Suddenly, the martial artists from the Zhuge family burst in!
The head of the Zhuge family—no, my father-in-law—said he wanted me to be dragged here, cursing me as a good-for-nothing. What on earth is going on?
“Are you saying the head didn’t know about my engagement with Miss Zhuge?”
After sending the martial artists from the Zhuge family away to the guest room, I was finally able to hear a response from Miss Zhuge.
“Yeeess. Ah, I’m sure my father and the other family members didn’t know.”
Miss Zhuge answered, unable to lift her head.
So the martial artists from the Zhuge family are calling me a good-for-nothing, and I feel bad about the power struggle between them and the martial artists from the Man Geum Battlefield?
Isn’t it like the heated debate about who owns Jamsil or Manchester among sports fans? I didn’t feel too hurt since it’s common to be treated with hostility by someone I just met.
“I heard that Miss Zhuge’s mother agreed, so it’s fine for us to live together.”
I mentioned what I had heard in advance to the close associates gathered in the room, including Miss Zhuge.
“Uh, only my mother knows. The family thinks I’m visiting my grandfather.”
“What do you mean…?”
It’s already been over half a year since we started living together.
“Between Lord Man Geum and Miss Jang Young-young, there was a prior agreement between father and daughter.”
Someone else answered my curiosity.
“Former Head of Guards?”
The former Head of Guards, a close associate of Lord Man Geum, looked at me as if he knew everything.
“Lord Man Geum saw great potential in Master Kang and hoped for him to qualify for the successor exam. However, he couldn’t just place an outsider in the successor position and contacted the daughter of the Zhuge family.”
“Even so, you mean to say this was handled without the Zhuge family’s consent?”
“Both Lord Man Geum and his daughter thought it was a wonderful opportunity.”
“Yeeess. Uh, what about my mother?”
Miss Zhuge asked the former Head of Guards, as if she hadn’t heard this before.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Lord Man Geum thought that the only granddaughter who could sway Master Kang’s heart was Miss Zhuge. Miss Zhuge’s mother, hearing about Master Kang from her father, felt this was the only opportunity for her youngest daughter to get married.”
“Ahhhh.”
Miss Zhuge let out a faint scream as if she was beginning to piece things together. Could it be that our lazy daughter at home was part of a marriage project?
“The biggest problem is to connect a promising future with the youngest daughter of the Zhuge family, who still has nothing. I figured time would solve that issue.”
“You believed I’d be the successor to the Man Geum Battlefield and pushed forward the engagement with Miss Zhuge without the family’s permission, huh?”
“Yes, that’s correct. In the end, you both anticipated this, though it took a bit longer due to the last matter.”
The former Head of Guards nodded with a smile, almost as if he was admiring Lord Man Geum’s foresight.
“……”
Right. No matter how much of a big shot Lord Man Geum is, what would he say if he learns that his precious youngest daughter is living with a foreigner who operates a bookstore?
Even the head of the Zhuge family must have his wits about him. He seems a bit weak lately, so I might as well send him off to a nice place with good water and weather for recovery. I can just imagine him muttering about how senile he’s becoming.
While this turned out to be a good situation in the end, for the head of the Zhuge family, he could never tolerate this process.
“Wow. So, our brother-in-law has been living under the same roof with the youngest daughter of the mighty Zhuge family for almost a year without the head’s permission?”
That rascal Gil-san, hearing the situation, looked at me with a smirk and opened his mouth.
“……”
Hearing the truth made everything go dark before me.
“The fact that only my mother knows about my cohabitation situation, while even the martial artists of the Zhuge family seem unaware, means my uncle thinks a good-for-nothing like me seduced his clueless daughter. It’s impressive he hasn’t shown up with a sword.”
The problem.
The Zhuge family, the most famous martial arts family in Hubei Province. How would the head of the Zhuge family feel upon discovering that his precious youngest daughter wasn’t on a trip but living with a man?
I’ve never seen the face of the Zhuge family’s head, but why do I feel like I can hear the roar of fury echoing through the massive village?
“Whose side are you on?”
“Master Kang is completely screwed! The Zhuge family dragged him in, and he’s got a whole world of trouble ahead! This is gonna be hilarious!”
What kind of weird stuff did that guy learn? Gil-san was shaking his fist as if this was thrilling.
“Can I hit him?”
“When our brother-in-law gets dragged to the Zhuge family, I hope he can comfort my uncle a bit!”
“Haah……”
A sigh of despair rose from deep within.
Gil-san couldn’t contain his laughter and patted my shoulder.
“Hey! Don’t worry too much! Right from the start, you might be hated and have a hard time, but come on, would my uncle really kill you? Right, Hyang?”
“Uh, um…”
Miss Zhuge, why are you avoiding eye contact?
“Head of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Geuk, is famous for his intense love for his daughter.”
Even the former Head of Guards smiled bitterly as he said that.
“……”
“Uh… I guess I have to at least pretend to die?”
Gil-san, if you’re panicking too, what am I supposed to do?
“If you can win over the heart of the head of the Zhuge family, you might get a strong maternal family as well.”
“The strong maternal family seems to be waiting outside, already looking to snatch someone up.”
“Ahem. What are you planning to do?”
Even the former Head of Guards seemed at a loss for words as he awkwardly cleared his throat and asked me.
“Considering that Lord Man Geum hasn’t even woken up yet and the matters are still unraveled makes this troublesome.”
Really? Why do the Zhuge family’s people have to come during this chaotic time?
If I had smoothly become the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield, I would have visited the Zhuge family in peace without the head noticing.
This Baek Myeon-ho-ri brat is leaving a mess behind him till the end.
What should I do?
“The martial artists from the Zhuge family seem to have rushed over, so I’ll have them rest for now.”
As I showed a troubled expression, the Deputy Head of Guards, Un Yeop, spoke softly.
“That sounds good. Could you give me a moment to think alone?”
With matters ranging from Lord Man Geum’s illness to the Zhuge family dilemma piling up, I needed time to prioritize these issues now that I’d be leading a large organization.
“Let’s all rise.”
The former Head of Guards seemed to understand my feelings, nodding, and sent a glance around, prompting everyone to stand in unison.
“……”
Once everyone left, Miss Zhuge seemed to have something to say as she turned back at the door.
“Miss Zhuge?”
“Ah, it’s nothing. I’m going to head in now.”
With a face full of regret, Miss Zhuge kept bowing her head as she left the room.
She really doesn’t need to feel that sorry. This is the matter of Lord Man Geum and my mother-in-law.
Yet, Miss Zhuge’s slumped shoulders as she was leaving bothered me for some reason.
“What should I do?”
Jang Hyang returned to her own room, which was set up next to Kang Yoon-ho’s, and let out a sigh.
“Mom, you should have sent the letter earlier!”
Jang Hyang recalled the urgent message she received from her mother last night.
[Your father found out. Someone will come, so if you have no urgent matters, come with them.]
Master Kang was busy, so she tried to delay by moving the mansion. But she never expected her father’s martial artists would arrive so quickly after her mother’s urgent news.
Just how urgent was it?
“If Dad is angry, it’s really serious.”
Jang Hyang couldn’t gauge just how furious her father might be.
The head of the Zhuge family, Zhuge Geuk. Jang Hyang respected her father deeply, but sometimes his intense love for his daughter crossed the line.
Thanks to that, even when her mother fussed about not staying indoors, her father laughed and doted on her, which contributed to Jang Hyang’s character development.
“What do you mean setting up a household without my permission? This marriage is absolutely unacceptable!”
“Ugh. I think I can hear Dad’s voice.”
Jang Hyang trembled at the troubling turn of events.
“No matter what, Master Kang will have a hard time dealing with this.”
Master Kang, he didn’t look happy at the end. Surely it’s because the people from the Zhuge family were calling him a good-for-nothing and trying to drag him off.
What if Master Kang develops a grudge against the Zhuge family? What if my father hates Master Kang?
The horrific thought shot through Jang Hyang’s mind.
“What if the engagement gets called off?”
Her sense of impending doom started to churn to life.
“Why is that girl still single at her age? Isn’t she practically an old maid now?”
“Why? Haven’t you heard about Master Kang from Man Geum Battlefield…?”
“What? Is he the famous Kang Yoon-ho from Hubei Province? A broken engagement? What about that guy?”
“What else could happen? The guy’s living well and thriving with two stunning wives. He probably doesn’t have a care in the world.”
“Well, who would like a girl stuck in her room all day?”
“No! That may be true, but it can never happen!”
Jang Hyang cried, distressed at the thought of Master Kang getting married instead.
‘If I couldn’t marry Master Kang…’
Imagining an unhappy future was tormenting, but it also brought a strange thrill. Jang Hyang’s sense of impending doom wouldn’t stop.
“Oh Hyang, your dad brought someone nice for you. He’s much better than that good-for-nothing. You should meet him.”
Surely, he would bring someone with a normal face and a rational mindset who can’t communicate with her.
“Is he normally quiet?”
“Ugh. W-well…”
“I’m just joking! Do you have any hobbies?”
“Um, just reading and drawing a bit.”
“You seem to enjoy traditional art. Are you into orchids or something?”
“I draw naughty pictures.”
“What?”
“I draw pictures from that famous Ho Pil artist’s works…”
“Ho Pil! I know him! Isn’t he an incredibly famous artist? Are you creating his art style?”
“I did draw some, but now I can’t. I’m sure it will break my heart to see that again.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m not quite following. Let’s just cancel the match, shall we?”
“Ugh! Waaahhh!”
No matter the match, it would all be the same. Ultimately, she would fail at the match and rot as a leftover old maid.
“Hyang. Come out of your room for a moment. You won’t have to go on any match now.”
“Uh, right. Dad says he doesn’t care about marriage. Just be healthy.”
She could only imagine turning into a woman who wouldn’t step out of her wardrobe.
“The wine tastes… pretty good. Heheh. Huhuhh.”
“Next time, we’ll have to dine together. Absolutely.”
“The future is clear to me!”
Even when thinking about her rotten future, Jang Hyang felt despair as she rolled around on the floor.
“What should I do?”
What if my dad hates Master Kang?
What if he absolutely disallow me from marrying Master Kang?
“Miss Zhuge.”
“If Master Kang isn’t there, I can’t live!”
I really don’t want to think about such a future.
“Ah?! Is that Miss Zhuge over there?”
“The world is scary. I’m so afraid to go home!”
This is now my home.
“I’m scared too, so let’s talk about it.”
Suddenly the door swung open.
“M-Master Kang?!”
He definitely said he needed time. Suddenly? Jang Hyang, her hair all messy from rolling around on the floor, stupidly stared at the hand Master Kang offered.
“Let’s go for a walk for a bit.”
*
I suspected this would happen.
Quickly organizing my thoughts, I headed to Miss Zhuge’s room, but Jang Hyang was already lost in her own world.
“S-Sorry! I should have told you!”
As soon as Miss Zhuge stepped into the beautifully landscaped garden, she kept bowing her head to me.
“I’m not here to scold you. This isn’t your fault, is it?”
This was the issue between Lord Man Geum and my mother-in-law. Anyway, if Miss Zhuge had told me, I still wouldn’t have been less surprised by the Zhuge family’s visit today.
“No, I should have told you. I kept postponing it thinking it wasn’t urgent. With Hayun’s problem and Master Kang’s exam looming, I wanted to help, and, and…”
Why did she stop speaking and look at me bashfully?
“What else?”
As I waited for a response, Miss Zhuge kept checking my face. For some reason, her white face had gradually turned pink.
“I-I wanted to stay next to Master Kang, you know.”
“……”
The confession she squeezed out hit my heart like a surprise attack.
Oh no. I instinctively covered my mouth and turned my head. This girl makes my heart flutter in unusual ways.
“Ah! I-I’m Master Kang, yes?”
“The martial artists of the Zhuge family said they couldn’t wait long.”
Finally organizing my lips, I conveyed the information I had received.
“What should we do? My grandfather is still unconscious, and the Man Geum matters haven’t been sorted yet.”
Indeed, the issues piled like a mountain.
If Lord Man Geum still doesn’t regain consciousness, I would need to lead the Man Geum Battlefield. But still…
“Let’s go.”
“Yeeess?”
Shouldn’t we prioritize resolving the most important issue first?
Miss Zhuge looked at me, shocked, her eyes wide in disbelief.
“We can’t delay when visiting my in-laws for the first time. It’s only proper to handle urgent matters right away and head out.”
“M-Master Kang!”
“It might be a bit rough because I didn’t inform you earlier, but it’s actually for the best. While Lord Man Geum regains consciousness, we’ll hurry and take care of this.”
Since they said he would be awake soon, it would be better to solve the pressing issue and then go pay our respects.
“Will you be okay?”
“Don’t worry too much. Having become the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield, how could they possibly not approve?”
As a potential son-in-law, being the successor of the Man Geum Battlefield isn’t bad, right? Of course, I need to clarify our cohabitation before that.
“Uh, um…”
Miss Zhuge couldn’t respond and averted her gaze.
“Is your father that strict?”
“A-Little. I mean, very strict.”
If she won’t deny it, just how strict can he be?
“……I’ll do my best to get the approval.”
“Hehe. Yesss. Master Kang, if anyone can do it, it’ll be you.”
Seeing her smile that made me grin was enough to bolster my resolve.
