Because Grandpa Is Sad (1)

Yu Jinsan could not hide his bewilderment.

A lethal attack, by definition, was the ultimate technique meant to kill an opponent.

Why on earth would she want to test such a terrifying technique on him?

She probably wouldn’t attack for real, but he couldn’t help feeling tense.

His granddaughter’s movements were unusual.

Wasn’t she using footwork to create dozens of decoys?

Spinning like a whirlwind around her and blurring his sight, her display was astonishing.

‘Wind Step technique’

Since when had the family’s footwork become so flashy?

It was clear she had broken through the hundred percent qi cultivation level and risen to a higher plane.

There was no time to marvel at the footwork; he couldn’t predict when or where an attack would come from.

He wanted to take the initiative, but it wasn’t easy, he couldn’t tell which of the dozens of clones to strike.

While he was still pondering, it happened.

“Here I go!?”

She even kindly announced the moment of attack. That would at least double his chances of defending.

Yu Jinsan drew his spear back in defense and shouted.

“Come on!”

No sooner had he shouted than his eyes widened.

‘What?’

For a moment Yu Jinsan felt as if he were seeing an illusion.

From all thirty-six directions around him, wooden spears were coming at him simultaneously.

Dizzy, he was greatly flustered.

Ten Thousand Fold Net, like being trapped in a dense web descending from the sky, there was nowhere to dodge.

Which was a real thrust and which a fake? He couldn’t tell at all.

Trusting his senses, Yu Jinsan swung his wooden spear.

Crash—!

A heavy impact transmitted to his fingertips.

Joy at having defended against his granddaughter’s finishing move showed on his face.

But it lasted only a moment.

“Block—…”

Before he could finish his cry of triumph, a downpour of wooden spears rained from all sides.

Tutatatatak—!!

“Ugh!”

It felt as if dozens of blows had struck him in a single breath.

Yu Jinsan collapsed with a thud and couldn’t bring himself to stand.

Not because of pain, but because he couldn’t make sense of what had just happened.

‘Impossible… all of them were feints…?’

Even though he had been hit, he couldn’t believe it.

Thankfully his granddaughter had controlled her power; in a real fight his body would have been shattered.

“Did it hurt?”

Yu Seol squatted at his bedside, blinking. She still seemed a bit sorry.

“Oh my. My granddaughter really went and beat Grandpa down.”

“Grandpa, I’m sorry…”

With his granddaughter’s help he rose, and with a puzzled look asked,

“Where did you learn a technique like that?”

It wasn’t a Yu family Wind Slaying Spear technique. He’d never seen such spearsmanship anywhere, he couldn’t help but wonder.

“I made it. Invincible Seol’s Spear technique, first form: Seol Seol Beatdown!”

The name was grand, did it mean striking as if a winter snowstorm was blowing?

In any case, he couldn’t help but be amazed at his granddaughter’s talent for inventing a new martial art.

She must have worked hard to develop it while he had been training in the Vajra Indestructible Divine Arts.

“Impressive. Do you have a next form?”

“No. I only made the first form so far. How was it?”

What was there to say—

As far as Yu Jinsan knew, it was an unprecedented, supreme technique.

“Teach that Seol Seol beatdown thing to your grandfather too.”

He couldn’t help but want to covet it.

If a Supreme level warrior showed up at the spear tournament, he’d be in trouble.

He needed a secret move that could, even briefly, overturn the difference in levels.

Besides, since it used the family’s Clear Wind footwork, it should be easier to learn.

“…Just like that?”

She didn’t want to tell him for free?

Yu Jinsan scolded his granddaughter with an annoyed expression.

“You knocked Grandpa down and now you want to negotiate!?”

“Hmph. Do you know how hard Seol worked to make it?”

Contrary to his expectation she didn’t budge; she even crossed her arms and acted nonchalant.

There was no answer if she held out like this.

He had to change tactics.

Yu Jinsan lowered his voice and spoke gently, as if coaxing.

“Alright, tell me what your condition is.”

“Okay. I don’t know exactly what it is, but Grandpa will have to do it.”

Having achieved her goal, Yu Seol casually held out her hand.

“Hold my hand.”

“…Why your hand?”

Confused, Yu Jinsan absentmindedly took his granddaughter’s hand.

At that moment Yu Seol smiled broadly, her dimple appearing.

“Let’s go see the autumn leaves, my aunts said there’s a festival in the next village today.”

“That’s all you wanted?”

“Yes. If Grandpa comes with me, I’ll think about it.”

She wouldn’t even promise to teach him, just ‘think about it’?

For a moment he looked incredulous, but then he snorted and nodded. He’d been feeling guilty for not spending time with his granddaughter lately.

This was something he’d grant even without conditions, there was no reason to refuse.

“Alright. The weather’s cool, it’s a good day for an outing.”

“Heehee~”

Geumyang Village. Located near Mount Jeong-gun, this village draws many visitors every year.

There was a forest park on the village outskirts that had become a famous spot for autumn foliage.

Maples vary by region; the local variety split into three points at the leaf tips and bore fruit.

His granddaughter’s face was full of smiles as they walked through the crimson world together.

“Child, do you like it that much?”

“Yes! It’s so pretty. I want to come every year~”

“Let’s do that. What flower do you like, Seol?”

Yu Seol chuckled with a meaningful smile.

“Grandpa-flower~”

Who could miss the meaning?

She had stuck a bunch of maple leaves on his ears and head in a playful fashion.

There was no shame in it. If it made his granddaughter happy, what could he object to?

“That kid…”

They walked in silence for a while.

At some point the silence was broken by his granddaughter’s quiet voice.

“Grandpa.”

“Yes?”

“Let’s save a lot of money later and buy a house. Then we can plant trees in the yard and grow flowers. What do you think?”

Yu Jinsan’s eyes sank deep, sudden, indescribable feelings stirred in him.

His past path and future plans, suddenly he began to doubt all of it.

He couldn’t be sure that continuing the family’s revenge with his granddaughter was the right thing to do.

While he was lost in thought, Yu Seol asked again.

“Why aren’t you answering? Do you not like it?”

“Child.”

Yu Jinsan looked at the puffy clouds and wore a faint smile.

“If my granddaughter wants it, Grandpa is all for it. Leaving the murim world like this wouldn’t be bad, tending a garden, farming, living peacefully. I’ll find a way to get the money.”

“But not now.”

“…Why?”

“There’s something we have to do first.”

“Something that must be done?”

Yu Seol snatched a falling maple leaf and stuck it in his hair as she answered.

“The bad people who killed our family. We have to catch them and ask why they did it.”

Yu Jinsan flinched.

It was the family’s hidden tragedy, kept secret until now. How did his granddaughter know it all?

His mind suddenly grew confused.

“…Since when did you know?”

“Hmm~ Around three?”

If she meant three years old, that was when they had wandered the rivers and settled in Ho county. He had kept it utterly secret until now. He could not understand.

“Grandpa, I never told you, did I?”

“You did~ You used to cry in your sleep and call out the family’s names.”

“I did that?”

He’d talked in his sleep like that? He never dreamed his little granddaughter had been there to hear it.

“Mmm. Yu Yeon-pyeong, Yu Yeon-cheong, Yu Yeon-gan, Yu Yeon-hwi… and who else was there. Ah, Jin So-hee! Who is Jin Sohee? She left the most sadly, you said.”

To hear his children’s names from his granddaughter, Yu Jinsan’s eyes reddened.

Among them was his youngest son, who was also Seol’s father.

And Jin So-hee, she had been bright and spirited but tender-hearted, always the daughter-in-law who worried him most.

He had held back from speaking of her mother because he didn’t want the child to be sad.

But now it was impossible to hide it, she was no longer a child who knew nothing.

He didn’t feel like speaking, but his granddaughter had the right and the need to know.

After a moment’s hesitation, Yu Jinsan answered in a fading voice.

“She was Grandpa’s beloved daughter-in-law, she hid you, child until her last moment and passed away tragically. And… she was your mother, child.”

Yu Seol was dumbstruck. Tears simply fell from her face.

She was a child tougher than anyone, but how could she be indifferent before such sorrow?

“Sob…”

Tears also streamed endlessly from Yu Jinsan’s eyes.

Grandfather and granddaughter embraced and wept.

Their throats tightened and no sound came properly from their mouths.

“…Why did you pretend not to know all this time?”

“Because… because Grandpa was sad.”

Yu Seol’s face was smeared with tears and snot; Yu Jinsan looked much the same.

“Sniff. I’m sorry, child… I’m sorry Grandpa couldn’t protect them.”

“…I think I could recognize Mom if I saw her. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t remember. I miss her so much.”

She had a memory beyond imagination.

It seemed the image of her mother from infancy still lingered faintly.

‘If only I could show her, her mother’s face just once more…’

But how could one bring back the face of the dead?

It pained him that he could do nothing for his granddaughter.

As he patted the sobbing child’s back, something caught his eye.

Yu Jinsan’s eyes flashed open.

“Wait a moment.”

“…Huh?”

He gently let go of his granddaughter and suddenly ran off somewhere.

There, seated at a scenic overlook, was a middle-aged painter sketching the view.

The painting felt so vivid you could almost touch it. His skill was evident at a glance.

“Hey there. Do me a favor.”

The painter, brush in hand, stopped with a baffled expression.

A kid stood before him speaking informally and holding out a silver coin; the child even had maple leaves stuck in their hair.

He seemed like a crazy child, but the boy was offering a large sum, one silver coin was what many months’ work might earn, so how could he refuse?

“…What request?”

“You may not believe it, but I am a martial man.”

The painter sized up Yu Jinsan, from his unusual gaze to the elderly man’s tone that a child couldn’t fake.

Something was definitely odd.

Then the silver coin in his hand floated up into the air by itself, an inexplicable phenomenon to an ordinary person.

The coin slowly settled onto the painter’s knee.

“If it’s alright, could you paint a picture for my granddaughter? I’ll give you this.”

“Y-You really mean to give me this silver coin?”

The painter’s tone switched to polite formality.

Whether the client was a warrior man or a child didn’t matter, if the price was right, he was a perfect customer.

“If the painting pleases me, I’ll give two more silver coins. So please put your soul into this one painting.”

“Three silver coins for a single painting?”

“The painting you’re about to paint is worth that much, at least by my standards.”

The painter thought for a moment.

Then both his hands began to tremble, he took it as recognition of his skill.

There was solemnity even in his eyes.

“Whatever you want, I’ll pour my soul into it.”

Yu Jinsan nodded and continued his explanation.

“First, paint a woman. Describe her face like this: a forehead moderately broad and straight, the hairline softly angled; her jaw and chin are small and short; her eyebrows like long crescents.”

“Please continue the description.”

“Her eyes are thin, the nose somewhat like a clove of garlic, lips like cherries. Overall, her features are harmonious, refined, and pure.”

Yu Jinsan marshaled all his memories and kept describing without pause.

The painter listened for a long while, nodding, and his brush moved without rest.

“I’ll give it a try, if anything’s wrong, point it out.”

“Do so.”

As if possessed, the painter’s hand was unstoppable.

He painted for an hour and Yu Jinsan watching couldn’t help but be amazed.

The picture unfolding matched exactly the image he’d kept in his mind.

After a while, when the work was done, the painter exhaled deeply.

“At last it’s finished. I assure you, this painting is the masterpiece of my life.”

“Thank you. Now take the promised reward.”

Yu Jinsan quickly handed the painter two more silver coins.

Then he took the painting and gave it to his granddaughter standing nearby, staring blankly.

“Here, take a look. To me she looks exactly like your mother.”

Yu Seol blinked and stared at the woman in the painting.

A woman holding a baby beneath crimson maple trees.

Suddenly tears like drops of dew rolled from the granddaughter’s eyes, at last the mother’s face buried deep in memory had returned.

“Mom…?”

“Yes. That woman is the most beautiful daughter-in-law he ever had. And with this, the price for Seol Seol Beatdown is paid, remember that.”

Yu Seol finally burst into tears and threw herself around her grandfather’s neck.