence flowed out, Jin Won-tak's heart crumbled.
"So-ah!"
Jin Won-tak grabbed So-ah's hand.
Is blood thicker than water?
Although it was the hand of a strange man he was holding for the first time, in that fleeting moment, So-ah sensed that Jin Won-tak was undoubtedly his blood relative.
At that, the countless memories and scenes that had been dormant in the abyss began to rise sporadically.
'Yes... I had a brother... a very warm brother...'
So-ah's gaze scanned Jin Won-tak's face.
Now that he looked, it was a face where he could find some resemblance to himself.
Also.
'Hah... no wonder I felt a similar aura to So-ah from the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. Is he really So-ah's real brother! So-ah... So-ah...!!'
There was someone who was as excited as So-ah and Jin Won-tak, and that was Moyong Baek.
Hot tears also flowed from his eyes.
"D-Darling... you must maintain your dignity."
Yeon So-so, seeing her husband's foolish appearance, was flustered and whispered in his ear.
But.
"...Huh?"
Who was maintaining their dignity?
Yeon So-so, who was saying that, was already with a face covered in tears and snot, and her moist eyes were sparkling.
"So-so... you should..."
"Ah..."
The soft-hearted Moyong Baek and Yeon So-so couple finally looked at each other and showed a faint smile.
***
At first, it was awkward, so he had no choice but to be hesitant.
Because So-ah, who had lived his life without even imagining that he had a blood relative, could not easily accept the existence of a real brother who had appeared without any notice.
But the explosion of emotions and the change of heart that had begun to open up once had become a ripple that could not be controlled, and had soon enveloped So-ah and Jin Won-tak.
Before the situation in the room was even sorted out, the two came out and began to wander aimlessly on a quiet country road.
"So-ah... I have a lot to say to you. And I'm really sorry. To be honest, at the time you were kidnapped, I couldn't handle my grief to the point where I couldn't eat or drink for a while, but as time gradually passed, a part of my heart felt relieved. It was as if the shackles on my ankles had been released. Although I was young, I had gained the confidence to take care of my own mouth. I am a really trashy person."
It was a very honest confession.
And to make such a confession on the first day of finding his lost younger sibling was a part that showed how sincere a person Jin Won-tak was.
But So-ah did not mind.
Because he had naturally empathized with the young Jin Won-tak, who had lost his parents, had wandered around without a home, and had even had to take care of his younger sibling.
"No, brother. No... I understand."
"So-ah..."
Jin Won-tak's face hardened.
At that, So-ah showed a grin, and while relieving his heart, he tried to change the gloomy atmosphere.
"After meeting you, brother, and walking aimlessly like this, old memories are coming back sporadically. I still don't know how I escaped from the hands of the kidnappers, or how I ended up wandering from Mianyang-hyeon to Deokyang-hyeon at that young age, but I remember that you were good to me, brother."
"In my estimation, the kidnappers may have been pursued by the government troops or the Tang family of Sichuan while they were moving to Chengdu. At that time, Sichuan was suffering from a famine and a drought, so there were countless people who starved to death, and it was a time when orphans who had lost their parents were common. So, various crimes such as kidnapping and human trafficking were rampant, and it was a time when the government and the Tang family, the hegemon of Sichuan, were jointly arresting the human trafficking gangs. In that chaos, you, So-ah, were lucky enough to escape."
At Jin Won-tak's words, So-ah nodded his head and then, as if he had made up his mind, moved his lips.
"Brother. How have you lived all this time? How on earth did you live such an arduous and rugged life... to overcome such difficult adversity and become the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the imperial palace today?"
Suddenly, a curiosity surged.
Because becoming the head of the Embroidered Uniform Guard of the imperial court as an orphan was a success story that was comparable to that of the great hero Yi Kun-hee, who had started as a peddler with his bare hands and had become one of the three great chaebols of the Central Plains today.
"There was no secret method or anything, So-ah. But after losing you, I resolved to myself and devoted myself to my studies and martial arts without resting for a single day. This may seem easy at a glance, but in fact, to make a steady effort is the hardest thing in the world. I have lived like that."
In a word, he had just worked hard.
But to So-ah, Jin Won-tak's simple one sentence was more touching than any splendid eloquence.
To make the best effort.
That was in line with So-ah's philosophy of life, and since So-ah was also a person who keenly felt the true value of the word 'effort' more than anyone else.
Just then.
"So-ah. Compared to you, I am really a drop in the bucket. How on earth did you achieve such great success at that young age?"
Jin Won-tak asked So-ah, clicking his tongue.
As he said, So-ah's rise to fame was a more unbelievable shock than Jin Won-tak's success story, and was almost close to a ghost story.
An orphan who had lost his parents and had wandered around without a fixed place had become a young master who wielded the greatest influence in the current martial world.
It would have been a relief just not to have died, but since he had created such a legendary life, So-ah's life was also worthy of being called a legend that would be recorded in history.
"Great success... I don't know if I have achieved great success. To discuss the first half of my life, I think I have to talk about that person first."
"That person?"
"My grandfather."
"..."
"My grandfather who took me in when I was nine years old. The God of War, Moyong Cheon."
As he said that, So-ah's gaze, filled with a distant look, reached the empty air.
(End of Chapter)