Chapter 11
Inadvertently (2)
“My sincere apologies. It would have been better if I hadn’t brought Mumu along.”
Shortly after leaving the residence of the Minister of Punishments, Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang apologized.
He felt as if all of this was his fault.
To this, Yu Yeop-gyeong shook his head.
“No. If you start assigning blame like that, isn’t the root cause my first son graduating in second place from that place, the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy?”
Yu Yeop-gyeong always thought this way.
That what was bound to happen would happen.
If there was no way to turn back what had already occurred, the best thing to do was not to dwell on it.
Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang, feeling awkward with guilt, spoke cautiously.
“Still, Your Excellency said he would support the tuition for Elder Yu Hak-jeong’s second son and Mumu, so that doesn’t seem like a bad deal.”
“That may be so, but I wonder if that fellow Mumu will be alright.”
He was worried.
This was a child who had lived with only him in the place of exile.
Although what happened at the Minister of Punishments’ residence was due to that family’s thoughtless son, he was concerned about whether Mumu, who had little interaction with others, would be able to adapt there.
“Don’t worry too much. Isn’t Mumu a more simple and kind child than anyone?”
“He is kind, but that fellow has his stubborn side too.”
This incident had convinced him.
That fellow Mumu was definitely training in secret without his knowledge.
When he looked at the boy, Mumu turned his head and whistled.
‘……This bastard.’
Now that he was a bit older, he was even becoming sly.
As Yu Yeop-gyeong was about to get slightly annoyed, Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang spoke.
“Truthfully, though this happened unintentionally for Mumu, I don’t think it’s a bad thing for that child to enter the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.”
“Why is that?”
“Isn’t Mumu seventeen now? Soon he will reach the age of twenty, and he can’t grow up in Elder Yu Hak-jeong’s bosom forever.”
At his words, Mumu pouted and grumbled.
“I’m fine with living with Father forever.”
“Goodness, this fellow.”
He really seemed to like his adoptive father very much.
Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang then stroked Mumu’s head and said,
“I see the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy as a good opportunity for Mumu as well. He can make up for not being able to hang out with his peers and also learn social skills.”
“Hmm.”
It was all true.
To fill what was lacking, one had no choice but to approach that lacking aspect.
In that sense, an academy or school was a good opportunity for Mumu to fill that gap.
However—
“But isn’t that Changcheon Martial Arts Academy an educational institution for martial artists?”
“What’s wrong with that?”
“What do you mean, what’s wrong? That child has never learned martial arts—no, that thing called mu-gong—so how can he enter such a place?”
At Yu Yeop-gyeong’s words, Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang frowned, then looked at Mumu and said,
“If it were a little while ago, I would have thought so too. But seeing Mumu face Your Excellency, the Minister of Punishments’ bodyguard today, if that child isn’t qualified to enter the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy, then who could possibly enter?”
“No, that’s…”
“It seems Your Excellency, the Minister of Punishments, also highly regarded that point in Mumu.”
“Hah.”
At those words, Yu Yeop-gyeong massaged his forehead as if his head was throbbing.
No, he was wearing the artifacts the Old Immortal from his dream had given him on both his arms and ankles to keep him from getting stronger, so why was he becoming stronger and stronger?
Was he really born with a body naturally gifted with martial talent?
But the Old Immortal had told him to raise the child to grow up ordinarily.
‘I don’t know what the right thing to do is. In that case, it would be better to send him to a general school… Ah…’
He thought it would be better for him to attend a general school, but on second thought, even if he was pardoned, his eligibility to take the civil service exam would not be restored.
‘A mistake.’
He should not have said Mumu was his adopted son.
If he hadn’t, he could have sent him to a general school.
But once he was listed on the family register, even as an adopted son, the only path to rising to fame and glory was the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
‘Rising to fame and glory… No. I don’t want Mumu to be tied down by such shackles.’
Yu Yeop-gyeong shook his head from side to side.
It wasn’t because Mumu was an adopted son, but because he had raised this child by his side for so long, he wanted this child, at least, to live freely, released from all shackles.
“Son.”
“Yes.”
“You live as you wish. If you don’t want to go to that place called Changcheon Martial Arts Academy, you don’t have to.”
“I’m going to go.”
“If you’re just saying that for your father’s sake….”
“I heard earlier that at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy, they teach you how to train your body. In that case, I want to try attending.”
“…….Are you serious?”
“Yes. Like that ahjussi said, I am curious about other kids my age.”
At Mumu’s words, Yu Yeop-gyeong wore a pitiful expression.
Right.
If that was the reason, he could send him.
If he too were to grow old someday and return to a handful of dust, someone had to be by that child’s side.
In the end, as if he had lost, Yu Yeop-gyeong accepted this reality.
Then Mumu spoke to him.
“When we get home, what do I call Father’s family members?”
“Huh?”
The topic of conversation suddenly changed.
Frowning at Mumu’s words, Yu Yeop-gyeong said,
“What do you mean, what do you call them? Just call Mother ‘Mother’ and your older brother ‘Hyung.’ Ah… Jin-hyeok is a bit ambiguous. Since you’re both the same age, you can just be friends.”
Yu Yeop-gyeong was quick to reach a conclusion.
To this, Mumu let out a soft breath and said,
“I read in a book that illegitimate or adopted sons are hated by their stepmothers and not treated as siblings by their brothers, so I shouldn’t expect much family affection.”
“………”
For a moment, Yu Yeop-gyeong was at a loss for words.
Where on earth was there a book with such content?
As he stood there dumbfounded, Vice-Commissioner O Ji-gang avoided his gaze and feigned ignorance.
‘……It’s you.’
He caught the culprit instantly.
Giving a child such a strange book—his head was starting to hurt again.
He had told him that since Mumu was so bored in the place of exile, a gentleman should experience books without being picky, and it seemed O Ji-gang had given him all sorts of bizarre miscellaneous novels.
‘Hmm.’
But on the other hand, it was true that he was getting anxious.
Would his wife and sons really treat Mumu well without any prejudice?
—
At Yu Yeop-gyeong’s main family house in Kaifeng—
The few retainers there were moving busily, preparing a welcome party.
Delicious smells stimulating the nose spread throughout the area.
In the courtyard, a wise-looking middle-aged woman directed the preparations.
She was Yu Yeop-gyeong’s wife, Jang Yeon-hye.
She could not hide her joy at her husband’s return after a long seventeen years.
Wanting to nourish her husband’s body after his hardship, she had a brood hen caught and beef freshly butchered.
“Come now. The master of the house will be here soon, so let’s all hurry a little more.”
“Yes, Madam.”
There was a boy watching this busy scene.
He looked so much like Yu Yeop-gyeong that one might think this was how Yu Yeop-gyeong would look if he became young again.
He was Yu Yeop-gyeong’s second child, Yu Jin-hyeok.
‘Mother…’
It had been a long time since he had seen his mother like this.
The first time was when his brother achieved second place at the Changcheon Martial Arts Academy.
The second time was when his brother became a Censor Inspector and cleared their father’s name.
And this was the third time.
Seeing her endless smile didn’t make him feel bad.
But that was all.
‘I’m not particularly happy.’
He was told that the man called his father had left for exile when he was just born.
So he didn’t even know his face.
He doubted whether he would even think of the man as his father upon seeing someone whose face he couldn’t remember.
‘How will I feel when I meet him?’
On the other hand, he was curious.
Before his brother became famous, he had resented the man called Father.
He had cursed him every night, wondering what he had done to be exiled and burden his family with the stigma of being a criminal’s household.
Of course, that was when he was very young.
Now that his brother had cleared their name, he was trying to understand him, at least a little.
[Your father is a truly wonderful person.]
[You’ll come to like your father too when you see him.]
Both his mother and brother said so.
But they never explained what exactly was so good about him.
‘Was he such a gentle husband that he raised an abandoned child in his place of exile, and such a wonderful father that he was exiled despite being innocent?’
No matter how he thought about it, he was a person full of flaws.
Just then, Madam Jang approached him.
“Jin-hyeok.”
“Mother.”
“Why are you making that face again?”
Madam Jang could read her son’s thoughts and emotions just by looking at his expression.
To her, Yu Jin-hyeok spoke in a tone of incomprehension.
“I don’t know whether I should be happy or not.”
“There you go again. No matter what anyone says, he is your father.”
“……Yes. That’s right.”
‘It’s not very convincing to be told that a man whose face I can’t even remember is my father.’
He couldn’t bring himself to say the rest aloud.
But Madam Jang could already guess what he meant from his tone.
Madam Jang hugged her son and said,
“You’ll soon come to like him once you see your father. So don’t think about things so complicatedly.”
“That’s that, but what about the adopted son?”
“Huh?”
When the adopted son was mentioned, Madam Jang’s expression became subtle.
She too had felt unsettled when she heard the news that her husband, Yu Yeop-gyeong, had taken in an abandoned child and made him his adopted son.
What wife wouldn’t find it strange that a man in exile suddenly started raising a child?
At first, all sorts of thoughts crossed her mind.
‘Could it be that he had an affair?’
All kinds of suspicions arose.
But that didn’t last long.
She didn’t know about other things, but her husband, Yu Yeop-gyeong, was not the type of man to have a wandering eye.
She figured he must have taken in the child out of compassion.
“We have to treat him well. If your father took him in, he is now this mother’s son and your brother.”
“Hoo.”
At his mother’s words, Yu Jin-hyeok let out a sigh.
As expected, his mother always became soft whenever it came to his father.
Even though she had been strict with both him and his older brother during their upbringing.
“This mother will treat him well. Jin-hyeok, you can do that too, right?”
“……I don’t know. What if that adopted son treats Mother as a stepmother and acts rudely, and sees me as a rival for being the biological son?”
“What? Jin-hyeok. How can you think so negatively about something that hasn’t even happened yet?”
“…….It’s said that adopted or illegitimate children are greedy, so they should be strictly educated from the beginning to avoid being looked down upon. I’m actually afraid that Mother will get her feelings hurt by being too nice to him.”
At her son’s words, Madam Jang was dumbfounded.
“Where on earth did you hear such a thing?”
“It was written in a book.”
‘…….Ah.’
At Yu Jin-hyeok’s words, Madam Jang touched her forehead as if her head was throbbing.
She wondered where he had gotten such a ridiculous book.
It was then—
An old servant who was sweeping near the main gate ran over and shouted.
“Ma-Madam! The master of the house has returned!”
