Chapter 185

That was a space so jammed full of letters there wasn’t a single gap left.

From that cramped chaos, Jegal Jin spoke.

“Sit.”

Hearing that, I asked,

“......Where, exactly?”

Where the hell was I supposed to sit? At that, Jegal Jin flicked his gaze down at the floor.

Then he pointed at a spot with his hand.

“There. Clear that and sit.”

“Is it fine if I just shove it aside?”

“It is.”

After that, I folded up the letters on the floor, roughly tidied them, and sat down.

There was at least a small desk, so it seemed like he meant for me to sit around that.

But... what, am I not getting anything?

‘No tea, either.’

If you called someone in, you’d think you’d at least hand them something. There wasn’t even anything to drink. My lips were drying out in this bleak atmosphere, too.

While I was debating what to do—

“There’s something to drink on the left shelf, upper right.”

“.......”

At Jegal Jin’s words, I got up. Sounded like he meant, help yourself.

The hospitality is fucking incredible.

‘Or what—this is worse because he’s not treating me like a guest at all?’

That could be it. I got summoned here, but it didn’t feel like that side was going to treat me like a guest.

‘Left shelf, upper right.’

I walked over exactly as he said. When I opened the shelf, sure enough, there were a few kinds of tea leaves inside.

I leaned in and lightly caught the scent, and one thing stood out.

‘This is here?’

Tea I hadn’t seen in a long time.

It was the tea we drank all the time back at the Bang Clan.

“Is it okay if I drink whatever?”

“Do as you like.”

“Yes.”

At the curt answer, I casually took the tea out.

‘Hot water...’

Over there.

I put the leaves in and slowly steeped them.

Not long after, a faint fragrance spread through the room. I was waiting a moment for it to fully brew when—

“......Why did you choose that?”

A voice came from close by. I turned my head, and Jegal Jin had come up at some point.

“Yes? What do you mean?”

“That tea. I’m asking why you chose that.”

“Ah. This?”

It was called Tree Ridge Tea, I think. Tea leaves made by drying tree-ridge herb that grew around valleys.

It tended to be somewhat bitter, but it had a faint sweetness mixed in, so I liked it.

“I picked it because we drank it a lot at home. Is it something I’m not allowed to drink?”

“.......”

At my answer, Jegal Jin’s brow creased slightly.

What? Is it not allowed? He said pick whatever, so I picked whatever.

Just as I was thinking I should put it back—

“No. Do as you like. I was just curious because you picked something that strange.”

Spitting the words out bluntly, Jegal Jin sat down across from me.

Watching that, I asked,

“Would you like some tea?”

“I don’t need it. I don’t drink tea that tastes like shit.”

“Ah, yes.”

Then why keep it here? I didn’t get it, but I didn’t nitpick.

I slowly poured the fully steeped tea and calmly swallowed a sip.

‘Mm.’

It was the kind of tea people’s preferences split hard on, but I was in the camp that liked it.

And yeah—still good even after a long time.

After savoring the sip, I carefully set the teacup down.

SMACK!

A small sound, and then I looked at Jegal Jin and opened my mouth.

“I heard you were looking for me. Shouldn’t I at least greet you first?”

“No need.”

“Understood.”

At the firm refusal, I nodded. If he didn’t want it, then I didn’t have to—what was the big deal.

“Then... ah. In that case, what should I call you?”

At my next question, Jegal Jin let out a short laugh.

“Why? Do you want to call me Grandfather?”

Frowning, I replied,

“No......? I have no intention of doing that. Or is that what you want to hear?”

“I have no memory of having a grandson like you.”

“Then we’ll settle on Strategist.”

I said it flatly, then asked again.

“Then, Strategist. For what reason did you call me......?”

Tension swelled up. What if something happened to me like this? That kind of worry was surfacing.

‘The other side is Jegal Jin.’

A genius without equal. Among those who aren’t martial artists, the person currently exerting the greatest influence across the Central Plains.

Blood connection or not, if that old man wanted to get rid of me, it would be absurdly easy.

‘And he’s not just any strategist—he’s also the current head of the Jegal Clan.’

A clan head of one of the Five Great Clans.

They say Jegal Jin isn’t a martial artist, but it wasn’t like the people under him weren’t.

And even just by sheer prestige, the Jegal Clan sits at the very top.

There’s nothing good about getting on the bad side of someone like that, but—

‘Goddamn it. That useless bastard.’

My existence itself is in a position where I can’t not end up pissing that old man off.

That’s the shittiest part.

Anyway, that “father” has never been helpful.

‘Seriously, how the hell did he seduce her?’

How did he seduce a Jegal Clan lady and run off with her?

My head hurt.

Then—

“How’s that Bang Clan dog doing?”

“.......”

Jegal Jin asked in a chilling voice.

That Bang Clan dog.

He didn’t have to say who. I knew.

“......Th-that... yes. Well......more or less......yeah.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say he was doing well.

It felt like something I absolutely shouldn’t say right now.

I just spat out that he was, more or less, breathing and living.

“Shame. He should be living without breathing at all.”

“......Hahahahahahahahaha.”

Something even more murderous came out. Oh, what do I do with this?

‘Is my father going to die soon?’

The odds are high. Honestly, it was impressive he was still alive at all.

“Hm.”

After saying that, Jegal Jin quietly stared at me. Those wrinkled, distinct eyes turned on me.

I tensed without meaning to.

‘Those eyes.’

There was a whole world inside an old man’s eyes.

Black as go stones, they looked like night at a glance, but the sky held within them was striking.

‘He looks like Grandma.’

My grandmother in my past life.

It was the same gaze she had, so I ended up staring back without realizing it.

After quite some time passed like that—

“You don’t resemble your father.”

Jegal Jin said it to me, and I gave a small nod.

“I hear that a lot.”

I’d heard it my whole life. I was born with the looks because I resembled my father, but they’d say the feel of the Bang Clan Head didn’t cling to me as much.

From my perspective, it was a compliment. I didn’t particularly want to resemble my father.

When I answered confidently that I heard it a lot, Jegal Jin’s brows knit.

“Your personality, too.”

“Of course. There’s nothing good about resembling that man.”

“......Ha.”

Jegal Jin let out a dry, incredulous laugh—then erased it immediately.

“I heard you showed good results in the preliminaries. Do you have talent in martial arts?”

“......I got lucky.”

“Lucky. Truly?”

Those black eyes brushed over me. As far as I knew, Jegal Jin didn’t possess inner power.

Even so, it was a gaze that felt like he knew everything.

Like he’d already grasped my body.

[Don’t be tense. That’s a method he uses often.]

Yoo Cheongil spoke, maybe because he was worried.

Worried? I wasn’t.

“Yes. Luck. Of course I had skill, too.”

How many times did I think I’d been through things like this?

Even if he had eyes like that, nothing changed.

I’m a professional in this area.

“Hm.......”

With a blank face, Jegal Jin nodded.

“It’s questionable. How did you end up becoming the Sword Saint’s successor...... and entering Blue Moon Sect, at that.”

“It just sort of...... happened.”

“That’s a flimsy explanation.”

“No, I mean.......”

I scratched the back of my head while talking. I was getting a little annoyed.

“You’ve already done a background check anyway. It’ll be exactly what’s written there. No matter how much you ask, I’ve got nothing else.”

“.......”

Hearing that, Jegal Jin’s eyes widened. It looked like he hadn’t expected me to say it that openly.

“Heh.......”

As he stared, caught off guard by my nerve, I went on.

“I don’t think I came here to be interrogated. Strategist. Why did you really call me?”

I decided to go straight ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ at it, too.

This wasn’t for interrogation. The things he was asking weren’t actually important.

If it wasn’t some grandfatherly affection because he wanted to see his grandson—

Then what did he call me for?

When I asked that—

“......You’re not cute at all.”

“I’m past the age for that. If you want, I can act cute for you.”

“Put away the disgusting talk.”

“Yes.”

Tch.

Jegal Jin clicked his tongue, pulled a letter from inside his robes, and tossed it at me.

THUNK.

As I saw the letter land on the desk, my face twisted.

“Ah—goddamn it.”

“......?”

“Ah, sorry. That slipped out.”

Jegal Jin reacted to the foul language, so I apologized right away.

But honestly, it was the kind of thing that made you swear.

‘Why is this coming out of his robes?’

The crest stamped on the letter. That sloppy shape, like someone made it roughly because it was annoying, was familiar.

How could I not recognize it?

It was the crest used by the Bang Clan.

“......Why is this......?”

Before I could even finish asking why it was coming out of the Strategist’s robes, Jegal Jin spoke.

“Read it. That thing you call your father sent it to me with insolence.”

“......I’m going to lose my mind.”

I wanted to read it even less now.

But I had to. I carefully took the letter and unfolded it.

The tightly packed writing assaulted my eyes first.

Seriously—still, as always, sentences with zero readability.

Grinding my teeth, I forced myself to read line by line—

“Wow.”

The more I read, the more one thought rose up.

“......What the hell am I supposed to do with this bastard?”

My head hurt like hell.

“Father-in-law, have you been well. I am Bang Cheonho, the son-like son-in-law of Father-in-law.”

It was already obvious he’d lost his mind from the very first line. This crazy bastard.

‘You ran off after stealing someone’s daughter, and now what?’

And it wasn’t even some pure devotion, either. He had three kids with three different mothers, and now he’s talking about “son-like son-in-law”? What a joke.

I was going to lose it.

“I have long heard that you are showing many splendid sides in Henan.”

“And so, after a long time, I am sending you a letter......ah, is this the first time? In any case, the reason I send this is nothing else.”

“I hear my son is in Henan as well. I thought, perhaps, you might meet your grandson once—your maternal grandson you wouldn’t feel pain even if you put him in your eye.”

“Since I raised him well and he’s a sharp one, I do not doubt for a moment that you will like him.”

“Why don’t you meet him once, even if only as though being deceived?”

“.......”

What is this? Where do I even start swearing? I have so many things I want to curse, but nothing’s coming to mind.

‘......No, it’s not that nothing’s coming to mind. It’s like there’s too much, so nothing comes out.’

I couldn’t even tell where to begin criticizing.

With that deranged man, it was always like this.

Ah, seriously. My head hurts.

Do I really have to keep reading this?

Jegal Jin’s eyes keep watching me. Only now did I understand the angry look in them.

It wasn’t “like” he was angry.

‘He was angry.’

Yeah. If I got a letter like this, I’d be furious, too.

And the problem was—

‘The person he can vent that anger on is sitting right in front of him.’

That bastard’s son.

And of course, that happened to be me.

My hand trembled. I forced down a sigh.

After steadying my breathing, I kept reading.

Because the content was fucking endless.

I kept reading through the lines, and then—

“Huh?”

I let out a hollow breath in the middle of it.

“Wow. This rotten—”

I forgot Jegal Jin was right in front of me and spat out something rough.

Goddamn it.

It was like before. And it was the same now.

Usually, there was only one reason my father sent letters like this.

“Isn’t he actually a fucking lunatic!?”

It looked like my father had caused a huge mess.

A truly massive one.