—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
After Mancheon’s bold declaration of sibling war, Yeonhwa strategized, anticipating his next move. But to her surprise, and perhaps disappointment, Mancheon made no overt aggressive actions.
Instead, he simply kindly, almost indifferently showed her consideration.
When she reached for a dish at the dinner table, only to find it just out of reach, he silently moved it closer.
When she nearly lost her balance reaching for a book on a high shelf, he steadied her.
When she shivered in the cool evening air while reading in the reception room, he draped a cloak over her shoulders.
He went about his own business, but whenever she needed assistance, he offered it without fanfare, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He wasn’t doing anything special. He was simply there whenever she needed him. That was all.
…But to Yeonhwa, Mancheon’s actions weren’t simply acts of consideration.
Raised solely by her mother and the female servants, Sima Yeonhwa had virtually no interaction with men. Therefore, she found Mancheon’s advances utterly bewildering.
‘For a grown man to… express his affection so directly… how… indecent… vulgar…’
While Mancheon saw his actions as simple gestures of familial affection, marriage between siblings was permissible in Zoroastrianism.
Furthermore, from the perspective of the Zoroastrian cult, which emphasized modesty and chastity between men and women, Mancheon’s actions were undeniably a courtship display.
Essentially, he was wagging his tail enthusiastically, declaring his claim.
Unaware of these cultural nuances, Mancheon, believing he had successfully lowered Yeonhwa’s guard, decided to unveil his ultimate weapon.
He reached the apex of courtship.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
‘…Huh? What’s that? Is that a pipa?’
After finishing her morning prayers, Yeonhwa tilted her head at the sound of a beautiful pipa melody drifting in from outside. She opened the window and her eyes met Mancheon’s.
Mancheon sat beneath a blossoming tree, a pipa in his hands, a brazen smile on his face, plucking the strings with an infuriatingly skillful ease.
Flower petals, carried by the breeze, drifted towards Yeonhwa. Looking closer, she realized they weren’t petals, but small, square pieces of colored paper.
Looking up, she saw her older brother’s ever-present servant, Jang… Sam-bung, was it? He was perched in the tree, scattering handfuls of colorful paper from a basket.
Dumbfounded by the ridiculous spectacle, Yeonhwa stared in disbelief. Then, Mancheon began to sing, his voice blending beautifully with the pipa melody.
For an audience of one, for his shy, emotionally scarred younger sister, Mancheon performed.
‘GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka – Last Piece’ (actually singing it with the song tone, with his own lyrics)
“I’ll be with you, I’ll watch over you~ So the painful memories won’t hurt you anymore~.”
“Will you lean on me, will you open your heart to me~? I’ll be by your side when you need me~.”
“Worrying and hating, deceiving yourself~ Hiding behind a mask of hypocrisy~.”
Mancheon, who had dedicated all his talent and effort not to his studies, but to martial arts and leisure pursuits. His pipa skills were exceptional.
And to make matters worse, he was a surprisingly good singer. It was so… captivating, she couldn’t help but listen.
‘What’s with his voice… No, wait! What is this?!’
Yeonhwa, already sufficiently bewildered, was unfortunately subjected to further demonstrations of Mancheon’s eccentricity.
He suddenly rose from his seat and began to approach her, continuing to play the pipa.
Despite his limp, his steps were measured and graceful, his eyes, sparkling with an intense focus, fixed solely on Yeonhwa.
“What are you?!”
Before Yeonhwa could finish her question, Mancheon stopped playing the pipa, reached out, and gently took her hand.
“I know you’ve been waiting~ For me to hold your hand~ Hands that always yearn for a gentle touch~.”
Stunned, Yeonhwa had allowed Mancheon to take her hand far too easily, but the warmth of his touch brought her back to reality.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She couldn’t endure Mancheon’s ridiculous serenade, his surprisingly good singing, the warmth of his hand, none of it. And what she found most unbearable was…
The frantic beating of her own heart.
Yeonhwa’s face flushed crimson. She yanked her hand away and slammed the window shut, the loud bang echoing in the courtyard, hoping to hide her burning cheeks.
Mancheon blinked, staring at the closed window, momentarily stunned by the abrupt rejection.
‘What was that?… Did she not enjoy it? Was it not to her taste?’
As he pondered this, Jang Sam approached, a basket tucked under his arm.
“Young Master, what’s wrong? Did something go awry?”
“Well… I expected her to burst out laughing and shout, ‘What are you doing?!’ I guess it wasn’t to her liking.”
“Really? I found it so absurd I couldn’t help but laugh. Well, as you say, different strokes for different folks. Chin up.”
He scoffed at Jang Sam’s well-intentioned but unhelpful words of encouragement.
“I’m not discouraged by such trivial setbacks. If one method fails, I simply try another. In the end, victory is always mine.”
“If you applied that same dedication to your studies, you would have passed the imperial examinations long ago. Instead, you squander your time on Go, the pipa… such frivolous pursuits.”
From Jang Sam’s perspective, born into a wealthy family, it was only natural to dedicate oneself to scholarly pursuits and secure a position in the government. But to Mancheon, in a world where the fascinating power of martial arts existed, burying oneself in books was a waste of a perfectly good life.
He would never dedicate himself to scholarly pursuits. He would live a life of leisure, eventually learning the family business from his father, and dedicating his free time to the pursuit of martial arts.
But his philosophy wouldn’t be easily accepted. It was a cruel world.
So, for Jang Sam, who clung to the boring, conventional ideals of scholarly pursuits and imperial examinations, he offered another verse, quoting a classic poem.
“’Since birth, I’ve had no love for books’ (生來不會讀詩書).”
“’I prepare bait to catch the dragon’ (安排香餌釣鰲龍).”
“’I prepare my bow and arrow to hunt the tiger’ (準備窩弓射猛虎).”
Twang!
He deliberately plucked the pipa string with extra force, then flashed a wide smile at Jang Sam, at the world.
“’A hero has no need for books’ (英雄不會讀詩書).”
Clap! Clap-clap-clap~! Clap-clap!
As the last note faded, he heard applause.
Oh? Such enthusiastic applause. Perhaps he had found a kindred spirit?
No. It was his mother.
His mother approached, her face devoid of any amusement, clapping slowly. She spoke in her usual gentle tone.
“I see. So you have no interest in scholarly pursuits. I apologize for my egregious error in assuming otherwise, oh great hero.”
The formal speech… She was furious. He needed to escape. He glanced to the side; Jang Sam was already gone.
He had undoubtedly used the distraction to make his escape. That cowardly bastard.
He forced a casual smile and began to subtly retreat.
“Everyone makes mistakes. It’s nothing to worry about. Don’t mind me.”
“Come here. Now.”
If there was one thing he was most grateful to his master for, it was the martial arts training that had greatly improved the condition of his leg.
He channeled his internal energy into his leg, strengthening it just enough to be undetectable. Time for high-speed movement.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Meanwhile, Yeonhwa sat in her room, her back against the window, biting her lip, trying to calm her racing heart.
“Hoo… hoo… haah…”
She placed a hand over her chest, feeling the frantic, embarrassing rhythm of her heart against her palm. Such an indecent heart.
No! It was all his fault!
It was all because of her shameless older brother, who had serenaded her with a love song so passionate, so fiery, so intense it was mortifying!?
Her heart was racing simply because she was embarrassed. There was no other reason.
“Chuckle- giggle- How foolish.”
As her heart rate returned to normal and the image of Mancheon singing came to mind, she found herself laughing.
She wasn’t laughing at the song itself, but at Mancheon, who had gone to such absurd lengths, even preparing confetti, to win her affection.
He was such a fool. Such an amusing fool.
She had told him to his face that she disliked him, and yet he persisted, seemingly oblivious to his own embarrassment, so openly declaring his affections. And to serenade her outdoors, of all places.
For Yeonhwa, a devout follower of Zoroastrianism, even before she was a saint destined to set the world ablaze, such a brazen public display was unthinkable.
She looked at herself in the mirror, fiddling with her beautifully maintained black hair.
‘Does he… really like me that much? Such… a strange person.’
The corners of Yeonhwa’s lips curved upwards into a small smile. Sitting on her bed, brushing her hair, she unconsciously began to hum the tune Mancheon had sung.
A cheerful melody filled the young girl’s room.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Geez actually I listen to GTO song many times to make sure the way he mad the lyrics is fit or not 🤦
Thanks teot!