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chapter 57
Dan-yeop read poetry until the sky outside brightened.
When he heard movement in the yard, he went outside to wash up.
Maids and workers passing by glanced at his face curiously.
Right after he entered his room, the gatekeeper from the previous night called him from the yard.
“Master Dan.”
Dan-yeop went outside and met the gatekeeper’s gaze.
“The master elder requests your presence for breakfast.”
“Ah, yes.”
Dan-yeop followed the gatekeeper into the main house.
Inner Hall
Inside the main hall were Scholar Gwak and his wife, a middle-aged couple, and a boy in his mid-teens.
As Dan-yeop entered, all eyes turned toward him.
He quickly brought his hands together and bowed to Scholar Gwak.
“Scholar Gwak, thank you for inviting me to this meal.”
“Ha ha ha! Master Dan, welcome. Sit in the empty seat over there.”
“Yes.”
Dan-yeop sat opposite the boy.
Before anyone could speak, Scholar Gwak addressed him first.
“You requested to stay a night on your way home after taking the civil service examination. I suppose you are a senior to Jeong-an here. Master Dan, may I ask your age?”
“I am eighteen this year.”
“Ah, so Jeong-an is like your junior. Jeong-an, as this is your senior, if you have questions in your studies, you should ask him.”
“Yes, grandfather.”
Jeong-an replied politely, and a satisfied smile appeared on Scholar Gwak’s face.
Dan-yeop glanced at Jeong-an.
With his fair skin and bright expression, he seemed to be very much loved at home.
At that moment, Jeong-an’s father, Gwak I-do, asked with curiosity.
“Then, Master Dan, did you remain in Chang’an after the examination?”
“I became absorbed in poetry. As the saying goes, a carefree person doesn’t notice a rotting handle—time passed until my money ran out.”
He referred to seeing scholars in Chang’an completely absorbed in composing poetry.
As expected!
Scholar Gwak’s family laughed heartily without suspicion. They knew well how the young masters in Chang’an devoted themselves entirely to poetry.
After a while, Jin Eun-seol suddenly spoke.
“Master Dan, if you have a memorable poem, please recite one for me.”
She had always possessed exceptional talent in poetry and literature.
Even Scholar Gwak remarked that if she had been born a man, she would have surely passed the civil service exams.
Her excitement at the topic of poetry was clear.
Dan-yeop’s gaze fell on Jin Eun-seol.
In an instant, his expression froze.
It’s her.
The woman who had once threatened his life would undoubtedly act this way as she grew older.
He realized the old woman’s words were true: the little lady who had tried to kill him was none other than Jin Eun-seol.
Memories of the old woman flashed through his mind:
—Oh, how frightening. Don’t talk about such terrible things. That shouldn’t happen. Even our lady tried to kill her own child. Do you know how anxious I was, fearing the child would die?
—She went to Gwangbulsa Temple and suffered something awful there. Then, suddenly gave birth to a child.
—How can it be so similar? The mark on our child’s neck is the same.
—Yes, that’s right. The following year, she married. I followed her to Scholar Gwak’s house at that time.
Dan-yeop’s vacant expression prompted Scholar Gwak to speak.
“Master Dan, why the deep thoughts? My daughter-in-law wants to hear poetry. Surely you’re not speechless because you can’t recall one?”
“Of course not. A poem comes to mind. It is called Baekgol Nanmang (Unforgettable White Bones). Shall I recite it?”
“Go ahead.”
Dan-yeop composed the poem on the spot.
“A parent’s grace is heavier than mountains [父恩重於山],
Touched by their loving hand, one chokes with emotion [慈手感咽深].
Gratitude is engraved in the bones [恩銘骨中刻],
Resentment lingers on the skin [怨留膚上痕].”
“Interesting, indeed. Is this the sentiment of the younger generation these days? Eun-seol, what do you think?”
Startled by her father-in-law’s question, Jin Eun-seol replied,
“It seems realistic, expressing gratitude to one’s parents while leaving a little room for resentment.”
“Exactly! The younger generation these days is really bold. Still, engraving gratitude in your bones shows respect. Jeong-an.”
“Yes, grandfather.”
“You don’t completely resent your parents, do you?”
“No. I feel no resentment. My parents raised me devotedly, so I cannot feel otherwise.”
“Ha! Good. Unlike most youths today, you remain upright. Don’t be cynical just because you’re young. Keep walking the right path as you are now.”
“Yes.”
Jin Eun-seol ate without noticing whether food went into her mouth or nose.
Though the poem expressed the inescapable gratitude to parents…
The lines “Touched by their loving hand, one chokes with emotion” and “Resentment lingers on the skin” pricked at her mind like thorns.
She unintentionally looked at Dan-yeop.
Though his face was unfamiliar, it seemed oddly familiar.
Have I seen him before?
Perhaps during outings when her son was around four, she might have glimpsed him.
Unsatisfied with the poem, Scholar Gwak did not pursue the topic further.
After the meal, while drinking tea, Scholar Gwak finally spoke to Dan-yeop.
“Master Dan, Baekgol Nanmang seems to have left quite an impression on you?”
“I didn’t try, but I seem to have memorized it nonetheless.”
“Indeed. And what do your parents do in your hometown?”
“My mother is not alive. My adoptive father teaches martial arts.”
“Adoptive father? Were you sent to a relative’s house to continue the family line?”
“No, I am an orphan. When I was wandering in the market, my adoptive father took me in.”
“Ah! I see. So…”
Scholar Gwak hesitated, then nodded.
Being an orphan, it was natural he would harbor both longing and resentment toward his parents.
Jin Eun-seol, anxious, asked Dan-yeop,
“Did your parents die from illness?”
“It was too early for me to remember anything. My adoptive father taking me in is the only memory I have.”
“Then, may I ask where your hometown is?”
“My adoptive father took me in in Nakan County. So I assume that must be my hometown.”
Jin Eun-seol’s face went pale.
Looking intently at Dan-yeop, she cautiously asked,
“At what age did you meet your adoptive father?”
“At four.”
She gasped and slumped into her chair.
“Mother!”
“Wife!”
Gwak I-do and Jeong-an supported Jin Eun-seol back into the inner hall.
Scholar Gwak glared at Dan-yeop.
“So it wasn’t mere coincidence you came to my house last night.”
Dan-yeop felt as if Scholar Gwak knew Jin Eun-seol’s past.
“I came to confirm. It seems my assumption was correct.”
“To confirm?”
“I met the senile old lady at the inn. She said Mrs. Jin was cared for at the Jin family estate…”
“Stop there.”
“You knew?”
“Mrs. Jin and I studied together under Master Jin of the Jin household. My son insisted Eun-seol was the only choice, so I had no choice but to approve.”
“I see.”
“What do you want? Surely you crossed my threshold for a reason. Money?”
“If it were money, I earn as much as anyone else.”
“Then why stir trouble for Eun-seol, who seems well-off?”
“Indeed, Mrs. Jin appears to be living comfortably. But I am not.”
“Hmph! So you want compensation in the end?”
“Are you implying you want to resolve this with money?”
“Stop beating around the bush. Say what you want.”
“Nothing specific. I just want to know who my parents are and why they abandoned me.”
Dan-yeop’s firm words drew a long sigh from Scholar Gwak.
“Ha! I understand your plight, but we could do nothing at the time.”
Dan-yeop stared silently at Scholar Gwak.
Couldn’t that explanation be enough when seeing the scar on his neck?
Yet, he did not mention that Mrs. Jin once tried to kill him.
That would make his life unbearably tragic.
“What happened at Gwangbulsa Temple?”
After pondering for a while out of concern for family honor, Scholar Gwak replied,
“Gwangbulsa Temple is where Master Jin of the Jin household offered prayers with his family. One day, after a long conversation with the head monk, Eun-seol was harmed by a woodcutter who frequented the temple. The woodcutter disappeared that day.”
“What was the woodcutter’s name?”
“I heard he was surnamed Seok.”
“Seok…”
“Though that is uncertain. The head monk investigated nearby villages and found he was a drifter.”
Dan-yeop was stunned.
He never imagined his birth held such sordid secrets.
At that moment, Gwak I-do and Jin Eun-seol returned to the inner hall, sitting opposite Dan-yeop.
After a while, Jin Eun-seol spoke.
“Master Dan, I cannot offer enough apologies. The past is entirely my fault. I should never have done what I did.”
Tears fell from her eyes.
It was sincere.
Having lost her first child at the Jin estate, she gave birth to Jeong-an at the Gwak household.
Pouring love into Jeong-an, she was haunted by guilt for mistreating her first child.
Even so, time healed her, and just as she had nearly forgotten, her first child had grown and returned.
Dan-yeop said nothing.
When his silence prolonged, she continued,
“Master Dan, please forgive me. Though it may sound like an excuse, I was not in my right mind then. Ughhh!”
Overcome with emotion, she wept uncontrollably.
Dan-yeop finally spoke.
“Mrs. Jin, I appreciate you saying that even now. But that does not mean I forgive you.”
Honestly, Dan-yeop had no memory of her.
That was a matter for the naive Dan-yeop of the past.
Having nothing more to say, he slowly stood and left.
Unable to bear her silent sobbing, Gwak I-do interjected.
“It’s thanks enough that she apologized, yet you refuse forgiveness! How can anyone say such cruel things?”
“Do you know what Mrs. Jin did to me?”
“No. But she wasn’t in her right mind! If everyone only defended their own stance, what would become of the world? You must also consider the other’s perspective.”
“Are you forcing the victim to understand the perpetrator’s situation?”
“Before victim and perpetrator, aren’t they parent and child? They’re family, not strangers.”
Gwak I-do’s reproach prompted Dan-yeop to suddenly burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha! You truly are a fitting husband for Mrs. Jin. Should I call this ‘birds of a feather’ or ‘husband and wife in harmony’? Anyway, I have nothing more to say. Farewell.”
Having said this, Dan-yeop left without looking back.
