Translator: Wan ED/PR: Solarin
59. True nature (4)
Jin people and descendants.
The two had many common points and had a tendency to live together, but they were undeniably different existences.
But Yong Jegeon naturally called Kim Sinrok a Ho.
‘Yong Jegeon said a moment ago to leave that Ho to him. So I obviously thought that someone among the Ho members would be coming. I didn’t expect it to be Kim Sinrok.’
Yong Jegeon naturally called the descendant, Yeom Junyeol a Yong, and treated him as a member of the Yong tribe.
So it seemed that he also naturally thought the descendant of the Ho tribe, Kim Sinrok as a part of the Ho tribe.
Seeing how the dragons, including Cheongryong, greeted Kim Sinrok, they completely treated him like Yong Jegeon’s tiger friend.
I and Yong Jegeon observed Kim Sinrok, who was exchanging greetings with Yong tribe members, from a few steps away.
“Teacher Kim Sinrok-nim and Yong tribe members had exchanges in the past, eh?”
“Ye, I and Sinrok-yi knew each other for quite some time. Because he was close with me, he naturally became acquainted with other dragons too.”
That ‘quite some time’ Yong Jegeon spoke of seemed to be quite obviously a few thousands of years even without asking.
Because based on Yong Jegeon’s words, the two knew each other from the days when Kim Sinrok was ‘young and reckless’.
‘I heard about the incident that became a trigger for Yong Jegeon and Kim Sinrok to get to know each other last time.’
After returning to the dormitory from the Ju-Oh Island, Yong Jegeon, who said he met Ungnyeo of Grief, mentioned that secret story.
— There was a Jin, who lured Sinrok-yi, who was young and reckless.
— That Jin spent a long time gaining Sinrok-yi’s trust, and drew Sinrok-yi out of the Ho tribe’s divine realm. By saying they will let him met Ungnyeo of Grief-ssi.
— At the time when Sinrok-yi was caught by the Ung tribe and almost suffered some awful acts, I saved him.
I also knew that Yong Jegeon and Kim Sinrok had exchanges for a long time.
Even so, wasn’t it a bit risky for a descendant of another Jin with a powerful power, to freely enter and exit the base?
As if reading my doubts, Yong Jegeon opened his narrow eyes and looked at me.
Yong Jegeon happily replied, as if he was in a good mood because his friend came to his house to play after a long time.
“I told him to come to our house to play at any time when the tigers harass him. As I emphasized that point to Cheongryong, and asked to grant him entry permission, he was allowed entry.”
It wasn’t easy to imagine the situation where Kim Sinrok would be harassed by the tigers.
There probably were tigers, who held subtle feelings because Kim Sinrok was the son of Ungnyeo of Grief.
Even so, Hwang Jiho, the leader, held his ground behind him, and Baek Ho-gun was his master, so would anyone harass him?
And even though Jeok-ho didn’t show it openly, he seriously loved his son.
‘Thanks to that, I recently didn’t have an opportunity to talk with Kim Sinrok.’
After using Replay, I always met Kim Sinrok in places with the tigers.
Thanks to that, it was difficult to even properly greet him, what’s more, have a conversation about the Replay.
‘Well, having the conversation here will be difficult too.’
In the first place, I had no plans of talking about the Replay in a group where there were traitors.
Moreover, as Kim Sinrok was a cautious person, he wouldn’t mention that ability in a place that wasn’t the Ho tribe’s territory.
“If I knew you would be coming, I would prepare dried persimmons.” [1]
“We should prepare it now.”
“… I’m okay.”
Despite Kim Sinrok’s refusal, Cheongryong served dried persimmons.
Kim Sinrok hesitated, then sat close to Cheongryong, and started to eat dried persimmons in an upright posture, as if taken from the textbooks.
One thing led to another, and I also ended up with a bowl of dried persimmons nearby.
‘I don’t need my share of dried persimmons.’
As guests, I and Kim Sinrok ended up sitting around the highest rank figures here, Cheongryong and Yeom Bangyeol.
And Yong Jegeon, who brought the guests, also sat at this round table.
As Playlist’s mid ads were getting longer, the chatter also prolonged.
“Doesn’t Yong Jegeon hate sweets? Even so, when Sinrok-yi comes, he forces himself to sit and eat. But that face is very displeased.”
“It’s just not my taste, not that I hate it.”
Yong Jegeon, who while Kim Sinrok ate two dried persimmons, barely ate one, spoke peacefully.
‘Isn’t it not your taste and hating it the same?’
Considering that before Kim Sinrok said that ‘my drinking buddy hates sweets’, it seemed that he really just hated it.
As if disliking revealing his liked and disliked food, Yong Jegeon quickly changed the topic.
“Sinrok-yi didn’t come to play at our house in a long time. You didn’t visit even once after Junyeol-yi was born. Cheongryong also said it’s okay for you to come anytime.”
“There was no need for me to come, so why would I come?”
“Then you have a need to come now.”
“…”
Because of Yong Jegeon’s tone, that seemed to read his insides, Kim Sinrok made a grumpy face.
Yong Jegeon made such a noise, even though he guessed the reason of Kim Sinrok’s visit, and because Kim Sinrok also knew that, it seemed he got even more upset.
“Didn’t you come after a long time to see Jegeon face and to greet us?”
At Cheongryong’s question, Kim Sinrok erased the grumpy expression he showed to Yong Jegeon, and returned to the polite and double-faced Kim Sinrok.
Yong Jegeon, who watched all of those face changes, was very pleased.
Kim Sinrok ignored Yong Jegeon, and laid down the excuse that seemed prepared beforehand.
“It’s late, so I came for the student of the dormitory I’m in charge of, student Jo Uisin.”
“If it’s late, you can sleep here and go. The wind these days is cold, you and your student returning while beaten by the night wind can’t be good, can it?”
“Yeah, what’s more, Uisin-i was injured. Rest and then go.”
“… Student Jo Uisin was injured?”
The arrow suddenly turned to me.
I was happy that my Playable Character Yong Jegeon showed the face of a homeroom teacher and was worried about me, but I had no idea why he told my story to Kim Sinrok at this timing.
Luckily, before Kim Sinrok said anything to me, Cheongryong built an iron wall.
“In that case, wait to greet Junyeol-yi, and then go. Isn’t there something to talk among the descendants? What’s more, Sinrok-yi is now a teacher-nim at the school our Junyeol-yi is attending.”
“Then, I…”
“The bedchambers you have stayed at are the same. Don’t worry.”
Before Kim Sinrok could say something, the screen, which was playing ads, turned silent.
It seemed that the Playlist broadcast was about to resume.
“Ah, at last the ads ended. Sinrok-ah, are you going to watch? While waiting, we can watch all of our Junyeol-yi’s broadcasts.”
It was the atmosphere where Kim Sinrok had to sit here, watch the broadcast, sleep and then go.
From Kim Sinrok standpoint, he came to save, but was caught instead.
* * *
If the Playlist’s voting progressed as it was, Yeo Raehun would win with an overwhelming vote count.
Supposing such results came to be, the biggest victim would certainly be Dokgo Miro, who would be the 2nd place.
However, Dokgo Miro requested to continue the broadcast and voting.
“It’s obvious that the contest is being influenced by problems outside of the contest. It was the same for me during the death match and in the previous broadcast episodes. Without the factors outside the contest like me being currently a student of Eungwang School, I wouldn’t be able to enter the finals and would be eliminated.”
At those words, the people, who took on the role of jury in the preliminary contest, shut their mouths.
At the time of the Playlist preliminary contest, there were very different opinions among the jury on whether to let Dokgo Miro pass.
There were opinions against the pass saying that because Dokgo Miro’s singing is awful in front of numerous cameras, she should be eliminated.
The people who were for the pass, pointed out that because Dokgo Miro’s dancing wasn’t bad, she was young and her academic background, she had a potential to be a star.
Dokgo Miro also knew very well she was given a chance thanks to the factors outside the contest.
“Raehun oppa didn’t save people at the Naejang Mountain and make a barrier today to try to strengthen his favorable position in the contest. I don’t think it’s necessary to halt the broadcast solely because of the well-intended actions.”
“What Miro said is correct, but the current timing is too bad…”
One of the staff members spoke like this because of worry about Dokgo Miro.
Even so, Dokgo Miro didn’t budge her will.
“My friends fought trying to make a stage for me today, so I can’t just step down from that stage.”
The will of Dokgo Miro, who had a chance to become the biggest victim, was firm, so the staff couldn’t express any more opposition.
They couldn’t drag for any more time, because complaint comments were pouring out because of the prolonged ads.
Thanks to the other broadcast station reporting the Playlist incident on the news, it seemed that the viewer count grew, and the amount of complaint comments were a dozen of usual.
In the end, the person in charge of the general Playlist production, the stage manager and CP came to the conclusion.
“We will continue filming as planned.”
The moment she said that, the staff started to move busily.
Yeo Raehun, who was to stand on the stage next, moved towards the stage while talking with the audio director, at the same time as his make-up was being touched up.
‘I should have told Raehun oppa that there is no need to be sorry…’
When Dokgo Miro was a bit regretful, someone spoke up to her.
It was Yeom Junyeol.
“Miro-ah, thank you.”
“Senior Yeom Junyeol-nim…?”
“I wanted to make sure to finish this broadcast safely. Even so, considering Miro’s position, I couldn’t voice my opinion.”
Yeom Junyeol, who said this, looked somewhat different.
His superpower wave seemed better organized than usual, and there was something different about his eyes.
‘Is it because of costume or make up? No, the superpower wave is different from usual… In comparison to when we saw each other for a moment before filming, what…’
Dokgo Miro thought there was something different about Yeom Junyeol, but she didn’t have time to talk with him any longer.
“I’ll cheer for you.”
Yeom Junyeol smiled with a face of a school senior would make, not a host, and headed to the MC seat.
Dokgo Miro took a deep breath and went to prepare for her stage.
On the screen, which reflected the audience seats, she saw her class friends and school senior appeared for a moment, and she unknowingly smiled.
* * *
At the same time, the Heavenly Wings (Cheonik) Mountain in the middle of the night.
In front of the Ho tribe’s sacred tree, the Heavenly Sacred Tree (Cheondansu).
The Mountain Spirit of Heavenly Wings Mountain, who became pretty material, roamed around the Heavenly Sacred Tree.
The Mountain Spirit was moving busily.
They flew up to the top of the Heavenly Sacred Tree, looked at the other side in the darkness, or closely examined around the roots, it looked like they were searching for something.
After going around the Heavenly Sacred Tree for a while, as if the Mountain Spirit couldn’t find what they wanted, they slumped close to the tree.
“…”
The Mountain Spirit looked around and stood up.
Before using ‘that ability’, Mountain Spirit thoroughly checked their surrounding, because they suffered annoying things after the Eungwang School’s oddball group, the 3rd year class 0’s gang witnessed the scene.
They succeeded in somehow coaxing that group, which one couldn’t differentiate if they were clever or crazy, but every time they sensed Woo Gihwang’s presence, searching for them so much sometimes his eyes became red, a chill ran down their spine.
After confirming that there was no human presence around, the Mountain Spirit raised the blurry hand to the Heavenly Sacred Tree’s bark.
Paaa…!
A thin, but clear color stream of light stretched out towards the sky.
When the Mountain Spirit was trying to communicate with something quietly.
“I think I know the identity of that power, eh?”
The Mountain Spirit flinched at the cold voice, and halted the usage of the superpower.
Frightened, the Mountain Spirit looked up at the owner of the voice.
It was Baek-ho, who after Eun-ho got up, Mountain Spirit avoided desperately like death.
Perhaps the Ho tribe’s best warrior was skilled in hiding, It seemed that he completely deceived the Mountain Spirit’s senses.
Baek-ho spoke, while recalling at the same time the trace of the light stream Mountain Spirit shoot up, and the remnants of a certain power in his memory.
“The power you bastard just used, is the skill Jo Uisin also uses.”
*~*~*
[1] “If I knew you would be coming, I would prepare dried persimmons.” — Cheongryong is using 자네 (jane, you) which is a polite way to address someone of a lower status than you (in age or hierarchy), but also expresses closeness.
Translator’s note: … Kim Sinrok, your relationship with Yong Jegeon is very cute, but considering your personality… what was your ‘need’ to come before Yeom Junyeol was born? Suspicious. (The actual question I want to ask Kim Sinrok here is different, but that would be a spoiler, so I’m asking it backwards. Either way. Kim Sinrok, you get another few points in ‘suspicious’.)
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