Absolute Regression Chapter 451

451
Juhyangwol walked towards the entrance of the guest house.

A man at the top of the zodiac recognized her and greeted her.

“Your Majesty, are you here?”

“What’s going on?”

“It’s nothing. If you go in, the Master will be here soon.”

Joo Hyang-wol looked at the man she had been struggling with. She turned her head without thinking, but she was startled inside.

The young, handsome man’s eyes were clear and deep. Once you see him, you are captivated by his appearance that is hard to forget.

Behind the young man stood a middle-aged man. He was not looking this way. He was looking at the people walking by on the street with his arms crossed.

The moment I saw them, an indescribable emotion suddenly surged up and then disappeared. Since this was my first time experiencing something like this, I couldn’t tell what it was.

Anyway, the moment she saw the two of them, she could feel it.

‘They are rich.’

Their faces didn’t look alike, but somehow their vibes were similar.

And behind the middle-aged man stood a man.

‘Is the escort unmanned?’

They were Geommugeuk, Geomwoojin, and Hwi.

Hwi wanted to eat separately, but Geommugeuk forcibly dragged him along. This trip was for himself and his father, but at the same time, he wanted it to be a trip for Hwi and his father.

At least for this trip, I hope to walk on my own two feet as much as possible instead of hiding. I want to make eye contact with my father and eat together.

So this moment is precious because when I return from my trip, I will return to my original life.

Why are you going to such lengths to do this?

Because I am. The life of Hwi, who willingly gave his life for his father. He protected his father his whole life, but he ended his life by giving his life at the end.

Joo Hyang-wol asked the unmanned man at the top of the zodiac.

“Why aren’t they allowed in?”

“Today, Prince Huang has rented this entire inn.”

Joo Hyang-wol’s impression hardened.

The person who made the appointment to meet at this inn was Hwang Gongja. He could have come to the Ju family’s inn, but it was strange that he insisted on meeting at this inn. It seems that he wanted to show off his wealth by renting this place.

The sword dance spoke to her.

“I am a traveler with my father. I have come a long way to treat him to this dish.”

She looked at Geommu-geuk and Geomwoo-jin. If she were her original self, she would have sent them away and told them to go to another guest house. That would be right for them too. If they went in, more bad things would happen than good.

But today’s choice was different.

“Please let me in.”

“His Majesty the Emperor has ordered us not to let anyone in.”

“I’ll take responsibility. Come on, let’s go in together.”

Joo Hyang-wol tried to go inside with three people, but the unmanned people still blocked their way.

When Juhyangwol looked at them coldly, only then did the warriors open the path.

“Thank you very much. Thanks to you, I can treat my father to a meal.”

So, Joo Hyang-wol took the three people inside.

I’m not originally this kind of person.

‘Yes, because you said you were traveling with your father.’

Because I thought about my late father the whole time I was coming here.

“Was there a reason it had to be this inn?”

“Among the dishes here, the cold dish made with twelve kinds of vegetables and the duck boiled with good medicinal herbs are truly delicacies. They are also good for your health. I really wanted to treat my father to them.”

She envied the man in front of her.

If my father were alive, I would treat him well. I would travel with him and treat him to healthy and delicious food. But by the time I came of age, it was already too late.

“Still, it wasn’t a good choice to be a swindler to the unmanned people of the Zodiac.”

The recent rise of the Zodiac has made me think that the men in front of me would know about it, but the young man didn’t take them seriously.

“Even if the Moorim Alliance blocks it, it’s not the Imperial Guard, so we have to come in. It’s our first trip with my father.”

No matter what, it’s like that. Why would you bring up the Murim Alliance in such a grand way? You don’t even know what kind of place the Murim Alliance is.

Geommugeuk looked at Geomwoojin and added.

“How did I get this opportunity?”

Geum Woo-jin was doing whatever his son asked him to do.

The person most surprised by that sight was Hwi.

While the sword dance was going on in front of the guest house, the leader waited silently. Considering the personality of the leader that he knew, it was something he could not have imagined.

“Sir, please choose one thing you would like to eat.”

“I’m fine.”

“No. You have to choose. If you don’t choose, I won’t order. Did you hear that just now? My father’s stomach growling? Oh, my poor father. He can’t even maintain his dignity… … .”

“I will choose.”

How could I win against the sword dance? In the end, I chose a dish called Hwido.

Joo Hyang-wol, who was watching this scene, was startled. She was watching the scene with a smile on her face without realizing it.

“If anyone comes and asks why you are here, just tell them my name. My name is Ju Hyang-wol of the Ju clan.”

“Thanks to you, I was able to become a filial son.”

As she was about to turn around and leave, she gave me a piece of advice.

“If this is fate, then I will say this with good intentions. The two of you have really striking swords.”

Geommu-geuk was wrapped in a bandage, and Geom Woo-jin wrapped his sword in a bandage. The fact is that the sight of the two brothers covering their swords was rather striking. In fact, it was not the swords that caught her eye, but the fact that the two of them themselves caught her eye that she did not realize it.

“It’s because it stands out more when you unravel the fabric.”

“What does that mean?”

The sword dance simply smiled. No matter how conspicuous it was, he could not walk around the central plains wearing the Heavenly Demon Sword.

“Enjoy your meal and leave. You don’t have to pay for the food.”

I meant to say that I borrowed it in its entirety.

“Thank you for your kind words, but I don’t think that will work.”

“What does that mean?”

“Those people probably didn’t pay when they rented this place. We should pay at least.”

Joo Hyang-wol was surprised.

“You heard it all, right? You rented this whole place.”

“Then go to the owner and ask him how much he’s going to charge for lending it to you. He probably hasn’t set a price yet. Avoid the people at the entrance and ask the owner quietly.”

She went and talked to the owner.

“How did you know?”

The owner said, “It’s okay. Your Majesty, you are holding an important meeting, and I must assist you.”

In other words, he was saying that he wouldn’t get paid properly.

“Because that’s what the martial arts school is good at. They say they’ll pay for everything later, but it would be better if they at least gave you the money for the food you ate on your way out. It’s rare for them to even take care of the things they couldn’t serve to other customers.”

Joo Hyang-wol’s face flushed slightly.

If so, strictly speaking, it was shameful to have given them a hard time.

“I will check when Prince Hwang arrives.”

“If you question him, think about who will be harmed and then ask him.”

I could tell what he meant. After all, it was going to hurt the innkeeper.

“Still, I will definitely repay the favor I owe you when I get the chance.”

Just then, a man came into the guest room.

“Your Majesty, are you here already?”

He was Hwang In, the successor to the Zodiac. I thought he would come with a lot of escorts, but surprisingly, he came alone.

The gaze of the yellow man walking towards her naturally turned to those who were with her.

“Who are you with?”

Then, the man at the entrance came in and whispered to him what had happened earlier.

Hwang In thought it was unexpected. Ju Hyang-wol, who he had investigated in advance, was not such a broad-minded person.

Joo Hyang-wol said to Hwang In, “If you don’t step forward, you might be kicked out.”

“You are my guest.”

“Oh, I see.”

Reacting gently, Hwang In felt inwardly puzzled.

‘He’s not the type of person to do something like this. Could the investigation have been flawed?’

Then an idea occurred to me.

‘Are we on the same side but pretending not to know each other?’

I thought that might be the case. The head of the household might have been anxious about sending his daughter out alone.

“Hello, Your Excellency.”

These three people truly gave off an extraordinary feeling.

Since there were no such people when we investigated in advance, they must have been brought in from outside.

“I am the yellow man at the top of the zodiac.”

Then, Geommugeuk gave a greeting as a representative.

“We are just passing guests, so please don’t worry about us.”

Hwang In thought that the other person was intentionally not revealing his identity.

‘Are they the ones we hired with money? Or are there still people left who want to help the Zhou family?’

It doesn’t matter anyway. Today’s work wasn’t something that could be solved by force.

At that time, the food that Geommugeuk had ordered arrived.

“Oh, father. Please try this first.”

The show focused on the food, as if people really came here to eat.

He put food in small bowls and served it to his father and Hui.

Hwang In’s confidence grew stronger as he acted without caring about himself.

‘You’re trying not to be suspected because you’re on the same side.’

Anyway, the pride of the unmanned!

If you ask who is the easiest person to deal with as a merchant, Hwang In can confidently say. It’s the unmanned people. Those foolish prides.

“Okay, let’s go too.”

Hwang In sat across from Ju Hyang-wol in the middle seat of the guest house.

“Let’s have a drink.”

Although Hwang In poured her a drink, Joo Hyang-wol put the glass down and did not drink.

“Why did you choose me?”

“I think it’s because young people have something in common.”

Joo Hyang-wol has never heard of Hwang In. He doesn’t have a particularly good reputation, but he doesn’t have a bad reputation either.

“Why do you want to invest in us?”

“There is only one reason why the upper class wants to join hands with the sword family. It is because they need the sword family’s power.”

“Why not invest that money directly into building a sword inside the top?”

“Of course, we raise our own unmanned forces. But do you know? In the martial arts world, swords from merchants are not recognized. They openly look down on swords that were bought with money. That’s why it’s not easy to find a master. They don’t like hearing that they were sold for money. Honestly, don’t you think so too?”

Joo Hyang-wol couldn’t say no to the question that was suddenly asked. It was because she clearly had that kind of feeling.

“That’s why. If you want to do big business in the martial arts world, you need the reputation of the Ju family. Oh, of course, I’m not disrespecting you or your family, so don’t misunderstand. We want a relationship where we help each other and live together.”

But Joo Hyang-wol did not want to join hands with them.

It wasn’t because I knew much about the zodiac, or because I knew the internal affairs of the sword family, or because I could predict what the results of this cooperation would be.

It’s because I don’t trust my mother’s judgment. She always makes mistakes when she’s in a hurry.

I shouldn’t judge the problem with the zodiac that way, but I keep thinking about it emotionally.

Was it because my expectations were low? Hwang In-i seemed better than I had expected. I thought he was someone who bragged about money and was a womanizer, but he seemed like a person with a lot of purpose and thought.

“How do you want to hold hands?”

“Our merchants do not believe in verbal promises. They believe only in contracts.”

He handed her the documents that Hwang In had brought.

“This is an agreement between the head of the household and the Ju clan to join forces. Please read it and sign it. Originally, the head of the household should do it, but since you are the head of the household and are also his daughter, Soju is fully qualified. It may take some time, but please read it slowly. Normally, you have to read the documents you sign carefully.”

Joo Hyang-wol was inwardly embarrassed. She had thought that they would meet today and talk about various things, but she had not thought that they would even write an agreement like this.

‘Did your mother know?’

At least one thing was certain. They would be happy if I came to an agreement with them and went back. My mother was the one who had sent me out dressed in that fancy dress.

I would have liked to just say no and walk away, but I couldn’t do that considering the circumstances of the inspection team and my mother.

Joo Hyang-wol read the entire agreement.

There were some parts that were easy to understand at a glance, but there were also parts that were confusing even when I read them again.

Why do we need all these unnecessary words? Let’s erase them all and just use this.

I’d like to say this, but the problem is that I can’t say specifically what I should leave behind.

There were also some phrases that seemed essential and others that seemed optional. There were a lot of ambiguous parts.

‘To know something vaguely means to know nothing.’

No, it was worse than not knowing. I was just vaguely understanding and moving on from passages I wasn’t sure about.

You dare to mess with us?

I read all the way to the last chapter, but I couldn’t find a single passage that warranted such a scolding.

Should I just sign it and take it to my mother? Shouting at her that it wasn’t my will, it was hers, so she won’t regret it later?

I wish it had been a few years ago, when I was this reckless.

‘If only my father had been here… … .’

At that moment, without realizing it, her gaze turned to where the sword dance was.

Perhaps because they knew this was an important place, they were quietly talking and eating. It was only after I listened in that I could hear their conversation.

“Isn’t it delicious?”

“It’s okay.”

“What about you, sir?”

“It’s delicious.”

“Look, didn’t I say it was delicious? Let’s go around all the delicious restaurants in Jungwon and kidnap the best hostess and go back! Or let’s each kidnap one hostess who suits our taste, three of them!”

At his joke, Juhyangwol smiled without realizing it. Even though it wasn’t a situation where she could laugh, she felt a strange sense of relief when she saw them.

I’ve been having nightmares a lot lately and have been feeling unstable mentally and physically, but why do I feel so at ease? I just saw these people today.

At that moment, Geommugeuk and his eyes met.

Can the eyes that were talking nonsense be that deep?

The moment that thought occurred to her, she surrendered herself to the guidance of fate.

He jumped up from his seat, held the agreement in his hands, and started walking towards the sword dance.

Hwang In was inwardly bewildered by her sudden behavior, but he watched her carefully for the time being.

As she walked to the front of the sword dance theater, she thought about this.

‘That’s crazy.’

Today is a day where my instincts are really running wild.

“You said you would repay me, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Can you repay that debt now?”

“We are not merchants, we are unmanned people, so we cannot stand being in debt.”

She handed the agreement she was holding to Geommugeuk.

“Then please give me a reason to tear this down.”

Absolute Return Episode 452