Chapter 12

Chapter 12
Chapter: 12

Chapter Title: Taking Over the Butcher Shop (3)

—

“I take it you two are serious about acquiring this business?”

The proprietor of the establishment, an aging man celebrated as the premier meat-cutter in the region, So Hyang, inquired.

“That is our intention,” Sima Geon answered with courtesy.

‘He had been unable to secure an apprentice and was on the verge of shuttering the doors… but in a mere matter of days, his condition has shifted drastically. He looks even more consumed by sickness now.’

Sima Geon could detect that So Hyang’s life force was fading as he observed the man, who had become strikingly more skeletal since their previous encounter. Perhaps that impending mortality was the genuine motivation behind his decision to abandon the butcher trade.

“You’re the same pair who hovered around a few days back claiming you just wanted to observe. Ha! I suppose you thought it looked simpler than it truly is. You’d be better off returning to your own lives.”

So Hyang gave a robust laugh, though his rasping voice held a sharp, jagged quality.

“Quite the opposite. How could we underestimate the craft after witnessing your particular style?”

So Hyang’s eyes gleamed at the unexpected comment, which deviated from the typical responses he received.

“People speak of a single blow for a single life. It was a masterclass in efficiency, carrying the weight of a lifetime’s experience.”

So Hyang’s frosty gaze thawed a fraction at Sima Geon’s heavy commendation.

“Ha! You’re painting gold over the life of a tired old man who spent his decades carving up livestock. Cough! Cough!”

So Hyang began to laugh, only for the sound to devolve into a fit of harsh coughing.

“When a person commits their entire existence to one discipline, they can attain the level of an artist. I might be ignorant of many things, but that state of total focus you displayed was the most gripping thing I have ever witnessed.”

So Hyang, still struggling through his painful coughs, turned solemn at the continued praise and locked Sima Geon in a piercing stare.

Sima Geon did not flinch or look away. Instead, he met the gaze with composure.

In that steady look, So Hyang realized this individual was not like the common flatterers who used empty words to gain an advantage.

“Would you come with me for a moment?”

So Hyang’s presence transformed instantly. The withered old man who looked like he might collapse at any second vanished.

Without staying for an answer, he made his way toward the slaughtering area.

Sima Geon caught hold of a hesitant Cheol Woo and followed behind.

Once they reached the back, So Hyang ushered a pig from its enclosure. He presented Sima Geon with a heavy blade and a mallet, stating,

“You wouldn’t offer to take this on if you lacked any foundation. If you intend to run this shop, you must at least understand the kill. Are you prepared to demonstrate your capability?”

“I have no prior experience, but I am willing to attempt it.”

Sima Geon first handed the blade and mallet to Cheol Woo, then stroked the pig’s snout and guided it toward the feeding bin.

So Hyang found it difficult to mask his amazement as the animal followed Sima Geon without a trace of suspicion.

Sima Geon stroked the pig’s head with a gentle touch as it began to eat.

“During my last visit, I saw that you wait for them to finish their meal. It seemed like a final act of kindness, ensuring they have a full stomach before the end.”

“It’s less about kindness and more a deceptive way to quiet my own conscience, if only slightly. It is an animal, yes, but it is still a living soul.”

So Hyang shook his head with a dry, knowing laugh, but Sima Geon maintained his perspective.

“I perceived it as genuine empathy, not a deceptive tactic.”

“Believe what you wish.”

As the pig finished the last of its food, Sima Geon reclaimed the tools from Cheol Woo.

So Hyang scrutinized Sima Geon’s every move with an icy focus.

Sima Geon aligned the blade against the pig’s head, yet the animal did not stir. Even when he drew the mallet back for the strike, it remained completely calm.

‘Stunning.’

So Hyang was gripped by awe.

The instincts of a pig are far more acute than those of a human, yet it sensed no danger. This meant Sima Geon had completely suppressed his intent to kill.

The impact followed immediately.

The heavy animal collapsed into the trough, head-first, without uttering a single sound—exactly as it happened when So Hyang performed the task himself.

“You truly claim to have never done this?”

So Hyang stared, his mouth slightly open.

“Never. I simply imitated the motions I saw you use before. Why are you standing still?”

Sima Geon looked over at Cheol Woo.

With a grumble of complaint, Cheol Woo secured the pig’s legs and lifted the carcass onto a support beam.

So Hyang was paralyzed with shock as he watched Cheol Woo hoist the weight alone.

It typically required the strength of three grown men to lift a dead weight of that size. Yet Cheol Woo accomplished it casually with one arm—a pig that had to weigh at least two hundred jin.

‘Regardless of his physical stature…’

So Hyang was lost for words at Cheol Woo’s nearly supernatural power.

“Oh, that’s right, I need to let the blood out.”

Cheol Woo, who had started to walk off, sliced the throat and began collecting the flow. He then turned to So Hyang and asked,

“Is it strictly necessary to use these specific implements?”

“What are you implying?”

As So Hyang asked, Cheol Woo stepped back into the enclosure and pulled out a second pig.

Unlike Sima Geon, he did not hide his aggression, and the pig fought back fiercely, but it was no match for Cheol Woo’s grip.

A moment later, once placed at the feeding trough, it forgot its panic and began to eat greedily.

So Hyang was stunned to see that Cheol Woo had also managed to perfectly mask his lethal intent at the critical moment.

“If we are capable of a clean kill without equipment, why rely on cold steel?”

Cheol Woo smirked.

Sima Geon, guessing what was coming, pressed a hand to his forehead and sighed, while So Hyang simply looked confused.

“It looks like you’ve had your fill. Time to move on. I’ll at least hope your passing is easy.”

Cheol Woo spoke the words softly, then drove his fist forward.

Crack!

With a booming sound, the pig fell forward into the bin.

The end result was identical to Sima Geon’s mallet strike. The distinction was that Sima Geon’s blade had pierced the brain for a surgical death, whereas Cheol Woo’s fist had entirely crushed the bone.

So Hyang’s expression turned rigid.

“You are not simple laborers. You are practitioners of the martial arts?”

“We were, at one point.”

Sima Geon made no attempt to hide the truth.

“Why would men of your standing seek out this path?”

“We wish for a life of quiet normalcy.”

“Normalcy… With your talents, you could find a dozen other professions with ease.”

“We have attempted various things, but it is rarely that simple. Having grown up the way we did, we never acquired much knowledge beyond the art of the fight.”

So Hyang looked back and forth between the sadly smiling Sima Geon and Cheol Woo, who was whistling a tune as he hung his second kill. He could feel instinctively that their pasts were not light, but filled with heavy, unspoken burdens.

“It is a pity that my time is so short.”

At So Hyang’s softened tone, Sima Geon smiled broadly and bowed his head.

“Please, share your knowledge with us. You will find us to be capable students.”

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The blade moved with the precision of a choreographed dance, gliding through the meat without a moment of doubt.

With every movement of Sima Geon’s hand, the carcass was dismantled perfectly into distinct cuts.

There wasn’t a single error despite the rapid, rhythmic pace—he appeared to have an instinctive map of the creature’s anatomy.

“Ha ha ha! I cannot believe my eyes!”

A dry, hollow laugh came from So Hyang as he observed Sima Geon, leaning his weight against his walking stick.

The expertise he had spent half a century refining over thousands of animals had been absorbed in just a few days. Sima Geon’s fluid actions were already superior to his own.

“You mentioned you had spent years living by the blade, but your progress is frightening. There is nothing left for me to show you.”

Though his failing health made it difficult to provide proper training, So Hyang felt a strange blend of satisfaction and loss at seeing his life’s work mastered in a mere three days.

“It is because of your direction. I am in your debt.”

Sima Geon, having finished the entire breakdown of the cow, cleaned his knife and offered a bow.

“I am the one who owes you. I knew it was a foolish hope, but I wanted the shop I built to maintain its name. I would have rather seen it burn than fall into the wrong hands. That is why I spent so much time looking for the right person. Every one of them was a disappointment.”

Finding it hard even to remain upright with his cane, So Hyang began to stumble. Sima Geon moved quickly to guide him to a wooden seat.

Smiling despite the age spots that marked his skin, So Hyang took Sima Geon’s hand in his own.

“Because of you, this old man can die satisfied. I can close my eyes now. I am truly thankful.”

“Please, don’t say that. I was drifting without a purpose back home. Because of you, I have found a place to settle. The gratitude is mine.”

Sima Geon showed his heartfelt appreciation to So Hyang for his willingness to pass on his craft so freely.

As the two exchanged words of respect, Cheol Woo returned from finishing his own work on a pig, tossing his tool aside.

“Damn, it’s all just meat in the end. Why not just hack it up and sell it instead of all this fancy carving?”

Cheol Woo sat down next to Sima Geon and took a long swig of alcohol.

“Boss, is it really necessary for me to learn the fine details?”

Before Sima Geon could answer, So Hyang barked out with annoyance,

“Don’t let that one touch a fine blade. Keep him on the heavy lifting. Though I suppose his way of killing with his hands is effective enough.”

Unlike the focused Sima Geon, Cheol Woo had been lazy from the start, which frustrated So Hyang. Nevertheless, he respected the power in those fists that could drop a beast instantly.

“The old man finally said something that makes sense. Let’s do it your way, boss. I’ve always felt that knives just don’t suit my style.”

Sima Geon suppressed the urge to strike the grinning Cheol Woo, who was offering him the bottle, and took his own cup.

“Do as you please.”

“Heh heh! Thanks, boss.”

Cheol Woo, looking refreshed, refilled Sima Geon’s drink. Turning his gaze toward the laboriously breathing So Hyang, he said,

“Old man, join us for one.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

Sima Geon was startled and tried to intervene, but Cheol Woo waved him off with a smirk.

“Even if he’s on his way out, a single drink won’t change the destination.”

“Ha! This fellow.”

So Hyang gave a faint laugh at Cheol Woo’s bluntness, threw his cane to the ground, and forced his hunched back to straighten.

“Very well. Even if it brings the end this very moment, I won’t turn down a drink on a day such as this. Pour it.”

So Hyang held out his cup. As Cheol Woo filled it to the brim, the old man drank it all without a second thought.

The fire burning down his throat still felt incredible, even while standing at the threshold of death.

“Another one.”

So Hyang threw the empty cup to the earth and shouted with renewed spirit.

That was the final celebration for So Hyang—the greatest butcher and the most legendary drinker in the history of So Hyang.