"Ugh..."
Goo Joo-yeol, who had been drinking all night until he was completely wasted, didn’t wake up until the afternoon of the next day.
"I feel like I’m dying."
As he clutched his throbbing head, I respectfully handed him a glass of honey water I had prepared in advance.
"Uncle. Here, have some honey water. It’s honey directly harvested by a local beekeeper, so it’s perfect for a hangover."
"Oh, Yong-ah. Thank you."
As Goo Joo-yeol gulped down the honey water, my father, who looked even more haggard than him, gazed at me with bleary eyes.
My father, reeking of alcohol, opened his mouth.
"What about my honey water...?"
"That was the last one I just gave to Uncle. We ran out of honey."
"... Couldn’t you have split it into two glasses?"
"Ah, that would’ve diluted the effect. It’s better to give the guest a proper glass. Surely you’re not stingy about giving honey to your brother, whom you haven’t seen in 30 years?"
"..."
My father couldn’t bring himself to get angry and just glared at me with narrowed eyes.
Meanwhile, Goo Joo-yeol, who had finished the honey water in one go, suddenly stood up.
"Ah! I feel alive now."
He picked up his coat, which had been carelessly thrown around the room, and put it on.
"Ugh. The sun is already high in the sky. If I’m any later, I might have to write an apology letter."
Though he complained as if he were dying, Goo Joo-yeol’s expression was bright.
Last night, while drunk, he had muttered that such an apology letter was nothing compared to the joy of reuniting with an old friend after 30 years.
‘He’s a rare good person.’
That’s how I assessed Goo Joo-yeol, the "Guest of Honor."
As the head investigator of the Jiangxi branch of the Martial Alliance, his position was by no means low.
In a rural area like this, he could make people tremble with just a word.
Yet, he had treated my father with respect even before recognizing him and hadn’t flaunted his authority.
Moreover, the way he warmly welcomed my father, who had unilaterally cut ties and disappeared 30 years ago, showed just how kind-hearted he was.
Even though my father, Baek Mu-heun, wasn’t a particularly successful man—just a shabby martial arts instructor in the countryside.
‘He’s someone worth getting close to.’
"Whew. I should get going now."
Goo Joo-yeol, ready to leave, turned to look at us.
With a mischievous smile, he said to my father, "Little brother. Next time, I’ll bring some good alcohol. Then we’ll really drink until our noses are crooked."
"Ugh. We should start considering our age now."
"Ah! The Jade-Faced Prince who once ruled Jiangxi’s entertainment district wouldn’t say such weak things, would he?"
"B-Brother!"
My father’s eyes widened, and he protested with an aggrieved expression.
"That joke is going too far! I’m afraid my son might misunderstand!"
"Oh? Father?"
"You’re saying it’s a joke? I swear by the heavens and earth!"
When he brought up the heavens and earth, my father’s expression turned awkward.
...
Was it true?
"Ahem. Well, after meeting Yakbing, I’ve reformed..."
"Kekeke!"
"Puhaha!"
Goo Joo-yeol and I both enjoyed teasing my father.
After laughing for a while, Goo Joo-yeol turned to me with a satisfied expression.
"Yong-ah. Have you thought about what we talked about last night?"
Last night, I had heard many stories from him about the Martial Alliance and the Five Great Academies.
Especially about the Azure Dragon Academy, where my father and Goo Joo-yeol had studied together 30 years ago, and the students and instructors there.
The Azure Dragon Academy of Jiangxi.
An institution where the rising stars of the eastern martial world gathered to exchange knowledge and hone their martial skills, nurturing future masters who would lead the righteous faction.
Though it was considered the lowest among the Five Great Academies, countless young men and women still sweated and toiled to enroll there every year.
"I’m still thinking about it."
Though I had almost made up my mind, I gave a vague answer, considering my father’s worried gaze beside me.
Goo Joo-yeol nodded, saying, "There’s still three months left, so you don’t have to decide right away. If you make up your mind, come find me then. I can write you a recommendation letter anytime."
"Yes. Thank you."
"No need for thanks."
In Goo Joo-yeol’s satisfied gaze, there was a hint of regret and other complex emotions mixed in.
I noticed it but pretended not to, smiling softly.
"... The longer the farewell, the more awkward it gets. I should go now."
"Brother. Take care."
"Uncle. Be safe."
"Alright. Let’s meet again."
Goo Joo-yeol gave my shoulder a few pats before turning away.
—Whoosh!
With a swift movement, he disappeared from our sight in an instant.
It was a light, agile movement befitting his title, "Guest of Honor."
"Tsk. Look at this shameless guy."
As soon as Goo Joo-yeol’s figure disappeared, my father narrowed his eyes and looked at me.
"Since when did you start calling him 'Uncle'? You were practically glued to his side, flattering him."
He seemed upset that I hadn’t given him any honey water earlier.
But I also had something to say to my father.
"Didn’t you say you two were like brothers? Yesterday, you even talked about becoming sworn brothers."
I was the one who had to stop them from writing a blood oath to die together, drunk as they were.
I barely drank any alcohol because of my weak constitution.
Remembering last night’s antics, my father’s face turned red.
"Ahem... It’s hard to control yourself when you meet an old friend after 30 years."
"Alright, but next time, drink in moderation."
"If you want to be a filial son, why don’t you go next door and get some more honey water?"
My father grumbled like a child, but his expression suddenly darkened.
Then, in a low voice, he asked me, "... Do you really plan to go to the Azure Dragon Academy?"
I hesitated for a moment before asking him in return, "Would you try to stop me if I said I was going?"
"... Would you listen even if I tried to stop you?"
I grinned and nodded.
This body.
Baek Soo-yong had always been stubborn, even to the point of dabbling in forbidden martial arts because he wanted to learn martial arts so badly.
That’s why my father, Baek Mu-heun, couldn’t help but be filled with worry.
He let out a long sigh and said, "So... you still haven’t given up."
Born with the cursed Heavenly Yin Meridian, yet still wanting to become a martial artist even at the cost of his life.
After dying and coming back to life, I had been quiet for a while, but now I was struggling to become a martial artist again.
As a father, he could only sigh deeply.
"Yong-ah. The martial world isn’t as glamorous as you think."
"Yes. I know."
No one knows better than me how cruel the martial world is to the weak.
My calm response made my father flare up and glare at me.
"What do you know! Just because you got lucky and beat one rogue martial artist, you think you’re a master now? If that guy hadn’t been careless, you wouldn’t have stood a chance!"
"That was all part of the plan..."
Thud.
My father grabbed my shoulders firmly and said, "Your dantian has been ruined since birth. I’ve tried every method, but I couldn’t fix it."
"... Yes. I know."
"You know?"
His eyes seemed to blaze with fire.
"You know, and yet you want to enroll in the Azure Dragon Academy? Do you think something miraculous will happen if you go there? If that were the case, I would’ve sent you there myself long ago!"
"... Huh? Enroll?"
I do plan to go to the Azure Dragon Academy, but I don’t plan to enroll?
But my father didn’t even give me a chance to speak.
With eyes full of anxiety and worry, he quickly fired off, "It’s obvious you’ll just be insulted by the other students because you have no internal energy. There’ll be plenty of people picking fights with you. With your weak body, you won’t last half a month!"
"Wait, hold on. I think there’s some misunderstanding here..."
"Listen to your father!"
My father grabbed my shoulders and shook me back and forth wildly.
"Your dantian—no renowned doctor I’ve consulted could fix it! They couldn’t even figure out what was wrong with it!"
"I know, so... stop..."
I know!
I know the diagnosis! And I know how to fix it!
So stop shaking my head!
You’re going to break my neck!
"Ugh..."
"Please, just listen to your father this once. You’re 27 this year. The enrollment age for the Azure Dragon Academy starts at 15. How would you feel getting beaten up by 15-year-olds? Just find a nice girl in the neighborhood and get married..."
"... Ah, come on! Let me go!"
I finally managed to free myself from my father’s grip.
Ugh.
My head is still spinning.
Before my father could grab me again, I shouted, "What are you even talking about? I’m not planning to enroll in the Azure Dragon Academy!"
"Having a son like a toad... What? You’re not?"
What’s this about a toad?
I took a deep breath.
"That’s why I told you to drink in moderation. You didn’t listen to a word I said yesterday."
"You’re... not enrolling? Really?"
My father blinked, looking at me with a confused expression.
"I’m not enrolling! Really, I’m not!"
"... Then why are you going to the Azure Dragon Academy?"
I looked at my father, who was still staring at me suspiciously, and confidently declared my ambition.
"I’m going to make money!"
"... What money?"
"I heard there’s a job there that suits my talents."
I grinned and turned around.
Just then, the afternoon class of snot-nosed kids started pouring into the training ground through the gate.
"Ah! It’s the master!"
"Master! Grandmaster! Hello!"
"Teach us your peerless martial arts!"
The kids, noticing us, came running over, kicking up dust.
I turned away from them and said to my father, who still looked puzzled, "I’m not going to enroll (入學). I’m going to get a job (入社)."
What’s the difference between those snot-nosed kids and the brats at the Azure Dragon Academy?
"... What are you going to do?"
"I’m going to get a job."
But before that, there’s one thing I need to prepare.
My body has mostly recovered by now...
"So, Father. Do you like hiking?"
There’s a hidden retreat nearby that the Green Forest Bandit King left behind.
‘He said there’s some rare medicine stored there.’
"Why hiking?"
Why?
Because I can’t go alone, so I need to take you along and put you to work.