chapter 21
Silver hair fluttered in the wind, and piercing blue eyes.
Anyone who had seen him even once would never confuse him with anyone else.
Namgoong Jong-woo recognized him immediately as well.
“Eek! Y-you’re… Young Master Namgoong Baek?”
He tried to correct his posture belatedly, but it was too late.
Namgoong Baek’s merciless hand had already gripped Namgoong Jong-woo’s ankle tightly.
“Ugh!”
Namgoong Baek slowly knelt on one knee. Then, in a cold, chilling voice, he spoke close to Namgoong Jong-woo’s ear.
“What did you just say? That you’re a child who received the Namgoong family’s favor?”
“…….”
“How amusing. I happen to know someone like that too.”
The tense Namgoong Jong-woo swallowed hard. Seeing this, a cold smirk curved Namgoong Baek’s lips.
“I’m talking about Elder Namgoong Mu-young.”
Hearing that, Namgoong Jong-woo’s face turned bright red.
Elder Namgoong Mu-young had originally come from the slums. Though his mother’s side carried the Namgoong name, it couldn’t be verified.
By sheer luck, he had been adopted into a branch of the Namgoong family without children during his childhood. Thanks to that, he gained the Namgoong name and clawed his way up to his current position.
“How strange. Someone who has received the Namgoong family’s favor… wouldn’t they be harsher on a child in a similar situation? Even toward his own grandson?”
Terrified, Namgoong Jong-woo shrank in his chair as if glued to it.
Namgoong Baek put shoes on his feet and whispered:
“From now on, don’t treat the Namgoong family’s guests carelessly.”
A shiver ran down Namgoong Jong-woo’s spine.
Though physically Namgoong Baek was below him, it felt as if he were being watched from a great height.
The scattered hair on his forehead hid his blue eyes, which somehow made him even more terrifying.
“All done.”
Namgoong Baek brushed off imaginary dust from Namgoong Jong-woo’s shoulders and gave a cold laugh.
“Th-thank you… ugh!”
The moment he took a step back, Namgoong Jong-woo bolted out of the martial arts hall without finishing his words.
Hong Seol, who had been standing there cluelessly, cautiously approached Namgoong Baek and asked:
“What did you just say?”
But Namgoong Baek didn’t answer. He merely gazed down at her silently before turning away without a word.
“B-brother!”
At that, Namgoong Baek stopped in his tracks.
Gaining courage, Hong Seol asked softly:
“W-will you… come to watch my duel today?”
She had often imagined Namgoong Baek secretly wielding his sword during her training sessions. Today was the day she would show her results.
She hoped, even just a little, that Namgoong Baek would see her performance in person.
But Namgoong Baek turned his back, showing no interest.
“No. Why would I have a reason to watch your duel?”
His voice was calm, but the answer was indifferent.
Hong Seol stared blankly at Namgoong Baek’s departing figure.
“He left again… without even saying goodbye…”
She swallowed her disappointment.
Given that he was the grandson of Namgoong Ho and a brother of Black and Red, he should have been a good person. Why was he so indifferent?
‘Perhaps it’s because of the disease that will kill him at twenty…’
A strange ache settled in the corner of Hong Seol’s heart.
The area in front of the duel stage, covered with polished blue stone, was crowded.
Namgoong Jong-woo rounded the corner of the stage, clutching his forehead and sinking to the ground. No one dared approach him in the tense atmosphere.
He remained withdrawn, the result of what had just happened in the martial arts hall.
“From now on, don’t treat the Namgoong family’s guests carelessly.”
The look in Namgoong Baek’s eyes, as if despising him, felt like seeing a fake Namgoong!
And at that moment, his grip on Namgoong Jong-woo’s ankle had been crushing, as if to break it.
Namgoong Jong-woo hugged his shoulders with trembling arms. He might not have been able to stand on the duel stage today if things went badly.
‘Why on earth did Namgoong Baek side with that girl?’
Elder Namgoong Mu-young, standing a few steps away, lightly tapped his grandson Namgoong Jong-woo, lost in thought.
“Why are you so tense, which is uncharacteristic? Your opponent is a girl who has only trained in martial arts for two months.”
Namgoong Jong-woo lowered his head deeply, clenching his fists.
Elder Namgoong Mu-young, clearly displeased, added:
“What are you doing? As a Namgoong child, look up at the sky and straighten your chest!”
Namgoong Jong-woo’s fists trembled. The image of Namgoong Baek, who had humiliated him earlier, overlapped with his grandfather before him.
“…That Namgoong, that Namgoong.”
Suddenly, Namgoong Jong-woo lifted his head and glared.
“After all, grandfather isn’t a real Namgoong either!”
The atmosphere immediately stiffened.
Namgoong Mu-young’s face, lined with wrinkles, tightened in shame.
“You, Jong-woo…!”
Namgoong Jong-woo didn’t stop there, taking another step forward.
“That’s right! He’s a fake! He was thrown onto the streets and just got lucky to bear the Namgoong name!”
“You… how do you know that!”
“I have ears too! Did you think I wouldn’t hear the gossip?”
Namgoong Jong-woo pressed his lips shut and lowered his gaze to his toes.
‘He doesn’t even realize what humiliation I endured in front of Namgoong Baek!’
Shocked, Namgoong Mu-young grabbed his grandson’s martial uniform with trembling hands.
“J-Jong-woo!”
“Let go!”
Namgoong Jong-woo shouted and violently pushed him away.
“Father!”
“Are you alright?”
His family, who had rushed over, busied themselves tending to the shocked Namgoong Mu-young.
“I’m sorry, Father. I’ll deal with this child right now…!”
“No, leave him. You cannot unsettle a child before an important duel.”
Their gazes turned toward Namgoong Jong-woo, who stood a few steps away, turning his back.
Too nervous to flee before the duel, he nervously bit his nails.
At that time, Hong Seol was on the opposite side of the duel stage, receiving encouragement from the Namgoong family’s patriarch.
“What if I lose, Grandfather?”
“Don’t worry. Today, you will definitely win, Seol-ah.”
“But, Grandfather… I’ve never learned how to attack.”
Hong Seol tried to suppress her anxiety.
She knew Namgoong Ho cared for her, but winning without attacking seemed impossible.
Even though she didn’t know much about the martial world, she thought:
‘Perhaps today is meant to be a valuable experience.’
Then, she heard a familiar squeak.
“Chik! (My lord, good fortune in your duel!)”
Hong Seol looked toward the sound.
A small mouse waved its hand from a corner. It was Seo Han-eol, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time.
“J-just a moment… I’m nervous, so I need a sip of water…”
Hong Seol excused herself and went to a quiet corner.
She was glad to see the little mouse again.
“Mr. Chikchik! Did you come to cheer for me?”
“Chik (Yes, my lord)!”
The white mouse scratched its head sheepishly.
“Chik (I intended not to visit until I had information for my lord. But I saw something strange earlier).”
“What strange thing?”
“Chik (It concerns your opponent today, my lord)… Namgoong Jong-woo called his grandfather a ‘fake Namgoong’ and insulted him.”
Hong Seol’s expression darkened.
‘Thrown onto the streets and just lucky to get the Namgoong name… sounds a lot like me.’
She had also been abandoned by her family and nearly died, yet thanks to Namgoong Ho, she remained in the Namgoong family.
Even after returning to her position under the duel stage, Hong Seol remained silent for a while.
It seemed that Namgoong Ui-gyeol, the Grandmaster of Changcheon, thought she was quiet because she was nervous.
“Don’t be nervous. You’ve trained countless times to dodge swords. You will not get hurt.”
“Yes, understood.”
Hong Seol nodded.
Now, it was truly time to step onto the duel stage.
