Chapter 27
Chapter 27
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 27
>Chapter Title: Puppy (2)
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
For the first few days, I thought she was avoiding me since I was resting in the infirmary.
Then for a while after that, I was being worked like a dog by my master, so I had no time to pay attention.
But even now, over half a month had passed, and she still hadn't come here.
"Could the Hyeok-ryeon Clan be keeping her from coming?"
They'd always disliked her hanging around with me anyway, so maybe they were using this incident as an excuse to block her.
'Tsk. What did that kid do wrong?'
Something about it didn't sit right with me.
The problem was with Eldest Senior Brother's mental illness, not that child. What huge crime had she committed to deserve being locked up at home for over half a month?
The only issue was that getting too deeply involved in another family's affairs wasn't a great idea either.
"Hmm."
After pondering for a moment, I made up my mind.
"I'll skip review today. I have somewhere to go, so prepare a bath for me."
I decided to visit the Hyeok-ryeon Clan myself.
I had no intention of causing a scene. I wasn't planning to demand they send her back to Wind Rock Hall or anything like that.
I just wanted to drop by as a guest, see the little one's face, and leave. That shouldn't count as excessive meddling.
Once prepared, I headed to the Hyeok-ryeon Clan with Jin Ha-yeon and Gu Yang-moon.
After walking a short while and receiving greetings from the Cult warriors and workers who recognized me.
It took about an incense stick's time before we arrived at the Hyeok-ryeon Clan's entrance.
It felt strange.
I'd taken it for granted that Seon-a would come visit, so this was actually my first time coming to the Hyeok-ryeon Clan myself.
'That little one walked this road every day just to see me.'
While lost in such sentiments, the gatekeeper from the Hyeok-ryeon Clan, who recognized me, offered a greeting.
"We greet Young Master Il-mok. I'll send word inside, so please wait a moment."
"Understood."
The gatekeeper spoke politely but without any warmth.
As I waited briefly, the gate opened, and an elderly man came out to greet us.
"I am Hyeok-ryeon Hak, the inner steward of the Hyeok-ryeon Clan. Allow me to guide you inside."
Following the inner steward, who was from the Hyeok-ryeon Clan's branch family, we headed to a certain palace hall within the clan grounds.
"Madam. Young Master Il-mok has come to visit."
"Please, come in."
From the steward's words and the voice from within, I could tell who was waiting inside.
It was Cheong-hwa Madam, Seon-a's mother.
The inner steward seemed to indicate his role ended here. Jin Ha-yeon and Gu Yang-moon also stood by his side, as if planning to wait outside the door.
I felt like a civil servant about to meet a troublesome complainant, but I strode boldly into the hall.
After all, I was no longer a civil servant.
"It's been a while, Young Master."
"It's been a while, Cheong-hwa Madam."
As expected, she greeted me politely but coldly, and we exchanged simple bows of courtesy.
"Please, sit."
After taking the seat she indicated, Cheong-hwa Madam lifted a teapot she'd prepared in advance and poured into the cup before me.
She then poured into her own cup before asking.
"But what brings you to our humble Hyeok-ryeon Clan in person?"
She cut straight to the point without even giving me time to drink, so I didn't beat around the bush either.
"Seon-a hasn't been around these past few days, so I came to check myself."
"...You speak as if Seon-a were some subordinate of yours, Young Master."
"If Seon-a is avoiding me of her own will, I have no intention of interfering."
At my response, Cheong-hwa Madam's gaze sharpened venomously.
"Are you saying our clan is oppressing Seon-a?"
"Isn't that the case?"
She and I locked eyes for a while.
Perhaps deeming the staring contest pointless, Cheong-hwa Madam lifted her still-steaming teacup, took a sip, and spoke.
"It may have been so before, but not anymore."
"Then you're saying Seon-a isn't coming of her own will?"
"Correct."
I furrowed my brow slightly at her bold reply.
Honestly, I couldn't buy it.
Why would that child suddenly avoid me?
The little one who'd come running every day shouting 'Oppa! Oppa!'
But arguing here with 'Don't lie!' would just lead to a fight.
"Then, may I speak with Seon-a briefly?"
"...Young Master Il-mok. Even as the disciple of the Venerable One, don't you think this is too rude toward our Hyeok-ryeon Clan?"
"I'm not trying to drag her off by force. I just mean to exchange greetings as a guest and leave."
With that, I lifted the teacup before me and took a small sip.
'Ow. How do people drink this stuff?'
The tea, not yet cooled, burned like hell.
But in the middle of a battle of wills, I couldn't show it, so I forced a straight face and continued meeting Cheong-hwa Madam's eyes.
We engaged in that pointless contest for a bit.
Then a sudden voice rang out, putting an end to it.
"Let him meet with the child."
"??"
Turning toward the voice from a direction where I'd sensed no presence, I saw a man in his late middle age entering through a different door—not the one I'd used.
At his appearance, Cheong-hwa Madam, who'd been glaring at me, shot up to bow, but he waved her down.
"Do as Young Master Il-mok wishes."
"But, Clan Head..."
Her form of address let me know who he was.
The head of the Hyeok-ryeon Clan, Cheong-hwa Madam's father-in-law. According to Jin Ha-yeon, one of the top experts even within the Cult—Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang.
In other words.
"We greet the Hyeok-ryeon Clan Head."
Even as the Heavenly Demon's disciple, he was no one I could treat lightly.
"This is our first meeting in person. I've heard plenty about you from the Venerable One and others here and there."
I wondered what stories he'd heard, but before I could ask, Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang spoke.
"Go meet Seon-a. I'll have the inner steward guide you."
With that, before I could reply, he called toward the door I'd entered through.
"Inner steward. Guide Young Master Il-mok to Seon-a."
Though he didn't shout, his voice, infused with inner power, carried far.
"You may go now."
At the clear dismissal, I gladly left the room.
Meeting Seon-a was my goal anyway, and I had no desire to clash wills with that old man.
I might tangle with Cheong-hwa Madam, but pitting myself against that elder screamed suicide.
* * *
Right after Il-mok left, silence blanketed the hall.
Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang broke it.
"Pay it no mind. We must honor the pact with the Venerable One, mustn't we?"
"...Understood, Clan Head."
"The pact with the Venerable One lasts until Young Master Il-mok enters the Demonic Path Academy. If anything happens to the child by then—or even after—we can administer punishment according to the pact when the time comes."
With that, Hyeok-ryeon Cheon-gang turned his gaze toward the hall where his precious granddaughter resided.
Toward the very hall Il-mok was heading to.
* * *
"Here we are, Young Master."
Guided by the inner steward to Seon-a's quarters, I first approached the door and knocked lightly.
Even a child deserves privacy.
"Seon-a."
She must have recognized my voice, as I heard movement inside.
"D-don't come in!"
"!!!"
Was she really avoiding me?
'Is this the pain fathers of teenage daughters feel?'
The kind where a daughter who once trailed 'I'm gonna marry Daddy!' starts keeping distance in puberty, snapping 'Seriously! Don't come into my room!'
My old wounds, long healed, throbbed, but I steadied my breathing.
'You never know. Maybe Cheong-hwa Madam said something weird, scaring her off!'
Barely holding back my inner turmoil, I spoke again.
"Seon-a. Can you tell oppa why you're avoiding him?"
"B-because of me, oppa almost d-died."
"Ah..."
I vaguely understood why Seon-a was avoiding me.
"Don't worry. It wasn't Seon-a's fault—it was Eldest Senior Brother's men..."
I nearly said 'mental illness' but remembered the people around and quickly rephrased.
"...tal issues. Not because of Seon-a."
"St-still scary. What if oppa gets hurt or dies b-because of me... So, better not to see you."
I belatedly realized it was subtly different from what I'd thought.
I'd assumed she was avoiding me fearing I'd hate her since she nearly got me killed.
But no—she feared 'me being in danger' because of her.
'...The Blood Fox Crimson Claw Art's side effect is excessive attachment.'
It seemed worse to her that a cherished person gets hurt or dies than being hated by them.
But knowing that nuance didn't spark any brilliant solution. I was a civil servant, not a psychiatrist.
So I just acted based on my experience.
"I'm coming in for a bit."
Before Seon-a could reply, I opened the door and slipped into her room.
The dimly lit space reeked of gloom. Unwashed and tormented by nightmares for days, Seon-a's hair was matted, her skin dry and ashen.
Shocked by her waste-of-life appearance unfit for her age, I cautiously approached the little one.
As I neared, she averted her eyes like a wounded cat cornered in an alley.
"Hmm. You said you don't want to see me get hurt, so better not to see me."
...
"But it hurts me more not to see Seon-a."
"!!"
Seeing her flinch as she avoided my gaze, I continued.
"Eldest Senior Brother's rampage was like a natural disaster. In life, accidents happen sometimes even without fault."
No one meshes perfectly. Not even lifelong family.
Everyone hurts friends, lovers, or family with words or mistakes while living together.
Yet we still make friends, families, lovers. I had too.
"You can't avoid people out of fear. No—because such things can happen, you should stick with people. You can't survive alone."
Humans can't live alone.
Even in my past life in Korea, there were shut-ins called hikikomori, holed up in rooms.
But even they weren't truly alone.
Bodies trapped, but through games or online communities, they connected with others.
"And this time, Seon-a ran at that scary Eldest Senior Brother to save me. You bought time, so I survived. If you avoided me, an accident happened, and you heard later I died—what then? Would Seon-a be okay?"
"N-no! I hate that!"
Finally, the little one cried out frantically, looking at me.
I smiled softly and stroked the matted hair of the wounded kitten.
"So, next time something like this happens, can you protect me again? If Seon-a's in danger, I'll protect you then."
After hesitating, the huddled child nodded vigorously.
* * *
The next day, around afternoon.
As always, Seon-a returned to Wind Rock Hall at the usual time.
But with her hair and skin neatly cleaned, unlike yesterday.
"Hahaha! Welcome! I'm Gu Yang-moon, temporarily attending Young Master in Ha-yeon's stead."
At Gu Yang-moon's hearty greeting—the first time meeting her—she peeked out from behind my legs.
"Hahaha. Such a shy young lady."
He was quite sociable, except when facing Jin Ha-yeon.
As Gu Yang-moon kept talking to Seon-a, Jin Ha-yeon spoke coldly.
"Seems you enjoy attending Young Master. Think this is playtime?"
"Hmph! I've already prepared everything, so I've got leeway! You think cramming nonstop like you makes it better?"
As the two young ones started bickering again, I leisurely watched with Seon-a.
Who knew I'd get real-time youth drama without internet or TV.
"Here. Ahh~"
While feeding Seon-a snacks like watching a niece in a drama and enjoying the show.
Seon-a, watching beside me, tilted her head and spoke.
"But oppa. Does that uncle like Ha-yeon unnie?"
......
......
The innocent child's words brought a chill silence to Wind Rock Hall for a moment.
"Wh-wh-what nonsense! Wh-who l-l-likes who!"
Gu Yang-moon yelled frantically, then glanced at Jin Ha-yeon.
Meeting her insect-like cold gaze, he bolted toward the Wind Rock Hall entrance.
"S-something urgent came up! I'll head out for today!!"
......
......
Surveying the instantly quiet Wind Rock Hall, I sighed lightly and muttered.
"Now who'll attend me..."