Episode 12
* * *
Jang Sam-tae, who lost his parents when he was young and became an orphan, had a younger sister who was two years younger than him.
Even though my family was poor, I couldn’t eat my meals on time and I even had to wear rags instead of clothes, but it was still good.
He put all his effort into raising his younger brother, and thought that he could live his life like that, get married to a good place, and live his own life from then on.
But the problem arose within a few years.
Jang Sam-tae had been a kleptomaniac since childhood and did not feel guilty about stealing from others. Because I wanted to give something good to my younger brother.
Then one day, I stole a set of clothes.
The merchants who came to the neighborhood where he lived after a long time had a lot of pretty valuable clothes.
Since there were so many items that he wouldn’t even notice if he stole at least one item, his hands were unstoppable and he ended up doing it.
I couldn’t put on what I stole right away.
If any of the merchants saw it, they had no choice but to get caught right away. I hid it, telling people not to wear it outside.
However, I thought that maybe it was my younger brother’s fate that he found the clothes and wore them and left.
Even though it was late at night, my younger brother did not return, so I went out to look for him. I searched the whole neighborhood and called out his name, but there was no answer.
I eventually found it.
My younger brother, who was sprawled out in a narrow alley where no one even seemed to know him.
Her clothes had come off in vain, and her entire body was covered in bruises.
It seemed like it wasn’t one person hitting him, but several adult men repeatedly kicking him. The blood flowing from the mouth and nose had solidified.
From then on, I hated children.
Because you don’t listen.
But he didn’t want his child to die because of him again.
That’s why I covered Hwaso-mi even more and took the men’s kicks with my whole body.
“Gasp! “Look at this bastard’s stubbornness?”
“I guess that’s how important the child is. Take it out. “I will cut off your flesh, piece by piece, right before your eyes.”
“Ugh! You bastards! “What are you going to do to the kid… Ugh!”
He screamed and went crazy. This is to ward off the hands of men who are trying to forcibly bring out the beauty of the painting. But again a kick hit him in the face.
Pow!
At that moment, the pain came to the point where my body was pushed backwards.
“Uncle Jong!”
Hwa So-mi’s screams were heard.
I looked at the child with blurred eyes. It looked like he was making a fuss in a man’s arms and was biting his forearm with his teeth as if he was in trouble.
“Aaaah!”
The man shouted harshly and hit Hwa So-mi on the cheek.
Hwa So-mi’s body crumbled to the ground like a piece of paper. But rather than cry, he stood up proudly.
It seemed like he was holding back the pain.
The child blocked Jang Sam-tae’s path and stretched out his arms.
His red, swollen cheeks looked pitiful.
Even though my whole body was shaking, I did not back down.
Even as I saw the man approaching holding a knife, I said,
“Run away!”
“no, I do not want!”
“Run away, you stupid bitch!”
“no, I do not want!”
“Please go! If you do this, you too will die!” But Hwa So-mi did not listen. Even though I was still shaking, I just stood there. Then he turned his head and smiled slightly at Jang Sam-tae.
“If you die, how will we eat? And… it’s because of Somi that it’s like this!”
“…What the fuck.”
It was absurd, but it was not the time to lie down like this.
This is because the man who approached her suddenly swung a knife at Hwa So-mi.
Suddenly!
“Aaaah!”
Quadadadang-!
Jang Sam-tae, who had thrown his body away, fell down while hugging Hwa So-mi. In an instant, the blade grazed my shoulder.
“Haha, see these? “Are you kidding me?”
Men here and there were giggling and laughing.
A thief and a stupid girl who can’t understand the situation.
From the guys’ point of view, it was just a funny skit.
On the contrary, Jang Sam-tae realized that they were really trying to kill So-mi.
It was clear that if he hadn’t thrown himself away, a fountain of blood would have burst out by now. Just thinking about it makes me grind my teeth.
No matter what, you’re trying to kill a young child.
“There’s no need to kill the kid!”
“Everyone connected to you will die, so what’s the big deal about one child dying/
“You crazy people.”
The moment Jang Sam-tae grits his teeth while looking at them.
The man’s sword was raised. It seemed like he had a plan to pierce them both at the same time.
There was only a cruel smile on the man’s lips.
But.
“Ugh!?”
Something was strange.
The arm didn’t move as if it were a rock.
Suddenly, my whole body started shaking.
Cold sweat flowed non-stop.
I forced my eyes that wouldn’t turn back.
The same was true for everyone else around them,
as if time had stopped, they stood tall with blank expressions and no one could open their mouths.
Hehehe!
A cool wind blew.
It cooled down my extremely hot body; It seems as if even the flowing blood will freeze.
The air entering the mouth also changed. Every time I took a breath, I felt pain stabbing my lungs, as if a knife had been inserted.
‘What the hell is this!’
When you tremble with fear.
I
heard someone walking.
People’s eyes stayed in one place. The head that had been motionless a moment ago, as if paralyzed, turned.
As soon as I turned my stiff head, my eyes started to dry out and my eyes started to shake.
I saw a man.
He approached without even an expression, and his red-hot eyes were shining as if he were imbued with ghost energy.
An unidentifiable energy was blooming around the man.
It was like seeing Sura descending on Royalty.
My body didn’t stop shaking
.
Not even a scream of fear escaped.
“It’s a mess.”
Before I knew it, I was standing in front of Jang Sam-tae and Hwa So-mi and mumbling.
Jang Sam-tae immediately realized who was giving him the same weight as Taesan.
Dan Woohyun.
The person in front of me was definitely Dan Woo-hyeon.
“Now…” Lord Jang….”
It was difficult to even get the words out. I knew Dan Woo-hyeon was strong, but I never thought he would have this level of presence.
They were of a different class from the martial people I had seen so far.
Is this really a person?
“If you can’t wake up, then die together, Jang Sam-tae.”
I realized what that one word meant. Dan Woo-hyeon is now telling him to take Hwa So-mi and get out of here.
If he couldn’t do that, he meant to bury them together when they were no longer useful, so Jang Sam-tae had to stand up in the end.
There was nothing like hurt or fear.
You have to stand up quickly.
I have to run away.
No matter what happens, I have to take Somi with me.
He forced himself up and picked up the unconscious Hwa So-mi and carried her on his back. It was difficult to even move one foot right now, but I gritted my teeth and held on.
I bowed my head.
“good.”
Soon, I came to my senses and ran when I heard Dan Woo-hyeon’s eerie voice. There is no one who can block Jang Sam-tae’s path.
He was holding a sword, but his will to swing it was broken, and he was just staring at Dan Woo-hyeon with his blue, tired eyes.
Leaving that scene behind him, Jang Sam-tae ran away.
Soon Dan Woo-hyeon’s voice spread.
“You will not die a nice death
.”
* * *
Jang Sam-tae ran away crying.
I never dreamed that I would be this weak. Are you confident in your own abilities? Since he only knew how to do things like steal and worship, he couldn’t protect even a small child like this.
Even while running, I kept thinking about it.
A seven-year-old child at most. The way that child did not back down to protect himself. Although he had a very different personality from his dead brother, I felt sorry and affectionate towards him.
“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!” Jang Sam-tae shed tears.
The tears that I thought had dried up fell. I couldn’t stop crying as I thought that another child might have been sacrificed because of me.
What do you do if you are good at stealing?
I can’t even protect the child next to me.
What makes you better than this child?
He struggled with his weakness and shed tears.
That may be why it is even more valuable.
Before we knew it, Jang Sam-tae had arrived at the manor.
When I opened the front door and went inside, I saw an empty space.
It is a large manor with at most three people living there, but it is a very shabby space.
As soon as I stepped inside, I felt a warm energy permeate my entire body.
I sighed in relief and moved.
I went into the room and the first thing I did was lay Somi down on the bed.
He touched his red, swollen cheeks and frowned.
“It’s so stupid… why don’t you just step up and run away?”
At that time, Hwa So-mi’s eyes trembled.
He slowly opened his eyes and looked straight at Jang Sam-tae.
Then he turned his eyes to look around and smiled.
“Is this your home?”
“Yes, you idiot, it’s home.”
“Hehe, are you okay?”
“You are more of a problem than me.”
“Somi is okay. “I’m not dead. I definitely thought you would protect me.”
Where does this confidence come from?
This child doesn’t seem to know that the very idea that a person who can do nothing but run away is protected by energy is absurd.
If Dan Woo-hyeon hadn’t shown up in the first place, he would have really died. Whether he knew it or not, he was smiling really innocently.
Jang Sam-tae swallowed the wind without realizing it.
“Don’t ever do that next time. “Your life is more important than anyone else’s.”
“No, we are family. So, Somi will continue to be the same in the future. “Because I don’t want to go through something like that again.”
Hwa So-mi had tears in her eyes. The faces of my dead parents flashed before my eyes.
The eyes of my parents dying in the hands of those wearing iron armor are still clearly engraved.
Screams and blood stains from the villagers when they were massacred.
Even if she tried to forget it, it remained as an unforgettable nightmare, holding Somi back.
That’s why you can’t ignore someone dying.
Perhaps for that reason, he tried to protect Jang Sam-tae even more viciously.
Jang Sam-tae sighed and stroked his head.
“lol.” Hwa So-mi
smiled again,
as if the feeling felt good .
He really is a funny kid.
But I felt a sincere, warm heart.
Jang Sam-tae finally had a reason to stay in this manor.
“Yes, I will definitely protect you.”
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