He didn’t know the exact circumstances, but one thing was obvious—Lord Yeomjeong completely lost his composure whenever the Cheonrok so much as opened his mouth. If that was the case, there was no need for me to interfere.
“You need more sleep. You barely rested.”
Even at Lord Yeomjeong’s shameless remark, Cheonrok only gave a soft “Mm,” followed by a faint smile.
“That’s strange. Our Jae-ha told me I’d been asleep for decades.”
“…Our Jae-ha?”
Lord Yeomjeong’s eyes snapped wide open, immediately locking onto Jae-ha in the distance. The same gaze that had seemed as gentle as a lamb when directed at Cheonrok turned monstrous the instant it landed on Jae-ha. The transformation was as sharp and jarring as Dr. Jekyll becoming Mr. Hyde.
And at that moment, Jae-ha realized something. Usually, he had a knack for drawing people’s favor. But there was a certain rare type—a very rare type—who reacted differently. Their temperament had to be obsessive, their way of thinking a little twisted. The odds were slim—maybe one in ten thousand? Honestly, he’d only seen it happen twice before.
It was when someone’s jealousy toward the person they adored burned so fiercely it could even smother their natural fondness for him.
“Did I fall asleep after drinking Hwanggwaju? No wonder I felt restless.”
“Was the bed uncomfortable? I really tried to make it better.”
Even to casual remarks, Lord Yeomjeong responded with desperate, clinging tones. The way he fussed over whether the Cheonrok was in pain wasn’t just obsessive—it bordered on pathetic.
While they spoke, the Cheonrok’s gaze dropped to the floor. The jade doll was tapping at his foot.
“Oh, so you were here.”
Cheonrok chuckled lightly and picked the doll up. Pointing at Jae-ha as if proudly declaring I brought him here, the doll struck a pose—hands on its hips, chest puffed out in smug triumph.
“Impressive. Well done.”
The Cheonrok, seemingly understanding every gesture, showered the doll with praise. Perching it on his shoulder, he turned back to Lord Yeomjeong.
“Well then, I’ll be on my way.”
“…What?”
“Looks like Sala’s in bad shape. If I’d known, I should’ve checked on him before coming here….”
The Cheonrok yawned elegantly, patted Lord Yeomjeong on the shoulder, and began walking back toward Jae-ha and Hae-hyun. His decisiveness made it clear—he was ready to leave without hesitation.
“W-wait! Wait, Yeon-je…!”
Lord Yeomjeong’s outstretched hand trembled. Gone was the cool, detached figure Jae-ha had seen earlier—or the feral hostility aimed at himself. What remained was a clumsy, almost boyish side. Flustered and awkward, he stumbled over his words.
“Y-you said you wanted Hwanggwaju, remember? So I saved it for you. Enough for you to drink until you’re satisfied, okay? Don’t leave.”
The Cheonrok paused, glancing back.
“Hwanggwaju?”
“Y-yes, yes!”
Lord Yeomjeong nodded so hard it was almost desperate, as though he’d just found salvation.
“You said if you had it, you could stay for a hundred, even a thousand years. That’s why I never gave it to anyone else. It’s not as much as I’d planned, but… every drop of Hwanggwaju in the Celestial Realm is mine. I’ll give it all to you. The ones brewed next century, the century after that—they’ll all be yours. Forever. Okay? Stay with me. You love Hwanggwaju, don’t you? You said it was delicious.”
“…I suppose I might’ve said something like that.”
The Cheonrok blinked, murmuring as if recalling some offhand comment. Clearly, he’d spoken thoughtlessly. Jae-ha stifled a sigh. Seriously? This wasn’t a child—yet here he was, being courted with dramatic declarations.
The truth was absurd. It wasn’t that the Cheonrok’s power had failed to work on Lord Yeomjeong. Quite the opposite.
Lord Yeomjeong adored him—so much he wanted to lock the Cheonrok away in a sealed chamber where no one could enter or leave, just so they could be together forever.
From his words, it sounded like he had planned to keep the Cheonrok asleep for centuries more—until he had gathered enough Hwanggwaju to satisfy him. So long as the wine flowed, he believed the Cheonrok would never leave.
It was nonsense. The Cheonrok wasn’t some machine that only returned programmed results. He was a living, thinking being.
“Well then… maybe I’ll have a drink before I go.”
…What?
“…I’m sorry, what?”
The words slipped out of Jae-ha’s mouth before he could stop them. Was this man insane? He understood perfectly what was happening, yet he still wanted to drink more and stay?
“But he’s offering Hwanggwaju.”
“No, Lord Yeomjeong locked you up, don’t you get it?”
“I told you—call me Yeon-je. Or you.”
Would anyone call their progenitor you?
“Stop spouting nonsense.”
“Hmm… strange. No one’s ever treated me this coldly before.”
Even with Jae-ha snapping at him, the Cheonrok only looked amused, tilting his head as though studying him. Then, suddenly, his eyes lit up.
“Oh! Our Jae-ha carries the same blood as me.”
You just figured that out?
“Yes. You’re my progenitor.”
Jae-ha’s curt reply earned only another light laugh.
“Too bad. For a second I thought I’d finally met someone who matched my taste.”
…What the hell? A chill shot down Jae-ha’s spine.
At the same time, Hae-hyun yanked Jae-ha closer, shielding him behind his back as if to hide him from the Cheonrok. From afar, Lord Yeomjeong’s eyes burned with venom, glaring daggers at Jae-ha.
Wait—why was this my fault? He was the one spouting insane nonsense to his descendant! How unfair.
“Wow, Jae-ha’s my descendant! Did you know that?”
Meanwhile, the Cheonrok was happily chatting with the doll on his shoulder. The jade doll slapped his cheek a few times as if to scold him for not knowing earlier. Its tiny hand was so small it didn’t even leave a mark.
“Well, I was half-asleep. Easy to miss things.”
Even while making excuses, the Cheonrok looked utterly unbothered. Not the slightest trace of embarrassment or guilt for what he’d just said to Jae-ha.
“Oh well. Let’s take care of Jae-ha first, then.”
The Cheonrok muttered casually, stepping toward Jae-ha. Hae-hyun blocked his way, preventing him from closing the gap, though he didn’t drive him off completely.
“N-no, don’t. Don’t go.”
Lord Yeomjeong’s voice cracked with desperation, but the Cheonrok didn’t look back.
“Don’t leave me, Yeon-je…!”
His pleas grew louder, more forceful. Jae-ha, sensing something wrong, glanced at Lord Yeomjeong—and froze.
Something like shimmering heat haze was rising around him.
“You have to stay with me!”
BOOM! A roar like a scream thundered through the chamber.
The floor trembled violently. Hae-hyun spread golden energy wide, encasing himself, Jae-ha, and the Cheonrok in a protective dome. The ceiling warped, chunks of debris crashing down only to bounce harmlessly off the golden shield.
“Your place is here—with me!”
Dust clouds swallowed the air. Lord Yeomjeong’s voice echoed, raw with obsession. His suppressed power burst forth, rattling the building again. Rumble, crash… The sound was enough to make it feel like the whole place might collapse.
“Sunbae, should we move now? If this building comes down, it’s over.”
Hae-hyun fingered his Guardian Talisman as he asked. Jae-ha hesitated, bothered by one thing—they still hadn’t met up with Su-min.
“Don’t worry about Im Su-min. With this much chaos, it’ll actually look safer if he’s not with us.”
It was as if Hae-hyun had read Jae-ha’s mind. And besides, Su-min was a spiritual beast of the Yellow Dragon’s palace. It wasn’t likely something terrible would happen just because they couldn’t regroup.
Still, even Hae-hyun couldn’t fight a Celestial Lord head-on—someone ranked just below the Heavenly Emperor. Especially not after already burning through so much energy. Blocking one or two attacks was probably all he could manage. Jae-ha sensed this instinctively, nodding heavily.
“Can you handle it?”
“That much is easy.”
Hae-hyun channeled golden energy into the Guardian Talisman. Just like when they’d first arrived, the wooden tablet began to glow. Tilting his head, the Cheonrok remarked that it had been ages since he’d seen one, chattering idly with the jade doll.
The dust slowly began to clear. Now was their best chance to escape, while Lord Yeomjeong’s vision was still obscured. As Jae-ha looked around, something felt off.
He could hear murmurs.
Only then did he register the scene properly. The sealed walls of the chamber had cracked and collapsed, revealing the outside.
Through the gaps, guests peered in with curious eyes. One woman even covered her mouth with her sleeve as she whispered to her companion—then caught Jae-ha’s gaze and offered him a polite bow.
“……”
By then, the dust had fully settled. And that was when Jae-ha understood why Lord Yeomjeong hadn’t launched another attack. His own surroundings were in even worse shape than theirs.
