Daldal: Main story

Chapter 125

Kang-hee, real name is Yoon Kang.

"My mother gave me this name."

Kang-hee was ten years old when he learned that his name was derived from the name of his mother's first son. Yoon-sa. Even though the surnames were different, considering that they were children born from the same womb, their mother named them thinking of them as blood brothers.

In reality, Kang-hee had never seen his mother and father. They had passed away too early.
However, it wasn't a particularly unique story among Yokai. Many had lost their families and siblings. Therefore, Yokai did not distinguish between my parents and your parents or my siblings and your siblings.

Everyone who survived was kin, a family.

Nevertheless, when Kang-hee learned that he had a blood brother, he couldn't help but feel happy.

A brother is there, someone with whom he share blood with. Despite not knowing his brother's face, Kang-hee had always yearned for the day when he could meet his only older brother.

"Nine years ago, my grandmother, who raised me, passed away."

At the age of eleven, Kang-hee cremated his grandmother's remains and scattered the ashes into the river. What he did next, despite everyone's objections, was to remove the horns on his head.

"I don't know if you know, but if you mess with the horns, there's a high chance of something going wrong with your body. I've seen quite a few who just cut and carved without knowing, and they ended up dead. Even if they didn't die, many experienced severe paralysis in their whole body."

While some didn't suffer any aftereffects, the majority did. Removing the horns often led to issues somewhere in the body. Fortunately, Kang-hee didn't experience any problems.

Whether it was due to luck or being a half-breed, he wasn't sure.

Anyway, Kang-hee took the risk and removed the horns to meet his older brother. Without them, he looked like an ordinary humans.

Having removed the horns, he descended from Songcheon Peak and went to Chae Ga-won. He set out on such a long journey with only the eager wish to meet his true only family.

His older brother.

Unfortunately, when he finally arrived at Chae Ga-won, his brother wasn't there. At that time, Chae Yoon-sa was a military officer based in Hwangseong, shuttling back and forth from the battlefield. Upon reaching Chae Ga-won in search of his older brother, Kang-hee was welcomed by the former master, Chae Yeong.

"I just didn't want to go back. It seemed a waste after coming all this way. However, I couldn't just reveal my identity thoughtlessly."

It was natural not to expose it. How could he say that the woman who was once his master's wife had a child with another man, especially a Yokai?

Although Kang-hee and Chae Yoon-sa were half-brothers, they were just strangers to each other. In a sense, Kang-hee was merely a product of betrayal and immorality to Chae Yoon-sa. So, Kang-hee concealed his true identity and begged to be accepted. Master Yeong said he liked the young one because he was quite bold, so he gladly accepted him.

"I was grateful without knowing anything. I didn't even know that he killed my parents."

Master Yeong was a good master, kind and generous. The servants followed him well, and Kang-hee did the same. Knowing nothing, Kang-hee regarded him as a good person and served him sincerely. He even deluded himself into thinking that Master Yeong could be considered his father if he had married his mother.

Kang-hee finally encountered his long-awaited older brother about half a year after entering Chae Ga-won.

"...he was beautiful. I couldn't think of anything else. Was he really my older brother? How could we be so different? It was truly fascinating and thrilling."