TGRMA 05

Chapter: 05

Some memories never fade with time. Instead, they become even clearer.

Just as liquor develops a deeper flavor as it ages, memories steeped in the passing years create an even deeper longing. People called such things nostalgia.

On the outskirts of the bustling district of Aenghwa Village.

After climbing a long uphill road and then ascending countless stone steps leading into the mountain, Jin Cheong-un finally arrived.

“Haah…”

He let out a long breath, his eyes filling with wistfulness.

Before him stood a wall wrapped in thick vegetation and a gate pavilion. Beyond it were several old, weathered buildings.

Jin Cheong-un slowly walked forward and ran his hand over the cracked gatepost.

Swoosh…

A breeze blew from somewhere.

Was it a dream?

Or an illusion?

The memories of a past he had believed forgotten—memories he had deliberately avoided recalling—returned like fragments of a dream.

“From today onward, this is your home.”

He remembered opening these gates for the very first time while holding his master’s hand.

“You little brats!”

“Damn! We got caught! Run!”

He remembered kicking the gates open and fleeing together with his fellow disciples.

“Cheong-un. Martial arts exist to protect something precious. Power used only to harm others is nothing but violence. Why can’t you understand that?”

Even his master’s constant lectures, repeated so often they had practically become engraved in his ears…

“Cheong-un. Even if you cannot always make the wisest choice, I hope you become someone who never regrets the choices he makes.”

You’re right.

If only I had taken those words to heart, I wouldn’t have thrown myself into the Martial Alliance and suffered through all of that.

Still… yes. I have no regrets.

At the time, I truly believed there was no other way.

Even if this unworthy disciple were sent back to those days, I would probably make the same choice again.

Whoosh…

Another gust of wind swept by.

Before he knew it, the old memories dissolved into the empty air like dawn mist.

“…”

Jin Cheong-un slowly raised his head.

What he saw before him was an old signboard hanging precariously beneath the gate pavilion’s eaves, thick with white spiderwebs.

Four characters were carved into it.

Cheongun Martial Hall (靑雲武館).

It was both the name of this martial hall…

…and the name his master had once given to an orphaned child with no name.

Jin Cheong-un pushed the gate open.

Clang!

The entire martial hall came into view.

The training ground where he had practiced every morning alongside his senior and junior brothers was now overgrown with weeds.

The buildings they had polished during every seasonal cleaning had deteriorated so badly they looked ready to collapse.

His steps carried him forward as naturally as though he had never left.

The moment he entered the main hall…

He stopped abruptly.

“…”

Inside, where the sunlight streamed in, something stood quietly.

A memorial tablet.

An old incense burner filled with burned-out ashes.

A wine cup.

A wine bottle.

Withered flowers.

Dust covered the simple memorial altar.

After gently brushing away the dust, Jin Cheong-un took out a fresh bottle of liquor he had yet to open.

Pour…

Clear liquor filled the cup before he placed it upon the altar.

The fragrance of alcohol quickly spread throughout the silent room.

It’s much too late…

After standing silently for a long while, Jin Cheong-un let out a deep breath.

I’ve finally come home.

Back to Cheongun Martial Hall.

To the place that had once been both his hometown…

…and his home.

Yes… I’ve come back.

Coming back was one thing.

But what exactly is going on here?

Jin Cheong-un slowly turned around.

The instant their eyes met, Jeong Soso, who had been standing stiffly in place, flinched.

“…”

“…”

An almost suffocating silence filled the room.

“Um…”

Still shrinking into herself, Jeong Soso cautiously met his gaze.

Then she spoke.

“…Martial Uncle?”

“For heaven’s sake.”

This is driving me insane.

Let’s think about this for a second.

Just how exactly does the family hierarchy work here?

Did one of my fellow disciples get married and have a child?

Since this was a martial hall, strict family registers weren’t exactly the point, but in terms of seniority…

She would technically be his martial niece.

Jin Cheong-un quietly glanced toward Jeong Soso.

No matter what, people always valued school ties, blood ties, and hometown ties.

His surprise lasted only a moment before he actually felt happy to meet someone connected to the martial hall.

Then a horrifying thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

If that’s really true… then who owns this martial hall now?

Getting cheated out of the estate I’d poured my retirement savings into was already enough to make my blood boil.

Now the martial hall too…?

And both problems are connected to my martial niece?

“W-Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“…”

“Are you really my Martial Uncle?”

The customs of the Central Plains followed the teachings of the ancient sages.

By the rules of seniority, Jin Cheong-un should naturally inherit the martial hall.

Even Confucius and Mencius themselves would probably nod in agreement.

But if you looked at the circumstances…

The Martial Uncle who had abandoned the martial hall and only returned after more than a decade.

The Martial Niece who had stayed behind, starving and struggling to protect the sect through its hardest years.

Put those two on a scale…

The former weighed no more than a feather.

The latter weighed like a thousand-pound block of iron.

…If he tried pulling rank here, even Confucius would probably throw away his own classics and shout,

“Are you even human?!”

In that case, there was only one solution.

Starting today, I reject Confucianism and follow Daoism!

Laozi once said,

“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao!”

Now was the perfect moment to realize that profound truth.

“I’ve never had a martial niece like you!!”

“W-Why are you suddenly saying that?!”

Jeong Soso unintentionally shouted back before immediately shrinking.

“I-I’m sorry. I raised my voice.”

She looked as though she were about to cry.

Coincidences could only pile up so far.

Just what in the world was this?

So…

If this was really true…

The person I argued with over property… was actually my Martial Uncle?

What kind of ridiculous family mess is this?

This wasn’t the reunion she had imagined.

She had pictured something warm…

Something deeply moving.

Suddenly, the words she had spoken the previous night flashed through her mind.

She remembered accusing him of rebellion, betrayal of the sect, and every other disrespectful thing imaginable.

Her face instantly went pale.

Right.

Confirm it first.

Let’s confirm everything first.

“Are you really saying you used to belong to Cheongun Martial Hall?”

“That’s right.”

“But… you’re far too young. From what I’ve heard, the martial hall closed…”

“That’s right.”

A nostalgic expression appeared on Jin Cheong-un’s face.

“So it’s already been twelve years.”

“…?”

Jeong Soso frowned.

“It wasn’t twelve years. It was fourteen.

Soon it’ll be fifteen.”

“Close enough.

Let’s move on.”

Move on?

How can you just move on?!

If that’s true… then how old is he?

Judging by his appearance alone, he looked barely thirty.

Aside from the worn, world-weary aura surrounding him, no one would question it if someone said he was still in his twenties.

If his appearance reflected his real age…

Then he had entered the martial world at an age even younger than she was now.

Come to think of it, I did wonder when I first heard his name.

But still!

There have to be countless people named Cheong-un in the world!

Who could possibly expect a coincidence like this?

“S-So… are you really… my Martial Uncle?”

“I already told you I’ve never had a martial niece like—”

“Oh, stop joking already!

You’re acting like a father trying to chase away a son-in-law he doesn’t approve of!”

“I’m not joking.

I’m completely serious.”

“Huh?”

Jin Cheong-un folded his arms.

“Think about it.

How could you possibly be my martial niece?

The martial hall collapsed before we ever trained together as fellow disciples.”

“…!”

Jeong Soso’s expression instantly darkened.

For some reason…

A sharp ache stabbed at her heart.

She had been confused.

But deep inside, she had also been excited and happy that an elder from her sect had finally returned after all these years.

Yet Jin Cheong-un had said…

The two of them shared no relationship.

It was true.

She knew it was true.

But somehow…

It felt as though she had been abandoned all over again.

“…You’re right.”

Trying her best to remain calm, Jeong Soso clasped both hands tightly together.

That’s right.

There had never been any guarantee that someone from her sect would treat her like family.

She had to stand on her own.

Wasn’t that the promise she had made after her father abandoned them?

Perhaps this disappointment simply came from her own weakness…

From secretly wishing there were someone she could lean on.

Then—

“That doesn’t mean we’re complete strangers, either.”

“What do you mean?”

Jin Cheong-un let out a quiet sigh before carefully studying her.

Jeong…

The Jeong family…

Among all the disciples he remembered with that surname…

There was one.

One unforgettable name.

“Let me ask you something.

Is your late father’s name Jeong Baek-heon?”

“…!”

Jeong Soso covered her mouth in shock.

“So I was right.

Good grief…”

A bitter smile appeared on Jin Cheong-un’s face.

Who would’ve thought I’d one day end up being called ‘Uncle.’

“You’re Elder Brother’s daughter.”

“…What?”

“Yeah…

Now that I think about it, I remember seeing you when you were just a little kid…”

Looking around the martial hall, Jin Cheong-un let out a deep sigh.

“So…

Elder Brother stayed here and protected this place.”

It was a story from long ago.

A memory Jin Cheong-un had tucked away in the corner of his mind.

“You little troublemaker!

I wondered where you’d run off to instead of studying!

Get down here right now!”

Lying lazily across a tree branch, young Jin Cheong-un twitched.

He’s picking on me again.

He glanced down.

A young man with fierce eyes glared up at him.

It was Jeong Baek-heon—

the oldest disciple of Cheongun Martial Hall, famous for his fiery temper.

Jin Cheong-un leapt lightly from the tree.

“What?”

“What?!

You seriously don’t know why I’m angry?!”

“I wasn’t doing anything.

I was just resting.”

“So you’re proud of skipping work?”

“…”

In truth, Jin Cheong-un had entered the martial hall later than most of the others.

Naturally…

Older disciples picking on the newcomer was as inevitable as water flowing downhill.

Jin Cheong-un had been constantly bullied by them.

“I told you to get along with the others!

Who goes around beating up his own fellow disciples?”

“They started picking on me first.”

“So me telling you to stop beating up everyone your age counts as bullying now?”

“…”

Jeong Baek-heon let out a long sigh.

“Come here.

Give me your hand.”

“What for?”

“Just give it to me.

You’re younger than me, so stop talking back every second.”

“Sorry.

I’m not into that sort of thing.”

“…Are you actually insane?”

Rolling his eyes in disbelief, Jeong Baek-heon grabbed Jin Cheong-un’s wrist by force.

“Look at this!

It’s all swollen!”

He carefully smeared medicine across the back of Jin Cheong-un’s hand, red and swollen from punching the older disciples.

Feeling awkward, Jin Cheong-un looked away.

“Hey.”

“What?”

“If you answer ‘what’ one more time, I’ll kill you.”

“You’re weaker than I am.”

“Then I’m never buying you sweets again.”

“Understood.

Please continue, Elder Brother.”

Jeong Baek-heon couldn’t help laughing.

The reason Jin Cheong-un called him “Elder Brother” instead of “Senior Brother” was because Jeong Baek-heon was different from the rest.

Simply put…

He came from a wealthy family.

The eldest son of a respectable household.

Someone destined to inherit the family business and enjoy a bright future.

Unlike Jin Cheong-un and the other disciples, who lived and ate at the martial hall because of their difficult circumstances, Jeong Baek-heon only came once or twice a week to learn self-defense.

Normally, that kind of difference would create distance.

But his personality was so warm that everyone treated him like an older brother.

Since he had grown up as an only child, he preferred being called “Elder Brother” rather than “Senior Brother.”

“Isn’t it about time you became friends with the others?”

“I am friends with them.”

“You call punching them every time they make eye contact friendship?”

“Where I grew up, that’s how people greeted each other.”

“What kind of neighborhood did you grow up in?”

After finishing the medicine, Jeong Baek-heon spoke again.

“Cheong-un.

Do you hate it here?”

“…Not exactly.”

“I like it here.”

“…?”

“Master…

My fellow disciples…

They’re all like family.

If I ever have children someday, I’d want them to join this martial hall too.”

“Where did that suddenly come from?”

“Since you’ve joined this martial hall…

You’re family too.”

Jin Cheong-un quietly fell silent.

“So…

I hope you’ll think of me…

Of all of us…

the same way.”

“…”

“You’re amazing at fighting.

If someone in our family ever gets beaten up…

Or something terrible happens…

Wouldn’t it be nice if you were there to protect us?”

The mountain breeze rustled through the trees.

Jin Cheong-un listened quietly before giving a small nod.

“All right.”

“Really?”

“Then give me the sweets now.”

“…You little brat.”

Laughing helplessly, Jeong Baek-heon ruffled his hair before pulling out a paper-wrapped bundle of sweet snacks and handing it over.

For some reason…

Those sweets tasted especially sweet that day.

Jin Cheong-un slowly looked away.

After gazing around the entire martial hall, he let out a quiet sigh.

So… while everyone else left… you really stayed behind and protected this place all alone?

What a foolish man.

You had no talent for martial arts.

You even refused to be called Senior Brother.

You always acted like you cared the least about protecting the martial hall…

So why…

Why did you remain here all by yourself after everyone else had gone?

And now… even your daughter…

Jin Cheong-un looked at Jeong Soso with sympathetic eyes.

“S-So…

What should I call you now…?”

Watching his expression carefully, she spoke hesitantly.

“…Uncle?”

“For heaven’s sake…”

This is really driving me insane.