Ha-Joon woke up early in the morning, freshen up, and lighten the fire and prepared his early meal and thought Today, marked my ending day for the confinement. Why have nobody arrived to inform me.
Having spent week in forest, his body reeked of smell of sweat and needed a proper bath. Despite having washed himself several times, he still couldn't wash away the lingering smell in his body. Of course, he couldn't complain it either as he was the one to intensify the training which caused his body to smell.
As he finished his meal, he tore off his now ragged clothes and threw them on the still lingering fire and waited patiently. Despite his urge to stay half naked and admire his muscle, he couldn't throw away the clothes, specially nights getting windy which would sent shiver down his spine. So, he relucently clung on his ragged clothes for days without complaining.
"I wonder, will the rebellion starts tomorrow or..." Ha-Joon mused while stroking his chin. He could have stop the rebellion from happening by directly silencing the mid-wife or keeping her mouth shut. But he chose to let it go, simply because both Shintaro and Shingen would have prevented him before controlling the entire Yamazaki.
And his plan would crumble before it even took its first step.
(A/N: So, about rebellion, I've set it after Ha-Joon confinement as in webtoon, Author directly skipped who knows how many days before starting rebellion.)
A faint rustle came from the distance, instantly snapping Ha-Joon out of his thoughts. His sharp gaze landed at the approaching guard, holding a neatly folded set of kimono. He instantly appeared infront of the guard and unfolded kimono and began changing, ignoring the startled gasps of guard behind him.
As Ha-Joon finished adjusting his new clothes, the family guard who had delivered them took a step forward.
"Shintaro-nim has ordered you to meet him," the guard stated, his voice steady but cautious. "Once you leave the forest, he will be waiting."
Without a word, Ha-Joon finished fastening his sleeves, rolling his shoulders slightly to feel the fit of his new attire. Ha-Joon remained still for a moment, his sharp eyes locking onto the guard's nervousness and slightly smirked: "Then I won't keep him waiting."
The guard gave a slight nod, stepping aside as Ha-Joon took his first step forward, leaving behind the vast forest that had shaped him.
....
Ha-Joon's footsteps were steady as he emerged from the dense forest. At the forest's edge, Shintaro was waiting for him. Though his entire body was disheveled from exhaustion. His expression remained unreadable as he watched Ha-Joon approach.
For a brief moment, neither spoke.
Shintaro's lifeless eye lit up, he observed Ha-Joon and whispered: "You've gotten stronger than before."
"Yeah, But not enough yet." spoke Ha-Joon and nodded towards him.
He turned, motioning for Ha-Joon to follow, they walked in silence for a short while.
After some time, they stopped at an old wooden structure— inside it lay an elderly woman and was waiting for them. She slowly stood up, as they approached her.
She glanced at Ha-Joon and stared back at Shintaro as if saying is it okay.
"Tell me again," Shintaro said, his voice laced with fury. "So that there will be no doubt."
The old woman nodded and exhaled nervously. "You were born first."
After mid-wife Misaki finished speaking, Shintaro drew his blade and killed her without hesitation.
Ha-Joon stood motionlessly at the side, as he already knew about the revelation. He was particularly not interested with their situation of the birth.
After finishing her. Shintaro turned towards Ha-Joon and spoke: " I suppose, you know the truth"
Ha-Joon nodded: "yes, but what if her words were lies."
"Don't worry, I will ask the previous family head and confirm that tomorrow." Shintaro spoke while slowly sheathing his katana.
"If her words are true then, I hope you can decide whose side to take." He added: " And don't make the decision you regret."
Having said that, He ignored Ha-Joon and walked out of the wooden house without glancing back.
Ha-Joon who had remained stoic the whole process, finally broke in wild grin: "Haha... Finally, its starting."
....
The rebellion loomed on the horizon, but for now, Ha-Joon found himself far from the weight of war. Outside the reach of the Yamazaki family, in a quiet town where no one knew their names, he sat across from Park Jung-Gun at a small, roadside food stall.
Having fought his whole life, he truly enjoyed the relaxing moments, distancing himself from bloodsheds.
Gun, leaning back lazily against the wooden counter, let out a satisfied sigh as he took another sip of his drink. "You should try relaxing once in a while, Ha-Joon. You always look like you're waiting for the next fight."
Ha-Joon, calmly eating his food, didn't bother looking up. "I don't get my time to relax everyday."
Gun smirked, shaking his head: "I guess so."
Ha-Joon nodded and continued to eat his food. Gun, who was usually composed and refined young man had slowly opened up to Ha-Joon. He had begun to show a lively expression, typical of those around his age instead of the steady and refined manners.
Ha-Joon ordered the set of food, while stuffing all the food from the bowl on his mouth.
Gun stared at Ha-Joon and spoke in disbelief: "What the hell? How much more can you eat.?"
Ha-Joon raised a brow. "Eating is training."
Gun nearly choked on his drink, laughing. "Of course it is. Let me guess—meal is good for recovery, the protein helps muscle growth, and chewing builds jaw strength?"
Ha-Joon nodded seriously. "Exactly."
Gun laughed, while Ha-Joon ignored him. He truly wondered, if Gun trained Daniel Park in the future and said the same line as him, would he remember this moment and laugh at his own ignorance. He slowly chuckled at the thought.
As they ate in silence, once the crowded street visibly began to quiet down. For all his usual bravado, even Gun seemed to enjoy the quiet.
"Tell me something," Gun said eventually, tapping his chopsticks against his bowl. "If you weren't so dead set on getting stronger, what would you be doing?"
Ha-Joon paused, considering. It was a question he had never truly asked himself. His entire existence had been shaped by the pursuit of strength to fulfill his future ambition.
"Doesn't matter," he said finally. "This is the only path."
Gun scoffed. "You really don't know how to take a break."
"I don't have time to be idle."
Gun said nothing,, but as they finished their meal and walked through the bustling streets, Ha-Joon thought:
Don't disappoint me Yamazaki Shintaro.
.....
(I forget, today was the day for uploading new chap and didn't update it in time. I hope ya'll don't mind.)