Chapter 28 — A Small Adventure (Part III)
Byeongoh Year, late winter.
The morning sun rose.
Jinhwa opened his eyes in a corner of the magistrate's yard. His body ached. After returning from the bandit den the night before, they had spent the night at the magistrate's office. He had slept in a storeroom on a bed of straw, but the fatigue had not lifted. The tension had not left him, and his body still felt stiff.
Beside him, Hagun yawned and sat up.
"Hyungnim, you're already up?"
"Yes. Did you sleep well?"
"No… I think I was too wound up. I tossed and turned all night."
Jinhwa nodded. It had been the same for him.
Outside the storeroom, the sounds of constables moving back and forth reached them, armor clinking. In the yard, someone was drawing water, and the smell of breakfast being prepared drifted in on the breeze.
Hagun opened the storeroom door and peered out.
"Hyungnim, there are a lot of constables outside. I can see the bandits they caught last night, too."
Jinhwa rose and looked out as well. On one side of the yard, the bandits sat bound with rope, two constables standing guard with spears. The bandits' heads hung low. The bluster of the night before was nowhere to be found.
We really… caught them.
Jinhwa and Hagun left the storeroom and went to the well. They splashed cold water on their faces and felt their minds clear; the chill against the skin washed away the tension of the night before. Water dripped from their chins, and the droplets glinted in the morning sun.
Hagun drank and spoke.
"Hyungnim, I'm starving."
"Me too."
The two crossed the yard toward the magistrate's building, and a constable approached.
"You did well last night. The captain's asking for you. Follow me."
"Yes, sir."
They followed the constable inside, where a wide room opened up. Gang Cheolsan sat at one end, behind a desk, writing something. He set down his brush and looked up.
"There you are. Sleep well?"
"Yes, Captain."
"Sit."
The two sat on the floor, and Gang Cheolsan spoke with a smile.
"You did outstanding work last night. Thanks to you, we caught every one of them. All ten, bound — not one escaped."
Jinhwa's heart pounded. The reality that they had truly done it settled in, and beside him, Hagun smiled.
Gang Cheolsan continued.
"We interrogated the bandits. They'd already raided several villages. People were hurt, and a great deal of property was stolen. If not for you two, there would have been another disaster."
"…"
"The magistrate has decided to issue you a reward."
Jinhwa and Hagun raised their heads at the same time.
"A reward?"
"That's right. Two nyang of silver per bandit. Ten bandits makes twenty nyang total. Split it between you."
Gang Cheolsan reached into a desk drawer and set a heavy pouch on the table. It landed with a solid thud, and the clink of silver sounded from inside.
"Twenty nyang. Count it."
Hagun opened the pouch and began counting. Jinhwa watched beside him. Gleaming pieces of silver emerged one by one, and the count came to exactly twenty nyang.
Hagun's eyes went wide, and he whispered.
"Hyungnim… twenty nyang!"
Jinhwa was equally stunned. Twenty nyang was more than half a year's wages at the inn — and they had earned it in a single day.
Gang Cheolsan laughed.
"Surprised? Do you know how dangerous it is to take down bandits? That's why the magistrate compensates accordingly. If you hadn't reported them, the constables would never have mobilized, and the bandits would have hit the village. What you did was no small thing."
Something swelled in Jinhwa's chest. That he — a person without martial arts — could accomplish something this significant seemed impossible to believe, and his hands trembled.
Hagun asked cautiously.
"Captain, is it really… all right for us to take this?"
"Of course. You've earned it. Take it."
Hagun lifted the pouch and held it out to Jinhwa.
"Hyungnim, you hold onto it."
"No, this is Hagun's—"
"If it weren't for you, hyungnim, I would have walked right past those bandits without noticing a thing. This is because of you."
Jinhwa accepted the pouch. It was heavy. And it was not simply money — it felt like proof. Proof of something accomplished for the first time.
Gang Cheolsan stood.
"Now, go eat breakfast. The food here isn't much, but it'll fill your stomachs. And sometime today, the villagers will come by. To thank you."
"The villagers?"
"That's right. The people you saved. Word has spread — two young men reported the bandits and saved the village."
Jinhwa's face burned, and Hagun smiled shyly.
From the magistrate's kitchen came rice, soup, and kimchi. A simple breakfast, but warm, and the two wolfed it down. They had not eaten properly since the night before, and their stomachs had been empty.
As he chewed, Jinhwa sank into thought.
We really… did it.
Even without martial arts. Even young. There were things they could do. They had not fought the bandits themselves, but they had reported them, guided the soldiers, and saved the villagers.
And he had learned something else — that with someone beside you, it was possible.
Hagun sipped his soup and spoke.
"Hyungnim, we really did something amazing — right?"
"Yes. We really did."
"I was so scared at first… but right now, I feel proud."
"Me too."
The two looked at each other and smiled, and finished their meal.
When they stepped out into the yard after eating, several people were filing in through the gate. Villagers — carrying food and gifts in their hands.
"Where are they? The heroes who caught the bandits!"
Gang Cheolsan came out and gestured.
"Over there. Those two young men."
The villagers approached Jinhwa and Hagun and bowed deeply.
"Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Our village is safe because of you!"
An elderly woman held out rice cakes.
"Please, take these. I made them myself."
A man offered dried meat.
"This too. It's a specialty of our village."
Jinhwa and Hagun accepted the gifts, flustered and unsure how to respond. Rice cakes, dried meat, fruit — one person even pressed a small pouch of silver into their hands.
"No, we only—"
"Please take them! It's the least we can do!"
The villagers kept offering their thanks, and children had come along too, staring at the two with wide, curious eyes.
One child asked.
"Did you catch the bandits?"
Hagun answered with a grin.
"No, we just reported them. The constable hyungs did the catching."
The child smiled shyly, gave a little bow, and ran off.
Warmth spread through Jinhwa's chest. He had never felt anything like this before. To be thanked. To be recognized. To be someone who was needed.
At Mount Hua, he had been called mediocre. At the inn, he was just a worker. But in this moment, he felt like a hero.
The villagers lingered and talked — about how terrifying the bandits had been, about how close the village had come to being raided.
"Last year, the next village over was hit. A lot of people were hurt."
"We nearly suffered the same fate… What a relief."
Gang Cheolsan stepped in and ushered the villagers along.
"All right, time to head home. These two need their rest."
"Yes, sir!"
The villagers left one by one, and the yard grew quiet again. Jinhwa and Hagun carried the gifts back to the storeroom.
Hagun set them down on the floor and spoke.
"Hyungnim, what are we going to do with all this?"
"We eat what we can, and split the rest."
"All right."
The two each picked up a rice cake and ate. The sweetness spread through the mouth and washed the fatigue away, and their spirits lifted.
Hagun chewed and spoke.
"Hyungnim, what do we do now? The eastern trade route…"
"Oh — right."
Jinhwa started. They had originally set out east with Hagun for trade, and the bandits had thrown everything off course.
"The trade trip… can we still go?"
Hagun shook his head.
"No. It's already too late. We'll have to go next time."
"I'm sorry. Because of me—"
"No, hyungnim! Because of you, we gained something much bigger."
Hagun pointed at the silver pouch and grinned.
"We earned more than I would've made trading. And besides… we accomplished something."
Jinhwa nodded. Hagun was right.
In the afternoon, Gang Cheolsan called for them.
"You're free to go. The bandits will be transferred to the larger town tomorrow, and your part is done."
"Yes, Captain."
"Travel safely. And if anything like this happens again, report to the magistrate's office without hesitation."
"Yes, sir!"
The two left the magistrate's office. The sun was already leaning west. The streets were still bustling, and merchants were selling their wares.
Hagun looked at Jinhwa.
"Hyungnim, let's get gukbap. My treat!"
"No, I'll—"
"Hyungnim! Today, I want to buy. We need to celebrate!"
Jinhwa smiled and nodded.
"All right. Let's go."
They made their way to a gukbap shop inside the market and sat down. The owner came over with a greeting.
"Welcome! What'll it be?"
"Two bowls of gukbap!"
"Coming right up!"
The gukbap arrived, steam curling from the surface. Green onion floated on top, and the bowl was heaped with meat. They lifted their spoons and slurped. The broth was hot and savory and filled the mouth.
Hagun drank and spoke.
"Hyungnim, this is really good."
"Yes. It really is."
For a while, neither of them spoke. They simply ate, and their stomachs filled. The warm rice settled inside, and strength returned to their bodies. The fatigue eased.
When the bowls were empty, Jinhwa took out the silver pouch and set it on the table.
"What should we do with this?"
Hagun answered as though it were obvious.
"Hyungnim, we split it."
"What?"
"Twenty nyang, so ten each."
Jinhwa waved his hand.
"No. Hagun should take more. What did I even do—"
"Hyungnim! Without you, I wouldn't have spotted the bandits, and I wouldn't have reported them. This is because of you. So — half and half."
Hagun's eyes were serious, and Jinhwa could not refuse any further.
"…All right."
Hagun took out the silver and counted, piece by piece, dividing them into two groups. Ten in front of Jinhwa, ten in front of Hagun.
"There — ten nyang each!"
Jinhwa looked at the silver. Ten gleaming pieces caught the sunlight, and they were not simply money.
I… earned this.
Not through martial arts, but another way — through courage, through reporting, and through Hagun beside him.
Hagun tucked his silver into his pouch.
"Hyungnim, what are you going to do with yours?"
"I'm not sure… Save it, maybe?"
"I'm going to give mine to my father. To help with the trading capital."
"That's a good idea."
"What about you, hyungnim?"
Jinhwa thought for a moment. What should he do? What could he do?
I can… do something too.
"I'm going to… try something. Not just work at the inn."
Hagun beamed.
"Yes! You can do anything, hyungnim!"
The two left the gukbap shop and walked through the market. The sun was setting, and the sky had turned red. Merchants were packing up their stalls, and people were heading home one by one.
Hagun stopped.
"Hyungnim, I need to head home now."
"Yes. Travel safely."
"You too, hyungnim. Be careful on the way back to the inn."
The two looked at each other and smiled, and clasped hands.
"Hagun — thank you. Because of you… it was a truly wonderful experience."
"Same here, hyungnim. Without you, I would've been too scared to do anything."
"Let's meet again soon."
"Yes! I'll see you at the market in a week!"
Hagun waved and walked south. Jinhwa watched him go. Hagun's figure grew smaller and smaller, then disappeared among the crowd.
Jinhwa was alone — but he did not feel lonely. His chest was warm, and the silver in his pocket was heavy.
Jinhwa walked slowly toward the inn. The sun had set completely, and darkness was settling in. Lanterns were being lit along the street one by one, and their warm glow lit the road.
As he walked, he thought back over the past few days. Setting out east with Hagun. Discovering the bandits. Reporting to the magistrate. Raiding the camp with the constables. And the reward.
Those days were like a small lantern glowing in the dark. The light was faint, but it was unmistakably there — and it was illuminating the road ahead.
I was… able to do it too.
Something hot rose in his chest. The sense of accomplishment — of having done something that mattered.
When Mount Hua had branded him as talentless, it had felt like the end of the world. He had believed that without martial arts, he could do nothing. The words people had offered, which he had dismissed as hollow comfort, had turned out to be real.
And now he knew.
There were things he could do without martial arts. He could help people. He could save a village. He could accomplish something with a friend.
Grandmaster Cheongheo was right. Martial arts are not everything.
The inn came into view — the familiar building, the chimney. Light leaked from inside, and Jang Ikho's voice could be heard.
Jinhwa pushed open the door.
"I'm back!"
Jang Ikho looked up from the hall, his face breaking into surprise.
"Oh! Jinhwa! You made it back safe!"
"Yes!"
Yu Gapyeong came out from the kitchen, grinning.
"Where have you been? Haven't seen you in days."
Jinhwa answered with a smile.
"I went on a small adventure."
"An adventure?"
"Yes. It's a long story. I'll tell you later."
Jang Ikho walked over and clapped Jinhwa on the shoulder.
"Your face looks brighter. Something good happen?"
"Yes. Something very good."
Jinhwa went into his room and set down his pack. He took out the silver pouch and looked at it. Ten pieces of silver, gleaming. And they were not simply money — they were proof.
Proof that I can do it too.
Jinhwa tucked the pouch carefully against his chest and looked out the window. The moon had risen, and the stars were beginning to glitter.
Jinhwa sat at the small desk and opened the Mount Hua breathing manual. It had been a long time since he had opened it, and a thin layer of dust had settled on its surface. He wiped the dust away with his hand and turned to the first page.
The method for danjeon breathing was written there, along with diagrams showing how to gather qi.
Jinhwa straightened his posture and closed his eyes. He drew in a deep breath, and let it out slowly. He focused on the danjeon. He tried to feel the qi.
Still — nothing. The meridians sat stagnant, like a stream dammed with silt. The qi did not stir, like frozen earth.
But Jinhwa was not discouraged.
It's all right.
He could live without martial arts. He could help people without them, make friends without them, earn money without them.
Jinhwa closed the book and looked out the window. Moonlight seeped into the room. It was quiet.
A night at seventeen — the first night he could believe in himself.
He had realized that he could live without martial arts.
Then… what could he do from here?
[End of Chapter 28]
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