Chapter 62
Right eye…
I was dazed for a moment. But soon, I accepted it and became calm.
‘Yeah. After taking that kind of beating.’
Hadn’t I been beaten by that man until I was on the verge of death?
No, apparently I had actually come close to dying. Honestly, even while I was being beaten, I had already prepared myself for it. I thought that if I ended up disabled somewhere after taking that kind of beating, I wouldn’t have anything to say about it.
I just hadn’t expected it to be my eye…
‘Still, isn’t it lucky that it ended with just this?’
It wasn’t as if I’d completely lost sight in both eyes.
My limbs weren’t mutilated, either. I was still alive and well.
Seeing with only one eye might feel a little strange, but I’d get used to it soon enough. Even just now, I hadn’t noticed that I’d only been using one eye to see.
The problem would be when I met Young Lady. What should I tell her about this? What would she say when she saw me?
‘She won’t complain that I’ve gotten uglier, will she?’
While I was worrying about something so pointless…
“I-I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry. If I hadn’t gone and done that, no, if I hadn’t run away…”
“Pyeonghyeon?”
“I shouldn’t have asked you to help me. I shouldn’t have dragged you into this when I knew it was dangerous. It’s all my fault. I, I acted selfishly…”
“…….”
“I was wrong. You got hurt because of me. Please forgive me… No, you probably can’t forgive me, but even if you, you hate me…!”
“Pyeonghyeon.”
I cut off Pyeonghyeon’s frightened muttering. Then I said firmly,
“What are you talking about? Selfish? You were just trying to survive.”
“No, I shouldn’t have. I shouldn’t have tried to survive…”
“Why do you keep saying things like that? Honestly, I would’ve done the same. No, if it were me, I would’ve pretended not to know who they were without even telling you about it midway.”
“…….”
“Don’t regret it. I’ve lived several times thanks to you, too. Look, you gave me medicine when my chest flared up and saved me. You told me the techniques, so I was able to fight back. And your grandmother even saved my life.”
“I, I…”
“Pyeonghyeon.”
I took Pyeonghyeon’s trembling hand. Only then did I say what I wanted to ask her.
“Are you okay?”
Pyeonghyeon drew in a breath.
She stared blankly at me. She almost seemed dazed. Before long, her large eyes filled with tears. Tears fell drop by drop.
“…Why, why would you say that? Who’s the one who got hurt? Who… Waaaah!”
In the end, Pyeonghyeon burst into tears.
Seeing her like that reminded me of how she’d sobbed and clung to me in the warehouse. If I were perfectly fine, would she have hugged me like that again?
How could someone this delicate even exist? Without realizing it, I smiled softly and said,
“I’m okay.”
I’m okay. Really, everything will be fine.
I kept telling Pyeonghyeon that. As if casting the same spell upon myself.
***
“Have you finished making a spectacle of yourself?”
After Pyeonghyeon cried for quite some time afterward.
Just as her crying had finally begun to subside, the door opened, and someone entered the room.
I raised my head and looked at her.
Her pure-white hair, completely turned gray, immediately caught my attention. Her face was covered in wrinkles and age spots, but despite her age, her back was remarkably straight, and her eyes gleamed with an intensity that made it clear she was no ordinary old woman.
‘So that’s the person…’
The old master who had blown that man’s head apart with a single palm strike.
Pyeonghyeon’s grandmother.
The moment I realized this, I immediately lowered my head and expressed my gratitude.
“I heard from Pyeonghyeon. I heard you saved my life. If it weren’t for your grace, I don’t know what would have happened… Thank you very much.”
“Pyeonghyeon?”
But instead of answering my thanks, Grandma stared at me with an inexplicable expression. Soon, however, she exchanged some sort of look with Pyeonghyeon, then abruptly pretended not to know anything and nodded.
“Well, enough of that. Who’s the one who should really be thanking the other? I heard you risked your life to protect my granddaughter?”
“Ah, well, it wasn’t quite to that extent…”
“Wasn’t to that extent? I saw you nearly get killed by that bastard. You don’t even seem to have learned martial arts, so why did you think you could fight him? You certainly have quite the stubborn spirit.”
“Haha…”
“Anyway… I should be the one thanking you. Thanks to you, I didn’t lose Hyeona. This old woman won’t forget this debt.”
Unlike her first impression, Grandma clasped both hands together and respectfully bowed at the waist. I was so startled that I hurriedly tried to return the gesture, only to end up letting out a scream instead.
Still, I couldn’t help feeling strangely proud. Suppressing the corners of my mouth that kept curling upward, I secretly thought,
‘So this must be why heroes go around doing good deeds.’
Then I should show the same level of dignity, too. Just as I was about to put on a gentle smile like a cool hero and offer some humble words…
Suddenly, Grandma straightened her back and shouted,
“But reckless is reckless!”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, if this old woman hadn’t been there, you’d have crossed over to the underworld long ago. Why would someone who doesn’t even know martial arts fight back? You should’ve just sat quietly and waited until this old woman came to rescue you!”
‘How was I supposed to know someone was coming to rescue me?’
But I couldn’t say that, so I forced a smile and said,
“Benefactor, please calm down for now…”
“What ‘Benefactor’?! Call me Eom Papa. And I haven’t even done enough to deserve your gratitude yet. Your condition is still quite bad.”
“What?”
“That damn bastard really did a number on you. There’s hardly a single part of your body that’s unharmed. It’s not just one or two broken bones; some places were even crushed. Your left hand won’t be able to exert any strength for the rest of your life!”
“Uh…”
I looked down at my left hand, which was wrapped tightly in bandages. It was the hand that had grabbed the man’s foot at the very end.
“And where did you get infected with Frost Palm, anyway? Something doesn’t add up. Someone with that kind of Ma Du should’ve already gone to the other world by now…”
“What does that mean…?”
“Anyway, that Hangdok is a problem even when treating your internal injuries. We need to remove the Hanbing Jingi that has burrowed into your meridians, but only experts of the Frost Palm know how to prepare the medicine for it.”
“Yes, yes…”
“For now, I’ve blocked your acupoints with needles and given you emergency treatment, but the Hangdok could spread again at any time. On top of that, your body is so damaged that even treating your internal injuries will be difficult. It wouldn’t be strange if you died tomorrow!”
I stared blankly at Grandma… Eom Papa, as she grew increasingly angry and shouted.
‘So basically… I’m fucked, right?’
I knew I’d been badly injured, but I never imagined it would be this bad. Was this what it felt like? Like going to the hospital thinking it was nothing serious, only to be diagnosed with cancer?
What am I supposed to do? Just as my eyes squeezed shut at the prospect of everything going dark…
“But don’t worry.”
I cautiously opened my eyes.
“Do you know who this old woman is? I’m an expert in poison… Ahem, in poisons and medicine. There are few people alive today who can compare with me.”
“Really?”
“Of course! That little Hangdok? Given enough time, I can cure it whenever I want. It’s just that it’ll be difficult here.”
Eom Papa continued her serious explanation.
“First, your physical condition is the problem. Your external injuries are bad enough, but your qi and blood are blocked, and your vital energy is weakened. So recovering your body comes first. Once you’ve had some time to recover your strength, we can treat your internal injuries.”
“Yes.”
“After treating your internal injuries, we’ll need to use medicine to remove the Hanbing Jingi… But the problem is that the ingredients needed to make the antidote are unusual and difficult to obtain.”
“Then…”
“So come with us.”
“…Excuse me?”
When I asked in surprise, Eom Papa proudly raised her chin.
“Hmph. There are very few people this old woman invites to the main family residence. You saved our Hyeona, so I’ll treat you as an honored guest. If you recuperate and receive treatment there for a long time, you should be able to make a full recovery.”
“Reeally…?”
“I’d love that!”
Pyeonghyeon, who had been beside us, suddenly jumped into the conversation.
“Unni, our main residence isn’t far from here. It isn’t particularly luxurious, but it has everything you need, so you won’t be uncomfortable staying there. And I’ll take care of you by your side until you recover…”
“Huh, you could just use a maid. Why go that far? You’re being incredibly devoted. At this rate, you’ll be saying you want to stay by her side for the rest of your life.”
“Th-that, that isn’t something you should say! Unni, don’t listen to Grandma. I just don’t want you to be uncomfortable…”
“N-no, wait a minute!”
I hurriedly cut the two of them off.
“I can’t go!”
For a moment, both of their eyes widened. They looked genuinely shocked, as though it had never once occurred to them that I might refuse.
“Why?”
“Why?”
“Is there some problem?”
“Are you worried about something?”
“This old woman will solve it, so tell me anything!”
“I-I’ll do my best to help, too, so anything…!”
“No, no, that’s not it…!”
Was this what they meant by blood relations being blood relations?
Seeing the grandmother and granddaughter speaking so similarly that they didn’t differ by even a single word made me break out in a cold sweat.
But there was something I had to say.
“I have to find my family.”
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