Danmokjang thought to himself. He believed he had been broken for a long time.

“Since the time when my father’s expectations began to fade away.”

He endured a life in Sinsan, enduring cold winters with thin clothes and eating nothing but a diet of herbs to purify his body because of the expectations placed upon him by his father.

“This is something my father urges me to do out of love. So, I must obediently follow my father’s words.”

He thought that if he quietly endured everything, the expectations would continue forever.

However, one day, those expectations suddenly disappeared.

[Dash] “Compared to your younger brother, you’re trash. Why did I have expectations for you? If I had placed my expectations on Bi-ah from the beginning, I wouldn’t have to bother scrutinizing Bi-ah’s every move.”

His father’s words were cold. The demands placed on Danmokjang also increased day by day.

[Dash] “You should at least do something like this. You’re useless for anything other than menial tasks.”

[Dash] “Damn it, Bi-ah can come up with such tricks. Still, I won’t disappear like this. I’ll get revenge.”

[Dash] “Naturally, you’ll follow me, won’t you?”

If he had left Danmokso and followed Danmokbi at that time, this miserable situation would not have happened. However, Danmokjang followed Danmokso because he didn’t know any other way to live. There was no one reaching out to him.

“No, there was one person.”

In Danmokjang’s mind, a cute girl with a round bun came to mind.

Yeon, no, now she was Jegal Yeon.

“The only person who reached out to me without any hidden agenda.”

If she were by his side, he felt he could live with a little more confidence.

But she held hands with another man. Unfortunately, that man was also Danmokbi, a presence that took away all of his expectations.

“Why did it have to be Bi-ah, my younger brother.”

He didn’t want to hate Danmokbi. He knew that she was also a pitiful person being controlled by Danmokso.

But as everything was constantly taken away from him like this, he couldn’t help but feel resentment.

“Why did she choose Bi-ah.”

Feeling the pain of such thoughts, he spat out to Jegal Yeon.

[Dash] “Or perhaps, would you like to become my person, Soldier?”

And the moment he heard those words and saw Jegal Yeon’s distorted face, he immediately realized the answer. She was clearly in distress.

Being in distress meant that her heart’s direction had already been decided.

“I want to leave. Before I deepen my resentment towards both of them.”

It was at that moment when Danmokjang was contemplating this. Danmokso forcefully opened the door. Although he showed a grim face every day, today, for some reason, he was smiling brightly.

“Chang-ah, there’s one thing you can do for your father as a son!”

“…….?”

Danmokjang stared at Danmokso with dry eyes.
You shouldn’t follow him. It wasn’t just Jegal Yeon who said that; Danmokjang himself had now come to realize it.

That man doesn’t love him. He just needs a puppet to wield according to his desires.

“……Yes.”

But what can you do? There’s no one else who wants him, after all.

Danmokjang closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about anything.

Anyway, Danmokjang disappeared from Danmoksega. Danmokbi had his subordinates investigate what happened that day, but it seemed to yield little result.

In the meantime, it had been over a week since Jegalmin stayed in Danmoksega. Jegalmin had already packed his belongings and told me:

“Let’s go back to Sega slowly. Grandfather must be waiting.”

“Ah, that’s right.”

They probably prepared to handle Mother’s body and make funeral arrangements in Sega. As the host, I couldn’t afford to miss out on that responsibility.

“I don’t want to part so soon like this.”

Being kidnapped by Hyeongjoong and spending time with Danmokbi, in reality, didn’t take much time.

“Food is the best when your head is complicated.”

When your head is complicated, move your body! Fortunately, Danmoksega had a kitchen familiar to me.

I asked the chief to get me five high-quality mackerels. When I arrived at Danmoksega, I had him sprinkle salt on them and let them dry for a week.

To grill them, I lit charcoal and placed a wire mesh over it. Baekho came over, trotting lightly, and sat down at my feet.

[Dash] Tsk tsk, anyway, you always take the troublesome path.

Even though I clicked my tongue, his face was so adorable, like a cotton ball. I wanted to hug him, rub my face against his cheek, but I had rolled up my sleeves and touched the fish. I couldn’t do that. I widened my eyes and asked:

“Baekho-nim, where were you?”

Baekho licked his front paws while snorting.

[Dash] I told you I’d be gone for a while because I didn’t want to see that guy. Didn’t I say I’m not that guy…….

Again, that sound. I chuckled and placed the mackerel on the charcoal. With the sizzling sound and the unique smell of grilled fish, a pleasant aroma spread.

[Dash] Ooooh!