“Namyong Rye doesn’t often talk about his own story, but when he does, there are things that naturally come up. One of them is his friendship with Danmokbi.

‘You seem to know a lot about Danmokbi.’

How is it that he seems closer to Danmokbi than I, who spent our childhood together? I bit my lip for a moment, hesitated, and cautiously brought up the courage.

“Excuse me, Namyong Sojo. Can I ask you one thing?”

“What is it?”

“How did you get to know the young master?”

More than the specific occasion they met, I was curious about how close they were. In response to my question, Namyong Rye answered with a refreshing tone.

“I just happened to meet him in Shinsan! Like encountering a wild beast by chance!”

“What?”

A wild beast? Is he metaphorically comparing Danmokbi to a wild beast? Perplexed, I blinked my eyes, and Namyong Rye, with a sunny smile, continued.

“So, I learned a life lesson. When a wild beast makes a fierce sound, you should run away, and you shouldn’t go looking for the source of the sound.”

“…Was the young master chopping wood or something?”

“Oh my, you have a good sense of humor.”

“…”

It was a genuine question. The only thing that came to mind that would make Danmokbi, in the mountains, make such a loud noise, was chopping wood.

Namyong Rye laughed heartily as if my words were genuinely amusing, clapping his hands, he said.

“Danmokbi-nim agreed to help me with my work. In return, I decided to help Danmokbi-nim with his work. We’re in a cooperative relationship, not emotionally attached.”

“Can I ask what kind of work it is?”

“Well…”

What kind of work could they join forces for? As I tilted my head, Namyong Rye tapped his chin, hesitated, and then smiled brightly.

“You’ll know soon. It’s almost done now.”

I was really curious, but it seemed that Namyong Rye wouldn’t answer any further. I nodded my head in agreement.

Right at that moment, Namyong Rye, with twinkling eyes, suddenly looked at me.

“But by any chance, are you jealous?”

“What? Me?”

Why is the direction of the question suddenly towards me? Bewildered, as I blinked my eyes, Namyong Rye, with a mischievous smile, poked my arm.

“If you suddenly became concerned, it must be because of jealousy! Perhaps it looks too friendly between me and the young master!”

“Ugh.”

Caught off guard. Even if I denied it, it seemed that I would only appear more pathetic, so I obediently nodded.

“…Actually, it was a bit like that. I felt there were memories between the two that I didn’t know.”

I chose to leave for a while because I wanted to become a person who fits well by Danmokbi’s side. However, during that time, it felt somehow empty to think that there were memories of Danmokbi that I didn’t know.

Unlike my somewhat sentimental self, Namyong Rye spoke in a straightforward tone.

“Memories with a stench of blood may be memories, but you don’t need to worry about Jegal Sojo. They are not pleasant memories.”
The more Namyong Rye talked like that, the more curious I became, whether I admitted it or not.

‘Calling memories with a stench of blood… Did they fight or something?’

Before I could think further, Namyong Rye spun around without giving me a chance to respond. Then, with cheerful steps, he bounced up and down as he spoke.

“Hehe, then I should go tell Danmokbi-nim! He’ll be delighted to hear that Jegal Sojo is jealous!”

What is he talking about! I grabbed onto Namyong Rye’s arm with both hands.

“Woah! No! Stop it!”

“Why? He’ll really like it. Trust me.”

“Namyong Sojo!!”

I didn’t want to reveal the fact that I was jealous.

It was when Namyong Rye and I were fooling around like this. At that moment, the most unpleasant voice rang out from behind.

“What on earth is all this noise?”

The person wearing a navy-blue cloak adorned with elaborate golden embroidery was none other than Danmoksoo.

“I greet the lord.”

After the greeting, I furrowed my brows.

‘What is that? Black Dragon?’

I thought there was no pattern where there wasn’t any golden embroidery, but to my surprise, a long, snake-like figure was embroidered with black thread.

‘A dragon can’t be embroidered by just anyone.’

The reason for engraving something that could potentially be a problem seemed strange. Perhaps it was to flaunt that he was the lord of Danmoksega.

Pointing at Namyong Rye with his chin, Danmoksoo, who had been giving me a displeased look, said,

“Anyway, why does Namyong Sojo keep lingering around Danmoksega? There should be no reason for Namyong Sojo to stay.”

He just happened to follow me. When I was about to explain that part, it happened. Smirking, Danmoksoo blatantly gave me a wicked smile.

“Hmm, that kid is quite something. Planning to live with both of these women? I wonder who is the concubine and who is the legal wife. It’s interesting.”

“…”

Is that the extent of his thinking? I snapped. Looking at me with sharp eyes, Danmoksoo sneered and said,

“Even though I don’t understand why these three women of the Jegal family are hanging around that kid, it’s better to just turn around and leave. That kid will soon…”