Chapter 673: Yeon-woo
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 673: Yeon-woo
"Abubububu... Abu!"
The baby, so precious that one could look at him all day without tiring, began to wave his arms and legs vigorously.
"Yes, yes. What has made you so happy?"
Neung So-hwa watched the infant with a warm, lingering smile. Just looking at him made her heart swell with an inexplicable emotion.
"Adyadada tteudyaaaa~"
As if he didn't mind Neung So-hwa’s attention, the baby babbled incessantly, his face bright with a beaming grin.
"Haah..."
The sight tugged relentlessly at Neung So-hwa’s heartstrings. This was unfair. How could a baby be this adorable?
Squeeze.
Neung So-hwa slowly lifted the infant and pulled him into a gentle embrace. His cuteness was simply too much to resist; she felt compelled to hold him.
"Habuuuuu."
The baby seemed to enjoy her warmth, letting out a contented babble as he snuggled into her arms.
"Do you like him that much?"
A soft voice reached Neung So-hwa’s ears. It was Bukgung Yeon, the baby’s mother.
"He’s... he’s so wonderful... How can such a precious creature even exist?"
"Fufu... Isn't it because his lineage is superior?"
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a look of immense pride. What parent wouldn't enjoy hearing their child praised? Though she was known for her icy temperament, her expression softened completely at the compliments directed toward her beloved son.
"Ugh... I want to deny it... but I cannot..."
Neung So-hwa replied with a mock-resentful face. Though she usually stood at odds with Bukgung Yeon, she couldn't find it in herself to disagree this time. The baby before her was simply too adorable to deny.
"How old is he?" Neung So-hwa asked, her curiosity piqued.
"He’s a little over three months old."
"Three months?!"
"Yes."
"Then... did you bring him to the Central Plains the moment he was born?" she asked, her eyes wide with shock.
The distance between the North Sea and the Central Plains took about four months at a standard pace, or two and a half months if one traveled with extreme haste. If the child was only three months old, it meant she had set out almost immediately after giving birth.
"That’s right."
"Wasn't that too reckless? You should have taken more time to recover your strength..."
"I wanted to show him."
"Show what?"
"I wanted to show my beloved husband just how cute our baby is."
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a smile that was exceptionally warm and serene.
"..............."
Faced with that smile, Neung So-hwa found herself speechless. She had never once seen the cold, aloof woman look so radiant.
"........So, you are capable of making such a face."
Neung So-hwa eventually managed to speak, though her expression remained somewhat stunned.
"What’s wrong with my face?"
"It has become... gentle. Peaceful."
"Really? I hadn't noticed."
Bukgung Yeon maintained her soft smile as she spoke.
Truly remarkable, Neung So-hwa thought to herself.
She was amazed that the mere existence of this child could bring such a bright smile to the face of the frigid Bukgung Yeon.
If I were to have a child... would I become like that too?
Neung So-hwa wondered if she, too, would change as Bukgung Yeon had if she ever became a mother.
"I have a question."
"What is it?"
"What is the baby’s name?"
"I haven't decided yet."
"What?"
Neung So-hwa looked at her in confusion. The child was over three months old, yet he still didn't have a name? What did that mean?
"Naming a child is a joint effort between husband and wife, isn't it? I couldn't just decide on my own," Bukgung Yeon explained gently.
"Still, it is a pity. To think he has gone three months without a name."
"It’s fine. He’s finally going to meet his father, and he’ll have a new name soon."
".......I suppose that is true."
"By the way, there’s something I’m curious about."
"Ask away. I shall answer everything I know."
"What exactly has been happening here?" Bukgung Yeon asked, her tone shifting toward suspicion.
"What do you mean by that?" Neung So-hwa asked, tilting her head.
"He made a promise... that he would return before I gave birth."
Bukgung Yeon’s eyes flashed with a sharp light. The warm smile from moments ago had vanished as if it had never existed.
"But as you know, our dear husband never returned to the North Sea. He didn't even send a single letter. So I wondered if something had happened... because he wouldn't have just abandoned me for no reason, right?"
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a chilling smile.
"..............."
Neung So-hwa clamped her mouth shut. It wasn't as if nothing had happened. Sun-woo had been suddenly summoned to the Cheonmu Alliance, and while there, he had even severed the Alliance Leader’s arm.
However, to say those events were so urgent that he couldn't send a single letter lacked any real conviction. Neung So-hwa didn't dare open her mouth; she felt that saying the wrong thing would trigger a catastrophe.
"Why are you silent? Tell me. Come on."
When Neung So-hwa didn't respond, Bukgung Yeon began to press her. She wanted to know the details—every single thing that had occurred.
"Well... you see..."
Under the pressure, Neung So-hwa began to recount the events in fragments.
She told her about Sun-woo’s return and how he had taken Yorang and Tang Seo-yoon as wives.
Then, how he had taken the Phoenix Unit Leader, Kang Ha-yoon, as a wife.
The summons to the Cheonmu Alliance.
How he had taken in the Paeng mother and daughter, as well as the Hwangbo mother and daughter.
How he had cut off the arm of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won.
How he had officially recognized Joo So-yang as his wife.
The declaration of the Great War of Righteousness and Demons.
His expulsion from the Cheonmu Alliance.
She detailed everything that had happened since Sun-woo returned to the Central Plains.
"............."
Bukgung Yeon listened in silence, her expression growing increasingly grim. At first, she seemed composed, but as the story progressed, an aura of freezing cold began to radiate from her.
"........And that is how it happened."
Having finished her explanation, Neung So-hwa stole a glance at Bukgung Yeon, wondering what her reaction would be.
"............"
Bukgung Yeon sat in a heavy silence, her face so cold it reminded Neung So-hwa of their very first meeting.
.......She’s furious.
Neung So-hwa could tell. Bukgung Yeon was absolutely livid. After a long, tense silence...
".........Whew."
Bukgung Yeon finally spoke, her voice slow and deliberate.
"Our husband has been quite busy, hasn't he?"
A frigid smile played on her lips.
"......Y-yes."
"I wonder just how many women he’s added since coming to the Central Plains."
"....Who knows?"
"Well, I’d heard about the Tang girl and the woman named Yorang, so I don't mind them much... but how am I supposed to accept him seducing five other men's wives, including their daughters?"
"......T-that... perhaps... it was... for revenge..."
"What kind of madman seduces another man's wife for revenge? You kill them, you don't sleep with them."
".........It... it seems that madman... is Sun-woo."
Neung So-hwa replied with a strained expression.
"There is an old saying in the North Sea."
"....What is it?"
"A stick is the only cure for a mad dog."
"Does the North Sea really have such a violent saying?" Neung So-hwa asked, looking flustered.
"It does."
Thud.
Bukgung Yeon slowly stood up from her seat.
"Sohwa, could you watch the baby for a moment?"
"Where... where are you going?"
"To give him his medicine."
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a deep, dark smile and began to walk toward the door.
"W-wait! Hold on!"
Neung So-hwa hurriedly grabbed Bukgung Yeon’s sleeve.
"What? I’m busy right now, Sohwa."
"You are far too agitated! You need to calm yourself first!"
"I’m perfectly calm. See? There’s even frost coming off my body."
"That is just you leaking your icy qi!"
"You’re imagining things. Now let go. I need to go see Sun-woo."
"C-calm down!"
The two women began to scuffle. A struggle ensued between Bukgung Yeon, who was determined to find Sun-woo, and Neung So-hwa, who was desperate to stop her.
"Kyaryaryaryaryara!"
Seeing this, the baby burst into laughter. The sight of the two women bickering seemed to amuse him greatly.
It was then.
BAM!
The door was suddenly flung open with force. Startled, both women snapped their heads toward the entrance. Their eyes were filled with tension; the door had opened so abruptly that they hadn't sensed anyone approaching.
But their tension immediately turned to shock. Standing there was the man they had both been waiting for.
""Sun-woo!""
Both women called his name simultaneously.
"......Uh... hey."
The man who had burst in, Sun-woo, stood there with an awkward, sheepish expression.
*
"Abyabyabyabya!"
The baby began to babble, his face lighting up with a bright smile. He seemed to feel an instinctive affinity for the man who had just entered the room.
Hearing the babbling, Sun-woo quickly turned his gaze. His eyes landed on the infant held in Neung So-hwa’s arms.
".......That... that child..."
As he looked at the smiling baby, Sun-woo’s eyes began to well up. The moment he saw him, he knew. He knew that this angelically cute child was his own flesh and blood.
"..M-my child."
Step. Step.
Sun-woo began to walk forward. He moved without a moment's hesitation.
"Can I... can I hold him for a second?"
He asked, looking at Neung So-hwa. She glanced over at Bukgung Yeon, who gave a silent nod. Though she was furious with him, she didn't want to interfere with the reunion of father and son.
Neung So-hwa carefully handed the baby over.
Squeeze.
Sun-woo pulled the child into a tight, tender embrace.
"My baby....."
Sun-woo whispered, looking down at the infant in his arms.
"Kyaaaa!"
The baby let out a joyful laugh, his face radiant. He didn't seem to mind Sun-woo’s embrace at all.
This sight sent Sun-woo’s emotions into an absolute whirlwind. His own child, his own blood, was looking up at him with such a pure, innocent smile. How could he not be overwhelmed?
Drip.
Tears began to stream down Sun-woo’s face. He could no longer contain the surge of raw emotion.
"I’m..... your... daddy..... Daddy's here.."
Sun-woo spoke to the child, struggling to keep his voice steady through his tears.
"Abuuuuu.... Abuuuuu."
As if he understood his father’s words, the baby continued to babble happily.
"Yes....... Daddy... Daddy.."
Sun-woo wept uncontrollably. Seeing his precious child made his past negligence flash before his eyes.
This precious child. This tiny, fragile life. He had forgotten. He had been so consumed by women and revenge that he had pushed this aside.
Guilt began to rise within him—a crushing, agonizing guilt.
Sun-woo slowly turned his head to the side. There, he saw Bukgung Yeon, her own eyes rimmed with red.
".....Yeon-ah."
Sun-woo called her name, his voice thick with sorrow.
"......Speak," Bukgung Yeon replied, trying to maintain a composed face.
".....I’m sorry."
"......What are you sorry for?"
"Everything... everything... I’m sorry for all of it."
Sun-woo gazed at her with eyes full of remorse. He was sorry for everything. For breaking his promise. For leaving her to give birth to their child alone. For making her worry by not sending a single letter. There was nothing he wasn't sorry for.
"Wipe your tears," Bukgung Yeon said, her tone flat.
"...........Yeon-ah."
Sun-woo started to speak, his expression pained. He was certain she was deeply angry with him.
"This is the first time he’s seeing his father. You shouldn't show him such a pathetic sight."
"....Yeon-ah."
"Wipe your tears... and smile back at him. Show your son only your best side."
".....But... I..."
"As for your mistakes... later... we’ll talk about them later. For now... just focus on the child."
Bukgung Yeon’s voice softened slightly. In her heart, she wanted to scream at him for forgetting her and their child, but right now, their precious son was here. She didn't want to show him discord.
"....Okay."
Sun-woo nodded. He knew she was right. Following her request, he held the child close once more.
"Kyahahaha!"
A delighted babble escaped the baby’s lips.
"Are you that happy?"
Sun-woo looked at the child with joy. Even the baby’s babbling felt incredibly lovely to him.
"Yeon-ah.... what is the baby’s name?" Sun-woo asked curiously.
"I haven't named him."
"......Why not?"
"Because I wanted you to be the one to choose it..."
"Me?"
"....Yes."
Bukgung Yeon nodded.
"Could you tell me... if it’s a boy or a girl?"
Sun-woo asked, still unsure. The baby was so overflowing with cuteness that he couldn't distinguish his gender.
".....It’s a boy."
"......A son."
Sun-woo looked down at the child in his arms. It seemed this adorable little fellow was his son.
"Actually... there’s a name... I’ve been thinking of for a long time...."
"What is it?" Bukgung Yeon asked.
".....Then..... how about Yeon-woo?"
Sun-woo asked, looking at her with a thoughtful expression.
"Yeon-woo?"
"Taking one character from your name... and one from mine.... Yeon-woo."
".......Yeon...woo.."
Bukgung Yeon repeated the name slowly. She liked the way it sounded.
"I think it’s a good name."
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a faint smile. It seemed their beloved child finally had a name.