Chapter 25
In an instant, she clapped her hands together and pushed against Namgoong Jong-woo’s chest.
No—she only pretended to push.
“Waaah!”
It was the Heavenly Thunder God Technique!
The whites of Namgoong Jong-woo’s eyes flickered wildly.
Remembering the pain he had endured on the martial stage, he jumped back. He gasped for breath, panting heavily.
“St-stop! This isn’t even a martial stage! Fighting like this privately is against the law!”
Hongseol, who hadn’t expected her intimidation to work so well, froze at his words.
Ah, is that so?
To naive Hongseol, his words carried some weight.
She tilted her head, thinking,
“If hitting him won’t work, then maybe Namgoong Heuk oppa…”
Aha!
There it was—the method!
“This won’t do.”
“W-what won’t do now?!”
“I don’t want you to have such a good family.”
“Th-then what do you intend to do about it?!”
“I’m going to make sure you can’t use the Namgoong name anymore.”
Without hesitation, Hongseol threatened Namgoong Jong-woo.
“What?!”
Seeing his face turn pale, she realized the threat had worked perfectly.
Feeling a surge of excitement, Hongseol thought,
“Oppa, I’m doing this right, aren’t I?”
To think she could corner someone without even hitting them—truly, Namgoong Heuk oppa was a genius.
“All the people I know in the Namgoong family are warmhearted. The Grand Patriarch who took me in, Master Changcheon who taught me martial arts, Namgoong Heuk oppa and the youngest Jeok who cheered me on, and…”
Though she didn’t know him well yet, probably Namgoong Baek oppa too…
Hongseol trailed off, unable to finish her thought. Somehow, Namgoong Baek’s name wouldn’t come out easily.
“…And Elder Namgoong Mu-yeong too. The way he looked at you was incredibly warm.”
“Who cares how someone else’s grandfather looks at me!”
“Yet you’ve only brought harm to such grandfathers. You’re unworthy of the Namgoong name. Therefore, I will take it from you.”
Namgoong Jong-woo, who had turned pale, now protested fiercely.
“You, you can’t possibly—!”
“You, Namgoong family’s Grand Patriarch…”
Hongseol paused, catching her breath before continuing.
“You know that the Grand Patriarch likes me, right?”
Who would’ve thought she’d call Namgoong Ho ‘grandfather’ in front of others? She half expected someone to rush in and scold her for being disrespectful.
“H-he really does care about me!”
Hongseol steadied herself, trying to appear confident.
“Right, I heard. You’re going to take me as your disciple, aren’t you?”
Namgoong Jong-woo pouted in resentment, staring at her.
Quietly, Hongseol continued her intimidation.
“I’ll ask the Grand Patriarch to take the Namgoong surname away from you. As a reward for winning this martial contest.”
“W-what!”
Though such a thing was impossible, Namgoong Jong-woo, unaware of the circumstances, went pale with shock.
“You wouldn’t mind that, right? After all, you’re just a fake Namgoong you despised anyway.”
Hongseol went all out. Her heart pounded, yet she hoped he would acknowledge his mistake and apologize to the Grand Patriarch.
Namgoong Jong-woo gawked like a goldfish out of water.
“Then you’ll have to beg on the streets. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll get into… the Open District?”
“……”
When he didn’t respond, Hongseol worried he hadn’t understood and asked carefully,
“You know the Open District is basically a place for beggars, right?”
She was cleverly using martial arts knowledge she had recently learned from Namgoong’s techniques as part of her threat.
“……I know.”
“Good. Since you have martial talent, maybe you’ll make a place for yourself there.”
“……”
Namgoong Jong-woo bit his nails nervously, lost in thought.
“I’ll go to the Grand Patriarch then—”
“Wait!”
His hand grabbed Hongseol’s uniform. His shoulders shook with frustration.
“Ah, fine. I’ll ask for forgiveness from Grandfather, just as you said.”
At that moment, the door flung open, and a small shadow, perhaps five feet tall, leapt inside.
“Jong-woo!”
It was none other than Elder Namgoong Mu-yeong.
Having been without news of his precious grandson for some time, he had come, worried something had happened.
“You mustn’t do this, Elder!”
The guards tried to hold him back, but it was useless. Namgoong Mu-yeong was beyond reason.
“Jong-woo!”
“G-Grandfather!”
Seeing his face, Namgoong Jong-woo relaxed and ran to him, embracing him tightly.
The guards could only scratch their heads, unable to separate the two.
Namgoong Mu-yeong choked back his voice and sobbed.
“Yes, Jong-woo! It’s me, your grandfather! Has that girl harmed you in any way?”
Hongseol shivered at the sharp glance he gave her.
“S-scary grandfather.”
Yet the wrinkled hands stroking Namgoong Jong-woo’s face radiated deep love.
“I’m fine, Grandfather.”
Seeing his grandson unharmed, Namgoong Mu-yeong spoke in a hoarse voice.
“My poor child. I’m sorry. My humble origins brought you this shame…”
Tears welled in his eyes, and even his mustache trembled somberly.
Looking up at him, Namgoong Jong-woo realized the depth of his mistake and broke into tears.
“I’m sorry, Grandfather!”
“No, it’s me who should apologize…”
This apology was not coerced by threats. Though Hongseol had created the atmosphere, Namgoong Jong-woo clearly felt genuine remorse.
Watching the two embrace and cry, Hongseol rubbed her nose, feeling unexpectedly emotional.
She had won the martial contest, yet she envied Namgoong Jong-woo.
“How lucky he is, to have a family that loves him so deeply…”
She couldn’t take her eyes off them as they clung to each other for so long.
What was going on?
She had seen Namgoong Jong-woo plead to his grandfather. She thought everything was resolved.
So why…
“……Ah, hello.”
Was Elder Namgoong Mu-yeong here to see her privately?
“Could it be… he’s here to complain about the other day, when she beat up his grandson in the martial contest?”
Terrified, Hongseol rolled her eyes anxiously.
Having gained permission from Namgoong Ho, Elder Namgoong Mu-yeong inspected Hongseol silently.
After a long pause, the tea in front of them having cooled, he finally spoke.
“Truly, one never knows.”
Rising from the back alley to the position of elder with just his bare hands—he had the ability to lead people, and he was precise in judging them.
“I cannot fathom why our Jong-woo lost to a weakling like you.”
Hongseol lowered her head, intimidated. Namgoong Mu-yeong clicked his tongue sharply.
“Don’t lower your head!”
“Yes, sir!”
She straightened nervously. The stern words made her gulp.
“You, a woman, defeated my grandson. Yet, bowing so easily before anyone—do you think that preserves my grandson’s honor?”
Namgoong Mu-yeong’s love for his grandson was clearly unstoppable.
“Hmph, anyway, the reason I wished to meet you today is…”
At that, Namgoong Mu-yeong suddenly rose, bowed deeply to Hongseol, startling her.
“Uh…?”
He pressed his hands together and said,
“Thank you.”
Startled, Hongseol could not respond.
“Thanks to you, our Jong-woo learned humility. And, of course, so did I.”
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