Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Shocking Statement (1)
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Among Korea's first-generation Awakeners, one of the five who stood out for their overwhelming strength was Cheon Kyung-ho, known by the moniker Thunderclap Divine Lord.
It had been revealed in modern times that Awakening Factors were heavily influenced by genetics.
Naturally, all of Cheon Kyung-ho's children under his command had Awakened, and most of them bore the title of S-Rank Awakener—a distinction held by fewer than thirty in a single generation.
As time passed, it was only natural that the Cheon family came to be called an Awakening noble house.
Especially now, the Cheon family's prestige soared even higher. The current family head was an exceptional Awakener who rivaled even the Thunderclap Divine Lord himself.
Cheon Se-hee, one of Korea's three great archmages and wielder of Myriad Thunders, also Cheon So-yul's mother, was the current head of the Cheon family.
For decades after Awakening, she had resolved Korea's crises, and now she devoted herself more actively than anyone to nurturing the next generation, possessing a rare selflessness among Awakeners.
Her inherently compassionate nature was merciless toward monsters, and above all, her absolute power backed it all up, making her one of the nation's top Awakeners.
It was also an open secret that she was the unspoken leader among the three great archmages.
"It's been so long since we've all seen each other. I'm glad to see you all doing well."
Even she was just a mother to her three children at home.
Cheon Se-hee smiled warmly as she pulled back a chair and took her seat at the head of the table.
Her three sons and daughters, gathered together for the first time in ages, followed suit and sat down. Luxurious dishes were arrayed across the long table.
The public imagined the famous Cheon family's atmosphere to be as rigid and precarious as walking on thin ice, like some chaebol dynasty.
"Mother, I hope you've been well. I regret not visiting more often during the semester."
"Mm, yes. Woo-hyuk, you and your old-man speech patterns haven't changed a bit. It pains me as your mother."
Of course, that was a misconception born of ignorance—a unconscious prejudice against prestigious families.
Cheon Se-hee responded to her eldest son Cheon Woo-hyuk's formal greeting with a soulless smile that spoke of weariness, while her eldest daughter Cheon Hyun-ah sighed beside her.
"Seriously, even after six months apart, you're still the same. Hyuk. You're not still talking like that to your friends at school, are you?"
"...What's wrong with my speech? It's polite and proper, isn't it, Sister?"
Cheon Hyun-ah frowned at Cheon Woo-hyuk's retort. She glanced at him, but gave up upon seeing his genuinely baffled expression.
"Fine, fine. If you were going to change, you would have by now. Do whatever you want, Hyuk."
Cheon Woo-hyuk tilted his head as if questioning why, while Cheon Se-hee chuckled softly at her children's comical exchange.
Cheon Hyun-ah blinked and turned to her.
"Mom?"
"No, it's just... Watching you all talk makes me laugh no matter what. It's troublesome."
"...We weren't saying anything particularly funny, were we?"
Cheon Hyun-ah asked a bit awkwardly, but Cheon Se-hee just slowly shook her head.
Her warm gaze swept over her two children in turn.
"It's funny to me. You're all so busy, and I'm no different, so we don't get many chances to gather like this. How could it not be fun?"
"...Mm."
Though they understood, Cheon Hyun-ah and Cheon Woo-hyuk nodded bitterly in agreement.
The eldest daughter was tied up with guild work, and the eldest son and second daughter with their academy studies, so they barely gathered at the main house for even one or two months out of the year.
How must Cheon Se-hee feel, guarding this vast estate alone during those long gaps?
Of course, there were extended relatives, servants, and managers aplenty.
Still, it was sad that time together as a family was so scarce. Cheon Hyun-ah and Cheon Woo-hyuk truly understood their mother's plight.
As the two looked at their mother with warm eyes,
"Mm."
Cheon Se-hee's gaze finally turned to the family's youngest for the first time. The girl with light brown hair sat at the far end of the table, minimizing her presence.
"So-yul seems especially quiet today."
Only then did Cheon So-yul lift her head at her mother's words. While her family had been exchanging pleasantries (?), she had already picked up her chopsticks.
It could be seen as poor table manners in some cases, but the three above her weren't the type to care about such things.
Cheon So-yul knew that, which was why she had started eating first—on an empty stomach, no less.
She daintily placed some rolled egg on her white rice and popped it into her small mouth.
After chewing thoughtfully for a while to savor the taste, Cheon So-yul perked up her ears and turned her head.
Though she nodded roughly in response to her mother..., the three pairs of eyes remained fixed on her.
Cheon So-yul's expression crumpled slightly. Their warm gazes weren't unwelcome, but she felt like a cat eating vigorously in front of the butlers.
Those delighted looks clearly treated her like a child.
Sure, as the baby of the family, she was showered with affection daily, but...
Even so, she was legally an adult now, and it felt awkward. Cheon So-yul shot them a sullen glare without hiding her irritation.
"You all should eat too. Am I the only hungry one? You've come a long way, yet you have the energy to stare... Ugh."
She spat out curtly, then swiftly wielded her chopsticks in protest, brimming with dissatisfaction.
"If you don't eat, I'll take it all."
She began snatching dishes from around the table onto her own plate, one by one, stuffing her mouth full. Nom nom nom.
Only after Cheon So-yul shot them a fierce glare did the three finally pick up their chopsticks.
They didn't look particularly threatened.
Of course not.
Cheon Hyun-ah chuckled and tossed in a remark.
"So-yul still looks full of energy. That's good."
"...Hah?"
Cheon So-yul's eyes flashed reflexively, but Cheon Hyun-ah paid no mind.
She simply picked up a well-trimmed piece of meat and passed it to the girl beside her.
"Here, let me debone it for you. Eat some fish too. You're at that age where you're still growing."
"...Sister? I'm twenty. I'm not growing anymore."
"No, still eat a lot."
As Cheon Hyun-ah insisted, Cheon So-yul opened her mouth to retort further. But her sister grinned playfully and glanced downward.
"Our So-yul is so skinny, it worries me. At this rate, I wonder if you'll make a boyfriend at the academy."
"..."
Cheon So-yul's brow vein throbbed.
"Sister, the academy is a sacred place of learning. It is absolutely not a matchmaking service for hasty teenage romances..."
"Yeah. Woo-hyuk, be quiet for a bit."
The current academy student council president, Cheon Woo-hyuk, narrowed his brow as his speaking turn was instantly revoked.
He shut his mouth.
"So, how about it! Does So-yul have any boys she's close to at the academy?"
Cheon Hyun-ah's eyes sparkled relentlessly beside her. A sister's concern inevitably turned to her sibling's love life.
She waited expectantly for Cheon So-yul's answer with an anticipatory look.
"...What. No need to look at me like that. There's no such person."
Cheon So-yul managed her expression carefully and gave a firm denial. In her own way, she was trying desperately to keep Lee Hyun-jin out of it. At least from her sister.
Cheon Woo-hyuk, who attended the same academy despite being in a different year, raised an eyebrow silently, but Cheon Hyun-ah didn't notice.
"What do you mean, no such thing? Academy life only happens once—enjoy it properly! When the new semester starts, just pick any guy and make him your boyfriend!"
She whined petulantly, but Cheon So-yul decided on outright ignoring her.
That was when Cheon Woo-hyuk, sitting beside her, sighed as if he couldn't bear it anymore.
"...Sister. I truly cannot comprehend modern students' views on romance, but even allowing for that, such an idea is extremely dangerous. Telling her to pick just anyone and date them? Is that something to say to your little sister?"
"What? Why not! Back in my day, everyone dated around like that!"
Cheon Hyun-ah raised her voice to argue back. She meant it as advice from her own school days experience.
But Cheon So-yul and Cheon Woo-hyuk's faces crumpled simultaneously—outside her expectations.
"Sister, that's the worst."
"Sister, please never get married. I can't cheer for my future brother-in-law's doomed path."
"Hey, why are you saying that!"
Rejected harshly by both siblings at once, Cheon Hyun-ah pouted. Naturally, their response was consistent indifference.
Around then, Cheon So-yul subtly glanced at her ever-silent mother.
She was just watching her three children banter with a pleased expression, and of course, she noticed Cheon So-yul's gaze—quite blatantly, at that.
"Do you have something to say, So-yul?"
"...Mm."
Cheon So-yul swallowed a short groan. Something to say. Yes, but putting it into words directly was proving difficult.
Especially at a family meal like this.
Maybe it would be better to visit her privately once everyone retired to their rooms? As hesitation and conflict bubbled up,
"So-yul?"
Cheon Se-hee prompted her again.
Cheon So-yul sighed inwardly.
"...It's not anything major, Mom."
"Yes, go ahead."
Perhaps sensing her youngest daughter's unusual tone, Cheon Se-hee soothed her with a calm, pleasant voice.
She didn't pry, but the other two siblings' gazes inevitably turned to her.
Within seconds, Cheon So-yul regretted bringing it up.
This wasn't something to say after all. Just swallow it back down.
"About Heavenly Thunder."
But against her racing thoughts, her mouth spoke on its own.
Her inner self clutched her forehead and sighed, but the words were already out—no taking them back.
"Is there something you want to ask me about it? If you've hit a plateau, tell me where you're stuck."
"No, it's not that serious. Just..."
After a slight hesitation, Cheon So-yul decided to press on.
What could go wrong?
"Just, um. About our unique magic. How far does the inheritance range extend, exactly?"
"...Pardon?"
"I mean... For example, if I took a disciple, or later had a child..."
By then, not just Cheon Se-hee, but her two siblings beside her stared with rigid expressions.
But Cheon So-yul, fidgeting with her fingers from needless embarrassment, didn't notice.
"H-Hypothetically. Yeah."
If she'd only looked up, she might have stopped—but she blurted it out anyway.
"...If I got a husband or something...? What happens then? I was just wondering."
Only after finishing did Cheon So-yul sense the oddity. Puzzled by the eerie silence, she looked up.
...Her family's reactions varied wildly.
"...So-yul, it seems Mother needs to have a serious talk with you."
Cheon Se-hee pressed her brow, hiding complex emotions behind a smile.
"Gasp, heok! No way, So-yul, you...!"
Cheon Hyun-ah shrieked, hand over her mouth, eyes sparkling uncontrollably.
And finally, Cheon Woo-hyuk.
"Haa."
He simply covered his eyes with his palm and sighed.
Muttering just one word.
"...Lee Hyun-jin..."
A name only he and Cheon So-yul here would understand.
"..."
She was doomed. Cheon So-yul buried herself in her bed and thought that.
Yes. No other words needed. 'Doomed' said it all.
...She should have picked a better time. At least been more careful with her sister around.
She thought framing it around potential disciples or future children would avoid suspicion.
Wrong.
She hadn't realized it before, but she apparently lacked any talent for lying.
She thought she hadn't said anything incriminating, yet at some point, her family's gazes had shifted.
Mother: worry, concern, a touch of curiosity.
Sister: 100% pure curiosity.
Brother: fury toward an unknown target.
...Brother's reaction was the oddest, but not worth dwelling on.
What mattered more was enduring Cheon Hyun-ah's torment.
And her mother's clingy expression as she approached for a private talk—something new.
Cheon So-yul had exhausted all her energy just fleeing to her safe haven, her own room.
She lay on the bed for a while.
Just lying there. Unmoving.
"...Ughhh. UwAAAAH."
Suddenly, the statue-like Cheon So-yul who seemed ready for her coffin writhed wildly. Freaking out.
Late realization, shame, and anticipated family reactions overwhelmed her, making her body riot automatically.
They hadn't even confirmed anything, yet they all acted convinced something had changed—like romance, or romance, or romance. Anyway, romance.
Cheon So-yul buried her face in the pillow, lips pressed tight. Unseen, but full of displeasure.
She thought: Their relationship wasn't even properly defined.
Yet their intense reactions left her confused and embarrassed.
She had clamped her mouth to avoid naming him directly. She wanted to tape it shut.
Their interest was burdensome.
She wished they'd forget her slip.
The reason was simple. She hadn't sorted her own feelings yet.
And probably, 'he' would shy away from defining their relationship clearly too.
Still face-down in the pillow, Cheon So-yul mumbled.
"What am I even doing... Really..."
...Looking back, it was just a one-night mistake.
The so-called accident—did it warrant this much worry?
Just keep going as before. He was her nemesis, and vice versa. Rivals, competitors. Or bitter enemies.
That was how it'd stay.
Such premature thoughts were meaningless. She had no desire to marry young anyway.
Cheon So-yul kicked the bed alternately—thump thump!—and sighed deeply.
"...That jerk, seriously."
She cursed under her breath.
The target: Lee Hyun-jin.
If only that guy didn't have such a bizarre, freakishly rare trait beyond weird.
Why steal her Heavenly Thunder and blow it all up like this?
"Just making me suffer."
Strictly speaking, she could invoke family rules and forbid him from using the copied power.
But Cheon So-yul wasn't even considering that 'obvious' fact.
Why not? Had it simply not occurred to her? Or...
"..."
Sigh.
Cheon So-yul forcibly cut off her thoughts and sighed.
Thinking more hurt her head.
She stretched her back while lying down, then rolled over to stare blankly at the ceiling.
Nothing special. Just a plain ceiling.
But in this moment, what flickered in Cheon So-yul's vision was a scene from some late night: counting ceiling stains by dim lamplight.
A few days ago, when she truly became an 'adult'—that chaotic sight was seared into her memory like a brand.
The warmth felt then, too.
The whispers at her ear.
Above all, the pleasure shared with him then... Still so vivid that merely recalling it made her lower abdomen throb illusorily.
Just.
Yeah.
It wouldn't fade. No matter what...
"..."
Cheon So-yul's eyes glazed dreamily for a moment, her right hand unconsciously twitching toward her thighs—
Bzzz, bzzzz!
"Eek!"
The sudden vibration jolted her like a kid caught red-handed.
She bolted upright, grabbed her ringing smartphone.
And.
"...Huh?"
The glowing screen displayed the nickname of her classmate—the one she'd just called a jerk—alongside the incoming call notice.