Chapter 9

Back at the Estate of Deep Mists, the child accepted Cho Yoon’s suggestion more readily than anticipated. Whatever decision he had made internally, the somber mood that had clung to him seemed to have eased. Unlike the fear that had driven him to bury himself in martial arts, he showed no impatience and appeared to trust Cho Yoon without reservation.

If things keep going exactly like this, I can definitely raise Cheon-oh well.

Cho Yoon truly allowed himself to hope.

Of course, it took only a few days for that hope to be utterly shattered by a completely unimaginable, yet in hindsight entirely predictable, reality.

***

Watching the three children run around and play near the Estate of Deep Mists, Cho Yoon smiled warmly… on the inside.

The reason it was strictly on the inside was simple.

A few days ago, he had found a polished bronze mirror. Seeing his reflection for the first time, he realized the original Cho Yoon absolutely never smiled.

As a rule, the best expression to wear around young children was a smile. A bright, consistently positive face was the foundational virtue of any elementary school teacher. However, whether by some bizarre twist of fate or anatomy, Cho Yoon’s face simply refused to smile, no matter how hard Hayoon tried.

He couldn’t even force an awkward grimace.

Half-convinced the man had once ingested some poisonous herb that caused facial paralysis, Hayoon sifted through the sporadically surfacing memories of his predecessor. The answer came with ridiculous simplicity.

Cho Yoon was a man who had literally never smiled once since the day he was born.

Just like his impossibly antiquated, stuffy speech patterns, it seemed this was another inescapable side effect of inhabiting Cho Yoon’s body. Having exhausted every possible attempt, Jeong Hayoon had essentially given up and decided to accept his new body’s absurd, modern-science-defying “martial arts novel specs.”

Still, I could have sworn I was smiling at the kids this whole time…

Even though it left a bitter taste in his mouth, there was nothing he could do.

If my face is stuck completely expressionless, I just have to make my actions that much warmer to compensate.

Reaffirming his resolve, Cho Yoon rolled the medicinal millstone, grinding the dried herbs into an even finer powder. To craft the pills, the herbs had to be pulverized until they were practically dust.

“If you can’t even climb up here, how do you expect to play with us? The weakling can stay on the ground!” Sa-yeong taunted from above.

“N-Noona… maybe we should just go down,” Sa-hyeon mumbled.

“Senior Sister, you are being incredibly unfair!” Cheon-oh protested.

At some point, Sa-yeong and Sa-hyeon had shinnied up a tree like a pair of squirrels and were now teasing Cheon-oh, who was stranded below. To be precise, Sa-yeong was treating Cheon-oh’s ostracization like a game, while Sa-hyeon hovered anxiously, clearly unsure what to do.

Based on his observations over the past few days, the siblings were exceptionally energetic, lively children. Sa-hyeon, the younger brother, was timid and easily swayed, but he possessed a gentle, deeply considerate nature. In contrast, his older sister was as sharp and sensitive as her brother was soft.

Seeing how fiercely she cherished and protected Sa-hyeon, treating him as though he were worth his weight in gold, Hayoon knew she wasn’t inherently cruel. However, she was exceptionally wary of Cheon-oh, the sudden interloper who seemed to be monopolizing their master’s attention.

She was fine when we were just treating his wounds. Did the hostility start the moment he shifted from patient to member of the household?

Having had only each other since birth, it was natural that the siblings couldn’t suddenly be warm and welcoming to a brand-new junior disciple. Even when they were getting along and playing nicely, they teased Cheon-oh often enough that it became a pattern. Whenever it seemed like things were about to escalate, Cho Yoon, who always kept an ear out, would step in to mediate.

It was repetitive. It was exhausting.

Putting out immediate fires wouldn’t solve the underlying problem. He needed to take proper measures soon. And seeing how Sa-yeong was now deliberately putting the boy on the spot even in front of Cho Yoon, the situation was clearly worsening.

I’ll just finish grinding this batch and then put a stop to it.

Cho Yoon kept rolling the millstone, diligent and steady.

Just then, Cheon-oh, who had been glaring up at the siblings with a sullen expression, abruptly spun around.

Is he done playing? Did he get his feelings hurt?

Cho Yoon only shifted his gaze, watching the boy march purposefully toward the fence.

If he comes over here, I should comfort him.

However, Cheon-oh’s next action completely shattered Cho Yoon’s expectations.

Marching over to the wood-chopping block, Cheon-oh hoisted the heavy axe. He kicked the log wedged on the blade free, then dragged the massive iron head across the dirt as he headed straight back toward the tree where Sa-yeong and Sa-hyeon were perched.

Unable to process what he was seeing, Cho Yoon could only stare.

Mustering strength far beyond any typical seven-year-old, Cheon-oh gripped the axe with both hands and slammed it into the trunk. The tree shuddered violently, branches thrashing as if in protest. The siblings, terrified, clung desperately to the limbs and screamed.

“Hey! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Uwaaah!”

It was impossible for a child to fell a tree that size, but the shock of each blow clearly traveled up the trunk. By the time Cheon-oh swung the axe twice more and the children’s screams reached a fever pitch, Cho Yoon finally snapped to his senses and rushed over.

“Seomun Cheon-oh, stop!”

Cheon-oh immediately halted, lowering the axe head to the ground. He looked up at Cho Yoon with genuine, innocent confusion.

“Sa-yeong. Sa-hyeon. Come down.”

Looking up into the branches, Cho Yoon spread his arms.

With faces crumpled in tears, the two children scrambled down one by one into his embrace. He caught them and set them safely on the ground, but the moment their feet touched dirt, they burst into loud, wailing sobs.

As he soothed them with gentle pats, Cho Yoon flicked a glance at Cheon-oh. The boy still wore an expression of complete incomprehension, as if he truly couldn’t understand what the problem was, or why his senior siblings were crying.

“Cheon-oh, stay right here.”

Wait. Hold on. I need to calm the crying kids first.

Leaving Cheon-oh behind, Cho Yoon swiftly turned toward the Estate of Deep Mists with the siblings in tow. Only one thought echoed deafeningly in his mind. Much like the wailing children clinging to both his hands, he felt like he was going to cry himself.

This is a massive disaster.

Seomun Cheon-oh was completely under-socialized.

***

By the time Cho Yoon finally managed to soothe Sa-yeong and Sa-hyeon and step back outside, roughly two hours had passed.

Trying to mend the siblings’ fractured hearts while also ensuring they didn’t develop a permanent grudge against Cheon-oh had drained every ounce of his energy. The sun that had been glaring brightly not long ago was already painting the sky a deep crimson. Mountain days were notoriously short.

Cheon-oh was still standing rigidly in the exact spot Cho Yoon had told him to wait, fidgeting nervously with his hands. Realizing he had accidentally left the boy standing alone for two full hours in the middle of the mountain, Cho Yoon gasped in horror and hurried over.

Are you crazy?! When I told you to stay here, I meant wait a second while I put them inside! I didn’t mean you couldn’t go in, or even sit down!

“Cheon-oh, have you been standing this entire time?”

In stark contrast to his internal panic, his voice came out calm and composed. Cheon-oh shrank into himself, bowed his head, and mumbled.

“…I seemed to have offended you.”

“I cannot hear you.”

“I am sorry… for offending your temper.”

The longer the silence stretched, the more frantic the child became. Cho Yoon simply scooped him up into his arms. Entirely unaccustomed to the sudden embrace, the boy went stiff as a board.

If Sa-yeong and Sa-hyeon, whom I barely managed to calm down, see this, they’ll throw another fit.

Glancing back toward the Estate of Deep Mists, Cho Yoon began walking deeper into the mountains.

Channeling his internal energy into every step, the surrounding scenery blurred past as swiftly as the view from a rushing subway window. For a modern South Korean, the chance to dash freely through such pristine, dense nature using only his own body, even while carrying a child, was practically nonexistent.

Despite everything, Cho Yoon felt a thrill of excitement and unconsciously picked up speed.

Then he felt small hands clutching desperately at his lapels.

Worried he was moving too fast and frightening the boy, Cho Yoon looked down, only for Cheon-oh to once again shatter his expectations. Cho Yoon slammed to a halt and checked on him in alarm.

“Why… ahem. Why are you shedding tears? Were you frightened?”

He had been so startled his voice cracked for a moment. The boy’s eyes, which had only been brimming, were now spilling over as he openly sobbed.

“I’m… I’m sorry. This disciple was entirely at fault. I will never do it again, so please forgive me just this once. P-please don’t throw me away!”

“Shh. Stop crying. I have no intention of reprimanding you… Wait, what?”

Throw you away? Who’s throwing who away?!

Stunned, Cho Yoon demanded clarification. Scrubbing at his eyes with both hands, Cheon-oh cried out.

“A-aren’t you taking me deep into the mountains to abandon me?! This disciple was wrong! I swear I will never do it again!”

…Damn this accursed ancient era.

If Cho Yoon had a free hand, he would have palmed his face. Instead, he closed his eyes, centered himself, and calmly explained.

“I am taking you somewhere quiet so I may interrogate your true intentions. If your squirrel-like Senior Sister and Brother overheard us, I feared you might feel self-conscious or ashamed. That is the only reason we are heading somewhere secluded.”

“…Truly?”

“Would I truly abandon a child who has offered me the nine bows of discipleship?”

“…”

“Therefore, stop your tears. This is not the place to shed them, is it?”

Only after long, earnest soothing did the child gradually stop crying, his sobs dwindling into quiet hiccups. Adjusting the boy securely in one arm, Cho Yoon used the sleeve of his free hand to gently wipe the tears from Cheon-oh’s smooth cheeks.

Since we’re almost there, and things turned out this way, I might as well bring it up now.

Slowing his pace considerably, Cho Yoon finally spoke.