Chapter 5
Clack.
In the Andong Kim Clan Main House at the uppermost layer of Hanseong, Kim Hyun-woo set down his teacup in the parlor and sighed, replaying the earlier events in his mind.
"Hoo..."
A worthless trash heap, judged powerless and shoved completely out of the succession race. That was why he'd only meant to flash a sliver of his power—to make the bastard know his place.
But the punk hadn't flinched or bowed his head. Instead, he'd toyed with him using that three-inch tongue of his, shattering his composure. It was humiliating just to think about. And not just anywhere, but in front of their father...
'Kim Chang-un... Was he always like this?'
After the anger came a natural question. The Kim Chang-un that Kim Hyun-woo knew was a pitiful wretch writhing in inferiority. A fool who'd endlessly chase his father's approval and the clan's recognition with his pathetic efforts.
Yet now that fool was acting like a wild thunderbolt off the leash, scraping at the heir's nerves and provoking him outright. It was like he'd become a different person overnight.
'And more importantly than that... what he said to me.'
Kim Hyun-woo frowned, recalling Kim Chang-un's words.
"Isn't it strange?"
"Watching you makes it seem like you're the one playing clan head of the Andong Kim Clan."
That line. It pierced right to the core, as if the bastard knew all his thoughts.
'Could he know...?'
The thought flickered briefly, but he shook his head. No way. His "plan" was known only to a tiny handful of his most trusted confidants. There was no chance some half-forgotten bastard he'd barely spoken to knew about it.
But...
'Letting him run wild like this... won't end well.'
Finishing his thoughts, Kim Hyun-woo beckoned. A warrior clad head to toe in machinery approached. Red lights glowed from patches of his artificial body, power cores embedded in the joints. A Grade-1 cybernetic enhancement, forbidden for civilian circulation.
"Ho-cheol. What do you think?"
"Leaving Young Master Chang-un unchecked... would be dangerous, sir."
"But what can be done? Father commanded us not to act rashly."
"I understand perfectly. However..."
There is a way.
The bodyguard Ho-cheol trailed off, then leaned in close, whispering in a lowered voice.
"...Hoo."
As Ho-cheol murmured into his ear, Kim Hyun-woo's scorn-twisted face gradually relaxed.
"He's heading to the lower layers of Hanseong to find a bodyguard?"
"Yes. But that place crawls with criminals and masterless ronin—a lawless zone no noble's son should wander lightly."
"And if he goes there without any decent protection... some unavoidable 'accident' is bound to happen."
"Exactly. And if such an 'accident' occurs..."
A black visor covered Ho-cheol's face. The red glow from it narrowed slightly.
"Lord Kim Jung-heon would be deeply grieved."
"Ha! Haha! Hahaha!"
Ho-cheol's vicious joke drew an involuntary laugh from him. Grieved if that Chang-un punk died? That cold-hearted man? Kim Hyun-woo muttered inwardly but nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Round up some useful types. Ones skilled at handling jobs, tight-lipped, and disposable enough that their deaths raise no eyebrows."
"As you command."
Ho-cheol bowed once and vanished. Optical camouflage activated, cloaking his form.
Once his bodyguard had slipped out to handle it, Kim Hyun-woo eyed the intel on Chang-un's circle and tilted his teacup with a dark smile.
"He wasn't wrong about bringing in his own guards. His protection is a bit thin."
"Hmm, ahem."
Call me materialistic if you want, but I love money. In this godforsaken land of Joseon, nothing couldn't be bought with cash.
What? You say there are values money can't touch? That the human spirit and emotions are noble things beyond price?
Bullshit. No one who spouted that crap ever turned down the filthy stuff.
"So."
A week after stirring up that mess with Kim Hyun-woo. Aboard a vehicle climbing the elevated highway toward Hanseong's lower layers.
Seo Tae-woong, who'd heard my rundown, opened his mouth with a puzzled look.
"The whole commotion yesterday... was just for this money?"
"Hey, it's not just any money."
I glanced at the number popping up in the corner of my vision, and a grin slipped out unbidden.
"It's not in the clan accounts—it's in my personal one. No clan oversight, no bullshit. Seed money I can spend however I want. You get how huge that is?"
"Yessir..."
Whether he got it or not, who knows. As he mumbled, the scenery whipping past the window shifted.
The pristine high-layer buildings faded, replaced by ramshackle old structures tangled in concrete and wires. The sunlit sky had long vanished; now the city glowed under mismatched streetlamps and garish neon signs.
This was Joseon's biggest industrial zone, the melting pot where every class mingled at the heart of the nation. Hanseong's central district, the Communal Living Zone.
"Tae-woong."
About thirty minutes to our destination. Gazing at the increasingly squalid Hanseong sprawl, I spoke casually.
"I'm the bastard born from an affair with a commoner. The only thing the clan could expect from trash like me was aura."
Of course, that wasn't something to brush off lightly. My sudden words hardened his face as he turned to me.
"Young master, that's..."
"The Andong Kim Clan, top aura users in Joseon. They figured inheriting that blood meant I'd have power to match."
"..."
"But now it's clear: I'm powerless. What does that mean?"
"That's..."
I smirked at Seo Tae-woong, who couldn't continue.
"It means the last bastion I had as a Sedao Clan member is gone."
I kept going.
"The clan won't expect shit from me anymore. All the privileges I enjoyed as one of them? Poof. And the family elders who already despised me? They'll move heaven and earth to erase me from the clan."
"..."
"And Father... no, Lord Kim Jung-heon won't lift a finger to stop it."
Seo Tae-woong stayed silent. Probably couldn't find the right words. Didn't matter. I tossed him the question I'd bottled up for years.
"In this mess, sticking with my protection won't do jack for your career. You know that, right?"
The opposite, actually. The sooner you ditch bodyguard duty, the better shot you have at salvaging your life.
But...
"Why are you still here?"
"Young master..."
I'm a discarded god now. Wouldn't it be smarter to cut ties and chase your own path?
When I put it that way, he slowly shook his head.
"From the day you were born, my mission has been to guard you."
"The clan that assigned you that mission doesn't want me around?"
"That doesn't matter."
His body, scarred and pitted. Covered in brutal machinery. Seo Tae-woong met my eyes squarely, voice firm.
"To me, you are the one I must serve for life. Abandoning you over some internal power struggle? Unthinkable."
"...Hah."
I let out a disbelieving chuckle. My bodyguard, Seo Tae-woong. Yeah, this guy never changes.
'The tutor isn't coming? Then you've got more free time. Congratulations.'
'The servants handling meals quit? Perfect excuse for takeout. I know a good spot—follow me.'
'A new school? You'll need new clothes then. I'll come along, young master. Making friends... takes preparation.'
From childhood, he'd stuck by me with that loyalty, even at rock bottom. When they started calling me powerless, clan disgrace—he nursed me through it. Played reluctant dad, pulling every trick.
And in the end...
'Stay strong... stay strong, young master.'
'Survive. If you survive, someday... you'll get your chance.'
Like a son who'd left first. For that pathetic reason he could barely voice, he'd thrown his life away like trash.
That was my bodyguard, Seo Tae-woong.
"...Fine. Got it. Then."
What an idiot. Shaking off the thought, I reached for the bundle beside me and hugged it close.
"Let's survive this time."
"Pardon?"
The next instant, a missile slammed into the roof of our car.
KABOOOM!
A deafening roar filled the air with flames and smoke. Vehicles for Sedao families are blast-proof specials, layered defenses absorbing the explosion. But the impact sent us tumbling across the road.
"Young master!"
Catching me the moment we were hit, Seo Tae-woong cranked his cybernetics to max. Red light erupted from his military-grade augments.
KABOOM!
Another blast—sheared off an entire side of the car. He'd punched through the composite armor that took the missile head-on—with his bare hands.
We escaped through the hole just as—
BAM-BAM-BAM!
Three more missiles turned the vehicle to scrap.
"Any injuries!?"
"Up top!"
My shout came without panic. Seo Tae-woong glanced up instantly.
A mechanical figure loomed above, sword slashing down.
CLANG!
Seo Tae-woong crossed his arms, blocking the strike.
"Grk?!"
Immense power from the assailant's augmented body. But Seo Tae-woong held firm, swinging to hurl the attacker away.
BOOM!
The enemy flew back amid an explosion. His mechanical arm, aimed at Seo Tae-woong, dangled in tatters—but he shrugged it off, ripping both arms free.
"Lost a whole set right out the gate. That's gonna eat into profits, huh?"
"Don't sweat it. They said all costs get covered on success."
"Ooh, big clients are the best. Right?"
Clank. Clank.
The assassin swapped arms from a drone behind him. And with that, shadowy figures began appearing around the burning wreck.
"Grade-3 cybernetics, military support drones. No ordinary thugs. And..."
Seo Tae-woong narrowed his eyes at their faces. Four attackers total. All wearing black Hwae masks of carbon fiber.
In this Joseon, anyone sporting those...
"No way... Hwae?"
"..."
The name alone wrinkled noses. Hwae—the terrorist group assassinating Sedao Clan members and sabotaging their enterprises. Priority zero target, having slaughtered countless aura users.
"Kim Chang-un! Seed of the vile Sedao Clans rotting Joseon!"
"Feel the people's wrath! We'll grind you to mince right here!"
Canned attack. Canned setup. Canned lines as they raised guns.
Staring at it, I couldn't help but snort.
'So that's how it is.'
Hwae? As if. These weren't the real deal. The real Hwae only targeted me once I'd built a rep as a Sedao lackey.
But right now? Just a fifteen-year-old punk. Real Hwae probably didn't even know I existed.
And crucially—the mismatched gear, the sloppy moves. No grand organization here.
'Back then, I was too busy to guess. But now it's clear.'
Fakes borrowing the Hwae name. Clan-sent assassins to kill me.
"I'll buy time. Run for the Main House somehow!"
Seo Tae-woong approached, not piecing it all together yet.
"I've already sent the distress signal. Follow the road—you'll meet clan bodyguards..."
"No."
They're not coming. Cutting him off flat, I scanned around.
"Andong Kim vehicle hit by missile, rolls, explodes on the highway. Alarms should've blared at the nearest garrison before your signal. Emergency protocols activated."
But here? Not a siren in sight.
Pointing that out, Seo Tae-woong's eyes widened.
"Then this is..."
"What you're thinking. Yeah."
He ground his teeth. He'd caught on. Not Hwae—this was Sedao-orchestrated murder. No rescue coming, no matter what.
'Kim Hyun-woo. Worth provoking that psycho.'
Hwae-masked assassins. Burning car. Seo Tae-woong blocking my path.
Identical to the memory. An attack five years off in the old timeline.
And back then, I'd...
'Lose bodyguard Seo Tae-woong. My one ally.'
"I can't take them all alone! Run!"
Snapping from reverie, Seo Tae-woong yelled urgently, glancing my way.
"The safehouse location—!"
"Hey, old man."
But the moment vigilant Seo Tae-woong turned...
"You're with me. Eyes wandering?"
The assassin seized the gap, lunging close and thrusting at Seo Tae-woong.
"Urk?!"
Clank!
The arm split sideways, revealing a gleaming monomolecular cutter. It screamed toward him.
'Fast!'
Instinct screamed no dodge. Seo Tae-woong raised one arm—
Clang!
Sparks flew. The horizontal slash twisted off course.
"?!"
Stunned by the interference, the assassin fell back a few steps, a chill running through him.
What'd thrown it? An arrow. Not enough to pierce cybernetic plating, but power wasn't the point.
Screech. Screech-screech.
It struck inside the split mechanical arm—the power unit driving the cutter. Dead center.
"What the hell...?"
"Hit the swinging arm's internals... with an arrow? Not even a gun?"
A shot even precision targeting struggled with. The rattled assassin's gaze shifted past Seo Tae-woong—to me.
In my hands: an ornate compound bow. The item I'd asked Seo Tae-woong to grab before we left.
"Hoo."
Seeing his shock filled me with inexplicable satisfaction. Powerless. Trash. Dead weight. Called that my whole life.
But hey, I wasn't utterly talentless.
"Nice shot."
Satisfied, I nocked the next arrow.
The attackers stared. Seo Tae-woong guarding me stared. All wide-eyed.
"Young... master...?"
"You alone? Obviously can't hold them. But..."
I drew the string, eyeing the reinforcements circling behind.
Untrained arms screamed, nearly popping. The hand gripping bled rivers.
Still, I felt goddamn great.
"We've got two."
I had a weapon now. This time, no helpless flight leaving my bodyguard behind.