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Childhood Friend of the Zenith (Web Novel) - Chapter CH.1118: The World of Ascension (48)
Chapter CH.1118: The World of Ascension (48)
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“You’re staying?”
Father repeated my words back to me. I nodded.
“Yes. I’m staying.”
“......What do you mean by that?”
“I mean it exactly as I said.”
“I’m asking if you believe returning is the right choice or if staying is.”
I scratched my cheek and answered.
“I already said it—I think returning is the logical choice.”
“And yet?”
“It is. But I’m still not going back.”
“......”
The more I spoke, the deeper the crease in Father’s expression became. He looked as though he couldn’t decide if I was saying we should leave or not.
How could I make it any clearer?
“Let’s just leave it at that.”
“So even if the rest of us return, Baek Dae-won, you still intend to stay?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
Father’s eyebrow twitched slightly at that.
“If we return, that’s an order. You don’t get to stay just because you want to.”
“Yeah, I figured. But, well...”
I shrugged.
“It wouldn’t be the first time I disobeyed an order.”
“......”
I said it outright.
At that, Father’s gaze sharpened ominously. I flinched.
That was the look he gave me whenever I really screwed up.
“Wait... No, I don’t mean it as outright defiance. I just—this is how I feel.”
I found myself hastily trying to smooth over my words.
Only then did Father’s glare slightly soften.
“So, ultimately, you believe staying is the right choice?”
“......That’s my opinion, yes.”
“And you, Do Yun?”
This time, Father turned to Do Yun. The question made him freeze.
“Ah... I, uh...”
He hesitated before looking at me.
What’s with that look?
“I think staying would be the right decision.”
“......”
He said it as though he was checking for my reaction first.
What the hell?
Why was he looking at me like that? Was he waiting for my approval?
Ridiculous.
“......”
Father fell into deep thought. After a brief silence, he finally turned to Mi Horan and spoke.
“We’re staying.”
“Young Master Gu...!”
Mi Horan’s eyes widened at Father’s decision.
“You’re staying...? But why...?”
“If you’re asking for a reason, it’s simple.”
Father met Mi Horan’s gaze with calm yet unwavering intensity.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“But—”
“Horan. You should return.”
“...What?”
At Gu Cheolwoon’s words, Mi Horan froze.
“Return...?”
“Yes.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You should go back.”
“Hah...!”
Mi Horan opened her mouth as if to argue.
But—
“Keeping you safe would only be a burden.”
“...!”
At Father’s sharp words, she stiffened as if she had been struck.
‘Damn.’
I hadn’t expected him to be that blunt.
The entire room seemed to freeze over from the weight of those words.
The atmosphere turned colder than ever.
“......”
For a long moment, Mi Horan said nothing.
Then—
“...Fine.”
Her face turned cold, and she spun on her heel.
Clack! Boom!
She yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind her, storming off with loud, heavy footsteps.
“......”
I glanced between Father and Do Yun, gauging their reactions.
Anyone could tell Mi Horan was furious.
At the same time, I was curious to see how Father would react.
“The first issue is settled. Let’s move on.”
“......”
He didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
How could he be so calm about it?
Everyone else was clearly on edge, but Father...
“The second matter. If we do stay, we need to discuss what will happen.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Father continued.
And just like that, Mi Horan was forgotten.
*****
By the time we finished our discussions, the sun had already set, the sky glowing with shades of dusk.
“Then, as planned, we’ll begin moving at midnight.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
We reviewed the strategy one last time before concluding the meeting.
Finally, everyone stepped out of the room.
Father would likely remain in his quarters.
That left only Do Yun, Soi, and me walking out together.
“You heading back to your room?”
I asked Do Yun, and he hesitated before responding.
“Ah... Yeah, I guess?”
His reaction was strangely uncertain, but I just nodded.
“Alright then. I’ll be back later.”
“Where are you going?”
“Ah, just got something to check on.”
“......”
“......”
Our eyes met.
We both understood.
We were making the exact same face.
The same thought.
‘This guy isn’t telling the whole truth.’
We both saw through each other.
Nod.
We both nodded at the same time.
“Take care.”
“Yeah. You get some rest.”
We had a silent agreement to leave each other alone.
Do Yun disappeared into his room.
Once I confirmed that, I was about to head off when—
“Hey.”
“Hmm?”
Soi called out to me.
I turned to her, wondering what she wanted.
She was looking at me with an odd expression.
“Tell me something.”
“Yes?”
“What you said earlier. Why did you say that?”
“...What do you mean?”
I wasn’t sure what she was referring to.
“Back then. When you said you weren’t going to leave.”
“Oh. That?”
Now I understood.
She was talking about when I had declared I’d stay behind, even if everyone else returned to Hanam.
“That’s just what I meant.”
“You really meant it? That even if everyone else left, you’d stay here alone?”
“Yes.”
“Why...?”
“What do you mean, why? I just wanted to.”
“That’s all there is to it?”
“Yes. Well, if I had to give another reason...”
I scratched my head. Honestly, this wasn’t something I wanted to say out loud.
“It just doesn’t sit right with me.”
Leaving behind something that had happened because of me.
That was the only reason.
There was no emotion more disgusting than guilt—I knew that better than anyone. And I didn’t want to carry even a trace of it.
“......”
At my words, Soi’s expression turned even more peculiar. Her already narrowed eyes squinted even further.
“...Unexpected. I never thought you were the type.”
“I hear that a lot.”
“What are you, really? You’re a strange one.”
“I hear that a lot, too. Are we done here, senior?”
“......”
Soi didn’t answer. I took that as my cue.
“Then take care. I’ll be going now.”
I offered a half-hearted bow and turned to leave. Soi didn’t say anything else.
Seeing that, I quickened my pace.
I had something to check.
**********
I wandered around the premises.
I wasn’t just out for a stroll—I had been searching for quite a while.
‘Where did she go?’
If I used Qi Perception, I could find her instantly, but that wasn’t an option. So I had to do this the hard way—on foot.
Where had she disappeared to?
The person I was looking for was none other than—
‘Where did Lady Mi go?’
Mi Horan. I was looking for her.
After the way things ended with Father, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.
Especially the look on her face before she left—it lingered in my mind.
Not that it would change anything if I saw her.
But still, my feet kept moving.
Pointless meddling. Something that didn’t suit me at all, yet here I was.
‘Is it because I came to this world?’
If I had to pick the people I was most uncomfortable around, Mi Horan would be in the top three, without a doubt.
And yet, here I was, searching for her.
Even I found it strange.
The problem was—
“Tch...”
I had no idea where she had gone.
‘Did she really leave?’
Maybe she had already set off for Hanam.
Honestly, if that were the case, it would be a relief.
‘At least she’d be safe.’
If Mi Horan had left, she wouldn’t be in danger. That would be a good outcome.
But... I didn’t think she had.
Her personality made it possible, sure.
But—
‘That would be Lady Mi, not the current Mi Horan.’
The Mi Horan standing before me now was far younger than the Lady Mi I knew.
Rational and sharp, but noticeably immature.
With that in mind, I doubted she would have simply left just because she was told to.
‘Then where did she go?’
She was probably still within the Namgung Manor.
‘Hmm...’
I scratched the back of my head in {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} frustration.
‘Should I just give up?’
I hesitated. Like I had said before, finding her wouldn’t really change anything.
So maybe I should just drop it.
But—
“......”
I clicked my tongue and let a small amount of Qi seep out.
I shouldn’t have done this. Not when Heavenly Lord was around.
‘That old man.’
He must have already taken me into account.
After our encounter, there was no doubt he had marked me. No matter how secluded he was in his mountain, he would be watching.
I had wanted to avoid drawing attention.
But—
‘That expression...’
I couldn’t shake it.
That last look on Mi Horan’s face.
It reminded me too much of the way she had looked at me when I was a Demon in my past life.
Fwoosh—
My energy spread out, controlled to avoid detection.
It dissipated throughout the Namgung Manor.
Tack.
‘Found her.’
It didn’t take long to locate Mi Horan.
But—
‘...What the hell?’
Something was off.
‘Why is she...?’
Her presence was coming from somewhere she absolutely should not have been.
“......”
Feeling suspicious, I moved.
I leapt forward, covering the distance in an instant.
It wasn’t a completely unfamiliar place—I had been here before.
A slightly rundown residence. A neglected section of the Namgung Manor, surprisingly unkempt for a family of such prestige.
I passed through the overgrown path and approached a door.
Creak.
Without hesitation, I pushed it open.
And at that moment—
“Huh?”
“...?”
“Oh my.”
Everyone inside turned to look at me, clearly startled.
Mi Horan, her eyes swollen from crying.
Namgung Hyung, frozen mid-bite, chopsticks still in his hand.
And Hyun Soyeon, in the middle of carrying dishes.
Right.
This was Namgung Hyung’s residence.
For some reason, Lady Mi was in Namgung Hyung’s quarters.
And—
She had a mouthful of food that Hyun Soyeon had just served her.
