Chapter 5
Fortunately, Dad’s name wasn’t Penguin or Pengsu—it was Pengbaek. Compared to Pengi and Pengdori, that was perfectly normal.
Wait… is “fortunate” really the right word?
Why was it that Mom and Dad were named Jo So-hee and Pengbaek, yet their children ended up being Pengi and Pengdori?
This is child abuse!
Even if I named myself!
Still, I didn’t voice any complaints about my name. Jo So-hee was far too elated for that.
“The wound… will need a few more days of care. I wish I could tend to you properly for a full two months, but with Hebuk just ahead, returning to our main residence seems the right course.”
At the same time, she seemed to carry immense guilt over my injury.
Understandably so. She had spent ten years searching for her daughter—or perhaps not her daughter—and almost killed me because she didn’t recognize me under the mask.
“…I will make sure nothing like this ever happens again. If, by some mistake, I had killed you that day, I would have slit my own stomach immediately.”
“Please, don’t do that.”
I panicked and stopped her.
Laser beams are probably coming out of her eyes.
Her gaze was half-crazed, though I doubted she intended to harm me. No, she wasn’t even trying to harm me—she seemed ready to slice through every fly buzzing around her, and perhaps even stab herself in the process.
Ah, and I also learned about the story tied to Yeonga and Geumga.
“It’s true that Yeonga and Geumga never got along, but the jade ring you tried to steal isn’t some Geumga heirloom—it’s an egg of ‘Godu.’”
“Godu?”
I instantly stiffened and asked again.
“What’s Godu?”
The only kind of “solitude” I knew was the English word solitude, and there’s no way it could mean that… right?
Hmm. I feel like I’ve heard of it somewhere… but since I skipped through the story in the game, my memory was vague.
“…I thought you realized the seriousness since you stiffened up.”
Jo So-hee’s face froze for a moment, but she quickly returned to her usual motherly giddy expression.
“Well, perhaps it’s better you don’t know. Godu is a venomous insect that, once inside a human body, causes fatal injuries. Once it’s inside, survival is highly unlikely. Any sane martial artist would remove it immediately upon discovery.”
“But it didn’t look like an insect at all.”
“That’s because it hasn’t hatched yet.”
She furrowed her brow.
“In any case, anyone using Godu is hardly sane—they usually belong to either the Dark Sect or the Blood Sect. This time, Yeonga took you in temporarily only to search for this Godu egg.”
“So Geumga lied to me.”
“Not that Yeonga told me the full truth easily either.”
From that, I could roughly piece together the sequence of events.
The Godu egg belonged to no one.
In other words, both families lied to the martial artist they hired.
Yet one thing puzzled me.
“Why would two local clans risk dealing with something called Godu? By your description, it’s insanely dangerous, even for the user themselves.”
“Why else? Both clans were, to some extent, already involved with the Blood Sect.”
Jo So-hee affirmed confidently.
“I’ve handled that matter myself, so you don’t need to worry. Just take a few more days to rest properly.”
“Ah, yes.”
As I rolled my eyes in reply, Jo So-hee suddenly hugged my head.
“How did my little one grow so beautifully without me watching over you? I deeply regret not seeing each stage of your growth, but now I hope you can live safely in the warmth of your family.”
“Is that so…? Although I have wanderlust, so that might be difficult…”
“Don’t worry. You’re no longer a small child, and keeping such a talented daughter forever confined would be unworthy of a mother.”
“Thank you…?”
I was still bewildered by her overflowing affection.
The unconditional, waterfall-like love was almost too much.
After a day of acting tough against troublemakers on the street, now lying around treated like a baby bird—it was dizzying.
Still, I couldn’t betray the mother who had waited ten years to reunite with her child—or fake child, in my case.
So, I spent several more days resting in that mysterious room.
For ordinary people, being stabbed in the stomach in this era without proper medical care would be fatal—but martial artists, especially top-level masters, healed far faster than normal.
Seven days and nights passed.
Once I could move, I stood up. Jo So-hee fidgeted nervously at my sudden mobility.
“Isn’t walking still difficult? This won’t do. I’ll carry you instead.”
“What? But… I’m already grown, and you’re my mother.”
“Even so, it’s fine.”
After several small struggles, I was carried.
Wow… what am I doing?
Carried by someone who must be in her fifties, yet her face looked like a college student in her early twenties.
This is… awkward.
By age, I was clinging to an elder; by appearance, a young college girl.
Fidgeting slightly, I asked nervously.
“Am I… uncomfortable for you?”
“…No! Not at all!”
Yet seeing her soaked-puppy expression, I couldn’t bring myself to say, “You’re uncomfortable.” Even jokingly, it felt impossible.
Weighing my own discomfort against hers, I chose the former. Most would do the same, unless unusually bold.
And… it’s surprisingly comfortable.
Humans are adaptable creatures.
Within moments, I adjusted to Jo So-hee’s secure embrace. She moved deftly, climbing over rooftops with ease, yet I felt no motion.
Ah, I also discovered where I had been staying.
That luxurious bed had been in a detached annex of Yeonga’s main residence.
The absence of anyone around suggested Jo So-hee had eliminated all of Yeonga’s relatives.
Probably the same for Geumga.
…Is this really acceptable for the righteous sect?
Even if the Dark Sect mocked the righteous for hypocrisy, this was still the righteous sect, wasn’t it?
In the game, I lived as Sochunma, so I don’t know the righteous standards.
Still, thanks to Jo So-hee’s “cleaning up,” I didn’t have to apologize for the failed mission—the client was dead.
“Now that I think of it, you’ve been on a sick diet for a week. Once we cross Taiwon, there aren’t cities this large, so let’s eat at the inn.”
“Even though two powerful families just died, we can relax here?”
Jo So-hee chuckled.
“Who would say otherwise? Since they allied with the Blood Sect, they’re marked for elimination by the martial alliance. The authorities can’t intervene, and the alliance would probably approve if they knew.”
“It’s complicated.”
“No need to overthink. I’d like to rent the fourth floor of this inn. Is there space?”
Still carrying me, Jo So-hee entered the largest, most extravagant inn in Taiwon.
Jeomsoi, unaware of Jo So-hee’s identity, looked awkward.
“Sorry, the fourth floor isn’t open to the public.”
“Oh? Then who occupies it?”
“Mostly Geumga and Yeonga members, but technically—”
“This inn belongs to the Yeonga family.”
Behind Jeomsoi, a young gentleman appeared, about my age—a handsome boy with a promising future.
Even the women nearby blushed at his presence.
Tall, nearly six feet, he could look down on Jo So-hee. The boy spoke politely.
“Of course, the door is open to the sword master. I will guide you.”
“Oh… Master Eon! This is…!”
Jeomsoi’s face turned pale upon seeing him, realizing a mistake.
Eon Gongja didn’t scold him. Jo So-hee glanced at him teasingly.
“You must be Mu-hyeok. You’ve grown a lot since I last saw you.”
“Yes… but how long have you been in Shanxi, Sword Master?”
“Shanxi? Just nearby. A little visit doesn’t require a grand reason.”
Jo So-hee followed him up the stairs, maintaining a measured demeanor.
Eon Mu-hyeok and I made eye contact. Pressured by the presence of a high-level master, he desperately tried to ignore me.
“Before we go, we should visit the Yeonga patriarch. I have something to convey—please ask him to stop by the inn.”
“Ah, wouldn’t it be better to visit Yeonga directly? My father would be delighted.”
“Delighted? It’s only been twenty years since he beat me and hung me on the Shanxi city gates.”
Curious, I interjected.
“Hung on the city gates?”
“When I challenged him to a duel in my youth, he was so confident he decreed that the loser must obey the winner absolutely for one day. I won, and he obediently accepted the humiliation, hanging me on the gates.”
“Oh.”
The story grew even more intriguing.
Ahem.
Eon Mu-hyeok cleared his throat, glancing at my shining eyes. He seemed anxious to divert attention from his father’s embarrassment.
“Master… the young lady you’re holding—who is she? It seems… inappropriate for her to be held this way.”
“Oh, I haven’t introduced her yet.”
Jo So-hee opened the room door grandly.
“She’s my daughter.”
“Eh?”
Eon Mu-hyeok choked and coughed, utterly flustered.
