Absolute Regression

Chapter 673: The Younger Brother’s Kindness is Unmatched

The painting was excellent.

A famous painter, for various reasons, had drifted down to the marketplace, making a living by painting for people. His skills were so great that one could almost call him the protagonist of this story.

In the painting, anyone could tell that the two figures were Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang.

Geom Mugeuk looked at the painting straight on, then from the side, and then said,

“No matter how I look at it, you made my brother more handsome.”

He looked at the finished painting and began to spin a conspiracy theory.

“You threatened this painter with a sound transmission, didn’t you? Told him that if he didn’t make you look better, he’d never hold a brush again!”

The elderly painter only smiled. He had been painting here for a long time, seeing countless faces over the years.

Perhaps because he had stared into so many faces, he could now feel a person’s life just by looking at them.

And today, he had a special experience.

It happened while he was painting the younger brother’s face. He was someone who spoke lighthearted, frivolous words—yet, strangely, as the painter sketched him, it didn’t feel like painting a portrait, but a landscape.

As he drew the hair, it felt like painting a windswept field of reeds. As he drew the eyes, it felt like depicting the vast ocean. At times, he painted snowstorms raging over a mountain, and at others, a barren wasteland devoid of even a single blade of grass. He felt the four seasons and the passage of time.

In all his life of painting people’s faces, he had never experienced this while painting someone.

Geom Muyang silently looked down at the finished work.

Unlike his own expressionless face, his younger brother in the painting was smiling brightly. It seemed that even while chattering on about all sorts of things, his expression had never stopped smiling. This painting—he liked it.

“Here, the money.”

Geom Muyang paid the price for ten paintings, but the old painter returned the money.

“It’s been a long time since painting brought me joy. I’d like to give you this as a gift.”

He didn’t want to put a price on today’s painting. If he had to take money, it would have to be hundreds or thousands of times more than this.

As the painter bowed his head once more, as if it were a sincere request, Geom Muyang nodded.

“Do you know a place that makes hanging scrolls?”

The painter gave him directions to a mounting shop in the marketplace.

Bidding farewell to the painter, the two went straight to the shop.

The shop owner, who had spent his life in the scroll-mounting trade, wore an expression full of pride. To him, Geom Muyang presented the painting.

“Make it so it can be hung on the wall. No matter the cost, make it the best.”

“The best, you say? Then it will take some time. Come back in seven days.”

Geom Muyang looked at Geom Mugeuk.

“I’ll still be in Wuhan by then.”

At Geom Mugeuk’s reply, Geom Muyang spoke briefly to the shop owner before turning away.

“I’ll come back in seven days.”

With that, the two left the mounting shop and began walking toward their lodging.

“When did you learn the danso?”

“A long time ago.”

“Does Father know?”

Geom Muyang shook his head, but Geom Mugeuk thought otherwise.

“He probably does.”

Geom Muyang glanced at him with a look that asked what he meant.

“I think Father knows you can play an instrument.”

His brother seemed doubtful, but Geom Mugeuk believed their father was aware. When he had first regressed, Father had even known that he had been poisoned by Energy Dispersing Poison.

He knew that Father pretended not to know, but in truth, he was aware of many things about his children.

In any case, Father wasn’t the type to say, ‘Play something for me.’ And Muyang himself wasn’t the type to say, ‘I’ll play for you.’

Still, he figured one day he should set the stage for it. He really wanted Father to hear his brother’s playing at least once.

As they walked together—

Plop.

A thick raindrop fell.

Sssshhh.

Suddenly, a heavy downpour began.

The two stepped under the eaves of a shop and waited for the rain to pass.

With their martial arts skills, they could have walked through the rain without getting wet, but they simply waited instead.

While watching the rain, Geom Muyang glanced at his younger brother.

The falling rain had silenced his talkative sibling. Geom Muyang knew that this was his brother’s true self.

That deep gaze, quietly watching the rain—that was his real look.

Softly, Geom Muyang asked,

“What do you like?”

Caught off guard by the unexpected question, Geom Mugeuk looked at his brother in surprise.

Turning his head toward the rain again, Geom Muyang repeated,

“What do you like?”

Brother, you know what? This was the first time you’d ever asked me about something personal. And you asked first.

“I like a lot of things. Drinking and hanging out with people, for one.”

“Too much…”

Geom Muyang had been about to warn him that being too attached to people could get him killed—

But then he thought about how it was that very attachment that had been killing their enemies.

His younger brother’s kindness was unmatched.

“You like being alone more, don’t you?”

His brother kept surprising him.

It was surprising that he knew such things about him, and even more surprising that he expressed it aloud.

“My brother’s like a ghost, a ghost. What’s with you today?”

“What do you really like? Enough about people and drinking.”

Knowing that his brother was asking in earnest, he answered honestly.

“Lying down and watching the sea is nice, and soaking in a hot spring surrounded by snow is nice too.”

It might have sounded like a lie for the sea and hot springs to come out of nowhere, but those were truly things he liked.

“I like this too. Standing under the eaves like this, watching the rain.”

Looking at the world alone.

In his life before the regression, he had experienced that kind of moment far too many times.

In the midst of a snowstorm, atop a drifting raft, hanging from a cliff…

Even in those dreadfully lonely moments, watching the world like this made him feel a little better. Even just watching people pass by lightened his mood.

Perhaps that was why—he still enjoyed moments like these.

Geom Muyang, who had been quietly watching his younger brother, turned his gaze back to the rain.

“You’re the one who said that watching the scenery is something only old people do.”

“At least I’m watching from outside.”

Even he seemed to realize how childish that sounded, because Geom Mugeuk burst out laughing. A faint smile formed at the corner of Geom Muyang’s lips.

Sssshhhhhh.

“Brother, once Father finishes his closed-door training, let’s go hunting—just the three of us.”

Geom Muyang silently watched the falling rain for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright.”

And he added,

“…Always take care of yourself first.”

Geom Mugeuk looked at his brother with trembling eyes.

Today, for the first time, his brother had asked him what he liked. And for the first time, he had shown concern for him.

“I knew it! You’re not my brother! I should’ve realized when you suggested getting that painting. Hand over my real brother! When did you switch him out?”

“…”

When the joke ended, Geom Mugeuk spoke seriously.

“Brother, I’m more selfish and cold-hearted than I look. You don’t have to worry too much. If you think I’m doing something wrong, don’t hesitate to curse me out.”

Geom Muyang also answered seriously.

“I’ve held it back several times today.”

Sssshhhhhh.

---

While waiting for the scroll to be finished, the two decided to stay at their lodging and train in martial arts.

Geom Muyang focused on cultivating the Heavenly Demon Body Protection Technique. The power of three drops of Sky-Clear Jade Oil had a significant effect on his training.

Perhaps because his inner energy had been purified, his martial arts training went more smoothly than before, and his progress came faster as well.

Geom Mugeuk volunteered to handle meals so that his brother could focus on training.

At every mealtime, he brought food from a tavern and set it out. Knowing that his brother didn’t like eating outside, he went out under the pretext of wanting fresh air to buy the dishes.

Using light footwork, he would go and return quickly, making it look like nothing, but each meal was different from the last. When asked what he wanted to eat, Geom Muyang always answered, “Anything,” but “anything” couldn’t be the answer every time.

Thanks to that, Geom Mugeuk came to learn about his brother’s tastes—what dishes he liked, and what he disliked.

Even during meals, he tried to talk as much as possible.

When would he ever again have the chance to live under the same roof with his brother for seven days straight?

Geom Mugeuk knew better than anyone that if he missed the moment, he might not even be given the chance to try again.

And on the final, seventh day, it was Geom Muyang who personally went out to buy food.

Surprisingly, even without asking, he had brought back only the dishes Geom Mugeuk liked.

“How on earth did you know I liked these?”

“A picky eater’s tastes are obvious.”

Though he answered bluntly, Geom Muyang had, over the past seven days, quietly paid attention to which dishes his younger brother’s chopsticks reached for more often.

And so, the seven days passed.

Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang appeared in the marketplace to retrieve the hanging scroll.

The streets of Wuhan were abuzz with a single piece of news.

Today, the Martial Alliance was hosting a grand banquet to celebrate Jin Hagun becoming the successor. Not only were the leaders within the alliance present, but many renowned martial figures from across the Central Plains had gathered as well.

The marketplace itself was in a festive mood. Martial artists from various regions crowded in until the streets were a sea of people.

“Hey, if any of you touch my brother’s shoulder just because you’re feeling good, you’re dead! Total massacre!”

Despite the tough talk, Geom Mugeuk and Geom Muyang made sure to avoid the crowds first.

“Did Young Leader Bi say he’d arrive tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Bih Sa-in had sent the news through the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.

“Ah, I’m curious. I can’t wait to meet him and ask what happened with that young lady from the Ice Palace.”

Back when they had all parted ways, Bih Sa-in had suddenly suggested to Han Seol that she should stop by the Unorthodox Alliance before returning.

He’d regretted saying it the moment it left his mouth, but surprisingly, Han Seol had agreed.

That time, Bih Sa-in hadn’t teased her through sound transmission to “enjoy the happiness” but had simply let her go.

“This time, I’m going to wring it all out of him. You think that bear of a guy even managed to say anything properly? I’m going to make sure to teach him exactly how to woo a lady.”

Pushing through the crowd, the two finally reached the mounting shop.

The scroll had been completed just as magnificently as the owner’s confidence promised.

“Amazing!”

Geom Mugeuk exclaimed in admiration. The painting had been transformed into an elegant, splendid hanging scroll. It felt completely different from when it had simply been on paper.

Geom Muyang also smiled in satisfaction. It was fine enough to be a gift for their father.

He carefully rolled the scroll and kept it close to his chest, as though safeguarding a treasured sword.

“Thank you for your work.”

After paying for the scroll, the two left the shop.

They were on their way back to their lodging when—

“Move!”

At Geom Mugeuk’s shout, the two darted into an alley together.

With a tense expression, Geom Muyang asked quietly,

“Is it them?”

At Geom Muyang’s question, Geom Mugeuk slightly poked his head out of the alley. His sharp gaze swept through the crowd.

“Yeah. A guy with a fierce, scary face. That scary guy is doing something… adorable.”

Adorable?

Wondering what he meant, Geom Muyang also leaned out a little to look where his younger brother was staring.

And there he was.

At the far end of the marketplace stood a man with a vicious, intimidating face. People who met his eyes on the street instinctively moved aside to make way.

Surprisingly, it was none other than Bih Sa-in. They had been expecting him to arrive tomorrow.

“Looks like his schedule got moved up. But why are we hiding?”

At Geom Muyang’s words, Geom Mugeuk’s eyes narrowed.

“No way! Look beside that liar.”

Next to Bih Sa-in was a woman dressed in pure white martial robes, glancing around to take in the sights.

She was Han Seol of the Ice Palace. Shockingly, she was with him.

“Why are the two of them together?”

“Look behind her.”

Behind Han Seol, the Cold Ice Twin Swords were visible, acting as her guards.

“They’re not even paying attention to protecting her—they’re just looking around the market. That means they trust Sa-in. In other words, the four of them are used to traveling together. Which means, instead of going back north to the Northern Sea after visiting the Unorthodox Alliance, that young lady has been sightseeing here.”

Geom Mugeuk could tell—Bih Sa-in had probably taken her to various places. Then, after receiving his message, he had come here with her.

“To think he lied to me!”

“He probably just happened to arrive a day early.”

But nothing could escape Geom Mugeuk’s sharp eye.

“Look at his clothes.”

Now that he mentioned it, Bih Sa-in was wearing white.

“He matched his outfit with hers. And to make it look less obvious, he chose one with a pattern.”

Now that it was pointed out, it did seem that way.

Normally, Geom Muyang wouldn’t care for this sort of spying—

But with Geom Mugeuk, even this was strangely amusing.

His deductions continued.

“You know why he’s not wearing a bamboo hat?”

“Why?”

“So his hair won’t get messed up.”

“No way.”

Bih Sa-in, of all people? With a face that looked capable of conquering the martial world in an instant?

Geom Muyang didn’t believe it, but Geom Mugeuk was certain.

“Otherwise, there’s no reason to walk around showing his face in the middle of the Martial Alliance’s front yard.”

Just then, Bih Sa-in suddenly glanced sharply in their direction.

But by then, the two brothers had already pulled their heads back into the alley.

“What is it?”

At Han Seol’s question, Bih Sa-in turned toward her. The fierce, sharp expression softened instantly.

“It’s nothing.”

Glancing at a nearby peddler’s cart, Bih Sa-in asked her,

“Would you like some sweets?”