The Visit – A Letter from Hwang Hak 2 (黃鶴)
"Boy, shall we have a word?"
Hwang Hak's voice was low, yet clear.
Standing behind Jimin, Soun answered without even turning his head.
"Who are you?"
Hwang Hak's brow twitched faintly.
"You don't know me?"
"How would I?" Soun replied evenly.
"Just another passerby—cattle and horses on the road."
"Cattle and horses?"
He paused briefly, then added,
"You brought no visitor's card."
To meet someone, one must first send a visitor's card—state one's name and purpose, and receive permission.
Even one of the Ten Great Masters under Heaven was no exception.
For a moment, disbelief crossed Hwang Hak's face.
By ordinary standards, the situation defied comprehension.
Yet curiosity outweighed anger.
Confidence suppressed outrage.
"So if I write a visitor's card, you will speak with me?"
"If you write one, it means I will read it and decide," Soun replied, pushing Jimin's shoulder to correct her posture.
"Should I not know who you are, what you do, and what sort of character and disposition you possess?"
Only then did he lift his gaze toward Hwang Hak.
"Elder, do you meet anyone simply because they ask?
And at present, I am teaching a student.
A young person who aspires to become a great martial artist stands here sweating through training…
Should I interrupt it?"
He took a breath and added,
"I have heard rumors of an old man who barges into houses with no relation to him, demanding that a boy be handed over."
Jimin's back stiffened.
The air over Namsan sank heavily.
There was unmistakable sharpness at the edge of Soun's words.
The house with no relation referred to the Jin family estate in Henan.
The "boy" was none other than Soun himself.
Sweat ran down Jimin's brow.
Part of it was from the strain of maintaining the chamjeong stance.
But as the situation escalated, another sweat broke out from tension.
Even if one knew little of martial customs,
speaking this boldly was dangerous.
Her heart pounded.
Her thighs burned,
yet what came to mind first was the disaster that might follow Soun's audacity.
Sweat trickled down her spine.
What would happen if the two clashed head-on?
The mere thought made her chest rise and fall rapidly.
Her breathing grew rough.
Anxiety wrapped around her whole body.
Hwang Hak would surely strike in anger.
The boy would fall before he could utter more than a few words.
Even among masters,
she believed Hwang Hak stood a step above.
A supreme expert beyond the realm of Hwagyeong—an ultimate master.
But Soun remained composed.
Facing Hwang Hak directly,
he showed no sign of retreat.
"You are criticizing me now,"
Hwang Hak said, his voice low yet carrying a heavy pressure.
"Is it not something worthy of criticism?"
Soun did not yield.
"To go to the home of a man who bled and fought for the country and demand a room, demand food, say you will cause no trouble, and wait until the boy arrives…
Is that proper conduct?
Did you grow old for nothing?"
Jimin's heart dropped.
Hwang Hak's eyes narrowed.
"I never asked for food."
"Then you did not eat? Not a single meal, not a single sip of water?"
A brief silence followed.
"Can you swear you did not touch even a blade of grass in that household?"
Hwang Hak's beard trembled faintly.
"They offered, so I ate."
The moment those words fell, Soun's gaze turned colder still.
"Is it shamelessness—or stupidity?
If you must throw your weight around, do so in the proper place.
That is the residence of a Great General who gave his entire body to save the nation."
The air over Namsan tightened like a drawn bowstring.
Soun was angry.
He tried to contain his words, but it was not easy.
He had already realized that this old man was the very one who had gone to Jin Musik and made unreasonable demands.
Hwang Hak's expression gradually cooled.
A chill gathered in his narrowed eyes.
The faint smile at the corner of his lips disappeared.
He no longer received this as amusement.
Curiosity receded, and pride remained.
He stood still, yet the air around him changed.
Gradually, anger began to simmer.
An invisible force pressed down upon the slope of Namsan.
Goosebumps rose along Jimin's skin.