Beomhyeon's Secret

Smoke was already curling from chimneys, and Aunt Seo bringing buns suggested that the villagers were preparing breakfast.

Aunt Seo chuckled and pointed at Im Beomhyeon, who was sprawled on the bed, still fast asleep. "Him? He's always been like this. He does the least farm work in the village. Only when everyone else is too busy do they call him to help. If anything happens, the whole village helps him instead. Even this house—everyone pitched in to build it. He originally wanted to make it the biggest house in the village, but then Second Uncle asked if he planned to make it bigger than the ancestral hall. That shut him up."

Bok Taejin clicked his tongue in amusement.

Aunt Seo smiled and lowered her voice. "There's a reason for this, actually. Im Beomhyeon is the best hunter in the village. We live close to the Jade Blossom Mountain Range. Although we're on the outskirts and rarely encounter demonic beasts, we sometimes run into lower-level ones or large groups of wild animals fleeing from battles between demonic beasts deeper in the mountains."

"When we first arrived in this village, we had to constantly defend against the beast attacks. It wasn't as safe as it is now."

"He never talks about it, but over the years, he's been patrolling the area and even secretly collecting the demonic beast droppings to scatter outside the village. That's why the village has been much safer these past few years. Everyone knows this, so they let him have his way with other things."

Bok Taejin suddenly understood.

When he looked at the still-sleeping Im Beomhyeon again, his eyes held newfound respect.

Aunt Seo added, "But don't treat him any differently because of this. He just enjoys goofing around with everyone. He may seem special in the village, but he doesn't see himself as different from anyone else. Beomhyeon is actually very awkward inside. Just keep treating him like you did before, or he'll feel uncomfortable first."

Bok Taejin understood.

The complexity in his gaze faded, leaving only clarity.

Recalling that Im Beomhyeon did little farm work while his white radish seeds needed land to grow, he turned to Aunt Seo and asked if there was any suitable vacant land in the village.

Aunt Seo thought for a moment, then gave Bok Taejin a playful wink. "It's fine, just wait until Beomhyeon wakes up and talk to him. He might not be working in the fields as much, but he's not clueless about the land. Whether you want to use the village's idle plots or reclaim new land, just discuss it with him!"

Pausing for a moment, Aunt Seo smiled with a hint of mischief.

She said, "Let's see if that rascal Beomhyeon keeps pushing all the work onto others! If he doesn't help you, the whole village will have something new to tease him about!"

Bok Taejin agreed, and Aunt Seo didn't stay any longer.

She still had breakfast to eat and work to do with the other village women.