S Chapter 7

‘Damn it, Taekyung. Can’t you just eat alone, please?’

I really can’t understand why he insists on this performative family charade. Well, how could I understand? I’m normal, and he’s a psychopath.

“I apologize for being late.”

Just then, the only young master of the great lord’s house appeared. In other words, a little psychopath had arrived.

‘Five stars for discomfort.’

This time, I swallowed my sarcasm along with the side dish I was chewing. Shin Jukyeong, whom I glanced at, looked the same as usual. A cold, expressionless face, jet-black hair, and a tall stature. Aside from the slight dark circles under his eyes, I couldn’t find anything particularly different.

‘They said he ruined his Manifestation and became a wreck, but he seems fine?’

Shin Taekyung also showed no sign of scolding him. The atmosphere between the two was calm. At least, that’s how it seemed to Yang U-dam. He was thoroughly disappointed that the catastrophe he expected didn’t happen. He couldn’t believe that a psychopath who sought perfection in everything would keep a failed product alive.

Especially in this household, no one could be unaware of how much effort and obsession Shin Taekyung poured into Shin Jukyeong.

‘I thought he’d be beaten like a dog. Is even a psychopath ultimately a father? Is it like, ‘my child is beautiful,’ or something? Must be nice to live such an easy life.’

How could a trio of slaves, with no one to rely on, not live with envy? Sarcasm kept bubbling up in my mind.

“How’s your body?”

“I’m fine.”

Yang U-dam mechanically chewed his food, listening to the two’s exchange of pleasantries, which he found more annoying than a YouTube ad. He just wanted to finish quickly and leave. The others seemed to have the same thought, burying their faces in their bowls and just eating.

Just then, Shin Jukyeong suddenly greeted him.

“Good… morning.”

He almost dropped the chopsticks he was holding.

‘What morning?’

The two had never exchanged morning greetings. No, not even anything similar. Therefore, this was an unexpected attack.

‘Damn it, Shin Jukyeong, you almost made me choke.’

Yang U-dam swallowed the food in his mouth and replied half a beat late.

“Good… morning.”

Even if it’s hard, smile, that’s what makes a first-rate person… Well, it’s not really like that. It’s just a life of constantly being wary and eating meals under the watchful eyes of others. In fact, if they were alone, he might have tried ignoring him, but unfortunately, Shin Taekyung was there, so he couldn’t. He didn’t know what kind of retaliation he might face if he resisted for no reason, so it was better to be compliant.

“Jae-min, hello to you too.”

“…Cough, hack!”

Of course, there were examples of those who couldn’t respond. At least he wasn’t the only one who got messed with.

‘Why is he pretending to be friendly?’

Cha Jae-min (the slave with a mother) looked at Shin Jukyeong with precisely that expression. His pale face conveyed his emotions. Yang U-dam listlessly empathized with him.

‘Exactly, that’s what I’m saying. He must have eaten rat poison.’

What was even more surprising was the reaction of the youngest (the youngest slave kid) sitting at the end. He cautiously glanced at Shin Taekyung, then ‘first’ waved his small hand. To whom? To Shin Jukyeong. He even greeted him back.

“Brother… hello.”

…Did he eat rat poison too? To make matters worse, Shin Jukyeong, whom he expected to ignore them, smiled faintly as if in response.

‘…What?’

Shin Jukyeong was the crazy one, but Yang U-dam was the one who was surprised. That bastard actually knows how to smile. Yang U-dam’s expression was distorted. Raised eyebrows, widened pupils, a smile maintained but a stiff mouth. He seemed to be quite shocked.

The Shin Jukyeong he had known until now was not the type to pay attention to his surroundings, so it was understandable. To him, Shin Jukyeong was merely a study machine that only obeyed Shin Taekyung. A machine, not a person.

‘Am I still dreaming? Did the sun rise in the west?’

Yang U-dam rubbed his eyes. Until now, he and the other two had been mere objects to Shin Jukyeong. Like folding screens, treated as if they existed if they were there, and not if they weren’t, without a single glance. It was definitely like that, but…

‘Why suddenly?’

Indeed, sincerity prevails. It was a shameless thought for the one who caused the discomfort. However, Jukyeong was unaware of his own fault. He was simply proud of his younger brothers for returning his greetings.

Rather than his stark uniform, lacking the ‘Prospective Hunter’ badge due to his failed Manifestation, only the youngest, who waved his hand, and Yang U-dam, who smiled prettily, came to mind. Of course, Cha Jae-min showed a lukewarm response, as if to say not everything could be good, but Jukyeong wasn’t in a position to be disappointed.

‘I need to try harder. Yes. I just need to approach them gradually. There’s no reason to be upset with the kids.’

The path ahead is long, but if I walk step by step, I will eventually reach my desired destination.

What I want, naturally, is survival. The complete survival of myself and my family. From the beginning, I don’t expect major changes. I don’t deserve them either. I just wish for the brutal history of family members living under the same roof and eating from the same pot, yet spilling each other’s blood, to disappear.

If I add a bit more ambition, it’s to live out my old age in leisure? If luck is on my side, I’ll even get to see my brothers’ children.

‘But to do that…’

I had to deal with one obstacle. Shin Taekyung. My father.

Honestly, Jukyeong had a certain amount of pity for his father. A lack of morality, character flaws, and distorted emotional stability were too tiresome to even mention, so he’d skip them. If he only spoke about his sense of responsibility towards his children, it meant he wasn’t someone to be blamed.

Of course, that responsibility was entirely about material support, but thanks to it, he grew up without want, so shouldn’t he be grateful? He had considered, ‘Let’s try to change the relationship between my brothers and my father in a positive direction,’ but lately, he wondered if that was truly the right answer.

He was thirty, so it might be acceptable for him, but not for his younger brothers. They were young. Something that was nothing to him could be abuse to the children. No, it was abuse.

Father was a person completely lacking in basic understanding and tolerance. He was far from warm-hearted. And that wasn’t all. If someone didn’t meet his standards, he wouldn’t even treat them as human. Conversely, it meant that only those who met Shin Taekyung’s standards received ‘human treatment.’

It was just like that yesterday.

‘School?’

‘Yes.’

Despite hearing the news of his son resuming school, he was gruff. His reaction was like, how could you send a chimpanzee to school? So like his father.

‘I’ve come to my senses. If I delay further, it will be hard to catch up. I don’t want to disappoint Father twice.’

Fearing he might be told to stop his nonsense and continue his self-reflection, he hastily spoke up. Only then did his father’s gaze turn from the documents to him. Oh no, I shouldn’t have given the impression of trying hard…! He regretted it, but it was too late. A sharp light settled in his father’s eyes.

‘He’s not completely useless. Yes, this is what my son should be like.’

Damn it, I had no intention of being a filial son.

‘I’ve been greatly disappointed in you, but… I told you. That too is a trial I must bear. Since things have come to this, at least finish your studies well. Your father will somehow provide the stepping stone for you.’

His father’s expression softened after that. At that moment, a thought suddenly struck him. Is the love received from such a person truly love? Is it pure affection? Is it a warm feeling? Countless fundamental questions about love arose.

The unfortunate thing was that Jukyeong also didn’t know the answer to the question. He wasn’t delicate enough to give a definitive answer, nor was he an expert on love.

He returned to his room and pondered for hours, turning it over and over, but his head only became more complicated, and no answer emerged. It was natural. How could Jukyeong, who had never experienced such love himself, know it? However, Jukyeong, who still couldn’t grasp the feeling, was certain of one thing.

‘The kids shouldn’t live like me.’

They needed to be liberated from their father’s autocratic rule. All choices had to be held by his younger brothers, not his father. Whether they wanted to stay in this house, or remain by their father’s side, and so on. It was their lives, so it was right for them to decide.

They deserved emotional stability and happiness. Because those were basic rights, not privileges. To achieve this, each child needed to possess their own individual strength. To not be swayed, to not be oppressed, to be able to pursue their own will. In short, they needed the guts to resist.

So, he reached a conclusion.

‘I’ll raise them.’

It wasn’t about taking them out right away to become a young head of household; it was about raising them as Hunters.

Have I forgotten about them becoming Aolluseu? No, I haven’t forgotten. How could I forget that? Rather, precisely because of it, I intend to teach them the correct way to use their power and make them ‘official Hunters.’ I’ll instill ‘justice’ into their brains from the start so they can’t go astray.

Then, by entering the Hunter Academy, they can escape from Father, and if they get scouted into a good guild, their salaries will be huge… No, by eliminating the path to becoming Aolluseu, they’ll also gain the power to enjoy freedom. This is getting multiple benefits from one action.

(Former) Hunter Association Director.

(Former) Individual Rank 1.

(Former) Guild Master of Guild .

(Former) Hunter Academy Devil Assistant Instructor.

(Former) Golden Child of the Hunter world and Justice Realization Addict.

All in all, was it for this that I built my career, Shin Jukyeong? Wouldn’t this truly be a donation of talent?