Ah! The Namgung Clan Episode 014
014 How Should One Repay a Life Debt? (3)
Namgung Ganghae sat waiting in the rear garden. He thought the patriarch, Namgung Museong, would call for him again once he pulled himself together.
But even after a long time passed, nothing changed.
He must be grieving. Let’s wait a little longer. With that thought, he continued to wait, and before he knew it, the surroundings were growing dark.
Only then did he sense someone approaching. When he turned his head, a boy with a round face and eyes slit straight, as if two horizontal strokes had been drawn, was walking toward him.
To think he had been made to wait half a day—how late. Namgung Ganghae let out a small sigh and rose from his seat. But the boy tried to walk right past him even after seeing him.
“Wait a moment.”
“Huh?”
“Didn’t the Patriarch send you?”
“Nope.”
Namgung Ganghae blinked his eyes in bewilderment. He had been waiting all this time, only to hear no?
“Who are you to ask that?”
“I’m Namgung Ganghae. I came here today.”
“Ah! So it’s you! The one who brought word of Uncle’s death.”
“Huh? Uh.”
“Everyone is incredibly sad to hear the news.”
Namgung Ganghae felt unnecessarily apologetic. Coldly speaking, Namgung Joseok’s death was not his fault. Even so, his heart was heavy.
“But why are you here?”
“The Patriarch told me to wait outside, so I was waiting.”
“Is that so? Then hang in there.”
The boy patted Namgung Ganghae’s shoulder and tried to leave.
“Hold on.”
“What?”
“It got late today, so I’m going to see the Patriarch again tomorrow. Could you tell me where I can spend the night?”
“You can go to the guest room over there.”
“Where is that?”
“Ah, you said today is your first time here, right? Come on. I’ll take you.”
“Thanks.”
“What’s there to thank me for?”
The boy smiled and took the lead.
“How old are you?”
“Twelve.”
“We’re the same age. Ah, I’m Namgung Hwa-in. I was also brought here by Uncle Joseok. I’m a collateral blood relative like you.”
Namgung Ganghae nodded silently.
“Besides us, there’s another one called Namgung Mugi. His personality isn’t good, so be careful.”
“Who else is there?”
“Huh?”
“The people who live here.”
“First, there’s the Patriarch. He has three daughters. The eldest is Sister Icheong, cold as ice; the second is the kind Aran; and the youngest is the troublemaker Sohye. Uncle Joseok, the Patriarch’s blood brother, is dead so he’s excluded, and there’s Uncle Byeongseo, a paternal cousin, but his temper is even worse than Mugi’s, so try not to cross paths with him.”
“Is that all?”
“Why? Is there someone you’re looking for?”
“No.”
“Ah, it’s because the number of people is so small. Well, I too was a bit surprised at first. So few people living in such a big place.”
He knew the Namgung Clan had declined. But he hadn’t realized there were so few people. He had thought there would at least be servants or maids even if they couldn’t afford to hire warriors because wages were high. But to think there wasn’t a single one.
“Here it is. I have to go, so see you later.”
“Yeah.”
Namgung Hwa-in smiled, patted his shoulder, and went on his way. Somehow, it was a gesture that seemed to look down on people. But it didn’t feel bad. Rather, a chuckle escaped him.
When he opened the door and entered, it was quite spacious. In the center was a round table for drinking tea or eating meals, and behind it was a bed. There was a window on the left, allowing a clear view of the garden outside.
Compared to the room he had lived in at Bangga Village, it was incredibly nice. However, it hadn’t been used for a long time and was covered in dust. It was impossible to sleep in it as it was.
No matter how few people there were, it was strange that there wasn’t at least one room kept clean in case a guest arrived. Why had he been brought to such a place?
It was almost as if someone was deliberately playing a prank on him. But Namgung Hwa-in’s tone and actions hadn’t seemed like that. Namgung Ganghae, who had tilted his head for a moment, decided to think positively.
There probably just weren’t any clean rooms.
“Shall I clean?”
He rolled up his sleeves and started cleaning. Wiping the sweat flowing down his forehead and looking out the window, it was the middle of the night. He had thought it would finish quickly, but it unexpectedly took quite a bit of time.
He was hungry, but he was tired and everything felt like a bother. He lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
The next morning, Namgung Ganghae trained in martial arts as always. He could now perform the Namgung Thirteen Forms even with his eyes closed.
However, while he had used a wooden sword until now, he was currently using the real sword his father, Namgung Sanhak, had used, so it was a bit awkward. Then he suddenly remembered when he had stabbed Jang I-sang, one of the Janggang Six Evils. He had experience butchering animals hunted with the help of Bangno, but the sensation of stabbing a person was unfamiliar.
Namgung Ganghae shook his head to dispel the distracting thoughts. Then he sat in meditation and circulated the Daeyeon Divine Art. The qi settled in his dantian was growing gradually, if only by very small amounts.
He tried to practice the Boundless Footwork next, but he was too hungry. Because he hadn’t eaten anything since last night. Come to think of it, it seemed mealtime had passed, but no one had come to call him.
Thinking to search for it himself, he got up and wandered around for a while. Fortunately, he found the dining hall, but breakfast had already ended. Namgung Aran, whom he had seen yesterday, was squatting alone washing dishes.
“Shall I help?”
Namgung Aran checked him and bit her lower lip slightly. Then she pretended not to see him, turned her head, and resumed washing dishes. Being ignored was enough to make anyone feel awful, but Namgung Ganghae sat down beside her to help. And as he picked up a dish, Namgung Aran swatted it away.
“Stop!”
The dish fell to the floor and broke. At the sound, Namgung Aran flinched slightly in surprise. But soon she shouted at Namgung Ganghae as if nothing had happened.
“Go away!”
Namgung Ganghae couldn’t understand why she was being so hostile. Then something suddenly clicked.
“Is it because of Uncle?”
Namgung Aran didn’t answer. But seeing her eyes brimming with tears as she glared fiercely, he thought he understood. She was resenting him. Namgung Ganghae.
“Sorry.”
Namgung Ganghae apologized with a bitter expression and quietly left that place.
Now that he thought about it, Namgung Hwa-in guiding him to that room yesterday had also been deliberate. He too had said he was brought by Namgung Joseok. The Patriarch, Namgung Museong, not calling for him was probably for the same reason.
A sigh escaped him involuntarily. He was hungry, but his mood was so chaotic that he had no appetite.
Turning a corner of the building without thinking, he came upon a wide clearing. There, Namgung Museong was teaching martial arts to four children. The two girls were Namgung Aran’s sisters, Namgung Icheong and Namgung Sohye, and the boys were collateral blood relatives Namgung Mugi and Namgung Hwa-in.
“I greet the Patriarch.”
Namgung Ganghae met Namgung Museong’s eyes and greeted him courteously with proper etiquette. But Namgung Museong pretended not to see him and continued teaching the children martial arts. It was a thorough snub.
After hesitating briefly, Namgung Ganghae went to where weapons were displayed on one side and drew a wooden sword. And he began practicing the Namgung Thirteen Forms on the side.
Namgung Museong glanced at Namgung Ganghae but soon lost interest.
This made it certain. He too resented him. Namgung Ganghae.
It was fine to do the training he had done in the morning again, but he was too hungry. Still, he held on and kept going, and before he knew it, it was lunchtime. Only then did Namgung Museong finish the children’s martial arts training.
“Don’t forget what you learned today.”
With those words, Namgung Museong left without even looking at Namgung Ganghae.
“You.”
He turned to see who was calling, and it was Namgung Mugi. He was tall and manly-looking, but his stiff expression gave an unfavorable impression.
“Yes?”
“Let’s spar.”
To suggest a spar out of nowhere was an uncalled-for action.
“I only know the Namgung Thirteen Forms.”
“It doesn’t matter. I’m doing this because practicing alone is boring.”
Was this just a way to pass the time? Namgung Ganghae felt displeased but pointed his wooden sword as asked. Then Namgung Mugi let his wooden sword hang down and glared fiercely.
“Come.”
“Here I come.”
Namgung Ganghae closed the distance in a breath and swung his wooden sword. Then Namgung Mugi struck back with all his might.
Thud!
“Ugh!”
The hand holding the wooden sword rang with a sharp tingling pain. He had swung lightly for fear of hitting his opponent, so it was only this much; if he had swung with all his might, the rebound would have been so strong that he would have dropped the sword.
Namgung Ganghae corrected his stance and attacked again. Namgung Mugi struck back again this time too. All subsequent attacks were the same. Namgung Mugi leisurely blocked or parried them. Then he suddenly deflected an attack to the side and kicked Namgung Ganghae’s leg.
“Ugh!”
Namgung Ganghae fell over. They were sparring, so he could have stopped there, but Namgung Mugi kept attacking the fallen Namgung Ganghae. Namgung Ganghae had no choice but to roll on the ground to avoid them. But eventually, his arm was hit, and he let out a scream.
“Argh!”
Right then, Namgung Mugi’s wooden sword was pressed against his throat. Looking down with indifferent eyes, he spoke in an emotionless voice.
“You’re weak.”
So what? Namgung Ganghae felt a surge of irritation.
“Clean up after.”
After Namgung Mugi said that and left, Namgung Icheong and Namgung Sohye, who had been watching, followed after him. Even amid that, Namgung Hwa-in explained the work to be done.
“Pick out the stones on the ground, and put the weapons in that storage shed over there.”
Namgung Ganghae sprang up from where he lay. The places where he had been tripped and hit by the wooden sword earlier hurt. But their cold treatment bothered him more than that.
He too regretted that Namgung Joseok had ended up that way. But the atmosphere was such that everyone blamed and resented him. He felt like outright leaving this place, but soon let out a deep sigh.
That would be running away. He felt Namgung Joseok wouldn’t want that.
After finishing the cleanup, he went to the dining hall. Everyone had already eaten lunch and gone off to do their own work; there was no one there. Searching the kitchen, he found some cold rice and dishes remaining.
Namgung Ganghae squatted down and ate it. Having not eaten anything since last night, he had cleaned a room, sparred, and cleaned up the training ground. He wasn’t in a position to be picky.
Not knowing what to do in the afternoon, he continued wandering around the compound. It was to familiarize himself with the terrain in advance. Then he heard a strange sound from an empty rear garden. Looking around, there was a bamboo grove, and the sound came from there. Curious, he went toward it.
Then he saw a small thatched hut, and an old man sitting on a platform in front of it.
“Kihihihihi!”
The old man was dirty, having not washed properly. His clothes were grimy, who knows when he had last changed them. Namgung Hwa-in had not spoken about this old man yesterday.
Who could he be?
“Hello, Elder.”
Namgung Ganghae approached cautiously and greeted him. Then the old man looked carefully at Namgung Ganghae and grinned.
“Hyung.”
“Huh?”
“I’m hungry. Give me food.”
His way of speaking was somehow strange. Namgung Ganghae tilted his head and asked again.
“Haven’t you eaten yet?”
“Hyung has to give me food for me to eat.”
“Then shall I bring you something to eat?”
“Yeah. I’m hungry.”
Only then did he realize. He didn’t know who the old man was, but he wasn’t normal. People say this about someone acting like that at his age.
They say he’s gone senile.