Chapter 90 – Village Chief (Sunok) – The Young Master’S Homecoming
* Village Chief (Sunok) – The Young Master’s Homecoming (5)
As soon as I stepped inside, the commotion was non-stop. The grandfathers were either having fits or shedding tears, and I had no idea why, but they were definitely in their own world, and it took an hour for them to calm down. Amidst the chaos, I sat next to my grandmother, and I saw that Moonyoung and her bald father were sitting respectfully by the door. They looked just as bewildered by the commotion as I was, clearly not used to it.
It’s easy to say that the commotion lasted an hour, but the loudest part was when I bowed to the grandfathers. I didn’t know my exact relationship with them, but they were elders, and I thought it would be better to be polite, so I bowed my head and said, “Have you all been well?” The number of grandfathers having fits increased dramatically.
“Oh my, you’ve grown so well! So well! Huh?! You’ve grown so tall and handsome!”
“Why was such a child born from that rotten bastard?”
“Oh my! Oh my! Really! I can die here today without any regrets!”
The old men were pounding their chests and causing a ruckus, like a scene from some cult on TV, but I figured it was best to let it go. There were a few people who looked like they were from TV mixed in with the grandfathers, so I was a bit nervous.
“No wonder the older sister was cooking herself!”
“Look how skinny the kid is!”
“Kids! Bring more! More!”
As if breaking the mood, I said I was hungry, and the commotion briefly subsided before erupting again. As planned from the start, the servants who had been working outside brought in the food, one after another. The first thing I ate was the squid fritters made by my grandmother, but everything else that came out was good too. I thought I’d be too nervous to taste anything, but surprisingly, I was able to enjoy the meal. It felt like visiting relatives for Lunar New Year. I’ve never actually done that, so I don’t know for sure, but I guess this is what it’s like. Even the subtle nagging and questions about my life felt like they fit the mood.
During that awkward time,
My grandmother, who had been watching the whole time, finally spoke.
“You old fools, let’s leave the kid alone and talk about why you came all the way here.”
With that one sentence, the commotion completely died down, and everyone returned to their seats. It was awkward being the only one slurping my soup in the silence, but it didn’t seem like I was about to get caught in the crossfire. My grandmother told the elders a slightly embellished version of the story she had told me the night before, and before she even finished, people’s reactions started to vary wildly.
At first, everyone seemed to be against it, but they glanced at me, and when I repeated the threats I had made to my grandmother, their reactions changed again. Then, when I used my father as an example, they seemed to lose their nerve. It was fascinating to see all the different reactions. There were a few old men who didn’t back down, but it didn’t last long. I could clearly see the wrinkles on their foreheads rippling like waves.
In the end, it seemed like I was the one who had to wrap things up, and I felt uncomfortable with all the attention, but I only had one thing to say from the start, so I encouraged myself to be brave. If they couldn’t grant my request, they would end up like my father. I was prepared for that, so it wasn’t hard to open my mouth.
“So, Junseo, what is it that you want to say?”
“I’m not asking you elders for anything difficult. I’m just saying, don’t touch the babies I’m raising. Taking them away after giving them to me, isn’t that a bit harsh? Please don’t take away the pets your grandson is raising. I’ve grown attached to them.”
“Whether you’re attached or not, we were always planning to get rid of the women around you and find you new ones. It’s not easy to change our minds, even if you say so. We’ve already started working on it.”
“Even if it’s our grandson’s request… tsk…”
“Thinking about how your father brought a woman from outside and ended up in such a mess, it’s hard to accept… What if something like that happens again? I’m afraid our bloodline will be completely wiped out…”
“No, it’s not right to say it like that. Why would I end up in a mess like that man? From what I’ve heard, that rotten bastard went astray because he was against marriage here.”
“That’s not true! He was always a bad person!”
“That’s right! He’s an animal! How could he bite the hand that fed him?!”
“I, his son, know best that he was a bad person. But I heard that was the trigger. If that hadn’t happened, he would have at least stayed in the village.”
“Hmm…”
Some people tried to object to my words, but somehow, a voice of agreement came back. It would be hard to make excuses. After all, it was because of that one incident that my father left without a trace and had a child outside. His bad personality was a problem, but it was also due to their ignorance, and they didn’t want to reveal their shame.
“I didn’t come here to fight with you elders. I understand how much you care about the village from your reactions, and it seems like you want to get along with me. Of course, I came here because I want to live well in the village with my grandmother and you elders. Or am I being too presumptuous? Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable with me being here? If you tell me that you’re uncomfortable with me being here and that I should go back, I’ll leave right away.”
“No, that’s not it.”
“Honey, why are you talking like that~!”
“We’ve been waiting for you so long.”
“Of course. If you were that bastard back then, you would have stormed out of here.”
“He’s speaking so politely, and it seems like he’s grown up well…”
Their reactions, showing that they missed me, didn’t seem to be a lie. Even I thought I was being too stiff, but they were being so welcoming, so I relaxed a little.
“As you can see, our Seo is more rational than the idiot I gave birth to. At first, I was also thinking of getting rid of the women around him, but I think we should back off if it’s like this.”
“If you say so, older sister, we’ll think about it…”
“But who would accept that? Leaving those harlots, whose bloodline we don’t even know, next to the young master.”
“If one of them gets pregnant and has a mixed-blood child…”
“Oh my. Don’t say such scary things. I wouldn’t accept such a child either. We’d have to get rid of it.”
Their tone was not just prickly, but harsh, so I felt very uncomfortable, but I didn’t show it and swallowed my breath, thinking. I had expected this kind of reaction. If they were going to force their opinions on me by ignoring mine, I was going to leave right away, but with this, there was room for negotiation.
“Two of the girls next to me can’t get pregnant, so you don’t have to worry about that. The other one (Seowoo) isn’t the type who wants to have a child, so the chances of her getting pregnant are slim. And if you’re so worried about bloodlines, I’ll have a wedding with someone you’ve prepared for me.”
“What did you say?”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. It seems like you’re worried about what my father did, but isn’t it enough if I contribute to the village? I’ll have children, settle down in the village, and learn what I need to do… I thought that’s what you wanted…?”
“Well, yes, but…”
“Honey, you don’t have to try to act so grown-up.”
“We were going to prepare a marriage partner for you, but doing it so quickly, like a bolt of lightning, feels like we’re forcing you, and it breaks my heart…”
I don’t know if they were being sincere, but I didn’t think so. These were the people who had been waiting for me to agree like this. They probably wanted me to get married quickly and settle down in the village. The fact that they were planning to prepare a marriage partner already revealed their true intentions. They were people who made a lot of fuss over appearances.
“Unlike my father, I want to get along with everyone in the village. You elders want that too, right? Then isn’t the story simple? I’ll work in the village, get married, and have children according to your wishes. And you elders will step back for me and allow me to keep my pets. Isn’t that the end of it? Or am I being too unreasonable?”
Hmm…
Umm…
After hearing my words, the elders’ groans echoed in the room. It seemed like I was the only bloodline left by my father, and the fact that I would have children was attractive to them. They were clearly struggling with their decision.
“Can’t you even indulge a grandson’s whim?”
“It’s not that…”
“Still…”
“I’m asking you like this.”
When I bowed my head again, a murmur spread. At this point, they had no choice but to give in. Regardless of the snakes they were harboring inside, these people, like my grandmother, called me young master and cared for me. My bowing my head seemed to genuinely bother them, and one or two of them started to speak up.
“Alright! Alright!”
“Older sister! I’m done! The kid is asking us like this, what’s the point of us being stubborn!”
“That’s right. Looking at him, he’s even being considerate by calling them pets…”
“It’s not like he’s marrying a woman from outside like that guy, and he’s being considerate, so why should we make the kid suffer?”
“If we’re stubborn here, the same thing will happen again…”
“Of course… The kid has grown up so well, what’s the point of hurting his feelings…”
Was it the aftermath of my father’s actions? The elders gave in for now.
“Hmm…”
The bald man, Moonyoung’s father, looked at me intently from behind his sunglasses, as if he was thinking about their reaction. He didn’t say anything because of the situation, but his gaze seemed to have some important meaning.
“Do you have anything to say to our child?”
My grandmother reacted, noticing his gaze. I was a little nervous about what he was going to say, but the answer that came out was ordinary.
“Even though he’s the young master, it’s our organization’s fault that he was able to sneak into the village. I was thinking about that.”
“No one will blame you. The story has been resolved well, so we’ll let it slide today.”
“Is that so.”
The bald man seemed like he wanted to say something else, but he soon closed his mouth. Since the elders had accepted my conditions, the atmosphere naturally relaxed, and the servants started moving busily again. After that, it was like a question time with close relatives. It was as if the atmosphere from just now was a lie, and they had become like really silly old people.
