The Hunting Dog of the Prestigious Family Has Returned Chapter 13

One day until the face-to-face meeting.

As one of Joseon’s largest events approached, Hanseong began overflowing with people.

No, more precisely—the highest levels of Hanseong were about to burst with people.

“Lord Go? How unexpected to see you here!”

“How fortunate that Master Hyun seems to be in good health!”

Today, before the face-to-face meeting, Joseon’s power-holders gathered at the Andong Kim main house for the welcoming ceremony.

The face-to-face meeting was an event where all of Joseon’s nobles assembled in one place to verify the strength of this generation’s ability-wielders.

Only nobles could enter the event venue, and no media whatsoever could film or report anything related to the face-to-face meeting.

But today’s welcoming ceremony was a pre-event festival to welcome dignitaries from all sectors who sponsored the face-to-face meeting.

So this place was packed not just with nobles, but with Joseon’s corporate executives and influential figures from various nations.

“I’m a reporter from Hanseong Daily! Thank you for accepting this interview. I heard your eldest son is participating in today’s face-to-face meeting?”

“Hahaha! That’s right. This time, my boy’s phase power readings…!”

There were those wanting to show off their children’s phase power to the powerless common people.

“The event scale is tremendous. From what I see, this Council of Ministers meeting as well…”

“It’ll be Lord Kim Jungheon again this time, won’t it? Lord Jo Gangseok seemed displeased, though.”

“Then we’ll need to adjust our sponsorship scale. The Chief State Councilor position will likely go to the Andong Kim clan again…”

Experts from corporations were confirming the power structure among nobles and trying to decide their future moves.

“Hello! I really like your style, so could I perhaps get your contact code…?”

“Get lost.”

There were those with hawk-like eyes searching for marriage prospects.

“We’re the newly listed Donga Industries. We sincerely hope you esteemed individuals will look favorably…”

And ambitious businesspeople trying to make an impression on the nobles while they had the chance.

This place, the Andong Kim main house, mixed with countless such intentions and desires.

So what was I doing here right now?

“Huuu…”

Nothing.

I was doing absolutely nothing.

I’d gone around making impressions here and there to scout for individuals who might be useful as collaborators in the future power structure, but amazingly, no one showed any interest.

The reason was simple.

Illegitimate and powerless.

When even nobles treated me like trash, why would those who came to curry favor with nobles be any different?

If my family weren’t hosting the face-to-face meeting, I would’ve been cursed out just for loitering nearby.

“Filthy world.”

After muttering alone under my breath, I looked around the extravagantly decorated banquet hall.

Air purification filters were spread across the roads leading to the banquet hall.

The sky lounge of the banquet hall extending above the stratosphere was littered with luxurious dishes.

Countless holographic artworks decorating the sky and people giggling while dressed in splendid clothes.

Compared to the slum district in the lowest levels I’d visited a few weeks ago, this was truly extreme opposites.

No wonder revolution breaks out.

Crazy bastards.

‘Whatever, screw these corporate bastards. Drop dead in the revolution.’

After mentally hurling profanity to my heart’s content, I sighed while looking at the sky.

“Huuu…”

“Why are you sighing so deeply?”

“Looking back on life made me sigh involuntarily.”

Try living like me and see if you don’t get pissed off.

Just as I was muttering that—

“…But who are you?”

I looked at the child who’d somehow crouched down beside me.

‘Looking at the clothes, seems like a girl, but was there a kid like this among the late awakeners coming this time?’

“Young miss, what’s your name?”

“I won’t tell you. You didn’t say your name either.”

Oh ho, taking that approach?

After looking her up and down, I spoke.

“Let’s see… You’re not from Hanseong, are you?”

“…How do you know that?”

“Hanseong aristocrat daughters don’t wear those clothes. The fashion passed ten years ago.”

Only after I said that did she look down at her own clothes.

Pink skirt, white jacket, and bobbed hair.

An appearance that would receive enthusiastic praise anywhere for being cute, but she asked me dejectedly.

“…Really?”

“No, I was lying.”

Judging by how she asked back, she’s definitely a country bumpkin.

As I said that with a grin, she puffed up her cheeks with a sulky face.

With her face all swollen, she looked just like a pufferfish.

“So, young miss, why are you picking a fight with me when I was just sitting quietly? Where’s the person who came with you?”

When I poked her swollen cheek to deflate it, she maintained her sulky expression while speaking.

“…The phase power test is tomorrow, and Dad’s running around everywhere talking with the adults. All the adults ignore me, but he’s frantically trying to make a good impression. It’s boring.”

“Ah.”

A late awakener over ten years old taking the phase power test, with a father running around making impressions—a common story.

Those not from Hanseong all came here for the same reason.

“What about kids your age?”

“I’m ostracizing them.”

Ostracized.

Hearing that painful title, solidarity naturally welled up from deep in my chest.

Ah, an outcast and the ostracized.

An illegitimate child and a country bumpkin at this sacred gathering of Joseon’s noble bloodlines!

I secretly wiped away tears at the pathetic combination.

I, Kim Changwoon, had finally gained a ‘friend’ to open my heart to after much wandering!

“What a coincidence. I’m the same.”

“Oh, so you have nothing to do either?”

“That’s right.”

“Then as payback for teasing me earlier, show me around Hanseong.”

Not even ‘please show me’ but ‘show me’?

Friend status canceled.

I thought she was a friend, but she turned out to be a master.

But I, Kim Changwoon, as a Joseon man, couldn’t surrender so easily.

I put on a deliberately solemn expression and admonished her.

“Young miss. At times like this, repeat after me. Handsome older brother, this young lady humbly requests a tour of Hanseong…”

“Show me around Hanseong! I’m hungry!”

“Yep. As you command.”

With a single cry, my feeble resistance was crushed.

Being pushed around even by a kid much younger than me.

This is how I live.

‘Well, whatever.’

I’d already given up on finding collaborators, and the plan would begin tomorrow.

Plus, with Taewoong and Mooyoung out doing their jobs, this was a rare holiday.

I’d been rolling around planning for a whole month—playing for one day should be fine.

“Alright. Those nobles who won’t play with me anyway can go eat shit!”

“Wow! Eat shit—!”

Hehehe, to learn profanity so quickly in between, what a clever young miss.

Your parents’ hearts must be crumbling.

The ostracized and the outcast who’d hit it off marched cheerfully out of the banquet hall.

In my past life, I’d run around trying to please those noble bastards, but now I didn’t need to.

“Let’s eat and play to our hearts’ content.”

Right. Let’s do that.

Plans, contacts, revolution, whatever.

Isn’t it all just to make a living anyway?

---

Being able to see the sun in Hanseong was quite a privilege.

Even in the moderately livable middle residential districts, you had to go to designated parks to see the sun.

As that precious sun was about to clock out for the day—

The outcast and the ostracized who’d hit it off at the face-to-face meeting venue had been roaming various spots around the banquet hall’s outskirts, fleeing harsh contempt and oppression.

‘Playing? No, that’s not right.’

To be precise, it would be more accurate to say we’d been destroying every food stall set up around the banquet hall.

Honestly, what could I possibly know about babysitting?

Let her run and play until exhausted, wander around here and there feeding her until her stomach bursts—that’s good enough.

That’s what I thought.

“Insane…”

The kid stuffing her eighteenth meat dumpling in her mouth and chewing, with me beside her gnawing on a squid leg.

The banquet hall’s festival-like atmosphere.

Below it, vendors who’d sold out today’s inventory were busily preparing to close up.

“Sold out! Sold out! We sold everything we prepared!”

“To clear out even the backup stock—paying that location fee to come here was worth it!”

“Let’s pack up before anyone sees! Somehow my luck was good today…!”

The one who forced all those numerous food stalls to close for the day was, believe it or not—

Just this one little kid bouncing beside me.

As expected of a phase power wielder.

The amount she ate was on a completely different dimension from ordinary people like me.

“I’m full—!”

Her appearance raising both hands with the happiest expression in the world.

That sight looked quite cute, so I took out a handkerchief and wiped what was on her mouth.

“By the way, young master.”

But that was brief.

After removing the handkerchief from wiping her face, our noble young miss came to me with quick steps asking a question.

Looking at what she held in her hand, in that short time she’d demolished another box of yakgwa for dessert.

Rest in peace, my pretty wallet.

Watching the money draining in real-time brought tears to my eyes.

“I’m a country bumpkin so that makes sense, but you’re from Hanseong—why are you playing with me?”

“I don’t have friends in Hanseong.”

“Why don’t you have friends? Even though you’re really nice to people you just met, and you buy lots of food?”

“Because I’m illegitimate and powerless.”

“Wow.”

Seeing her at a loss for words, even at that young age she seemed to know what treatment the powerless received.

‘Right, go! Go! I was the only one being sincere.’

“Powerless… Then young master, does your family bully you a lot?”

“Well, yeah.”

I thought she’d run away after hearing ‘illegitimate,’ but she suddenly stabbed at the painful spot.

Just as I was nursing my sore insides—

“…Good. Then there’s potential!”

Having decided something while clenching both fists, she looked at me and spoke.

“Then young master, want to come to my house?”

“Your house?”

Arin shook her head vigorously up and down.

I chuckled and shook my head side to side.

“Forget it. If you said you’d bring home an illegitimate bastard like me, your parents would flip, wouldn’t they?”

“My dad’s not like that!”

“Well, I wonder.”

Regardless of my lukewarm voice, Arin continued her words with shining clear eyes.

“My dad said this. ‘A person’s value isn’t determined by how they were born, but how they live. Someone born common can become more admirable than an aristocrat, and someone born an aristocrat can become worse than a commoner’!”

“Ooh, wise words.”

“So, since you’re a really good person, well…”

Arin, whose face reddened slightly, hesitated about something before raising her finger.

“Starting today, be my husband!”

In my life spanning nearly forty years including my past life, I’d received my first marriage proposal from a woman.

“…Husband?”

If there was one tiny problem—

I was being asked to marry in, not take a wife?

“Don’t you want to?”

“No, it’s not about wanting or not wanting…”

After blurting it out, why are you hesitating again?

Were you embarrassed after saying it yourself?

Just as I was frozen, not knowing how to answer—

“Bangsook—!”

A suddenly booming voice woke me from my reverie.

Bangsook.

I didn’t need to look to know whose name it was.

The kid beside me had her face swollen like a seasonal pufferfish again.

“D-Dad—! Don’t call me by that name! It’s embarrassing—!”

“Oh! Our Bangsook, I wondered where you went—you were here?”

When the kid beside me shouted, the voice’s owner finally seemed to notice me and rushed this way.

Good, Dad’s appearance.

Finally I could restore my wallet that this restaurant destroyer had obliterated.

Thinking that, I turned my gaze toward where the voice came from.

“…!”

The moment I saw the man running toward me, I froze in place, unable to say anything.

“I wondered where you’d disappeared to—looks like you made a friend already?”

“Not a friend! My husband!”

“My goodness, now you’re even talking nonsense.”

Speech so humble you couldn’t believe he was an aristocrat.

But hearing that voice, my mouth wouldn’t open.

“I’m Yoo Sanghyeon. You must have had a hard time with this unfamiliar young master. A bit… very hard, wasn’t it?”

“N-no. Well…”

Does he not know who I am?

Probably not.

If he knew I was a child of the Andong Kim clan, he couldn’t make such a good-natured face.

“Thank you for looking after our Bang… no. Arin. If the opportunity arises, please continue to be good friends.”

“Yes, y-yes… yes.”

“Dad! That young master bought me tons of food! From there all the way to there! I ate it all? Did I do good?”

“…All of that?”

Hamgyeong Province Military Commander, ‘Iron Tiger General’ Yoo Sanghyeon.

The one commanding the ‘Iron Tiger Army’ defending Joseon’s borders from the monsters rampaging in the Manchurian desert zones.

And the moment I recognized him—

Only then could I recall who that girl, ‘Yoo Arin,’ was.

“Oh right. Young master.”

And at that moment—

Arin approached with quick steps, as if to tell a secret.

“My name. It’s not Bangsook.”

“…!”

Though spoken in a playful tone, hearing those words made every hair on my body stand on end.

“It’s Bangseon. ‘Yi Bangseon.’ Dad told me not to say it, but since you’re my husband, I’m specially telling you. Got it?”

“…Right.”

“Absolute secret! Promise!”

Having finished what she wanted to say, the girl disappeared while waving her hand innocently.

The moment she was out of sight, I immediately had to check whether there was any surveillance around.

Fortunately, there was no one eavesdropping, seeing as the Royal Investigative Bureau hadn’t come to arrest me.

“Why didn’t I realize sooner.”

Alias Yoo Arin.

Real name, Yi Bangseon.

The fact that the child who’d played with me was the only remaining member of the Jeonju Yi clan in this Joseon.

The last descendant of the Joseon royal family and legitimate heir to the throne.

And that child would later…

‘I lost everything, so you have to lose too. You have to suffer as much as I suffered! So. So I…!’

For revenge for her dead father.

Become the hero who would burn this nation of Joseon with the flames of revolution. (+) ^[1] TLN: I am not sure whether this same person, Yi Bangseon, is the one that MC’s meet before regression. Or, there was another “revolution.” But there’s a high chance that it’s the former.

• 1. TLN: I am not sure whether this same person, Yi Bangseon, is the one that MC’s meet before regression. Or, there was another “revolution.” But there’s a high chance that it’s the former.