A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 188

188. No Need to Mind Others (1)

Nameless Old Gun and Old Madam Dang Un-yeong exchanged many words in soft voices.

Though their words were fragmented and incomprehensible to others, their conversation flowed seamlessly.

Even after countless years, it seemed as vivid to them as if it were yesterday.

“You really haven’t changed a bit,” Dang Un-yeong said with a gentle smile. Old Gun chuckled and shook his head.

“No, no. A lot of time has passed.”

Old Gun’s laughter soon turned into a bitter smile. He fiddled with his teacup as he spoke.

“Much has changed. Both of us.”

A moment of silence passed. Dang Un-yeong also touched her teacup without a word. Her gaze turned to the crude jade ring on her wrinkled finger.

Dang Un-yeong bit her lip and then raised her head.

“By any chance…”

Old Madam Dang Un-yeong asked in a trembling voice. It was a tone quite different from her previously calm demeanor.

“Is there… someone you are living with now?”

Her last words were barely audible.

But not to Old Gun. Old Gun’s expression also became serious.

“Yes, there is.”

Dang Un-yeong’s face instantly stiffened.

“I figured since I don’t have much time left, I couldn’t stay alone any longer.”

“I see…”

Dang Un-yeong barely managed to reply to Old Gun’s low voice. But the old madam’s eyes could no longer look at Old Gun.

She closed her mouth and stared intently at her teacup.

“This place is surprisingly nice. Three meals a day are provided, and it’s fun watching the children. The river breeze is quite refreshing.”

“Yes…”

Tears seemed ready to fall from Old Madam Dang Un-yeong’s eyes as she nodded.

Old Gun’s heart sank at the sight. He had intended to tease her a bit, but seeing her head bowed, he stammered without realizing it.

“So, um, would, would you like to come too?”

“Pardon?”

Dang Un-yeong raised her head.

“The house is small, but the owner is a good fellow, so he won’t mind if you come. Spending the rest of your life watching the little ones and all, it wouldn’t be too bad. So…”

Old Gun’s face had turned completely red. He couldn’t look Dang Un-yeong in the eye and continued to stammer.

“That, well, you see…”

His voice grew fainter and fainter. He only needed a few words, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

Just as Old Gun’s voice seemed about to disappear completely.

“Think carefully,” Shin-ui’s voice rang out. He lifted his teacup and spoke without looking at Old Gun.

“If not now, there will never be another chance.”

Old Gun’s expression changed at those words.

Old Gun raised his head and looked straight at Dang Un-yeong. Her surprised, round eyes were staring right back at him. Just like that day, that time.

“So,” Old Gun said.

“Stay by my side, Yeongmae.”

Tears welled up in his eyes as well. He had wanted to act nonchalant and say it with a hearty laugh, but his foolish eyes were getting wet on their own.

“Yes,” Dang Un-yeong, who seemed about to burst into tears, replied in a choked voice. And soon, as if afraid he hadn’t heard, she said again.

“I will. From now on, for the rest of my life, I will always be by your side, Sunrang.”

Tears streamed down Dang Un-yeong’s wrinkled face. Jeok Se-hwa, who was next to her, quickly turned her head, but she couldn’t hide her own teary eyes.

Seo-rin, not understanding what was going on, looked up at Son-bin with a puzzled expression. Son-bin stroked Seo-rin’s head.

But Son-bin and Sa Su-yeon’s eyes were also red. Dang Wol-ah, who had her face covered with a veil, held her teacup and gazed at the distant mountains.

“Ahem.”

Only Dang Hwa-ryeon cleared her throat uncomfortably and turned her head. But her eyes were also red.

Slurp.

Shin-ui drank his tea with a satisfied expression. The tea tasted especially sweet today.

∴

The touching atmosphere ended as the little ones came rushing in.

Jeok Se-hwa and Sa Su-yeon quickly tidied up, and Dang Un-yeong hastily dabbed at her tear-stained face.

“Wow! It’s Grandma Teacher.”

“Are you here again today? Aren’t you going home?”

Perhaps because of the enormous amount of sweets they had been given yesterday, the little ones chattered and asked Dang Un-yeong familiarly.

Old Madam Dang Un-yeong stroked the children’s heads and replied.

“Yes, I’ll be here from now on.”

“Really?”

The children’s eyes widened.

“Why? Why?”

The little ones asked as if in unison. Dang Un-yeong gave a radiant smile.

“Because you are all so adorable.”

“Wow.”

The little ones cheered and rejoiced. Soso was already asking for an old tale, and the curious Hodu was subtly touching Dang Un-yeong’s luxurious clothes.

“Everyone, shouldn’t you be getting ready to study now?”

Son-bin calmed the excited children.

“Aww, already?”

“We just got here. Let’s play a bit.”

“No, you can’t. Come on, hurry.”

Complaints leaked out from here and there, but before they knew it, the little ones were huddled together on the bamboo mat, following Son-bin.

They were all about the same size, but Seo-rin stood out. Of course, the biggest person was Son-bin.

“Hehe.”

Dang Un-yeong chuckled. The scene reminded her of baby birds gathered in front of their parent bird.

“But where are you planning to stay?” Shin-ui suddenly asked. Dang Un-yeong turned her head to look at Shin-ui.

“I’ll tell you in advance, I’m not leaving,” Shin-ui said, lifting his teacup.

“I can’t give up my room. Just seeing that guy’s smiling face is an eyesore.”

At Shin-ui’s words, Dang Un-yeong looked at Old Gun.

Old Gun’s face had already relaxed into a silly grin. His expression was so funny that Dang Un-yeong couldn’t help but laugh.

“Pfft.”

“Ahem.”

Old Gun quickly hardened his expression.

“Is it really necessary to stay here? You can just stay at Wol-ah’s house like now. What’s the point of starting something new at this age…”

Old Gun trailed off, seemingly embarrassed. Shin-ui gave a bitter smile at the sight.

“That’s right,” Old Madam Dang Un-yeong said.

“At this age, is there any need to worry about what others think? I will share a room with Sunrang.”

Dang Un-yeong said it so calmly, but the listeners were more surprised. Especially the young ladies’ cheeks even turned slightly red.

“Th, that’s not allowed!”

It was Old Gun who protested.

“Why not?” Dang Un-yeong asked as if it were nothing. Old Gun’s face turned red as he stammered.

“H, how can we do such a shameless thing without even being married…”

“Then we can just get married.”

“What?”

Old Gun’s mouth dropped open. But Dang Un-yeong smiled.

“I’ve always imagined it. Standing face to face with the person I love in a small garden with flower petals fluttering, receiving congratulations from good people. Until now, I thought it was just a futile dream, but…”

Dang Un-yeong’s eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“This Seowon [a private Confucian academy] seems like the perfect place to have such a wedding. Now that we’re on the topic, how about today…”

“Not today!”

Old Gun desperately stopped Dang Un-yeong.

“Ah, no, I need to prepare myself mentally first…”

A smile spread across Dang Un-yeong’s lips.

“So, you are going to do it, right?”

“Ugh.”

Old Gun groaned. But he knew he couldn’t win against her. Not now, not ever.

Old Gun sighed deeply and muttered as if lamenting.

“A wedding at this age…”

“It’s stranger to worry about what others think at this age,” Dang Un-yeong said with a confident expression. Listening to her words, Old Gun couldn’t help but nod.

“But isn’t there a lack of rooms?” This time, Shin-ui raised a practical issue.

“The Seowon is small. If you come in as well…”

“We can build one,” Dang Un-yeong said as if it were nothing.

“We could rebuild the whole thing, but I really like this Seowon as it is. So, we can just build a detached house in the back.”

The Seowon was located in a secluded area, so there was plenty of land. Besides, this was nothing for Dang Un-yeong.

“There’s no problem at all.”

Old Gun and Shin-ui were speechless.

“But Yeongmae, are you really okay with this?” Old Gun asked with a newly serious expression.

Her words about holding a wedding were truly a shocking declaration. Even now, Dang Hwa-ryeon couldn’t properly manage her expression.

But Old Gun’s voice contained something heavier than that. Something only the two of them understood.

“The days I’ve spent without you have been too long,” Dang Un-yeong said, looking at Old Gun with deep eyes.

“So now, I don’t want to leave your side for even a moment.”

No one could refute her words.

And at this moment, Old Madam Dang Un-yeong’s slightly flushed face was radiating a smile fresher than any young girl’s.

A smile never left Old Madam Dang Un-yeong’s face all day.

It went without saying that she got along well with Sa Su-yeon and Jeok Se-hwa. She went to buy sweets with the Seowon children and helped them with their studies.

Old Gun sat silently in the corner, sipping tea, but his face, as he occasionally looked at Dang Un-yeong, was full of undisguised smiles. So much so that Shin-ui even chided him, saying, ‘Are you that happy?’

Dang Hwa-ryeon, who had been unable to hide her discomfort at Dang Un-yeong’s sudden actions, eventually gave up and spent time chatting with Dang Wol-ah.

Judging by the occasional smile, she didn’t seem to dislike this time either.

As the day passed, the group finished dinner and returned to their respective quarters. Dang Un-yeong’s figure, waving her hand at Old Gun and saying, ‘See you tomorrow,’ looked as innocent as a child.

Son-bin tidied up the Seowon grounds, checked the children’s homework, and then went out to the garden to take down the lanterns for the last time.

Then he suddenly noticed Old Gun still sitting on the bamboo mat.

“Can’t you sleep?” Son-bin asked with a smile.

“It was something I’ve held in my heart my whole life,” Old Gun said in a calm voice.

“It would be stranger if I could sleep.”

“There’s a little bit of the alcohol we served to the guests yesterday left.”

Old Gun nodded. Son-bin immediately went into the kitchen, made a simple vegetable stir-fry, and brought it out with the alcohol.

There was only one small cup, but Old Gun didn’t say anything. He knew that Shin-ui had forbidden Son-bin from drinking.

Sip.

Old Gun took a drink right away and looked up at the night sky.

“My first meeting with Yeongmae wasn’t very good,” Old Gun said suddenly.

“At a young age, I had reached the pinnacle of mastery, and there was nothing in the world I feared. Then, in a tavern in Chengdu, Sichuan, I met the beautiful and talented Yeongmae. She was a very confident young lady whose words and actions were always bold.”

“She still looks very beautiful,” Son-bin said. Even now, Dang Un-yeong’s beauty seemed to be as good as ever, so he wondered how much more so she was when she was younger.

“Yes. But seeing her, I somehow felt a sense of competitiveness. I thought, ‘What’s so great about her, relying on the power of her family?’ I provoked her and, as if to show off, I defeated her.”

Old Gun smiled as if recalling that time.

“She was so hurt in her pride that she even teared up. Although she never admitted that she cried back then… So I told her, ‘If you can’t accept it, come at me anytime.’ And she really came the very next day. Without giving up.”

“She was an amazing person from a young age.”

“Yes. She was a really confident young lady. Anyway, Yeongmae persistently challenged me after that, and each time, I defeated her without holding back. But as I did…”

Old Gun said with a sigh.

“I discovered that I was completely in love with her.”

Son-bin gave a gentle smile.

“So, did you confess?”

Old Gun shook his head.

“I couldn’t. I thought she must hate me.”

Old Gun fiddled with the empty cup. Son-bin quietly waited for him to speak.

“That day was the day she challenged me as usual.”

∴

Before he had even earned the title of Nameless Old Gun, the young Old Gun was unusually troubled that day.

He was confused by the fact that he was in love with the attractive young lady in front of him.

“Haa!”

Perhaps his complicated feelings were showing? The confident young lady, Dang Un-yeong, found a gap in Old Gun’s swordsmanship and immediately thrust in.

‘Keuk.’

The young Old Gun was flustered. It wasn’t because Dang Un-yeong’s swordsmanship was sharper than expected.

It was because her eyes, looking straight at him, seemed dazzlingly beautiful for a moment.

Whoosh.

Old Gun hurriedly swung his sword. Dang Un-yeong’s sword, which had been thrusting in with momentum, was easily cut off by the young Old Gun’s sword.

Clang.

“Ah.”

In the instant that Dang Un-yeong let out a regretful groan, the severed piece of her sword bounced off a stone fragment.

Kang!

The sharp sword piece, spinning at a terrifying speed, was flying straight towards Dang Un-yeong, but she didn’t see it.

Old Gun’s eyes widened.

“Dangerous!”

He didn’t even have time to think.

Old Gun threw himself forward and embraced Dang Un-yeong. He saw her eyes widen in surprise for a moment, but the pain in his back soon made him forget about it.

Thud.

The young Old Gun contorted his face. The spinning sword piece had sharply cut through Old Gun’s back.

“Are you okay?”

Without showing any pain, Old Gun asked Dang Un-yeong, who was in his arms.

Contrary to his expectations that she would be surprised, Dang Un-yeong was looking up at Old Gun with clear eyes.

“Why did you save me?”

It was like she was questioning someone who had done something wrong. Old Gun was rather flustered by the unexpected reaction.

“Why?”

Dang Un-yeong urged him to answer. Feeling awkward in a situation where it seemed like he had done something wrong, Old Gun blurted out an answer.

“B, because I like you…”

He couldn’t think of anything cool to say. He didn’t have time to make up a plausible excuse.

The words that came out without him realizing it were probably because it was the word that had been troubling him since earlier.

Whirr.

Dang Un-yeong’s face turned red in an instant. The confident Dang Un-yeong was flustered.

Thinking that she looked so pretty, Old Gun couldn’t take his eyes off her.

“L, let go.”

Only then did Old Gun hurriedly release Dang Un-yeong. He had been so distracted by her appearance that he hadn’t even thought about letting her go.

Dang Un-yeong straightened her disheveled clothes. Old Gun cleared his throat and looked away.

“Tomorrow morning…” Dang Un-yeong said in a small voice. Old Gun turned his head to look at her. Her face was still flushed, but her eyes and expression were extremely determined.

“Let’s meet here again.”

It was like a general going to war. At that momentum, the young Old Gun nodded without realizing it.

“A, alright.”

Rustle.

Dang Un-yeong turned around and walked away without hesitation. She didn’t look back until the end, and Old Gun’s expression also stiffened.

“Hoo.”

The young Old Gun sighed. And looking up at the sky, he muttered.

“In the end… it’s a life-or-death duel.”

She was already a proud young lady from a prestigious family.

He had humiliated, no, ridiculed her, who had been confronting him head-on without relying on the power of her family, so he would have nothing to say even if she demanded a life-or-death duel.

Perhaps because of her determined eyes, he couldn’t think of any other possibilities.

“What do I do now?”

If he didn’t want to hurt her, he had to avoid it as it was.

But if he did, he would be giving in to the name of the Dang Clan.

If he wanted to protect his pride as a martial artist, he had to participate in the duel.

But how could he face her and sincerely wield his sword?

That day, Old Gun pondered all night. But he couldn’t come to a conclusion.

After staying up all night, Old Gun cleaned his body, neatly arranged his hair, and straightened his clothes as dawn broke.

And with a determined resolve, he waited for her with a sword.

Because this day might be his last.

Rustle.

Old Gun, who had been closing his eyes and calming his mind, opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps. She, Dang Un-yeong, in a more beautiful appearance than ever, was approaching him.

Thinking that this was the last time he would see her, the peace of mind he had been cultivating all morning wavered like a reed in the wind.

“What is it?” Dang Un-yeong said in a slightly sulky voice.

“You could have worn brighter clothes? It’s our first outing, but aren’t your clothes too drab?”

Dang Un-yeong, saying words that the young Old Gun couldn’t understand, blushed slightly. And avoiding Old Gun’s gaze, she said in a small voice.

“Still… it’s cool too.”

For a moment, the young Old Gun thought that the whole world was smiling at him.

∴

“After that, we were always together,” Old Gun said with a gentle smile.

“Even the noisy streets and the boring famous places looked different just because she was next to me. Really, every day was like a dream.”

It was a story that made you smile just by listening to it.

But Son-bin knew that this story did not have a happy ending.

“Then why…”