Ep460 - I Became a Drunkard in a Martial Arts Novel.

Breathing was labored. It felt both joyous and melancholic. As the overwhelming emotion fueled her body with vitality, she pondered. "How long has it been...? Since I've felt my body this energized...?" It was the first time. Hearing his sincere, albeit shy, words. Contrary to her belief that he found her useless, he had unwavering faith in her. She was bewildered by how he could trust her so implicitly. And when he called her a friend, it felt as if she had been struck by a hammer. "So, it was like that...." Even if he was no longer the ‘Baek Woojin’ she knew, the time they shared wouldn't disappear. Even unknowingly, they had built memories, shared moments, and forged trust together. Enough to have someone, who tried so hard to push her away, regard her as a friend. But what about her? Had she not merely seen him as a stand-in for 'Baek Woojin' and considered helping him a duty? "So embarrassing." She felt ashamed of herself for not being able to face him honestly. The suffocating lethargy that had enveloped her began to peel away bit by bit. What filled its place was vitality. Energy surged through her, in and out, shaking her body. "Breathe in..." As she inhaled, the internal energy coursed through her body. "And out." As she exhaled, impurities accumulated in her body were purged. With each repetition, the energy within her became purer, and her body cleaner. Finally, gathering all the energy to her center, she ascended a step higher. The intense light from her opened eyes swept through the entire room. It wasn't transcendence. But she had undoubtedly reached a place not far from it. Lowering her head, Shin Yehwa flexed her fists. "I feel so powerful...." The long-forgotten sensation brushed against her once more. Her greatest skill may be the strength of her chest, but her second greatest was the fearsome physical might she inherited from her father and honed diligently. She was overflowing with herself. "Now, I can do it." The moment confidence in her ability to protect him etched into her mind. She headed straight to her room. She discarded her current clothes and put on the martial garb she had neatly folded in a closet corner. Then, she stepped out to wash her tired face with clean water. "Oh..., my daughter, you're wearing martial clothes again! How about having a spar with your father as a change of pace...?" Cutting off her father mid-sentence as they crossed paths, she spoke her own words. "Dad! I’m going back. It'll take a while, so send my regards to mom!" And then she was gone. Watching his daughter's rapidly shrinking figure disappear into a dot as she sped away, Shin Juk chuckled. "Heh, they say raising a daughter is pointless." On that day, Shin Juk, realizing a grand truth, finally reached the long-desired transcendence. A day marked as a significant blessing in the world of orthodox martial arts and as a personal melancholy for Shin Juk. * * * Unlike when he arrived, his steps felt lighter on his departure. He had apologized properly, and respected her choice. Though it was somewhat sad to see someone he vaguely considered a friend leave, what could he do? "Sigh." Letting out a small sigh, he was trudging along the mountain path when a presence he felt from afar began rushing towards him at a fierce speed. At first unfamiliar, the closer it got, the more familiar the aura became. "Is it Miss Shin?" Turning around in surprise, he saw Shin Yehwa running towards him. "Wait a moment!" She called out urgently. Stopping breathlessly in front of Baek Woojin, she spoke. "I have something to say." "What is it?" What could possibly be so important that she was panting like this, running all the way here? As he wondered, she spoke. "I..., ha, I consider you a friend too." "......." She smiled bashfully. For the first time since bidding farewell to 'Baek Woojin', she showed a wide smile. After catching her breath, she asked. "So... could you tell me? Your real name." With a gentle smile, Baek Woojin replied. "Woojin." Her eyes widened a bit at his answer. "Wha... you're also Woojin?" "That's right." "I-I see...." Not expecting they shared the same name, she nodded with a flustered expression, then spoke in a cheerful voice. "Alright, Woojin! I have a proposal for you." "A proposal?" "As a friend, I want to journey with you. So, later on, I hope you can help me too." It was a series of surprises. That she would accompany him on his journey, and that she would ask for his help. With a smile, he asked, "Alright. What do you need my help with?" "You said you'd like to see me happy again." "That I did...?" "So help me achieve that. Find out what I need to do to be happy." Baek Woojin asked, puzzled. "...And if I can't find it?" "Well, if you can't find it? Hmm...?" Shin Yehwa waved her hand with a meaningful smile. "We'll figure it out when the time comes!" For now, deal with the present. True to her character, her words and answer dissolved a weight from his heart. With a lighter heart and an even broader smile, Baek Woojin responded. "Alright, sure." "Great! Then it's a deal?" An unexpected agreement was forged. What they would ultimately discover and achieve remained to be seen. * * * It was late into the night, where darkness thickly enveloped everything. By the time Baek Woojin, with new friendship, and Shin Yehwa diligently made their way back to her former resting place, it was already the early hours when everyone was asleep. Inside the room, Yuhwa-yeon was likely sleeping soundly after intense training. To avoid waking her, Shin Yehwa carefully opened the door. But, she failed. "...You're back?" "Oh, haha, sorry, did I wake you?" With her efforts gone to waste, Shin Yehwa awkwardly smiled and apologized to the awakened Yuhwa-yeon. Hearing this, Yuhwa-yeon immediately recognized it. That Shin Yehwa had finally shed a layer of her burden. "Seems like the conversation went well." She nodded with a smile. "Yeah, I've decided to be friends with Woojin." With excitement, Shin Yehwa explained how she came to such a decision. In summary, she had unknowingly spent quite a bit of time with him. "I see..." "Yeah, losing Woojin was really painful, but honestly, I was happy. I thought there was no one left in the world who cared about me. Well, except for Miss Yuhwa." "I'm truly glad to hear that." Yuhwa-yeon responded with a soft smile. Yet, inside, she wasn't smiling. 'I'm envious.' She envied Shin Yehwa, who had regained her life force and found a friend, even in such a way. Because she hadn't formed the same bond with him, who was not 'Baek Woojin.' "So from tomorrow, I’ll train even harder. I’ll match your movements perfectly, so I look forward to it, okay?" "Hehe... I have high expectations." After conversing for a little longer. "Yawn..." Exhausted from the emotional turmoil and the journey, Shin Yehwa fell asleep. In the quietly breathing room. Left awake alone, Yuhwa-yeon gazed through a window at the sky. Countless stars adorned the black night sky. Though they appeared motionless, stars consistently moved. So did those around her. Though it seemed as if they were always in the same place, they grew and advanced day by day. Even Shin Yehwa, who had similarly seemed stuck, began to move. The only one left in the same spot was herself. "......." Her skills continued to grow quickly through sparring with Baek Woojin, but that was all. Apart from that, she hadn't grown in any way since letting go of 'Baek Woojin.' Opening the drawer beside her bed, Yuhwa-yeon found two hairpins neatly laid out. An old, worn hairpin and a beautiful one adorned with vivid red jewels. They were gifts from the same person, though outwardly alike but inwardly different. She recalled the moment she received them recently. Surprised by the sudden gift, she was equally delighted. She considered wearing the new hairpin during training one day, yet hadn't managed to do so. The old, plain hairpin was the first gift 'Baek Woojin' gave her. Replacing it with another overwhelmed her with loneliness. The acute loneliness and solitude felt as if the world had abandoned her. Unable to bear it, she continued using only the old, worn hairpin. This was likely the obsession imposed by her inability to forget him at all. She asked herself. 'Can I ever forget?' The one who had always occupied a part of her heart since her childhood when she didn't even know what love was. When would she be able to forget him? Was it even possible to forget? Her unrelenting search for an answer, coupled with the throbbing pain, deepened as the night wore on. Author's Note This episode concludes here! I apologize for the inconvenience, but I will need to take tomorrow to review the overall storyline for the next episode. I'll take a day to organize the story, and then resume the serialization the following day. I kindly ask for your understanding, dear readers. I look forward to meeting you in the next installment. Thank you always for reading. Have a restful night. (_ _)