CFZ

“...”

“...”
Their eyes met, and for a moment, silence filled the room.
Gu Heebi stared blankly at the scene before her, unable to utter a single word.
Mi Horan, meanwhile, exhaled softly as she looked at her eldest daughter.

Time passed like that.
“Hm?”
Mi Horan gently lifted the child she had been holding and seated them beside her. She then carefully pushed the tea and refreshments on the table out of sight.

And then—
“You’re here.”
“...”

“Sit down.”
She spoke as though nothing had happened, her demeanor completely ordinary.
Gu Heebi momentarily wondered if she had imagined everything she just saw.

“Mother.”
“...”
“What… is this?”

There was no way that question would simply be brushed aside.
Mi Horan’s brows furrowed slightly in response to Gu Heebi’s frown and trembling voice.
She must have realized it wouldn’t work.

“This… what is this…? No, who is that child…?”
Gu Heebi stammered, unable to form proper sentences. Her eyes shook violently, clearly in a state of shock.
She looked as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
“That child…”

Her gaze shifted toward the child, and her body froze.
Her eyes widened even further.
It was only natural.

How could anyone not be startled after seeing that face?
“…Huh?”
The child tilted their head as they looked at Gu Heebi, their expression full of innocence.

Just looking at the child’s face pulled her deep into her memories.
[Look! It’s a flower! I’ll give it to you, big sis.]
[Big sis! Play with me!-!]

The days when laughter was still plentiful.
The image of a little boy running toward her with a flower in hand, ready to give it to her.
A younger brother who would hold her hand tightly and follow her everywhere.

“…Uh… uhh….”
He «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» looked exactly the same.
If anything, he might have been even cuter.

But without a doubt, this child bore an uncanny resemblance to her younger brother.
Gu Heebi’s body began moving on its own.
Mi Horan’s earlier actions, the sudden summons—none of it mattered.

Right now, she had only one thought.
Go closer. Touch the child’s head. Think later.
Gu Heebi began stepping toward the child.

At that moment—
“Yangcheon….”
Whoosh—!!

“…!?”
A gust of wind tore through the room beside her.
Something shot forward with explosive force, so fast that no one in the room could react.

Gu Heebi’s gaze immediately snapped to the source of the motion.
And there—
“Yeon-ah…?”

The black-haired woman she had always regarded as a sister was clutching the child tightly in her arms.
Gu Heebi’s mind reeled from the sudden situation and the sheer speed at which it had unfolded.
Even Mi Horan, who rarely showed surprise, appeared momentarily shaken.

While everyone was still paralyzed by shock—
Clang—
The sound of weapons being drawn echoed around them.

Gu Heebi immediately sprang into action, shouting—
“Wait—!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!

Blades poured in from every direction.
  
   ******************
   
Dragged along by Elder Il for quite some time, I finally realized where I had been taken.

A neatly maintained pathway stretched before me, leading to an elegant and luxurious residence.
It wasn’t exactly a place that suited me, but it was a familiar sight.
‘Of course, I was just here yesterday. No way I wouldn’t recognize it.’

Yesterday.
And it wasn’t just during the day—I had come here late at night, sneaking glances over my shoulder the whole way.
This was the residence where Lady Mi stayed.

And now, Elder Il had brought me back here again.
The reason?
To meet someone.

Naturally, given that this was Lady Mi’s residence, one might think I was here to see her.
But that wasn’t it.
‘Hmm.’

Feeling the tension settle in my expression, I scanned the residence.
No, I wasn’t here to see Lady Mi.
According to Elder Il, I was here to meet my grandfather.

‘Grandfather, huh….’
Well, more accurately—
My maternal grandfather.

I guess that’s the proper way to phrase it.
‘Not that we’re actually related by blood.’
When it came to grandfathers, the old man I’d met last time felt more like the real one. But technically, there was one more.

The founder of the Baekhwa Trading Company, which Lady Mi now ran.
He was Lady Mi’s father.
‘…Hmm.’

Even as I thought about it, doubts kept surfacing.
Could I really call him my grandfather?
‘He’s not even a real grandfather.’

I was born to a concubine, so Lady Mi and I didn’t share any blood ties. It only made sense that he wasn’t my grandfather either.
To top it off—
‘I’ve never even seen him before.’

Not once in my entire life had I met Lady Mi’s father—the founder of the Baekhwa Trading Company.
‘I just found out he’s still alive.’
I’d never seen him or even heard about him.

But apparently, he was alive.
‘Did my sisters know about this?’
Gu Heebi or Gu Yeonseo might have known.

Unlike me, they were his actual granddaughters.
And yet, that only made the situation more confusing.
‘Why, though?’

Not only had this founder suddenly shown up, but he’d also traveled all the way to Hanam with Elder Il as his escort.
And now—
‘Why me?’

Of all people, why did he want to meet me?
This was something that hadn’t happened in my previous life.
As usual, I figured it had something to do with the messes I kept causing.

‘No matter how much I think about it, I have no idea.’
I wracked my brain, but nothing came to mind.
So, I looked up at the broad back of the man walking ahead of me and asked—

“Hey, Elder Il.”
“Hmm?”
The towering old man turned to look at me.

“Why does he want to meet me?”
Why would the founder of Baekhwa Trading Company want to see me?
“Well…”

“...”
“Maybe he just wants to see his grandson?”
Not exactly a helpful answer.

I suppose it was my fault for expecting anything useful from this old man.
“…I’m not even his grandson. If he really wanted to see me, he’d have done it sooner.”
“Hmm… You think so?”

“And why did you have to take on the role of escort? Aren’t you a bit too old for that?”
A respected elder of a prestigious family serving as a bodyguard and following me to Hanam—it didn’t make any sense.
Elder Il scratched his cheek as if the question made him uncomfortable.

“…It just kind of turned out that way. Think of it as an excuse to visit you and go for a walk.”
“A walk? People usually call that a trip, not a walk—”
Whoosh—!

Before I could finish, I jerked my head aside.
Elder Il had suddenly swung his fist at my head.
As his punch sliced through the air, he let out a dry laugh.

“Well, well. Dodging now, are we?”
“Can we stick to words, please? Violence is bad.”
“Hmph. Your tongue’s getting sharper by the day.”

Elder Il flexed his wrist as if disappointed.
I stared at him and said—
“Be honest with me.”

“Hmm?”
“Did you lose another bet?”
“...”

Twitch—!
His shoulders flinched at my words.
“What… what are you talking about? What would I have lost?”

“Isn’t that it?”
“Of course not! Do I look like some kind of gambling addict to you?”
“Well, you do have quite the track record.”

“...”
Elder Il clamped his mouth shut, clearly out of excuses.
And how could I not be suspicious?

‘I mean, who else brings back a sacred artifact from the Mount Hua Sect just because they won a drinking game?’
I’d gone through hell in Shaanxi because of that incident.
Almost every mess this old man caused was tied to drinking or gambling.

‘And judging by his reaction, this is no different.’
No surprises there.
Trying to change the subject, Elder Il started whistling.

Badly.
It was more like a series of breathy “whoo, whoo” sounds than an actual whistle.
“…Elder Il.”

“Ahem. I told you it’s not what you think.”
Yeah, sure.
His expression said it all. This old man had definitely done something again.

“Just be honest with me.”
“About what?”
“What did you mess up this time?”

I kept pressing him, not willing to let it drop.
When it came to Elder Il, his mistakes weren’t just his problem—they always ended up affecting me.
‘No exceptions.’

Given my experiences so far, I could already tell.
‘Whatever trouble he caused, I’m the one who’ll have to clean it up.’
No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, I always got dragged in.

I needed to make him confess and figure out what I was dealing with.
“I told you, it’s nothing! Why don’t you trust me?”
“Why would I? If it were anyone else, maybe—but you? No way—”

Vwooooom—!!!
“!”
I stopped mid-sentence and turned my head.

A surge of energy had erupted from inside the residence.
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Elder Il looked puzzled by my reaction, as though he hadn’t sensed anything.

Was it because my senses had grown sharper?
No.
I had deliberately sealed most of my Qi perception, leaving it significantly dulled.

Then what was this energy?
‘…This….’
It struck straight at my heart.

Immediately after, my pulse thudded in response, as if resonating with the disturbance.
Thump—!
Vwoooom—!

Another wave of energy rippled out from the residence.
“...”
“Yangcheon?”

Elder Il called out to me with a concerned look, but—
Fwoosh—!!!
My feet ignited with flames, propelling me forward.

Boom—!
I accelerated instantly.
In just a few steps, the scenery around me blurred as it was left behind.

The reckless speed risked an accident, but I didn’t care.
It was urgent.
Fwoosh—!!!

I surged forward, becoming a streak of flame that shot into the residence.
I brushed past the entrance.
Before the guards at the door could even register my presence, I was already inside.

I didn’t slow down.
My destination was the source of the energy.
If my senses weren’t mistaken—

‘This energy… it’s definitely….’
Grinding my teeth, I controlled my breathing.
The distance wasn’t far. I reached the room within seconds.

The energy seemed to be coming from Lady Mi’s chambers.
I rushed straight toward it.
When I burst inside and saw what was happening—

“…Huh?”
I narrowed my eyes.
‘What the hell is this?’

The room was packed with people.
Despite the size of the residence, the number of occupants made the space feel cramped.
And among them—

‘Gu Heebi.’
Gu Heebi gripped a sword tightly, glaring at something.
Lady Mi stood nearby, her eyes wide with shock.

And then—
‘Cheonma?’
A familiar figure stood at the center.

Cheonma was clutching the child—Dol-dol—in her arms.
Around her, warriors dressed in black encircled them.
Judging by their stances, they were the covert guards assigned to protect Lady Mi.

And all of them were pointing killing intent and drawn blades at Cheonma.
‘…What is this mess?’
What the hell was going on?

Why was Cheonma in this room, holding Dol-dol, and why was she radiating such an ominous aura?
“...”
I scanned the scene, trying to grasp the situation.

Then—
“Let go of the child immediately.”
One of the guards addressed Cheonma.

“If you don’t, I’ll cut you down.”
What the hell.
They were threatening Cheonma.

I swallowed hard.
I quickly looked at Gu Heebi and Lady Mi.
The distance between them and Cheonma was dangerously close.

If Cheonma lost her temper and went berserk, it would be nearly impossible to get those two out safely.
Assessing the risks, I moved immediately.
Fwoosh—!

“Wha—!?”
“What the—?!”
I dove between the blades, pushing past the guards.

The covert guards reacted to my sudden intrusion but froze the moment they saw my face.
“Y-Young Master…?”
“Put the swords down.”

“Pardon?”
“Lower your weapons and focus on Lady Mi.”
“But…”

“I’ll handle this. Now move.”
“...”
Despite their reluctance, my sharp tone forced them into action.

They retreated to protect Lady Mi, giving me just enough space.
I turned toward Cheonma, who was still holding Dol-dol.
“Hey.”

“...”
“What are you doing?”
No response.

Cheonma kept holding the child, her breathing heavy and erratic.
I pressed further.
“What the hell are you doing here?”

My voice carried more aggression than usual.
I needed to provoke a reaction—to figure out what was happening.
But inside, I was trembling.

Why was she acting like this?
Was there some reason?
Had something changed in this life?

Or was she still the same Cheonma I feared?
Unease spread through me.
“I asked you—what the hell are you doing?”

I tensed my body, ready to activate Tam at a moment’s notice if things turned hostile.
I reached out slowly and placed my hand on her shoulder, applying slight pressure.
And then—

Rustle.
Cheonma raised her head and locked eyes with me.
Her black hair parted to reveal her face.

I froze.
I couldn’t help it.
“…What the hell?”

Cheonma—
Still holding Dol-dol—
Was crying.

Not just crying—
Sobbing.