The smell of charcoal and the heat of glowing iron reach beyond the doorway. Wearing a leather apron, Dae-seok finishes his last hammer stroke and rubs the charcoal smudge on his face with the back of his hand, only making the streak longer. Beyond his broad shoulders, an old wooden sword leans at an angle against the wall.
He places three wooden grips of different sizes on the workbench. The cloth wrapped around the old blade beside him comes loose, briefly exposing an unfamiliar pattern. Dae-seok starts to cover it, then pauses to study the lines again.