Boy Monster Chapter 69

The crock pot where the yeommae curse had been created was the source of all the trouble. The family head, who had relied on the Vice Commander for power, was forced to confess the situation to Jang Hwonwoo in the face of a danger he had never encountered in his life. At the request to help resolve the matter, Jang Hwonwoo acted as if he couldn’t refuse and snuck into the Vice Commander’s mansion to get rid of the curse pot. Smuggling the large pot out to a nearby mountain and burning it without being caught was an extremely perilous task.

As Jang Hwonwoo handled the task perfectly, the family head became greatly indebted to his successor. The prestige of the family head, who had made an unforgivable mistake, was in tatters. Self-doubt and a sense of inferiority followed.

In this process, Jang Hwonwoo skillfully manipulated the family head’s psychology.

While alienating the family head from the family’s affairs to make him feel even more incompetent now that he was under Japan’s suspicion, he also passed on a rumor that ‘the higher-ups still suspect the family head in the Vice Commander’s murder case.’ This was to incite a sense of crisis in the family head, who was already out of favor with the military commander.

Though he had been a powerful and boastful head of the family, once he started to think that he was incompetent at scoring points with the higher-ups and no longer had the same influence as before, now that his family was subordinate to another nation’s organization, his outbursts of temper became frequent.

The murder of the Vice Commander and the Division Commander was concluded as the result of a brawl between the two men. While the Joseon Garrison was in great shock from the incident, Hiroshi stepped up to manage the vacancies and chaos, catching the commander’s eye. On the other hand, the family head’s actions became even more of an eyesore than before.

The family head couldn’t control his hot-tempered nature and made the commander uncomfortable at every meeting. His tyranny, born of anxiety, did not stop there. In his search for the source of the forces that suspected him, he kept poking at Japanese military officials, eventually flying into a rage, claiming that the Division Commander, who had been ordered to the distant Primorsky Krai, was trying to frame and oust him.

The military decided that the family head could no longer properly lead the Sashimcheon unit. Jang Hwonwoo seized the moment and revealed his great ambition to the commander, proposing a deal.

“With the family head in such a state, there are many difficulties in commanding the Hwelju and executing plans. If I am given the position of family head, I will take responsibility for and push forward with the experiment of Sa Hwelju’s power. I will see to it that the experiment can proceed on the full moon of next month.”

The fact that Jang Hwonwoo had secretly met with the commander and engaged in political maneuvering remained a secret to everyone. It was a story that no one, except Jae Eunho, would ever know.

Because Japan’s war situation was so critical, all procedures were processed rapidly within a few days. The commander, with the permission of the Minister of the Army, ordered that the position of family head, who managed the Sashimcheon family, be passed on to the successor.

“From now on, First Lieutenant Hiroshi will take full command of the Sashimcheon family. This is an order from His Majesty the Emperor. The succession ceremony must be held before your commission as a First Lieutenant, so prepare within three days and complete the ceremony.”

Having the head of the family commissioned as a First Lieutenant in the Japanese army was ideal for the command structure and also looked better for appearances. And so, Jang Hwonwoo inherited the position of family head in early June.

The family head was pushed out of his position by the order of the enemy monarch to whom he had offered his family. In the wide courtyard of the main building, the Hwelju and Yeonri stood in formation. The garrison commander and the Governor-General came to the mansion in person to read the royal edict. The family head receiving the edict and Jang Hwonwoo stood side by side under the plum tree.

The new head of the Sashimcheon family and First Lieutenant Hiroshi, Jang Hwonwoo, saluted and looked at Jae Eunho from a distance.

:･⚜️⊹.️

The former family head considered this the price for performing the dark curse, a repercussion that had come back to him. Even though it was a luxury to hand over his position to his successor and enjoy his remaining days comfortably sitting on a pile of money, he seemed dissatisfied with his retirement, which was not as honorable as he had expected.

However, he could not blame anyone for his defeat, which was due to his own mistakes and various lack of abilities. The former family head spent his days like a libertine in the new house he received as a courtesy, chewing on the aftertaste of power. He boasted that he would write an autobiography and a white paper on the use of divine power to be passed down to the Sashimcheon family, but all he did was wander around Gyeongseong in search of entertainment.

The plan to give him a new house to distance him from the Sashimcheon mansion also came from Jang Hwonwoo’s mind, but the former family head had no way of knowing.

Jae Eunho, too, could not help but be tense in the current situation, where upheavals were raging almost daily.

Jang Hwonwoo had already seized the center of power. Had the boy intended to take the position of family head this early from the beginning? What was he thinking when he made the bold promise to the commander that he would take responsibility for the Sa Hwelju experiment? And what would now become of this mansion and family, which had become Jang Hwonwoo’s possession?

In addition to these successive worries, the issue that drew the most interest from everyone, including Eunho, was this.

‘Which Yeonri will First Lieutenant Hiroshi, who has become the family head, call to his bed on the first night of the succession ceremony?’

A round of betting on this topic took place among the Japanese military brass.

They were divided into two factions: the majority who claimed he would call a Yeonri he had his eye on and engage in debauchery all night, and the minority who claimed otherwise. The minority’s argument was this: if there had been a Yeonri he had been eyeing, he would have already been connected without needing to become the family head. Based on this, they claimed Hiroshi would forcibly take someone else’s Yeonri.

It was a matter of intense interest because of the tradition that one would maintain a lifelong connection with the Yeonri with whom they spent the night of the family head succession ceremony, unless there was a special problem. The former family head, too, had committed the immorality of keeping two Yeonri and having relations only when needed, while changing women every few days, but he had never changed the first Yeonri he connected with.

Jae Eunho, who had been making and steadily accumulating fake pills while thinking about the future, made a decision.

‘Hwonwoo needs a Yeonri to be his partner.’

He couldn’t postpone that matter indefinitely because of Jae Eunho. The military leadership, who wanted First Lieutenant Hiroshi to use the divine power of the Hwelju to his heart’s content, would also want it this way, and considering the prestige and safety of Jang Hwonwoo who had become the family head, it was an even more necessary procedure. Besides, Japan was trying to forcibly use Sa Hwelju’s power for the war. To do that, a Sa Yeonri to have a relationship with Sa Hwelju had to be secured, so they would not welcome Jae Eunho getting entangled with someone and giving his heart to them.

‘We are people who can’t be together no matter what. Until the final great deed succeeds.’

Why did we have to covet each other, the forbidden fruit of all things? How did it come to this?

The things in life that made one’s heart beat the fastest and at the same time tormented one the most were not things that went as planned. Just as the fate of Jang Hwonwoo being born of the family head’s bloodline and Jae Eunho coming into the world as a Sa Yeonri did not follow anyone’s will, so too was it now that they had come to share the same trajectory of fate….

Taking advantage of the quiet mansion without the family head, Jang Hwonwoo suggested an outing. He suggested they go to the greenhouse botanical garden in Changgyeong Palace to shoot the rest of the motion picture. The head shaman had also gone to the mountains in Hamgyeong Province for a long schedule, and the Paldo Dochongseop monk was busy with preparations for the succession ceremony and the Buddha’s Birthday event, so the mansion was quiet until night.

Gyeongseong, with June approaching, was now slowly preparing to face the scorching heat. Inside the large greenhouse, it was very hot. Jang Hwonwoo, wearing only a short-sleeved t-shirt that revealed his shoulders and arms, wiped the sweat from his forehead.

“Seonsaengnim, please walk this way. Yes, yes… that’s good.”

Jae Eunho, holding Jang Hwonwoo’s shirt and jacket, walked around in front of the wildflowers and towards the camera. He thought it was cute how one side of Jang Hwonwoo’s face, focused on filming, was slightly scrunched up. Jang Hwonwoo behind the camera smiled slyly and said.

“Are you smiling at the camera, or are you smiling at me?”

“I just sneered at the thought of the ones who damaged this palace, that’s all?”

“When I go on missions to faraway places, I endure by watching this film. Please say a word to the me of that time.”

Jae Eunho approached the camera and playfully brought his face close. Then he gently wrapped his hand around Jang Hwonwoo’s, which was holding the camera.

“I am the property of this family anyway, so there’s no need to be too anxious. Whether you’re far away or we’re not connected.”

Jang Hwonwoo slowly lowered the camera. As he straightened his bent knees, his deep gray, calm eyes shot upwards. A silence asking the meaning of his words crossed over. Jae Eunho, without hesitation, brought out the words he had prepared.

“Hwonwoo-ya. I’m fine, so designate Hyeonyul as the Yeonri to bring into your room on the day of the succession ceremony.”

Hyeonyul was the pretty girl with whom Hwonwoo had exchanged telegrams. She was a year younger than Jang Hwonwoo and had had a crush on him for a long time, making her the most suitable partner as a Yeonri. Jang Hwonwoo slowly asked.

“…Hyeonyul? Why?”

“She is a child who will never doubt you. Even if we seem suspicious, that child will take your side. She is smart, and her inner self is strong, so her sensory ability will also be stable. In many ways, she is the right Yeonri for you.”

“Aha. You’ve thought that far.”

“If you really don’t like Hyeonyul, another Yeonri would be fine too. In any case, it would be best to designate a partner on the day of the succession ceremony.”

“…….”

“And I think it would be best for us not to stay close, avoiding watchful eyes from now on.”

Jae Eunho gently took hold of Jang Hwonwoo’s left hand, which was not holding the camera. Jang Hwonwoo, without any movement, scanned every corner of Jae Eunho’s face. Jae Eunho lowered his gaze and finished his words.

“Wandering around Gyeongseong together like this should also end today. Until before the final great deed.”

Jang Hwonwoo was quiet for a moment. The sound of large plants rustling spread through the humid air inside the botanical garden. An unexpected answer fell upon Eunho, who had fixed his eyes on the tip of Jang Hwonwoo’s shoes, which stood firmly on the floor.

“Jae Eunho seonsaengnim. Designating the Yeonri to spend the night with on the day of the succession ceremony is my authority as the family head.”

A darkness was felt in his affectionate voice, which was subtly different from usual. Jang Hwonwoo, who smoothly pulled out the left hand Eunho was holding, plunged his hand deep into his suit pants pocket. When he raised his head, a blank expression that made it hard to tell if he was joking or serious was waiting.

“Are you giving an order to the family head right now?”

Jae Eunho glared at him playfully. Even at Eunho’s joke, he maintained his silence without any change in expression. Jang Hwonwoo, who moved his shoes and took a step closer, cast a shadow over Eunho’s face and uttered his words. His voice was even heavier.

“I am telling you that you cannot give me orders regarding the Yeonri. I don’t know since when you have been thinking about such detailed instructions, but do you really mean that it’s okay?”

In an instant, Jae Eunho, who had wiped the playfulness from his eyes, answered in a stiff tone.

“…Then what are you going to do. Pushing away what needs to be done will only lead to frustration.”

“Why are you avoiding the answer, seonsaengnim. That is not what I asked.”

“…….”

“Are you saying you are okay with me having intercourse with another Yeonri?”

Eunho, who had thought Jang Hwonwoo would understand and accept the suggestion moderately, was surprised by the guy’s attitude, which was coldly pressing him, contrary to his expectation. The corner of Eunho’s mouth trembled in his hardened face. The summer sunlight pouring in from the high ceiling was obscured by Jang Hwonwoo’s cool complexion.

“You, those words, are they really nothing to you?”

A low, dark voice like a shadow flowed from his lips, which had uttered the words to himself.