I was sitting in Okmyogak. I looked at my arms and legs. Five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot— the count was right.
The Hwanggeum Family boasted the largest estate in the Central Plains. It was nothing unusual to give a whole building to just one child.
At that time, I didn’t know. How envious the passing servants and distant relatives looked at me.
It was still the same. The chair lined with red silk, the desk and bookshelf crafted from three-hundred-year-old red pine. On the ceiling hung a painting of a white tiger and a green dragon locked in battle.
“The world isn’t always as simple as it seems.”
That’s just how I thought.
To anyone else, being cast away into the past was absurd, something that made no sense logically.
Then, the fact that blood relatives cut off my hands and feet and left me locked away for twenty years was equally nonsensical.
There’s no rule saying impossible things don’t happen twice. Compared to the past I’d been through, this was a rather mild punishment.
Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.
“Come in.”
I said, and a servant entered. It was a face I hadn’t seen in a while. His name was Jichul, a servant who had been under my command since I was a child.
His hair was dyed a bluish-temple shade, giving him a distinctive look. Back then, he looked quite cute. After all, Jichul was only four years older than me.
I must have been around twelve. That would make Jichul about fifteen.
“Long time no see.”
“Pardon?”
“No, never mind.”
Jichul bowed deeply. I raised the tip of my foot slightly toward the window and looked outside. The sun was already shining brightly, illuminating the courtyard.
“Young Master, how would you like to handle lunch?”
“More importantly, what time is it now?”
“It’s sasi.”
“Is that so? Why didn’t you wake me?”
Normally, the Hwanggeum Family’s children were supposed to rise at the start of jinsa. That was a rule set by our father, the Gaju.
“Huh?”
Jichul looked at me, raising his big, innocent eyes.
I remember then my spirit was too weak. Enduring fear as if it were patience, I treated everyone kindly.
Among them, I took pride in treating Jichul, who had stayed by my side the longest, better than the other servants.
But later I heard Jichul had revealed my personal affairs and family rules to others. Meanwhile, other servants remained quietly silent. The Hwanggeum Family was truly a place no one could fully understand, no matter how much they tried.
Even after returning, I couldn’t claim to know everything about this family.
Instead, I knew what I had to do.
“I’m asking why you didn’t wake me.”
I asked quietly. I didn’t get angry first. In my life, I rarely ever lost my temper.
In the past, I was nearly absent-minded. I didn’t understand the importance of people; I was stuck reading books and lost in fantasies.
Because of those times, I mastered all kinds of institutional knowledge and studies. But conversely, that also caused me great suffering. I couldn’t undo those mistakes now.
“I woke you several times, but you didn’t get up, so I stopped waking you.”
Jichul straightened his hair as he spoke, throwing in a look of mild contempt.
Right. Unlike others, I didn’t scold the servants, so people like this surrounded me.
“Still, you didn’t wake me?”
“Since you went back to sleep anyway, it didn’t make sense.”
His lips pouted. I understood. Jichul was too young to manage his expressions well.
“That’s a different story. You waking me is a duty; me getting up is a choice.”
“…Sorry.”
Jichul lowered his head as if to avoid a long lecture. Of course, it wasn’t a sincere apology. Just a perfunctory excuse.
He could be resentful. After all, someone who never behaved this way suddenly became difficult and then blamed others for not waking him up.
But I couldn’t fully understand that. Because I had just witnessed the aftermath of understanding all that.
“Jichul.”
“Yes?”
“Relax your expression.”
“Huh?”
“Don’t question if what you heard was right. Are they all gathered in the Great Hall?”
“Yes.”
I grabbed the armrest and stood up. So-called noble families had too many pointless rules.
One such rule was never to let a family member eat alone. Of course, Father ate alone every day, but Father was a god who could bend the rules; we were different.
“All right. Lead the way.”
“You’re leading?”
I looked at Jichul. He still wore a sullen expression.
“You know the way anyway…”
He even muttered a scolding. I smiled inwardly. This was a kind of childish power play.
Honestly, when I was young, I didn’t think money or status were impressive, so he probably didn’t understand why I spoke politely.
Back then, I just hated conflict and pretended not to hear.
Jichul seemed to know I’d heard him as he turned away.
“Jichul.”
I got up from the chair and walked over to him. He turned around, and I immediately gave him a slap.
With a grunt, Jichul rolled onto the floor like a chess piece, and I kept hitting the top of his head repeatedly.
Smack! Smack!! Crack!
The sounds of the strikes echoed throughout the tall ceiling of Okmyogak, slicing through the air.
When Jichul’s cheeks puffed up and his eyes squinted, I stopped and stood up.
“Get up.”
Jichul jumped to his feet. Tears of resentment and frustration welled up in his eyes.
I understood.
I had actually forgotten the way home and asked him to guide me. As a child, I had been in a kind of voluntary confinement, often staying in damp basements when my age was sought.
I didn’t hit him out of malice. Jichul made a mistake, and since I had the right to discipline, I simply enforced it.
Still, I treated Jichul’s youth with some leniency. If servants from a warrior family like Namgung Sega, Jinjueonga, or Habukpaenga had disrespected me, one of their ears would have been sliced off. That was the Gangho.
“Lead the way again.”
I said. Jichul immediately stood up and moved obediently.
Fortunately, he didn’t forget to keep a respectful distance when leading his master.
As we neared the Great Hall, I calmed myself. First Brother, Second Brother, Third Sister. I was about to see those people again—the ones who had fought and killed over the Successor seat.
The speech wouldn’t be long. My emotions had already been sucked into the prison I was trapped in yesterday.
After guiding me, Jichul stood near the door and called out loudly,
“The Fourth Young Master is entering!”
The massive door slowly opened inward. The elaborate decorations on the door looked like a folded origami version of Elder Brother Yuseon. Once, I thought it was impressive; now, I understood what that ornament symbolized.
Gooooooo—
The door was thick and heavy, making a strange sound whenever the Great Hall’s door opened.
“You’re here, Young Master.”
Two elite guards usually stood by the large door of the family estate. I nodded slightly to them and entered the dining hall.
Pushing through the crimson curtains tied with tassels, I saw my brothers’ figures.
In the center sat Geum-wolsang, with Second Brother Geum-hwacheong on his left, and Third Sister Geum-surin on the right.
“We pay respects to the Youngest Young Master.”
Behind them stood their personal attendants. Like Jichul by my side, they all had their own servants attached.
Before sitting, I observed my brothers’ faces. First Brother looked nearly full-grown at eighteen, already broad and muscular.
Second Brother wore an expression of annoyance and fatigue.
Third Sister looked scared, darting her eyes around nervously.
“Sit down since you’re here. What are you looking at so disdainfully?”
Geumhwacheong frowned when he caught me staring.
“Yes.”
I bowed my head and took my seat, briefly recalling their personalities.
The first thing that came to mind was definitely Second Brother Geumhwacheong’s insane temper. Especially toward me.
“There’s a youngest who comes home later than his brothers and sister every day. The world’s upside down. You’re probably going to say you lost track of time reading again, huh?”
Geumhwacheong snapped at me. Of course, we were in constant conflict over the Successor position and couldn’t get along. Even disregarding that, Geumhwacheong simply disliked me.
I was quiet and timid, not just with servants but with everyone—brothers, sisters, elders.
From the very start, I lacked the strength to endure the oppressive atmosphere of the Hwanggeum Family.
Of course, now I was filled with poison and no longer cared.
“I was late because I was managing the servants.”
I said casually. Six pairs of eyes silently turned toward Jichul behind me.
“Did you hit him?”
Geumwolsang covered his eyes and asked. His deep voice filled the entire dining hall.
I looked at Geumwolsang’s face. He stared sternly. But looking back, it wasn’t surprising to receive such a gaze. After all, we were competitors from birth.
“I corrected him for lacking proper manners.”
“Raising a hand against a person? Especially your own servant? No wonder you’re so strange.”
“The book says a good student should show change within three days.”
“…You know that’s not what I meant.”
Before Geumwolsang could finish, footsteps cut through the dining hall and kitchen. A small cart carrying dishes rolled noisily toward us.
The one pulling it was Nechonggwan, my personal steward. He always brought food to the dining hall himself.
As soon as Nechonggwan entered, the noise of the cart grew louder.
His pale, heavily wrinkled face belonged to an old man. He was the steward of the Hwanggeum Family.
Without even making eye contact, he placed the dishes on the table. By the time the food was all served, Geumhwacheong smirked.
“Kuuk…”
Immediately, Nechonggwan’s gaze turned to Geum-hwacheong. Geum-hwacheong shrugged and said,
“My steward says it’s rude to speak during meals, but I have to be bold and ask. Could you look after the servant behind the youngest one?”
“Huh?”
Nechonggwan looked back at Jichul behind me and immediately froze. He grabbed Jichul’s face and asked,
“…What happened, Jichul?”
Jichul glanced between me and Nechonggwan briefly. There was a moment of hesitation, but then he clung to Nechonggwan and said,
“The Youngest Young Master struck me.”
Nechonggwan looked at me. His eyes wavered, filled with disbelief. I rested my chin on my hand and met his gaze to make it easier for him to believe.
Only then did Nechonggwan’s expression turn grim and sour, as if scolding a servant was a serious offense against a master.
“I disciplined my servant. What’s the problem?”
This was, I think, the first step toward a proper life.