Chapter: 375
“Ugh…!”
As my briefly lost consciousness returns, my eyes suddenly snap open wide.
‘Did I really lose my mind after all?’
I had to wrap my throbbing head with my hands and catch my breath.
It felt like just a fleeting moment, but who knows what actually happened during that time.
I stagger to straighten myself up.
That’s when I realize I had been sleeping on something.
Curious about what I had been resting on, I turn my head.
“…Huh?”
“…”
I’m met with fierce and unnerving eyes.
It was my father’s shoulder that I had been leaning on.
“…”
“…”
I found myself locked in a silent stare with my father.
‘This is bad.’
That was the only thought racing in my mind.
I even seemed to have drooled a little on my father’s shoulder while I dozed off.
My father stays quiet, simply watching me.
What’s the meaning of this? Is he silently telling me to bang my head against the wall? This must be what it feels like to be scolded with a gaze, I think.
My eyes twitch uncontrollably.
I can even feel myself shaking.
Are those chills on my back?
They sure feel like chills.
“Sorry….”
Instead of making excuses, I decided to just say what I had to say first.
Who would’ve thought I would end up sleeping with my head on my father’s shoulder?!
He turns his head away without saying anything in response to my apology.
Fortunately, it seems like he doesn’t plan to speak.
‘This kid….’
I grit my teeth.
I quickly turn my head to check the direction where the Blood Demon had been.
The Blood Demon had vanished almost immediately. Not just him;
The leader of the Murim Alliance and everyone else on the stage had also disappeared.
…What does that imply?
I shift my gaze from the podium and glance around.
“…”
And I could tell.
The meeting had already concluded some time ago.
Which means everyone was making their way outside.
In other words—
I was saying that I had been lazily snoring through the entire meeting.
‘This is really bad. No, it’s worse than bad.’
In a place where the noble family’s blood relatives were specially summoned to the meeting,
I had the audacity to sleep while resting my head on my father’s shoulder as the leader and the clans were arguing!
I even drooled, completely oblivious to my surroundings, only to wake up after it was all over.
Cold sweat breaks out.
I couldn’t ignore the change in my father’s expression.
Even though everyone was heading out, I wondered why my father was still here.
Was it because I had fallen asleep?
I couldn’t quite figure that one out.
I thought my father wasn’t the type of person to behave that way.
“…Yangcheon-ah.”
I turn my head at the sound of a pitiful voice coming from next to me.
There stood Cheoljiseon, looking like he was deep in thought.
“…Why do you look like that?”
“Why… are you saying that?”
I was quite taken aback by Cheoljiseon’s expression.
Although he looked troubled, his eyes were filled with resentment.
“What’s wrong? What happened?”
“…”
Cheoljiseon seemed to sway back and forth as if his soul had left his body.
What’s up with him?
“…Do you know how the meeting went?”
“I don’t know?”
“What do you mean you don’t know! You were sleeping…!”
“Uh… right.”
I awkwardly reply to Cheoljiseon’s outburst.
No matter the circumstances, it’s true that I was sound asleep.
Given Cheoljiseon’s personality, he seemed genuinely mad about something major that had happened.
Just as I was about to ask what in the world had transpired—
Knock, knock.
My father rises up.
I flinch at that sudden action.
“It’s over, you can go now.”
“…Y-Yes.”
It was Cheoljiseon, not me, who reacted to my father’s words.
Why is he responding first?
I glance at Cheoljiseon, who’s scrambling to get up.
“What… what’s with you?”
Why is he acting like this? Did he unknowingly get hit by my father?
I can’t imagine my father being the type to go around slapping people.
“…Let’s go. He said let’s go.”
Cheoljiseon is now shoulder-tapping me, urging me to get up quickly.
What’s going on here?
Bewildered, I too get up.
Looking at the scene, it seemed necessary to step out for now.
Outside the assembly hall, several other clan and sect members had gathered.
In that crowd, I could spot Mrs. Mi and Gu Hee-bi.
And then—
‘Who is that person?’
Among them, there was a familiar face I couldn’t quite place.
As I rifled through my memory, it turned out to be the head of the Wudang Sect.
An old man, dubbed the ‘Mudanggeomseon.’
While I was hesitating, my father stepped toward him without a moment’s pause.
Noticing my father approaching, the Mudanggeomseon also shifted his gaze toward us.
Though the old man wasn’t particularly towering, he carried a sharpness in his eyes.
“It’s been a while.”
“How have you been, Gu Gaju?”
“Yes.”
As I observed their exchange, I slowly walked over, realizing that, in turn, I needed to greet him too.
“I’m honored to meet the head of the Wudang.”
At my greeting, Mudanggeomseon turned his gaze toward me.
“This is my son.”
“I see. Is this the So-Yeom Line?”
“…I’m afraid I’m being called that a bit too much…”
I found myself hesitating to respond, not wanting to seem arrogant.
What frustrated me the most was seeing Gu Hee-bi trying to stifle her laughter at my expense.
‘…What a crazy sister.’
Just you wait. I already knew what kind of nickname Gu Hee-bi would end up getting later.
Based on that moment, I planned to poke fun at her mercilessly.
“I was curious because they say he’s truly remarkable. Now that I see with my own eyes, I can tell that the Gu family is quite blessed with children.”
“You flatter me too much.”
“Even if it’s flattery, it seems insufficient.”
The Mudanggeomseon, having said that, then directed a question at me.
“Word is you’re close with our Hyuk.”
“Ah. Yes… that is correct.”
The ‘Hyuk’ Mudanggeomseon mentioned referred to the ‘sleeping dragon’ in the clan.
Seems like my answer pleased him, as Mudanggeomseon nodded affirmatively.
“Friendships are precious in life. I hope you’ll lend our Hyuk a helping hand. He’s not as capable as you might think.”
“Yes.”
Internally, I couldn’t help but chuckle at Mudanggeomseon’s words.
It was a world away from how he had treated me in my previous life.
What did he say back then?
Something about how you needed to be of the same caliber to truly understand one another.
The very same old dude who publicly chastised me for not being on the same level as Jamryong was standing right in front of me.
And now, he’s asking me to take care of him?
It made for quite the moment of contemplation.
The Mudanggeomseon smiled slightly before shifting his focus back toward Mrs. Mi.
It seemed they had some business to discuss.
“Well then, I look forward to a satisfactory response.”
“Yes, I’ll think positively about it.”
After Mrs. Mi’s reply, Mudanggeomseon respectfully nodded and made his way toward the exit with his sect members.
From the look of things, it seemed he was engaging in some sort of transaction with the Baekhwasangdan.
‘The Wudang Sect is doing a deal with Baekhwasangdan.’
I couldn’t grasp what the Wudang Sect was attempting to accomplish with the upper echelons.
“Yangcheon-ah.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you feeling hungry?”
As I pondered over the earlier exchange, Mrs. Mi threw out a seemingly random question.
Aren’t you hungry?
“Yeah, I’m fine…”
Even when I’m a bit peckish, my body isn’t the type to suffer from a few days’ hunger.
It didn’t really bother me much.
After hearing my answer, Mrs. Mi slightly nodded.
What, was she really just asking if I was hungry?
Just as I began to wonder about this, Mrs. Mi turned to my father and spoke again.
“Yeonseo, will you accompany me to pick him up?”
She meant to go fetch Gu Yeonseo, who was currently at the inn.
While her tone seemed to be soliciting a consensus,
For some reason, it felt like I couldn’t refuse.
Was she sensing that vibe too? My father nodded in agreement.
Alongside realizing my father’s reaction was somewhat unusual, Mrs. Mi added a word to me.
“When the meal is over, I plan to rent a guesthouse for us to eat together.”
“A guesthouse… You mean to rent one?”
“Sure.”
Why would you need to rent a guesthouse just to have a meal together?
It’s common knowledge that Baekhwasangdan has considerable financial power, and Mrs. Mi, being the owner, is undoubtedly wealthy herself.
That shouldn’t pose an issue.
But then again, the problem lay on my side.
‘That feels a bit uncomfortable.’
I prefer my meals in a relaxed atmosphere; nothing feels more awkward than a family meal.
Just as I contemplated whether or not it was okay to stand out too much—
“And this time…”
The piercing gaze of Mrs. Mi deepened ominously.
“I hope everyone can attend.”
It looked as though she would not take it lightly if I tried to skip out.
I’m sure Mrs. Mi is just an ordinary person without any ill intentions.
And yet, I felt an overwhelming pressure coming off her.
Maybe that’s why…
“…Yes.”
In the end, I had no choice but to nod along.
Only then did Mrs. Mi seem satisfied, turning to head toward the exit.
Watching her go, I decided to send a message to my father, who was preparing to follow.
-My Lord.
Stomp.
Hearing my message, my father froze mid-step.
Though he didn’t turn in my direction, I could tell he was awaiting my next words.
-After the meal, may I steal a moment of your time?
I had a lot of questions lined up for my father, so I resolved to ask without hesitation.
-It’s about my mother. I have something to ask you.
“…”
My father turned his head slightly, likely because he heard me mention my mother.
I still couldn’t discern the emotion behind his gaze.
It was that calm.
Quietly observing me, my father finally replied.
-Understood.
That was his way of acknowledging my request, and he promptly resumed walking toward Mrs. Mi.
Once I got my answer, I finally let out the breath I’d been holding.
Why was I so nervous about just asking for a moment of time?
I was sweating so much, it was starting to worry me!
“Ha…”
Honestly, this was harder than fighting.
It’s just as exhausting, too.
‘Anyway… that’s that, what’s left is…’
It seemed like things turned out fine on my father’s side.
Now, there was just one thing left on my plate.
I turned to Cheoljiseon, who was standing there blankly.
“Hey.”
“Uh…?”
“Now spill it.”
“Huh?”
“I mean about the meeting.”
The part about the meeting I hadn’t heard a single word about due to my drooling slumber.
“What happened?”
I needed to get the scoop from Cheoljiseon regarding what had transpired at the meeting.
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