Lee Ha-yul has become a member of the Gop-hwa Clan.
This was revealed to the world during the recent Gop-hwa Clan’s annual gathering.
Members of the clan gathered without regard to the main house or the rooms to see him with their own eyes.
Everyone witnessed the Gop-hwa erupting from Lee Ha-yul’s palm, flames blooming like a red flower.
With that, the proof was complete.
Since he had already ignited the Gop-hwa himself, there were no fools left in the scene to question it.
Even if the gathering ended right then and there, soon the entire world would know that Lee Ha-yul had manifested the Gop-hwa.
But the news didn’t end there.
– They say the Gop-hwa that Lee Ha-yul ignited is on par with the unprecedented Hong Yeon-hwa.
– Ever since the first ancestor’s eternal rest, the ancestral beacon sword that had always maintained a hollow transparency regained its color the moment he lifted it for consciousness.
– Lee Ha-yul’s breathtakingly beautiful appearance is nothing short of a national treasure, to the point where even the wild Hong Yeon-hwa turned into a docile lamb, embracing him and walking around…
The external news was so shocking and intense that every faction’s informers had to work tirelessly through the night to discern the truth and deeper intentions behind the information.
Anyway, the news that became known to the public was as follows.
Lee Ha-yul is the bearer of the Gop-hwa, and he shares a very special and affectionate relationship with the next clan head, Hong Yeon-hwa.
Thanks to this, the public perception of Hong Yeon-hwa’s cherished son-in-law from the Gop-hwa Clan was further strengthened.
Offers for meetings flooding into Lee Ha-yul’s inbox suddenly decreased rapidly.
It’s because he’s a chosen one by the next clan head of the Gop-hwa Clan. People were too scared of possible retribution if they openly wagged their tails.
Also, within Shio-ram, the female cadets were approaching Lee Ha-yul with less overt intentions.
Similarly, those who wanted to avoid trouble with the Gop-hwa Clan have been keeping their distance.
“Hum hum hum~”
Amid this, there was one brave soul blatantly flirting with the Gop-hwa Clan’s son-in-law.
Hong Yeon-hwa subtly turned her gaze away from the melody drifting from nearby.
Yellow hair flowing down to her waist and soft round eyes.
Contrasting her innocent face was Elia, a voluptuous beauty who could catch any man’s attention with her violently attractive figure.
For some reason, the sight of her humming away made Hong Yeon-hwa recall their previous conversations, both inside and outside the Tower of Growth.
“……”
Unlike ordinary people, polygamy occasionally occurs among superhuman factions.
In fact, it was quite common. Those who cultivate their own forces often engage in political marriages among dominant factions.
Right now, the current head of Taesan has two husbands, and the head of Changhae has two wives.
The Gop-hwa head… Hong Yeon-hwa’s father had only one wife, but several past heads have had polygamous relationships.
“…Hoo…”
She felt a sense of suffocation.
“I can’t just beat her up…”
Hong Yeon-hwa felt an impulse surge but quickly suppressed it.
She was close friends with Elia. Ever since Elia chirped in at the beginning of the semester, they hit it off and became good friends. She didn’t want to beat up a friend and turn her into a bloody mess.
Most importantly, Lee Ha-yul cherished Elia.
Was it said that she was the first person he met and the first to help him?
Maybe because of that, Lee Ha-yul opened up to Elia quite a bit.
Whatever the reason, if Hong Yeon-hwa were to vent her frustrations on Elia and turn her into a mess…
She couldn’t even begin to predict how Lee Ha-yul would react.
…No, to be precise, she didn’t want to imagine it.
Now, that angelic child descending from the sky was truly sweet and lovely.
If those beautiful eyes, which only held Hong Yeon-hwa until now, were to harbor disgust and hostility…
Just the thought of picturing her crying tears of sadness made her dizzy.
Moreover, the fact that Seo-yul, who was opening her heart to Elia, would harbor even more aversion towards Hong Yeon-hwa…
Hong Yeon-hwa didn’t want to be hated by Lee Ha-yul, nor did she want to see him sad.
‘Argh…’
What a troublesome situation.
She could easily brush off the annoying antics of strangers who had no acquaintance with Lee Ha-yul.
But the ones who had already gotten considerably close to him.
Elia and that peculiar teacher, Baek Ahrin… she couldn’t just brush them off carelessly.
Interfering in Lee Ha-yul’s relationships was a bad move, to begin with.
Hong Yeon-hwa returned to the dormitory, not her original one, but Lee Ha-yul’s.
After realizing that the yellow thief cat had sneaked into Lee Ha-yul’s dorm, Hong Yeon-hwa also decided to move in.
There was a small sense of unease. What if she let Elia in but kicked Hong Yeon-hwa out? That fear nagged at her.
Fortunately, that fear was misplaced.
Lee Ha-yul didn’t kick Hong Yeon-hwa out.
On the contrary, he pretended to be happy and kept checking if she was comfortable.
Thanks to that, Hong Yeon-hwa could comfortably settle into Lee Ha-yul’s dorm.
– [Cadet Hong Yeon-hwa, certified.]
Using the certification code given by Lee Ha-yul, she opened the door.
Soon, the door slid open silently, and Hong Yeon-hwa’s face stiffened as she was about to enter.
“Huh?”
Upon sensing something unusual, Elia also halted. After tilting her head for a moment, she gasped.
Only then did Elia realize the presence inside the dorm.
There were two presences.
One was the very familiar aura of Lee Ha-yul.
Earlier, it was too faint to notice, but nowadays it felt like one could sense it better, like a fully inflated balloon.
And the other was… a chilling aura.
Hong Yeon-hwa glanced down at the floor. Two pairs of shoes were left at the entrance.
“…….”
With a stiffened face, Hong Yeon-hwa stepped into the dorm. Elia blinked and followed her.
The sliding door separating the entrance hallway and the living room was lit. Shadows were cast through the frosted glass.
With trembling hands, she placed her palm against the door and calmly pushed it open.
The living room, brightly lit, came into view.
And…
“Ahaha, it tickles. Don’t go anywhere, okay? It’s fine~”
[Yes…]
There was Lee Ha-yul curled up against Baek Ahrin on the sofa, sharing a moment of intimacy.
“……”
– Huuuu…
Lee Ha-yul looked oddly unwell.
For some reason, he was sweating profusely. His hair was damp, and the drops of sweat dripping down his cheeks soaked into Baek Ahrin’s bosom.
Gasping for breath, his light pink tongue was revealed between his parted lips, exhaling a heady scent mixed with sweetness.
“Sweet…”
Baek Ahrin, chuckling sweetly, stroked his hair, causing Lee Ha-yul to lower his head.
His black sleeveless attire revealed his collarbone, which seemed to swallow Lee Ha-yul’s face whole.
He was soon seen burying his nose into her cool embrace to cool down.
“Ehehe, cute…”
Baek Ahrin, seeming to approve of this behavior, guided Lee Ha-yul’s head into her chest.
Then, smiling brightly, she glanced up and locked eyes with Hong Yeon-hwa.
“Oh, you’re here?”
At the sight of Hong Yeon-hwa, whose face was as stiff as a statue, Baek Ahrin casually waved her left hand.
.
.
.
A little while passed.
“So…”
Leaving the wreckage of the living room behind, Hong Yeon-hwa sat at the kitchen table, opening her mouth.
Her lips, which had been tightly sealed as if in silent meditation, finally parted, and a bubbling voice of emotion spilled out.
“…Of all times, Ha-yul’s Gop-hwa had to erupt now, and you were the one calming him down…”
“Yep, that’s right!”
Baek Ahrin, sitting opposite, nodded as she tidied her disheveled hair.
The trial of Gop-hwa.
Hong Yeon-hwa had experienced it once.
The intense side effects accompanied when the Gop-hwa changes.
Though the types of trials vary, the first trial that strikes most is usually the same.
It drags the bearer’s memories and provokes emotional turbulence.
From trivial everyday things to influential life events…
The evoked emotions quickly escalate, leading to chaos.
If not overcome properly, it’ll ultimately consume the bearer as fuel and completely destroy them—a horrifying side effect.
When Hong Yeon-hwa faced it alone, she coughed and suffered for days until she received a scarf from Lee Ha-yul, which ultimately helped her overcome it.
“But Ha-yul hasn’t been long since he manifested the Gop-hwa, right? Yet the side effects are severe. So I had no choice but to cling to him for this focused care. Ah— it was truly dangerous at the workshop earlier.”
So that’s how it is. It’s understandable that Lee Ha-yul was so troubled.
“Thus, I’m planning to stay here for a while. Please take care of me~”
“Yeon-hwa, I’m really sorry…”
“No, Ha-yul did nothing wrong. Please don’t apologize.”
With Baek Ahrin waving her hand, and Lee Ha-yul mumbling apologies as he nestled into her arms, Hong Yeon-hwa’s emotions boiled.
Of course, if it was up to her heart, she’d want to smack Baek Ahrin and separate them right away, but…
– Snick…
It was true that Baek Ahrin was preventing the heat and emotional turbulence building within Lee Ha-yul, so she couldn’t bring herself to do that.
Of course, Hong Yeon-hwa could assist in regulating the Gop-hwa… but she couldn’t do what Baek Ahrin was doing.
After all, Hong Yeon-hwa had personally experienced the trials.
She understands well how arduous it is to endure that without help.
If a somewhat spoiled Hong Yeon-hwa struggled, how painful would it be for Lee Ha-yul, who has faced numerous hardships since childhood, to dredge up those memories and suffer?
“Hah…”
Ultimately, separating them would merely increase Lee Ha-yul’s suffering.
And with the worst-case scenario of death looming over him, she couldn’t risk putting him in danger just because of her petty jealousy.
Hong Yeon-hwa sighed deeply.
It was a silent agreement.
“Ugh… it looks like I’m going to have to feed him again. Can you eat, Ha-yul?”
“I don’t want to eat, but I have to. The trial could last for several days; he needs to be thoroughly fed.”
She now had an unwelcome living companion.
.
.
.
“Oh, by the way. I received a ring from Ha-yul.”
“What a freaking bch.”
*
[The Tower of Harmony’s master is peeking in.]
[The knowledge tower keeper shrugs.]
[The Tower of Growth’s master expresses concern.]
[Soon the knowledge tower keeper will enter. Jun…]
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