The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

The procession, which had finished preparations busily and departed, moved at quite a fast pace. Most people seemed to have heard the rumors about Fujian, as they didn’t complain even while breathing heavily.

To save time, they skipped lunch and walked without stopping, so they were able to leave Zhejiang by the time the sun was descending from its zenith.

After quickly passing through not very high mountains and walking on flat ground again, Jeok Biwol ordered a rest.

Meanwhile, hands were busy preparing meals. While looking around at them, I felt something tugging at my clothes from below and lowered my gaze.

Harang was staring intently at me. I smiled slightly and stretched out my hand, and Harang skillfully snuggled into my arms. As I gently stroked Harang’s back while holding him in my arms, Harang let out a pleased laugh and purred.

I laughed at the sound of purring like a cat and looked around. The fact that Harang, who should be with Joo Hwarin, was here probably meant that Joo Hwarin was also preparing meals.

While I was looking around, thinking of helping Joo Hwarin who was suffering needlessly by following me, Moyong Do approached.

“Is that the wolf you mentioned before?”

“Ah, Brother.”

Moyong Do looked at Harang. I slightly lifted Harang in my arms so he could be seen well and nodded. Moyong Do stared blankly at Harang and raised his hand to stroke Harang’s head.

“Be careful…”

I tried to stop him instinctively, knowing that Harang growls whenever he sees Hyuk Dojin, but Harang didn’t reject Moyong Do’s touch. Rather, he seemed pleased and pushed his head more into Moyong Do’s hand, nuzzling against it.

“He’s docile.”

“…That’s strange. He usually doesn’t dislike people, but he’s never been this friendly and affectionate…”

It was a scene that would make Joo Hwarin feel wronged and bewildered if he saw it. Harang sometimes snuggled up to Joo Hwarin and listened to her because Joo Hwarin fed him and played with him well, but otherwise, there was no way Harang would snuggle up to Joo Hwarin.

Harang purred and nuzzled against Moyong Do, and when I carefully handed him over, he snuggled into Moyong Do’s arms and rubbed his head against Moyong Do’s shoulder.

Moyong Do quietly smiled while holding the warm Harang and stroked his back.

“He’s much warmer than normal people.”

“I guess because he’s a wolf, even with the same body temperature, it feels hotter. By the way, he’s rarely followed anyone like this except for me…”

While looking at that amazing sight, I suddenly felt a gaze and turned my head to see Hyuk Dojin unloading luggage in the distance.

He was staring intently at Harang, who was affectionately snuggling up to Moyong Do instead of me. Moyong Do also seemed to feel Hyuk Dojin’s gaze, as he slightly raised his head and met eyes with him. Moyong Do lightly bowed his head once in greeting, then quietly said:

“Why is he like that?”

“…Harang likes people with pure energy. But as you know, Dojin has mastered demonic arts to the extreme. That’s why Harang fiercely rejects Dojin, even disliking him coming close. Let alone touching.”

“…”

Moyong Do cleared his throat awkwardly and looked at Harang. Harang smiled brightly and met eyes with Moyong Do, and Moyong Do also smiled gently back at him before handing him over to me again and saying:

“I heard he saved you before. What a grateful child.”

Moyong Do spoke affectionately while tickling Harang’s belly. That appearance was very kind and natural.

“Brother, I think you should get married soon too.”

“Marriage?”

Moyong Do looked at me as if asking what I meant. I alternately looked at Harang in my arms and Moyong Do, and he seemed to understand, letting out a short exclamation. Then he cleared his throat slightly and stepped back.

“I have no such thoughts yet. I need to focus more on training and there’s still a lot to do.”

“For someone who says that, you’ve been sticking close to Jeok Biwol a lot. Do you perhaps have feelings for Jeok Biwol too, Brother?”

To be honest, I thought Jeok Biwol and Moyong Do matched quite well. At first, I didn’t like Jeok Biwol’s impure reasons for approaching Moyong Do, but as we spent time together, I thought she was quite a good person except for being from an evil sect. She was competent and didn’t waver emotionally.

At first, I thought she was a frivolous and cunning woman, but the more I saw her, those aspects seemed like strengths of asserting herself clearly. And I thought those aspects could fill in Moyong Do’s lacking points.

Moyong Do was talented and a promising successor of the righteous sects, but unfortunately, he had clear shortcomings.

He didn’t particularly assert himself strongly. A man who thought it was enough if he could train quietly and be with his family.

In some ways, Moyong Do was a man with dried up desires, to the point of seeming like a desireless monk. So when it came to doing something, even though he was in a position to lead and say this is how it should be done, he didn’t say such things.

Therefore, despite Moyong Do’s position, he was often swayed and dragged along by his surroundings. I thought Jeok Biwol could fill in those aspects.

“That’s not possible. Although Miss Jeok Biwol said such things then, she’s never actually said anything else or shown any behavior towards me. So there’s no reason for me to think that way.”

If Jeok Biwol had approached him every day just because she was with Moyong Do, smiling seductively and trying to bewitch him, I would have stopped her, but Jeok Biwol seemed to have little interest in Moyong Do. When he approached, she smiled, and when he moved away, she covered up her interest.

I didn’t know if that was Jeok Biwol’s true feelings or a calculated move, but because of that, my aversion to Jeok Biwol approaching Moyong Do subsided a little.

“Is that so?”

“Moreover, I’m a son of the Moyong clan and Miss Jeok Biwol is a woman of the Golden Blood Sand Sect. It’s an impossible relationship from the start.”

“It’s troublesome if you consider such things. You’re looking at a sister who has personally experienced an impossible relationship right in front of you, Brother.”

Just then, Joo Hwarin, who had spotted me, quickly ran over and took Harang from my arms before disappearing. I smiled faintly at her, then looked back at Moyong Do.

“If everything could be explained by saying it’s impossible in this world, that would be nice, but situations more impossible than those impossible things unfold, don’t they? So open your heart and see.”

“…”

Moyong Do stared at me intently without any reaction. I smiled gently at him and stepped back one step. Hyuk Dojin, who had finished organizing the luggage and approached, lightly greeted Moyong Do before speaking to me.

“Shall we eat together?”

I nodded slightly to Hyuk Dojin, then looked at Moyong Do. While looking at him, I rolled my eyes to glance at Jeok Biwol who was busy directing people, then raised my chin. And I turned my body.

Hyuk Dojin followed behind me as I left first, and after slightly looking back, he quietly said:

“What was that just now?”

“Who knows?”

I rolled my eyes to examine Moyong Do, who had been standing still, approaching Jeok Biwol and speaking to her, then grinned.

“It was nothing.”

* * *

The sun could be seen setting behind the mountains. Thanks to Jeok Biwol’s busy shouting and directing, the travel speed was fast.

We were able to reach Fujian much faster than she had said we would arrive before the sun set.

Even Jeok Biwol, who had been shouting at people to hurry in a way almost like whipping, returned to a gentle face once we reached Fujian.

While looking down at the mountains dyed red and wondering how far it was to Fujian, Jeok Biwol approached. After glancing at her face, I opened my mouth.

“How was it?”

Jeok Biwol looked at me with a face asking what I was talking about. I jerked my chin and spoke lightly.

“The meal. Were you satisfied?”

“Ah, that?”

Jeok Biwol chuckled and shrugged her shoulders.

“Eating is all the same, there was nothing special. But I guess it was your work after all? It was quite refreshing because I didn’t think that wooden man would say such things. Do you like me a little now? Arranging such a place and all.”

“I didn’t want to do it, but I thought one meal wouldn’t matter much.”

At my indifferent answer, Jeok Biwol stared at me blankly, then slightly raised the corners of her mouth. I slightly narrowed my brows at her strange expression. Jeok Biwol spoke slowly with a smiling face.

“You know what? This is the first time you’ve repaid my favor.”

“…What?”

“Even when I treated you and provided information, you never said thank you or paid an appropriate price, right? But this time, I thought it was unexpected that you arranged a nice place for some reason.”

“That’s…”

“But I never thought you’d pay that gratitude by sending your precious brother you’ve been clinging to. You have a surprisingly mean side, don’t you?”

“…”

It was a moment when I became a bad younger sister who sold her brother to repay a favor, when I had just slightly pushed his back thinking Moyong Do seemed interested in Jeok Biwol.

I glared at her, feeling dumbfounded, and Jeok Biwol slowly lowered the corners of her mouth that had been slightly raised and spoke in a calm voice.

“Still, thank you.”

“…?”

“For changing your perception of me. As you know, when you deal with poison and secret techniques with the background of the Golden Blood Sand Sect, people’s gazes towards me are usually not kind. A frivolous woman, or an evil woman using evil arts… I’ve never been called anything good. Even people who had never seen me thought that way and fixed their perceptions, and once perceptions were fixed, they never changed.”

Jeok Biwol’s quiet voice pierced my ears on the quiet road where only footsteps and carriage sounds echoed. Jeok Biwol stared blankly at the people heading down and continued speaking.

“I thought you would be the same, but it was quite unexpected. No one else had ever changed their judgment or perception of me. But I never imagined you would. I thought you would refuse my approach to Moyong Do for life.”

The playful smile on her face suddenly seemed like a smile befitting Jeok Biwol’s actual age.

Her face receiving the sunset dyed red felt very beautiful. As I stared blankly, Jeok Biwol pulled the corners of her mouth.

“But it’s meaningless anyway, isn’t it? The reason you approached your brother was because the Golden Blood Sand Sect ordered you to, and you don’t seem to have any other feelings for your brother either.”

“Well…? That’s uncertain. Well, if I had heard those words before, I would have agreed that it’s obvious, but these days… I’m not sure myself?”

“…What did you say?”

I slightly raised my eyebrows at Jeok Biwol’s subtle expression. When Jeok Biwol was about to open her mouth with a grin, a scream was heard from behind the long line of people.

“Aaaaagh!”

Jeok Biwol, who had slightly opened her mouth, hurriedly turned around. Following her, I also turned around, and there I saw people being slaughtered by a man.

It was unclear when he had appeared, but what was even more surprising was the fact that he was butchering people before they could even react.

I stared blankly at that sight, then hurriedly took out a sword from the cart beside me and gritted my teeth.

“Could it be the madman?”

“No. It’s not the madman. That’s…”

“We’re under attack!!”

Before her words could finish, screams erupted from the front. There, martial artists wearing yellow bands were indiscriminately launching attacks.

Although we hadn’t been expecting it at all, we were attacked too easily. Jeok Biwol frowned while biting her lip hard. She turned around again and muttered slowly.

“The Yeonwi Left Army…”

“Sweep them all away!”

A huge shout covering her voice split the mountain.

“…It’s Geum Hyul.”