Chapter – 09
Good heavens.
After hearing the whole story, I fell into confusion.
So the man in front of me was apparently Peng Dori’s father.
He wasn’t the grandfather?
Honestly, my misunderstanding wasn’t unreasonable.
Unlike Joo So-hee, who looked barely in her early twenties, the man looked like an ordinary man in his forties.
On top of that, neither of them used any obvious titles in front of me.
Martial artists living long lives was extremely common. So seeing two people with such a large apparent age gap, I naturally thought:
Ah. He must be someone around my grandfather’s age!
After all, they said “father.”
Contextually, it made far more sense to assume he was Joo So-hee’s father.
But it turned out he was simply someone who had reached the Hwagyung realm and aged normally without rejuvenation.
I looked back and forth between my biological mother and father, feeling completely disoriented.
No matter how I look at this, this looks like a criminal pairing.
The shocking truth was that Joo So-hee was actually twelve years older than him.
“Madam, you must have suffered greatly.”
“You too, Baek. You’ve endured much hardship. Now that Do-ah has returned, I plan to avoid going out for a while.”
Regardless of appearances, the couple clearly had a strong relationship.
Peng Baek, though not as intense as Joo So-hee, also showed deep paternal affection toward his daughter.
Well…
Why hide it?
“Is there anything you need?”
“Meeting my baby again feels like a miracle. It is all thanks to the Emperor’s great virtue.”
“My child… um… could you give your father a hug?”
This was extremely burdensome.
Oh no. Oh wow.
At least Joo So-hee looked like a beautiful woman in her twenties.
This guy was just… a middle-aged man.
Of course, his facial features were sharp and impressive, and he probably had been very handsome in his youth. I mean, he did win over Joo So-hee after all.
But that was the past.
Right now, he looked like he was in his forties.
Would family affection suddenly appear just because some middle-aged stranger started baby-talking me?
Would it?
If some random lady did that, I’d run away screaming!
Argh.
I didn’t even have a father originally!
As an only child raised by a single mother, suddenly having a father appear out of nowhere was difficulty level: extreme.
So even though I knew it was unfilial, I subtly avoided him.
Apparently this caused some misunderstandings.
After spending several days in the Peng household, Joo So-hee came to my room.
“My child, are you ready for bed?”
“Y-yes… Mother.”
She entered with a serious expression, then smiled gently.
Her expression overflowed with the same affectionate tenderness as always. Feeling overwhelmed by that heavy love, I slowly turned my head away.
Joo So-hee asked in a worried tone:
“There is something I wish to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“Is it difficult for you to be around grown men?”
“…What?”
Ding.
The completely unexpected question left me blank.
But seeing my reaction, Joo So-hee seemed convinced. She pulled me into an embrace. Her face darkened.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to. I only… as your mother… want you to live happily. Your father feels the same.”
“Um…”
“Yes. I will not ask further.”
Wait, ask what?
While I was still stammering, she stood up with a troubled expression, as if determined not to reopen my wounds.
“Get some rest.”
“M-mother… I think you misunderstood something.”
“What misunderstanding?”
“I…”
I tried to explain quickly, but my words got stuck.
How was I supposed to explain this?
It’s not young men my age.
It’s that a middle-aged man looking at me with emotional eyes gives me biological discomfort?
That’s way too unfilial! Besides, normally fathers ARE in their forties or fifties at my age!
Even if I said I hadn’t gone through trauma, nobody would believe me.
This body had so many scars I couldn’t even count them.
Honestly, if someone else had this body, even I would probably pity them.
All I did was customize a game character, and now I look tragic. Damn it!
“Do not worry.”
Joo So-hee smiled kindly as if she understood everything.
“No matter what kind of child you are, you are still my daughter. Even if you have done very bad things.”
Hic.
Having committed countless evil acts in the game (eating hearts, massacring villages, creating blood demons, etc.), I immediately shut my mouth.
Unaware of my guilt, she gently stroked my cheek before leaving.
Even the maids were dismissed, leaving me alone. I collapsed onto the floor and groaned.
Ah. This is uncomfortable. I want to leave.
It’s been nine days since I returned home (not really home).
I’m already desperate to run away again.
* * *
“How was the young lady’s reaction?”
“As you predicted.”
After returning from visiting Dori, Joo So-hee pressed her forehead while speaking to the Peng family’s physician.
“When I asked if she feared men, she froze like she had been struck. Normally someone at the late Absolute Peak level wouldn’t fear ordinary men…”
“If childhood memories left trauma, it would be possible.”
“By memories you mean?”
“When examining her body, she has countless layered scars. The kinds of marks left from repeatedly cutting the back and abdomen.”
“…Those are not battle scars.”
Peng Baek, who had been listening, clenched his fist.
Those Blood Cult bastards… even chewing them alive wouldn’t be enough. I will never forgive them.
When she was young, she had been a cute child who followed her father around.
But now his returned daughter was covered in scars.
Worse, she remembered none of her past, and even in her own home she looked cautious and awkward.
For parents, nothing could be more heartbreaking.
People often describe losing a child as grief so intense it feels like the intestines are being torn apart.
Even after regaining their child, the thought of what if this never happened would remain.
Until time slowly dulls the wound into a scar.
“What should I do?”
Peng Baek asked painfully.
The physician, whom Joo So-hee had strongly insisted on hiring, also felt heavy-hearted.
The Peng family had fed and educated her when she wandered the streets.
They were her benefactors.
She already knew how long they had suffered after losing their daughter.
She had been so happy to examine the young lady after her return.
But…
How could anyone treat a child like that?
The scars were very old.
Recent sword wounds were normal battle marks.
But whip scars from over ten years ago could not have come from fighting.
Some were even self-inflicted.
Considering her age, she must have tried to kill herself before even turning ten.
Though she revealed most findings, she could not bring herself to reveal this part.
Though perceptive, Joo So-hee likely already suspected.
“We must approach her slowly and avoid triggering bad memories. It would be best to dismiss most attendants for now.”
“Is it impossible for her to recover memories from before age five?”
“It would be difficult. Even you do not remember your infancy, do you?”
The physician shook her head.
“Memories from early childhood naturally fade. Especially after repeated trauma, recovering them would be extremely difficult.”
“I see.”
Peng Baek lowered his head.
Joo So-hee gently patted his hand.
“Baek, do not grieve too much. The future matters more than the past. Martial artists live very long lives.”
“…Yes, my dear.”
Warm affection flowed between them.
Seeing their usual loving relationship, the physician carefully suggested:
“I also heard the young lady wandered outside for many years. Keeping her confined indoors may not be good.”
“Then?”
“As a martial artist, light physical activity could help her mental recovery. When she improves, perhaps she could even travel.”
Joo So-hee fell into thought.
This was their precious daughter returning after ten years.
If possible, she wanted to keep her close for twice that time.
But…
“Um… can I go outside?”
She remembered her daughter asking cautiously.
She could clearly see her daughter felt suffocated indoors.
It hurt to see her daughter worrying about her feelings.
But not yet.
From Joo So-hee’s perspective as someone in the Mystic Realm, her daughter at Absolute Peak still seemed…
Too fragile.
What if she encountered Transcendent or Hwagyung experts and something happened?
To avoid losing her again, minimum safeguards were needed.
After thinking, she made a decision.
* * *
“…What?”
I asked again, unable to believe it.
“You want me to do what?”
“Memorize all of these manuals.”
Joo So-hee declared seriously while holding a mountain of martial arts books.
“Let us aim for you to reach Transcendent Peak within one month.”
“…?”
Did I hear that wrong?
