The RoFan Novel Fan Has Reincarnated Into A Martial Arts Novel-Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Misunderstanding

Early in the morning, Hwang Bo Jeonggun started his day by heading to the family’s office. On the desk were the usual reports and ledgers, stacked just as they had been yesterday.

He sighed deeply, feeling the weight of the day ahead.

"Training in the morning will be tough again today."

Skipping training was like admitting weakness. To a martial artist, that was worse than death. But as the head of the family, he couldn’t devote himself entirely to martial arts either.

"My muscles feel like they’re wasting away. I hope it’s just my imagination..."

He muttered to himself, absentmindedly rubbing his arm. His desire to head straight to the training ground was strong, but the piled-up work was in his way.

"I must go tomorrow for sure."

With a feeling of regret, he turned his gaze toward the window.

"By the way, when will Yeon come back?"

Since she followed Hwang Bo Gyeong, he hadn’t heard any news about her.

‘She said she wanted to learn martial arts from him.’

When his daughter said that, Hwang Bo Jeonggun felt a strange sense of déjà vu. His wife, Jin Hwayoung, had said the same thing.

Back then, he, who was about to become the head of the family, had strongly advised her against it. The danger was one reason, but more than that, he felt Hwang Bo Gyeong's martial arts were nothing but a fantasy.

‘The Thunderclap Divine Art, was it? A martial art that controls lightning energy? He couldn’t even do it himself...’

Managing lightning energy was almost impossible. There was no one in the martial world who could truly use such power, a clear sign that it belonged to the realm of legends.

At the time, everyone had said Hwang Bo Gyeong was crazy. Hwang Bo Gyeong, whose eccentricities were already well known, had lost his place in society, and when Hwayoung gave up on martial arts, she had also severed ties with the family.

‘Since then, she’s looked at me like I’m her enemy. She seems to blame me for Hwayoung’s death...’

The idea that his wife died because he didn’t allow her to study martial arts was absurd to Hwang Bo Jeonggun. As her husband, it seemed like a ridiculous notion.

However, because of Hwang Bo Gyeong’s seclusion, he did feel some guilt, which is why he allowed Yeon to go. After all, he knew Hwang Bo Gyeong was a true expert, and there was something to learn from him.

"Surely, Hwang Bo Gyeong wouldn’t teach her anything strange, right? She went with him, so there’s no way anything bad would happen."

At that moment, a loud voice that could be heard throughout the family came through the door.

"Father! Father!"

"Wait? That’s Yeon’s voice!"

The voice quickly reached the door of the office. He could hear a conversation between the guards.

"Hello, sir. Is Father inside?"

"Yes, please wait a moment, Miss."

After a brief moment, the door opened with a creak. Hwang Bo Jeonggun quickly rushed to meet his daughter, whom he hadn’t seen in a while.

"Yeon, how long has it been! And this little rascal came along too. How have you been, little rascal?"

"I’ve been well, thanks to you, Father."

The polite greeting from the young talent was pleasant to hear. But when Hwang Bo Jeonggun absentmindedly turned his gaze, an unexpected face appeared.

"What... Elder?"

The awkward-looking man was Hwang Bo Gyeong.

"Yes, I’ve come again. So what?"

"Uh... Welcome, Elder."

"Ha! Don’t say things you don’t mean... Yeon insisted on bringing me, and I had no choice but to come. Once the business is done, I’ll retreat back to seclusion. So, don’t worry about me."

"Seclusion? What do you mean by seclusion? You didn’t choose it yourself."

At Yeon’s words, Hwang Bo Gyeong jumped up in irritation.

"Who said that? I went into seclusion of my own free will!"

"I understand, I understand. Anyway, you can reverse your seclusion if you want. I’d prefer it if you stayed with the family from now on. What do you think, Father?"

"R... Really? If Elder wants it..."

Hwang Bo Jeonggun, flustered, was once again called by Yeon.

"Father."

"Yes?"

"This time, Grandpa Gyeong really helped me a lot. He even accepted me as an official disciple."

"An official disciple? Did Elder say that?"

Now that Yeon mentioned it, the energy around her was unusual. Though it had been a while, she certainly hadn’t had time to achieve such a feat. He almost believed she must have received some sort of fortune.

"Ha..."

"Father, I too received a lot of teachings."

"Even this rascal?"

Hwang Bo Gyeong scoffed at the speechless Hwang Bo Jeonggun.

"Hah!"

Hwang Bo Gyeong’s small eyes glared at Hwang Bo Jeonggun, filled with old resentment and reproach.

‘You can see how much Yeon has developed. If only you had trusted me with Hwayoung!’

Hwang Bo Jeonggun wasn’t one to miss such a look. He swallowed his breath, realizing that Hwang Bo Gyeong still blamed him for Hwayoung’s death.

At that moment, Yeon spoke again, this time to Hwang Bo Gyeong.

"Grandpa, this time, Father allowed me to become a disciple."

"What?"

"If Father had opposed it until the end, I wouldn’t have been able to do anything. But Father already knew."

Hwang Bo Gyeong muttered under his breath but said nothing further. After all, Hwang Bo Jeonggun was the head of the family and Yeon’s father. Yeon raised both hands in an attempt to pacify both sides.

"Both «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» of you, please stop. How long are you going to keep this up? We’re not children."

"Y-Yeon?"

"Hmph..."

"Now, we should live together, so please hug each other. We need to get along."

At Yeon’s gestures, which felt like she was handling children, Hwang Bo Gyeong recoiled in surprise.

However, Hwang Bo Jeonggun was not the same. Though he was intimidated by Hwang Bo Gyeong, he did not harbor hatred for him. Seeing Hwang Bo Gyeong living out his later years in seclusion made him feel sympathy.

‘Yeon is right. How long will this go on? Elder is also a part of the Hwang Bo Family.’

"Elder."

Taking the initiative, Hwang Bo Jeonggun walked toward Hwang Bo Gyeong and respectfully bowed his head.

"I’m sorry for all this time."

"What?"

"Whatever misunderstanding there was, I would like to clear it up here."

At his serious tone, Hwang Bo Gyeong looked surprised. The flustered look on Hwang Bo Gyeong’s face was quite apparent as Hwang Bo Jeonggun mentioned his wife’s name.

"Hwayoung wouldn’t want this anymore. Elder."

"You! How dare you speak of Hwayoung in front of me? You brat..."

"Grandpa."

At Yeon’s calm voice, Hwang Bo Gyeong bit his lip, as if suppressing something. After a long sigh, he let out a deep breath.

"Heh, I never imagined..."

For a while, there was silence, and then Hwang Bo Gyeong quietly asked Hwang Bo Jeonggun.

"You must know the Thunderclap Divine Art, right?"

‘The Thunderclap Divine Art? He still hasn’t given up on it...’

Hwang Bo Jeonggun managed a slight frown as he responded.

"Is it the martial art you were researching back then?"

"Yes, if Hwayoung had learned that, the status of the Hwang Bo Family would have been completely different."

"...Yes, Elder."

‘If only it could have been actually implemented...’

As Hwang Bo Jeonggun silently repeated this in his mind, Hwang Bo Gyeong suddenly yelled.

"You! You still don’t believe it?"

"Elder, it’s not that..."

"I knew this would happen. Yeon just proved it this time. The possibility of the Thunderclap Divine Art!"

When Hwang Bo Jeonggun turned his head absentmindedly, Yeon nodded.

‘Hmm?’

At that moment, a crackling current of electricity surged from Yeon’s fist. The blue energy was definitely lightning energy.

"Y-Yeon! Did you just... control lightning?!"

"Yes, Father. I learned it from Grandpa Gyeong."

Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s face turned pale. A massive shock hit him in the head.

‘So the Thunderclap Divine Art really is possible...?’

At the same time, memories of making his wife give up martial arts flashed through his mind.

‘So, does that mean it was all my mistake?’

He had asked his wife, Hwayoung, to focus on household duties. But if she had truly been capable of handling lightning energy, then who would have been the one to support whom?

‘This can’t be...!’

Now he understood why Hwang Bo Gyeong had despised him so much. As a husband and as the head of the family, this was the greatest mistake of his life.

‘Could Hwayoung’s death really have been because of this? No, that can’t be true!’

In the midst of his confusion, Hwang Bo Gyeong’s voice reached his ears.

"Finally getting it, huh? Tch, Jeonggun, Yeon is a genius even more outstanding than Hwayoung. Do you understand what that means?"

"......"

"If you truly care about the future of the family, don’t even think about burying her talent."

Hwang Bo Jeonggun felt a strong urge to cover his head. With a heavy heart, he could only offer a small reply.

"...I understand, Elder."

Yeon and Cheon Gang left the family office. Hwang Bo Gyeong, saying he would take a look at the family, disappeared somewhere. He seemed just as conflicted as her father.

Yeon spoke to Cheon Gang.

"I think I made a mistake."

"What do you mean?"

"I wanted to clear up the misunderstanding between the two of them, but it seems like it’s not that simple."

"Well, I think you did well, Yeon Sojeo..."

Despite Cheon Gang’s comfort, Yeon still felt uneasy.

Honestly, Yeon hadn’t thought much about it. She simply felt bad for Hwang Bo Gyeong’s situation and thought it was a waste for such a skilled person to live alone in seclusion. Her words about the family’s loss weren’t empty.

"I’m not exactly sure what happened. I think it has something to do with my mom."

"I see. So, your mother... she passed away a long time ago?"

"Yes."

Cheon Gang seemed careful with his words. Perhaps it was because he had a similar experience?

‘Cheon Gang’s mother also passed away when he was young. Was it some kind of accident?’

Of course, this was something he had read in the original novel. The exact reason wasn’t specified in the book, and he might have just overlooked it.

Just then, a familiar voice reached her ears.

"Hey, unnie!"

"Huh?"

Running toward Yeon was Tang So-so.

"So-so!"

So-so, who had run excitedly, hesitated when she reached Yeon. She bowed slightly to Cheon Gang and was then embraced by Yeon with a smile.

"How have you been? Sorry, it’s been so long since I came."

"Oh, it’s fine. I’ve been more comfortable than when I was with my family. Sojin has taken such good care of me..."

"Sojin, huh?"

It seemed like So-so had gotten quite close to Sojin. Yeon thought to herself that she should praise Sojin for that and then asked So-so.

"Are you all set? I want to leave as soon as possible if we can."

"Yes, unnie. I just need to pack my things."

"Great! So-so."

When Yeon smiled in satisfaction, So-so shyly smiled back. Yeon patted her head and asked,

"So, where is our Gongye Monk?"

"Ah, well..."

****

"Here it is, here it is! The Pure Land is right here!"

Gongye sang loudly, drinking down his alcohol. From early in the morning, he blew on his wine bottle and took a large bite from a skewer of grilled pork.

Chewing and swallowing the meat, he exclaimed.

"Ah! This is it! If Master Jangmun could just taste this, he’d understand how I feel."

He imagined shaking the skewer of grilled meat in front of Master Jangmun, who was deep in meditation. Would he be able to resist the incredible smell?

"Wow, if that happens, I’ll totally respect him!"

Talking to himself and giggling, Gongye staggered around.

For him, the Hwang Bo Family was like paradise. The people were big but gentle, and especially the head of the family, they even gave him allowance. They even said the monks would need something, but he didn’t care to ask what they spent it on.

"I finally understand the Hwang Bo Family. This place is really great. A hundred times better than Shaolin!"

He slapped his chest in excitement but suddenly stopped.

"Well, except for one person."

Just thinking about that one person sobered him up instantly. How could such a monk have come from this family?

"Wait a minute, it seems like the time’s almost up..."

He was talking about Hwang Bo Yeon, the Hwang Bo disciple. She had disappeared to focus on her training, and since then, he hadn’t seen her even once. Of course, he was thankful for that.

"It’d be great if she just keeps training like that. Hahaha, hahaha!"

"You look happy, Monk."

"Hah, hah! Cough!"