The head of the family, known as the strongest swordsman of the current generation and reigning above all the family’s lions, had an epithet that followed his name.
The Beast King.
“I came here because I was curious, but I never expected to see you fighting like this.”
“...”
“Just how old are you that you’ve forgotten all sense of dignity?”
In the presence of that epithet—a title any member of the family would utter with respect, affection, and awe—
There was no way anyone present dared say a word.
My father and Third Uncle, who had been rolling around on the floor until then, rose to their feet and hurriedly lowered their heads.
My mother and Do Seungwoo’s mother quickly lined up beside them.
“If there had been people from other families here besides ours, they would have mocked us as the bastards of mutts rather than the children of lions.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Did you want to disgrace the Divine Sword Do Clan by having grown adults fight like that? If you wanted to fight so badly, you should have fought with swords, as befitted a prestigious sword family! I’ve never been so disappointed.”
“...”
“And the same goes for you. When your brothers started fighting so shamefully, you should have stopped them or mediated between them instead of standing around and watching. But you just stood there grinning as you watched? You’re no different from these fools.”
“We’re sorry, Head of the Family!”
The head of the Divine Sword Do Clan of the current generation.
The Beast King, Do Yeik.
With the appearance of my grandfather, whose presence was like a mountain standing before us, the situation was quickly brought under control.
Not a single person present could raise their head before my grandfather.
‘His pressure is no joke.’
I couldn’t raise my head either.
It felt as though I were being crushed beneath some unfathomable power.
That feeling wasn’t an illusion.
[You have been exposed to Pressure.]
[All stats decrease by 10%.]
My grandfather had released his Pressure.
As I read the message floating before my eyes, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
The decrease in my stats was considerable, even though he probably wasn’t displaying his full force.
‘No wonder he’s considered one of the strongest people in Korea in the game.’
The game 『Brave Hearts』.
In this game, almost the entire story took place in the academy city where the protagonist, Kang Hanbyeol, was located, and primarily revolved around the students.
As a result, the world outside the academy city—its international situation and its various figures—was never explored in much detail.
My grandfather, the head of the Divine Sword Do Clan, could be said to fall into that category as well.
Still, he was occasionally mentioned in passing during scenes related to the Divine Sword Do Clan.
And each time, he was described as someone who could easily be considered one of the strongest people in Korea.
Having caught a glimpse of just a portion of my grandfather’s power, I had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“So, why were you fighting?”
After giving them a thorough scolding, my grandfather questioned them about what had happened.
The oppressive atmosphere that had been constricting the surroundings just moments ago had vanished at some point.
[You have escaped Pressure.]
[Your decreased stats have been restored.]
My grandfather had withdrawn his Pressure.
I discreetly dismissed the message with my eyes and cautiously lifted my head.
By then, Third Uncle was answering my grandfather as though he had been waiting for his chance.
“Head of the Family, the thing is...”
Blah, blah, blah.
Third Uncle explained that Do Seungwoo and I had fought a sparring match.
His explanation was somewhat biased.
“Head of the Family, that’s not what happened...”
My father cut him off as though he couldn’t stand to lose the argument.
“Head of the Family, look at Seungwoo’s face.”
“Head of the Family, Gyeonu attacked him for no reason...”
Do Seungwoo’s mother and my mother hurriedly tried to add their own words.
And just as the situation was about to proceed much as it had before—
“Enough. That will do.”
“...”
My grandfather’s thick eyebrows twitched as he cut them off entirely.
It was the order of the head of the family.
My father, mother, Third Uncle, and Do Seungwoo’s mother all fell silent.
“Rather than listening to you, I think it would be better to hear it from the people directly involved. Gyeonu.”
“...Yes, Grandfather.”
I had a feeling this would happen ever since my grandfather came to the training ground.
When my name was called, I walked forward without panic.
“Is it true that you challenged Seungwoo to a spar and won that spar?”
“...”
It felt as though I were looking up at a mountain.
Up close, my grandfather’s presence felt even more immense.
For a moment, I was overwhelmed by it, but I hurriedly collected myself.
Then I opened my mouth.
“Yes. I was the one who challenged him first, and I did win.”
“Is that so? Then how did you win? You didn’t use some underhanded trick, did you...?”
“I just hit him once from behind when he showed an opening, and he fainted.”
“...”
“It’s hard to explain in words... There were plenty of people watching the spar, so you can ask them. They’ll be able to tell you the details.”
I answered honestly.
I knew my explanation was lacking, but answering this way was the best I could do.
At my answer—
“I see. Is that so?”
The corners of my grandfather’s mouth lifted.
“Well, I suppose it makes sense that you wouldn’t know, since you were focused on the spar. As you said, I can ask the other children about what happened.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you touch the boy after the spar was over and he had fainted?”
“I needed to check whether Seungwoo was alive or dead.”
“What?”
“He wasn’t reacting at all while unconscious, so I got scared and poked him to make sure.”
“...”
“That’s why I slapped his cheek.”
I answered this honestly as well.
At that, I saw Third Uncle glare at me. Beside him, Do Seungwoo’s mother was giving me a similar look.
I ignored them.
Meanwhile, after hearing what I said, my grandfather—
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“How very interesting.”
“...”
His shoulders began to shake, and then, out of nowhere, he burst into laughter.
From that laughter, Do Seungwoo’s parents seemed to sense that things were headed in a bad direction.
At that moment, the two of them opened their mouths as though they intended to protest.
“Head of the Family! You actually believe what he—”
“When did I give you permission to speak?”
But they could not continue in response to my grandfather’s question.
“This was settled between the two parties through a spar, and from what I’ve heard, there doesn’t seem to be any real problem. Let us end the matter here.”
“But, Head of the Family...”
“Are you intending to continue making a spectacle of yourself?”
“...”
“You should know when to admit what must be admitted. Or should I ask your son as well?”
“What? Head of the Family, what do you mean...?”
“Seungwoo, open your eyes now. I know you’ve regained consciousness.”
...What? He wasn’t unconscious?
I quickly turned my head at my grandfather’s words.
Do Seungwoo’s eyelids, which had remained tightly shut since a little while ago, trembled.
Soon, the boy who had been held in his mother’s arms opened his eyes, rose to his feet, and respectfully bowed.
“...Head of the Family.”
“Now, tell me the truth. Do you think Gyeonu used a cowardly trick? Do you think that was how he won?”
“...No, sir.”
My grandfather was the head of the family.
Even if Do Seungwoo hated me, there was no way he could risk his life by giving a dangerous lie.
In the first place, when faced with my grandfather’s authority, one instinctively answered whatever he asked, regardless of one’s own will.
Thus, Do Seungwoo had no choice but to acknowledge his defeat, his face twisted with shame.
“Even after your son has admitted it, do you still intend to remain stubborn?”
“...I’m sorry.”
“Do not bring this matter up again.”
And with that, the situation was resolved.
Third Uncle backed down, while Do Seungwoo’s mother merely ground her teeth, the corners of her eyes reddening.
“You’ve all worked hard coming here today. The banquet will be starting soon, so let us continue whatever conversations remain there.”
My grandfather soon redirected everyone’s attention.
Then he suddenly turned toward me.
“After the banquet, I suppose we should see for ourselves how skilled you are in the evaluation match.”
“Ah...”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
After saying that to me,
My grandfather left the training ground with the people who had been present.
The training ground became less crowded.
That was when my mother approached me.
“Gyeonu?”
My mother was... smiling.
* * *
I was dead.
Seeing my mother smiling with her hair tangled into a wild mess, I couldn’t shake that thought.
And that wasn’t all.
There were scratch marks from fingernails on her elbow, and one of the accessories that had been attached to her clothes had been torn loose and was dangling from it.
As I took in that sight—
“Do you know what you did wrong?”
“...Yes.”
I couldn’t make any excuses.
With her arms folded, my mother wiped the smile from her face and turned cold. I lowered my head before her.
“What did you do wrong?”
“That I challenged Do Seungwoo to a spar and dragged Mom and Dad into it.”
“Are you saying that’s what you did wrong?”
“...”
Her voice was as cold as ice.
I shrank back at the sound of it.
My mother had never scolded me like this before.
No.
—If only you had never been born...
In my previous life, it had been commonplace.
Hearing my mother’s words, I recalled memories from a distant past that I had long since forgotten.
—My life wouldn’t have been ruined! Because of you, because of you...! If only a bastard like you had never been born...
In my previous life, my mother would often drink and cry as she said things like that.
In severe cases, she would even hit me.
—I’m sorry. I did something wrong, so please stop hitting me now. I’m sorry I was born. I’m sorry...
In those situations,
There wasn’t much a young child like me could do.
At most, I could curl up to minimize the beating or beg forgiveness for something I hadn’t even done.
That was all.
Eventually, my mother would come to her senses and embrace me.
—I’m sorry. I’m really sorry...
My mother in my previous life cried often.
Perhaps that was why she never stopped crying even after hitting me.
—Mom, I’m sorry.
Every time,
I would hold my mother tightly.
I hated the mother who had struck me, but I knew there was no one else I could rely on besides her.
My father?
He had run off with another woman, and I didn’t even know what had become of him.
So I comforted my mother.
—I’m sorry for everything.
So please don’t abandon me.
As I patted my mother’s back, I prayed desperately in my heart.
But my wish was not granted.
—When I make lots of money later, I’ll come back for you. You can wait here quietly until then, can’t you?
I was ten years old.
In the end, I was abandoned at an orphanage.
I was old enough to know that it was a lie, no matter how sweetly my mother said it.
—Yes. I’ll wait.
Even so, I pretended to believe her.
Because I had eventually realized that no matter how tightly I clung to my mother, it would do no good.
—Take care.
Even as she abandoned me, my mother in my previous life never once referred to herself as my mother.
Not even at the very end.
Perhaps she never knew.
As for how I lived after that...
—What, just because I don’t have parents, do you think I have no pride?
With nothing to lose and nothing to fear, I simply lived recklessly.
Even so, it seemed I could never forget being abandoned by my mother.
To the point that—
“You really don’t know what you did wrong?”
“...I’m sorry.”
It had become etched into me, even after reincarnation.
Before my mother who was scolding me, I projected the image of my mother from my previous life.
My mother—my mother from my previous life—was speaking to me.
“What you did wrong is...!”
—If only you had never been born...!
How was I supposed to beg for forgiveness?
Would it make her feel better if I let my mother hit me, just as my mother in my previous life had?
Or did I have to say that I was sorry for being born before she would forgive me?
It was when I squeezed my eyes shut—
“I... Mom was angry because you never told me that Seungwoo had been bullying you all this time.”
“...”
Something settled atop my head.
I opened my eyes at the sensation of a hand gently stroking my hair.
“I’m sorry.”
My mother stood before me.
Her expression seemed caught somewhere between laughter and tears.
A moment later, she pulled me into her arms.
“Ah...”
“I’m sorry I didn’t know all this time.... Mom was wrong.”
“...Mom?”
As if she meant to comfort me,
My mother tightened her arms around me.
Her shoulders heaved as she sobbed.
I could only stare blankly.
‘Ah, so that was it.’
Before long, a laugh escaped me without my realizing it.
Still being held in an awkward position, I cautiously reached out with the hand that had been groping through the air and placed it on Mother’s back.
Then I whispered to Mother, who kept apologizing to me for what she had done.
“I’m sorry too. For not telling you. I won’t do that again.”
“Gyeonu….”
Before awakening to my past life, I had been overly considerate of others, and so, rather than worry my parents, I had always suffered alone in silence.
But looking back after recalling my past life, it seemed that those very feelings had instead left an even deeper wound in my parents’ hearts.
As I patted Mother’s back, I reflected on and regretted my past life.
“I’m truly sorry.”
And I thanked my parents.
I was grateful that Father was my father, and grateful that Mother was my mother.
“Sniff… Mommy, don’t cry….”
“All right, Ye-eun. Mommy will hold you too. Come here.”
“Okay!”
“That’s my girl. Oh, my pretty baby.”
“Mommy, when you were fighting earlier, I gave the eldest aunt by marriage of Third Uncle a butt poke. I did good, right?”
“Really? You did that? Good job.”
“I poked her really hard!”
“…You’d better go wash your hands in the bathroom before dinner. Good job.”
…Give me back my touching moment.
* * *
I said I wouldn’t cause any trouble, but in the end, I caused trouble anyway.
Still, somehow, everything was resolved.
“Honestly… I was going to scold them too, but seeing them like this, it would be awkward for me to step in. It can’t be helped.”
To Do Sangjun, the three people embracing one another with arms that seemed far too delicate and small were nothing but adorable.
He even considered joining them in their embrace and sharing some familial affection.
“Oh, dear….”
But time had passed.
By then, they had already broken apart.
Do Sangjun had no choice but to greet his wife, whose hair was disheveled yet whose expression looked somehow refreshed.
Soon, his gaze fell on the wound on her arm.
“Are you all right? It must sting quite a bit. I can treat it with healing magic….”
“It’s fine. I’m going to leave this wound alone and let it heal on its own.”
“No, why?”
“Because this is a mother’s pride.”
His wife, Han Jiae, refused Do Sangjun’s hand as he tried to cast magic.
Then she puffed out her chest proudly.
Do Sangjun was dumbfounded.
“Then at least let me use cleaning magic to tidy up your hair….”
“And there’s something else, dear.”
“Huh? What is it?”
“I’m going to cut my hair.”
“What? Why are you suddenly cutting your hair?”
“Because I never want anyone to grab me by the hair again.”
“…What?”
“Long hair seems inconvenient. So I’m going to cut it while I’m at it.”
“I like your hair long….”
“Hm? What did you just say?”
Do Sangjun tried to persuade Han Jiae.
But after seeing the look in her eyes, he hurriedly shook his head.
“No, you look good in anything, so I’m sure short hair would suit you too.”
“Really?”
A smile spread across Han Jiae’s face.
Do Sangjun inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.
But his crisis was not yet completely over.
She changed the subject.
“And you know you did something wrong too, right?”
“Huh?”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“…”
“It’s already over, so there’s nothing we can do about it, but you should know that I won’t be sleeping with you for the time being.”
“What? What does that….”
“I’ll sleep in Ye-eun’s room for a while. You can sleep by yourself.”
“No, honey….”
“Kids, you’re all a mess. Hurry up and clean yourselves up, then let’s go to the banquet.”
“Honey?”
Leaving the bewildered Do Sangjun behind,
Han Jiae took Do Gyeonu and Do Ye-eun and left the training grounds.
“Hah, seriously….”
Before he knew it, Do Sangjun was alone in the training grounds.
Soon, a hollow laugh escaped him.
“Why do you forgive our son so easily, but not me?”
It was so unfair.
Do Sangjun let out a lament.
I Became the Middle Boss’s Childhood Friend