Absolute Regression

Chapter 463: Where is Eungong and what is he doing?

One never truly knows on the day itself.

Only after time has passed, when you look back, do you come to realize it.

Ah! That was the day my life changed.

That day for Yong Jamyeong was just such a day.

It wasn’t merely because he narrowly escaped death. It was because his perspective on life had changed.

“At the time, I was always full of confidence.”

And he had every reason to be. He was young, smart, and gifted in business, succeeding at everything he touched.

“Even sleep felt like a waste of time. Money was lying around everywhere, and if I didn’t pick it up first, I felt someone else would.”

In his youth, he was completely engrossed in the joy of making money. No other feeling could match that satisfaction.

“I succeeded one after another. It felt like the fortune of the world was concentrated solely on me. But I never became arrogant. On the contrary, I became more humble and worked even harder. And yet, misfortune came anyway.”

Yong Jamyeong silently looked down at his glass. Reflected in the liquor, he saw the face of his younger self.

“You will become the god of the trading world, Company Head!”

Manso said with a beaming smile.

“Don’t go gilding my face for nothing.”

Yong Jamyeong shook his head and laughed. His easygoing smile, the kind that put others at ease, hadn’t changed from his younger days.

“It’s not flattery. You know how many merchants I’ve met, don’t you? Just wait and see — you’ll definitely become the greatest merchant.”

It had been about three or four years since he got to know Manso. Manso made his living doing various tasks around the merchants.

He looked into product information, connected laborers, or linked wanderers to trading companies. Put nicely, he was versatile; put harshly, he handled all the odd jobs. But because he stepped up to help with trading matters as if they were his own, everyone at the Galaxy Trading Company liked him.

Then one day—

“We’ve arrived.”

The two stepped into a small manor.

The reason they were here today was that Manso wanted to introduce someone.

“Now that the trading company has established itself, it’s time to recruit martial artists. We can’t delay this any longer.”

This was before Yong Jamyeong had even met Baek Chong. At this time, there were no martial artists affiliated with the company.

For transporting goods, they could use escort bureaus, and the business itself was handled by people who had been working with them from the start. If guards were occasionally needed, Manso would introduce martial artists to get the job done.

But as the trading company grew, the need for in-house martial artists grew with it. The value and volume of the goods had increased. It wasn’t something that could be handled by rotating strongmen guarding the warehouse. Ɽ𝘼Ν∅βÊŞ

Even so, Yong Jamyeong couldn’t make a decision easily.

What if those martial artists harbored ill intent?

That worry never left his mind.

He simply wasn’t the kind to easily trust others. That’s why, in the end, it had taken Manso’s persuasion for him to agree to meet the expert.

“What kind of martial artist are you introducing me to?”

“Someone trustworthy. If he doesn’t suit your preferences, Company Head, there’s no need to decide anything.”

If Manso trusted the person, then Yong Jamyeong felt he could too. Manso had never once let him down.

But who would have thought that today would be the first time.

The first impression of the long-awaited martial artist was terrible. His sharp eyes gave off a lascivious aura, and something about him seemed sly. A scarred face, twisted lips…

“Nice to meet you.”

At Yong Jamyeong’s greeting, the martial artist grinned. That grin alone left a foul taste in his mouth.

Yong Jamyeong glanced at Manso standing beside him.

‘You’re saying this is someone I can trust?’

Manso, as always, was smiling. Yet that smile felt oddly unfamiliar today—just as he was thinking that, the martial artist opened his mouth.

“This the one?”

That one phrase, brimming with impure intentions, sent a chill straight through Yong Jamyeong’s chest.

The martial artist grabbed a bottle from the table and drank straight from it, then threw the papers beside it onto the floor.

“Sign it.”

Yong Jamyeong snapped back to the present.

“Manso was the one who brought that man in and set the whole thing in motion. You know what I was truly afraid of back then?”

Geom Mugeuk asked, pouring liquor into his glass.

“What was it?”

“That my death would be a meaningless one.”

Geom Mugeuk immediately understood the weight of those words.

“They were aiming for such a small amount of money?”

Yong Jamyeong nodded.

“They were after just a few thousand nyang. Of course, to someone else it might’ve been a fortune, but to me—while I was solidifying the foundation of the trading company—it wasn’t all that significant. It must’ve been a plan to steal goods from the warehouse. All they needed was a signed document. And since Manso frequently helped with our work…”

“Manso probably had a rough idea of the Company Head’s finances, didn’t he?”

“He must have.”

“Then why didn’t they aim for something bigger?”

“The martial artist involved wasn’t just some ordinary man. He was the infamous Bloodshade Fiend back then.”

The Bloodshade Fiend.

He was a notorious lust demon in the martial world at the time. Regardless of age, he abducted and murdered countless women, and was listed as a public enemy by the Martial Alliance.

“At the time, he was on the run, fleeing from someone. He was trying to get his hands on quick escape funds, and that’s when he joined hands with Manso. The two had known each other for a while.”

All of that came to light later on.

“Can you believe it? I had never had anything to do with such a depraved being in my life—and then I ended up entangled with one like that.”

Geom Mugeuk quietly listened to his story. That was his role right now—to listen.

“I asked Manso, didn’t I? You have a rough idea of how much I own, don’t you? And yet, you pulled this kind of stunt over just a few thousand nyang?”

Yong Jamyeong’s face flushed, as if the memory had just come flooding back.

“And the man shamelessly smiled and said this—‘Then give me more.’”

Anger surged across Yong Jamyeong’s face.

“I was furious. Not at him—but at myself, for being fooled by someone like that. A man who had consorted with a lust demon, someone that filthy, and yet I didn’t sense a single thing.”

“What happened after that?”

Yong Jamyeong took another drink, and Geom Mugeuk refilled his cup. These were words that couldn’t be said without liquor.

“Well, first, he beat me.”

Thud! Thud!

As the beating continued, Yong Jamyeong cried out,

“I’ll sign! I’ll do it!”

The one who was beating him wasn’t the Bloodshade Fiend—it was Manso.

He didn’t respond to anything, simply kept hitting. It was clear he intended to crush his spirit first.

Even merchants sometimes had to break their opponent’s will during negotiations. He had just chosen the most extreme and quickest method.

Someone who had never been in a real fight before, when exposed to violence for the first time, usually surrendered easily. The shock, the pain, the fear… The thought—Am I going to die like this?—shattered the mind in an instant. It was a terror unknown to anyone who hadn’t gone through it themselves.

“Please! Stop!”

Yong Jamyeong curled up, shielding his head and face.

He was in despair. Not because of the pain, but because they had openly shown their faces and were carrying this out in broad daylight.

‘They’re going to kill me in the end.’

After stopping, Manso suddenly yanked him up.

“Now, sign it.”

Yong Jamyeong knew the moment he signed, he would die.

“I’ll give you more money. A lot more…”

Thud!

Manso’s fist came crashing in again. The beating this time was worse than before. Manso knew Yong Jamyeong too well. He knew he was smart and wouldn’t sign so easily. That’s why he intended to beat the resistance out of him.

Even as he screamed, only one thought filled Yong Jamyeong’s mind:

‘I have to live. I don’t want to die at the hands of a bastard like this!’

The man lifted Yong Jamyeong once more.

Meanwhile, the Bloodshade Fiend was gazing out the window. As if someone were on his tail, he looked anxious.

“Hurry it up!”

At those words, Manso urged Yong Jamyeong again.

“Sign it.”

“I’ll give you everything I have. So, please…”

Thud! Thud!

Not even pain could overpower the fear of death.

Tears flowed from Yong Jamyeong’s eyes. Tears from the pain, and tears from the sheer injustice of it all.

He had worked so hard to live an honest life. He had cut down on sleep to keep things running. He did everything he could to treat the people of the trading company well.

And the result of all that effort was death like this?

He shouldn’t have trusted anyone. He told himself he didn’t trust people, and yet—

“You will become the god of the trading world!”

He had been intoxicated by those sweet words. Fooled by someone, and by the time he came to his senses, everything was already over.

What if the choice had been between losing all his wealth or not?

Would that have felt even slightly better?

‘Please spare me.’

He prayed to the heavens. If there truly were gods who looked over merchants, he prayed to them as well.

‘If you save me—if you truly save me—!’

He hadn’t even finished the plea when the door opened.

With a face full of emotion, Yong Jamyeong said,

“That’s when that person entered.”

Geom Mugeuk recalled that moment too. The image of his father in his youth.

“When that man stepped in, I could feel the air in the room change.”

Yong Jamyeong closed his eyes and remembered. If the earlier memories were full of pain, the ones that followed were joy and longing.

“How should I describe that man?”

As Yong Jamyeong pondered, Geom Mugeuk smiled.

That kind of brief encounter isn’t so easy to put into words.

“The first thing I thought was—he’s handsome.”

“More than me?”

At Geom Mugeuk’s question, Yong Jamyeong nodded firmly.

“I think you’ve forgotten who you’re talking to.”

“I’m sorry, but he’s my savior.”

“Understood. I’ll consider that extra credit for saving your life.”

Yong Jamyeong smiled at my joke. Now that the story had turned pleasant, he had room to breathe.

“He was handsome, but there was also strength in him. Something cold, distant. I don’t know how to explain it.”

I too wish I could have seen Father in his youth. I find myself wishing I had been there.

“The moment he appeared, the Bloodshade Fiend started trembling. That was the first time I ever saw such overwhelming fear on someone’s face. It became clear that the man had been anxious the whole time because of him. And what came next happened in an instant. A flash of radiant light burst out, and that depraved demon was shattered into unrecognizable pieces, collapsing right there. You’re a martial artist, so you probably enjoy this kind of tale, but the truth is—I saw nothing at all.”

Considering how completely the man was pulverized, he must have enraged my father. He had probably assaulted and killed a woman from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.

“What did you do then?”

“At first, I was frozen. Couldn’t say a word. When the man turned and looked at me, I shouted—Please spare me! I’m not with these people!”

Yong Jamyeong returned again to that moment in his memory.

He still remembered. The look in that man’s eyes as he gazed at him.

His eyes were asking a question. Asking why he should believe him. Why he should spare him?

Yong Jamyeong instinctively knew that his life or death depended on what he said next. What should I say? His mind searched for an answer, but his mouth had already begun to speak. He could only hope his instincts had worked properly.

“The man who tried to kill me always said it. That I would become the god of the trading world. I want to make that happen.”

He had no idea why those words came out. They just had, without him even realizing it.

The man didn’t act on intuition alone. He walked to the table and looked at the contract placed there. From the document, it was clear that this had been a setup to force a signature.

This time, the man turned to look at Manso.

“He’s lying. He’s the one who—”

The man waited, but the rest of the words never came. Manso was someone who, even in a situation like this, had the tongue to fabricate a convincing excuse. But today was different.

The moment he met the gaze of the man silently watching him, strangely, his mouth went dry.

He had lived a lifetime of hypocrisy and lies, but in this final moment, he couldn’t utter a single falsehood—and died, truthfully.

A flash of light, and his body was cleaved in two.

“Please, tell me your name, benefactor.”

But the man left without saying a word.

“I’ll become the greatest merchant in the world, and I will repay this debt!”

He hadn’t been able to promise it to the heavens, so he made that promise to the man instead.

It was disappointing. If only the man had said just a single word in return, or even offered him a smile as he left.

But just as suddenly as he had appeared, he vanished.

“That’s what happened that day.”

Geom Mugeuk raised his glass to him. Yong Jamyeong toasted it. The two drank in silence.

For a moment, they were both thinking of the same man.

“You kept your promise to become the greatest merchant in the world.”

“But he doesn’t know that, does he?”

That was what stung the most. Yong Jamyeong had wanted to meet him again and say it.

Do you remember? I’m the man you saved that day. Just like I said, I became the greatest merchant.

If he could say those words, he would die without regret. It was something he could’ve dismissed as mere luck, but for some reason, the man stayed with him—like he was caught in a chain of fate.

“I tried everything, searched in every direction, but I never found him. No one had ever seen him again. Sometimes I wonder if maybe... I dreamed it all.”

It was too bitter. Year after year, he had grown older. That man must have aged too. How had he changed? What kind of life was he living now?

“Do you have a portrait of him, by chance?”

At that, Yong Jamyeong pulled out a sheet of paper from inside his robe. He handled it with care, as if it might fall apart at the slightest touch.

“I always carry it with me.”

The paper, carefully folded inside fine silk, was old and discolored, with edges that looked ready to tear at the slightest touch.

“This is the original sketch I had drawn back then. I made hundreds of copies to search for him… but gave up, thinking it might trouble him.”

Geom Mugeuk looked at the face drawn on the worn paper. To someone seeing it for the first time, the image was so faded it might not be recognizable—but within it, Geom Mugeuk saw his father.

’Father.’

So this is how I get to see you in your youth.

“I can’t quite remember his face anymore.”

He had thought he would never forget. No—he had been sure he would never forget. But just like the paper sketch of his face, the memory had faded more and more with time.

Yong Jamyeong looked at Geom Mugeuk as he stared at the sketch.

In his deep, clear eyes, Yong Jamyeong saw longing.

’Why is he looking at it like that?’

The next moment, Yong Jamyeong flinched.

Like a shape emerging through fog, the man’s face began to resurface in his memory.

A face that had been fading away in recent years—now, it came back to him as clearly as if everything had happened just yesterday.

’Benefactor!’

The image of that face returned with startling vividness. It was as if the man were standing right before him.

’But why?’

What did the reason matter? What mattered was this overwhelming sense of joy and familiarity.

’I’ve grown so old, and yet you’re still the same. Benefactor, where are you, and what are you doing now? Are you struggling somewhere without money? I’m wealthy now. Come find me, and let me repay the grace you gave me that day!’

Then, without thinking, he glanced over at Geom Mugeuk.

“!”

Goosebumps spread across his body. It was the sensation that Geom Mugeuk somehow carried the same presence as the benefactor from back then. It was as if that very man were sitting before him now. Though their features weren’t exactly alike—

And in that instant!

“…No way…”

The face of the young benefactor began to overlap with another.

The face of the one who had summoned him here.

The face of the supreme figure of this era.

And so, the face of the Demon Cult Leader, Geom Woojin, crossed the gulf of years to align perfectly with the face of Yong Jamyeong’s savior.

The two faces became one—flawlessly.