Chapter 398: The Scroll
“Form is emptiness, emptiness is form. All phenomena are neither born nor destroyed, neither pure nor impure, neither increasing nor decreasing…”
Hwayeon, the nun, muttered the sutra repeatedly. It was likely an attempt to dispel her inner turmoil and calm her anger, but it didn’t seem to be working.
After reciting the sutra for quite some time while lying on the roof, Hwayeon finally stood up abruptly.
“This won’t do. Mujin, you should return to the Tang family estate. Don’t speak of what you’ve seen or heard here to anyone, anywhere. Understood?”
“What are you planning to do?”
“I need to sever my worldly attachments immediately, even if it means entering Nirvana.”
Tang Mujin wasn’t a Buddhist and knew little about the teachings of the Buddha. But one thing was clear: Hwayeon’s method of cutting off attachments was likely different from what the Buddha had preached.
On closer inspection, it seemed she was more intent on severing something else—perhaps the life of Wi Jinan.
Tang Mujin tried to calm Hwayeon down.
“Please, elder. You need to calm down. It would be better to assess the situation slowly…”
“Assess what? Just go back already!”
Hwayeon snapped, then leaped across the rooftops, heading towards the alley where Sam Anbul and Wi Jinan had disappeared.
Realizing that leaving her unchecked would surely lead to bloodshed, Tang Mujin hurriedly followed.
In the secluded alley where Sam Anbul and Wi Jinan had vanished, there stood an old house.
By the time Tang Mujin arrived, slightly later than Hwayeon, she was already about to kick down the door.
“Elder! Wait a moment…”
But Hwayeon paid no heed and kicked the door open, boldly announcing her presence.
“Let’s achieve enlightenment!”
Inside, Wi Jinan turned wide-eyed to face Hwayeon.
“Master, and even the head of the Tang family? What brings you here?”
However, neither Wi Jinan nor Sam Anbul’s attire was disheveled, and they weren’t even standing close to each other. They seemed to be waiting for someone, maintaining a respectful distance.
Moreover, Wi Jinan’s voice held no trace of guilt or surprise, only curiosity. It was enough for Hwayeon to realize her assumptions had been off the mark.
“Uh… oh…”
Caught off guard by the unexpected situation, Hwayeon stammered. Fortunately, someone was there to save her from her embarrassment—Sam Anbul.
Despite his rough appearance, Sam Anbul was surprisingly quick-witted.
He stepped in smoothly.
“I asked for help. Haryeong, come sit here. Mujin, did you come to help too?”
Though Hwayeon still didn’t fully grasp the situation, Sam Anbul’s adept improvisation helped her navigate the most awkward moment.
As Hwayeon settled onto Sam Anbul’s lap, Wi Jinan remarked with a hint of disappointment.
“Do these two really help in matters of romance?”
“Of course. At the very least, they won’t cause any problems, so there’s no need to worry.”
“Well, if you say so…”
It seemed Sam Anbul was offering Wi Jinan some advice.
Tang Mujin was about to sit next to Sam Anbul as well, but Sam Anbul, with a slightly awkward expression, addressed him.
“Mujin, I appreciate you coming along, but it seems today isn’t the best time. Perhaps you could visit another day.”
“What?”
A sudden request to leave.
Yet, it was difficult to refuse such a polite request outright.
Just as Tang Mujin was awkwardly about to leave, he sensed a faint presence outside the building. Sam Anbul’s expression turned serious.
”…It seems we can’t leave now. Mujin, hide over there!”
Sam Anbul pointed to a large storage chest.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of foreboding, Tang Mujin hid inside the chest as instructed.
The chest was old and slightly worn, with small gaps in the wood that allowed him to peer outside. Tang Mujin watched the scene unfold from his hiding spot.
Moments later, the door opened, revealing an unexpected visitor—Dan Seolyeong.
‘Why is Dan Seolyeong here…?’
While Tang Mujin and Hwayeon were bewildered, Sam Anbul and Wi Jinan clapped their hands in welcome.
Dan Seolyeong spoke with confidence.
“Hello. I see Hwayeon is here too. As you know, I’m Dan Seolyeong, the mistress of the Tang family. But today, I’m here as an expert in dealing with oblivious men.”
Tang Mujin, hidden in the chest, narrowed his eyes, his heart pounding.
Had Dan Seolyeong encountered an oblivious man before?
Dan Seolyeong continued.
“First, let’s review the progress of the past ten days. What has happened during that time?”
Wi Jinan hesitated as he recalled.
“We’ve made eye contact a few times, shared a couple of smiles, had three brief conversations… and I wiped away tears once.”
“What was the reaction?”
Wi Jinan shook his head with a disheartened expression.
“There was no rejection or displeasure, but there was no significant reaction either. Nothing seems to have changed…”
Dan Seolyeong responded.
“I mentioned before, the problem is that you think Elder Il-nam is an ordinary man. Sam Anbul wouldn’t have asked for my help otherwise, right?”
“Hmm.”
“If he were an ordinary man, just a smile from you would have been enough to win him over. But who are we dealing with here? A man as oblivious as a rock.”
Wi Jinan cautiously protested.
“Il-nam isn’t that oblivious. He’s actually quite considerate for a man…”
Dan Seolyeong shook her head.
“Nan-hyang, as I said before, the awareness in romantic relationships is entirely different from other areas. Tang Mujin is oblivious in everyday life and in romance, so he’s easy to figure out. But Elder Il-nam is only oblivious in romance. You need to face reality.”
Tang Mujin, hidden in the chest, was startled to hear his name. Oblivious, me?
He wanted to jump out and argue, but he restrained himself with great effort.
Dan Seolyeong continued.
“Wi Jinan, you’re a natural beauty, so you’re used to immediate reactions from men. But dealing with oblivious men is different. Their reactions are slow or nonexistent.”
“Then what should I do?”
“There are two options. Either make it a foregone conclusion or create an unmistakable opportunity.”
“An unmistakable opportunity?”
Hwayeon interjected with a click of her tongue.
“Isn’t this just a roundabout way of saying to get him drunk?”
”…That’s one way, but I don’t think creating an opportunity is the best approach.”
“Why not?”
“Sudden progress can overwhelm the other person. Elder Il-nam would likely be startled. In the worst case, he might run away.”
Sam Anbul, Wi Jinan, and Hwayeon all nodded in agreement.
Indeed, despite appearances, Jang Il-nam was quite timid.
“Then, what should we do?”
“I think making it a foregone conclusion is the best approach. It’s slow but the most reliable method.”
“A foregone conclusion.”
Wi Jinan blushed, and Dan Seolyeong waved her hands dismissively.
“Not what you’re thinking.”
“Then what?”
“You’re worried that even if you show your feelings, Elder Il-nam won’t respond, right?”
“Yes. I’d like a clear reaction, whether it’s acceptance or rejection…”
“Change your perspective. If he doesn’t notice when you approach, he won’t notice when you bind him.”
As Dan Seolyeong explained, Sam Anbul clapped his hands in admiration.
“That’s a clever approach!”
But Wi Jinan and Hwayeon still looked puzzled.
”…What do you mean?”
Dan Seolyeong continued, as if expecting their confusion.
“Think of Tang Mujin and Elder Il-nam as stones in romantic matters. They don’t react when you show interest or nudge them, but it doesn’t matter. Stones can’t run away.”
“Hmm. I still don’t get it.”
“Just as a stone warms when placed over a fire, an oblivious man becomes a husband if you treat him like one long enough. That’s what I did.”
“You did that?”
Intrigued by others’ love stories, Wi Jinan showed interest.
“Yes. I had some progress with Tang Mujin initially, but then it stalled. So I changed my approach.”
“How?”
“I stayed at the Tang family clinic—back then, it was the Tang family clinic—and treated Elder Tang Jeseon like a father-in-law. He saw me as a daughter-in-law, and the villagers thought of me as one too. Stones can’t run away, remember? The marriage became a foregone conclusion.”
The three listeners all expressed their admiration simultaneously.
“Wow!”
“After that, well, it wasn’t much of a surprise. I never thought the wedding would fall apart. Sure, I needed a bit of help to wrap things up, but…”
Dang Mujin shivered with fear, hidden inside the storage chest. It suddenly dawned on him how he ended up getting married.
It wasn’t a joke or a lie.
Long before Dang Mujin and Dan Seolyeong were officially wed, his father had already considered her his daughter-in-law. The villagers treated Dang Mujin as if he were already a married man.
A surge of inexplicable emotion welled up inside him, and he clenched his fists tightly.
“Dan Seolyeong. How could you…!”
But his tightly clenched fists soon relaxed.
”…In the end, isn’t it a good thing?”
Upon reflection, he realized he had no real complaints. He had liked Dan Seolyeong from the start, and now he liked her even more.
The wedding was no different. He sometimes thought they should have married sooner, but he never regretted the marriage or thought it was too late.
“Maybe it was thanks to Dan Seolyeong that I didn’t miss my chance.”
Dang Mujin shifted slightly in the chest, finding a more comfortable position to listen to the conversation.
Wi Ji Nanhyang asked Dan Seolyeong, “So, what should I do now?”
“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, Wi Ji. Maybe be a bit more proactive. Making eye contact or giving a slight smile is nice, but Elder Ilnam probably won’t notice.”
“Oh, come on, really?”
“I’m not joking.”
Sam Anbul, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. “Since things are like this, it might be best to move them closer. There’s a small three-room building next to the training hall. Let’s clear it out except for one person and have Nanhyang and Ilnam stay there.”
Hwa Yeonshin offered her opinion. “Why not the two-room building next to the annex? Or have Nanhyang and Ilnam share the room you used to stay in. Living in close quarters might speed things up.”
Sam Anbul shook his head. “That’s too awkward. Ilnam would definitely notice something’s up. It’s better to have them stay in the three-room building and, after some time, convert one room into storage so they end up living together.”
“But they’ll still have separate rooms, right?”
“We can work around that when the time comes.”
Dan Seolyeong, who had been listening, expressed her doubts. “Is there a reason Elder Ilnam is keeping his distance from Wi Ji? Like, maybe he lost his wife or something?”
Sam Anbul shook his head. “No wife. He said he’s never even held a woman’s hand. He’s purer than most monks or ascetics.”
Sam Anbul clapped his hands, wrapping up the discussion. “I think that’s about it. We’ll have Nanhyang and Ilnam stay in the same building and gradually close the distance. Set the mood right, and don’t rush the ending. Got it?”
“Yes.”
And so, the secret meeting concluded.
Two days later, Jang Ilnam and Wi Ji Nanhyang moved into the three-room building. Ten days after that, one of the rooms was converted into storage.
About a month later, during a sparring session between Sam Anbul and Dang Mujin, Sam Anbul’s stray punch accidentally smashed through the wall of the building next to the training hall. It happened to be the wall separating Wi Ji Nanhyang and Jang Ilnam’s rooms.
Startled by the noise, Jang Ilnam rushed over, and Dang Mujin, looking at the broken wall, commented, “This is quite a predicament. Fixing the outer wall won’t be too hard, but repairing the inner wall might be a bit tricky. For now, it seems the two rooms will be awkwardly connected.”
The idea that the outer wall could be repaired but not the inner one was absurd. However, Sam Anbul feigned concern, assessing the size of the hole in the wall.
It was large enough for a person’s head to fit through easily, and a not-too-large person could probably squeeze through to the next room.
Sam Anbul casually asked Dang Mujin, “The hole isn’t particularly big. This won’t cause the building to collapse, will it?”
“I don’t think so. The main beams are sturdy.”
Hearing this, Sam Anbul turned to Jang Ilnam. “Then there’s no need to worry about this hole, right? Ilnam, it’s fine, isn’t it?”
“Uh, well…”
“We’ll hang a large scroll to cover the view. As long as you don’t move it, it’ll be just like before. Sound good?”
Jang Ilnam hesitated, and Sam Anbul placed a large hand on his shoulder, speaking meaningfully. “Just don’t move the scroll. That’s all you need to do. Got it?”
Jang Ilnam, who rarely voiced his discomfort, hesitated before replying, “I’m fine with it, but Nanhyang might…”
“I’ll talk to Nanhyang.”
”…Alright.”
From that day on, the Dang family estate became unusually festive.
It seemed as if they were trying to drink all the liquor in the province, with endless feasts and drinking parties. Wi Ji Nanhyang and Jang Ilnam couldn’t refuse all the drinks offered to them.
On nights when they drank, the people of the Dang estate would quietly approach the building where Wi Ji Nanhyang and Jang Ilnam stayed, listening intently.
At first, there was no sound, but after a few days, the two began to exchange words through the wall.
About two weeks later, their voices could be heard coming from the same room.
Even though they entered separate rooms, and the rooms were thoroughly divided by the scroll, their voices somehow came from the same space. It was a curious phenomenon.
A few days later, the people of the Dang estate noticed a subtle, awkward tension between Wi Ji Nanhyang and Jang Ilnam.