chapter 33
I went down below the arena in a daze.
In front of Mu-wol and Young Master Yuun—who were speaking with the tournament officials—I saw Young Master Yuhan making a fuss.
“Brother, please let me see your wound.”
“Stop overreacting. It’s just a shallow cut.”
Although the tournament existed to determine who was stronger, a sparring match was still just that—sparring. Inflicting serious injury on your opponent was strictly forbidden. I’d heard that if someone caused severe damage—enough to cripple a body part—they’d be disqualified on the spot and heavily punished.
‘There’s no way Mu-wol would break the rules.’
What did they take him for? I shot Yuhan a glare again before calling out,
“Mu-wol!”
“Sojin.”
Madam Su gestured for me to go ahead. I bowed slightly and walked over to him.
‘Usually, this is when people run up and hug…’
But for us, that was still too soon. Maybe later.
I approached him as usual and chattered excitedly,
“Congratulations, Mu-wol. You were amazing—truly. I’ve never felt more frustrated about being an ordinary person than I did today.”
I grabbed both his hands tightly.
“I didn’t want to miss a single moment of your movements, but I was so—!”
Ah, I almost apologized again.
I smoothly changed my words.
“—so incredibly regretful that I couldn’t.”
Good. That sounded natural.
This is why I can’t let my guard down around Mu-wol.
“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“My wrist stings a little, but I’m fine.”
“Let me see. We should find a good apothecary right away—”
Before I could finish, Mu-wol suddenly pulled me toward him.
Startled, I heard a dignified voice.
“Yuun.”
The Namgung Patriarch had arrived.
We immediately showed our respect.
“My wife, you were here as well?”
“…Yes, somehow.”
“Yuun, come here.”
“Yes.”
The Patriarch stood with his hands behind his back, looking down at Yuun.
“You know what I’m about to say.”
“…This is all because I was lacking.”
“No. You are not lacking.”
His sharp gaze shifted to Mu-wol.
“No matter how often you pull them out, weeds continue to grow.”
‘…That glare looks exactly like Yuhan’s.’
So Yuhan really did take after him.
I subtly moved closer to Mu-wol.
‘Maybe living in Anhui really isn’t a good idea… I was too naive.’
As I blamed myself, the silent Yuun spoke up.
“That’s true. But I want to learn from that.”
My eyes widened.
“Rather than a fragile flower in a greenhouse, I must grow into a resilient weed if I’m to properly inherit Father’s legacy.”
“…Hmm.”
The Patriarch stroked his chin.
Instinctively, I felt that he was pleased with Yuun.
‘They really must’ve been close before, just like Mu-wol.’
A sigh of relief escaped me.
Yuun, having lightened the mood, turned to Mu-wol.
“Mu-wol, though it frustrates me, you’ve defeated me again.”
“You fought excellently as well.”
“Will you spar with me again in the future?”
“As many times as you wish.”
Mu-wol answered cheerfully.
“I’ll be living here from now on, after all.”
“What?!”
Yuhan reflexively blurted out before quickly shutting his mouth.
But no one scolded him.
Everyone was too stunned.
I, too, was confused.
‘You’re dropping that bomb right now?’
At a time when hostility was at its peak?
Once again, Mu-wol defied my expectations.
But the shock didn’t end there.
“What… do you mean? You’ll be living here?”
“Yes. Just as I said.”
“….”
To me, it felt like pouring oil on a burning fire.
But the Patriarch’s reaction wasn’t much different from before. He still looked displeased with Mu-wol—but he didn’t grow angrier or show open hostility.
“Have you already forgotten what kind of place this is?”
“No. If it were anywhere else, perhaps—but I could never forget what Anhui is like. You were the one who personally taught me how good it is to live here, Patriarch.”
“….”
“And I do not wish for my wife to leave this place because of me.”
The moment he said that, someone let out an involuntary sigh.
“Oh my, how sweet.”
Startled, I looked around.
At some point, tournament officials had gathered around us. Even spectators in the distance were trying to sneak glances.
I quickly stepped in to support him.
“To be honest, one of the reasons I hesitated about marriage was because I didn’t want to leave this place. But thankfully, Mu-wol understood me.”
“…Is that so?”
The Patriarch glanced at the onlookers before speaking to me.
“Then I suppose I’ll be seeing you often from now on.”
My face brightened instantly.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“What is there to thank me for? It’s only natural for someone born and raised in Anhui to continue living here. Though… there is a bit of an attachment now. Still, everyone will think the same as I do.”
His words carried a deeper meaning:
“It’s only natural for her to live here, so don’t any of you dare cause trouble.”
I couldn’t help but admire his thoughtfulness—he had even blocked any potential harassment before it could begin.
The Patriarch valued the people of Anhui far more than I had imagined.
“Seems like his relationship with Mu-wol isn’t that bad after all.”
“As expected of the Patriarch—truly broad-minded.”
Of course, it was also about maintaining appearances.
I looked up at Mu-wol.
Standing confidently before the Patriarch, he looked incredibly reliable.
‘Yeah… we’ll be fine living here.’
Mu-wol wasn’t the type to just endure mistreatment—and he had reassured me multiple times already.
‘If he says he’s fine, I shouldn’t keep making a fuss.’
Please, just get yourself together. If I worry about Mu-wol one more time, I’m not human—meow.
Right as I was making a promise I clearly wouldn’t keep—
“Sojin!”
A cheerful voice called out.
I quickly turned my head.
My friends were waving at me.
My face lit up.
“Guys!”
They were probably too intimidated by the Namgung family to come closer.
I immediately ran over.
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“It’s fine.”
Ok-ran handed me a bouquet of pure white flowers tied with a red ribbon.
It was the surprise gift I had prepared for Mu-wol.
The moment they passed it to me, my friends turned around without hesitation.
“We’ll get going now.”
“Yeah, head to the inn first. Jinhyuk oppa should be waiting.”
“Eek, let’s hurry!”
Nanhyang dragged the others away in a flash.
Do they like Jinhyuk that much?
Smiling warmly at her retreating figure, I hid the bouquet behind my back.
“Mu-wol.”
“Yes?”
“This….”
I carefully held out the flowers.
“It’s nothing much, but please accept it.”
“…This is.”
“It’s a gift to celebrate you safely finishing the tournament.”
Mu-wol stared blankly at the bouquet in my hands before speaking.
“This is the first time I’ve received flowers as a gift.”
“I’m honored to be the first.”
Thankfully, he didn’t seem uncomfortable.
In this world, it wasn’t common for a woman to give flowers to a man—so I had been a little worried.
“Do you like it that much?”
“Yes.”
Mu-wol gazed at the flowers for a long time, then glanced sideways at Yuhan.
A soft smile appeared on his face.
“Sojin.”
He took a single flower from the bouquet and placed it in my hand.
Huh?
Why give me a flower all of a sudden?
As I stood there confused, he whispered—
“It’s hard to tell which one is the flower when you’re holding it.”
“Ah—what is that?! You can say things like that too?!”
I laughed, lightly hitting his shoulder.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yuhan turn away, covering his mouth—clearly feeling sick again.
“Thank you so much, Mu-wol.”
“I should be the one thanking you for such a beautiful gift.”
And just like that, I managed to get my revenge on Yuhan once again.
Ah… giving him flowers was truly a brilliant move.
