Published at 27th of August 2026 7:14 pm

Chapter 1111: The World of Ascension (41)

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"......."

"......."

I met the eyes of Namgung Hyung, who was sitting on the floor eating a carrot. His characteristic blue eyes and handsome face.

He was handsome, with white hair, a feature typical of the Namgung family, but—

What’s with that look?

To see such a handsome man sitting on the floor, chewing on a carrot, was something beyond words.

He looked noble, but in this moment, it was almost... awkward? It was hard to explain, but that’s the feeling I had.

"Cough."

Surprised by our sudden meeting, Namgung Hyung coughed awkwardly. As he did, a piece of carrot flew out of his mouth.

"Cough, cough... wait, cough..."

It seemed like he couldn’t control his coughing properly, as if something was stuck in his throat.

"......"

"Cough, cough... Water, please."

At his request, I grabbed the water container next to me and handed it to him. He took it, drank it down greedily, and then—

"Hoo..."

Letting out a relieved sigh as if he had barely survived.

"Ugh, that was close. Ha ha ha."

He scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat embarrassed. An awkward silence hung in the air. After a moment, Hyun Soyeon spoke up.

"It’s been a while, hasn’t it, Young Master?"

"Young Master." The term felt so unfamiliar. Namgung Hyung scratched his cheek as if it was a perfectly normal greeting.

"Yes. How have you been, Sister?"

So, they knew each other. They seemed to have something in common.

"Oh, I’ve been well. But... it seems like you’re not doing as well?"

The Namgung family bloodline. What was a direct descendant of the family doing here?

Seeing him sitting on the floor, munching on carrots, it seemed like things were not going so well for him, and Hyun Soyeon seemed to have picked up on that.

"Hahaha. Oh, you know, it’s just that it’s common to get hungry at night, right? The night path led me here. You must be the same, right?"

"That’s true."

Hyun Soyeon nodded as if she understood. What? How was she buying into this? I didn’t get it, but I didn’t want to press the issue further.

"So. Sister. Are you sneaking in again?"

At Namgung Hyung’s words, Hyun Soyeon cleared her throat.

The key point here was—

“Again?”

Namgung Hyung used the word again when addressing Hyun Soyeon. This meant—

She had been doing this before.

I realized why Hyun Soyeon seemed so familiar with the area and the situation. She must have done this kind of thing often.

What on earth was she doing?

What kind of life has she been leading?

The more I learned, the more baffled I became.

"Anyway..."

Hyun Soyeon tried to move on from the awkward moment, quickly changing the subject.

"......It seems like we’re both here for the same reason. How should we proceed?"

"Hahaha. Ah, no, no. That’s not going to work."

At her words, Namgung Hyung slowly rose to his feet.

Thud. Some pieces of food fell from his clothes as he stood up. At first, I thought they were carrot pieces, but there were other things mixed in.

What the hell has he been eating?

It wasn’t just carrots.

"Ah, crap..."

Namgung Hyung hurriedly shook off his clothes. With each movement, more pieces fell to the floor.

How do you eat to make such a mess?

"Why won’t it work?"

Hyun Soyeon asked, clearly unfazed by Namgung Hyung’s condition. He hastily brushed himself off and answered her question.

"Well, I’m a direct descendant of the Namgung family, so it’s only natural I’d come to fill my stomach. But you’re not, are you? There’s a bit of a problem with the justification."

"Why? I’m also a member of the Namgung family."

"Heh, not yet, you’re not. Besides, our useless older brother is doing everything he can to make it not work."

"Just because he’s trying doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen."

"True, but..."

Namgung Hyung smiled lightly as he spoke.

"But it’s still not happening, is it?"

"......"

"And besides, it’s not just you here. Those two over there..."

Namgung Hyung hesitated as he looked at me for a moment, then paused even longer as he glanced at my mother, who was standing next to me.

"......They’re not people we’re tied to, are they?"

Tsk.

Hyun Soyeon clicked her tongue, momentarily at a loss for words.

It seemed like the negotiations were breaking down. What would happen now? I was curious about how Hyun Soyeon would react.

"......What do you want?"

With a sigh, she spoke. At her words, Namgung Hyung’s smile deepened, as if he had been waiting for this.

"Ah, as expected. Our future sister-in-law. You really do understand well, don’t you?"

It seemed like he had something he wanted.

What could it be? The moment the thought crossed my mind, Namgung Hyung suddenly walked over to us. Then, without hesitation—

"I’m sure you already know what I want, future sister-in-law."

"......"

"Right?"

With a serious and heavy tone, he spoke. He stood so close to Hyun Soyeon that their faces were almost touching.

Huh?

What’s with this atmosphere? Could it be...?

Forbidden love? Something like that?

The thought flashed across my mind. Was this why Namgung Hyung had run away from the Namgung family and joined the Wudang Sect? Could it be because of something like this?

Had he fallen for his brother’s woman? My attention became fully focused on him.

"......Oh."

My mother, interested, responded loudly, but I quickly gestured for her to stay quiet.

At that moment—

"Anyway..."

Hyun Soyeon shook her head, as if resigning herself.

Then—

"I understand."

This time, Hyun Soyeon walked up to Namgung Hyung and spoke.

"I’ll do what you want. This time too."

She grabbed the collar of Namgung Hyung’s clothes with a subtle touch and spoke those words.

Wow.

Without realizing it, I covered my mouth in shock and watched.

Then, the situation that Namgung Hyung had wanted occurred with Hyun Soyeon.

And, surprisingly, it happened.

**********

Chiiick.

The repeating heat. In a room that seemed to be heating up, I sat at the desk, resting my chin in my hand.

For some reason, I was watching someone with a look of slight distaste.

The person in question was Namgung Hyung, who was full of anticipation. He was staring at the kitchen area with gleaming eyes.

I couldn't help but wonder what he was so excited about, so I glanced at the kitchen.

Fwoosh—!! Screech!

There, I saw Hyun Soyeon, energetically waving a cast-iron pot over the blazing flames.

The heat was clearly intense as beads of sweat formed on her forehead, but she didn’t seem bothered, using her delicate hands to cook.

"Oooh! Ooooh!"

"......."

Meanwhile, my mother was watching this with admiration. I was observing the situation with an emotion I couldn’t quite place.

What is this?

What kind of situation is this? Namgung Hyung said he wanted something, and Hyun Soyeon agreed to help him.

Then, she immediately grabbed the pot and ingredients to start cooking.

She did it so confidently, as if it were second nature.

That was the current situation.

"Here. Done."

It hadn’t taken long, but a perfectly cooked dish appeared before us.

"Let’s eat."

The aroma of the food wafted through the air. What kind of dish was this? It was at least the first time I had seen something like this.

"Ugh..."

Namgung Hyung let out a satisfied sigh as he dug in, already holding a spoon and eating eagerly.

The look on his face was that of someone who had been moved.

"This... this is it. This is what I’ve wanted..."

"......."

He looked like he was about to cry. Just how good could it be?

I didn’t fully understand the situation, but I took a bite of the food.

Huh?

I was surprised.

It’s good?

It tasted much better than I expected. The flavor spread in my mouth as I chewed slowly, savoring it.

"It’s good, isn’t it?"

Hyun Soyeon smiled lightly as she spoke.

"Yes. It’s really good. But why is it so good...?"

I answered honestly. It was really tasty.

It might even be a little better than dumplings.

"It’s a hobby of mine. I like to make and eat different things... and Young Master seems to like this one."

"Thanks to you, I’m living well."

"......If only I hadn’t been caught making it last time, it wouldn’t have been such a hassle."

"Heh. It worked out for both of us, didn’t it?"

Hyun Soyeon laughed, dismissing the matter with a carefree comment.

From their conversation, it seemed like something like this had happened before.

Namgung Hyung had secretly come here to eat, and at that time, Hyun Soyeon had also been secretly cooking in someone else’s kitchen.

What weird people they are.

One was sneaking food from his own house, and the other was cooking in someone else’s kitchen.

A truly strange combination.

"See? People are meant to eat properly, after all."

Namgung Hyung seemed thoroughly pleased, continuing to eat enthusiastically.

Had he been starving all day? No, why was he sneaking food like this?

He must be a blood relative.

I began to wonder if they hadn’t even fed him, but then—

Thud.

Something landed on my spoon.

"......?"

"This is also good. Try it."

It was my mother. She placed some side dish that Hyun Soyeon had brought for herself onto my spoon.

"Ah... Thank you. But, it’s okay, you don’t need to—."

"Hurry, eat it."

"......."

I was caught off guard for a moment, but my mother urged me to eat quickly.

So, I put it in my mouth.

"Is it good?"

"Yes."

"Really? Then try this too."

"......."

Another dish was placed on my spoon.

And then another.

It happened about four or five times.

"......I’m fine. You should eat it instead. You said you were hungry earlier."

Realizing that my mother hadn’t been eating much herself, I said this, and she widened her eyes.

"Oh! You’re right? I should have eaten too."

It seemed she had only just realized she hadn’t eaten.

"What’s this? Why? This is interesting."

She chuckled lightly and smiled, almost as if she hadn’t noticed.

"But, seeing you eat makes me happy. So, eat a bit more."

"......."

She said something strange.

And once again, food was placed on my spoon. I didn’t have much choice but to respond by eating.

Is this okay?

My mind was racing with worry. I was anxious.

Both Hyun Soyeon and Namgung Hyung... I hadn’t properly sensed their presence.

It seems like it’s fine when I’m with my mother.

But my perception felt dulled, and because of that, I was worried if it was okay to act like this.

What if someone barges in, and I don’t sense it in time?

That could become a serious problem.

Lost in my worries, food was placed on my spoon once again.

This time, I wondered if it was my mother again.

Click—!!

Suddenly, the door of the building opened.

Everyone inside froze, their bodies stiffening like stones.

The first thing that appeared through the door was a pair of bloodshot eyes.

Eyes that looked like they were about to ignite.

Hoo— Hoo—

Ragged breathing echoed, and the red eyes rolled toward us.

Fwoosh.

The heat brushed the room lightly, and with it, the owner of those eyes revealed themselves.

Creeeak.

The person who stepped into the room was—

Father...?

It was my father.

His face twisted in a grimace, and his ragged breathing, searching for something, finally focused on my mother.

Ah.

He must have come looking for my mother.

"Cheolwoon?"

My mother responded when her gaze met his. At that moment, my father’s eyes sharpened and turned to something else.

It was—

Hmm?

It was the spot where my mother had been feeding me.

"......."

My father’s eyebrows twitched violently when he saw that.

Huh?

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