Chun-bong Thought Deeply.
With a rather serious expression, Chun-bong continued to think, prompting Seo-jun to ask.
"What’s wrong?"
"Nothing, just thinking."
As Chun-bong pondered intensely, he suddenly asked.
"Why am I so cute?"
Chun-bong became afraid. He couldn’t grasp the limits of his own cuteness.
Perhaps…, with just this cuteness alone, he could unify the Central Plains. The thought crossed his mind.
Seo-jun, who had been deep in thought as well, spoke seriously.
"Water flows from high to low, and objects have their own mass."
"What?"
"There’s the earth, and then there’s the sky."
"Right?"
"If you dig deep enough, you might find out why. But, is that really important?"
By discovering the reasons, society can develop.
By revealing the Higgs boson and exploring it, humans might even reach worlds beyond their grasp.
"But in the end, water flows from high to low, and there’s the earth and the sky."
Unless one intentionally twists the laws, that’s just how it is.
"And the fact that Chun-bong is cute is also something you don’t need to question. It’s just a given."
Why is Chun-bong so cute? If one were to delve into it, they could come up with countless theories.
Perhaps, through valid reasoning, it could even be proven.
But does it really matter? After all, Chun-bong is cute.
Hearing Seo-jun’s words, Chun-bong nodded.
"I guess so."
"Exactly."
A breeze blew. The clouds drifted lazily across the clear sky.
Chun-bong, having gotten up from his seat, looked up at the sky and declared.
"Yeah, I’m cute. That’s an eternal truth."
Hwangbo Hyeji, who was nearby, had a strange expression.
"Seo-jun, is this some kind of profound debate...?"
"Uh... well..."
Namgung Myeong glanced at his sister with a troubled expression. Namgung Sua chuckled and nodded.
"Maybe that’s why Seo-jun was able to rise to where he is now."
"Ah, I see... Chun-bong’s cuteness, huh..."
Hwangbo Hyeji narrowed her eyes as she reflected on her senior’s realization.
Realizing something, Seo-jun suddenly stood up.
"Come to think of it, it’s been a while."
"Huh? What?"
Chun-bong tilted his head. Seo-jun, without missing a beat, effortlessly lifted him onto his back, giving him a piggyback ride.
"We need to spread the word of Chun-bong’s cuteness to the world."
In other words, it was a date with Chun-bong.
Seo-jun, with Chun-bong on his back, made his way toward the hall where the Hwangbo Clan’s people were staying.
As Chun-bong enjoyed the higher air from Seo-jun’s shoulders, he asked.
"So, what’s this all of a sudden?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, it just feels out of nowhere."
Why was Seo-jun suddenly taking him out? It made Chun-bong realize that he hadn’t spent much time with him recently.
"I’ve been spending too much time with your sister lately."
"Yeah, it’s been like that."
"Still, it’s a relief that our Chun-bong is doing so well on his own."
"Tch, I’m not a kid."
Chun-bong, riding on Seo-jun’s back, kicked his legs and playfully tapped Seo-jun’s chest with his heels.
"Don’t forget and just take care of me."
At Chun-bong’s words, Seo-jun raised his head. He had intended to look at Chun-bong’s face, but for some reason, his belly, which was touching the back of his head, felt soft.
Seo-jun grinned.
"Has our Chun-bong gained weight?"
"What...?"
Chun-bong opened his mouth wide and quickly patted his belly. Soft. It was somewhat pudgy, but it was normal for a person to have this much.
"I haven’t gained weight, you jerk!"
Thud! Chun-bong squeezed his thighs. The pressure was perfectly applied between Seo-jun’s neck and chin, just the right amount.
Seo-jun nodded contentedly.
"Mm. Looks like some weight went to your thighs as well."
It had been quite a while since Seo-jun started his Chun-bong weight-gaining project.
It wasn’t just the cheeks; when Chun-bong was younger, he had been so thin that it looked pitiful. It could almost be exaggerated to say that if you touched his stomach, you could see the internal organs.
But now, things were different. He had gained some weight, and it looked just right. Finally, Chun-bong had normalized.
"Our Chun-bong will still be cute, even if he gets chubby."
"That’s definitely not true."
While Chun-bong was grossed out, they arrived at the hall where the Hwangbo Clan was staying.
Previously, they had broken through the ceiling to enter, but today, they used the main gate. Seo-jun casually waved at the guards of the Hwangbo Clan as they entered.
Then, Seo-jun suddenly remembered.
"Oh, right."
"What now?"
Chun-bong grabbed Seo-jun’s hair.
"If you say something weird, I’ll—"
Was he threatening to cause hair loss? Seo-jun didn’t want to know whether hair was a regenerable part of his body.
"We have our engagement ceremony coming up."
"Ah, right...?"
Chun-bong swallowed nervously. Whenever the engagement ceremony was mentioned, he’d become unexpectedly tense.
Seo-jun chuckled.
"Should we cancel it?"
"Huh?"
Chun-bong froze.
‘I kind of want to see Chun-bong cry a bit...’
But even so, that wouldn’t be right. Seo-jun quickly clarified to avoid any misunderstandings.
"I talked to your sister. Isn’t it better to just go straight to the wedding instead of the engagement ceremony?"
"Oh, oh... is that right?"
"Then, does that mean we’re getting married on the original engagement date?"
"Uh, uh... right..."
The shoulder carrying Chun-bong began to feel strangely damp. He realized that his legs were also sweating.
"Why are you so nervous when we’ve already kissed and done everything?"
"Isn’t it... obvious?"
"Mm. Right."
It didn’t really feel real, but it was definitely something to be nervous about.
"Chun-bong as my wife... It feels strange."
"What, what! You don’t like it!?"
"I do like it."
Seo-jun Casually Entered a Building.
There was a guard standing at the entrance, but when Seo-jun mentioned he had an appointment, the man stepped aside without hesitation.
It seemed like they were letting him in too easily, but in truth, this was only natural.
The person inside wasn’t someone who required a guard.
And besides, no one would be crazy enough to fabricate an appointment just to visit.
At least, not until now.
"Well, we meet again?"
Seo-jun waved his hand casually. Seeing this, Hwangbo Ryung took a deep breath and... simply exhaled.
"...What do you want this time?"
"I wanted to show off Namgung Clan’s pride."
Seo-jun introduced Chun-bong to Hwangbo Ryung.
"This is Ryung."
"Ryung?"
"Hwangbo Ryung. He’s the head of the Hwangbo Clan."
"What...?"
Chun-bong stiffened. He seriously debated whether he should get off Seo-jun’s shoulders or not.
Seo-jun, still as casual as ever, now introduced Chun-bong.
"And this is our Great Namgung Clan’s pride, my little sister—"
…Wait. Was she still his little sister?
Introducing Chun-bong as both his younger sister and fiancée somehow sounded weird.
But if Chun-bong wasn’t his sister, then the laws of the world were being twisted. That was unacceptable.
Seo-jun rolled his eyes for a moment before continuing.
"—She was, but now she’s my fiancée, Chun-bong."
"And what exactly am I supposed to do with that information?"
"Last time, I just barged in out of nowhere, right? Well, now I’ve introduced Chun-bong to you, so you owe me one."
Hwangbo Ryung, the head of the Hwangbo Clan, slowly began to realize something about the person in front of him.
Clearly, he was not a sane man.
"Chun-bong... I think I heard that name before. Wasn’t she the winner of the Yongbong Gathering?"
"That’s right."
"And ‘Chun-bong’ is... what, a title?"
"It’s basically a true name."
Haah...
Hwangbo Ryung sighed and looked at Seo-jun with sharp golden eyes.
"So what’s your real reason for coming here? You didn’t seriously just stop by for this nonsense."
"Actually, I did."
"What?"
"Now that I’ve introduced Chun-bong, I’m leaving."
Seo-jun waved his hand as he turned to leave. Chun-bong, still sitting on his shoulders, lowered his head slightly, sensing the awkwardness.
"What the hell just happened...?"
Hwangbo Ryung opened and closed his mouth a few times before simply exhaling another long sigh.
‘…A new type of supreme grandmaster, huh?’
His head hurt.
Seo-jun and Chun-bong Wandered Around Anhui.
Living in the Namgung Clan, Seo-jun had often explored Anhui when he was bored. By now, he was quite familiar with the layout of the area.
The two of them sat on a bench, each holding a Bingtanghulu—Chun-bong had three in each hand.
The bench itself was a recent addition. Seo-jun had once casually remarked, "Wouldn’t it be nice to have a few benches around?" and, within days, they had appeared.
"This is really comfortable."
Chun-bong swung his legs as he sat.
"Right?"
Since the benches were managed by the Namgung Clan, no one dared to litter around them.
As Chun-bong stared at the red-dyed clouds, he scratched his soft cheek.
"By the way... you know... that thing."
"Huh?"
"It’s kind of random, but..."
Chun-bong, who had already finished three sticks of Bingtanghulu in an instant, tucked the empty skewers into his sleeve. Normally, the Namgung Clan would reuse them to make handmade Bingtanghulu.
"My mother used to say something a long time ago."
"Your mother?"
"Yeah. I guess I never really mentioned her much, huh?"
"I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk about her before."
"Really?"
Crunch! Chun-bong took a firm bite of his Bingtanghulu.
"Anyway, she used to say that marriage is kind of like... the final secret move of a relationship."
"Final secret move? Like a finishing technique?"
"Yeah, something like that."
Chun-bong tucked away his fourth skewer.
"If it’s not a political marriage, people usually think of marriage as the final destination, right?"
"I guess?"
Now that he thought about it, that did make sense. Seo-jun nodded, and Chun-bong continued.
"But after getting married, couples end up living together for decades. In our case, it could even be centuries."
"True. If we ascend, it won’t just be centuries—we’d lose count of time altogether."
"Ascend? Hmm... That might be a bit much."
Chun-bong scratched his cheek as he slipped the fifth skewer into his sleeve.
"Either way, they stay together for a long time."
"That’s true."
"So, they say you need to express affection often. Otherwise, as time passes, you start feeling like strangers... or even worse than strangers."
"You mean... you and me?"
Hmm.
Chun-bong stroked his chin.
"Honestly, that doesn’t seem like an issue for us."
"So, what’s your point?"
"It’s simple. That thing... you know..."
"That we need to express our love more often?"
"Yeah... that."
Chun-bong’s cheeks turned slightly red. It definitely wasn’t just the sunset.
Seo-jun smirked and leaned in closer.
"Did I ever tell you?"
"T-Tell me what...?"
"Just how much I love my Chun-bong."
Smooch. A quick kiss. Chun-bong coughed awkwardly and glanced around.
"Ahem...! T-There are people watching..."
"Our Chun-bong should also show his love for his dear brother."
"...At home."
"What."
Chomp! Chun-bong devoured the last of his Bingtanghulu in an instant and fidgeted with the empty skewer.
"And, um... are you really going to keep doing that?"
"Chun-bong, Chun-bong. Whatever it is, that’s not important right now."
"No, it is important."
Chun-bong pointed the empty skewer at Seo-jun. His cheeks were still red, but his gaze was serious.
He had changed the subject out of embarrassment, but what he was about to say now—this was something he genuinely meant.
"I told you before, right? The grudges of the martial world are like tangled threads. Once they start, they can’t be undone easily."
"Where did that come from all of a sudden?"
"Revenge is fine, but you need to be clear about its limits. If not, the one who gets consumed by it... could be you."