Chapter 161: A Meeting with the In-Laws
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 161: A Meeting with the In-Laws
Baeksan, however, was a harsh one.
“Hah!”
Just as Baeksan said, Heuksan seemed to realize she was in the middle of attacking me and snapped back to her senses.
Her face flushed crimson as she glared at me and immediately stretched her hand out to the side.
“What gives you the right to teach him that!”
Seeing the red sparks forming in her furious hand, I knew what it was.
“Bazra!”
So Heuksan could use Bazra, too.
Knowing what a mess it would make to summon Bazra in a hospital, I rushed to stop her.
“...Huh?”
Heuksan, who had been about to summon Bazra, waved her hand in the empty air, looking bewildered.
Her hand was completely empty.
Seeing this, I stood still for a moment before raising my right hand.
“Bazra.”
The moment I called its name, Bazra materialized in my grasp with a shower of red sparks.
Heuksan’s eyes widened, a look of utter bewilderment filling them.
“B-Bazra? Why, how!?”
As she reeled in shock, I put on an expression that said I didn’t know either.
But Baeksan snorted as if he already knew the answer.
“Bazra isn’t a single sword. It’s a blade made by splitting a massive bolt of lightning into many branches. Those branches are scattered across different worlds, and the Bazra you possess is a larger piece. It’s only natural that hers would be nullified when it’s near yours.”
So that was it.
It seemed that guy Baeksan had to be overwhelmingly superior, even against himself.
Setting that aside for now, I made Bazra disappear and spoke to Heuksan.
“Hey, Baeksan.”
“Tell me right now! What the hell are you? What are you!”
“Baeksan.”
“My aura, and now Bazra! What the hell are you?!”
“Baeksan.”
“Is that it? Did those Six Evils make a clone of me…?”
Damn, she really doesn’t listen.
It felt like I was trying to train a wild dog.
Finally reaching my limit, red sparks began to crackle around me.
“Hey.”
Heuksan flinched, her eyes trembling.
“Will you listen to me for a second?”
When I asked again kindly, her lips parted and closed before she bit down on them.
She had been subdued by me once—though it was technically Baeksan—and had now lost Bazra as well.
With all her means of attack blocked, she seemed to finally grasp the gap between us and reluctantly backed down a little.
To be precise, she was backing down from Baeksan, but still.
She at least understood the difference in our strength and must have realized that provoking me further would do her no good.
“First, I’m sorry for being a bit rough earlier. Seol-hyang and Si-ho were here, and I thought it might get dangerous, so I had no choice.”
“…”
Heuksan listened quietly, her lips still pressed tightly together. Her expression was full of dissatisfaction, but at least she was staying put.
“I know you’ve just returned from your world and are confused. But there’s no one here who wants to harm you.”
“…You’re right in front of me.”
“Are you going to interrupt me?”
“…No.”
See how much better it is when she’s compliant?
“In any case, you can see that for yourself. I’ll help you in the meantime.”
As I said that, Heuksan looked at me with suspicious eyes.
“…Why would you?”
“Because I’m your sister’s boyfriend.”
I gave her the most plausible answer, and Heuksan blinked.
“My sister… you mean Baek Seol-hyang, the chairwoman of the World Returnee Association?”
“Yeah.”
“…You?”
Her gaze immediately turned into one of disbelief.
That might have stung a little.
‘…Then again, with looks like Seol-hyang’s, I’d probably think the same thing.’
Even I felt that if Seol-hyang and I hadn’t been childhood friends, things wouldn't have turned out this way.
But now that she was my girlfriend, I acted confidently.
“Well, you can ask Seol-hyang yourself.”
When I told her to do so if she didn’t believe me, Heuksan decided to let it go for now.
“Seol-hyang should be bringing your mother and father here soon. Let’s meet your parents first.”
“…My parents.”
Even for Heuksan, who suffered from such severe distrust of people, the thought of seeing her parents seemed to resonate, and she remained quiet.
It would be nice if she stayed this way, but judging by Baeksan’s reaction, it wouldn’t be easy.
A few minutes passed in the hospital room.
Soon, a knock sounded, and the door opened.
Standing there was a beautiful middle-aged woman who looked remarkably like Seol-hyang.
The moment I saw her, I knew who she was.
It was none other than Seol-hyang’s mother.
“Oh my, is that you, Ha-chan?”
“Yes, it’s good to see you, ma’am.”
“My, my, you’ve grown so handsome. Our Seol-hyang used to like you so much. Really.”
“Mom.”
As her mother approached and spoke to me warmly, Seol-hyang’s face turned red with embarrassment.
I gave her a faint smile and then noticed someone else standing beside her mother.
I wonder if this is what Baeksan would look like if he grew up pampered and without his rough edges.
Unlike Baeksan, the kind-faced man with black hair and black eyes was none other than Baeksan’s father.
“You must be the Ha-chan my wife and daughter have been talking about.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Father. My name is Kang Ha-chan.”
“…Father?”
Hearing me call him ‘Father,’ his gentle expression instantly became stern, but only toward me.
From that, I could tell how much he cherished Seol-hyang as if she were his own daughter.
Although she wasn’t his biological child, he had apparently helped her establish the World Returnee Association for her sake.
It was only natural for him to act sternly as a father figure upon meeting me, the man dating Seol-hyang.
“We’re dating, so of course I should call you Father. Dad.”
“Dating, you say.”
Her father, who had looked shocked by my words, slowly changed his expression as he looked at Heuksan.
“Baeksan.”
Without any overt emotion, he called out to her.
Heuksan, who had been watching us quietly, seemed to hesitate for a moment before finally opening her mouth.
“Dad.”
Her only blood relative, the one person who could show her that this was a place she could return to.
Seeing her father, Heuksan’s expression brightened slightly.
Her father walked over and pulled Heuksan into an embrace.
As he gently patted her back, Heuksan hesitantly raised her hands and hugged him back.
“Welcome home. You’re finally home.”
She was the daughter he had lost to a dimensional shift.
As the emotions of her return began to well up, tears formed in her father’s eyes.
“Baeksan, you’ve been through so much.”
Soon after, Seol-hyang’s mother also approached and hugged Heuksan.
As I watched them from behind with a faint smile, Seol-hyang leaned against my arm.
“It reminds you of your sister, doesn’t it?”
“…Yeah, I guess it does.”
I should have been there to tell my sister I was glad she was back, just like this.
A pang of regret for not being able to do so washed over me.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to see her soon.”
“I hope so.”
I smiled for a moment, and Seol-hyang wrapped her arms around mine.
“Mari misses you too, Ha-chan.”
I stroked Seol-hyang’s hair.
My girlfriend, who noticed my feelings and immediately comforted me, looked so beautiful.
“She’ll want to see her nephew, too.”
Her next words made me smile wryly.
What a little minx.
“Ahem.”
Just then, I flinched at the sound of her father clearing his throat.
When I looked up, he was already done greeting Heuksan and was now staring at me with a very displeased expression.
“Oh my, look at you two, so sweet together.”
In contrast, her mother was smiling joyfully as she watched us.
Perhaps because her parents were watching, Seol-hyang grew shy and slowly released her arm from mine.
Heuksan just stared at us with a dumbfounded look, as if to say, So they really are dating.
“Young man.”
“Yes, Father.”
He called out to me, and I answered quickly. He looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“What do you do for a living?”
“I work at a company.”
As this turned into an unexpected meeting with the parents, I answered with a bit of nervousness. Her father’s expression soured slightly.
At that, her mother chided him.
“What are you doing? With how much money Seol-hyang makes, why are you asking about her boyfriend’s job? All that matters is that they love each other.”
“N-No, dear, but still.”
“Baeksan came home today, it’s a happy day. I heard our son-in-law, Ha-chan, brought Baeksan back safely. Shouldn’t you be thanking him instead of giving him a hard time?”
“…Alright.”
With his wife’s support, her father backed down and lowered his head.
“My apologies. Thank you for bringing Baeksan back safely.”
“Not at all. It was the right thing to do.”
When I replied immediately, her father sighed and turned back to Heuksan.
“Baeksan, since Seol-hyang is the chairwoman of the World Returnee Association, you’ll probably have to go through a few procedures with them for a while.”
As he spoke, he handed her a cell phone, which he must have already set up.
“This is a new phone with your old number and contacts transferred over. Your friends are still waiting for you, so I’m sure they’ll be happy if you contact them.”
“…Friends.”
Heuksan accepted the phone, though she looked a little hesitant.
In her case, she wasn’t caught in a dimensional shift at a very young age, so she had spent a good amount of time living in modern society.
Perhaps because of that, Heuksan took the phone and nodded.
“I’ve saved my number as number one on your contacts, so call me anytime.”
This is why family is so great.
That warm gaze is something that can only come from family.
After that, her mother and father left.
It was still early in the morning, and as her father had said, Heuksan needed to go through the Association’s procedures first.
I decided to accompany Heuksan to the Association to make sure she didn’t cause any trouble.
While she was going over some confirmations and cautionary notes, I found myself alone with Seol-hyang for a moment.
“Seol-hyang, there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“It’s about the spirit attached to you, isn’t it, Ha-chan?”
As expected of the quick-witted Seol-hyang. I nodded in response.
I glanced at Baeksan, and he nodded his head as if to say it was okay to tell her now.
“The fact that you’re telling me today must mean the spirit attached to you is related to Baeksan, right?”
So she had figured that much out.
“And it’s probably someone related to foresight, prophecy, or the future.”
She even predicted that?
As my eyes widened, she gave me a look that was almost a scolding.
“You’ve dropped hints suggesting you have knowledge of the future several times. It wasn’t hard to guess.”
“My girlfriend is too capable.”
“Are you proud?”
“Of course I am.”
This made things easier.
I decided to tell Seol-hyang the truth.
“The one attached to me right now is Baeksan, who regressed from the future.”
Hearing that, Seol-hyang’s eyes went wide.
It was a reaction that said she hadn’t expected the word ‘regression’.
“…If the one next to you is Baeksan, then she was a woman.”
Was that the problem?
Feeling momentarily dumbfounded, I looked at Seol-hyang, who was clenching both her fists.
“You’ve been living together, sleeping, eating, every day? Without telling me?”
Her cheeks started to puff out as her face filled with dissatisfaction. I cupped her face with both hands.
Then I squeezed gently, and a deflating sound escaped her lips.
“Seol-hyang, this Baeksan is a man.”
“Huh?”
Hearing my words, Seol-hyang’s eyes grew round again.
“It’s a long story.”
I proceeded to tell her the whole story about Baeksan.
After listening to everything, Seol-hyang pressed a hand to her chin.
“…I see.”
“You understand now?”
“Yes. I mean, you’re not the type to lie, Ha-chan. And… so that’s why.”
Seeing her look of understanding, I tilted my head.
“That’s why what?”
“A while ago, I used my ability, the Crown, and happened to see you with him.”
I now understood why Baeksan had said Seol-hyang would already have a rough idea about him.
“The target I used the Crown on was none other than Baeksan.”