The Beloved Baby Deer of the Hwangryong Family - Chapter 135

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

These days, Gi Tae-ha visited the Heavenly Medicine Forest whenever he had time.

As a member of the Qilin Clan with the duty to care for the Heavenly Medicine Forest, managing the forest was natural, but Gi Tae-ha’s visits were for more personal reasons.

Gi Tae-ha’s footsteps, which had been slowly strolling through the forest, stopped in front of a chrysanthemum colony where the flowers had not yet properly bloomed.

‘Oh? Family Head, look over there. One chrysanthemum has already bloomed! Did it come out early to greet autumn?’

In that spot, Gi Tae-ha quietly reminisced about the time he had spent with Seo-yu.

When he walked alone through the Heavenly Medicine Forest where he had once matched his pace with the child, memories remaining throughout the forest came to him like gifts. He treasured this time.

“Seo-yu said she had never seen red chrysanthemums before. She would be very happy to see you all grown.”

Gi Tae-ha lowered his posture and spoke to the chrysanthemums that had formed flower buds, gently caressing the earth.

The communion with nature that he had once performed out of duty had become quite enjoyable since Seo-yu’s visit.

“Please grow well. I ask this of you.”

When he made his sincere request, the chrysanthemums rustled their leaves as if answering.

Gi Tae-ha felt that the Heavenly Medicine Forest missed Seo-yu as much as he did.

‘That’s understandable. Seo-yu has a special power.’

Gi Tae-ha was a qilin born in the forest. This was not a metaphorical expression. The place where his mother actually gave birth to him was the forest.

Though it was never intended, perhaps because of this, Gi Tae-ha grew up as a qilin closer to nature than anyone else. His abilities were also the most outstanding among his clan.

However, his daughter Seo-yu possessed special abilities that even made him unable to contain his admiration.

If she was already this remarkable when she hadn’t even finished growing, he couldn’t imagine how amazing she would become when fully grown.

It was to the level where he even had the absurd thought that perhaps the fate of this land might depend on Seo-yu.

‘Of course, I hope such a thing never happens.’

However, as an adult and as a parent, Gi Tae-ha didn’t want to burden his daughter with such a heavy responsibility.

The reason he visited the Heavenly Medicine Forest daily to refine and re-refine his already skilled abilities was solely for that purpose.

Because he wholeheartedly wished for Seo-yu to always live happily, just as she had named him.

A shadow fell beside Gi Tae-ha, who was about to stand up after finishing his communion with the earth.

He naturally thought it was a trusted subordinate who had come to deliver news related to the Great Antlered Deer Family, but what awaited Gi Tae-ha was none other than Gi Tae-heum.

“Uncle.”

His surprise at the unexpected visit was brief.

The moment Gi Tae-ha met Tae-heum’s gaze, he immediately understood why he had returned to the family he had been unable to visit all this time.

“Tae-ha.”

Tae-heum couldn’t continue his words and embraced his nephew.

The guilt that had grown larger each year over the past ten years, rather than disappearing with time, was finally melting away.

“I had no face to show you, so I was too late in coming.”

Though his nephew had never once blamed him, Tae-heum’s heart had always been tormented when he thought of the child.

But now he knew that child was alive. It meant there was still a chance to set everything right.

“Let’s go. We have much to discuss.”

Gi Tae-ha gently patted his uncle’s trembling back and led him to the office.

As if blessing the reunion of the two qilins, warm sunlight illuminated the Heavenly Medicine Forest.

* * *

The next day, Seo-yu went around various places in the Golden Dragon Family with Yi-eon.

For Seo-yu, who had long dreamed of introducing her home to a close friend, it was truly an enjoyable time.

The last place Seo-yu headed to was none other than the Cloud Cliff of the front mountain.

“Yi-eon! That’s the Cloud Bridge!”

Seo-yu pointed at the fluffy floating Cloud Bridge with an excited face. She had secret information that she had asked Li-han about in advance for this day.

“Long, long ago, the Golden Dragon ancestor gathered clouds and connected them to make it. If you use that bridge, you can go directly to the sea.”

Yi-eon quietly watched Seo-yu enthusiastically explaining how soft and safe the Cloud Bridge was, then quietly asked.

“…Aren’t you scared of high places?”

Then Seo-yu widened her eyes and asked back.

“Oh, Yi-eon. Are you perhaps afraid of high places?”

“No, I’m… not scared.”

I was worried you might be scared.

Yi-eon struggled to swallow the words he shouldn’t say.

Though Seo-yu didn’t know, Yi-eon was the person who had directly witnessed the incident where Seo-yu was pushed by Nok Su-jeong at the cliff.

The image of Seo-yu falling down the cliff was still vivid in his memory, so Yi-eon still sometimes felt his heart sink.

But Seo-yu herself had a completely unbothered expression.

“That’s a relief! I was worried about what to do if you got scared.”

Seo-yu let out a sigh of relief and said while proudly straightening her shoulders.

“Actually, I used to be afraid of high places before, but now I’m fine.”

It was true that this cliff had once been so scary that her legs would tremble just from watching it from afar.

But this place now felt like the front yard to Seo-yu.

It was thanks to adapting to high places by flying freely through the high sky on her family members’ backs.

‘I thought I’d be afraid of cliffs for life, but now I can even introduce it to my friend!’

Seo-yu felt very proud. She felt like she had become a very brave child.

“Now, shall we eat lunch together? Ga-ram said she would prepare it. She said we could feel like we’re going on a picnic.”

“Picnic?”

“Yes! It’s when you spread out a picnic mat outside like this and eat delicious food. I tried it for the first time last year too, and it was really fun.”

Though he understood the meaning but hadn’t experienced it, making it an unfamiliar word, Yi-eon nodded.

Actually, Yi-eon was prepared to say yes to whatever Seo-yu suggested doing. He was actually doing just that.

Everything was enjoyable when done with Seo-yu. Honestly, it seemed like it would be fine even if she told him to just sit still and look at her face.

So today, spending the entire day with Seo-yu, was a very happy day for Yi-eon.

Just one thing.

‘…How long are those two planning to follow us around like that?’

Except for the Golden Dragon Twins who were following them around as if they were shadows.

‘Should I keep pretending not to notice?’

Yi-eon fell into contemplation while secretly glancing at the two Golden Dragons who were stuck to the tree like cicadas.

They must have some reason for following, but since he couldn’t figure out what it was, it was awkward to say anything.

Moreover, unlike him who had noticed the two from early on, Seo-yu seemed completely unaware of the twins’ presence.

‘A custom unique to the Eastern Lands… something like that?’

If that were true, it was a custom he couldn’t understand at all, but it was difficult to find a suitable reason.

“Let’s go, Yi-eon!”

The chain of thoughts that had been following one after another flew away blankly due to Seo-yu grabbing his hand and pulling him along.

Yi-eon had to struggle for a while pretending not to notice the two twins busily moving back and forth between the trees following them.

* * *

“Since when have you liked reading books, Yi-eon?”

“Hmm… Rather than liking it, there were books I had to read.”

“Ah, your parents recommended them to you?”

“Yeah. Mother told me to read them.”

Rustle!

Yi-ryeong and Li-gon, the Golden Dragon Twins, quickly hid their bodies around the corner at the end of the corridor.

Then they listened carefully to the conversation Yi-eon and Seo-yu were having as they strolled down the corridor.

“This is our library. I got permission that you can read whatever you want, so feel free to look around!”

“Thank you, Seo-yu.”

The eavesdropping that continued while holding their breath like spies carrying out a mission only ended after the two people entered the library.

Yi-ryeong was the first to speak.

“He’s read a lot of books… That’s a good thing, right?”

“But he didn’t read them because he liked it. Then isn’t that a deduction?”

The twins decided to make a careful evaluation to find a friend suitable for Seo-yu.

They also needed to check if he might be trying to harm their precious younger sister.

“Hey, Hwang Li-gon. But how long are we going to do this?”

“I don’t know either?”

However, the twins, who had no interest in static activities, gradually felt restless.

If Li-han had known, he would have held his forehead saying ‘Who told you to follow them around all day…!’, but the two were serious.

“His name was Yi-eon, right. He doesn’t seem like a bad kid.”

“That’s true. He keeps looking only at Seo-yu.”

The boy with impressive jet-black hair and eyes had no particular faults to find.

Whenever there was something to carry, even small luggage, he quickly stepped forward, and every word he said in response to Seo-yu was affectionate and looked really good.

Honestly, it seemed much more beneficial to just play together during this time, but Yi-ryeong rarely displayed patience.

“Still, we can’t let our guard down.”

“Mm-hmm. Not everyone who looks nice is actually a good person.”

Tit Bird the beast-person came to mind simultaneously in the twins’ heads.

The two who later learned that Choa had intended to do bad things were greatly distressed. They hoped Seo-yu wouldn’t experience the same thing.

“Then let’s wait here for now and follow them again when they come out of the library.”

At that moment, a sudden question came back to Yi-ryeong’s words.

“What are you going to do by following them?”

“First we need to see where they’re going. That’s the basics of surveillance, isn’t it.”

“Oh ho. Surveillance?”

Yi-ryeong’s body, who had been responding without much thought, was suddenly lifted up. Li-gon, who was next to him, was also dangling from Hyeon-rang’s hand before he knew it.

Only then did Yi-ryeong realize that the questioning voice was quite different from Li-gon’s.

“Ah, Father?”

“When did Dad get here?”

The startled Twins asked. Hwang Hyeon-rang, who had caught the culprit at the scene of the incident, smiled warmly at them.

“My little ones. It looks like you’re playing another fun game. I’d love it if Dad could join in too?”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————