Stigma | 낙인

EPILOGUE

"Ow, ow, ow!"

After having been struck on the head by a wooden sword, the child let out an exaggerated howl.

"'Ow'? How can you say that right now?"

The man who had struck the child's head with the wooden sword raised the sword once again. The child quickly stepped back.

"Huh?"

The boy bumped into someone.
He turned around and saw a woman with faint wrinkles on the corners of her eyes.

"Mother!"

"You rascal. You should be paying attention to your father. How can you get distracted so easily?"

The man lowered his wooden sword and began to complain that the hardest thing in the world was teaching your own kid.
This man had founded a small school for martial arts and taught the young children in town how to wield a sword.

It had been 12 years since Heo SeoYoon and his wife Yoo EunSeo had arrived at this village. 12 years ago, after having gone through a great misfortune, the couple managed to escape and came upon this small country town. The couple was well-known in this town for their incredibly loving relationship.

Their child was now ten years old, and he was quite the crybaby. It was so bad that his father, who never had a problem instructing the students of his school, couldn't handle teaching his own son.

"Still, do your best to teach him. His uncle was the greatest swordsman in the country. Where else could that blood have gone?"

"He doesn't have the heart for it. EunLib really doesn't have the heart to do this. His posture is also horrible."

"You shouldn't be like that. If your father is teaching you, you need to do your best to learn too."

"But it hurts when I get hit. And my arm hurts..."

Before he could finish speaking, the child let out a laugh and ran away.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go play with my friends!"

Taking advantage of his mother's arrival, the boy ran off. EunSeo quietly laughed as she watched him leave.

"I don't know who he takes after. He must take after you."

"I was never like that."

SeoYoon replied with a straight face.
Then he sneakily grabbed EunSeo's hand.
Even though they had been together for over ten years, his heart still raced whenever he held her hand. SeoYoon didn't know why this feeling didn't go away.

Whenever he looked at her, a smile would stretch across his lips. Whenever he held her hand, his heart throbbed. She was still so beautiful to him. She was still so lovable. This must be some kind of sickness.

That day. Twelve years ago on that day.
After going over the mountain, they arrived at EunSeo's maternal home. Once they were there, they treated their wounds, ate, and rested. Once they had fully recovered, EunSeo's family had given them some money, and they left.

They weren't headed for a specific place.
They walked along the rivers and beautiful forests. They napped underneath the gentle sunlight that shone through the trees. They enjoyed all the blooming flowers along the road and shared a glass of liquor underneath the full moon.

And still, whenever the moon looked beautiful in the night sky, they would talk about old times and share stories of the people they missed. Then they would reaffirm their unchanging love and continue to dream of the days ahead.

There was not a cloud in the night sky. The full moon and the sparkling stars looked like they had been embroidered into the sky as they shined their light down onto the earth.
SeoYoon was lying down with the beautiful night sky shining down on his head. EunSeo was sitting next to him as she was sewing a small pouch.

EunSeo was making a pouch for their child. SeoYoon glanced at her. A thought popped into his head. He suddenly put his head on EunSeo's lap.

"What is it?"

"My ear feels itchy."

EunSeo took out an ear pick from her sewing basket. She began to lightly pick his ear. SeoYoon's head flinched on her lap.

"Does it tickle?"

"A little."

"So sensitive. You're just like EunLib."

"No way."

SeoYoon laughed softly, and EunSeo laughed along with him. This languid happiness still felt like a dream. She never thought that she'd be able to enjoy this kind of happiness.
But she was so happy that it didn't feel real.
As she carefully picked his ear, the weight on her lap gradually got heavier.

At some point, SeoYoon had closed his eyes and his breaths became steady. His sleeping face looked so pure. He was always like that.
He was so pure that he was quick to anger. He was so pure that he was quick to sorrow.
And he was so pure that he could always get back up again.

Love again. And now, underneath the beautiful moonlight, she was able to enjoy the night breeze with him. Like the day they first met. The moonlight poured down on them.
And made her heart race.

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