Absolute Regression

Chapter 480: Sometimes a Parent Win Over Their Child

“It seems the one behind all this is deeply connected to an assassin organization.”

First, I had to inform Father and Hui of the situation accurately.

“Why do you think that?”

It was Hui’s question, wondering if it was simply a commissioned job requested through the Golden Dragon Family.

“As far as I know, large-scale assassin organizations like the Underworld prioritize thorough investigations of their targets before accepting a contract. Especially for a high-risk killing like today.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Hui nodded and replied.

“That makes sense.”

“Considering the day we arrived here, they wouldn’t have had time to conduct a proper investigation. And I don’t think they sent the assassins knowing who we were.”

I added this while glancing at Father, who was standing by the window.

“If they had known Father was the target, they would have never accepted the job. And if they still pushed forward, then the top-ranked assassins in the Central Plains should have all been mobilized.”

There’s no way Father enjoyed getting entangled with assassins. Even the scent of blood wafting in from the window right now must have been annoying. That’s why I said it—at least to lighten his mood a little.

“Therefore, this wasn’t a routine contract. The mastermind must be deeply involved with the assassin organization. Whoever it is, they must be in a position to mobilize the Underworld’s assassins quickly and without an investigation.”

Hui nodded in agreement.

“You’re the expert when it comes to assassins, so I’ll be counting on you going forward. Especially, please teach me more about them.”

If I had learned about the trade world from the Galaxy Trading Company Head, then now I wanted to learn about assassins from him.

If it were under normal circumstances, he would’ve politely declined, but given the situation, Hui accepted without hesitation.

“Alright.”

Not missing the opportunity, I threw a joke toward Father, who was standing by the window.

“Father, Uncle Hui will take care of everything. Let’s just go fishing.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s joke, Geom Woojin replied without turning around.

“If you’re going to put Hui out front, then you take responsibility and protect him.”

The unexpected remark surprised both Geom Mugeuk and Hui.

There are times when Father catches people off guard like this—and this was one of those moments.

“No, please, just take it as a joke! How could I protect the man who’s the best in the world at protecting others?”

Father continued looking out the window, as if to say he wasn’t joking. Hui looked at Geom Mugeuk and gave an awkward smile.

This was the first time the Cult Leader had ever directly expressed concern for someone’s safety.

No matter how much money you offered—split three ways or even all at once—it couldn’t move Hui’s heart. But this one brief sentence from the Cult Leader truly made him happy. 𝐑𝖆ɴóβÈŚ

He was grateful to the Cult Leader, but he had to admit this one thing.

This was all thanks to the Young Cult Leader.

“Uncle, now you’ll need to teach me not just about assassins, but about bodyguard martial artists too.”

Looking awkward, Hui stepped away.

“I’ll take care of the corpses.”

But Geom Mugeuk stopped him.

“Leave the bodies.”

Geom Mugeuk’s gaze shifted toward the Family Head’s hall far beyond the window.

“We should make the one who sent them clean it up.”

* * *

“You sent assassins?”

Geum Cheonbang was utterly dumbfounded.

His son had learned martial arts, but only to the level expected of the eldest son of a successful trading company. In fact, Geum Arin had better martial arts skills.

“You… how did you…”

There was no need to hear the answer. In this absurd situation, *he* must have been involved. But he hadn’t expected *him* to have been so influenced as to even summon assassins without hesitation.

“You mean you went through with this without even discussing it with your father on such an important matter?”

Geum Cheonbang shouted, but his son didn’t look the least bit sorry.

“I did it to protect that person.”

Geum Cheonbang was dumbfounded, but what mattered now wasn’t the reason—it was the outcome.

“Fine, let’s say that’s the case. But do you even know what kind of people assassins are? They’ll use the commission as leverage and extort money from you for the rest of your life.”

“That’s what third-rate assassins do. The ones I hired aren’t that kind.”

“You’ve never used assassins before, have you?”

Geum Ahyuk looked into Geum Cheonbang’s eyes and responded.

“What makes you think I haven’t?”

“You little—!”

Geum Cheonbang burst out in rage. He was so angry, he couldn’t even find the words to say. Even amidst all the disputes in the trade world, he rarely got this worked up. He had spent his life in battles where the first to lose their temper lost the fight.

But this time, he had lost. It was a total defeat to his own son.

Unlike the agitated Geum Cheonbang, Geum Ahyuk remained calm.

“By now, they should be dead.”

As if it was already done, Geum Ahyuk rose from his seat.

“Get some rest, Father.”

The moment their eyes met as his son politely bowed, Geum Cheonbang felt a chill sink into his chest.

A gaze colder and more frigid than ever. He had seen unfamiliar eyes several times recently, but today’s was the most alien yet.

And just like that, Geum Ahyuk walked out of the Family Head’s hall.

Crash!

The teapot and teacup on the table fell to the floor and shattered. It was the first time he had ever broken something out of anger.

He was someone who normally held it all in. But when it came to his own child, he found it unbearable.

Geum Cheonbang took a bottle of liquor stored in a wall cabinet and began to drink it down straight from the bottle.

Whenever someone said raising a child was the hardest job in the world, he never thought it applied to him. He was too proud of raising a son everyone envied.

But it was as if his son had changed overnight, like fate demanding payment for every moment he had ever boasted about him to others.

Suppressing the urge to throw the liquor bottle, Geum Cheonbang placed it on the table instead. Now wasn’t the time to smash things—it was the time to clean up the mess.

‘What do I do about this?’

It would be a problem whether the assassination succeeded or failed. If it succeeded, his son might resort to this method every time he faced a challenge. No—maybe he was already in that state.

But what if it failed? And what if it was revealed that his son had hired assassins?

Both possibilities were ones he didn’t want to imagine.

Just then, the door to the Grand Hall opened.

Creeeak.

Looking at the door, Geum Cheonbang held onto a shred of hope.

Maybe his son had returned to say, “I apologize for handling this without consulting you first, Father.” If so, they could still work together to come up with a solution.

“There’s no one standing guard outside.”

The one who entered was Geom Mugeuk.

Upon seeing him, Geum Cheonbang’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘The assassination failed.’

Geum Cheonbang struggled to calm himself as he greeted Geom Mugeuk.

“I had my attendants step out for a while.”

He had sent everyone away to have a private conversation with his son.

‘No way… Did he overhear everything we said?’

What if he had heard that his son had hired assassins? If so, his son’s life would be in danger.

“I happened to see him while passing by. The young master was leaving the Family Head’s hall. Would that be the Great Young Master?”

“Yes, I had a conversation with my eldest.”

At the mention of his son, Geum Cheonbang’s heart began to pound.

‘Is he probing? Or hinting that he overheard us?’

Guilt made all kinds of thoughts race through his head.

“Just as I’d heard, he’s remarkably handsome. Truly carried the aura of a great warrior.”

Normally, such words would have pleased him—but not today. That unfamiliar gaze from earlier came to mind once more.

“So? Did you exchange greetings?”

“No, I just saw him from afar.”

“Even so, you saw his face quite clearly.”

“I have good eyes.”

Geom Mugeuk looked around the room and then pointed to a distant wall.

“Do you see the flower pattern and the leaf on that wall?”

“It’s too small. I can’t see it.”

“There are nine. You can go check if you’d like.”

This man had collected money from the Hundred Immortals Gang and had caused the assassination attempt to fail.

And now he was suggesting he could count flower petals from across the room.

This unknowable strangeness felt like something that truly existed beyond comprehension.

“Forget the petals. What brings you here at this hour?”

“I came to see you because I had something urgent to report.”

“What is it?”

“An assassin infiltrated my quarters.”

Geum Cheonbang feigned surprise.

“An assassin? Is that true?”

He acted like someone who truly knew nothing. In the trade world full of deception, he had experienced it all. When it came to hiding his inner thoughts, no one was more confident than he was.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Fortunately, no.”

“What about the assassins?”

“They’ve all been taken care of.”

“I’ll send someone immediately to clean up the corpses. I’ll also assign you a new guest room.”

“Thank you.”

Normally, he would have said they needed to investigate the bodies to find out where the assassins came from. But he skipped that. This was a situation where even existing evidence had to be covered up.

Geum Cheonbang called his subordinates and quickly sent them to the guest quarters.

“Clear away the bodies and relocate the people there to a new guest room.”

“Understood.”

Before the subordinates could leave, Geom Mugeuk stepped in.

“But shouldn’t we investigate the corpses to determine which organization sent them instead of just disposing of them?”

Geum Cheonbang was internally flustered, but forced himself to remain composed.

“Of course, that’s what we should do.”

“You should raise the alert and strengthen the security around the Family Head’s hall as well.”

“That was my intention.”

As if it were truly so, Geum Cheonbang repeated Geom Mugeuk’s words as orders to his men.

Moments later, the sound of bells rang loudly from outside.

Geum Cheonbang was as overwhelmed as the relentless ringing of the alarm bells. Even though he knew full well this was something his son had caused.

‘An assassin infiltrated the main house?’

Just the thought of it made his whole body tremble. The idea that those who kill for money were walking freely inside the Golden Dragon Family’s estate made his chest tighten.

Rage and shock—at least these two emotions didn’t need to be faked.

“From now on, you must also be careful, Family Head.”

“What do you mean?”

“There were quite a few assassins. If no one let them in, doesn’t that mean the Golden Dragon Family’s defenses have been breached?”

Was it a probing remark? Or a warning? Geum Cheonbang couldn’t read Geom Mugeuk’s intent. It felt like he either knew nothing—or knew something.

“I will make sure to tighten security from now on.”

Geum Cheonbang had always harbored a pathological fear of martial artists.

No matter how difficult matters with merchants were, he believed he could overcome them. But when martial artists got involved, he felt deeply anxious.

They didn’t listen to reason, didn’t follow calculations. They just drew their swords without warning. Since childhood, he had feared and hated them.

Even the martial artists of his own family were terrifying. What if someone bribed by a rival trading company suddenly drew their sword and stabbed him? This life he so desperately didn’t want to lose could end in an instant.

It was likely because of that deeply rooted fear.

He had wanted his sons to handle dealings with martial artists in his stead.

He had hired expensive martial arts teachers for his most talented daughter among his children.

And he had entrusted affairs with *him* to his eldest son.

He knew all too well that escape always demanded such a steep price.

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Just a little startled, that’s all.”

As if muttering to himself, Geom Mugeuk asked,

“Who could possibly have tried to kill me?”

At the weighty question, Geum Cheonbang responded with feigned composure.

“Well, wouldn’t you know that better than I would?”

“That’s true! I’ve made quite a few enemies in my life.”

The reason Geom Mugeuk came here at this hour was to confirm whether Geum Cheonbang was connected to the assassination attempt.

If the assassination had taken place and the target had shown up alive immediately afterward, something would eventually give away the truth.

And Geom Mugeuk had already figured out who had sent the assassin.

It wasn’t because of the discomfort that even the experienced Geum Cheonbang couldn’t completely hide.

It was because of that.

Geom Mugeuk’s gaze fell upon the shattered teacup and teapot on the floor.

“Did you throw them?”

“No. I dropped them by accident.”

“It’s not easy to shatter them this completely by accident.”

From those broken teacups alone, he could tell. The person who hired the assassin was Geum Ahyuk. And Geum Cheonbang must have only just realized that, hence the burst of anger.

“Raising a child isn’t easy, is it?”

The sudden question caught Geum Cheonbang off guard.

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

He must be thinking I threw them out of anger because of my son!

While Geum Cheonbang was hurriedly trying to steer the topic away from his son, Geom Mugeuk shifted the focus to himself.

“I was speaking about myself. I’ve caused my father quite a bit of grief.”

“The real troublemaking son never realizes he’s causing trouble. Still, what can you do? No matter how much trouble they cause, they’re still your child. There’s no parent who can beat their own child.”

Then Geom Mugeuk suddenly spoke.

“But aren’t there times when a parent *has* to win over their child?”

“!”

At that moment, Geum Cheonbang became certain.

‘He knows something. He thinks Ahyuk sent the assassin.’

All of this pressure was intentional—Geom Mugeuk’s way of cornering him. Mistakes are always made when someone is flustered and in a hurry. And that mistake would point the way to the one behind it all.

“In that regard, my father is the best.”

“Your father?”

“Ask him for advice sometime.”

Geom Mugeuk smiled as he added,

“He’s the best when it comes to being a parent who beats his child.”

* * *

The next day, Geum Ahyuk greeted the two visitors entering his office with a hardened expression.

“I know you’re not fond of me, but must you wear that scowl so openly?”

Geum Ahyuk’s hardened expression wasn’t because of his younger brother. It was because of Geom Mugeuk, who had walked in alongside Geum Ajong. A man who should have been dead had appeared.

Up until the emergency bell rang the previous night, he had been in a good mood—confident that soon he’d hear news of the Seodo Sect members, who had been staying in the guest room, being wiped out.

But the news that all the assassins had been killed? That had never even crossed his mind.

“This is the expensive man we brought in, worth two million nyang. You know who he is, right?”

At Geum Ajong’s introduction, Geom Mugeuk offered a respectful martial salute and greeted him.

“A pleasure to meet you. I go by Geom Yeon.”

Geom Mugeuk addressed Geum Ahyuk as if nothing had happened the previous night.

“I’ve heard a lot about you, Great Young Master. I’ve been hoping for a chance to meet you.”

“What have you heard?”

“That you’re the most likely candidate to be the next Family Head.”

Geum Ahyuk glanced at his younger brother. There was no way that brat had said anything good.

“That’s something only time will tell. I’m busy today.”

It was a dismissal right after the greeting.

Geum Ahyuk lowered his gaze back to his desk and didn’t lift his head again.

Geum Ajong knew his brother’s temperament well. He knew that saying anything at this point would be useless. So he gave Geom Mugeuk a glance, silently suggesting they should leave for today.

“Well then, let’s meet again another time.”

Just as Geom Mugeuk turned to leave after saying goodbye, he suddenly turned back as if remembering something.

“Ah, come to think of it, our Great Young Master hasn’t asked about something.”

Geum Ahyuk looked at him, eyes questioning what he was getting at.

“The news about an assassin infiltrating the guest room I stayed in last night—have you heard about it?”

“I have.”

The emotion in Geum Ahyuk’s cold gaze was clear. So what, do you expect me to show concern for you?

“Aren’t you curious? About what kind of assassin it was, why they came to kill us, and which fool sent them?”

As Geum Ahyuk’s eyes subtly sharpened, Geom Mugeuk calmly cast his line, baiting the hook with curiosity.

“I think I might know who did it.”