Chapter 4

Chapter 003. Kim Seungho in a Strange Land (2)

The young man felt a peculiar sensation.

It seemed as if the attire of the divine being he had seen in his childhood dreams was somewhat similar to this. In the dream, the divine being had given him a golden ruler and told him to measure the land of the Three Han, and he remembered that the divine being had worn unfamiliar black clothing.

Although he had thought of it as just a passing dream, the attire was so unique that he still remembered it, and the place where he received the golden ruler in the dream was a small hermitage on Maisan, where stone pagodas were piled up.

He had a strange sense of déjà vu when he saw the place at the pagoda temple he discovered while traveling in the southern regions, and he had already visited it three times whenever he had time.

"I came today, not knowing when I would visit again before returning to Hwaryeong, but there is a man dressed like the divine being from my dream at the pagoda temple."

As if by fate, the young man came face to face with a man dressed similarly to the divine being he had seen in his dream.

The man did not tie his hair and wore a peculiar black hat with a brim only at the front. Unlike the sturdy build of the warriors, he had a slender body that made him seem like a scholar.

He wore a strange device on his eyes that he had never seen before, and a long white wire was connected to his ears.

"Shinmi, have you been well?"

"Ah!"

Although he had caused a bit of trouble during his first two visits due to drinking heavily, the young man, who had never done anything particularly bad to the young monk called Shinmi, felt a bit disappointed when the cute young monk avoided him.

"Well, you too. A man should be more open-minded... tsk."

The young man, who was curiously observing the man dressed like the divine being from his dream, asked Shinmi about him.

"Who is he? I don't remember seeing him when I visited the pagoda temple before."

"T-that is..."

Shinmi, who was hiding behind the man, cautiously peeked out and answered.

"He said his name is Kim Seungho. I don't know anything more than that."

"Why?"

"The head monk told us not to ask..."

Looking closely at the man who resembled the divine being from his dream, the young man noticed that his attire was different from that of Goryeo, but the material of the clothes was not ordinary, and the shoes were made of an unknown material.

'This is not Goryeo attire. But it's not Yuan attire either?'

Is he really a divine being?

Remembering the divine being from his dream who had given him a golden ruler and told him to measure the land of the Three Han before disappearing, the young man quietly asked him his name.

"My name is Seonggye of the Yi clan. What is your name?"

That was it.

The man's name was Seonggye. He was the son of Yi Jachun, the commander of the Ssangseong General Office, and in the history of the Yuan Dynasty, he was none other than Taejo Seonggye, the founder of Joseon.

***

Seonggye of the Yi clan?

Seonggye? I couldn't help but chuckle at his introduction.

'If this is a hidden camera, the planner is really a scumbag.'

The man, who was dressed in attire that could only be seen in the late Goryeo and early Joseon periods, boldly mentioned the name of Taejo Seonggye of Joseon.

Unlike the information I found on the internet while working from home, his attire was raw and vivid.

"Considering that in the Joseon era, it was impossible to name a child after Taejo Seonggye..."

If this is not a hidden camera, then this must be the late Goryeo and early Joseon period, the last era where people with the name Seonggye could exist as homonyms.

And the sense of déjà vu was gradually forcing a fact upon me.

...Damn. Anyway, I looked at the man who had introduced himself to me, trying to organize the chaotic information in my head, and told him my name.

"Kim Seungho."

When I told him my name, he looked at me and muttered.

"Kim Seungho?"

"Yes, my name is Kim Seungho."

He stared at me intently after my introduction.

Feeling a bit awkward, I nodded, and the man who had introduced himself as Seonggye tilted his head and asked again.

"Kim Seungho?"

...Ah, I really can't understand a word he's saying.

If I had come here on my own, I would have done some research, but I woke up to find myself kidnapped, and I couldn't understand what the people here were saying.

'I can't understand a single word they're saying.'

I grabbed the waistband of my pants and patted the head of Shinmi, who was hiding behind me, then squatted down to be at his eye level and handed him a Zippo lighter.

"I want to repay you for your kindness, but I only have this, so I'm sorry.

Every time you make a fire, you have to strike the flint. I noticed that the young monks also do this, so use this carefully. It's not very durable, so if you play with it too much, the spring will break and it won't work, so remember that."

I wasn't sure how much he understood, so I demonstrated how to use the Zippo to strike the flint, and Shinmi and the man who introduced himself as Seonggye were startled.

...Especially Seonggye, who had taken out a bow he was carrying on his back and was about to nock an arrow, his left hand reaching for the quiver.

"...Damn."

...It was a lightning-fast reaction. He might not think it's magic or a special spell, but it's a natural reaction to be wary of the unknown.

I approached Shinmi, who looked frightened, and gently placed the Zippo in his hand, patting his head again.

"Don't use it carelessly, and if it's hard to manage, give it to the head monk. Got it?"

It might be a dangerous item to give to a child, but since I didn't have anyone I was particularly close to in this temple, I decided to tell the head monk about it using a laptop before leaving.

'If this is the late Goryeo and early Joseon period, there won't be anyone who knows Hangul... at least it's fortunate that they know Chinese characters.'

The man who called himself Seonggye, who was looking at me with a strange expression and not lowering his guard, made me chuckle.

"Grow up well."

When I reached out to pat Shinmi's head, he hesitated for a moment but then let me touch his head.

The rough texture of the young monk's head felt ticklish.

After standing up from my squat, I was about to go see the head monk and leave when...

The man who called himself Seonggye, who was still looking at me with a strange expression, suddenly extended his hand.

***

'Is it magic?'

Seonggye, who had taken out a strange device from the peculiar-shaped pack on his back and used it to create a flame, was considering whether to shoot an arrow.

His hometown, Hwaryeong, was a rugged place filled with tigers and various wild animals, and his father, Yi Jachun, who was the commander of the Ssangseong General Office, always gave him the same advice when he saw him practicing martial arts.

"Do not kill someone whose identity you cannot confirm, but if there is someone who uses special magic, be wary."

"Why is that?"

"There are no people who use magic, so if there is someone who uses magic, they must be a monster or a fox disguised as a human."

This was also a form of irony, meaning that there are no humans who use magic.

"There are no superhuman beings. Even if there were, they would be eliminated by killing them, so never overlook this point."

Seonggye, who suddenly remembered his father's words, carefully observed the man who had introduced himself as Kim Seungho.

'I can take his life with a single strike at any time. He has not trained in martial arts.'

Although he was taller than Seonggye, he was a tall man who, when compared to his father Yi Jachun, would likely be of similar height when fully grown.

However, Seonggye, who judged that he could take his life at any time, put his left hand, which had reached for the quiver, back down and slung the bow back on his back, staring intently at Kim Seungho.

'Since he gave a device to the young monk, if he is the divine being from my dream, he will give me a golden ruler.'

Although he did not know the meaning of the golden ruler, it often came to mind, indicating that it was not an ordinary thing.

Seonggye stared intently at Kim Seungho but then moved to where the head monk was.

***

"What do you want?"

The intense gaze of the man who called himself Seonggye was quite burdensome, making me feel as if my face would wear out.

"Your face will wear out. Just say it. I can understand short words. Okay?"

When I looked at him and spoke, he tilted his head, seemingly not understanding, and asked something, but I decided to ignore him.

If this is a hidden camera set by someone, I hope it's in a remote area of modern Earth... maybe I can return to Seoul.

I need to think about what kind of plane ticket I need, and even though it's clear that I was kidnapped here through illegal entry, I need to consider the visa issue. It's difficult to keep dealing with the man who introduced himself as Seonggye.

I was waiting to warn the head monk, who was reciting sutras in the main hall, about the lighter I had given Shinmi, but for some reason, Seonggye was staring at me intently, looking a bit annoyed at being ignored.

"Do you have something you want to entrust to me?"

When I glared at him, his lips twitched.

"What?"

"Golden ruler?"

I can barely understand the word 'golden ruler,' but what is it, you bastard.

"Golden ruler?"

"..."

He nodded, and it seemed that the man who called himself Seonggye wanted me to give him a golden ruler or something.

"Golden ruler... golden ruler..."

I remember that while planning a series of videos about the founding kings of the Korean Peninsula, I had organized information about Taejo Seonggye, and there was a part where a divine being appeared in his childhood dream and gave him a golden ruler.

"The doubt is turning into certainty."

...It seems like it really is Seonggye. His physique was recorded as being extraordinary in history, and he was not short compared to my 178 cm.

But a golden ruler, a ruler made of gold, I don't have any reason to have one.

If I had a golden ruler, I would sell it at a gold shop and use the money for living expenses.

"I don't have a golden ruler..."

Since I can't give something I don't have, I searched my backpack but only found a few Zippo lighters.

"Here, take this."

When I handed him a Zippo, the man who called himself Seonggye, after tilting his head, suddenly frowned and threw the Zippo on the ground.

"...That thing won't break even if you throw it hard. How strong are you?"

The small explosion that suddenly echoed startled the monks reciting sutras in the main hall, and the man who called himself Seonggye, who was also startled, put his hand on the quiver again.

"...What kind of beast is this? It's not a reflex, and he threw it himself..."

Looking at the man who called himself Seonggye, who was considering whether to draw an arrow, I also made a sour face and said.

"I have nothing else to give."

Since everyone's attention was on us, I looked at the head monk, took out my laptop from my backpack, turned it on, and opened a word processor.

"'Leaving the temple'... is it 'sachul'... is that right?"

The man who called himself Seonggye was staring at me intently.

"Hey, it's a bit uncomfortable when you stare like that..."