I Refuse to Be Young Master
“What do you want me to do?”
“Young Master.”
Jegal Do-won answered the flabbergasted question with a radiant smile.
And then—
“Why me?”
“Hmm?”
“Why should I be Young Master?”
“……”
Normally, shouldn’t the answer be something full of zeal like, “Thank you. If you appoint me, I’ll give it everything I have,” or a modest, “Am I really fit for a position like that?”
Why me?
The unexpected reply left him utterly thrown.
“I was wondering why you’d suddenly called for me. You must be exhausted with all the work lately, Uncle.”
“……”
And while he was at it, the boy dug at his ear with a look of pure annoyance and even fretted over the Family Head’s health.
Had the brat simply misheard the words “Young Master”?
“Heh heh. Mun-Hyeon. You must have misheard me. What I said was Young Master. I intend to appoint you Young Master of the family, and I asked for your thoughts on the matter.”
“I heard you. You don’t have to hammer it in.”
“Ah—you heard?”
“Yes. Loud and clear.”
“Ah……”
He had heard perfectly well.
Then why was his reaction this lukewarm?
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be on my way.”
“What?”
“I have no interest, so you might as well ask the other brothers how they feel.”
After that thoroughly peevish reply came a muttered, “I’m busy enough to die as it is… what a nuisance…”
A nuisance?
Busy?
This little—!
What could possibly be more important or more urgent than being named Young Master!
…He was about to bellow exactly that when Jegal Mun-Hyeon already sprang to his feet and made for the door. Panicked, Jegal Do-won lunged and caught him by the sleeve.
“You little—! At least hear me out to the end!”
“I said no. Why are you doing this?”
“Boy! I’m talking about Young Master!”
“I know. And I’m saying I don’t want it.”
When the boy even shook free of the hand gripping his sleeve, Jegal Do-won was left speechless.
This brat…
He heard it clearly, so why was he getting up?
And when the Family Head himself was speaking, how could he react like this?
That upright, impeccably mannered boy—when had he suddenly become so insolent?
But scolding him was out of the question.
He had earned far too many merits for that.
No one could deny that every change that had come to the Jegal Clan had begun with Jegal Mun-Hyeon.
Whatever the boy did, he was precious…
And force was no longer an option either.
They said that even Mok Ja-un, Head of the Namgung Family’s Gangmu Pavilion, had been unable to withstand a single gap while still in peak condition—so what chance did he himself have?
Now that the boy had grown thoroughly into his own will, the only path left was to coax him gently.
“Mun-Hyeon, wait just a moment. Come now, sit down for a second, will you? Your uncle is asking. Are you really going to walk out without even sharing a cup of tea?”
“Ugh, seriously……”
Worn down by the insistent tugging, Jegal Mun-Hyeon scowled and sat again.
“I’ll drink the tea and leave.”
“Of course, of course.”
“And the second you tell me to be Young Master again, I’m gone.”
“Come now—if you hate the idea that much, would I keep pushing?”
For now, he would simply inquire after recent affairs and start a conversation.
If his uncle begged and pleaded enough after that, the boy would at least pretend to listen.
Jegal Do-won poured the tea himself and began to talk, slowly, about recent matters—reports from the Byeong-ju-dang out on assignment, the work of the Hyeonho Unit’s commander dispatched to the disputed territories.
And then—
“Honestly, we’ll soon have to sit down for talks with the Namgung Family… They’re sending their Young Master, so who are we supposed to put forward…? I can’t go myself with everything piled on my desk, and sending an elder when they’re fielding their Young Master doesn’t sit right either… Ah—I’m not saying you should be Young Master. I’m just fretting that we ought to have someone of comparable standing, hahaha!”
“……”
In the span of a few sentences, the words “Young Master” had already come out three times.
The man was relentless… Wait.
“Uncle.”
“Hmm? What is it? Don’t tell me you’ve changed your mind and—”
“What about Brother Mun-ho?”
“What?”
“I’ve actually been thinking about this for a while, but naming a Young Master is the elders’ business, so I never brought it up.”
The sudden return of perfect manners and the seriousness of his expression drew a bitter look across Jegal Do-won’s face.
But Jegal Mun-Hyeon had intended to make Mun-ho Young Master from the start.
And he had every reason.
“If you mean to appoint one of our generation as Young Master, Brother Mun-ho is the right choice. He’s the eldest son, isn’t he?”
“Well, that is……”
“I’ve never seen a family that broke the principles of succession and still thrived.”
“Hmm……”
“More than anything, I know Brother Mun-ho’s abilities better than anyone.”
“Mun-ho’s abilities?”
“Yes. Unlike me, who leans heavily toward martial arts, he stands out across a wide range of fields.”
“……”
Even as he praised Jegal Mun-ho, Jegal Do-won’s expression stayed sour.
When, exactly, had this boy ever “leaned heavily toward martial arts”?
As a child he had shown talent in scholarship and music; as he grew, he had become thoroughly versed in formations and mechanisms as well—good enough that one could call him among the finest in the present Jegal Family…
He shone because his martial arts were the strongest, not because he was lacking everywhere else.
The Cheonseong Pavilion petitioned daily for him to be named their instructor head; the great artisan of the Cheongongsa insisted, every time he drank, that the boy absolutely had to be raised as a mechanisms specialist.
And the Hyeonho Unit commander? With that blank face of his, he had threatened to strike if they didn’t send Jegal Mun-Hyeon over to the unit.
At least the demands from the Chief of the Cheon-chaek-won, who had lately grown obsessed with Jegal Jung-gi, had quieted down—that was something.
The real problem, though, was the boy’s own father, Jegal Do-yun.
A man who wouldn’t spare a glance for a talentless child was convinced that Jegal Mun-Hyeon was destined to become a formations master.
That was why Do-won had wanted to make him Young Master—a role that could encompass all of it and satisfy everyone. And the boy had no idea of any of that…
Yet Jegal Mun-Hyeon’s praise kept rolling on.
“That doesn’t mean Brother Mun-ho’s martial arts are lacking either. He’s already at Peak.”
“……What?”
That caught his ear at once.
Jegal Mun-ho had reached Peak?
He had never heard a word of it.
The boy had always moved at Mun-Hyeon’s side, and so he had lived in that shadow.
Every scrap of praise had gone to Jegal Mun-Hyeon, after all.
“And not just ordinary Peak, either.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“His skill is more than enough to call him Absolute Peak.”
“Absolute Peak?”
“Yes.”
It meant he had reached a fully mature stage in handling his energy.
“In my view, he would never fall short of any other martial family’s Young Master or rising talent. No—I believe his gift is far greater than theirs. At the very least he will reach Intent Qi before thirty, and someday he will attain the realm of Aura.”
“W-what did you say? Aura?”
“Yes. At least, that’s how it looks to my eyes.”
“Heh heh. Looking out for your elder brother, are you? Fraternal love is fine, but you’re putting him far too high—”
“I’m not looking out for him. I’m certain.”
“C-certain?”
“Yes.”
Spoken with eyes full of conviction, the words made the corners of Jegal Do-won’s eyes tremble faintly.
Certainty about Aura…
If anyone else had said it, he would have laughed it off.
But there was a strange force in Jegal Mun-Hyeon’s gaze.
The kind that made trust rise of its own accord…
And at only sixteen, the boy had not only stepped into Intent Qi but had brought down renowned masters as well.
Even the thought that remaking the family’s Small Heavenly Star Art was no mere coincidence was beginning to take root.
Certainty from a boy like that…
“Is that true?”
“Yes.”
When he asked again, Jegal Mun-Hyeon only nodded with an even firmer look.
Of course it was true.
He would make it so, no matter what.
After all, the boy’s master was none other than the Heavenly Demon himself.
“Heh heh… If that came to pass, how wonderful it would be. How wonderful. Our Jegal Family with two Aura martial artists…—hah!”
Muttering half to himself, Jegal Do-won startled without meaning to.
Two in the realm of Aura?
That would be a historic event.
In any school, having two Aura martial artists in a single era was vanishingly rare.
He almost felt like digging through the history books in the Manseo Pavilion.
Watching him swim contentedly through that sea of imagination, Jegal Mun-Hyeon allowed himself a smile of quiet triumph.
Aura. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Just thinking about it makes your heart race, right?
And it wouldn’t only be the Namgung.
Among every martial family in the Central Plains reclaiming its old renown, they would not yield an inch.
Eternal second place?
That was a thing of the past.
As long as I’m with them, we are first—no exceptions!
Now it was time to drive the stake home and turn the man’s interest fully toward Jegal Mun-ho.
“Uncle.”
“Mmm……”
“The reason I recommend Brother Mun-ho isn’t merely because he’s the eldest. When people speak of the timber to become Family Head, what matters more than formations, mechanisms, martial arts, astronomy, or geography is character. Just as it is with you, Uncle.”
“Mmm……”
“The progress I’ve made is precisely because I was influenced by Brother Mun-ho’s character.”
“Is that true?”
Of course it’s a lie.
But if I say it’s true, then it becomes true. I’ll make sure of that.
“Someone who stands alone as exceptional, and someone who can give many people the chance to become exceptional—which of them do you think is more suited to be Young Master?”
A deep furrow cut between Jegal Do-won’s brows.
He was thinking hard.
And after long deliberation, he spoke as if complaining.
“But I don’t know how the elders and retainers will take it. They’re already quietly arguing that you should be made Young Master… And it’s a matter that needs the full support of the brothers who will lead the next generation with him.”
“In the end, isn’t it the Family Head’s choice?”
“That’s true, but……”
“Sometimes you should ignore procedure. With the Family Head’s authority. You’re the one holding the sail that moves this great ship called the Jegal Family, aren’t you?”
“You damned brat and that sail talk of yours.”
“What can I do? That’s the Family Head’s role. And even if the retainers and elders are a problem, the brothers will support him.”
“The brothers will support Mun-ho instead of you?”
“They’ll lean toward Brother Mun-ho more than me, I expect.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Of course they would support him.
At the very least, Gwan Hwi-pyeong and Jegal Jung-gi would back him without fail.
He only had to bring the rest around.
And if they didn’t… if they just tried not to…
I’ll break their hands.
“In any case, you truly have no intention of—”
“None. Absolutely. Categorically!”
“Heh heh. What a boy. It’s a seat others would kill for…”
“I’m different. I like my freedom. And if you still try to make me Young Master, I’ll run away from home if I have to. I’ll see my will through.”
At that, Jegal Do-won could only give a hollow laugh.
Running away from home over this?
But when the boy himself hated the idea this much, there was no use in pushing any further.
Then the next best choice… was rightly Jegal Mun-ho.
Just as Mun-Hyeon had said, breaking the principle of eldest-son succession to elevate someone else always bred problems.
There had been more than a few cases where that alone sparked internal strife and bloodshed.
“Very well. I accept your wishes. And I will also consider putting Mun-ho in charge at the negotiations.”
“Thank you.”
“You damned brat……”
He had agreed, but the disappointment remained just as strong.
Once the boy decided something was not for him, he never bent—exactly like his father.
“You may go.”
“Yes.”
After sending Jegal Mun-Hyeon out, Jegal Do-won silently turned the empty teacup round and round in his hands.
Being refused was a pity, but in another way it was a relief.
Even if they named the eldest, Mun-ho, as Young Master, it looked as though Jegal Mun-Hyeon would always stand firmly at his side and help him.
For brothers to share such deep affection was rare enough as it was…
“Heh heh. It seems our family will shine even brighter in the next generation.”
If anything, Jegal Mun-Hyeon’s refusal only made him smile more.
And then…
“That’s what I told the Family Head. But… I don’t think we can leave it at that. He said the retainers’ opposition would be considerable.”
“……”
“So! From now on, I plan to start an intensive program to make Brother Mun-ho into someone worthy of being Young Master. I want your full support and plenty of cooperation.”
“What? You already recommended him for Young Master—what’s this about training?”
“Right? He frets over the dumbest things sometimes.”
“Always sticking his nose in. The Family Head will decide, and the elders will discuss it.”
“Damn it. I’ve already got more work than I can handle from the Chief, and he drags us out for this…”
The moment he left the Family Head’s hall, he had summoned Gwan Hwi-pyeong and Jegal Jung-gi—and both of them were already sniping at him.
His brow furrowed.
These two still didn’t seem to understand what kind of person he was.
“Hmm. Is that defiance I hear?”
“Huh?”
“What?”
“W-wait a second!”
“I thought you’d have figured it out by now. Truly disappointing. More than that—as younger brothers, you ought to help your elder become Young Master as a matter of course… Looks like I’ll have to carve some fraternal love into your hearts today.”
As the corner of Jegal Mun-Hyeon’s mouth curled up and the Eunhangon appeared in his hand, Gwan Hwi-pyeong blanched and stumbled backward.
“Wai—”
CRACK!
Clubbed over the head and laid out flat, the two of them thought, just before consciousness fled—
That damned bastard…
Aren’t we his older brothers?
And if he cares about his brothers that much, he can start by dropping the informal speech.