The Ignored Granddaughter of a Murim Family - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 48
“….”
I should have immediately denied it, but I was so startled that I found myself hesitating without meaning to.
I set down the medicine bowl beside me and spoke.
“…A human life is precious, after all.”
“My life isn’t precious.”
I looked at Yalyu again, genuinely taken aback.
Yalyu’s face was calm, as if he were simply stating a fact. As I stared at him quietly, I gestured for him to come closer. Yalyu looked puzzled but obediently approached. And then I flicked him on the forehead without hesitation.
“…!”
Yalyu flinched in surprise and stepped back.
“I’m not trying to take credit for saving you, but are you really going to spout such nonsense in front of someone who nearly died?”
“No, I was…!”
“Now I’m irritated just hearing you talk. Come here. Take one more hit.”
I was exasperated that he actually came obediently when I called him over again.
“You’re really coming? Fine.”
Without protest, I flicked him on the forehead once more.
“You’re giving me a headache. I can’t eat because of you. I’ll eat later.”
“….”
I pushed the medicine bowl to the side and settled down to lie. In that moment, I’d acted out of anger, but my heart was racing.
It should be fine, right? Surely this won’t kill him? Though, did I have a reason for killing him before?
I still had no idea why Yalyu had killed me.
‘But he was thinking such things.’
The face blinking rapidly in apparent confusion was completely different from the Yalyu I remembered.
Sleep wouldn’t come, but I lay there pretending to sleep, even closing my eyes. After remaining quiet for a while, Yalyu seemed to be doing something with rustling sounds… but after that, I remembered nothing.
So I had fallen asleep. I only realized I’d drifted off after opening my eyes.
‘Wow, I actually fell asleep in front of Yalyu?’
I wasn’t sure whether to be exasperated or amazed at how carefree my mind had become. Then I heard a commotion from outside.
“Are you going to keep this up? Get out of here right now!”
That noise had woken me. As I stirred and tried to get up, someone supported me. Since Father had always cared for me this way, I rose habitually, but when I saw who was helping me, I was startled.
“Yalyu?”
Yalyu tilted his head slightly as if asking what was wrong.
“You’ve been here the whole time?”
“Yes.”
“Ah…. You don’t need to stay by my side from now on.”
“Shim Bu-gwan said he’d look after you.”
“Oh, is that so?”
I cried out internally.
‘Shim Bu-gwan!’
Yalyu lowered his eyes and spoke quietly.
“I’ll stay without being intrusive.”
“….”
Yalyu brought water and rolled up the bamboo mat before leaving the chamber.
“This fool, seriously… can’t you do it? How many times must I say no!”
Outside, the commotion continued unabated.
‘What is all this noise?’
Already unsettled, the persistent clamor gnawed at my attention.
I turned to Yalyu, who had returned with the medicine bowl.
“What’s happening?”
Yalyu tilted his head as if questioning what I meant.
“Outside. It’s so loud.”
“Outside? I don’t know.”
He had just gone out and returned—how could he not know?
Yalyu offered me the steaming medicine bowl. I accepted it, set it down, and put on my shoes.
“You’re going out?”
“Yes.”
Yalyu naturally supported my arm. Rather than bother with protests, I accepted his assistance and stepped outside.
The moment I emerged, I saw the disturbance.
“How could we trust you? We’ve already overlooked your suspicious nature, and now you presume beyond your station…!”
“Enough, enough. There’s no reasoning with you. Just drive her out.”
A man who appeared to be a warrior of the Namgung Clan seized the child by the scruff of her neck and attempted to drag her away.
‘That’s So Nok, isn’t it? What is she doing here?’
Shim Bu-gwan appeared from somewhere and rebuked them in a low voice.
“What is this commotion!”
“My apologies. I shall remove her at once.”
In that moment, So Nok, looking in my direction, pointed.
I was startled, thinking she was pointing at me, but upon closer inspection, she was gesturing toward Yalyu beside me. So Nok seemed desperate to communicate something, her gestures wild and frantic, yet their meaning eluded me.
I turned to Yalyu and asked.
“She seems to be trying to tell you something. Do you understand what she’s saying?”
“No.”
In that moment, So Nok broke free from the inattentive warrior’s grip and rushed toward me.
“No!”
Before she could reach me, Shim Bu-gwan’s blade cut across her path. The warrior who followed immediately after caught So Nok around the waist.
So Nok thrashed like a fish torn from water, struggling violently.
“Look what happens when you keep trying! Will you stay still!”
I addressed the warrior.
“Wait.”
I gently lowered the scabbard blocking my path with my hand. At Shim Bu-gwan’s gesture, the warrior set So Nok down.
So Nok stood and rushed forward….
“!”
She embraced me tightly.
* * *
I headed toward the backyard with So Nok.
Since we had rented an entire farmhouse, one corner of the backyard was piled high with harvested grain, and the chickens that spotted us clucked in alarm as they fled alongside their chicks.
In the fading light, the adult chickens maintained their distinct forms, but the chicks resembled little baseballs rolling about—utterly endearing.
I stopped at an appropriate distance and spoke.
“Would you… let go?”
Only then did So Nok release her grip around my waist, though she kept her sleeve firmly clenched in her fist. I glanced to my side.
“You wait somewhere else for now.”
It was Yalyu who had supported me throughout our journey here. With downcast eyes, he spoke reluctantly.
“…Call me when you’re finished.”
“All right.”
Once I confirmed Yalyu had moved away, I spoke to So Nok.
“You weren’t searching for me, were you? You were looking for Man Shin-ui.”
So Nok’s eyes widened as she shook her head vigorously from side to side.
“You weren’t? But you were wandering around knowing that Man Shin-ui’s Meditation Chamber was nearby, weren’t you?”
The child clearly knew that location was the entrance to Man Shin-ui’s secret Meditation Chamber.
This time, So Nok nodded her head eagerly.
‘Then what was the denial about?’
Well, that wasn’t particularly important anyway.
In any case, though Man Shin-ui hadn’t spoken directly—or rather, there simply hadn’t been time—I could tell he had been concerned for So Nok before his passing.
“So Nok. That’s your name, isn’t it?”
So Nok’s eyes widened before she hurriedly nodded.
After gazing at the ground for a moment, I opened my mouth.
“Man Shin-ui has passed away.”
“!”
Since Man Shin-ui had no family, So Nok was the closest thing he had to a relative. For that reason, I felt obligated to inform her of his death. I explained Man Shin-ui’s final moments to her in words that were as gentle as I could manage.
When I finished speaking, I could feel So Nok weeping silently beyond the veil, unable to produce proper sounds. I simply patted her shoulder quietly.
After a warrior from the Namgung Clan came to fetch me and turned back roughly three times, So Nok finally managed to stop crying. Having sat down beside her to comfort her, I brushed the dust from my clothes as I stood.
“Take this.”
I withdrew a heavy pouch from my sleeve and handed it to her. It was a money pouch containing gold and silver coins.
“Then I should be going now.”
Yalyu approached as if he had been waiting. He had come with the Namgung Clan warrior when they arrived to fetch me and had remained standing at one side of the courtyard.
I patted the hand So Nok used to grasp me and gently pried it away.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already heard that I asked the village people to look after you.”
When I mentioned to Shim Bu-gwan that I hoped there would be someone to care for So Nok, he said he had already found an appropriate person.
“And I’ll return and speak with Father so that we can help you find a good adoptive parent.”
But So Nok, clinging to my hand like a spider’s web, shook her head frantically.
“Hmm, why? Is the money not enough?”
So Nok shook her head even more vigorously before suddenly prostrating herself. Startled, I took a step back, but then she wrapped her arms around my feet.
“What—what are you doing? No, let go of that.”
I tried to pull my foot away, but she had such a strong grip that I couldn’t budge an inch. Yalyu, who had been watching, grabbed So Nok’s shoulder and shoved her hard.
But she refused to let go of me, and I nearly fell over as well—we both startled in alarm.
“You….”
Yalyu muttered something low, and in his anger, he seized So Nok by the collar and lifted her off the ground.
‘What kind of strength does he have….’
Shocked for a moment, I quickly grabbed Yalyu’s arm at the sound of her choking.
“Yalyu! What are you doing!”
“She was about to knock you over.”
“Even so, let her go right now!”
At my shout, Yalyu released his grip with a slightly startled expression. I heard the dull thud of So Nok collapsing to the floor.
Yalyu glanced at my face and spoke.
“I’m sorry.”
Did he even understand what he’d done wrong?
It was painfully obvious he was just apologizing reflexively. I had seen many children like this during my years as a vagrant on the streets—children exposed to violence from childhood, for whom it had become natural and familiar.
‘I’ll talk to Yalyu about this later.’
I helped So Nok to her feet, supporting her weight.
After coughing several times, So Nok clung tightly to me again.
I pondered for a moment before asking.
“Don’t tell me you want to come with me?”
I hardened my expression as I watched So Nok nod vigorously.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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