CHAPTER 59…………………………………..
I’ll Teach You Something Good (4)
“Woooow.”
Seeing a giant tree fall with just a human punch, Pyeongha’s mouth dropped wide open.
Of course, when he was younger, he had witnessed things far more amazing than this, but he didn’t remember them.
“Uncle, you’re amazing! Really!”
“Well, it’s nothing that great. Back in the day, there were plenty of people who could do this much.”
“Really? Plenty?”
“Well… maybe not that many… ahem. Anyway, what you need to know, Pyeongha, is that it’s absolutely possible for a human hand to smash a tree. Depending on one’s training, even a house-sized boulder can be shattered.”
“Woooow, even a boulder?”
“Of course.”
Gwangpae, satisfied at the look of awe on Pyeongha’s face, suddenly spoke in a more serious tone.
“All tools humans use are just things that make the work of these hands a little easier. What’s important isn’t what tool your opponent has, but how well you can control your own hands.”
“Uh… I don’t really get what you mean…”
“Yeah, it’ll be hard to understand now. But you don’t really need to. It’s not like you’re going to become a martial artist anyway. There’s only one thing you need to remember.”
“What is it?”
“When two things collide head-on, the weaker one always gets hurt.”
Saying this, Gwangpae looked down at Pyeongha’s right hand.
“Whether you did it knowingly or by instinct, choosing to smash the wooden club instead of blocking it was the right call. Otherwise, you would’ve been the one hurt.”
“Uh… but, Uncle.”
“Hmm?”
“…How did you know I got hurt fighting against that club?”
“…What?”
Pyeongha blinked at him curiously, and Gwangpae froze for a moment, flustered. He hesitated, unsure what to say. Then, swallowing dryly, he suddenly burst into loud laughter.
“Bwahahahaha! Hah hah hah!”
“Eh? Uncle, why are you laughing?”
“Because you said something funny! Do you think there’s anything about you I wouldn’t know?”
“Oh…! Is that it?”
“Of course! Your uncle always knows what you’re doing and where you are!”
“Woooow! Really?”
Beaming brightly at Gwangpae’s booming voice, Pyeongha smiled happily.
A moment later, still smiling bashfully, Pyeongha asked quietly:
“Then… does that mean I’m always with you, Uncle?”
“Hm? Well… you could say that.”
“…That’s a relief.”
“Hm?”
“When I want to see you, it’s hard… but if you’re always watching me, then I feel at ease.”
“Ahem… what nonsense, kid.”
Hearing that, Gwangpae felt a strange ache tug at his chest and rubbed his nose. Then, straightening his face with unusual determination, he got into a stance.
“Anyway, focus now. You know I hate losing, right? Next time you run into punks like that, make sure you win for sure.”
“Huh? But I did win.”
“You got hurt and won! Winning while hurt still counts, but… no. Against guys like that, you’re not allowed to get hurt at all. You’re only allowed to get injured if the opponent at least has the character ‘king’ (王) in his name, got it?”
“Okay! I won’t get hurt unless it’s against a king!”
“Heh, at least you answer with spirit. But to make that true, you’ve got to get stronger. Strong enough to at least protect your own body. So what I’m about to teach you—you must remember it, and practice in secret for at least two hours every day. Got it?”
“Got it! But… why in secret?”
“Uh, because… I’m only teaching this to you. I wasn’t going to teach it to anyone, but if the other uncles or your nanny found out I taught you, they’d be upset.”
“Oh…! That makes sense…”
“Good. Then follow me. This is the basic stance.”
“Like this?”
“Bend your knees more. And don’t just imitate the appearance. The most important thing is balance. And when you throw a punch, the key is how you shift your weight.”
“Like this?”
Whoosh!
As Pyeongha thrust his fist forward, it sliced the air with a sharp sound.
Gwangpae, as though expecting it, smirked and nodded.
“Not bad. But not good enough either. You have to throw it with the determination to destroy everything in one strike. Faster. Cleaner.”
“Like this?”
Whooosh!
“Oh-ho, that one was pretty good. Do it again.”
“Okay!”
Whooosh!
Tap.
At that exact moment, as Pyeongha’s fist shot out, Gwangpae touched his cheek with one finger.
“Huh?”
“See that? If you attack without thinking, you leave yourself open. What should you do then?”
“…Just let myself get hit?”
“No. If you get hit in the middle of attacking, it could be fatal. If you’re quick enough, dodge. But if you can’t, then do this.”
Gwangpae leaned forward and mimed a headbutt.
“Hit with my head?”
“Not ‘get hit with your head.’ Think of it as striking with your head. A fist doesn’t carry full power unless it lands exactly right. So if you can’t dodge, go forward and take it with your head instead, then immediately counterattack. That’ll usually decide the fight right there.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“It doesn’t? Then at that point…”
Pyeongha’s eyes sparkled as he peppered him with more questions, and Gwangpae eagerly answered each one, demonstrating as he went.
What began as serious instruction soon became filled with smiles and laughter, and the two of them continued like that until the sun had completely set.
Time flew by, and before anyone realized, half a month had passed since Pyeongha had stopped going to the village school.
In that time, his daily schedule had been packed.
- In the mornings after breakfast until lunch, he learned how to wield weapons from Heukpyo.
- After lunch, he studied stealth and movement techniques from Baekryeong.
- And just before dinner, he trained in martial arts and real combat drills with Gwangpae.
He was basically training in martial arts all day, with a schedule busier than most professional fighters. Yet Pyeongha never once complained.
On the contrary, he seemed to think he was just playing with his uncles. Even on tough, grueling training days, he never lost his smile.
By now, even the feared Black Heaven Four Monsters had fallen in love with teaching him. The only problem was… their time with him had been far too short.
“Starting tomorrow, I’m sending Pyeongha back to school.”
“What?!”
“Already?”
“You mean starting tomorrow?”
At dinner, Yeonha’s calm declaration made Heukpyo, Baekryeong, and Gwangpae all jump up in protest.
Blinking in confusion at their reaction, Yeonha tilted her head.
“Why? Pyeongha’s right hand is healed, and he’s rested enough. It’s time he met his friends again and continued his studies.”
“W-wait… his right hand is already healed?”
“H-his friends… he can meet them in the forest too…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to let him rest another half a month? Learning to read isn’t urgent…”
“What?”
Yeonha narrowed her eyes, suspicious of their babbling.
“Seokdu doesn’t seem worried… but the three of you—are you hiding something?”
“H-hiding? Us?”
“…!”
“W-what nonsense are you saying? Just send him back to school tomorrow!”
“…You all seem very suspicious.”
The three avoided her gaze desperately. Meanwhile, Seokdu gently stroked Pyeongha’s head as the boy ate.
“Pyeongha, aren’t you glad? You can see your friends again starting tomorrow.”
“Yeah! I love my friends! But…”
“But?”
“…Nothing.”
“Hm?”
At Seokdu’s question, Pyeongha trailed off and hung his head low. He seemed awfully disappointed. Seokdu and Yeonha exchanged puzzled looks as they glanced between him and the sulky Black Heaven Four Monsters.
Though Pyeongha had felt a little sad the night before, by morning he was cheerful again. Excited to see his friends, he skipped along lightly on the way to school.
When he arrived, his classmates welcomed him like a hero.
“Wow! It’s Pyeongha!”
“Pyeongha, it’s been so long!”
“How have you been? Is your injury okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. How about you guys?”
“We’re fine too.”
“Our punches aren’t as strong as yours, but we can take hits pretty well.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’ve been beaten plenty while studying too, haha.”
While Teacher Cheon briefly stepped out, Seongho and the other kids crowded around Pyeongha, chattering noisily.
Pyeongha, curious about how things had gone in his absence, asked Cheongjin about it.
“So I was the only one who took time off? None of you rested?”
“Yeah. If we all stayed home, the adults would’ve suspected we caused trouble. And no one was seriously hurt. The guards must’ve held back a bit.”
“So… we didn’t get caught?”
“No, we did.”
“Huh?”
Pyeongha raised his eyebrows in surprise, and Cheongjin grinned as he explained.
“Think about it. No matter how much we tried to hide it, all our faces were wrecked. Of course the adults knew. We tried to hide who we fought, but…”
“So they know who it was?”
“Uh… yeah, Teacher Cheon does. But it’s not like we told him.”
“Then how?”
“Well, actually… while you were gone…”
Bang!
“You rascals! I told you to read quietly, not fool around!”
“Eek!”
The door slammed open and Teacher Cheon stormed in. The kids scrambled back to their seats and pretended to study.
Cheongjin too shoved his face into his book and began chanting lines, leaving Pyeongha with no answer.
It wasn’t until nearly the end of class that Pyeongha finally learned what Cheongjin had been about to say.
“Teacher Cheon! Are you inside?”
“Oh no…”
“They’re here again…”
A sudden voice rang out from beyond the door during class. The students exchanged uneasy looks, clearly recognizing the voice.
Smack smack!
Teacher Cheon struck his desk with a stick.
“Quiet! Why the fuss when you should be reading?”
“Uh… well…”
“It’s outside…”
“Whoever it is outside, they’re my guest. Why should you care?”
At his scolding, the kids shut their mouths, sneaking glances at Pyeongha.
Teacher Cheon let out a faint sigh, then stood up.
“I’ll step out for a moment. Keep reading.”
Bang.
He left the room.
Pyeongha, still curious, leaned toward Cheongjin and whispered:
“What’s going on?”
