Chapter 14
I too felt helpless and disheartened that there was nothing I could do when seeing such conditions. Though all the people occasionally visible were dressed in worn and dirty clothes, what struck me more painfully was the terrible despair etched on their faces.
Poverty and the poor—though I knew they existed, this was my first time facing them directly. It was completely different from reading about them in text, vaguely imagining and pitying them. Was reality really this brutal…
Yun-seo swallowed his sigh before it could escape and pulled on the reins when he spotted a very small building on one side of the road.
“Is that…?”
“A shrine.”
The building, with walls made of stacked stones and a roof of broken tiles, looked crude but seemed to be the best-maintained structure in the area. Stone pagodas were piled here and there around the shrine, and inside sat a wooden statue carved in the shape of a dragon and an altar table.
It appeared they had built the shrine to perform rain rituals and pray regularly due to the prolonged drought. When Yun-seo hesitated in front of the shrine, Hwi asked:
“Do you want to offer a prayer?”
It was highly unlikely that rain would fall after all this time just because one person prayed. Nevertheless, Yun-seo nodded, dismounted, and entered the shrine.
The wooden dragon statue was quite intricate. Standing before it, he was suddenly reminded that he was Yeong Chunhwa, a fugitive on the run.
Is the Dragon God watching me? If so, he probably doesn’t look upon me kindly.
Hiding a bitter smile, Yun-seo bowed, knelt down, and prayed to the Dragon God. Please send rain, he prayed, so those children won’t suffer anymore. And… please show mercy.
After finishing his brief prayer, Yun-seo stood up, stared blankly at the dragon statue for a moment, then turned around.
As he was leaving the shrine, a young man happened to approach. Thinking he might be coming to pray, Yun-seo stepped aside, but the young man bumped against Yun-seo’s shoulder as he passed.
The road is wide enough… Yun-seo couldn’t even finish his thought before quickly raising his hand to his waist.
Gone.
The money pouch tied at his waist was missing. As he helplessly patted himself down, he turned his head sharply to see the young man already running away in the distance.
“Hey you!”
Yun-seo hurriedly chased after the man. That was all his money. Though he had valuables in his bundle, none were particularly precious, and they would leave traces if exchanged for money, so he had planned to use them after reaching Araksa.
He had believed keeping travel money on his body was safest and had tied it securely, yet he couldn’t believe how easily it had been stolen. Yun-seo ran as fast as his feet would carry him, but the young man had already disappeared nimbly beyond an alley.
“Ah, ah, the horse, the horse…!”
He had stupidly left the horse behind and intended to catch someone on foot. Yun-seo quickly stopped and tried to turn back, but his feet got tangled, and he fell forward.
“Ah…”
The moment his knees and palms hit the dirt ground, a deep sense of frustration settled over him. Even if he chased after the thief now, he wouldn’t catch him. Though the village was small, it was situated on a mountainside, and once the young man climbed the mountain, that would be the end. If he was a local, he would eventually return, so perhaps waiting would suffice, but Yun-seo didn’t have that kind of time.
It was money saved through writing copies until late at night until his fingertips became swollen. Sometimes he felt disheartened as the coins accumulated one by one, wondering what use it all was, but mostly he held hope for what he could do with the money and made plans for his future.
And now, so stupidly, so foolishly… He detested himself terribly. He couldn’t blame anyone else.
Just as a teardrop fell onto the dry ground, leaving a round mark, a pair of large hands came under his armpits and lifted him up with ease.
As Yun-seo hastily composed himself and wiped his nose, Hwi knelt on one knee, lowered his body, and dusted off Yun-seo’s pants, which were covered in dirt.
When Yun-seo stepped back in confusion, Hwi stood up and placed his hand on Yun-seo’s head.
“Wait here.”
Then he brushed past Yun-seo. Slowly pondering the words Hwi had left behind, Yun-seo composed his wet cheeks and turned around.
“It’s alright…”
But there was no one on the road behind him.
Yun-seo looked around with wide eyes, but there was no trace of Hwi. He couldn’t understand how he had disappeared so quickly. After hesitating, he collected himself and stood beside the horse to protect what remained.
Had he gone to catch that person? Though Yun-seo knew Hwi was skilled in martial arts, how would he know where the young man went…? He felt sorry for wasting time unnecessarily because of himself. Though Hwi had said there was no need to hurry.
It seemed best to let go of the matter. Even if he couldn’t recover the money, he shouldn’t dwell on it but shake it off. Very kindly, Hwi was covering their travel expenses until they reached their destination. He could sell his valuables for the ferry fare, and with his body intact, what couldn’t he do once he reached Araksa? It would only delay his settlement a little.
As he was gathering his thoughts, he heard someone approaching. Yun-seo turned his head with a somewhat lighter expression, only to be shocked at the sight of Hwi dragging the young man by the scruff of his neck.
Less than a quarter-hour had passed. How he had managed to catch the man and return in such a short time was unbelievable even though he was seeing it with his own eyes.
Hwi pushed the young man in front of Yun-seo, almost throwing him down.
“Spare me, please spare me! I’ll return the money. I’m so sorry!”
The young man placed Yun-seo’s stolen pouch before him and bowed repeatedly. Seeing him up close, Yun-seo guessed he was barely twenty, around his own age.
“My younger brother, my brother is starving, so I had no choice but to steal. Please show mercy just this once, my lords…!”
Wondering what kind of threat had made the young man beg so desperately, Yun-seo glanced at Hwi, but he merely watched the young man with a composed face as if nothing had happened.
Yun-seo opened the pouch to check its contents. Fortunately, nothing was missing, and a sigh of relief escaped him automatically.
“It’s fine.”
Relieved, tears welled up again. Pushing down his choked feeling, Yun-seo took out three coins and placed them in the young man’s palm.
“I’m sorry I can’t give you more…”
Though Yun-seo’s expression clouded, the young man, upon confirming the money in his hand, was greatly moved and repeatedly expressed his gratitude. It wasn’t something deserving of such thanks, and Yun-seo’s face grew hot. When he waved his hand dismissively, the young man, taking it as a sign to leave, quickly got up and hurriedly departed.
Yun-seo tightened the string of his pouch securely. As he was contemplating how to store it to prevent another such incident, Hwi approached.
“Why did you give him money instead?”
It was a reasonable question from Hwi, who had captured the thief only to see Yun-seo give money to him. Yun-seo hesitated, then shrugged.
“Just because I felt sorry for him. How desperate must his situation be for him to decide to steal someone’s money?”
“This kind of charity doesn’t always bring good results.”
“…I don’t know about that. But first, shouldn’t we fill an empty stomach?”
“At this rate, you’ll squander all your wealth on the journey.”
Under Hwi’s steady gaze, Yun-seo’s lips trembled as he looked back once more.
The food and fruit placed on the altar remained untouched. When hungry, one would naturally reach for food in front of them, yet all these people were earnestly praying for rain.
“In truth, I didn’t do it out of pure kindness. It’s selfishness… hoping that if I show a small kindness, it will return to me someday.”
Yeong Chunhwa had been taught to pity the people and protect them from hellish conditions. Yet here he was, running away from them. Solely for his own well-being. So his actions were a laughable deception, merely an attempt to wash away a small part of his guilt.
“That’s usually called providence.”
Hwi murmured softly and mounted his horse with ease.
If this feeling wasn’t selfishness but providence, had Hwi ever felt it too? Yun-seo looked at Hwi with a subdued expression as he sat straight-backed, stroking the horse’s mane, then mounted his own horse.
Once they left this area, perhaps he could help resolve their hardships by sending a letter through Hwi. Even knowing he was neither in a position nor had the qualification to do anything, leaving like this left a debt in his heart.
Only after they had just left the village could he focus solely on looking ahead without casting sidelong glances.
As he sighed lightly, trying to calm his still turbulent mind, a cold droplet fell on his eyelid. Yun-seo frowned and tilted his head back. At the same moment, raindrops pattered down on his cheeks.
“Huh…?”
Gray clouds were gathering in the bright sunny sky. The droplets, falling one by one, soon became streams, pouring down with a refreshing sound.
Whoosh…
Yun-seo stared blankly at the sky, then turned his head at the cheers coming from behind. The villagers had come out to the roadside, embracing each other with gratitude as they stood in the rain. After watching them dumbfounded, Yun-seo soon turned to Hwi with a bright smile.
“It’s raining!”
