chapter 2
Over the past few days, there has been a great buzz in Cheonhajang.
The young master of the household, who had never shown any sign of awakening, finally rose from his bed.
All the members of Cheonhajang were genuinely delighted by this news.
His family, as well as the servants responsible for cleaning and handling various tasks, were all happy.
It was because he was the eldest son of a powerful family, and his amiable personality and diligent attitude had won the hearts of many.
However, strange rumors began to spread in various places.
“I heard the young master has become a bit strange.”
“Yeah, isn’t he acting strangely? They say he sits quietly on the courtyard bench all the time, except during mealtime with the family.”
People spreading the rumors looked around nervously and even twisted their fingers while discussing the matter in great detail.
When all the rumors from different parts of Cheonhajang were combined, they went something like this:
The young master had turned into a fool.
***
Ha Eunho sat on a wide bench with his eyes closed, lost in thought.
Based on the memories of the past few days, he tried to organize his thoughts.
His name was Ha Eunho, and he was exactly fifteen years old.
He is the eldest son of Cheonhajang, a large trading organization, and though he had a father and a younger sister, his mother had passed away last year.
In the memories of the young boy, there were two remarkable points.
Firstly, he was astonishingly sincere.
Secondly, he was astonishingly inept.
How could the eldest son of such a prestigious merchant family be so foolish?
It took him a year to finish learning the Thousand Character Classic, a task that should have taken a couple of months at most. Even the scholars who vowed to become true mentors would run away after experiencing this fool’s incompetence.
He had been forced to attend the Academy because it became difficult to find private tutors. Moreover, he seemed to be suffering from some sort of harassment in the Academy, but he wasn’t aware of the details.
The problem was that he always gave his best, meaning he put forth his full effort in everything.
Not only was his intellect lacking, but his physical strength was also pitiful.
Ha Eunho shook his head and looked at his own body.
He was thin.
Very much so.
When he first got up from the sickbed, he was so emaciated that the term “thin” didn’t even do justice to his appearance.
“I thought a fortnight of consuming natural energies would be enough…”
Basically, the power of yokai is based on natural energy.
The essence of this power was absorbing and refining the energies present in nature.
For over a thousand years, Eunho, who reigned as the greatest yokai, knew the greatness of natural energy.
The power that turned a patient into a criminal and a criminal into a strongman was the power of natural energies!
However, despite more than a fortnight of consuming natural energies with all his might, his body remained the same.
The doctor who was aware of Ha Eunho’s condition even called it a miracle, but Ha Eunho showed no interest.
If it were just his physical strength, it would be fine. But his mental strength was also extremely weak.
Was it because of the shock of his mother’s death at a young age?
Yes, it’s possible for young children to be impacted by something so shocking.
They might even lose consciousness for a while.
However, how could he remain unconscious for a year like this?
He even died. If it weren’t for me, this body would have become a corpse without a doubt.
Only the kind cooks and doctors of Cheonhajang, who took care of the boy to prevent his death, were out of the ordinary.
“Yes, let’s take it slow, take it slow.”
After sighing, Ha Eunho stretched and stood up.
Even though he was such a person, he was grateful to the person who gave him this body, so he decided to live to the fullest.
But still, it was pitiful that he collapsed shortly after his Mother passed away. The young master of Cheonhajang seemed truly unfortunate.
Upon hearing the news that his son had woken up, the head of Cheonhajang ran to him with tears in his eyes. Seeing this, Ha Eunho thought that the man must also have a weak temperament.
As one who had been observing him closely for the past few days, it was clear that he handled his tasks with precision and composure.
Indeed, he was worthy of being the owner of Cheonhajang, a massive trading organization. But then again, he was such a person; it was no wonder he could maintain it to such a scale.
“Cheonhajang.”
Truly an arrogant name.
How could mere mortals discuss the heavens when they had never even touched them?
Yet, the more he surveyed the area, he thought perhaps he could have reached the heavens through the financial power.
Even just the ‘Inner Quarters,’ where the head of the household’s family resided, consisted of eight grand mansions. Beyond the Inner Quarters was the ‘Outer Quarters,’ where Cheonhajang’s administrators and servants responsible for various tasks resided. Further out, between the Outer Quarters and the outermost fence, were the gardens for visiting dignitaries and merchants. The number of humans living inside the massive fence of Cheonhajang was said to exceed one thousand.
He recalled the proud expression of the Chief Manager Jang who explained this.
And also the astonished expression on his own face, which he couldn’t hide as he listened.
Ah, so this was why humans staked their lives on money.
Perhaps he should call this place the ” World Village.” Haha.
As he walked for a while, he spotted a familiar face.
“Chief Manager, you’re no less than a nobleman.”
The middle-aged man with a plump physique and neatly arranged white hair approached with a friendly smile.
“Master, what brings you all the way here?”
The Chief Manager, Jang Gwangpyeong, was not only the chief manager of Cheonhajang but also a longtime friend of his father, almost like a mentor to him.
“I happened to be passing by. By the way, where is this place exactly?”
In response to his words, Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong seemed momentarily taken aback but soon smiled and replied.
“Haha, you came quite a long way! This is the outermost part of the Inner Quarters.”
It was a shock.
Oh, he had crossed more than ten gates, and it was still the Inner Quarters. But why bother dividing it like this?
As Haeunho thought, Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong always seemed to be in a good mood these days.
It was a change that came about because Ha Eunho woke up. He regained some of his strength, which allowed him to walk such a long distance. How fortunate that he awakened.
“Now, let’s return together since it’s almost mealtime. The head of the household must be waiting.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong took light steps forward.
Ah, his demeanor was unexpectedly agile, considering his plump physique.
Smiling at the sight of his retreating figure, Ha Eunho followed him from behind.
Mealtime was one of the precious moments for Ha Eunho.
Of course, it wasn’t always like this.
Apart from alcohol, Ha Eunho didn’t particularly enjoy human food.
Moreover, the meals in this house were overly luxurious.
Various dishes of meat, caught from the sky, land, and sea, along with a variety of herbs and soups. The dishes were so extravagant that even the most prestigious supernatural beings would shed tears of envy if they saw this dining table.
Well, he might not enjoy it, but what can he do? He’s an human now.
Haeunho ate the Dongpo pork (동파육) with caution; it was a dish of lightly boiled pork, seasoned with various spices, and stir-fried again.
“What?”
It was too delicious.
Perhaps it was because he was born as a human, or maybe it was due to the memories of the boy.
He wasn’t sure of the reason, but even his taste buds seemed to have humanized.
He devoured the food without hesitation.
Since then, it had always been like this; he eagerly awaited the luxurious mealtime. Ha Eunho was always the first to arrive with a bright smile, and shortly after, his father, Ha Jinwi, arrived, bearing a cold and aloof impression.
Ha Jinwi was Ha Eunho’s father and the owner of Cheonhajang.
“Haha, you came quickly.”
“Yes, Father. Please take a seat.”
At first, addressing him as “Father” felt awkward, but after several repetitions, Ha Eunho had gotten used to it.
To live as a human, he had to follow human customs, what else could he do?
However, those around him, especially his father, Ha Jinwi, still found Ha Eunho’s condition unfamiliar.
He had changed so much.
Of course, his sincerity remained, but he was always smiling and a little introverted before he collapsed.
But now, look at him, there.
He was smiling, but there was something… devious about it.
Once the food was served, Ha Eeunho picked up his chopsticks and tasted the dish. As he savored the flavors, he noticed his father, Ha Jinwi, suddenly cough.
Ha Eunho stopped using his chopsticks and looked at Hah Jinwi.
It seemed like he had something to say.
“Is there something you want to say?”
He was being oddly daring.
“Um, um?”
“I don’t know what it is, but just say it.”
Ha Jinwi, who was taken aback by Ha Eunho’s straightforwardness, carefully began to speak.
“I heard that you have recovered quite a bit of your strength.”
“Yes, I still have a long way to go, but its manageable.”
Ha Jinwi started tapping the table with his index finger, a habit he had when he had something on his mind.
It was not an easy thing to say.
It was a habit of Ha Jinwi.
Whenever he had something on his mind, he would tap the table with his index finger.
“I don’t mean for you to go immediately…”
“Yes, I understand. I’ll start going to the Academy tomorrow.”
There were things to take care of.
“…Are you sure about this?”
“I have enough strength for that.”
Tears began to well up in the corners of Ha Jinwi’s eyes.
Yes. Ha Eunho used to always wait for his father before starting the meal. He would have waited for days or years if necessary.
That’s right. If he had changed, what would happen? He had become a bit sharp, but such positive changes were certainly good.
With their own thoughts, the conversation between the two ended as the sun set.
Here’s the English translation of the passage:
A room that, at first glance, didn’t look extravagant but had neatly arranged expensive decorations.
It was Cheonhajangju Hah Jinwi’s office.
“Haha, I heard the head of Cheonhajang went to the Academy?”
Sitting face to face across the desk was none other than Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong.
“I was so delighted when Eunho woke up. Since So Mi was born, that was the happiest moment for me. I thought I had nothing more to wish for.”
“All the people in the mansion feel the same way.”
“But now, my son has regained his strength and even said he would go to the academy. It’s still hard to believe.”
Since Eunho woke up, both of their faces had always been full of smiles.
“If he becomes the head of Cheonhajang, he will lead the family splendidly as the next generation.”
“No. That can’t happen.”
“Yes?”
“I know. Eunho is my proud son, but he can’t be the one to inherit Cheonhajang. If he becomes the head, Cheonhajang will be ruined.”
Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong looked puzzled at the harsh evaluation of his son.
“But, Master…”
“No, it can never happen.”
“Yes…”
With such a resolute attitude, Chief Manager Jang Gwangpyeong couldn’t say anything more.
He was well aware that Eunho was not very shrewd.
As the two men wore anxious expressions, an awkward atmosphere filled the entire office.
Thud.
At that moment, someone flung the door open and entered the office.
Inside Cheonhajang, the only ones who could casually enter the head’s office were his son, Eunho, and his daughter, So Mi.
To their surprise, it was a young man with an icy cold expression standing before them.
“How come you’re back already?”
Upon his father’s question, Eunho scratched the back of his head.
“I, I got kicked out.”
Eunho appeared somewhat embarrassed as he smiled.
After being reborn, Eunho left Cheonhajang for the first time and felt a strange excitement.
In his previous life, before the division between the supernatural world and the human world, Eunho used to freely come and go in the world as if it were his home, but the world he encountered as a human was again something new.
“Well, it’s nice outside, after all.”
In reality, Cheonhajang was so massive that it could hardly be called “inside,” but for Eunho, who experienced nature through his breaths, it felt stifling.
It was indeed different from artificial nature.
The accumulation of the essence of nature in his body with each breath was palpable.
The concept of the Academy was also interesting.
Many young people gathering at someone’s house, paying money to a poor teacher to study.
Tsk, it was all useless.
As Eunho encountered figures like Confucius and Mencius, he naturally gained enlightenment.
Of course, this was a story from when he lived for a thousand years.
With an excited heart, he entered the Academy, and many people’s attention focused on him.
Among them, he saw faces he had already seen in his memories.
Those people.
Come on, let’s go.
“Who is this? I thought he was dead.”
A boy with a tall and plump physique, reaching out and poking Eunho.
It was ambiguous.
This person had always picked a fight, but this time it seemed a bit ambiguous.
After all, the start of a fight was supposed to be pounding the opponent’s head into the ground.
Eunho pondered with a serious expression, and another boy next to him smirked.
“Tsk, there were rumors that you became a Celestial Being. But since you were originally one, it’s not much of a loss. Only your dad is out of luck.”
Oh, he mentioned family.
This seemed like a fight.
Although he never experienced having a family during his yokai days, right now, he felt strangely filthy.
Yeah, if I feel filthy, it’s a fight.
The corners of Eunho’s red lips slightly lifted up.
(TL/C: “Fortnight” is an English term that means a period of two weeks, specifically 14 days. It is derived from the Old English word “feorwertyne niht,” which means “fourteen nights.” In modern usage, it is commonly used in British English and some other English-speaking regions to refer to a two-week time span.)
