Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1157

Chapter 1157

Whoosh—!!

Fire grazed my cheek. I’d been too stunned to react quickly. Frowning, I swept the residual energy aside.

‘Daughter?’

Did she just say daughter? Daughter?

She even claimed to be this family’s daughter.

Unless I’d misheard, that’s exactly what she said.

‘What is she talking about?’

Daughter? Before I could even make sense of it—

Kwoosh—!

I sidestepped another whip of flame. The woman was relentless, hurling fire without pause.

‘Her level… is around Five Stars?’

She had cultivated the Nine Flames Firewheel Art to Five-Star mastery. That meant both her technique and combat skill had reached that tier.

Fwoooosh—!!!

And at that level, she was unleashing a massive torrent of flames all at once.

Her control over the fire was notable, but—

‘This is too much.’

Did she even have enough internal energy to sustain that output? Her energy felt unstable. If she kept this up much longer—

“Huff… huff…”
“……”

Just as I thought. The woman was already gasping, clearly drained. She had nearly exhausted all her energy.

“You… damn… bastard…”

As I stood there watching, she shot me a look full of resentment.

“You just… keep dodging… isn’t that… unfair?”

“…So I should just stand here and let you hit me? That sounds even more unfair.”

“If I’m putting this much effort into attacking… you could at least take a hit or two…”

“What kind of selfish reasoning is that? Your conscience must be completely gone.”

“Haa…”

She panted heavily before finally catching her breath. Wiping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand, she then asked—

“Why are you speaking so informally?”

Her voice was steadier now. I smirked at her question.

“You started it. Weren’t you the one being disrespectful first?”

“Ah-ha?”

She let out a short laugh.

“You think I should be polite to an intruder?”

“Perfect. I don’t plan on being polite to someone who attacked me first either. It’s easier for both of us this way.”

“Ha.”

She scowled, momentarily speechless.

Fwoosh.

“You’re really annoying me.”

Once again, flames gathered in her palm.

“…I’m giving you some advice. You really shouldn’t do that.”

“Sorry.”

Clench—!

She tightened her hand into a fist.

“I don’t usually listen to advice.”

Boom—!

She launched herself off the ground, shooting straight toward me.

I glanced behind me. With all this noise, the guards would probably arrive soon.

Or—

‘Someone watching from the shadows might make a move first.’

It was likely someone was already observing, waiting for the right moment. And if not—

‘I’ll just have to force them out.’

With that thought, I stepped forward.

Thump—!

The ground shuddered slightly.

“Huh!?”

The tremor broke her balance. As her legs faltered, her upper body swayed with them.

I closed the distance in that instant.

She was now well within my reach.

Realizing how suddenly I’d moved in, her eyes widened in shock.

I ignored her and reached out—

For her throat.

I intended to tear it apart.

With that purpose, my hand shot forward, but—

“Stop—.”

Whoooosh—!!!

With that word, flames erupted outward.

Clench—!

A man.

Gu Seongyeol had appeared and seized my wrist.

“Ugh!”

The woman, having lost her footing, collapsed to the ground in front of me.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

Gu Seongyeol narrowed his eyes at me. Only then did I relax my hand.

As my grip loosened, Gu Seongyeol also released his hold.

“I was merely responding appropriately.”

My wrist ached. He had grabbed me with significant force.

“It looked like you were about to kill her. You call that ‘appropriate’?”

“I knew you would stop me. If I hadn’t done that, you would have kept watching from the sidelines, wouldn’t you?”

“……”

Gu Seongyeol was silent for a moment, then looked at me and spoke.

“I told you to wait.”

“Ah. My apologies for that.”

I grinned.

“I don’t usually listen to people.”

I echoed the woman’s earlier words.

“Ugh, everything hurts…”

Still on the ground, the woman slowly pushed herself up. With an awkward expression, she glanced at Gu Seongyeol.

Meeting her gaze, Gu Seongyeol looked back silently.

Once their eyes locked, she asked—

“…Father. Am I in trouble?”

Father.

I clicked my tongue inwardly at that word.

From the moment she called herself a daughter, I had suspected this. It seemed my guess was correct.

‘…Did Father have a sister?’

This woman was part of the Gu Clan. By blood, she was my grandfather’s child.

Which meant—she was my father’s sister.

‘Did someone like her even exist?’

Just like with Jin Yeonryeong, I had no memory of this woman.

Then—

“Gu Seon.”

Gu Seongyeol spoke her name. So, her name was Gu Seon.

A name I had never heard before.

“Yes…”

She hesitated before answering.

“What exactly did you do?”

“Ah, well, you see…”

Given the chance to explain, Gu Seon immediately pointed at me.

“I came running because I heard Mother was hurt. But this suspicious guy was loitering around, hesitating like he was about to break in. So I thought he was an intruder and decided to handle him.”

“Handle me? You mean you started attacking on sight.”

I cut in with a sharp tone.

“Hey! Can you be quiet!?”

“Why should I? It’s my mouth, not yours. I’ll use it as I please.”

“You little—!”

“Enough!”

Gu Seongyeol’s stern voice cut through our bickering.

“Your mother can hear you. Don’t act foolishly.”

“But… he…”

“He is a guest brought here by your brother. That means he is not an intruder.”

“Huh? Brother?”

At those words, Gu Seon’s expression shifted.

“That blockhead came back? When…?”

“Probably while you were skipping training and sneaking out.”

“Ah-ha! I see!”

I didn’t know that! Gu Seon said, scratching her cheek awkwardly.

“I mean… If you’d just told me, I wouldn’t have attacked him.”

What kind of logic was that?

“Are you blaming me now?”

“I’m not ‘blaming’ you… just saying maybe it was a little bit your fault, too.”

“So you are blaming me. First, you attack a guest without a second thought, and now you want to put the blame on me?”

“When did I say that!? You’re twisting my words!”

After just a few exchanges, we were already arguing.

Ah, it was obvious—I was fundamentally incompatible with this Gu Seon.

“You—”

Just as she was about to start up again, Gu Seongyeol, who had been holding back, seemed ready to intervene—

“That’s enough, both of you.”

“……”
“……”

At the voice that cut through the tension, we both fell silent like scolded children.

The words came from Jin Yeonryeong, lying on the bed inside the damaged room.

“……That’s enough.”

“……Wife.”

At her words, Gu Seongyeol turned to her with concern.

“Seon, you too. What kind of behavior is this?”

“M-Mother… it’s not… that’s not how it was…”

“Apologize. Now.”

“Huh? Me…? But, I mean…”

“No excuses. Now.”

Jin Yeonryeong’s tone was firm, leaving no room for argument. Gu Seon flinched under her mother’s sharp gaze.

Her eyes wavered for a long moment before she bit her lip and looked at me.

Then—

“…Sorry.”

It was the most grudging apology I had ever heard.

“…Uh, alright.”

Not accepting it would have been awkward, so I acknowledged it.

But that only seemed to offend her more.

“Damn it…!”

Muttering under her breath, she spun around and dashed out of the room.

“Seon-ah! Ugh…”

Watching her go, Jin Yeonryeong sighed and pressed her fingers to her forehead.

“…I wonder when she will ever grow up.”

Her voice was full of clear worry.

Then, her gaze shifted to me.

…You are the one called Baek Yangcheon, correct?”

“Yes, Lady Jin.”

“……”
“……”

For a moment, we simply looked at each other in silence.

I had nothing particular to say.

Meanwhile, she was studying me intently, as if trying to discern something.

‘Should I explain?’

Elder Il’s assumption was a mistake. I was not the biological son of the Gu Clan’s leader.

Wouldn’t it be better to clear that up now?

As for the Blood Wheel Bead—Gu Seongyeol could explain that. That would be smoother.

‘It wouldn’t be strange if Jin Yeonryeong resented me.’

I was a child who had appeared out of nowhere, claiming to be her husband’s son.

How many women in her position would welcome such news?

‘Even here, being an illegitimate child would be troublesome.’

I’d already lived through that once—I didn’t need a repeat.

Just as I was about to speak—

“Madam, the truth is—”

“…It must have been difficult for you.”

“…What?”

I stopped mid-sentence.

That wasn’t the reaction I had expected.

“For someone so young… how hard it must have been…”

Jin Yeonryeong’s eyes glistened with unshed tears as she looked at me.

What…?

What is this reaction?

I was completely baffled.

“Wait. Madam…?”

“…I asked you something terrible earlier. I apologize sincerely.”

“…Pardon? What exactly…?”

“When I asked about your parents… you told me, didn’t you? That your father was still alive.”

…Ah, yes.”

Well. My mother was alive, too.

I just hadn’t mentioned it because it was too complicated to explain.

My father was still alive. That much was true.

The problem was—

“…Losing your mother, and yet, the father you had was absent. How painful that must have been.”

“……”

Jin Yeonryeong had completely misunderstood.

“No, Madam. That’s not what I meant at all. I was never— I’m not the Clan Leader’s son—”

“No. You should call him your father. Don’t hesitate.”

“Madam, please listen to what I’m—”

“A child should be able to call their father their father… It’s only right. Baek Yangcheon—no, Baek Gongja. You’ve been through much, but from now on, stay here with us.”

“That’s not what I—”

What do I do?

She had completely misunderstood, and my words weren’t getting through.

Jin Yeonryeong had fully accepted me as Gu Seongyeol’s son.

“…Somehow, I always thought you resembled Cheolwoon more than Seongyeol…”

“……”

Even my appearance was feeding her misunderstanding.

Wait.

Did she just say I looked like Gu Cheolwoon?

“Do I… look that intimidating?”

“…Do I look that fierce?”

“What?”

“What did you just say?”

At the same time, Gu Seongyeol and I turned to stare at each other.

…This guy?

I was so taken aback I almost spoke my mind.

But then—

“…What did you mean by that?”

“…!”

A heavy voice suddenly cut through the air.

Every eye in the room turned toward the source.

There—

“Let go of me, you brute! Do you think muscles make you better!?”

Gu Seon, caught by a large hand.

And—

“That thing you just said. What did you mean by it?”

The man who had dragged her back in.

Gu Cheolwoon.

His expression made one thing clear—

He had heard everything.