TM | Chapter 7

At their father’s request to take good care of the youngest, the eldest brother let out a long sigh, lamenting how Yoon Sung had been spoiled to the point of knowing nothing useful.

While his father spoke with his frustrated older brother, Yoon Sung was quietly dismissed from the room. He didn’t say a word and simply retreated to his chamber.

Staring blankly at the bundle of fabric and needle on his moon cabinet, he remained still for a moment before slowly gathering his things. Before he knew it, he was packing a bundle.

Sneaking into the storage room, he grabbed a mal of grain, then made his way to the kitchen. There, he took some leftover rice from breakfast, mixed it with side dishes, and shaped it into rice balls.

Wrapping them tightly in cloth, he carried them back to his room, stuffing them into his bundle before slinging it over his back. Then, without a moment’s hesitation, he slipped out the front gate, making sure no one saw him.

A servant stopped him, asking where he was headed. In response, Yoon Sung lifted his index finger and pressed it to his lips. Stay quiet.

After issuing his silent command, he hurried off.

Once he left the village behind, he followed a narrow path, heading toward the mountains. Only when he reached the foothills did he finally feel a sense of relief.

If his second brother caught him raiding the storage again, this time, he wouldn’t just get nagged—he might actually be ordered to weed the entire back field.

While his second brother was generous with tenant farmers and servants, he particularly hated it when Yoon Sung shared their supplies with vagrants.

No, actually… he had only grown to hate it because Yoon Sung had done it so many times.

Oh well, if I get caught, I’ll just listen to the nagging. It’s not like it’s the first time. If he orders me to do something, I’ll just do it…

With a resigned sigh, he walked at a leisurely pace, admiring the flowers along the way. Yesterday, the spring blossoms had looked so beautiful, yet today, they felt dull and unremarkable. The birdsong, which had once seemed cheerful, now felt noisy and grating.

But over time, even that sound faded from his awareness.

Climbing the mountain for the second day in a row was exhausting, and carrying the bundle made his legs feel unbearably heavy. He trudged forward, determined, until he reached the mountainside.

But no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t find the hut where he had seen the children the day before.

I could’ve sworn there was a small path to the left… or was it to the right?

Sweat dripped from his forehead, hanging from the tip of his chin. He searched and searched, but the place where the children had been was nowhere to be found.

Following the stream, he walked along its banks, thinking it might lead him there, but instead, he ended up on an entirely different mountain path.

“Ugh…”

Letting out a long sigh, Yoon Sung leaned against a large tree.

All he had wanted to do was bring some food and fabric for the little girl with the short sleeves—just that much. And yet, even something this simple wasn’t going his way.

I really am hopeless.

His legs ached too much to keep walking, so he crouched down and exhaled deeply. Images of the raggedly dressed children kept floating before his eyes.

Even if it takes all day, I’ll keep looking.

With newfound resolve, he stood back up and started walking again.

After a while, he finally spotted a small boy by the stream, repeatedly pounding something with a rock.

“Hey, kid!”

His voice rang out with relief as he hurried over. When the boy saw him, he broke into a bright smile.

Seeing the child bow in greeting, Yoon Sung was so happy that he abandoned all pretense of noble dignity and nearly ran over to him.

“What are you doing?”

He ruffled the boy’s small head, then looked down at what he was crushing. The child had a crudely made fish trap beside him, and inside, he was mashing up something to use as bait. The mixture was already unrecognizable, a messy blend of insects and tiny fish, all mashed together into a pulpy mass.

“Trying to catch fish?”

“Yes, my Lord”

The boy’s small, polite response was so endearing that Yoon Sung patted his back in encouragement.

“Where’s your sister? I don’t see her.”

“She went to the market to sell a rabbit and a snake.”

“A rabbit and a snake?”

“A seonin gave them to us last night.”

At the mention of a seonin, Yoon Sung paused, his fingers twitching as he loosened the bundle from his back.

A seonin^[1]…

The moment he heard the word, Lee Seol’s face flashed through his mind. But the thought of him coming all the way here seemed too ridiculous to believe, so he quickly shook his head.

“Have you eaten?”

“No.”

The boy clenched his little fists and stared up at him with big, dark eyes. Something inside Yoon Sung twisted.

It’s already past noon. How hungry must he be?

Thinking about how the child must have spent the day starving, he quickly pulled out the rice balls from his bundle. The boy’s eyes widened as he alternated between staring at the food and Yoon Sung. But instead of reaching for it, he only blinked in disbelief.

Yoon Sung picked one up and held it out.

“Go on, eat. I brought plenty, so don’t worry about your sister.”

“Th-Thank you.”

The boy carefully accepted the rice ball with his small hands. Then, as if his hesitation had never existed, he clutched it tightly with both hands and started devouring it in a rush.

“Slow down, you’ll choke.”

Yoon Sung gently stroked the boy’s small back. He hadn’t even checked the seasoning when he hastily prepared them, but judging from how the boy’s expression lit up as if he were tasting honey, it must have been delicious. He even stomped his little feet in delight.

“Sit here and eat slowly.”

He guided the child to a large rock and let him settle down before taking a closer look at him. Yoon Sung ran his fingers through the boy’s tangled, matted hair, gently smoothing it out.

After tidying him up a bit, he observed him more closely. The boy had delicate features beneath the dirt—a surprisingly refined appearance.

His cheeks puffed out as he chewed, stuffing his mouth full of rice. His clothes, however, were so worn and stained that it was impossible to tell what color they had originally been. His pants were torn at the knees, exposing his bare skin.

“What’s your name? I’m Yoon Sung.”

Bending down to meet the boy’s eye level, Yoon Sung didn’t care that the hem of his silk robe brushed against the dirt. His attention was entirely on the child’s tiny mouth as it opened to answer.

“I’m Cheondung, and my sister is Kkotnim^[2].”

“Cheondung! Wow, that’s such a strong name. Just hearing it makes you sound brave.”

Hearing the praise, the boy beamed, his mouth still full as he happily chewed his rice ball.

“What about your parents?”

“…”

Cheondung kept chewing, but his gaze dropped to the ground.

“Father went to forced labor and never came back. Mother… she cried a lot, and then she never woke up.”

“…Huh?”

“She cried a lot. And then the next day, she just didn’t wake up.”

Yoon Sung felt his throat tighten.

She had cried herself to death. How deep must her grief and exhaustion have been for that to happen?

Cheondung pursed his lips, his eyes welling up before he abruptly widened them, blinking furiously to stop the tears from falling. Seeing the child trying so hard to hold it in, Yoon Sung reached out and gently patted his back.

“…I’m sorry. It’s okay to cry.”

“Father said men shouldn’t cry.”

At the boy’s firm response, Yoon Sung let out a dry chuckle. He himself cried over everything, and yet this little boy was struggling to hold back his emotions like an adult.

“It’s okay for kids to cry. How old are you?”

“I’m eight. My sister is twelve.”

The answer stunned Yoon Sung. His lips pressed together tightly.

I thought he was around five…

Hearing that they were older than he expected made his heart ache. They must have been severely underfed to be this small.

Cheondung quickly finished his first rice ball. When Yoon Sung handed him another, the boy finally relaxed. Now that his stomach wasn’t empty, he ate at a slower pace and began chatting.

“My sister was born unable to speak. Mother was really upset about it. But I don’t care that my sister can’t talk. I love her more than anything in the world.”

Cheondung kept repeating how much he loved his sister. She was probably the only family he had to rely on.

The absolute faith in his eyes when he spoke of her was touching, but at the same time, Yoon Sung felt a bitter pang in his chest—Cheondung was in such a dire situation that he couldn’t survive without her.

After finishing their rice balls, they set up the fish trap in the stream and waited for Kkotnim to return.

After resting for a bit, Cheondung got up and began gathering dry branches for firewood with his small frame. Seeing this, Yoon Sung moved alongside him, picking up sticks as well.

They had been collecting firewood for quite some time when a white egret flapped its wings down at the base of the mountain. At first, it was just a tiny dot in the distance, but as it drew closer, the figure took on the shape of a person.

A man in pale-colored robes was walking up the path, leading a young girl ahead of him.

“…Sung-ah~!”

When Yoon Sung saw Lee Seol waving at him, his mind went blank.

Why is he here?

Lee Seol practically glided up the hill, his sleeves fluttering like wings as he effortlessly approached. He reached Yoon Sung in an instant, beaming like a bright spring morning.

Beside him, Cheondung’s eyes were as wide as saucers, his mouth hanging open as he kept mumbling, “Seonin… Seonin…” in awe.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

“What do you mean? You were worried about these kids yesterday, weren’t you? I dropped by before nightfall to check on them and figured I’d come again today.”

Trailing behind, Kkotnim stepped forward and pressed her hands together in greeting when she saw Yoon Sung. Though her hair was still wild like yesterday, she now wore a brand-new plain cotton outfit, making her look much tidier. Even the small bundle on her shoulder was new.

“I bought her a set of clothes. And I got one for Cheondung too.”

Lee Seol smiled warmly at Cheondung, who immediately dropped to the ground in a deep bow. Kkotnim pulled her little brother into a hug before untying the bundle on her shoulder.

She unfolded the fresh set of clothes, showing them off, and both siblings gaped in astonishment, their faces lighting up with joy. Their bright, twinkling eyes made Yoon Sung smile without even realizing it.

Seeing his reaction, Lee Seol grinned.

“The snake I caught yesterday was still alive, so they got a good price for it.”

He gestured for Kkotnim to show them, and the girl obediently pulled out a small pouch from her chest and opened it, revealing a handful of coins.

Yoon Sung’s entire body stiffened as a chill ran down his arms. His gaze snapped toward Lee Seol, his voice rising in alarm.

“You let a kid sell a snake on her own?!”

“No, of course not. I put the snake in a sack and left it between some rocks so they wouldn’t have to carry it around. This morning, I told Kkotnim I’d take her to the market, but when I went to find her, she was already waiting for me at the foot of the mountain.”

Lee Seol rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile, lowering his voice slightly.