Chapter 790: Control Your Strength.

Eyes flushed red.

Moisture gathered within them, flowing down the cheeks.

Eyelashes trembling uncontrollably, and brows furrowed slightly.

Even the slightly tinted nose tip and downturned corners of the mouth.

Trying desperately to hold back tears, but the expression showed they couldn’t.

That unique distortion was etched onto the face.

That was the expression on Cheonma’s face right now.

“…What? You’re crying?”

Seeing that, the hand holding on was released.

It was an astonishing sight.

Cheonma was crying.

That noble being, who reigned over the heavens and looked down upon all, was weeping so sorrowfully.

And what’s more, they were hugging Ttolttori.

You could see the fingertips holding on, and even the whole body, trembling uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, Ttolttori, being held, had a bewildered expression.

Not just her, but the people around were the same.

‘What is this?’

What is this, really?

Why is this one bawling their eyes out here?

No, was this being even capable of shedding tears in the first place?

I’d seen scornful or contemptuous gazes, but this was the first time seeing a face like this, crying.

Seeing her like this, she seemed to resemble Wi Seol-ah even more.

It wasn’t just the identical appearance; the feeling was similar.

Perhaps that’s why.

“…”

Hesitation arose in the hand that had slightly pulled away.

Cheonma, hugging Ttolttori and weeping endlessly, as if overcome by sorrow.

Watching that, an inexplicable feeling brushed past.

[Come here.]

‘Hmm?’

I frowned.

I turned my head slightly, scanning the surroundings.

Whose voice could it be?

It sounded like someone had just spoken, but the voice was fragmented and alien.

[You should greet your dad, right?]

“…”

A headache surged.

For a moment, I had to clutch my temples.

Whose voice was it? I could clearly hear the sound, but couldn’t properly process it.

The ensuing headache even affected my breathing.

Kkeudeuk-!

Just as I heard a sound from within, as if something was about to break.

Woong-!

Suddenly, a vibration spread from deep within my heart.

It felt like something breaking was being held and forcibly pulled.

Kku-uk.

Like tying a loose string with adhesive, something tightened as the vibration reached it.

At the same time, the headache vanished, and the faintly heard sounds also disappeared.

My breathing calmed, and the trembling fingertips grew still.

Perhaps due to my emotions calming down, the hesitation also disappeared.

I immediately grabbed Cheonma’s shoulder again.

“Come out.”

“…”

I felt resistance, as if she didn’t want to let go.

Feeling that, I scowled.

“Why did you suddenly appear and cause a ruckus? Do you think this is your bedroom? Get out, quickly.”

“…”

“And why are you hugging this one and crying your eyes out out of the blue? Do you know this kid?”

Do you know Ttolttori?

At my question, Cheonma’s eye corners trembled.

What? Does she really know her?

Where could she have seen her?

Just as a flood of questions crossed my mind.

“…Don’t…know.”

Cheonma said.

“What?”

“I don’t know…. I don’t know…”

She said she didn’t know. That she didn’t know who the child she was holding was.

Of course, it’s natural not to know.

“Then why the face?”

Her not knowing is strange.

Why couldn’t she know this?

Cheonma’s eyes seemed to say that this was strange.

“What’s with that expression?”

“…I don’t know…”

“Right. So why are you hugging a kid you don’t know, crying your eyes out, and then making that kind of face?”

“That too… I don’t know.”

“Then what do you know?”

“Don’t…”

Tuk-!

“…!”

I pulled Cheonma, who kept spouting nonsense.

Perhaps she was caught off guard, but this time I could easily break free.

Distance grew between us and Ttolttori. Cheonma reached out, trying to grab me somehow.

Kkwak-!

I grabbed her wrist and blocked her.

“If you don’t know, then let go.”

The voice that came out was so cold, even I was surprised.

“…”

Was it that voice? Hearing it, Cheonma’s grip loosened.

Feeling this, I pushed Cheonma back.

Cheonma, pushed back, flew towards Gu Huibi.

Gu Huibi quickly caught her.

As the distance widened, the situation calmed down a bit.

Assessing that, I sent my gaze towards Ttolttori.

“You okay?”

“Huh? Yeah. I’m fine.”

Unlike Cheonma, who had reacted so intensely, Ttolttori didn’t seem very surprised.

I wondered if it was because she was fundamentally a monster.

“Looks like there was another mom I didn’t know about.”

“What kind of crazy talk is that?”

She muttered some strange nonsense. Then, I heard a short sound of her clicking her tongue.

“I was just enjoying my meal. Tsk.”

“…”

It’s certain. Something’s wrong with this kid.

Her face resembles my childhood, but how can she be so full of a sinister vibe?

‘Looks like she only resembles me in looks, but nothing else.’

I wasn’t like that back then, so she probably didn’t take after me. It really seemed like something strange was mixed in.

It must be. Otherwise, it wouldn’t make sense.

As I watched Ttolttori with a strange expression, the kid suddenly moved somewhere.

Taking a step forward, her expression changed.

From a thoroughly unpleasant, scowling face.

“Grandmaaa-!”

She adopted the most innocent eyes, nose, and mouth, uttering an absurd title as she ran off somewhere.

‘Crazy.’

To my shock, her destination was Madam Mi.

Ttolttori suddenly ran to Madam Mi and hugged her. As if that wasn’t enough.

‘What? Grand…what?’

What did that kid just say to Madam Mi as she ran over?

My mind went completely blank.

I expected that even Madam Mi, no matter who she was, would be furious at this.

“Were you very surprised?”

‘Huh?’

“No, I wasn’t very surprised.”

“…”

Surprisingly, Madam Mi casually picked Ttolttori up and even patted her back.

“…?”

Seeing this, I looked somewhere.

Towards Gu Huibi, specifically.

This was even more surprising than Cheonma crying her eyes out.

What am I even looking at right now?

So, I looked at Gu Huibi as if asking what was going on.

“…”

“…”

Gu Huibi slightly shook her head at my gaze.

It was a sign that she didn’t know either.

‘Hmm, I see.’

I nodded.

‘This is a mess.’

I don’t understand any of this.

Really.

The situation seemed more realistic if I considered it a dream.

Recalling this, I slightly lowered my head.

My gaze wasn’t towards Gu Huibi, but towards Cheonma, whom she was holding.

Cheonma, still wearing that strange expression from before, was watching Ttolttori, who was being held by Madam Mi.

Looking at her, I said, frowning.

“Hey.”

“…”

“Now that that’s settled, you first…”

Come with me.

Just as I was about to say that.

“There is quite a commotion.”

“…!”

A voice came from outside the room.

At the sudden voice, everyone’s gazes shifted simultaneously.

The room entrance.

Specifically, a few steps behind Gu Huibi.

That’s where the sound came from.

And where everyone’s attention was drawn, stood the owner of that voice.

‘…’

Looking at him, I intuitively realized.

‘It’s that old man.’

That person, right there.

The wrinkled old man with abundant white hair, dressed in plain white clothes.

‘The person who called me.’

The head of the merchant guild before Madam Mi, the old man who had summoned me.

The First Generation Baekhwa Guild Leader.

---

Jjaek. Jjaek-jjaek.

The window where bird songs could be heard.

It was much later than what one would call morning, but hearing those sounds gave it an early morning feel.

It was a situation that could be considered peaceful, in a way.

Sunlight streamed through the window gaps, and birds chirped leisurely; could there be a more peaceful moment?

‘My, oh my….’

Unlike such a situation.

‘This is really f*ing uncomfortable.’

Inside me, I was feeling increasingly constricted by the stuffiness.

It couldn’t be helped.

If I felt comfortable in the current situation, that would be the truly strange one.

I looked at the tabletop with my eyes.

The tea placed before me was full, but though it was hot when first poured, it was no longer steaming, likely having cooled.

At the same time, the amount hadn’t decreased since it was first poured.

This meant that.

A lot of time had passed, and during that time, I hadn’t taken a single sip of the tea.

‘Geung.’

It was a situation that couldn’t happen unless I was extremely uncomfortable.

Yes, I was genuinely, extremely uncomfortable.

“Keum.”

I cleared my throat dozens of times.

It felt awkward to keep my eyes fixed on one spot, so I shifted my gaze dozens of times.

I repeated this over and over again, but.

‘Why isn’t he saying anything?’

The person in front of me showed no reaction whatsoever.

An old man who looked younger than eighty. He didn’t seem to have learned martial arts.

Eyes sharp as if they could cut with a blade.

Despite his age, a strong presence, as if untouched by the storms of life.

He possessed features that suggested he must have been quite handsome in his prime.

Madam Mi’s father, the First Generation Leader of the Baekhwa Guild.

The old man nominally called my maternal grandfather.

After the old man appeared and his single utterance silenced the room, he entered this room without any further reaction.

He then immediately summoned me, allowing me to enter the room without worrying about Cheonma or anything else.

It had been roughly a quarter of an hour since I faced the old man.

While alone with him, I hadn’t exchanged a single word.

The reason was simple.

The old man simply wasn’t speaking.

Conversely, I wasn’t very talkative either, and at this point, stubbornness kicked in, making me keep my mouth shut.

‘If it’s like this, why did he summon me?’

I cleared my schedule after being summoned, only to find no conversation happening.

‘Is he perhaps trying to have a battle of wills?’

I wondered why he would do such a thing, but if he disliked me, he might.

A bastard son born to a concubine, who was set to inherit the family simply for being a son.

If he thought his proud granddaughters were overshadowed because of me, he certainly could.

‘…Hmm.’

If that were the reason, I wouldn’t have much to say.

It was partly true, wasn’t it?

Given that, I decided to put aside any battle of wills and just concede for now.

“…Well.”

So, I opened my mouth, which I had been keeping shut, and spoke to the old man.

“Elder.”

As I uttered the title, the old man looked at me.

His gaze was cold.

I wondered why Madam Mi’s eyes were so sharp, but it seemed she took after this old man.

Perhaps he didn’t like the title ‘Elder’?

But I couldn’t think of anything else to add.

“I heard from Elder Il that you were looking for me.”

As I cautiously asked, the old man’s closed lips finally parted.

“That is correct.”

A monotonous reply.

It was a voice I barely heard after a long time.

“…May I ask the reason?”

Why on earth did he summon me?

Someone with whom I had no connection in my past life was seeking me out in this one.

This had happened a few times now, but the person before me was someone I could never have imagined.

This situation evoked strange feelings in me as well.

‘Today is just full of strange occurrences. Annoyingly so.’

Excluding that old man, Cheonma’s sudden reaction, and Madam Mi’s subsequent behavior.

Things that would have been considered strange if even one occurred were happening one after another.

It meant my mind was incredibly complicated.

Tak.

The teacup was lifted. Without answering my question, the old man took a sip of tea.

Just like mine, the old man’s tea had already cooled.

After lightly swallowing a sip and moistening his throat.

“My apologies.”

“Pardon?”

The apology that came from him.

At those words, I couldn’t help but wear a dumbfounded expression.

“Suddenly… what?”

“I realized while drinking tea. Seeing the warm tea cooled like this, it seems much time has passed.”

“…”

Could it be, he hadn’t realized?

“Perhaps due to aging, I find myself lost in thought more often these days. I apologize.”

“…No, you don’t have to. And please lower your speech. When you speak formally, I feel a bit uncomfortable-.”

“I do not lower my speech unless they are someone close. I hope you understand.”

“Ah, yes.”

I closed my mouth awkwardly.

He doesn’t lower his speech unless they are someone close.

A huge wall was erected within those words.

It implied that I wasn’t someone close, and like Elder Il said, he hadn’t come simply to see his grandson.

That meaning was implied.

‘Then what is it, really?’

So, for what reason did he seek me out? I couldn’t fathom it at all.

‘I’m busy too, so I hope this isn’t anything trivial and can be wrapped up quickly.’

I wasn’t going to be happy just because the old man sought me out, nor would I be upset if he kept his distance.

After all, we were strangers with no blood relation.

Since we had no connection in my past life, I didn’t particularly mind.

Only the fact that he was Madam Mi’s father.

That alone was slightly bothersome…

‘…But why should that bother me?’

As I thought, a question arose. Was there any particular reason for it to bother me?

Madam Mi, technically, was also a stranger.

‘Hmm.’

I couldn’t understand why such thoughts were occurring.

Anyway.

“So, for what reason did you seek me out?”

The old man’s words made me feel a bit more at ease.

If he had no particular intention towards me, then I wouldn’t have anything to worry about either.

Thanks to that, I spoke with a much more relaxed posture.

“…”

The old man just stared at me.

His gaze was intense, making me consider whether I should straighten my posture again.

…Should I really change it? Just as I was intensely contemplating.

“The reason I summoned you, First Young Master, is none other than this.”

Fortunately, before I could decide, the old man began to speak.

“It’s not for any other reason than that I came because I have something I want to ask First Young Master.”

“What…?”

“Could you cast a barrier?”

“…?”

Without objection, I waved my hand.

Woo-oong–!!

In an instant, barriers were erected all around.

However, I couldn’t control the power output, so quite thick barriers were formed.

“I’ve cast it.”

“Thank you.”

What was he going to say that he suddenly asked me to cast a barrier?

I was on the verge of frustration, beyond mere questioning.

“Now, I shall ask.”

The old man asked me.

“First Young Master, have you traveled back in time?”

Woo-oong-!!

As soon as I heard the words, the barrier I had painstakingly cast shook violently.