By Zephyria 
“Even so, the gains would far outweigh the losses. To kick away a position where you could obtain wealth, fame, and even power? What kind of fool would do such a thing?”
Jegal Un was visibly shaken, as if he couldn’t believe it.
“……Now that I look at it, it seems the Young Family Head wants me to take that position? Should I do that for you? Hmm? Would you feel better if I took over the Jegal Clan starting today?”
“W-when did I! I didn’t mean it like that, so sit back down!”
When Seong Mu-yeon abruptly stood up, pretending to be angry, Jegal Un hurriedly tried to stop him.
Jegal Un always walked around with a look on his face as if everything in the world were disgusting. To think he would ever see him so flustered that he was even stuttering.
Jegal Un seemed anxious that Seong Mu-yeon might change his mind at any moment.
“Not everyone in the world lives with a grand ambition like the Young Family Head. I just want to eat well, sleep well, and live a long, healthy life day by day. That’s all.”
“……Even a mayfly wouldn’t live so complacently.”
“And just how hard did the Young Family Head work, that he almost lost the position of Family Head to a stray dog like me?”
“…….”
At the cold observation, Jegal Un pressed his lips into a thin line.
“Anyway…… I neither want nor have the will to be the Family Head, so even if I’m forced into that seat, I won’t be able to do it well. There are people like me and people like the Young Family Head; isn’t that why the world doesn’t collapse and keeps turning?”
“……You really seem to be sincere.”
“What have you heard until now? Instead, if I ever end up a penniless beggar with nothing to my name and find myself on the streets later, please give me a place to sleep then.”
“As if……. A sly bastard like you will never end up in such a state, even if you died and came back to life.”
Jegal Un snorted loudly.
“My, I can’t tell if that’s an insult or a compliment.”
“It’s a compliment.”
“Ah, yes. I’m so incredibly grateful I don’t know what to do with myself.”
Seong Mu-yeon eventually let out a chuckle. However, the smile quickly vanished.
“……By the way, how long are you going to keep calling me ‘you’, ‘you’? No matter what, I’m the older brother. Is there no such thing as respect for elders in the Jegal Clan?”
At those words, Jegal Un stiffened.
“Despite how I look, if I were to count the number of older brothers and sisters I’ve served so far, ten fingers wouldn’t be enough, yet I’ve never once forgotten to show courtesy…….”
He had treated even the young servants who barely reached his waist with thorough etiquette. Of course, part of it was because Owl was an immense stick-in-the-mud, but regardless, Seong Mu-yeon was an expert in this field.
He knew exactly how to treat a younger brother to make respect for an older sibling bloom.
However, Jegal Un glared stubbornly, as if he would rather be beaten to death than call him ‘brother’.
It seemed he had no intention of acknowledging Seong Mu-yeon as his brother, even if he had to bite his tongue and die.
“Sigh, forget it. What kind of wealth and honor are you hoping for? Do whatever you want. I’ll do whatever I want, too.”
“Phew…….”
Jegal Un let out a sigh of relief.
“So, what were you doing all this time instead of stopping your father?”
Seong Mu-yeon leaned back precariously in the chair, crossed his legs, and asked in a slouchy tone. He no longer felt the need to be polite to Jegal Un.
Even so, wasn’t the change in attitude too sudden?
Jegal Un seemed slightly bewildered. However, thinking it was better than calling each other brothers, he soon accepted it.
“If he were the kind of person who would listen to being stopped, I would have stopped him long ago.”
“And what’s this message saying the martial alliance sent?”
“It’s nothing much. They said heading to Hebei was a mistake. They claim they achieved nothing there. However, based on the information reported from this side, they speculate that the attack on Family Head Peng was not carried out by the Divine Demon Sect’s demonic unit, but was an act committed independently by Peng Yuan-jin. They said they would join us here soon, so we must break the momentum of the Divine Demon Sect this time by any means necessary…… that was the gist of it. It seems the message was sent before they received the report that Demon Subjugation Valley had been annihilated.”
By now, the martial alliance would have also heard the news that Demon Subjugation Valley had been seized.
“In the end, Ma Instructor’s judgment was correct.”
“Yes, we have to think about the matter right in front of us first. Father will return to Yungjung soon, so we’ll be able to buy some time until then.”
Jegal Un spoke calmly. His usual ‘ate-dirt’ expression remained the same. As if nothing had happened a moment ago, he was flipping through bamboo slips again with a person right in front of him.
But something had changed.
It was a subtle change that one wouldn’t notice without observing closely, but Seong Mu-yeon quickly realized that his face had somehow softened slightly. And that the hostility toward Seong Mu-yeon had almost vanished.
Jegal Un didn’t show it outwardly, but inwardly, he was greatly relieved.
Did he think the world would end if anyone found out he was happy? He had a secretly cute side.
“If we take some time and explain it sufficiently, my uncle will soon understand. The fact that you are more suited to be the Family Head of the Jegal Clan than I am…….”
“What does that mean? Who is suited for what?”
Just then, an angry voice pierced through.
Seong Mu-yeon and Jegal Un jumped up from their seats in surprise.
“I don’t know what kind of conspiracy you two were plotting while I was gone, but not a chance.”
Jegal Yeom-gang’s cold eyes pierced Jegal Un.
“No matter what the Young Family Head says, let it go in one ear and out the other. That fellow is a shameless brat who believes it is only right that I inherit the position of Family Head, so he will spout any sweet talk as long as he can reclaim that seat.”
“Father…….”
“Quiet! You shut your mouth. Considering you wasted three years by keeping your mouth shut just to protect your own position, you’d have nothing to say even if you were expelled from the family right now!”
“…….”
Jegal Un lowered his head at his father’s harsh reprimand. Seong Mu-yeon let out a sigh.
“Uncle, please stop. I have no intention of taking over the Jegal Clan. Who would be satisfied with me, whose body is not even whole, becoming the Family Head?”
“What are you talking about! Did the Young Family Head say something bad to you? As I thought, I shouldn’t have left you two alone; it was my mistake. Forget it! From now on, I will teach that brat well so he can never spout nonsense again!”
It was like reading scriptures to a cow; communication was completely impossible.
Eventually, Jegal Yeom-gang grabbed Seong Mu-yeon.
“This won’t do! I’ll leave the rest to the others, and we are returning to Yungjung! Once you return to the main house and see for yourself how wonderful it is, you will change your mind!”
Jegal Yeom-gang was practically consumed by madness.
“You must become the Family Head……. Only then…….”
“Uncle! Why are you really acting like this?”
Seong Mu-yeon shook off his hand.
“If you truly care for the family, make the right choice! The more you act like this, the harder it becomes for everyone in the clan, including me and the Young Family Head!”
Flinch.
“……Uncle?”
Jegal Yeom-gang suddenly went quiet. He was staring blankly into the air with unfocused eyes. He looked so fragile it was hard to believe he was the same person who had been shouting boisterously just a moment ago.
“I beg you, Mu-yeon. Please stop refusing and just do as I say…….”
Jegal Yeom-gang gripped Seong Mu-yeon’s shoulder. However, there was no strength in his hand, and it slid off helplessly.
“Only then…… only if I do that can I…….”
Soon, Jegal Yeom-gang began to tremble like an aspen leaf.
“Father? What is wrong?”
Jegal Un also widened his eyes in surprise at seeing his father like this for the first time.
“I’m doing this because I feel like my heart will only be at peace if I do so.”
“Uncle?”
As far as Jegal Yeom-gang remembered, there hadn’t been a single day of peace in the Jegal Clan. The entire manor spent every day on edge, worrying about Jegal Yeom-mi, who frequently lay in bed hovering between life and death.
Even while ill, Jegal Yeom-mi did not lose her cheerfulness. Whenever her peers went to see the flowers, she never missed out, and when the market opened in the streets, she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had seen everything. Because of this, she often overexerted herself and ended up bedridden.
On the other hand, Jegal Yeom-gang’s irritability grew day by day. This was because while Jegal Yeom-mi was enjoying herself, the worry was solely his burden. The pressure and stress of having to take responsibility for the family as the next Family Head, and the fear that his older sister might leave the world at any moment……. Jegal Yeom-gang was gradually wearing down.
One day, Jegal Yeom-gang was unable to sleep late into the night, his nerves frayed ahead of an important event. Jegal Yeom-mi, passing by and seeing the light on in his room, knocked on the door to tell some silly joke.
That night, the conversation between the siblings, which began with jokes and small talk, eventually escalated into a huge fight. Jegal Yeom-gang spat out words he would regret for the rest of his life.
〈Sister, stop being so stubborn. Why on earth are you so desperate to wander around with a body that isn’t even healthy? Can’t you just stay quiet? The more you do that, the harder it becomes for the rest of the family!〉
After that conversation, she disappeared forever.