Chapter 19
Yeo Un-hwi and his family were seated around a table in the reception room they had been led to.
Tea, commonly served to guests, sat on the table, but it remained untouched even as the rising steam cooled.
This was especially true of the cup in front of Paeng Seo-yeon.
Hoo.
Paeng Seo-yeon's breathing had been rough ever since they arrived.
The current situation seemed to be making her quite anxious and uneasy.
Why was that?
Paeng Seo-yeon knew her father Peng Mugang's harsh temperament better than anyone.
That's why he had been the person she feared and dreaded most since childhood.
That stern man.
What would he say to her and her family now that they had returned?
No, would he perhaps turn them away?
It would be fortunate if he at least sent them away with gentle words.
As her thoughts reached that point, her fear grew greater with each passing moment.
She kept thinking that perhaps it would have been better to continue living humbly and happily in Sodam Village as they had been.
Rather than coming here like this.
Just then, someone took hold of Paeng Seo-yeon's hand, which had been fidgeting nervously.
It was her daughter Yul.
Seeing Yul, Paeng Seo-yeon's face showed both affection and concern.
She found Yul so lovable for acting this way without even knowing what was troubling her mother, but she also worried about showing Yul a frightening or unsightly side of herself.
"Mom?"
"Yul..."
As Paeng Seo-yeon called her daughter's name softly, this time Yeo Un-hwi patted her shoulder.
As if to say not to worry.
"Honey..."
Paeng Seo-yeon's gaze turned to Yeo Un-hwi.
She felt grateful for her husband's comforting smile.
But at the same time, she also felt puzzled.
While she was so anxious, her husband Yeo Un-hwi didn't show the slightest sign of trembling or fear in this situation.
Paeng Seo-yeon found that strange.
In truth, her husband should have been even more nervous than her.
Even ordinary martial artists tended to find her father Peng Mugang's overwhelming presence burdensome.
So to someone who hadn't trained in martial arts, he would surely seem even more intimidating, if anything.
Yet her husband remained calm, despite having met her father once before.
She clearly remembered him being quite nervous during their first meeting, but that encounter had been too brief for him to have developed such composure.
Moreover, that had been their only meeting.
As Paeng Seo-yeon was pondering her husband's composed demeanor, the door to the reception room suddenly burst open.
Paeng Seo-yeon's heart raced at just the sound of that door opening.
"Sister."
"Seo-jin!"
Paeng Seo-yeon's face lit up with joy.
The person who entered was her younger brother, Peng Seo-jin, the Great Young Master of the Hebei Peng Family.
Though much time had passed, Paeng Seo-yeon was amazed to see that the boy she remembered was gone, replaced by a dignified young man.
"My goodness. You've grown up, my little brother."
"Haha. Not at all, Sister. Have you been well?"
"Oh, I've been fine. How about you?"
"I haven't been well, Sister, since you disappeared and didn't return."
"I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. I was just joking. Haha."
Peng Seo-jin then turned to Yeo Un-hwi, who was standing next to Paeng Seo-yeon, and gave a brief smile.
"It's nice to meet you, Brother-in-law."
Yeo Un-hwi smiled back at Peng Seo-jin's casual friendliness in immediately calling him brother-in-law.
He was grateful. Peng Seo-jin was also in a position to dislike and reject Yeo Un-hwi more than anyone.
He knew that Peng Seo-jin had been very close to his sister Paeng Seo-yeon since childhood.
His sister had disappeared overnight, so the sense of loss he must have felt would have been significant, yet he smiled warmly and called Yeo Un-hwi brother-in-law without showing much resentment.
Surprisingly, this was their first meeting, even including Yeo Un-hwi's past life.
He had only heard rumors of Peng Seo-jin's reputation as the excellent future leader of the Hebei Peng Family.
In any case, since it was his wife's family, Yeo Un-hwi had paid particular attention to stories about the Hebei Peng Family among the many rumors in his tumultuous past life.
And...
For some reason, Yeo Un-hwi's gaze briefly turned to Peng Seo-jin's right arm.
As if trying to confirm something.
Of course, no one noticed this.
Anyway, as they were catching up after their long separation and first meeting,
Poke poke.
"Hm?"
Someone was poking Peng Seo-jin's stomach from below.
Wondering what it was, he looked down to find a pretty little girl smiling up at him.
A lovable child whose mere presence brought a smile to one's face.
Blinking, Peng Seo-jin turned to look at his sister.
"Sister, is this child perhaps..."
"It's Yul. Yeo So-yul. Your niece."
"Yeo So-yul..."
After repeating the name softly, Peng Seo-jin bent down to meet Yul's eyes.
Then, with the most gentle smile he could muster, he greeted her.
"Nice to meet you, So-yul. I'm your uncle."
"Huh?"
"Can you say uncle? Uncle."
"Uncle?"
"That's right. Uncle."
"Hehe. Uncle, uncle!"
"Hahaha."
As his newly discovered pretty niece Yul beamed at him, Peng Seo-jin found himself grinning without realizing it.
It was a sight that would have greatly surprised anyone who knew Peng Seo-jin.
Known as the Mad Dragon for his uncontrollable ferocity once a battle began, despite being a man of deep calculation who rarely revealed his true feelings, seeing him with such a goofy grin was truly a rare sight.
"Just once."
"Hm?"
Peng Seo-jin looked at Paeng Seo-yeon with a pleading expression.
"Can I hold her just once, Sister?"
"Oh, sure. Go ahead."
As soon as he received permission, Peng Seo-jin picked up Yul.
The way he carefully held tiny Yul as if she might break was both awkward and endearing.
Once in his arms, Yul very naturally began to poke and prod at Peng Seo-jin's face.
Flustered, Peng Seo-jin looked to Paeng Seo-yeon.
"Eh? Si-Sister, what's this?"
"Ah, that's Yul's special talent. For some reason, she does that to people she likes or takes a liking to."
"Ah!"
As Paeng Seo-yeon explained, Peng Seo-jin let out an exclamation and Yeo Un-hwi chuckled softly.
Soon, Peng Seo-jin's mouth spread into a wide grin again.
That meant this adorable niece had taken a liking to her uncle.
How could he not be overjoyed?
Peng Seo-jin was savoring this unexpectedly happy moment.
"By the way, Seo-jin."
"Yes?"
"What about Father?"
Paeng Seo-yeon asked with an extremely cautious expression.
Peng Seo-jin replied with a troubled look.
"Ah, well... It seems he doesn't want to see you right away. When he heard you had arrived, he immediately went back to his room. That's why I rushed over here. Haha."
"I... see."
"The elders wanted to come too, but they all seemed unable to move, watching Father's reaction. Mother has probably heard about you by now..."
BANG!
"Seo-yeon!"
Suddenly, the door flew open and a middle-aged woman who looked just like Paeng Seo-yeon burst into the room, out of breath.
"M-Mother."
For a moment, the middle-aged woman looked Paeng Seo-yeon up and down, trembling.
"What... what kind of appearance is this? You cruel, wicked child. You heartless thing."
But contrary to her words, tears welled up in her eyes as she threw her arms around Paeng Seo-yeon.
"...Mother."
"How could you be so heartless? How could you leave like that, and not contact us for so long? How?"
"I'm sorry..."
Embraced by her mother, Paeng Seo-yeon hung her head low.
She had no words, even if she had ten mouths to speak with.
At the time... she thought it was the right thing to do.
Even now, if she went back to that moment, she wouldn't make a different choice.
Yeo Un-hwi and Yul were that important and precious to her.
But at the time, she had no idea how heartbroken her father and mother must have been.
And now she knew.
After giving birth to Yul, Paeng Seo-yeon understood how great that heartbreak must have been, how torn and pained they must have felt.
So she cried her heart out.
She wanted to show Yul to her father and mother, and tell them how truly sorry she was.
But she thought she had already come too far and it was too late.
She never imagined there would come a day when they would meet again like this.
And now that she was face to face with her mother, tears welled up endlessly, beyond any words she could say.
Just then,
"Mom, why are you crying?"
At the sweet voice, Paeng Seo-yeon's mother, Dan Hee-young, turned her head.
Wiping away her tears, Paeng Seo-yeon said:
"Mother, this is my daughter Yul. Yeo So-yul. Yul, say hello to Grandmother."
"Huh? Grandmother?"
"Oh my goodness."
"Grandmother! Hello."
"Y-Yes, hello. Nice to meet you, Yul."
After a moment of surprise, Dan Hee-young gazed at Yul, who was bowing halfway, with the most loving eyes.
To suddenly have a granddaughter without even knowing.
For some reason, she felt both upset with her daughter and sorry for her.
Dan Hee-young quietly took Paeng Seo-yeon's hand.
"You've been through a lot, my child. You've suffered."
At those words, Paeng Seo-yeon choked up again.
Somehow, every word her mother spoke brought tears to Paeng Seo-yeon's eyes.
As the daughter cried, the mother cried too, creating a cycle of tears.
It was truly a sea of tears.
How long did they cry like that?
After quite some time, Paeng Seo-yeon and Dan Hee-young's tears finally began to subside.
And then,
"So you're the one."
"Hello, Mother. I'm very late in greeting you properly."
Dan Hee-young's gaze swept over the man standing beside Paeng Seo-yeon.
She bit her lip as if there was much she wanted to say.
But soon she turned her head with a soft sigh.
The man who had caused all this trouble.
There was no way she could look at him kindly.
Just then, Yeo Un-hwi bowed his head.
"I'm sorry for causing you such distress. It's all my fault."
"Honey."
Paeng Seo-yeon looked at Yeo Un-hwi with concern as he bowed his head.
Watching this scene quietly, Dan Hee-young slowly opened her mouth.
"It takes two hands to clap. Our daughter must have liked you that much."
Dan Hee-young approached and placed her hand on Yeo Un-hwi's bowed shoulder.
"You've had a difficult journey. Rest comfortably now."
"Mother."
The atmosphere had become incredibly warm thanks to Dan Hee-young's kind words.
But just then,
"That absolutely cannot be."
A voice was heard from outside the room.
Soon the door opened and someone walked in.
A man with an overwhelming aura, as if a tiger had taken human form.
It was Peng Mugang, the head of the Hebei Peng Family.