329.Black Dragon's Heart (4)
âHaving thus come to an accordâsee to it hence.â
The Young Chaos waved a hand in our direction, showing an extremely put upon expression. âSee to it hence,â he said.
âWhatâŠexactly should we be doing, sir?â
âHad you not been paying attention, all this while.â
âUh⊠I suppose I should end my Skill first then, sir?â
Since we were currently in a âdreamâ dimension, we would probably have to continue this once we were back outside in reality, I figured. But Chaos shook his head.
âThe lizard will simply lapse back into slumber, once you depart. This may be a âspiritual realm,â but as it still retains a connection with the ârealâ World, you must first see to transferring its consciousness.â
- Bring out my Heart Shard.
The Black Dragon spoke up after Chaos. I pulled out the Black Dragonâs Heart Shard from my inventory, as it had commanded. It looked like a shard of shattered obsidian, slightly smaller than the size of my palm. A crimson aura gently pulsed across the pitch black surface.
â...isnât this similar to what happened that time, with the Changeling.â
After entering Sung Hyunjaeâs spiritual realm, Iâd obtained a shard from him back then, too. The Newcomer had reassured me that âan ordinary human wouldnât be able to exert any influence on it~â, except that Sung Hyunjae hadnât been just an ordinary human, as weâd assumed; and so the Changeling had been created, as a result.
âSeeing as it was originally intended to be a mount synthesis Skillâthen, rather than simply upgrading his blade, does that mean ânurturingâ the heart will result in the creation of a Black Dragon, sir?â
âConsider it the acquisition of a pet. A shard of that size should only result in a meager F-rank, in any case.â
âEven if an S-rank or higher magic gem were to be synthesized alongside it, sir?â
âThat would raise the final rank, certainly, but muddy the state of its consciousness as well.â
Be that as it may, the end product being an F-rank would prove inconvenient for me. It was already hard enough for me to safeguard my own body, much less play valet to an elderly dragon. Owing to its link to Yoohyunieâs blade, I wouldnât be able to just wash my hands of it, after all.
âBlack Dragon-ssi, it would prove disadvantageous if you end up becoming an F-rank, for a number of reasons. To avoid putting yourself at risk, it may be more prudent to aim for a higher rank by adding a magic gem to the equation, sir. I would be willing to provide you with an S-rank magic gem, free of charge, as a complimentary service. Of a suitable attribute as well, of course.â
The Black Dragon mulled this over for a moment, then replied.
- A measly S-rank magic gem should not be capable of holding much sway over my consciousness, I presume.
âIt was such arrogance which previously cost that fool its life, mind.â
- It would have been far more preposterous for one such as I to exhibit wariness towards a hatchling of a human! When you werenât even an âAlpha,â no less!
The Black Dragon roared angrily at Chaosâs provocation, apparently aggrieved.Â
âYou didnât start off as an âAlpha,â sir?â
âI mentioned there were fewer âAlphasâ seen among the Transcendents prior, did I not. Ah, though Crescent Moon was indeed said to be an âAlpha.ââ
âCrescent Moon? Of what affinity, would you happen to know, sir.â
âI do not. Our paths have hardly crossed, as it were.â
So they werenât close buddies, huh. Such a thing did bode better for us, but well. To think, the Young Chaos hadnât used to be an âAlpha.â He seemed to have been an outstanding individual from the get-go, in any case. Even if he hadnât been a born S-rank, heâd probably been the equivalent of an S-rank Awakened, at least. Letting out hot puffs of air, the Black Dragon groused.
- They may have called me âthe Scourge of the Central Continent,â but itâs that blasted meddler that was the real âScourge,â as far as Iâm concerned. To have someone like him show up out of the blue and derail everything, after the great lengths Iâd gone to protect my WorldâŠ!
ââProtect your Worldââfrom the Origin, do you mean, sir?â
- Naturally, as all of the monsters sent by the Origin were weaker than I, of course.
The Black Dragon replied haughtily. It made sense; with a fiend like that standing guard, even if the Origin had beset the place with monsters, its World could have managed to avoid being swallowed. Most importantly, it implied that so long as an L-rank Awakened was available to champion a World, it could avoid annihilation. So long as the Transcendents kept their nose out of things, that was.
ââProtect,â you say. If one were to disregard the collateral damage inflicted, perhaps. Due to that lizard taking up residence in the Central Continent, not only were scores of mountains dissolved and the rivers filled with molten metal, but the all-pervasive heat resulted in a permanent drought afflicting the land.â
âSounds like it was an absolute disaster, sir.â
So even after managing to escape from the grasp of the Origin, that sort of side effect was still possible, huh. A new apocalypse, brought about by the hero-nim who had saved the World in the first place. A team scenario might prove more advantageous, then. Since they might turn on each other afterwards, at least.
In any caseâsince the Black Dragon had claimed to have saved its World, I put on an appropriately reverent expression and began subtly interrogating him.Â
âDealing with the monsters sent by the Origin mustâve been quite the arduous task, sir. Were you at L-rank when that took place, by chance? Iâd be interested in hearing what rank those monsters mightâve been at, as well. And did you take care of all of them on your lonesome, sir?â
- I single-handedly dealt with the strongest ones, of course.
As the Black Dragon preened once more, Chaos interrupted its swaggering with a cold splash of reality.
âQuestioning it will yield no useful answers. This one merely hunted as it pleased, without ever intending to deliberately embark on a quest to âsave the World.ââ
Since heâd mentioned that the Black Dragon was a Fire-affinity entity too, it had just been the byproduct of going around burning everything down on its own without any regard for others, I supposed. The Young Chaos continued speaking in a stage whisper, at a volume that was still pitched loud enough for the Black Dragon to hear.
âFor an âAlpha,â it is fairly dim-witted. Such a thing is said to occur every so often, among the dragon-type âAlphasâ that possess more monstrous strength from the onset. Because their âexistential presenceâ is so excessive, they sometimes degrade into a mere âbeastâ that has lost its ego altogether.â
Now that he mentioned it, Diarma had seemed to be on the slower side too, compared to the other Transcendents. The Black Dragon, having obviously âoverheardâ everything Chaos had said, let out a savage growl. It seemed unable to refute his assessment, though, as it didnât provide a rebuttal; and soon after, its eye drifted closed. Simultaneously, the heart shard placed on top of my palm grew hot to the touch. The red aura flashed brightly for a brief moment, before seemingly being sucked into the shard, leaving the surface a pure black.
â...did the transfer work, sir?âÂ
Almost as soon as Iâd asked, the Black Dragonâs head slowly began to sag. The same went for its body, limbs, and tail, scattered hither and yon. Like snow melting under the rays of a summer sun, they started to wilt away. An empty expanse of earth became visible beyond the massive body, showing where the land met the sea.
âWhen you insert the Heart into your back, make certain to include a measure of that bratâs essence as well. His blood should suffice in that regard, I imagine.â
Hearing Chaosâs words, Yoohyunieâs expression, which had been stiff enough to begin with, only grew harder.
âWhy does it have to be hyung again.â
âIs it not something I can do in his stead, sir.â
âCertainly not. If you are so dissatisfied, then resolve to give up the blade.â
Give up the blade! I hurried to placate Yoohyunie before he said something regrettable.
âItâs just the nature of my Skill, yeah. Sure, it leaves a bit of a scarâbut Iâm a Hunter too. Compared to the risk a Dungeon raid poses, where your life hangs in the balance, itâs basically a cakewalk. And if you take my long work history into account on top of that, then, rather than youââ
ââWork historyâ?â
Yoohyunieâs voice dropped, turning cold.
âWhat exactly do you mean by âwork history,â hyung. Donât tell me, you used to go into Dungeons before you Regressed? Hadnât you mentioned that, unlike now, youâd only had a handful of Skills in your arsenal back then.â
âYeahâof course I went into Dungeons.â
I felt a prickle of dread, but continued on calmly, answering him as though nothing was wrong.
âHey, dâyou really think Iâd have just stayed put, with my disposition being what it is. You know how Iâm like even now, right. Iâm afraid I ended up causing you a lot of heartache back then, too.â
âBut I managed to survive, still.â
At my words, Yoohyunieâs expression finally relaxed, and I breathed a sigh of relief in turn. Iâd really have to be more careful about what I let slip.
âLet me do it, okay. You heard the Black Dragon earlier, right. If an L-rank was able to rebuff the monsters, it seems likely that itâd take multiple SSS-ranks at minimum to pull off the sameâwhen itâs like that, we absolutely canât afford to give up on a weapon that can reach L-rank.â
â...I know. It wouldnât be worth it, otherwise.â
My dongsaeng responded glumly. But he didnât seem to be as resistant to it as I mightâve expected him to be, at least; perhaps because weâd gone at it a few rounds together, earlier. Even if it hadnât been in the real world, heâd already gotten to bury his sword into my body, after all.Â
âElderâthank you very much for all of the assistance youâve provided us, sir.â
When I bid him thanks, intending to slowly begin making our way out, Chaos looked at Yoohyunie and I with a dour expression, and took a step forward. Then, suddenly.
Losing consciousness, my dongsaeng slumped forward. Chaos, who had suddenly materialized at Yoohyunieâs side, casually reached out with a hand to snatch Yoohyunie up by the scruff, preventing him from crashing into the ground. He then passed my dongsaeng onto me. Catching Yoohyunie as he was very nearly tossed in my direction, I staggered under his weight for a moment before falling flat on my backside. It felt like all my strength had left me, as though Iâd reverted back to F-rank stats.
âHe has only been rendered temporarily unconscious.â
 âWhatâs up with you all of a sudden, sir!â
âYou indicated that you did not want your dongsaeng to be privy to these conversations, no.â
The Young Chaos replied bluntly.
âThis damnable brat. Do you sincerely hope to live a long life, then.â
I answered, looking up at him. Chaos gave me a deep scowl.
âYet your actions hardly align with your words.â
âI really do plan on living quietly, sir, once the worldâs no longer in danger. And Iâll actually apply myself towards living a long and healthy life, too. My goal is to live to be a hundred, at leastâthough I donât know how many years I might have left.â
In lieu of a response, a small hand stroked the top of my head with a fair amount of force behind it. It felt a bit painful, but at the same time, the gesture felt warm.
âWhat a callow young colt.â
âFirst a bull, and now a colt. Whatâs next, sirâa dog, perhaps.â
âDogs know to be obedient, at least. The vexing matter is that, where the elder colt goes, the younger one seeks to follow.â
âThatâs what worries me most, sir.â
I looked down at Yoohyunie, held in my arms. My concerns only increased with each passing day, all because of this dongsaeng.
âThere are a few other people heâs willing to at least tolerate, though, sir. Our household has a third member too, you see.â
âHah? You mean to say that there is yet another one like yourselves? Truly, the end times have come.â
âSheâs a good kid, sir!â
âThat is also what you said about the Second, is it not.â
Thatâs, Yoohyunie was a well-mannered young man too, but⊠I suddenly felt a bit apologetic towards Yerimie.
âRegardlessâhe gets along with Peace as well, sir. And he should continue to change bit by bit, so. You said as much yourself, right, Elderâthat it shouldnât be out of the question.â
âYet, no matter the change he undergoes, there is still his fundamental nature to contend with. I doubt he will ever allow himself to hold anyone in his heart but yourself. Such is his innate disposition. Even if you were to abandon this dongsaeng of yours, his devotion to you is an ever-fixed mark, that looks on tempests and is never shakenâit alters not with brief hours and weeks, but bears it out even to the edge of doom(1).â
âAbandonâI would neverâŠâŠ.â
I unconsciously ground my teeth together; then, looking changing the subject, I grumbled.
âYour speech only seems to be becoming more and more dated, Elder. Youâre going so far as to incorporate hanja(2) now, I see, sir. That being said, you seem to have quite a mastery of Korean, sirâdo you possess a language-related Skill, perhaps?â
âIt is not the work of a Skill, but rather a localization feature enacted by the Systemâbut it is âdated,â you say? A result of that rabbitâs tinkering, perhaps.â
âIf itâs the Newcomer youâre referring to, sir, isnât he more âpuppy-facedâ than anything else, though. Just because his ears are long, doesnât mean that heâs automatically a ârabbit.â Although lop-eared rabbits certainly do existâif you take his incisors into account, for example, he seems to be either a carnivorous or omnivorous species, sir.â
âAnd what would a brat such as you, who has never even encountered a meat-eating rabbit, know of such matters.â
âAh, câmonâIâm telling you, sir, heâs obviously a puppy, how could you think otherwise?â
We went back and forth in a pointless debate for a moment. It didnât seem as though we would come to a consensus, in any case. Deciding to put aside what amounted to a trivial matter, I proceeded to probe him about Yoohyunie again. Since I wasnât sure when Iâd ever be able to see him again, I was determined to find out as much as I could.
âI assume youâve encountered several âAlphasâ that are like Yoohyunie, then, Elderâcould I ask you to elaborate a bit more on the subject, if so. What happened with them, sir? Someone-ssi mentioned they tended to lead brief lives, but there should be individuals who managed to live for a long time too, right, sir?â
âEighty percent die during infancy.â
âWhen even âAlphasâ are already so repulsive to others, those who are tantamount to the incarnation of the âOriginâ itself are typically abandoned as infants, far more often than not. The rare scenarios in which they tend to survive, are if the ethics held by the society they are born into, and the social systems put in place, endeavors for the protection of their young.â
âŠno matter how exceptional a born S-rank might be, if they were to be abandoned before they could even walk, they wouldnât stand a chance of surviving. It was a blessing that in modern times, at least in Korea, it was fairly difficult to just throw away children. That he hadnât simply been sent away to an orphanage, too, was an immense relief.(3)
âHave there been any situations where the guardian was also an âAlpha,â sir? It seems to me that âAlphas,â being the same sort, might be able to get on well enough with one another.â
âIt is an âAlphaâsâ tendency to live only as their whims lead them. Would such creatures be inclined to devote themselves to the rearing of a dull, unresponsive child, I ask you. Perhaps they would experience intrigue for a short whileâbut soon grow weary of the endeavor, and abandon the child thereafter.â
Which reminded me, Sung Hyunjae had made overtures towards Yoohyunie for a brief interval, too, after realizing he was âspecial,â only to lose his interest before long. âŠit made my blood boil, just thinking of it. He better not even dream of laying a finger on him again. Nor anyone else, for that matter. He wouldnât have developed an interest in grooming Yerimie too, would he. Yerimie wasnât a âregularâ S-rank Hunter either, after all. Should I ban him from coming near the Rearing Facility and Haeyeon Guild outright, perhaps.
âOccasionally, there are situations where an ordinary individual who has taken notice of their potential schemes to use them for their own ends, under the guise of taking them under their wingâin the majority of those cases, they end up being killed by the âAlpha Primes.â They are not beings suited to being tamed, after all. As far as I am aware, your dongsaeng is the first to be so.â
And all of them had died by fifty years of age, far before any hopes of reaching a hundred, said the Young Chaos.Â
âBeing spurred only by the instinctive nature of their affinity and lacking any sort of âdesire,â it is inevitable that they perish sooner than later. Your dongsaeng is different from them, however, so do take heart. So long as you endure, he shall do the same as well.â
Hearing such bleak feedback, I couldnât help the way my face had automatically crumpled in anguish. Seeing this, Chaos regarded me with a peeved expression.Â
âAlways going on about that dongsaeng, each time you open your mouth.â
âI can go on for three days and three nights straight if necessary, sir.â
âAnd what of yourself, pray tell.â
As far as âmy storyâ was concerned, well.
âIâm just trying to do the best I can, sir.â
Iâd wanted to live diligently while raising my dongsaeng, sir, only to end up royally fucking things up. So now I was just trying to keep from screwing things up a second time. That was all.
âIâm just doing my best.â
After gazing down at Yoohyunie for a moment, I raised my head. A face that bore an uncanny resemblance to Yoohyunie entered my field of vision. He wore an aloof expression; but he was looking at me, all the same. It was only the third time Iâd ever met with him. But still.Â
âCan I trust you, sir.â
âThat is something for you to decide.â
âWhy are you going out of your way to help us like this, sir. Because you are going out of your way, sir.â
âI simply find myself flabbergasted to see such a weak, feckless young thing crawling haplessly along, with nary a thought given to how its flesh is being stripped along the wayâthat is all.â
âThen, youâre helping us because you find us pitiful, sir?â
Being pitied was fine. As far as a blow to your pride from being pitied was concerned, you needed to be alive in the first place to feel something like that, after all. Even if he was extending his offer of help because he viewed us as poor, unfortunate souls, I would gladly welcome any such assistance.Â
âDo you think yourselves the only wretched existences in the universe, perhaps. NayâI offer my aid simply because you have caught my eye, brat, and because I wish to do so.â
Chaos patted my head lightly, once more.
The hand that had been resting on my head slipped down, and briefly brushed against Yoohyunieâs cheek. As he did so, my dongsaengâs eyes, which had been closed, slid open.
âAs soon as you return, see that you admit your hyung to a hospital.â
Hearing the Young Chaosâs words, Yoohyunie suddenly straightened from where heâd been resting his body against me, as though heâd been splashed with cold water.
âAye. Potions and healing Skills will only serve to act as poison to him, so refrain from the administering of such things, and have him recover through means that do not utilize mana.â
âIs there anything else to remain aware of, sir.â
Yoohyunie inquired seriously. Heâd just been knocked unconscious by him just moments prior; yet, it didnât seem as though he held even a trace of animosity towards him.
âPrevent him from depending on those things on a normal basis as well, and merely see to it that he eats and rests plenty. The Eldest may be out of the question, but you, Second.â
Contemplatively rubbing a clean, hairless chin with one hand, Chaos regarded Yoohyunie with narrowed eyes.
âWhat say you to coming under my tutelage.â
(1) 맀ìŒìí ë¶ë§€í„ -Â
supplemented with sonnet 116 to drive home the tone/nuance behind the original traditional poem referenced in-text; the emphasis is placed on the âtrueâ and âunchangingâ nature of yoohyunieâs love/unending devotion for yoojin, even in the face of hardship/yoojin potentially abandoning him
more subtext/plausible deniability notes iâve been putting offâŠ
so yoojin refers to chaos as âìŽë„Žì ,â which is a respectful way of addressing older individuals:
ìŽë„Žì â âelderâ
í ìëČì§(grandfather), í ëšžëgrandmother)
ìê°ë â dated way of referring to older gentlemen
it plays into the way geunseo-nim highlights certain character relationships with specific title choices, e.g. the way yerimie chooses to refer to yoojin as âìì ìš(ahjussiââmisterâ)â:
because as iâve noted before in a footnote, it informs how yerimie views herself as an âoutsiderâ in the han family, and also reinforces how âyoojin+yoohyunâ are still considered a âset/family(=/=kin)â within the Han household throughout the entire series, even with âyoohyunie+yoojin+yerimie found familyâ being a Thing:
+ch614 footnotes on the significance of spending christmas together with someone
because although yermieâs becomes part of the Han household, whatâs stressed with her is âher eventual independenceâ, juxtaposed against yoohyunieâs role to âalways be by yoojinâs sideâ:
the âhighlighting certain character relationships with specific title choices/manner of addressâ also manifests in other ways, like how sung hyunjae and song taewon interact. but as for why âhow yoojin speaks with chaosâ matters in this context, itâs because the way he addresses chaos is a half-step away from being read this way:
by the way, did i mention that a large part of yoohyunieâs gap-moe is how heâs very âmaidenly/pure/chasteâ (Ă la luĂČ bÄ«nghĂ©)? (yes)
https://books.google.com/books?id=16WJCj00QvkC&pg=PT141&lpg=PT141&dq=plum+blossom+Shin+Heum&source=bl&ots=T00ASMNHQb&sig=ACfU3U148XXgxXaWKDib4eyGP8QsugFiig&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjnxdOT8p_7AhWumWoFHYERAVUQ6AF6BAgsEAM
anywayâveeery interesting, considering chaosâs particular connection to yoohyunie.
Q) iâm aware that he takes after the young chaos due to the primordial fireâs influence, but does that mean han yoohyun doesnât outwardly resemble his âparentsâ or other relatives?
A) because the ones who made the physical vessel for him do exert some influence, it can be thought of as âyoung chaos + han brothersâ parents,â approximately. when han yoohyun had just been born, he resembled the parents a bit more, but as he grew and his fire attribute became stronger, he began to resemble the primordial fire and the young chaos more. however, the parentsâ influence does remain, so thatâs why he still hears things like how heâs âdifferent from han yoojin, but still bears some similarities, as befitting of brothersâ ^^ part of it is that, as the young chaosâs race is close to east asians, he ended up growing to resembling him even more. if the species or race had been completely different, then he probably wouldnât have resembled the young chaos as much as he does at present.
+ another interaction of note that happens this chapter is chaos âreassuringâ yoojin the same way sung hyunjae had done previously as a 'parental' figure, which also echoes the interaction when yoojin asked yerimie if she would permit him to be her guardian when they first met, way back when:
no wonder sung hyunjae and chaos get along, huh:
Q) irinie mentioned that fire shouldnât be stifled, because it transforms when itâs suppressed; since the 24y.o. yoohyunie in the dungeon had not only changed from a black flame (íìŒ) to a black blood flame (ííìŒ), but also became instilled with poison, even after reconciling with yoojinie, would he be able to recover his blue fire (ìČìŒ) still?
A) as drawing forth oneâs own natural affinity is a difficult task in itself, no matter which han yoohyun, so long as a han yoojin with a caretaker title is not by his side, even after rising to the rank of a transcendent, he would only be able to earn his blue fire after a very long period of development. however, as the flame would have died out before long without han yoojin becoming his world, consequently, that outcome is effectively an impossibility ^^
the reason the primordial fire was incapable of finding a fire to succeed it for that long period of time, was for a similar reason. the closer it is to being a âpureâ flame, the more likely it is to be snuffed out before properly maturing.
as the han yoohyun(24) within the dungeon has han yoojin(29) by his side, he is capable of fostering blue flames. however, as the han yoojin within the dungeon has the lesser âcaretakerâ title, the effect will be far diminished than that of han yoojin(25)âs, so it wonât be an easy task. because of that, rather than erasing the black blood fire to revert to a blue fire, thereâs a higher likelihood that they(2429) will choose to mature the black blood fire further instead.Â
Q) then, did the parents take care of yoohyunie too, instead of ostracizing him? or did they only provide yoojinie with food to eat and clothes to wear, and it was yoojinie who made sure that yoohyunie got to eat and was properly dressed?
A) they didnât go out of their way to prepare meals for him or the like, but made sure there was plenty of food available^^ because han yoojin was too young back then to take care of himself, much less his dongsaeng, if the parents had completely forsaken them, it would have been difficult for either of them to survive. the brothersâ parents didnât harbor ill intent towards their children. to be precise, they simply wished to divorce themselves from any meaningful connection with the two. as their desire to avoid reality was so great, rather than attempt to either abandon or kill han yoohyun, they opted to maintain the status quo instead.
with rice left in the rice cooker and side dishes stockpiled high in the refrigerator, the parents would either stay out of the house or go about their life as though the brothers didnât exist. because it would draw scrutiny if they wore misfitting clothes, han yoojin was bought clothes of an appropriate size and han yoohyun would typically wear his hand-me-downs. starting from the time han yoojin was in middle school, rather than having his things bought for him, he was instead given a generous allowance that would allow him to acquire necessities such as clothes, shoes, school supplies, etc.; han yoojin used that money to buy his dongsaeng clothes as well. as the parents had been unsparing with money spent on clothes when han yoojin was younger, until about seven or so, there was no issue with han yoohyun only receiving his hand-me-downs. if only to assuage their feelings of guilt, they made sure to take good care of their basic necessities, and han yoojin would console himself through rationales such as âmom and dad love each other too much, and thatâs why thereâs no room left for me and yoohyunieâ
Q) what were some of the things that you thought were important, when writing an entity thatâs far from being human?Â
A) (about han yoohyun) only, as han yoohyun isnât âa lifeform concerned about continued survival(self-preservation),â heâs an outlier even among the non-human entities ^^ in polar opposite to the ones mentioned above, his natural disposition is to completely disregard the surrounding environment. the sole exception for that flame was han yoojin, and accordingly, han yoohyun only experiences change through han yoojin. no other environmental factors or beings are capable of influencing him.
Q) with gyeol-byeol-seol, have there been any routines or habits the children or yoohyunie have fallen into over time, from yoohyunie frequently looking after them by himself? since, when thereâs a parent etc who gets specially designated as the primary caretaker, they automatically end up developing habits/routines with each other; iâm curious if something of the sort might have formed between the babies (gyeol-byeol-seol) and yoohyunie
A) as han yoohyun is simply carrying out rote actions in accordance with han yoojinâs instructions when it comes to engaging in childrearing, he doesnât end up forming any âhabitsâ, as a consequence. since, for han yoohyun, the concept of âforming a habitâ is contingent on han yoojinâs immediate presence, in a scenario where han yoojin has stepped out of frame, there are no new âbiologicalâ or âhumanisticâ directives being generated for him in that state. in the first place, heâs not one who is given to conforming to any sort of set âpatternâ, per se. at present, itâs closer to being a situation where heâs âdiligently repeating the mannerisms heâs learned from han yoojinâ ^^
on their side, the children are currently being indoctrinated into accepting a structured, stable lifestyle pattern as a byproduct of han yoohyunâs exacting approach. as, in addition to the distinct lack of an emotional base(foundation), han yoohyun is given to displaying little to no reaction by default, han gyeol finds this aspect of him difficult to contend with. though heâs perfectly aware that âuncle(samchon) is just like that,â as the most emotionally sensitive of the three children, he still gets dejected about it from time to time. even so, thanks to bak yerim and han byeolâs combined influences, heâs doing well enoughâstill, heâs the one whoâs waiting the most anxiously for han yoojinâs homecoming. periodically, heâll unload/confide to peace about âmy difficult lifeâ and âwhen will appa be coming backâ and âthe hell is sung hyunjae even doingâ, and other such sundry matters. han seol doesnât hold any particular interest towards han yoohyun, and han byeol is unfazed by how taciturn samchon can be. rather, his inclination to simply stoically corral and calm her down in an unperturbed manner after sheâs gone zooming around and caused accidents, actually seems to make him quite well-suited to looking after her in a parenting capacity.
Q) then, would it be possible now for han yoojin to surpass 180cm in height? with everyone around him being 180~190cm, heâs the only smol one⊠(dainty..) since the puppeteer was able to surpass 180 too, would yoojinie be able to do grow over 180 as well? is it impossible? how many years would it take for him to finish growing all the way..?
A) if he takes good care of his health while honing his abilities, it would be possible to see physical growth once he leveled up in rank. if, for example, the young chaos sticks to his side to personally oversee his training, he would probably be able to clear 180 easily within a year. if han yoojin is left to his own devices, and nothing out of the ordinary happens, saying that heâs busy enough raising the kids, he'd probably remain at the same point even after 10 or 20 years. at the very least, han yoohyun or bak yerim will force him to take care of his body. irin, who wishes to increase han yoojinâs lifespan for han yoohyunâs sake, will likely come to stick close to him in a supervisory capacity
Q) how did soyoungie and sung hyunjaeâs first meeting go?
A) kang soyoung ambushed (barged towards) sung hyunjae and asked him if he was a dragon, and sung hyunjae felt entertained by her. the interest was short-lived, but as dragon riders are a rarity to begin with, and the way the a-rank didnât shrink back in front of a born s-rank gained his approval, sung hyunjae ends up extending a scouting offer to her first.
Q) i was curious as to whether there were any special âepisodesâ that occurred over the course of sung hyunjaeâs many lives? though sung hyunjae may not be able to remember them, but if there had been a life that he was particularly fond of, or something like that.. iâm curious about the different lives he may have led~
A) aside from his life pre-capture and the âfreedâ life he leads at present, there werenât really any lives that he saw as being particularly âspecial.â he wouldnât consider any particular lives he led while captured to be more âspecialâ than the others, as each of them were simply âa time where sung hyunjae was aliveâ ^^ notably, as someone whose core values has always revolved around âhimself,â for him to consider any event to be truly special, it would have had to have been something that was âan occurrence that was novel to meâ; but those lives were merely a time when the entity known as âsung hyunjaeâ was manipulated to enact anotherâs will. ergo, he may have travelled across many diverse worlds, but as far as sung hyunjaeâs personal situation was concerned, things had remained static all the while.
this is why the life he leads at presentâi.e. over the course of the novelâwhere han yoojin and song taewon exists (as the ones who âreturned his life to him(yj)â and âcan see to its end/allow him to die(stw)â) is the one he considers to be the most special to him.
when it comes to âthe kinds of things(episodes) that happened previously,â there are various stories. from the very beginning, in the post-war period following his time as sigma, crescent moon would usually arrange for him to take up station above others. similar to how sigma had quickly established himself as the leader of solemnis, for example. then, in order to have him go through a wide range of experiences, she would occasionally slot him into âordinaryâ stations as well. but as heâd always naturally rise to the top in short order, he never really encountered any hardships, per se. the time where he first learned how to cook was when he was âplantedâ as a regular family restaurant-owning coupleâs offspring. in that life, the father was so repulsed by sung hyunjae that he attempted to kill him, then fled after failing, once he was overpowered; the mother, too, was unable to view him as âher childâ either, but pressured by the absence of her husband, nevertheless ended up relying on sung hyunjae to fill the void left in their workplaceâand upon seeing the effortless way he quickly picked up on and flawlessly executed every task given to him, at least manages to accept him as an âoutstanding chefâ instead. because âcookingâ was a novel venture for sung hyunjae at the time, he was quite proactive in his studies. afterwards, the mother comes to consider that perhaps âhe might be an angel sent by the god of cooking, and that is why he exudes such a disconcerting feeling,â and so comes to reconcile sung hyunjaeâs existence in such a way.
still, there have been occasions where he has had to serve someone of a higher position; but as the ones stationed above him would either come to find his conduct displeasing and endeavor to force him to fall in line, or find him threatening or otherwise unnerving, such arrangements usually didnât last very long. in order for the relationship to manage to endure, it was necessary that a distance be maintained between him and them, e.g. that he be sent far away, to a remote location.
re: âthis is why the life he leads at presentâi.e. over the course of the novelâwhere han yoojin and song taewon exists (as the ones who âreturned his life to him(yj)â and âcan see to its end/allow him to die(stw)â) is the one he considers to be the most special to him.â
volume 13 extra: business trip
Q) i wanted to ask if my understanding of what happens when sung hyunjae gets planted(?) is correct! sung hyunjae mentioned that the method crescent moon seemed to utilize was to extract an individual with a similar â(existential) valueâ from the world, and then to swap him, as âan existence outside of the worldâ, with them; just like yoojinie had wondered, iâm curious who that person who was found worthy of âexchangeâ with sung hyunjae might have been, and what had happened to that individual!
additionally: if the âswapâ is made via the method of âgranting a wishââthen, for sung hyunjaeâs parents, who had wished for a child, when sung hyunjae was suddenly âplantedâ on earth in a fully-grown state, were they forcibly reprogrammed to register him as a child they had raised from the beginning?
A) by erasing sung hyunjaeâs memories and concealing his accumulated power, crescent moon was able to disguise sung hyunjaeâs existential value(ìĄŽìŹ ê°ìč) as being low-ranked. ordinarily, this wouldnât be possible, and itâs extremely delicate work besides; but as an artificial Source who had amassed a considerable amount of strength, since there were no existences who could serve as an âequivalentâ to sung hyunjae, this was her only recourse.
because his existential value was in a lowered state, sung hyunjae was able to be âplantedâ through exchange via the wishes made to crescent moon. the wishes differed from world to world, and aside from wishes for a child, there were wishes for a hero in a time of war, someone with particular talents, an exquisite beauty, a leader of the herd, etc. as well. their wishes did come true, but they usually didnât play out in the way theyâd hoped for ^^
re:sung hyunjaeâs parents, it was a case of a child who previously hadnât existed suddenly appearing, where they were nevertheless compelled to believe that they had raised him to begin with. but because of the repugnance they experience due to his âother-ness,â in addition to the natural repulsion caused by a born s-rank, the resulting cognitive dissonance caused them to spiral mentally.
Q) was sung hyunjaeâs household well-off to begin with? if so, how wealthy are they?
A) they were well-off enough that they could afford to send their son overseas to study, in addition to hiring a highly competent butler^^ as, around the time that sung hyunjae began to gain a proper foothold and become more active, they had already relinquished to him his designated inheritance, seeing him live well, they were able to relieve themselves of the guilt associated with abandoning a child. though they still want to maintain a personal distance from him, as they are able to think of him somewhat as âtheir sonâ with the physical distance in place, they have a relationship where they will occasionally call one another to exchange pleasantries. they currently live overseas, and hope that sung hyunjae will continue to fare well, without occasion to turn his attention towards them.
Q) it appears that vantus took on the responsibility of raising sung hyunjae when he was young; since he still seemed to present as a born s-rank even back then, how was vantus able to keep from being afraid of him and treat him as a âyoung masterâ instead? is it because vantus is an awakened of a relatively high rank as well? additionally, when sung hyunjae is âplanted,â do the people close to him still experience a sense of repulsion?
A) vantus recognized sung hyunjae as an entity that he needed to serve, as a being of a âhigherâ order than himself. a large part of the reason the parents experience a sense of rejection towards their born s-rank child is because of the cognitive dissonance brought on by the conflict between the feeling of âsomething that should be their child, and ergo a being dependent on themâ simultaneously feeling like âsomething of equal or even higher rank than themselves.â because vantus approached it as him being of a different âraceâ altogether, his sense of repulsion was lessened, and he in fact comes to serve him in the same zealous manner a religious fanatic might ^^ sung hyunjae makes an excellent leader, after all, and the stronger the leader, the greater the sense of security instilled in their followers also.
in the same vein, there are many people in seseung guild who pledge absolute loyalty to sung hyunjae for the same reasons. however, while sung hyunjae will certainly take care of those who display such obedience to him, he would never consider them to be equals.Â
aside from his parents, everyone else registered him as âsomeone who had always existed.â the sense of repulsion exuded by a born s-rank would have affected them as usual.
Q) i was thinking about that time sung hyunjae recommended to han yoojin that he grow a beard! does yoojinie have an easy time growing facial hair?
A) his facial hair grows fairly sparsely, and soft besides, which makes it easier for him to shave ^^
