MUC 19

Chapter 19

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A sharp pain pierced the crown of his head, leaving Dokgo Ryung momentarily dazed.

But with Eun Sowol crying so sorrowfully, he couldn’t bring himself to scold her.

He didn’t even raise his voice—he just let her pull on his hair as much as she wanted.

With a tear-streaked, runny-nosed face, Sowol shouted at him.

“You said I was annoying!”

Ryung’s hand twitched.

“You said you hate snotty kids!”

“……”

“You said mean things and left! So why’d you come back?! Why are you here?!”

Face a mess, Sowol sniffled and shouted. Dokgo Ryung couldn’t find the words.

Then her sadness burst out again.

“Waaaaaah!”

His heart throbbed.

He had pushed her away harshly when they parted, thinking that was the only way she’d adapt to the clan and move on.

He’d planned to be the villain if it meant she’d survive here—but seeing her cry tore at his chest.

“Hicc… You’re gonna leave me again, aren’t you?!”

Sowol hiccupped so hard it looked like she’d choke. Ryung instinctively replied:

“I won’t.”

Still gripping his hair, Sowol sobbed.

“Hic… You won’t what…?”

“That is…”

When he hesitated, her eyes brimmed again.

“See! You’re gonna leave me again!”

She let go of his hair and punched his shoulder.

Of course, her little fists didn’t hurt at all.

“Just go away! I don’t want to see you again, you jerk! Go!”

He sat still, dumbfounded, as she hit him.

Emotions surged in Sowol again.

“Say you’re sorry!”

“…What?”

“Tell me you’re sorry! Apologize and promise you won’t leave me again… and I’ll forgive you!”

The moment he heard her words, it felt like he’d been struck.

And at last, he understood why he’d drowned himself in drink, why he hadn’t been able to leave Namchang, why he came back to the girl he’d driven away with cruel words.

Somehow… she became a part of my life.

They say you don’t notice someone’s presence—but you feel their absence.

In less than twenty days, she had quietly soaked into his life like a steady drizzle.

He lifted his head and looked into her large, tearful eyes.

He instantly knew what she wanted.

“…I’m sorry.”

The words spilled out on their own—but nothing had ever sounded more sincere.

Sowol threw her arms around his neck with all her might.

“…I forgive you.”

His shoulder grew damp, but he didn’t mind at all.

“If you come with me, life won’t be easy… I don’t stay in one place. We’ll be camping most nights.”

“That’s okay. I have you.”

“You could live comfortably here, eat well. You’d have everything. Are you really okay with leaving?”

“…There’s no one here on my side.”

Her quiet voice trembled in his ear, making his fingers shake.

“They all hate me. Even if I’m full and warm, I’m all alone.”

He flinched at how much it mirrored his own childhood.

“I like being with you. Camping’s hard, but it was fun.”

She looked up at him and met his eyes.

“I won’t whine. I won’t bother you. So can’t I come with you?”

“…Yeah. Let’s go together.”

A grin broke across her face.

“Hehe…”

Another teardrop fell, but this time she smiled through it.

Dokgo Ryung gave a helpless chuckle and used his sleeve to wipe her tear-and-snot-covered face. She giggled like a fool.

“Ehehe.”

“If you laugh after crying, hair will grow on your butt.”

“That’s fine. I’m cute anyway.”

“…Where do you learn this stuff?”

“From Mommy! She said I’m the prettiest girl in the world!”

Seeing her act like her old mischievous self, Ryung felt a little more at ease.

As he held her, he suddenly noticed something.

“Hey, kiddo.”

“Mm?”

“Did you always run this hot? You feel kind of warm.”

“Ah…”

She remembered she’d been sick the day before and hesitated.

“It’s nothing. Kids are supposed to have higher body temps.”

“…You sure?”

“Yup! Let’s hurry and get out of here! I don’t want to stay here any lon—”

“What’s all this ruckus?!”

A shout rang out behind them, and Sowol flinched.

It was Ryu Hee-rang and Dokgo Haeryang, drawn by the noise.

They froze when they saw Ryung, then looked around and gasped.

“Wi-pyeong!”

Ryu Hee-rang rushed to her precious grandson.

Wi-pyeong was sprawled on the ground, clutching his broken wooden sword.

As soon as he saw her, his face twisted and he began to bawl.

“Waaah! Grandmaaa!”

Hee-rang panicked and embraced him tightly. Wi-chan also burst into tears, making the whole pavilion erupt in chaos.

“Oh my baby. What happened? Who bullied you?”

“H-he did! Hic! That man…!”

With his speech slurred by sobbing, it was hard to understand. But Hee-rang spotted the red swelling on his forehead.

“Oh my god! Who did this to my precious boy?!”

A red line ran from the bridge of his nose to the top of his head—it looked like someone had struck him.

“Who did this to you?! Hm?!”

“That man did it!”

Wi-chan pointed at Dokgo Ryung, who was holding Sowol.

“He broke my brother’s sword too!”

“Are you saying that man suddenly attacked you?”

Haeryang, who’d been observing, asked doubtfully.

Wi-chan’s face twitched as if trying to hide something but then raised his voice again.

“Y-yeah! He did!”

Looking around suspiciously, Haeryang muttered to himself.

“How did you even get in here? I made sure no one could enter.”

The boys flinched. They had threatened the servants into letting them sneak in.

Haeryang glanced at their snapped sword and muttered again.

“Administrator! What are you trying to say? Are you implying my children started this?!”

Ryu Hee-rang’s shrill voice snapped him back to attention.

“That wasn’t my intention. But… I just find it strange that they’re here instead of studying or training…”

“Is the infirmary this girl’s private property?! Maybe they got hurt and came here! There’s nowhere in the Dokgo Clan off-limits to the children!”

Hee-rang’s voice sharpened dangerously, and Haeryang wisely shut his mouth.

“That’s not the point right now.”

She hugged Wi-pyeong, face full of venom.

“Dokgo Ryung. Why are you here?”

Even while sitting, her gaze looked down on him arrogantly.

No servant would even dare to look like that—but for her, it was second nature.

“You swore you’d never set foot here again. And now…”

She glanced at Sowol in his arms and sneered.

“What’s this? Didn’t you dump the girl here because she annoyed you?”

Sowol hoped he’d snap back at her, like when he’d dealt with gatekeepers or lowlifes—but strangely, he said nothing.

“Don’t tell me you’re using this girl as an excuse to sneak back into the family. She’s Hwayoung’s child, so fine. But you—what right do you have to come back?”

Only then did Sowol notice the faint flicker of fear in Ryung’s eyes.

He looked like he’d frozen up—and she saw a trace of a child who had once been bullied by this very family.

And she was right.

Looking at Ryu Hee-rang, Ryung saw a memory come back vividly.

“Shameless, aren’t you?”

That voice again.

In the memory, a younger Hee-rang stood above a small boy, who was bowing repeatedly, cheeks swollen from slaps, mumbling endless apologies.

Naturally, that boy was young Dokgo Ryung.