Absolute Regression

Chapter 453: What If You’re More Popular Than Your Son?

The safest place in all of the Murim?

Joo Hyangwol didn’t take those words as bluster or exaggeration. She accepted them exactly as they were.

‘He must really trust his father.’

She knew what kind of feeling that was—because she’d felt it herself. To her, her father’s embrace had been the safest place in the world.

Like a lantern-lit reel playing in her mind, scenes of her father came flooding back.

When he used to teach her martial arts as a child.

When he led the warriors of the Sword Family with such imposing dignity.

When he stood alone in the yard, quietly looking up at the moon.

Even when he had been ill before his death.

In all those memories, she had never been the one to take the initiative. She had never once suggested they share a meal, never once asked him to go on a trip—unlike the people around her now.

As a child, she had wanted so badly to spend time with him. But the older she grew, the fewer such wishes she held. Even if she had wanted to, she would’ve likely told herself, “Next time.” She had believed he would always be there.

‘Father, I miss you.’

Her gaze shifted to the one who had made her long for her father so deeply today—the one who silently reached out and accepted the agreement document.

The first time she saw him in front of the inn, an indescribable emotion had surged up inside her, only to disappear just as suddenly. A feeling she’d never experienced before. Was it fate that brought them together like this?

Now that she thought about it, she realized she hadn’t properly thanked him. She sprang to her feet and gave a polite bow, expressing her gratitude.

“Thank you so much for taking care of the agreement document.”

Geom Woojin raised his head and looked at her.

“It’s fine.”

Just a short reply—but it felt reassuring and gentle beyond words.

Geom Mugeuk noticed the unique way she looked at his father.

It wouldn’t be like him to just let it slide.

—What if you’re more popular with women than your own son?

At Geom Mugeuk’s voice transmission, a smirk appeared on Geom Woojin’s lips. Surprisingly, the smirk did not deny his son’s words.

So you’re saying, “A man is still a man,” right, Father?

While she looked at him with eyes like that, Joo Hyangwol, standing beside him, spoke to Geom Mugeuk.

“You seem to like your father a lot.”

“You can tell?”

When she nodded, Geom Mugeuk raised his voice toward his father.

“Did you hear that? The whole world knows how much I love you, Father!”

Of course, this heartfelt cry never reached his father. Geom Woojin, looking completely uninterested, spoke to Hui.

“Pour me some tea.”

Hui lifted the teapot and respectfully filled Geom Woojin’s cup.

They were in the same place, but it felt like they were in entirely different worlds.

‘Pretending not to care, looking indifferent, but you read every single word of that agreement document!’

That’s why every moment of this journey with his father was so enjoyable.

“At least the young lady understands. That’s enough.”

“Come to think of it, I don’t even know your name.”

“It’s Geom Yeon.”

As always, he used the alias he’d prepared. And as always, he added the same explanation when saying it.

“Not ‘fate Yeon’—‘smoke Yeon.’ We met like this, and I’ll vanish like smoke.”

Geom Mugeuk then introduced his father and Hui.

“As you may already know, that cold man is my father, and this man is my uncle.”

The moment he said “uncle,” Hui visibly flinched.

Naturally, he must’ve expected to be introduced as a clan warrior or a guard—but to be introduced as a brother of his father? How bewildering that must have been. Ȑ𝒶ΝȰᛒΕ𝒮

Hui looked flustered, but Father seemed pleased.

Uncle Hui, you can be an uncle. You’re more than qualified.

“If there were a contest for silence, the two of them would win first and second place side by side.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s comment, Joo Hyangwol smiled in agreement. Truly, the two of them were that quiet.

Especially the man introduced as the uncle—he hadn’t spoken a single word. But one thing was clear: he was seeing everything, hearing everything.

“Of course, I’m speaking enough to cover for both of them.”

Joo Hyangwol laughed. He really did talk a lot. But soon after, her expression turned serious. This wasn’t a time to be laughing idly, and yet she had laughed without thinking.

In the meantime, the new dish they ordered arrived.

The new food was placed in front of Joo Hyangwol, while Geom Mugeuk began eating the dish he hadn’t touched earlier due to the conversation. His father and Hui had saved a portion of the food just for him.

Even though time had passed during their talk, the food was still warm.

Geom Mugeuk could tell—his father had reheated the remaining food using Heat Yang Energy.

‘No one would believe me, but I think I take after that father.’

On this journey, Geom Mugeuk had started seeing new sides of his father.

Joo Hyangwol ate in silence. There was a strange comfort in this gathering, yet a lingering worry stirred within her heart.

How could Geom Mugeuk not sense it?

“Are you worried?”

“To be honest... I don’t know what to do from here.”

It was a statement that could be seen as dishonoring the Joo Clan Sword Family’s name. These were the kind of concerns she should have shared back home with her mother or the martial experts of her clan.

But she could already picture the situation awaiting her upon return.

Her mother would surely be furious that the summit had ended in failure—but if she heard that the crucial agreement document had been entrusted to someone she met for the first time, chaos would erupt. She could already hear her mother shouting and raging.

Yet her mother wouldn’t know. The suspicion that this alliance with the Hwangdo Trading Company was the wrong choice had stemmed from a lack of trust in her.

A distrust born from all those moments when her mother unleashed her emotions on her children without restraint.

And once again, that distrust had proven correct. Her mother had misread the opponent. Though it was unclear exactly what the other side intended, the situation was more serious than ever.

Sensing that made her reluctant to leave this place. The moment she stood from this seat, the severity of the situation would become her reality.

She wanted to rely on these people. Even though she knew she shouldn’t, she kept wanting to run away.

“Be prepared when you return.”

Joo Hyangwol, who had been staring silently at her food, lifted her head and looked at Geom Mugeuk.

“The other side has bared their fangs, saying they intend to devour you. Then it’s time to prepare to fight.”

She should have drawn strength from Geom Mugeuk’s words—but instead, the worry only deepened.

“My mother won’t believe me.”

With just that one sentence, he could infer what kind of relationship she had with her mother.

After watching her quietly for a moment, Geom Mugeuk spoke unexpected words.

“Parents usually don’t believe what their children say. Do you know why?”

“Why is that?”

“Because they’ve lived through that time. They’ve seen us talking nonsense, being stubborn, lying, rebelling. They’ve witnessed every bit of our growing pains. How can they believe the words of someone who used to act like that, just because we’ve finally grown a little? Even if we come back saying we’ve mastered the Greatest Lightness Skill Under Heaven, they’ll still tell us to be careful crossing the street. Because they remember us charging forward without looking both ways.”

Joo Hyangwol gave a faint smile and said,

“You speak like someone who’s raised three children.”

“Because the relationship between parent and child is two-way. But we keep forgetting that.”

Why was that? As soon as she heard those words, Joo Hyangwol thought of her mother.

Geom Mugeuk glanced at his father.

“My father doesn’t believe me either.”

He was referring to when he had trained in the Nine Calamities Demon Art and his father had made him step back from a dangerous situation.

At that, Geom Woojin casually remarked to Joo Hyangwol,

“You shouldn’t believe that rascal either.”

Unintentionally, Joo Hyangwol smiled at those words.

“That’s too harsh!”

Despite what he said, Geom Mugeuk’s gaze toward his father was gentle.

It’s fine if you believe me slowly. After this journey ends, later on—much later—you can say, “I believe you now.” Even if it takes five years, that’s okay.

Geom Mugeuk turned back to her and said,

“So go back and talk with your mother.”

“I don’t have the confidence to persuade her.”

“That merchant who left earlier will have to persuade someone too when he returns.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since the agreement fell through today, he’ll need to explain it to someone and persuade them. Ask to be entrusted with the task again. Promise he’ll succeed next time. Even someone in a better position than you is going to make that effort—so why are you giving up already?”

“!”

It was a reproach she hadn’t expected.

“You’re relying too much on instinct. Don’t do that.”

Geom Mugeuk stood up, walked over to where Hwang In and Joo Hyangwol had been seated earlier, and brought back the brush she was going to use to sign.

“Write it out. What you’ll say and how. What the first sentence will be. If your mother reacts this way, then you’ll respond like this. Write it all down.”

Joo Hyangwol looked at Geom Mugeuk in surprise. At first, she thought he was joking—but he was completely serious.

“What if it still doesn’t work?”

“Write that down too. What you’ll do if that happens.”

“!”

“Even if it looks simple, there’s nothing harder than persuading someone. And persuading family? That’s the hardest of all. It’s precisely because you know each other too well that it becomes difficult. So don’t try to persuade her—just approach it as a long-overdue conversation. Have you ever asked your mother what’s been troubling her lately? Do you even know if she’s been eating properly?”

Joo Hyangwol couldn’t say anything.

At some point, she’d started only watching for her mother’s mistakes while yearning for her father.

Joo Hyangwol rose from her seat. The thought that Hwang In was probably out there persuading someone right now, and the idea that she should talk with her mother instead of trying to persuade her—those were the things that made her suddenly stand up.

Right. This isn’t the time to run away. I won’t be that weak.

“Thank you for the advice.”

She looked at Geom Woojin. Her father’s figure overlapped with his once again. Father, I’ll be strong.

“Thank you for everything today.”

Just as she was about to turn and go, she glanced back and asked,

“But that so-called safest vault in all of Martial World... if I ever want to find it again, I can, right?”

For the first time, she cracked a joke. Geom Mugeuk smiled and played along.

“Just look at that face and judge for yourself. I certainly can’t open it.”

She stared quietly at Geom Woojin, as if she really intended to make that judgment, then gave a polite bow before leaving the inn.

Now only three people remained.

“She even had the composure to make a joke. Looks like she’ll do just fine when she returns.”

But Geom Woojin’s concern lay elsewhere.

“Hwangdo Trading Company isn’t someone the Joo Clan Sword Family can handle.”

That confirmed it. Hwangdo Trading Company was involved in this incident—one way or another.

“Of course.”

“Then why did you provoke her?”

“We’ll be the ones taking the lead in this matter either way. But they need to change too. If they don’t, they’ll be swallowed up by others eventually.”

Then came the lighthearted joke.

“She likes Father more than me, after all. I have to help her. Today, I truly felt the weight of Father’s popularity. No doubt—I really am your son!”

Just like earlier, the joke didn’t land.

He half-expected his father to say, Nonsense! But instead, Geom Woojin wore a look that seemed to say, I was quite the heartthrob in my youth.

That proud, smug expression—no one could match it.

“What now?”

Geom Woojin asked for his son’s opinion first.

“They’ll probably come after the agreement document first, right?”

It wasn’t just a hunch based on their ties to the powers behind the scenes.

It was based on something Hwang In said earlier:

—I’m a man who settles accounts properly.

Though it had been masked behind a merchant’s smile, the man couldn’t bear to be owed anything.

“They seem cautious, so they’ll likely try to uncover our identities first.”

Predictions flowed smoothly from Geom Mugeuk’s mouth, shaped by countless experiences.

“He emphasized being just a merchant, so he probably won’t move directly. Instead, he’ll likely task an information broker to identify who we are.”

What must never be allowed was for their true identities—his father’s or his own—to be revealed.

“I plan to get ahead of them and plant false information through the information brokers. We’ll make sure our fabricated identities reach their ears.”

Geom Woojin nodded silently. Watching this, Hui could sense it clearly—the Cult Leader was satisfied with his son’s judgment.

Though he had served the Cult Leader for a long time, he had never seen him reveal his emotions as openly as he had in recent days.

Hui understood this change in the Cult Leader.

He had always been by his side, and thus had heard all kinds of things about Geom Mugeuk. Who he had eliminated where, and who else he had eliminated elsewhere.

But the Geom Mugeuk he had heard about was entirely different from the one he was now experiencing firsthand.

Through this journey, he was feeling it for certain—the Young Cult Leader was someone whose brilliance shone more in the process than in the result.

Had the events of this journey only been reported back to the Heavenly Demon Pavilion as a result, they would only have known that the Young Cult Leader helped the Joo Clan Sword Family against the schemes of the Hwangdo Trading Company.

Then all of this would have been omitted.

The fishing bet on the way here, the walk with the Cult Leader, the martial arts training, the advice given to Joo Hyangwol—even the way he tried to help Hui find his place as a bodyguard.

All of that emotional exchange would have been left out, unknown to anyone. Without being there to experience it, no one could truly know how radiant those things were.

Now, the Cult Leader was experiencing such a son with his own eyes. The five years the Young Cult Leader had asked for—those years were already passing with every moment.

Until this journey, Hui had believed the Young Cult Leader was fighting an impossible match. He was sure the Cult Leader’s heart would never change.

But now, during this journey, that certainty was beginning to waver—little by little.

“We’ll disguise ourselves as the Seodo Sect from Gansu.”

Whenever the name Geom Yeon was used, that was the faction they always pretended to be. It was a sect actually operated by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, so the more closely it was investigated, the more convincing the cover became.

“A righteous faction, then.”

As expected, his father wore a displeased expression.

“If not for this chance, when else would you get to play the role of a righteous faction’s head?”

Geom Woojin scoffed and asked,

“What next?”

He looked genuinely curious about what his son would choose.

“Aren’t there people behind them that we need to find?”

As if to confirm those words, Geom Woojin remained silent and waited for what came next.

“Getting rid of these ones would be easier than flipping my palm. But if we act recklessly, the forces behind them will either go into deep hiding or prepare their defenses.”

They needed to approach naturally, to infiltrate. In that sense, the Hwangdo Trading Company could actually become an opportunity.

Geom Mugeuk revealed his plan.

“So I intend to make them write another agreement. One that’s heavily skewed in favor of the stronger side.”

In other words, he would manipulate things so that they would pull in the Seodo Sect—the faction they were using as a cover—for the agreement.

“And we’ll sign it, exactly as it’s written.”