Episode 46. Nakhyangmunsa Son Bin2014.02.08.
Cheongwon was a small provincial town.
A little down to the south was Gwangju, the capital of Guangdong Province and the largest logistics city in South China, so it was rich in supplies, but it was one of the typical small and medium-sized cities in Gangnam that did not have very wealthy families or fancy streets.
People’s hot topics were mainly rumors that came from Gwangju, but the story of Son Bin’s return after failing the competition was by far the hottest topic over the past few days.
Son Bin, who was from Cheongwon and passed the civil service examination, was a person who received quite a lot of attention from Cheongwon people.
“Whoa.”
Sonbin knelt down and listened to his uncle sigh. Sonbin’s uncle was silent for a while and then stared at Sonbin.
Sonbin lowered his head and avoided that gaze.
“I know you’re having a hard time.”
My uncle spoke slowly and in a low voice.
“But shouldn’t you get your mind together now and do something?”
The uncle asked, but Sonbin could not readily answer. The reason it was difficult was not because I failed the competitive exam.
But I don’t really want to explain.
“Or are you planning to prepare for another meeting?”
Preparing for the reunion meant that I had to prepare for the past without any deadline for another three years.
Although he couldn’t afford it, Sonbin’s honest feelings were that he didn’t want to do it.
But if he even gives up on hoesi, what can Sonbin do?
“I heard there was a small empty house on the outskirts beyond the main road.”
Sonbin raised his head. Speaking of home, what was my uncle suddenly trying to say?
“It’s a bit shabby, but if you fix it, it will be usable. For the time being, how about opening a small academy for children? Still, since he is a giant who passed the civil service exam, there will be quite a few people who want to send their children there. Compared to today’s market price, the house price is very cheap… … .”
My uncle continued talking about housing prices and the increasing enthusiasm for education these days.
However, Sonbin was actually thinking differently.
‘It’s a vow… … .’
In fact, realistically, there wasn’t much Sonbin could do. I don’t have the strength to dig, and I don’t have any talent for business.
I don’t have any connections or wealth. However, once you become an adult, you cannot live with your relatives forever.
In the end, all Sonbin can do is make a vow to the children, as his uncle said.
“We don’t have enough money, but we have to pay for the house… … .”
“no.”
Sonbin, who was listening, said.
My uncle frowns slightly. However, what Sonbin said had a different meaning.
“I will pay for the house.”
“you?”
My uncle frowns again. It means what kind of money do you have?
“I did a little thing on the way back… … I was in charge of one. “The money received is not much, but it will be something.”
As Sonbin speaks, the wind blows again in his heart.
“okay?”
Although he had a doubtful expression on his face, his uncle was pleased with Sonbin’s words.
“How can I not know the grace that has been given to you all this time?”
Sonbin bowed his head politely and said.
“I can’t inconvenience my uncle any more than this. “Although I cannot return the favor right now, I will try my best to do my best in the future.”
‘At least, I can be alone.’
It wasn’t that I had any intention of making a vow. But it was nice to at least be able to be alone.
You don’t have to listen to your aunt’s cold stare or your cousins’ sarcasm. For them, it may be just a word, but for Son Bin, it is not just a word.
“Okay, well thought out.”
My uncle’s face brightened. Even though he was suffering from his wife’s glare, he was grateful for Son Bin’s words about becoming independent.
“Don’t worry about collecting the kids. I will help you as much as I can. And wouldn’t it be okay to prepare for the next meeting while teaching the children like that?”
Sonbin smiled bitterly. I don’t know what it means to prepare for a dinner party while doing other things.
In the past, even those who saved up sleep and stayed up all night reading couldn’t guarantee passing the exam, so how can you prepare for the exam while teaching children?
There is probably no one who can pass the exam like that.
“Thank you for taking care of us all this time.”
Sonbin stood up and bowed deeply to his uncle. My uncle nodded his head with a satisfied expression.
“okay. I’m glad you decided to do that. Hard times happen to everyone, so don’t be too upset… … .”
The uncle who was talking suddenly looks at Sonbin and asks.
“Um, over there.”
As Sonbin looked, his uncle hesitated and asked.
“Is there anything you do at night?”
“yes?”
Sonbin asked back without realizing it.
“No, that’s… … . Your aunt said you often go out in the middle of the night… … .”
‘ah.’
Sonbin realized what his uncle was saying.
“that… … .”
Sonbin, who was trying to explain it away with a bitter smile, suddenly encountered his uncle’s gaze directed at him.
Those eyes were filled with selfless worry and concern. My uncle was truly worried about me.
“it’s okay.”
Sonbin spoke quietly.
“It’s about moving your body lightly to calm your mind. “It’s not harmful, so you don’t have to worry.”
“okay.”
My uncle said.
“That’s it.”
Bowing his head once again, Sonbin returned his uncle’s favor. A corner of my empty chest seemed to warm up a little.
* * *
The house my uncle spoke of was really shabby.
It appears that four buildings were originally intended to be built surrounding the central courtyard, but only two were completed.
The wall, which was raised high to block the hot sunlight, was erected at an awkward height, as if it had been under construction.
Thanks to this, the middle yard was completely exposed to the outside, and although it was fenced with old trees, there were no other houses nearby that could be called neighbors, so it was virtually formal.
There was a reason for it being sold at a low price, aside from the fact that it was located in the outskirts.
‘Good.’
But Sonbin actually liked it. He liked the openness and the lack of neighbors.
It was nice that no one would criticize me for sitting idly during the day, and that no one would look at me suspiciously for swinging a sword in the middle of the night.
‘It’s a bit old, though.’
Fixing little things here and there in a shabby house turned out to be a surprisingly enjoyable pastime.
In the fairly large central courtyard, there was a slightly raised foundation that seemed to have been originally intended to be a pavilion, and Sonbin laid down a wide bamboo mat there and quietly read while feeling the wind.
Read books you want to read, not for past exams.
So Sonbin was enjoying solitude and leisure for the first time in a long time.
However, Son Bin’s leisurely life was shattered within a few days due to sudden visitors.
“Whoa.”
Sonbin sighed. He looked down at the six or seven scattered particles standing in front of him, and Sonbin could not hide his embarrassed expression.
“So, you came to learn how to read?”
The little intruders who disturbed Sonbin’s leisurely life looked at Sonbin with wary eyes.
“I didn’t come here to learn.”
The smart-looking little boy answered like he was throwing a question.
“Mom said she would beat me with a stick if I didn’t go.”
“I said I wouldn’t provide dinner.”
“They say I’m kicked out. “Tch.”
“me too!”
As one kid speaks, the other kids also raise their voices as if competing with each other. It quickly became a mess.
“I came here because I wanted to learn how to write… … .”
A little girl said as if she were embarrassed. The little girl hiding behind the other girl was glancing over and examining her son.
Sonbin shook his head as he looked at the little kids who had become a noisy mess in an instant.
“Okay, okay. “But what are they?”
Sonbin said while looking at the pockets the kids were holding.
The kids were all carrying fairly large pockets, and many of them were hugging them with both hands as if they were having a hard time carrying them.
“What did they say? So cool… … “Are you a bear?”
“No, you idiot. “You said it was monthly salary.”
A smart-looking girl said. A shy girl is hiding behind it.
“Teacher, please bring it to me.”
The girl placed her pocket down in front of Sonbin’s feet.
‘aha.’
Only then did Sonbin realize what it was. It is a kind of tuition fee. It probably contains grain or something to eat.
Meanwhile, six or seven pockets piled up in front of Sonbin in an instant. Three or four large dried fish were also placed on top.
“So, what should I do now?”
Sonbin lowered his head and looked at the bright eyes looking up at him.
‘It’s really small.’
It’s both amazing and cute to see all these little kids gathered together. Moreover, these kids are looking straight at Sonbin with their round eyes.
“Well, for now… … .”
Sonbin looked around. The only place where all these little ones can fit is a foundation covered with bamboo mats.
This is the very place where Sonbin was sitting leisurely not long ago.
“Shall we go up there?”
As soon as Sonbin spoke, the children started climbing up there all at once.
“Wow!”
“for a moment! “You have to take off your shoes!”
It was a fairly high foundation for children, enough for adults to climb on, but the children climbed up without any hesitation.
Udangtang.
The children who climbed up first ran back and forth on the foundation like puppies.
A particularly small child was trying to climb onto the platform, but his feet kept slipping. Even though there is a stepping stone right next to me, I can’t think of stepping on it.
“Foot.”
Looking at that scene, Sonbin smiled without realizing it.
“wow! “It’s old in here!”
“Look here! “There’s a hole in the mat!”
“Is there something like a bug?”
The children were busy exploring various places. Instead of going up to the foundation, some people had already opened the door and entered.
If you leave it as is, they will take out all of your small belongings, so Sonbin hurriedly said with a straight face.
“Wait, you can’t go into the room!”
I shouted in a stern tone, but the children didn’t care.
Sonbin quickly climbed to the foundation.
I helped the child who was crying because he still couldn’t go up, and then came back down and stopped the child who was trying to pull the blanket out of the room.
I don’t know when he took it out, but he was dragging the blanket on the bed.
Meanwhile, the shy girl stands in a corner and looks around with interest. Two little kids have already started wrestling in the middle of the foundation.
‘oh my god.’
Sonbin stuck out his tongue at the thought that there was no such fuss.
“for a moment! “Stay still!”
Sonbin quickly began suppressing the situation.
This is because I began to seriously feel that if I left it like this, the shabby house might collapse.
∴
“Ki-hing.”
In the end, the chaos calmed down after several kids got hit on the head with honey chestnuts.
The children who had been hit with honey on their heads stuck out their mouths and their eyes filled with tears.
Looking at the children sitting in two rows on the bamboo mat, Sonbin sighed.
‘Was it too much?’
When I saw him looking at me with teary eyes, I wondered if I had been harsh.
When I see children’s eyes filled with tears, I even feel guilty. Sonbin’s voice subsided without realizing it.
“To learn something, you must first calm down your body and mind. okay?”
Sonbin said. The children are still looking at Sonbin with downcast faces.
Sonbin sighed slightly.
“Don’t take anything out. If you listen carefully, I will buy you some confectionery… … .”
“really? Wow!”
The kids immediately smiled brightly and loved it. Even the child, whose tears were still clinging to his eyes, smiled as if it had never happened before.
Sonbin’s inner apology seemed in vain.
“But if you don’t listen, it’s a honeymoon!”
“yes!”
The children answered in unison. It looked like young birds chirping.
‘Oh my, how did it happen…’ … .’
I feel like I’m caught up in it without even having time to come to my senses. Besides, it seemed like it was going to be quite noisy in the future.
‘It’s a vow… … .’
There is a lot to prepare to teach children.
Books that children can read right now are expensive to buy, so they have to be copied, and even if they are cheap, you will need a brush or inkstone.
You’ll probably need a lot of paper. As cheaply as possible.
‘It’s going to be busy.’
Sonbin grumbled inwardly. But he didn’t feel bad.
Suddenly, a smile appeared on Sonbin’s lips as he looked at the kids chatting among themselves.
* * *
In the middle of the night, when the moon was bright, Sonbin woke up like always.
After briefly washing his face and adjusting his clothes, Sonbin opened the door and went out into the middle courtyard.
Rustle.
The house where the children used to make noise during the day is quiet and empty.
I didn’t get that feeling before, but after it became noisy, there was a particularly quiet feeling.
‘Heh.’
Sonbin smiled without realizing it.
When you see those little kids running around without stopping for even a moment, you wonder how they could do that.
Squeak.
Sonbin passed the wooden fence and went out of the house. The dried out wooden fence was old and collapsed here and there.
I thought that if it was just a formality anyway, it would be better to get rid of it.
Jerk, jerk.
The moonlit night road is quiet and blue. After walking for a while, a wide field appeared in front of Sonbin.
It was a place filled with the atmosphere of a moonlit night, overlooking the quietly flowing waves of the Buk River sparkling in the moonlight.
And this is the place that Sonbin has been visiting every night for the past few days.
“That’s strange.”
Sonbin looked up at the night sky and muttered quietly.
“That such a short journey leaves such a long lasting impression.”
It is truly a strange story that that short journey leaves a deeper impact on one’s life than the life lived for decades or the past exam for which one has prepared for many years.
“Whoa.”
Sonbin, who was looking up at the night sky, lowered his head and slowly calmed his breathing. And she calmed her mind, remembering the great river of Hyeoncheon.
Sadness, emptiness, anxiety and nervousness slowly fade away until you feel the flow surrounding you and filling the whole world.
And until the gentle warmth of the white heron he held in his hand filled his heart.
Sreung.
A white heron shines in the blue moonlight.
It used to be so sharp that it was cool to look at, but now it somehow feels like it’s softly sparkling.
Sonbin smiled quietly.
“Then, shall we go?”
yes.
At that moment, I felt the white heron trembling softly in my hand, as if responding to Sonbin’s words.
‘huh?’
The sound was so faint that I thought it was an illusion.
Sonbin waited quietly again, but he did not feel that sound again.
Sigh.
Sonbin slowly raised his sword.
The moonlight fills the night sky, and Powell’s trajectory, drawn like a fantasy, appears vividly before my eyes.
And the faces I miss.
Huh.
The beautiful white heron’s blade was filled with moonlight. And soon, a fantasy-like trajectory began to be drawn in the air.
It was the same sword that was pictured in Sonbin’s mind and vividly before his eyes.
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martial arts,
