Stigma Chapter 3 part1

Yoo EunLib was considered to be the ‘best of his time'. That was how great of a warrior he was.

He showed remarkable skill at a young age. People said that he had managed to defeat his master less than a year after he began to learn the ways of the sword. The rumors were true.

Because he came from a good family, his parents had wanted him to become a government official, but because of his outstanding skills as a swordsman, they had no choice but to watch as their son walked the path of a warrior. It was a bit of a disappointment for his parents, but they managed to see their son excel as a warrior and make a name for himself before they passed away, so they were still quite blessed.

At the age of seventeen, Yoo EunLib passed the exam to become a military officer. Not long after he began his military post, he brought honor to his family in a war. During times of peace, he trained the other soldiers. Currently, he was one of the guards that protected the king as well as one of the instructors for the new recruits.

Even though ten men would have had a hard time handling all of his duties, EunLib knew his calling was to be a soldier, so he had no complaints. If there was one thing he did want, it was to exchange swords with the other great warriors of the world. But that was it.

His parents had passed away, and the only family he had left was his wife and his younger sister.

He didn't have a child yet, and his sister had just reached marriageable age.

Although his parents had now passed away, his family was a prestigious family that went back several generations. Once he found a suitable man from a good family to marry his sister, a huge burden would be lifted off his shoulders.

「Please come home early today.」

He had received a message from home while he was in the training grounds, so he was hurriedly walking back home.

He had never received that kind of message before, so he was worried that something had happened.

‘Just what could have happened?'

Why were they asking him to come home early?

‘Did someone get hurt?'

The only people that were home was his sister and his wife.

If someone had gotten hurt, was it his sister or his wife?

‘Should I take a few months off…'

A few weeks ago, as he was leaving his house, his wife had asked him, ‘Why are you always so busy?'

She was probably lonely.

Her husband was always running around outside, so she must have been very disappointed even if she didn't show it.

It might also be his fault that they hadn't conceived a child yet.

If his wife had been unable to conceive due to an empty heart because of her absent husband, then it was completely his fault.

‘If I take a few months off to take care of the household… Maybe I can take a long trip with my wife as well…'

That wasn't a bad idea.

As he mulled over his thoughts, he finally exited the main street of the capital and began to head for the suburbs. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't because he had realized that he'd forgotten something back at the training grounds. It wasn't because he had forgotten to do something either.

He stopped because a few men were blocking his way.

“Do you have business with me?”

Yoo EunLib looked at the men who were in his way.

The men were holding swords and axes in their hands.

These men were holding these weapons in the streets in the middle of the day.

Anyone could tell that the were not friendly.

“Something has come up and I need to return home quickly. I don't know why you're doing this, but I can see that you won't move aside if I ask nicely, so…”

Yoo EunLib smiled bitterly.

This was because he didn't have his sword with him.

He didn't always have his sword on his waist.

Especially not in the middle of the day in broad daylight. Yoo EunLib believed that only thugs walked around in the daytime with their swords on their hips.

So he didn't have his sword with him now.

“Haa…”

EunLib lightly clenched his fist.

His master had always told him that the basis of martial arts was the fist. However, being exceptionally skilled with the sword, if EunLib had a weakness, it would be fighting with his fist.

Fighting with his bare hands didn't even add up to half his skills with the sword. Because of that, everyone around him had always said, ‘If you didn't have your sword, you'd be dead by now.'

Therefore, he was currently in a tough situation.

Was he going to fight these armed men with his bare hands? He was in trouble. Big trouble.

“Whoa!”

The blade of a sword struck down right in front of his eyes. EunLib stepped back and fell down.

He quickly stood up and held out his fists.

If these men were novices, EunLib would have been able to overpower them without his sword. However, they seemed to be the type of men who did this often.

Their skills were exceptionally good.

If he was unlucky, he might even get hurt. But he needed to return home, so he didn't have that luxury.

“What the?!”

EunLib stumbled.

He had managed to avoid the flying axe that was headed straight for his head, but a sword had suddenly been thrust to his side. As he dodged it, EunLib became disoriented and lost his balance.

As EunLib fell, a man drew back his axe, aiming for EunLib's chest.

As he watched the axe come towards him, EunLib thought, ‘If I don't get home in time, I'll get in big trouble.'

“Aaagh!”

EunLib wasn't the one who had screamed.

A man who had brandished an axe at EunLib had been the one who cried out.

Holding his axe, the man fell onto his face.

Warm blood splattered onto EunLib's face.

The man's blood began to spurt out in front of his eyes.

A strange man had suddenly intervened and began to cut down EunLib's attackers.

“Wow…”

EunLib couldn't suppress his amazement.

When it came to the sword, EunLib had lived his life hearing that he was best.

However, the man who was currently helping EunLib had skills that were on par with his.

“Amazing!”

Where had this man been hiding with these incredible skills?

As he was watched with wonder, the fight ended. The armed men fled with their bloody wounds.

“Thank you for helping me. You saved my life.”

While he should have been embarrassed for being unable to win over those thugs as the nation's best swordsman, EunLib didn't care about any of that and approached the man.

“Huh? Did you get hurt?”

The man's arm was bleeding. He had gotten hurt as he was fighting.

“Let's do this for now…”

EunLib ripped his own sleeve and used the cloth to bind the man's wound.

“I think you still need to see a doctor.”

“I'm fine.”

The man's voice was low and grave.

His voice suited him. He looked like the type of man who didn't have much to say.

“If it's alright with you, my house is nearby. Why don't we go to my home and treat your wound?”

“I'm fi-“

“Let's go!”

Without listening for the man's reply, EunLib grabbed the man's hand.

“I said I'm fine…”

The man didn't seem willing, but EunLib completely ignored him and began to walk.

“Here, once we turn here, we'll be almost there. It's not that far. The sun will set soon, so you should stay for dinner as well.”

Seeing how EunLib wasn't willing to let him leave right away, the man sighed as he was dragged by the hand.

He had never expected to be dragged away like this when he decided to help a passerby who had found some trouble.

‘Well, I'll just get my wound treated…'

Dinner sounded too intimidating. He would only get his wounds treated and leave. Either way, he needed to get it treated, so it didn't matter where he did it.

SeoYoon followed EunLib through the front gate of the house. He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

EunSeo, who had been waiting for her brother, opened the front gate to see her brother and his guest come in. She just stood in shock as she stared. SeoYoon did the same.

“……”

“……”

The two continued to stare at each other.

Even though they were familiar with each other, they didn't say a word.

“This man is my savior, EunSeo.”

Not noticing what was going on, EunLib stood between the two, his booming laughter echoing through the yard. When he introduced SeoYoon to her, EunSeo didn't say anything.

Before she could ask why this man was entering her home with her brother, her heart began to race inside her chest.

As he gazed at her, SeoYoon's heart did the same.

Just like when he had met her for the first time in the mountain. His heart began to flutter.

“Please, at least have dinner before you leave.”

After roughly treating his wound, SeoYoon was unable to reject EunLib's request and ended up nodding his head.

“Then, just dinner…”

As he replied, SeoYoon's mind was only filled with EunSeo, who he had met again by chance.

What a coincidence.

As he left the mountain that night, her face kept popping into his head.

They had met briefly in the mountains and then again at the temple. The maiden's face was constantly on his mind these days. He couldn't even sleep peacefully.

Still, he knew that he shouldn't have a woman dwell in his heart at this time. Therefore, he decided to forget her.

He wasn't in any position to be courting a woman right now.

Even as he told this to himself over and over again, he couldn't help but remember her face whenever he went to sleep at night.

And when he finally met her again by coincidence, he felt his heart fill up to the point that he could barely breathe.

His stiff heart began to beat again.

“Please go ahead and eat first. First, I need to speak to my wife, and it seems that something has come up outside, so I'll need to leave for a bit. I'll be back soon.”

They had both sat down at the dinner table together, but before they could pick up their spoons, someone had come looking for EunLib. EunLib left with the man, leaving SeoYoon behind.

EunLib asked SeoYoon to eat dinner and even enjoy a cup or two of liquor as he waited for him.

“We looked around for you the next morning, but they said that you hadn't stayed at the temple and just departed that night.”

SeoYoon listened to EunSeo's lively voice as he stared at the wall.

After having brought in the meal, EunSeo didn't leave the room and sat across from him.

“We met twice by chance, but you still didn't tell me your name. I was quite disappointed.”

SeoYoon didn't respond.

“The first time, you helped me. And today you even helped my brother… It seems that fate continues to bring us together.”

SeoYoon acknowledged that.

They had met too many times for this to be considered a mere coincidence.

In the mountain, in the temple, and now.

If this wasn't fate, what was it?

“Are you usually this quiet?”

EunSeo's voice was firm.

Instead of a proper maiden's shy behavior, she was bursting with curiosity over this strange man.

“And it seems that you are quite talkative in front of an unfamiliar man.”

These were SeoYoon's first words to her that day.

“……”

At SeoYoon's observation, EunSeo tightly shut her mouth.

She had only been glad to see him, but realizing that her excitement might have come off as improper to this man, she quickly shut her mouth and lowered her eyes.

And she began to regret it a little.

‘I should have just waited for him to talk first,' she thought.

“I didn't mean anything by those words. I was only worried that others may slight you if they see the daughter of a prestigious house behaving this way. I truly didn't mean anything else by it.”

Seeing EunSeo primly lower her head, SeoYoon was bewildered and quickly spoke up.

“But…”

With her head bowed, EunSeo quietly replied.

“My brother said that it's okay to chat with a companion.”

“…I see… Then I apologize. For saying that.”

He didn't have to apologize, but he felt so awkward. EunSeo secretly glanced at him as he fumbled with his words.

The man's face was very red.

Seeing this sturdy man become so red in the face, EunSeo couldn't help but smile.

“If you're truly sorry, please tell me your name.”

Not wanting to miss this opportunity, EunSeo quickly asked for the man's name.

She knew that if she didn't ask now, he'd never tell her.

“…It's Heo… SeoYoon.”

The man hesitated as he answered.

“That's a good name. My name is…”

“I know what it is. I heard your brother call your name that night.”

“And you remembered it?”

EunSeo grinned as SeoYoon's cheeks flushed.

He had been caught. He still remembered her name from when he heard her brother call for her in the mountains.

She now knew that he hadn't forgotten her name since they met for the first time. His face continued to turn red like an apple. Seeing this, EunSeo playfully murmured, ‘Seeing as how you remembered my face and my name, I guess I looked quite pretty to you.'

In the end, he didn't touch his spoon.

He was so mortified that the food wouldn't go down his throat.

TN: Awww, how sweet!!! But bittersweet because we know what will happen to this couple…😭

Chapter end