Chapter 233: Chun-bu-i’s Oppa (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 233: Chun-bu-i’s Oppa (2)
Chun-bong was deep in thought. Her expression was so uncharacteristically grave that Seo-jun couldn’t help but ask.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, it’s just…"
Lost in her reflections, Chun-bong suddenly spoke up.
"Why am I so cute?"
A sudden fear had gripped her. She simply couldn’t see the limits of her own cuteness.
Perhaps… she could unify the Central Plains with this cuteness alone. The thought felt strangely plausible.
Seo-jun, who had been seriously pondering the matter alongside her, replied, "Water flows from high to low, and every object has its own inherent mass."
"What?"
"The world has the earth, and it has the sky."
"Right?"
"If you dig deep enough, you might find the reasons why, but does that really matter?"
Society might advance by discovering those reasons. By uncovering the Higgs boson and exploring it, humanity's reach might eventually extend into the far corners of the unknown.
"But in the end, water still flows downward, and the earth and sky still exist."
Unless one deliberately warped the laws of nature, these things were simply facts.
"And the fact that Geum Chun-bong is cute is a natural truth that requires no questioning."
Why was Geum Chun-bong so cute? One could derive countless theories if they delved into the reasons. One might even be able to prove it through valid evidence.
But did any of that matter? Geum Chun-bong was cute regardless.
At Seo-jun’s words, Chun-bong nodded.
"Is that how it is?"
"That’s how it is."
A breeze blew past. Clouds drifted leisurely across the clear blue sky.
Chun-bong stood up, looking toward the heavens.
"Yes, I am cute. That is an eternal, unchanging truth."
Standing nearby, Hwangbo Hye-ji’s expression became complicated.
"Young Hero Namgung, is this… some kind of high-level martial arts discussion?"
"Umm… well…"
Namgung Myeong looked at his sister with a troubled face. Namgung Su-ah chuckled and nodded.
"Perhaps it’s the driving force that allowed Seo-jun to reach his current heights."
"Ah, I see. Indeed… the cuteness of Lady Geum…"
Hwangbo Hye-ji half-closed her eyes, seriously ruminating on her senior’s "enlightenment."
The enlightened one, Lee Seo-jun, suddenly sprang to his feet.
"Now that I think about it, I’ve been a bit neglectful lately."
"Huh? About what?"
Chun-bong tilted her head. Seo-jun scooped her up and skillfully hoisted her onto his shoulders.
"I need to preach the cuteness of Geum Chun-bong to the world."
In other words, it was time for a date.
*
With Chun-bong perched on his shoulders, Seo-jun headed toward the pavilion where the members of the Hwangbo Clan were staying.
Enjoying the breeze from her elevated vantage point, Chun-bong asked, "What’s this all of a sudden?"
"What’s what?"
"I mean, this is a bit out of nowhere."
Was she asking why he was suddenly taking her on a date? He realized he really hadn’t spent enough time playing with her lately.
"I felt like I’ve been spending too much time with Noona recently."
"Hmm, you have been."
"But I’m glad our Chun-bu-i was a good girl and stayed patient on her own."
"Hmph, it’s not like I’m a child."
Sitting on his shoulders, Chun-bong kicked her legs lightly, her heels thumping against Seo-jun’s chest.
"Just don’t forget to take care of me."
At her words, Seo-jun tilted his head back. He had intended to look at her face, but the back of his head pressed into her soft belly instead.
Seo-jun grinned.
"Has our Chun-bu-i gained weight?"
"Wh-what…?"
Her jaw dropped, and Chun-bong hurriedly felt her stomach. Squish. There was a bit of flesh to grab, but that was normal for any human being.
"I didn’t gain weight, you jerk!"
Squeeze! Chun-bong tightened her thighs around his neck. A perfect amount of pressure was applied right between his neck and jaw.
Seo-jun nodded in satisfaction.
"Hmm. You’ve put some meat on your thighs, too."
It had been quite a while since he started the "Fatten Up Geum Chun-bong Project."
Her cheeks were one thing, but back in the day, Geum Chun-bong had been so thin it was painful to look at. With a bit of exaggeration, you could almost feel the shape of her internal organs just by touching her stomach.
But things were different now. She had filled out a bit and looked healthy. Geum Chun-bong had finally been "normalized."
"Our Chun-bong-ie would be cute even if she got plump."
"I really don’t think that’s true."
While Chun-bong grumbled in disgust, they arrived at the pavilion where the Hwangbo Clan was staying.
Last time, he had entered through the ceiling, but today he used the front gates. Seo-jun gave a casual wave to the Hwangbo Clan warriors standing guard as he strolled inside.
Then, a thought occurred to him.
"Oh, right."
"Now what?"
Chun-bong grabbed a handful of Seo-jun’s hair.
"If you say something weird, I’ll…!"
Was she threatening to cause premature hair loss? Seo-jun didn’t particularly want to find out if hair was a body part that could regenerate with qi.
"About our engagement ceremony."
"Y-yes…?"
Gulp. Chun-bong swallowed hard. She always got strangely nervous whenever the topic of their engagement came up.
Seo-jun chuckled.
"Should we cancel it?"
"Huh?"
Chun-bong froze.
‘I kind of want to see Geum Chun-bong burst into tears, but…’
Even so, that was a bit too cruel. Seo-jun quickly followed up to prevent any misunderstandings.
"I talked it over with Noona. Instead of an engagement ceremony, wouldn’t a wedding be better?"
"O-oh… I guess…?"
"Then you’ll be marrying Oppa on the original engagement date, okay?"
"Y-yeah… I guess so…"
The shoulders Chun-bong was sitting on became strangely damp. He hadn’t realized her legs could break out in a cold sweat.
"We’ve already kissed and everything, so why are you so nervous?"
"I-isn’t it obvious?!"
"Hmm. Fair point."
It didn’t feel entirely real yet, but it was certainly something to be nervous about.
"Geum Chun-bong as a wife… it feels strange."
"Wh-what! You don’t like it?!"
"I like it way too much."
Seo-jun naturally opened the door to one of the buildings and walked in. There was a warrior guarding the entrance, but he stepped aside obediently when Seo-jun mentioned he had an appointment.
It seemed like they were letting him in far too easily, but in reality, it made sense. The person inside wasn’t exactly someone who needed protection.
And no one would be crazy enough to make up a fake appointment just to visit him.
At least, not until now.
"Hey, we meet again?"
Seo-jun waved his hand. Seeing this, the Hwangbo Clan Leader took a deep breath… and then just let it out.
"…What is it now?"
"I wanted to show off the pride of the Namgung Clan."
Seo-jun introduced Hwangbo Ryung to Chun-bong.
"This is Ryung."
"Ryung?"
"Hwangbo Ryung. He’s the Family Head of the Hwangbo Clan."
"Wh-what…?"
Chun-bong’s body stiffened. She was suddenly faced with the serious dilemma of whether or not she should get down from Seo-jun’s shoulders.
Seo-jun nonchalantly introduced Chun-bong in turn.
"And this is the pride of the Great Namgung Clan, my younger sister…"
…Wait, was she not his sister anymore? Introducing her as both his sister and his fiancé sounded a bit odd.
But if Geum Chun-bong wasn’t his sister, the laws of the world would crumble. That could never be allowed to happen.
Seo-jun rolled his eyes and continued.
"…who was my sister, but is now my fiancé, Geum Chun-bong."
"And what am I supposed to do with that information?"
"I felt like I barged in a bit too suddenly last time. Since I showed you our Chun-bong-ie as compensation, we’re even now, right?"
The Hwangbo Clan Leader, Hwangbo Ryung, was slowly beginning to realize something profound about the person standing in front of him.
He was definitely not sane.
"Geum Hee of Returning Dragon Peak. I believe I heard she was the winner of this year’s Yongbong Gathering."
"That’s right."
"Then what is ‘Chun-bong’?"
"It’s like a true name."
Sigh…
Hwangbo Ryung exhaled a long sigh and stared at Seo-jun with sharp brown eyes.
"So, what is your real purpose? You didn’t come here just to talk about such trivial things."
"But I did?"
"What?"
"Now that I’ve shown you Chun-bong, we’re leaving. Bye!"
Seo-jun waved his hand and walked away. Chun-bong, still perched on his shoulders, looked back and gave a polite nod.
"What in the world…"
Hwangbo Ryung’s lips twitched a few times before he simply let out another heavy sigh.
‘…He certainly is a new type of Transcendent Realm expert.’
His head was starting to ache.
*
Seo-jun wandered around the Anhui region with Chun-bong.
Since he lived in the Namgung Clan and roamed Anhui whenever he was bored, he was quite familiar with the local geography by now.
The two of them sat on a bench, happily holding Tanghulu (Chun-bong had three in each hand).
The bench had miraculously appeared within a few days after Seo-jun casually remarked, "Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few chairs like this on the street?"
"This really is comfortable."
Chun-bong sat on the bench, swinging her legs.
"Right?"
Since it was property managed by the Namgung Clan, few people were bold enough to litter around it.
Chun-bong, watching the clouds turn red in the sunset, scratched her soft cheek.
"But, uh… you know."
"Yeah?"
"This is a bit random."
Chun-bong tucked the three Tanghulu skewers she had finished in an instant into her sleeve. Usually, those skewers were recycled to make homemade Tanghulu back at the Namgung Clan.
"My mother told me something a long time ago."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah. Have I not talked about her much?"
"I think this is the first time I’m hearing about her."
"Really?"
Crunch!
Chun-bong bit into a Tanghulu with gusto.
"Anyway. Well, you know. A married couple is… like a secret technique for lovers."
"A secret technique? Like a final ultimate art?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Chun-bong tucked her fourth Tanghulu skewer into her sleeve.
"Unless it’s an arranged marriage, people usually think of marriage as the final destination."
"I suppose so."
Now that he thought about it, it did seem that way. As Seo-jun nodded, Chun-bong continued.
"But even after getting married, a couple lives together for decades. In our case, it could be hundreds of years."
"True. If we achieve Ascension, hundreds of years would be nothing. We’d lose track of time."
"Ascension? Hmm… that might be a bit difficult."
Chun-bong scratched her cheek and tucked her fifth Tanghulu skewer into her sleeve.
"Anyway, we’ll be together for a long time."
"That’s true."
"So, she said you have to express your affection often. Otherwise, as time passes, you’ll become like strangers—or even worse than strangers. That’s what she said."
"You and me?"
Hmm. Chun-bong stroked her chin.
"Actually, I don’t think that applies to us."
"So what’s your point?"
"Well, it’s… you know… that."
"That we should express our affection often?"
"Yeah… that."
Chun-bong’s cheeks flushed slightly. It definitely wasn’t just because of the sunset.
Seo-jun grinned and leaned his face in close.
"Did I ever tell you?"
"T-tell me what…?"
"How much I love our Chun-bu-i."
Peck.
He gave her a short kiss, and Chun-bong looked around nervously, clearing her throat.
"Ahem…! Hey, there are people watching…"
"Now it’s our Chun-bu-i’s turn to show her love for Oppa."
"…When we get home."
"What."
Chomp chomp!
Chun-bong finished her last Tanghulu in a flash and fiddled with the empty skewer.
"And, uh… are you going to keep doing that?"
"Chun-bong-ah. I don’t know what you’re talking about, but that’s not what’s important right now."
"No, it is important."
Chun-bong pointed the empty skewer at Seo-jun. Her cheeks were still red, but her eyes were dead serious.
She had changed the subject out of embarrassment, but the topic she was bringing up now was one she meant with all her heart.
"I told you before. The grudges of the Murim are like a tangled ball of thread that can’t be unraveled."
"Suddenly?"
"Revenge is fine, but you have to clearly define its scope. Otherwise, you might be the one who ends up getting consumed."