episode_0053

Now that they have achieved a great victory in their first battle with Zhang Han, the momentum of the Xiang Liang army has skyrocketed.

“They say you’re the best elite of the Qin Dynasty, but it’s nothing special, right?”

“They were like empty-headed gangjeongs. I guess I was just lucky and won a few times.”

From generals above to soldiers below.

Everyone was giggling and enjoying the good feeling.

It wasn’t too much of a stretch. Not only did they defeat the army of Jang Han, who was considered their most powerful opponent, but they just ran away.

“This is not a good thing…”

Only two people could not share that joy.

One is Jangryang. This guy started sighing a lot after winning.

He seemed to be organizing his thoughts while muttering something with a face full of concern, but he didn’t answer when I asked him what he was thinking about.

It happened occasionally when Zhang Liang was deep in thought, so I didn’t pay much attention to it.

‘I’ll let you know when I get my thoughts in order.’

While thinking that, I looked at the other person who couldn’t share my joy, Hanshin.

“Hoeeeenn!”

Our housekeeper, soldier Hanshin, was squatting alone, sobbing.

Hanshin was always frowned upon because of his crazy way of speaking. Hanshin was becoming even more alienated after making a grand mistake at the previous meeting.

It was worth it.

Even though I was advised to approach Zhang Liang, I was reluctant to approach him, and on top of that, I was only looking at him. Who would want to access it?

The right answer is to stay away for fear of sparks flying.

‘Huh… I don’t feel like it, but I haven’t lost anything by listening to Zhang Liang.’

From the time Zhang Liang helped me with her Taoist magic, I was reluctant to ignore her advice, which has served as my sleight of hand ever since.

As I was about to approach Hanshin, it was the voice of an old man that stopped me.

“Are you a loser?”

The old man looked at me intently and said.

Why are you looking at me like that?

I already know that the old man is Song Eui, and I know that he is a person of incomparable stature to someone like me, but I can’t help but stare at him.

If a woman looks at you, you may be mistaken. What good is receiving a man’s gaze?

“Yes, I am.”

I spoke somewhat bluntly, not trying to hide my displeasure.

Am I a constant load or a constant load?

Even if we say that we respect King Hoai, who is the supreme commander-in-chief, that is not grounds for that old man to tell me that he is the king.

They were not very pleased with Song Yi’s behavior of gossiping and plotting with the nobles of Chu.

“I see.”

Song Yi spoke without showing any reaction to my blunt tone.

“Your Majesty is calling. Welcome.”

Song Yi left with just those words.

‘King Hoe me? Why bother? ‘I wouldn’t have anything to say.’

I wondered if it was because of what happened in the valley before, but wasn’t that already over?

There would be nothing left to argue about…

I walked towards the barracks where King Hoe was, slightly irritated by the chaos in my mind.

*****

“I found out about you.”

As soon as he saw me, King Hoe said something like that out of nowhere.

Well, since you can’t tell if a promise will be kept just by saying it, you could at least do some research.

I decided to understand King Huai’s anxiety with great magnanimity.

I’m a bit picky, but I’m a big person.

It’s annoying though.

“They say you are the child of the Red Dragon.”

King Hoe said.

I took a quick look at her face, but I didn’t see any significant changes.

She continued speaking with a stern expression.

“The place where you stay is filled with auspicious energy, and when you get angry, the sky also becomes angry.”

I chuckled at King Hoe’s words.

“Yes, my mother said that.”

I giggled and continued talking.

“He spread such rumors so that my son, who was scratching peppers without doing anything, should die.”

“Kikikick!”

The guards in the barracks to protect King Hoe couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

“What kind of auspicious energy would a child of a farmer like me have? What kind of spiritual power would he have? It seems like people who just like to talk have made up rumors based on my success, so please don’t worry, Your Majesty.”

I spoke as humblely as possible.

The first priority is to end that woman’s anxiety.

You can’t be happy about being made suspicious and wary of something you don’t want to do, right?

“Are you mocking me!”

However, it looks like I was wrong for a long time.

King Hoe expressed his anger and roared.

“The dragon is an auspicious divine beast and a symbol of the emperor! Did you think I didn’t know that you had wrong thoughts and were trying to win people’s hearts by spreading such nonsense?”

Oh, why the hell again?

There’s a lot to think about, but don’t you have to worry about looking after patients with suspected illnesses?

In the first place, why did you have a temper with me after Ji had an accident while washing there and exploded?

I couldn’t even see it properly.

“Everyone get out! I will personally interrogate this wicked bastard!”

“Your Highness…”

Song Yi opened his mouth to say something, but King Huai did not even allow that.

“Didn’t I tell you to get out!”

Song Yi sighed, lowered his head, and left.

The guards also glanced anxiously and left the barracks.

King Hoe approached me.

‘Ha… It’s a pain in the ass.’

That woman won’t kill me or anything, but she’ll definitely be annoying.

And my prediction was correct.

Although the texture was a little different.

“Is that real?”

What came out of King Hoe’s mouth was her natural voice, which she did not intentionally lower her voice to.

I looked at her face, confused by her sudden change in tone.

The young king’s pretense of solemnity had already disappeared from King Hoe’s face.

She smiled and opened her mouth with an innocent girl’s face.

“Is your father really a red dragon? I really like dragons!”

King Hoe looked at me with sparkling eyes like a woman of her age.

“Is that possible? How would a dragon hybridize with a human?

“Right? That can’t be possible, right?”

King Hoe chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, I thought so too. But how did the term “Son of the Red Dragon” come about?”

I became convinced that King Hoe’s words were not acting.

I treated her with a somewhat lighter heart.

“Your Majesty, those are just words my younger brothers said on their own. They say my face resembles a red dragon, but who in the world has actually seen a dragon? I guess that’s because my younger brothers, who use their fists, say that my face resembles a dragon.”

King Hoe shook his shoulders and laughed.

“What, that! It’s so funny!”

King Hoe applauded and was pleased.

A part of my heart ached because that sight seemed like a child starving for entertainment.

After all, what kind of entertainment does a guy who has been running away from the earliest childhood he can remember know about entertainment?

It would have been difficult to have conversations with neighbors, let alone friends of the same age.

All she can say is Song Yi. It must have been difficult for her to even reveal her true feelings to Song Yi, who served her as a vassal.

‘It’s something even a king can’t do.’

For no reason I felt sorry for King Hoe.

It must have been so lonely that it’s hard to compare it to someone who just lived like me.

To the point where I feel a desire to become friends with just the vague commonality of accidentally sharing my secret.

“Okay, then. What is auspicious energy? Did your brothers make that up too?”

“Oh, the bar owner must have built that. I guess they were planning to somehow take advantage of me because I only get free drinks every day. There is auspicious energy where I am, so come eat and receive some good energy. Wasn’t that what you were trying to attract?”

She kept smiling and listening to me as if my story was interesting.

A farmer’s story. Bar story. A story about merchants. Even the story of Changgwan’s gisaeng.

Like a thirsty child, she absorbed the stories of ordinary people.

‘Is this fun?’

Honestly, I didn’t understand.

A daughter who longs for an ordinary life is an attribute that has already become a cliché, but we know that this is not the case in reality.

It was natural for noble people to think that the stories of ordinary people were just a means to brighten their mood, and that they were too shallow to be truly enjoyed.

However, King Huai’s eyes did not show such arrogance.

She truly enjoyed listening to my trivial stories and admired them.

‘…I was anxious.’

I belatedly realized the reason for her reaction.

To her, royal blood was a curse.

A curse that can take your life at any time and always leaves you lonely.

‘Poor thing.’

A situation where a farmer’s child feels sorry for the royal grandson. It’s funny, but I couldn’t help it.

There is no creature more pitiful than a child who is forced to live a dull life.

I decided to live up to her expectations.

I completely broke down the boundaries and released a bundle of stories.

It was something we did every day when I was unemployed, but somehow this chat felt like a very old memory.

‘Now that I think about it, I haven’t had a chance to talk openly like this recently.’

I haven’t had such a comfortable time since I ran away from the subway station on the way to Yeosan.

I continued speaking, feeling my heart relax at the sight of King Hoe’s innocent eyes.

“Your Majesty, what happened after that…”

“Call me Sim.”

“Yes?”

“Call me by my name, I like that. Don’t even use polite language.”

“…Okay, Sim. I’ll continue the story.”

The story progressed and the night deepened.

It was a comfortable night for the first time in a long time.

*****

“Hoeng from the west and King Eve from the east. Seoho-dong Hayeyang…”

Hanshin muttered in a weak voice.

She was depressed from endless loneliness.

During break time, other people gathered in small groups to gamble or chat, but she didn’t even have any friends like that.

“…Is the seat next to you empty?”

A woman approached Hanshin.

She looked a little sharp, but she was a beauty with gray hair that went well with her straight bob.

“…is empty. What’s going on?”

“…I just want to talk to you.”

She sat down next to Hanshin and said that.

“It’s called ingot iron. Let’s get along well as loners.”

Goe-cheol said so.

“Hoeeee…”

Han Xin smiled weakly and nodded.

Finally, her first acquaintance.

Hanshin was happy.

Without even imagining the signs of destruction that Goecheol would bring to her.