When the boy regained consciousness, he was being carried on Myojeong's back.
"You're awake?"
Myojeong was climbing a mountain path, carrying the boy as they left the magistrate's office. The boy, still groggy, looked around in confusion. He remembered being slapped by the magistrate and feeling an overwhelming rage, but everything after that was a blur.
"Myojeong, where are we going now?"
"Home, of course. Where else?"
"That magistrate slapped me."
"Yes, and I half-killed him for it."
The boy said nothing. This had happened a few times before... He loosened his grip around Myojeong's neck and gently touched his forehead.
"..."
Just like the times before, his fingers came away stained with blood.
"Don't lie. You begged again, didn't you?"
Myojeong responded with a silent smile.
"Why don't you just kill them? Why beg to those weak, ordinary people? You're so much stronger, and they're the ones in the wrong in the first place. Why do you always..?"
The boy's voice trembled with frustration, and he felt tears threatening to spill.
"Then at least tell me what I did. I can't remember anything."
"What did my disciple do? You stripped off all your clothes and danced a bizarre jig, you know?"
"Don't joke around. I'm not asking for laughs."
Myojeong, who had been chuckling, finally replied quietly after a long pause.
"In time, it will get better... One day, everything will be normal again."
I must have lost control again, hurting people and breaking things in a fit of rage.
"Myojeong."
"Yes?"
"Sorry."
Myojeong gently shook his head.
"It's not your fault."
Feeling sorry for the humiliation Myojeong had endured because of him, the boy's eyes filled with tears. Without making a sound, he soaked his shoulder. In response, Myojeong hoisted him up a little higher on his back and silently continued up the mountain path. The boy thought to himself, I really am a burden to Myojeong.
***
The next morning, when Myojeong woke up,
"Gyeom-ah, where are you going so early?"
The boy was packing his things, and Myojeong asked him.
"..."
The boy didn't answer. Once he finished packing, he slung his bundle over his shoulder. Then, he carefully folded and handed over the black long robe he had been painstakingly repairing for days.
"Huh? This is..."
The missing garment was right in front of Myojeong's eyes. He stared wide-eyed.
"The tie that was slashed from before. I sewed it back together."
The boy added in a shy, self-conscious voice, his gaze cast downward.
"I'm leaving now. Myojeong, you don't have to live your life caring for me anymore."
With a scar still on his forehead, Myojeong's eyes widened.
"What?"
"Go get married, have kids, and live a good life. Thank you for everything. You were always treated like a single father with a child because of me. I've grown enough now, so I'll find my own way to live."
Finally, Myojeong's expression turned strange.
"I'm truly dumbfounded."
For the past few days, the boy had been acting overly cautious, keeping to himself, and wearing a gloomy face. Myojeong had wondered what was going on, and now he knew. He burst out laughing.
"You brat. I'm not capable of getting married."
"...What? Why?"
The boy, who had been frowning, looked up slightly.
"Ah, well..."
Myojeong hesitated, then fell silent. The boy, still looking downcast, muttered,
"Is there a problem? Or are you unable to perform..."
"..."
This impudent little brat...
Myojeong let out a disbelieving chuckle, completely at a loss for words.
"Anyway, 'll never get married, just so you know. So, my foolish disciple, don't think of anything ridiculous and just serve this master for the rest of your life."
He sat cross-legged with a playful grin. The boy looked up, startled.
"I'll be taken care of like a precious gem by my dear disciple for the rest of my life. And when the time comes, 'll leave this world riding the funeral bier you carry. When I grow old and my back hunches, you'll have to carry me around. Don't you dare abandon me then, alright?"
Myojeong spread the robe wide and, with a bright smile, said, "It's a lovely leaf."
"On the day I leave this world, I'll wear this into my grave."
The boy clenched his fists tightly.
"..."
He thought he had cried all his tears yesterday, but they came again. Silently, the boy wiped his eyes with his sleeve. Myojeong had just said that they'd live together until death. I belong here!
The boy's heart overflowed with fulfillment.
See, Myojeong won't abandon me. He plans to live with me forever.
In that moment, the boy felt completely happy, with nothing more to wish for.
***
Trapped in memories of the past, the boy, who had found his place felt happiness each day.
The boy had already spent several days with Myojeong. Every trivial moment brought him joy. As usual, they ate their meal together and walked side by side up the mountain path for training.
The boy thought, I wish everyday could be like today.
Sometimes, there are days like that—days when everything feels perfect. The sky was blue, the sunlight was warm, and a cool breeze was blowing from afar. The boy hummed a tune, occasionally teasing Myojeong, as they walked happily.
"Ouch."
Suddenly, one of his ears hurt terribly. The boy grimaced and clutched his ear. Myojeong, who had been smiling faintly, blinked in confusion.
"Gyeom-ah, what's wrong?"
"My.. my ear hurts."
The boy lowered his head, grimacing.
"Are you alright?"
A strange sense of unease began to wrap around his entire body.
His head started throbbing. Then, out of nowhere, something leaped out from behind a large tree. Startled, both the boy and Myojeong flinched and took a step back, thinking it might be a wild animal.
"My lord."
But to their surprise, it was not a beast but a short child who blocked their way. The child looked at them with bright eyes. Calling Myojeong "my lord" suggested they might know each other, so the boy asked Myojeong,
"Do you know this kid?"
"No, this is my first time..."
However, Myojeong shook his head. At that moment, the child approached them with a bright smile.
"My lord, where are you going?"
The child, standing close, looked up at the boy with innocent eyes.
The boy was bewildered. The child wasn't referring to Myojeong as
"my lord" but rather the boy himself.
...What? Why is he calling me "my lord"?
"Who are you?"
The child stood on tiptoes and smiled brightly.
"It's me! It's me!"
"So, who are you?"
The boy snapped, annoyed
"You gave me my name, my lord!"
The child squirmed, looking shy, and giggled.
I gave him a name...?
The boy stared at the child in confusion. No matter how much he looked, the face was unfamiliar. But looking closely, something about it felt faintly familiar, as if he should remember...
So what was his name again...?
Frowning, the boy eventually spoke hesitantly,
"Me... san... Mesan?"
The child's face lit up like the full moon.
'Yes! That's right, my lord! I'm Mesan!"
The child jumped up and down in delight, clapping his hands.
"Don't you remember? When we first met, I said, 'I am a great being!
A being as high as Mount Tai!' And you laughed and said, Mount Tai? As if! As high as Mount Tai? You can't be higher than the sky!
You tiny little thing, you're just Mesan. That's how I became Mesan."
The child chattered on, then suddenly hugged the boy's waist and rubbed his face against him. The boy, dazed, looked down at the child in surprise.
"My lord, my lord, will you be coming home late again today?"
The confused boy, caught off guard, mumbled a reply.
"Huh? Uh, oh..."
"When you come home tonight, can I show you how I play Gonggi?"
"Uh... sure..."
Nodding without thinking, the boy watched as the child beamed with joy.
"Okay! Then I'll wait with Jeongju!"
The child, looking excited, dashed off somewhere and disappeared in an instant. The boy stood there, staring blankly in the direction the child had run off.
"..."
What was that? The boy stood there with a puzzled expression, then turned to look at Myojeong. He also seemed unsure of what had just happened
"Gyeom-ah, let's go."
Without a word, the boy started walking again, following Myojeong.
After only a few steps, he stopped abruptly. A strange sense of unease had been lingering over him, like a shadow, since earlier.
The boy glanced in the direction where the child had disappeared, then suddenly turned around.
"Gyeom-ah, where are you going? The path is this way."
Myojeong, puzzled, grabbed the boy's wrist as he was about to walk off in the opposite direction.
"Myojeong, I... I'm going... I'm going home..."
Myojeong stared at the boy in confusion.
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?"
The boy blinked and gently shook off Myojeong's hand.
"I need to... I need to go home..."
"Hmm? Did you forget something?"
"Huh? No, I... uh... not really, but, well... it's just that...'
"..."
The boy, rolling his eyes in thought, suddenly winced and pressed his hand to his forehead. His head suddenly felt like it was splitting apart. Bowing his head, the boy began to ramble.
"Well... when I left home, I didn't tell Jeongju and Mesani anything..."
He clumsily strung together the confused words that floated around in his head.
"I- If I just disappear without a word... they'll definitely worry..."
Myojeong, who had been silently watching the boy, finally let out a small sigh and asked,
"Gyeom-ah. What are you talking about?"
Uh? Wait a minute...
The boy's expression, while holding his forehead, slowly began to harden.
Come to think of it, Jeongju and Mesan... I met them after Myojeong left me...
The boy slowly lifted his head. Finally, his eyes met Myojeong's.
"..."
Suddenly, he broke out into a cold sweat. His head spun wildly, and his breathing became labored. Staggering, the boy took a step back from Myojeong. Painful memories began to swirl in his mind, disorienting him. The boy clutched his forehead and groaned.
Realizing something was wrong, Myojeong immediately bent down toward him.
"Gyeom-ah, are you alright? What's wrong?"
Myojeong asked worriedly as the boy's expression drastically changed. But the boy remained silent. In response, Myojeong quickly knelt down on one knee to meet the boy at eye level, gently grabbing his shoulders.
"Where does it hurt? Can you walk?"
Only then did the boy struggle to move his lips.
"Don't... touch me..."
"What did you say? I couldn't hear you."
The boy, staggering in confusion, shook off Myojeong's hand.
"Gyeom-ah, why..?"
Just as he reached out to place a hand on the boy's shoulder again—
"Let go—!!"
Startled by the sudden shout, Myojeong froze, eyes widening. The boy grabbed his ears and collapsed to the ground, screaming with his eyes tightly shut.
"You abandoned me!! You betrayed me—!!!"
Gasping in shock at his own words, the boy's eyes widened.