Gongson Seung looks at Cheonyeong and Baekta.

Those who had their faces covered with masks, with only their eyes peeking out.

But from their voices and gazes, he could tell that they were not very old.

Tadak-tadak.

Just as his body was getting drowsy from the warmth of the campfire, Cheonyeong's words began.

"There was a commission. Ah, I wasn't the one who received it."

"A commission..."

"Yes. I knew... no, I came to know the assassins who received that commission."

"I see."

"Although I stopped the immediate commission, it seemed they would continue to aim for your life, so I disguised you as dead. Since the funeral has already been held, no one will think you are alive."

"..."

Gongson Seung, who had been looking at Cheonyeong, frowned.

A unilateral decision regardless of his will...

But Cheonyeong, paying no mind to Gongson Seung's expression, continued to speak.

"The cause of death is poison."

"Poison..."

Gongson Seung looks at his own body.

"No need to worry. To be precise, it was just a medicine that made you look like a corpse for about three days. Since your body temperature had dropped and you were stiff, you'll feel sluggish, but if you eat well and sleep well, you'll be back to normal in a few days."

"I see."

"Just in time, a plague was spreading in a nearby vagrant village, so I found the body of a boy with a similar build, and disguised myself as a mortician and switched them."

"So the one who was cremated was that child?"

"That's right."

"He was cremated instead of you. He probably won't be disappointed. Since a vagrant boy died as the family head of the Gongson family. Since he ended his life with more paper money than he could ever get in his lifetime, his journey to the afterlife won't be uncomfortable."

"I am indebted to him."

"You should see it as giving him a blessing. Because if he hadn't been switched with you, it would have been a luxury he would never have enjoyed even in death."

Even at Cheonyeong's words, Gongson Seung, who had been looking at the faint village lights in the distance, gets up from his seat.

"Huh? Your body is still..."

Although Baekta, who was beside him, tried to stop him, Gongson Seung, despite showing discomfort, kneels and bows.

"I'm sorry. And thank you."

Baekta glances at Cheonyeong at the softly spoken words while prostrated, and lowers the hand he was about to use to stop him.

It was for the boy who had been cremated in his place.

Gongson Seung, who had been prostrated for a long time as if in mourning, gets up, straightens his posture, and asks.

"If it's not too much to ask, may I ask how the family was after my death?"

"Ah, that..."

Although Baekta hesitated, Cheonyeong said without much thought.

"It seemed they were more interested in who would get more than in your death."

"Hey!"

"Be quiet. It seems he's asking even though he already knows."

"But..."

Gongson Seung.

Although he was smart, wasn't he a young boy of thirteen?

Baekta, considering the hurt he would receive, glared at Cheonyeong.

"It's alright. As you said, I had roughly expected it."

A small sadness is tinged in his calm muttering.

Even if he pretends not to... his heart must be aching. Just as his had.

"Instead, many people who did not share your blood mourned."

"...That's a thankful thing."

Gongson Seung nods his head at Cheonyeong's comforting words and looks at Cheonyeong.

"What is the reason?"

"The reason?"

"Yes. The reason you went to the trouble of saving me, who has no connection to you, by disguising me as dead."

Cheonyeong showed a strange curiosity at Gongson Seung's bold question.

What on earth is this kid?

Cheonyeong, who had been just an assistant assassin in his previous life, had not been able to confirm Gongson Seung's death himself.

He had just found out through investigation and had heard through rumors.

That he was a smart punk.

But seeing him in person, wasn't he beyond imagination?

He was clearly a kid...

Could it be that this punk, like himself, had a soul that had traveled back decades at the moment of his death and possessed him?

Why was he so calm?

"Actually, I had already expected this to happen."

"What?"

"It was obvious that one of my uncles would cause trouble without much thought."

"You knew and accepted it?"

"Yes. Although I didn't think they would move this quickly, I probably wouldn't have been able to avoid it even if I had prepared. Because there were more people on my uncle's side, who had been in control of the family for a long time, than on my side, who had suddenly inherited the position of family head."

"Even so..."

"Even if one of my uncles takes over the family, the Gongson family will only be torn apart, not destroyed."

"..."

"But if I had tried to fight, the Gongson family would have been destroyed. Because I would have had to kill all my uncles and the group that sided with them."

A bitter taste appears on Gongson Seung's lips.

"Keuk, this is unexpected."

"Pardon?"

"I was quite surprised by the reaction and attitude you've shown so far."

"..."

"But a kid is a kid." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

"What do you mean?"

"Because it's so childish to think that things will be okay if you die."

"Pardon?"

"Well, but it's a relief that you're finally acting like a kid."

Gongson Seung's brow furrowed at Cheonyeong's smirk.

"But by the way. You didn't really think that if one of your uncles became the master, the Gongson family would be safe, did you?"

"That's..."

"I guess not."

A bitter taste appears on Gongson Seung's face.

He knows it too.

That there are things in the world that are hard to share even with family.

Power and wealth.

The problem of the Gongson family was caused by both of those things.

Since Gongson Gang, who had inherited the family, the old family head Gongson Muryang, and even the young Gongson Seung had died, the position of family head could go to any of the seven.

But even if someone took that position, the problem would not disappear.

The uncles, who were already obsessed with greed, would begin to fight like ghouls.

There would be another commission, and another commission.

In the end, it would lead to a catastrophe.

"I've heard a lot about you. They say you're a punk who's much faster at calculations than others. There's no way a punk like that wouldn't have calculated the future... you must not have wanted to fight. Even if they were uncles full of malice, you must not have had the confidence to kill them with your own hands because they were your blood relatives, right?"

Gongson Seung flinched as if he had been struck at Cheonyeong's words.

"I..."

"You're not ruthless. You would have guessed who was behind the previous two deaths."

Gongson Seung's face contorted noticeably.

The previous two deaths. His father, Gongson Gang, who had died in an unexpected accident, and his grandfather, Gongson Muryang, who had passed away in shock.

There was no unexpected accident.

There was just injustice in the accident.

"Yes, well, it's your family's business, so it's not a problem I should interfere in. I don't need to meddle in your choices."

"..."

"You asked for the reason earlier, right? I saved you just because your talent was a waste."

"My talent?"

"Yes. Talent. I know a punk whose talent was exceptionally overflowing, just like you. A punk who was full of talent but didn't know the world..."

Cheonyeong suddenly raises his head and looks at the sky.

The ground is still muddy, but the rain has stopped, and the clouds in the sky have cleared, and the moon is peeking out.

The weather is damn good.

It reminds me of the past...

"I'm sorry for deciding on your and the Gongson family's problem without asking for your opinion, but I wanted to give you a chance on behalf of heaven."

"A chance?"

"Yes, a chance. A chance to choose your own life and, as a result, a chance to let your innate talent bloom. Whether that future leads to revenge against your uncles, or to a new life."

"..."

"In a way, it's a good thing. If you had been alive, you would have been constantly checked by your uncles, but since everyone thinks you're dead, it will be good to hide and plan things."

Gongson Seung nods his head at Cheonyeong's words.

What a strange person.

A dogmatic and stubborn man who suddenly appeared and interfered in another's life at will.

But he was right.

The body of the vagrant boy that they believed to be him must have already been cremated and turned to ash.

So if he hid and built up his strength, he could dream of revenge without being discovered by anyone.

"No."

But Gongson Seung shook his head and smiled bitterly.

"When I decided to die on my own, my connection with my family was over. My grandfather also told me like a habit that if I didn't want to, I didn't have to inherit the family."

Cheonyeong smirked at those words.

It seems Gongson Muryang also knew.

The fact that his seven crooked sons would cause a big accident someday.

But, he probably didn't think that he would die so futilely, nor that his young grandson would inherit that burden.

Well, what parent would think that they could die at the hands of their own child?

"Then what will you do now?"

"Well. I haven't thought about that part."

Anyone would have.

Because death is the end of life.

Who would... ah, of course, he had returned to the past.

But if that choice was neither revenge nor seclusion, it seemed okay to give him a third option.

Because that was the intention of saving Gongson Seung from the beginning.

"If you haven't decided on anything, will you follow me?"

"Pardon?"

"If you have no intention of taking revenge, nor the confidence to return."

"...Where?"

Cheonyeong suddenly takes off his mask as he asks with a puzzled expression.

"Huh? Y-you?"

Baekta's eyes widen in surprise at Cheonyeong's sudden action.

But Cheonyeong, paying no mind, reveals his face and smiles at Gongson Seung.

"Sicheon, Tang Family's estate."

"Tang Family's... estate?"

"Yes. I am Tang Cheonyeong, the family head of that place."

"..."

"Start anew there. Live there for a while, and if you come to a decision about your life, you can leave."

Gongson Seung just stared silently at Cheonyeong's words.

"Hey! What are you talking about now?"

"What?"

"Don't you know what situation he's in right now?"

Baekta keeps glancing at Gongson Seung and scolds him in a small voice.

...I can hear everything. If you want to not be heard, you should have used telepathy.

And his situation?

What's wrong with it?

Although his inner thoughts are not exact, he is a punk who maintained his composure even after dying and coming back to life.

Would a cool-headed punk like that suddenly collapse after a few words?

Cheonyeong, who had completely ignored Baekta, said to Gongson Seung.

"It's okay to make another decision. I'm not forcing you."

"..."

Gongson Seung's thoughts deepen at Cheonyeong's suggestion.

To follow him?

Gongson Seung, who had been pondering for a moment, looked at Cheonyeong with clear, shining eyes and said.

"Is it a recruitment?"

"It's a recruitment."

"Without a test?"

"Why would I? I've already heard more than enough about your talent. This is enough of an interview."

"...Then, it's a financial problem?"

"Yes."

"An assistant to the general manager?"

Cheonyeong let out a smirk at Gongson Seung's question.

He's a prodigy.

Although he pretended not to, he must have been in great shock...

He had already gathered himself, regained his composure, and was figuring out the given options.

So fast that you wouldn't think he was a punk who had just experienced death.

So it was even more of a relief.

Because it seemed the path he had come was not in vain.

"Don't talk about being an assistant to the general manager."

"Then?"

"The Tang Family's estate, the chief financial officer."

"Pardon?"

"You're that kind of punk, aren't you? You."

A smile appeared on Gongson Seung's lips as he faced the smirking Cheonyeong.

"Not bad. However, my salary is expensive."

"It's okay."

"..."

"Because from now on, you will be managing all the money of the Tang Family's estate."

"That's radical."

"Of course. If you betray me, you'll really die then."

Gongson Seung's face wore an innocent expression that had not been seen before as Cheonyeong said, tapping the sword in his hand.

"I look forward to working with you. Family Head."

"I look forward to working with you. Seung."

Baekta just stared blankly at the two.

Does this make sense?

A thirteen-year-old kid who calmly accepts a situation where it wouldn't be strange for him to lose his mind.

Tang Cheonyeong, who makes a radical proposal to such a kid and accepts him as a family member.

Although he was seeing it with his own eyes, Baekta's head could not understand their actions at all.

And their mental state...

Are they crazy?

Or, are the so-called geniuses originally like that?

"Hey, Myeongseon."

"Huh?"

"Let's part ways now."

"You're going?"

"Yes. I've got a pretty good talent, and there's no reason to stay here any longer."

"No, but at least a drink..."

"I've been away from my family for too long. I'm also worried because I've left it to incompetent punks. If you want to drink, come visit Sicheon sometime. I'll buy you a big drink."

"..."

"Ah, and you'll keep it a secret, right?"

"Do you think I can reveal it at this point? Don't worry. I'll handle it on my end. As if you were never at Dongting Lake."

"You must."

"I got it. I got it!"

Cheonyeong smiled at Baekta's words and turned his body.

This was it.

If the Beggars' Sect stepped in, most of his tracks would be erased.

Even if the Jingagu, who had recognized Jasu's death, chased him, it would be after a long time.

And when they finally found him, he would already be huge.

"Let's go, Seung."

"Yes."

Gongson Seung followed him, and Baekta just stared blankly at their backs.

"Hmm, Sicheon..."

(End of Chapter)