Life in the village without my big brother to play with me just wasn't the same at all; I could have even sworn that the sun had stopped shining over our little village and nothing tasted the same without him feeding me after I would pester him to do so. That big brother of mine always had his nose in his books and didn't have any time for me, so I would throw myself at him and I refused to eat until he fed me by hand just like our mother used to do for us. No amount of distractions from my father and uncle could satisfy me and instead I found myself locked up in my brother's room and go over everything that he had left behind, even putting things back that I had stolen from him in the past. "Geom? Why haven't you touched your food yet? You must eat my son, you are worrying your father now." "Mother, has my hung written to you again? Can I see all of the letters? I promise to keep them all in good condition, and…" "My son, you can keep them all, but I will only give them to you if you eat all of your food now, otherwise you will make your aunt Yeon upset. She cooked all of this food just for you, she will not even let her own children have it because she knows that it is your favourite." "Very well…mother, where is father? Is he with my uncle?" "You know that he is, where else could your father be? Eat your food first and take your nap before you see him though, you know how much your father worries about you." "Mother…" "No excuses, now come on and do what you are told, then we are going to have dinner with your aunt Hwa-Wol and her children." "What about the twins?" "They are all feeling a little sick, so they will be staying indoors until they feel better, so keep you distance for now because I do not want you falling ill as well."
I did what I was told to do, but instead of taking my nap, I went straight into my father's chambers and had a look around the things that the grandfather that I had never met left for us. He was a legend in himself and he was the only thing that I wanted to learn about rather than whatever it was that had my brother locked up in my father's office and slaving away at boring lessons and exams and quizzes and so on…
"Son? What are you doing in here? You know that you are not old enough to touch any of these weapons still, and…" "Father? How old was your father when he left home to train? What he the same age as my hyung?" "He was maybe a little older than your hyung when he left home, but why are you asking me about him?" "Did your father study like hyung did?" "My father wasn't really into academics, he learnt things along the way, but it was his sword that taught him everything that he needed to know, like militia strategies and…" "So if I do not study and go straight to training, then can I be like him as well? I could guard this village for us all and keep us safe?" "Geom, you must study so that you can surpass my father's accomplishments, that is the goal for all the men of the same lineage." "Father, must I? Truly?" "Think about it this way; you will be making your brother proud if you start studying like he did? And if you get it done quickly, then maybe your uncle will send you to the kingdom to live with your hyung, what do you think about that?" "Really? Do you mean it? Will you let me go, father?" "Of course I will, your bother has proven to me that he can look after you a long time ago, so why not? You still have to do your chores and duties in the village because you will inherit this land when I am gone, do you hear me boy?" "If you go, do you promise to wait for me in the other world where your father is? Promise me father!" "Of course I shall be waiting for you all along with my father; he will be so excited to meet you for the first time and you will meet your grandmother as well." "Father, will I be the one who will inherit my grandfather's weapons? Or will it be my hyung as well?" "I will decide in which are you train in suits you the most, and then you can take whatever is relevant to that field. But you know; brothers should work together, so if Chul is weak in a subject, then you should make up for it so that you both can be just as powerful together and you are on your own, do you understand me son?" "Very well father, so when can I start my studies then?" "I shall have to talk to your uncle about this tonight and then we can see what he can do, alright? And if it takes a long time, then you can just go to your aunt Yeon for tutoring in the meantime." "Will I go to her home to study? Will she cook me my favourite things to eat? Can I play with the twins more?" "Yes son, you can do all of that but you must not be too playful with Hwan until he grows up to be the same age as you are now." "Very well father, I shall listen to your word and do my best for my family and everyone here in the village. "Good boy."