Chapter 13
Yeo-il closed her eyes, remembering how the second son had greeted her – gentle, but not pushy.
'Didn't they say he was the most well-liked of the three brothers?'
Unlike his two brothers, who were martial arts prodigies, Namgung Chu-myeong was said to have almost no natural talent for martial arts.
The Namgung family placed a huge emphasis on martial arts, so she'd heard he was pretty much ignored growing up.
But he had such a great personality, and he got along so well with his brothers, that he eventually earned his place as a true Namgung heir.
And now, with the young lord, Namgung Jeok-myeong, being a total laughingstock, the family pretty much saw Chu-myeong as their only hope.
Yeo-il quietly rose from her seat and slowly bowed her head in the direction of the voice.
"I know you're busy, Chu-myeong. I really appreciate you taking the time to come see me."
"Haha. You're so grown-up, Soyo. But you're so formal; it's like we don't even know each other. How about loosening up a bit?"
"I'll try my best."
Chang-a served the tea and slipped out. Namgung Chu-myeong, settling into the chair across from her, asked carefully...
"So... I heard Jeok-myeong, your older brother, called you to Giyeon-ru yesterday. Was that awkward?"
"Yeah."
"Hmm. Bad question. Of course, it wouldn't have been comfortable for you."
"I'm okay."
She shook her head with a small smile, and he let out a long sigh.
"What is he thinking...? I was shocked he'd call you there when you're still recovering. What did you guys talk about?"
"Well..." Yeo-il trailed off, and Namgung Chu-myeong gave a bitter laugh.
"Too hard to talk about? That's okay. Don't feel like you have to tell me. I was just worried."
Yeo-il quietly bowed her head without a proper answer.
'He didn't come because of the rumors about me, but because of Namgung Jeok-myeong.'
His concern for his messed-up brother was stronger than any weird rumors about Namgung Soyo.
When everyone was giving Namgung Chu-myeong a hard time, Namgung Jeok-myeong must have really had his back.
"Is it hard to deal with Jeok-myeong? Have you heard what everyone's saying about him?"
As Yeo-il's head lowered further, trying to burrow into the floor, Namgung Chu-myeong took a sip of tea and let out a second sigh.
"No need to pretend. I'm sure you've heard it all within the family. But... Soyo, he's not some useless loser. He's just... got some issues. After Father got sicker, something really changed in him. He was always so close to Father."
"I see."
As she replied and coughed lightly, Namgung Chu-myeong, sensing that the topic had become too heavy, quickly changed the subject.
"I heard you've met the third son, Hee-myeong, a couple of times."
Hearing those words, it became clear.
Namgung Chu-myeong was a man with many eyes and ears.
'Since he said 'a few times'... he must have spies in Namgung Hee-myeong's place.'
They were supposed to be close, but it didn't seem like they totally trusted each other. But, considering it was Namgung Hee-myeong, that made sense.
"Yeah, he's been really nice. He comes by pretty often to hang out."
"What? Hee-myeong? Seriously?" Chu-myeong was shocked, and he burst out laughing, slapping the table.
"Haha! That's wild! He's not one to warm up to strangers. Maybe blood really is thicker than water."
"That's a bit much."
"A bit much? Hee-myeong's kind of rough around the edges, right? But he used to be a pretty quiet kid, a few years back. When his older brother started going off the rails, the youngest got dragged into it. He's got a good heart, but his actions..."
Namgung Chu-myeong's voice trailed off, and then a third sigh was heard.
"I don't know why we keep getting into all this. I'm so embarrassed to have brought you into this mess of a family... Cough, cough."
His dry cough, which started lightly, continued for quite a while.
"Sorry, cough, cough... I've been so busy lately, not getting enough sleep, so my body's..."
"Don't say that. Chang-a!" Yeo-il called to Chang-a, who'd rushed over. "Get some warm licorice tea, quickly."
"Ah, yes. I will bring it right away."
Namgung Chu-myeong stood up, went to the window, and cleared his throat.
Yeo-il heard him and carefully opened her eyes, looking at his back.
At first, it was intended to briefly remember his appearance, but unexpectedly, Yeo-il's gaze lingered on Namgung Chu-myeong for a long time.
Right up until he got himself together and turned back around.
"That's better." Namgung Chu-myeong, having caught his breath, sat back down, but Yeo-il remained silent, eyes closed.
'That just now... I didn't see it wrong.'
The mark faintly visible on the back of Namgung Chu-myeong's neck.
That mark was definitely...
"Soyo-ya? Surely you haven't fallen asleep already?"
She needed time to organize her thoughts because of what she had unexpectedly encountered. Just for a moment.
"...No. I was just... thinking about something."
"Thinking about what? What's bothering you? You can tell your big brother."
"About yesterday... at Giyeon-ru."
She could feel Namgung Chu-myeong holding his breath and listening intently.
"Namgung Jeok-myeong thought I was an assassin, disguised as Namgung Soyo."
"...Assassin?"
"Yeah, an assassin. He specifically mentioned the 'Salmak'."
She explained how she'd proven him wrong, and Namgung Chu-myeong's voice became rough.
"Huh! That's ridiculous!"
Namgung Chu-myeong, quite surprised, stood up from his seat and burst into repeated, hollow laughter.
"I'm... I'm so sorry, Soyo. I'm so ashamed. Haa. How could he do something like that..."
"It's alright. Of course, I was very surprised, though."
Yeo-il coughed lightly and continued in a calm tone.
"But... I could tell he was really worried about the family's safety. I guess the rumors about him being a total screw-up aren't true, like you said."
Afterward, she subtly let the words slip out with an innocent expression.
"He said the Family Head was attacked by Salmak and his health got really bad, and because of my situation, he naturally became suspicious. I was shocked. How could someone once called the Sword King..."
Sword King Namgung Je.
Yeo-il also knew the name well.
A person who made a name for himself in the Righteous-Demonic War 18 years ago, and inherited the lofty title of Sword King of an era, who protected the righteous faction.
His reputation was still highly regarded, even in later generations.
"Father..." Namgung Chu-myeong started to say something, then stopped.
"He's really not doing well. I get where my brother's coming from, but... I'm so sorry again. I'm really sorry you had to go through that, Soyo."
So he still can't reveal it easily.
Yeo-il shook her head with a gentle smile.
"No, really, I'm fine. Since he accused me when I didn't do anything, Jeok-myeong promised to look into my mother's past. That's enough for me."
"Your mother? Ah, right. You were separated when you were young, so you must be curious."
"Indeed..."
"Don't worry, Soyo. I'll do everything I can to help find her. It might take a while, but we'll find her."
"Really? That's... Thank you so much, Chu-myeong. Thank you!"
She kept bowing, thanking him, and Namgung Chu-myeong pulled her up, saying they were family and she didn't need to be so formal.
"Okay, I'm going to head out. I'll come by again soon, so take care of yourself, Soyo. If anything happens, come find me, okay? Promise?"
After Namgung Chu-myeong left the room.
"Seol-yeong."
Yeo-il quietly called Seol-yeong.
"Yes."
And warned.
"Stay away from Namgung Chu-myeong, no matter what. And the other brothers, too. Tell Chang-a."
"Namgung Chu-myeong? The second one? He seemed like the most normal one out of the three. What's wrong?"
"A problem? You bet there is."
Yeo-il recalled the small, subtle mark left on the back of Namgung Chu-myeong's neck, a mark that would never be seen unless an experienced person looked closely while holding their breath.
The trace of skin peeling off over time.
"He's wearing a human mask."
"...Huh?"
"Not figuratively. A real human mask. He's a fake. He acts so naturally; the real Namgung Chu-myeong must have been dead for a while.”
