Chapter 15
. In the End, I Came Myself (1)
“Meow, meooow?”
Unlike Paeng Nayeon’s clear reaction, Heukhwi suddenly wore a startled expression.
The response was completely different from what he had gotten at the inn, where he was showered with affection from countless women on the way here. With wide eyes, Heukhwi blinked and looked up at Seok Jin-ho.
“He’s family now, we’ll be living together.”
“Is he… a pet?”
“Well… for now? It feels more like a subordinate than a pet, actually.”
“A subordinate?”
At Jin-ho’s words, Jeong Ma-ryung’s brows twitched.
He felt a sudden burst of competitiveness toward this unexpected new member.
Sure, he could brush it off as just an animal. But given his current standing, he couldn’t let this pass so easily.
‘I’m still not officially acknowledged.’
Jeong Ma-ryung knew his place all too well.
Though he passed the first test, unlike Tak Yoon, he wasn’t being taught the Supreme Art of Ascension.
He could be cast aside at any moment.
That was exactly where he stood.
“Why do you look so grim?”
“Haha, well… I’m still an outsider, aren’t I?”
“So you’re aware?”
“I’ve lived this long thanks to reading the room.”
“How’s your training?”
Seok Jin-ho squinted, letting his eyes sweep over Jeong Ma-ryung’s body.
Even with clothes on, it made no difference to him.
From gait and breathing alone, Jin-ho could gauge someone’s progress.
“I’ve worked hard with Yooni!”
“Working hard is expected. What matters is whether you’ve done well.”
“That is…”
Jeong Ma-ryung swallowed hard.
He had worked hard, but he wasn’t confident enough to say he had done well.
Meow.
Sensing his tension, Heukhwi circled him, sharp eyes gleaming like a drill instructor’s.
“Well, I’ll just have to see for myself.”
“Y-yes, sir!”
“Yooni, you did well. Just as I instructed.”
“Thank you.”
After the brief reunion with the two, Jin-ho stepped inside.
There was still one more person he needed to greet.
“Oh my, Young Master!”
“I’m back, Nanny.”
“You’re not hurt, are you? Nothing bad happened, right?”
Wearing a pure white apron—likely because she’d been preparing dinner—So Ha-jeong rushed to Jin-ho the moment she saw him.
She grabbed him, patting him all over, firing off questions like a waterfall.
“I’m better than before, so don’t worry.”
“Something about you seems different.”
“You noticed, of course. I’ve become a bit more manly, haven’t I?”
“Hmm, maybe a little tanned. But the sun has been getting stronger lately.”
Meow.
Ha-jeong, who had been smiling warmly at Jin-ho’s more mature and manly air, suddenly froze at the sound of a cat’s cry.
As if sensing Jin-ho’s feelings, Heukhwi, though meeting her for the first time, immediately lavished her with affection.
“Oh, heavens!”
“I came across him by fate. He’s family now, we’ll be living together.”
Meow!
“But maybe because he’s male, he seems to like women only.”
Heukhwi approached the startled Ha-jeong, rubbing himself against her legs with boundless charm.
Unlike the cold gaze he had thrown at Jeong Ma-ryung, his eyes were warm as he pressed his body against her.
He didn’t roll on his back, but aside from that, he unleashed every possible feline charm. In the end, Ha-jeong melted.
“What a bundle of affection he is.”
“A dangerously charming bundle. Very, very dangerous.”
“You can’t mean this little one is dangerous?”
“Oh yes. He has the strength to steamroll a few third-rate warriors.”
“Oh, Young Master, you’re exaggerating.”
Ha-jeong chuckled, scratching under Heukhwi’s chin.
No matter how she looked at him, he was just a cute stray cat. The idea of him overpowering martial artists was laughable.
But it was true.
He hadn’t been a spirit-beast for long, but a spirit-beast was still a spirit-beast.
‘Well, there’s no need to tell her that.’
Watching the two bond quickly, Jin-ho shrugged.
Sometimes ignorance was bliss.
There was no need to announce it to the world.
“Starting tonight, I’ll have to prepare food for him too.”
“His name’s Heukhwi. Nice, right?”
“You chose it, Young Master? Heavens, it’s a beautiful name.”
“I do have some taste, you know.”
Seeing Ha-jeong genuinely impressed somehow annoyed Jin-ho.
But when she continued, he couldn’t deny it.
“It reminds me of when you learned poetry from the writing tutor.”
“…Looks like I’ll have to study brush and ink again. Only then can I prove myself.”
“Would it really change anything? Hoho!”
Covering her mouth, Ha-jeong giggled.
She was teasing him, but also cherishing this long-missed warm conversation.
“You’ll see soon enough—how versatile I’ve become.”
“I’ll look forward to it, Young Master.”
“Heukhwi doesn’t need fish specifically. He’s omnivorous—he’ll eat fruit and grass too. But he does like fish and birds. And if there’s not enough, he’ll hunt on his own, so don’t worry much.”
“Best not to season the food, right?”
“Exactly.”
Still smiling, Ha-jeong tickled between Heukhwi’s brows.
It was her first time raising a cat, but this one didn’t seem so bad.
They’d always lived as just the three of them, so some bustle was welcome.
‘Though I never thought he’d bring home a cat.’
And not just any—Heukhwi didn’t look like a stray at all.
With his sleek, jet-black fur shimmering, he seemed refined.
But what she liked most was his overflowing affection.
“At least we won’t be bored anymore.”
“Yooni and Ma-ryung weren’t enough for you?”
“Ah, but Ma-ryung worries too much. He keeps saying he might get cast aside at any time.”
“A little tension isn’t bad.”
“Still, teasing him too much isn’t kind.”
Ha-jeong shot him a look.
Yet, in part, she agreed.
Life wasn’t kind to those who were too kindhearted.
“Enough about Ma-ryung—come here.”
“Will you hug me? It’s been so long.”
Her eyes sparkled as she spread her arms slightly.
As soft as Heukhwi’s fur was, nothing compared to Jin-ho’s embrace.
“That sounds a little odd.”
“Why? You hugged me before leaving too.”
“No, I meant I’ll give you a massage. Your shoulders seem stiff again.”
“A massage works too.”
Quickly turning around, Ha-jeong relaxed her body, anticipation clear on her face.
Jin-ho’s massages left her refreshed for a whole day—they were special.
“Nanny, you must live long. Enjoy all the luxuries you can. That will put my mind at ease.”
“I don’t need luxuries. As long as you grow up healthy, marry, and live happily, that’s enough for me.”
“Then you’ll look after my children too.”
“Now that would be fun, hohoho!”
Ha-jeong burst into laughter at the thought, her joy infectious.
Watching her, Jin-ho realized happiness wasn’t far away.
‘In my past life, I only ever looked ahead.’
Though he had women, he never built a family.
His dream always came before raising children.
But this time, he didn’t want to live solely clinging to martial arts.
‘It’s fine to live recklessly once, isn’t it? Maybe that’s why I was given another chance.’
He didn’t yet know the true answer.
But he also didn’t dwell on it.
No amount of brooding would change anything.
As for whether he’d be reborn again—he’d only find out after death. But he wasn’t about to test it.
Outside, Jeong Ma-ryung patted his chest.
He checked once more that the item hidden inside was still there.
Then he quickly scanned around the wall.
“Up in the tree?”
True to his feline nature, Heukhwi liked sprawling on the wall in the sun.
If Jin-ho stayed home, Heukhwi often spent the whole day dozing there.
So Ma-ryung naturally looked there first. But not a hair in sight.
He turned instead to the lone persimmon tree standing in the yard.
“Aha!”
As expected, Heukhwi was there, dozing lazily on a branch.
Ma-ryung crept closer.
The tree was tall, but if he tiptoed, he could almost reach the branch.
So he approached carefully.
Rustle.
But with animal sharpness, Heukhwi whipped his head around like lightning, locking eyes with him.
“Today, I’ll make you submit!”
Ma-ryung’s eyes gleamed, recalling all the humiliations he’d suffered at Heukhwi’s paws these past days.
Today he would finally establish the hierarchy once and for all.
He couldn’t challenge Ha-jeong or Tak Yoon.
But the third spot—he refused to yield it.
“No matter how clever you are, you’re just an animal!”
Meeoow~
Heukhwi gave him a pitying look, as if saying he was wasting his time.
“Today, I’ll train you for sure! Behold, my secret weapon!”
Grinning triumphantly, Ma-ryung pulled something from his chest.
A strip of premium jerky gleamed in his fingers.
“Hehehe! You can’t resist this, can you?”
He had asked around with cat owners until he finally got it.
Jerky cats supposedly went crazy for.
Certain of victory, he waved it around for the scent to spread.
Sniff.
But the result wasn’t what he imagined.
Heukhwi didn’t so much as glance at it.
Unlike the way he eagerly ate anything Ha-jeong gave him, this time he was completely indifferent.
Ma-ryung blinked, dumbfounded.
“Huh? There’s no way you can’t smell it. I was told cats go wild for this…”
Heukhwi simply shut his eyes again, uninterested.
Ma-ryung stared between the jerky in his hand and the cat, at a total loss.
“You’re still at it? I told you it’s pointless. He’s not the type to be coaxed with food.”
“I just wanted to make him more obedient. You know he only treats me differently, right, Young Master?”
“That’s because you’re easy prey.”
Jin-ho, stepping into the yard, chuckled.
No phrase fit better.
“That hurts my pride! How can I be belittled by a mere beast?!”
“A beast, you say? Say that again and you’ll regret it.”
“Eh—!”
Before he finished, Heukhwi leapt like a bolt, smacking Ma-ryung’s cheek.
Thankfully, he kept his claws in—perhaps because Ma-ryung was still Jin-ho’s subordinate.
But the strength was real.
Hisss!
Landing gracefully, Heukhwi arched and hissed, fur bristling, as if to say, How dare you belittle me!
Ma-ryung’s head snapped to the side, his face a mix of disbelief and outrage.
“I told you—he’s no ordinary cat. Don’t underestimate him.”
“Wh-what… he’s a spirit-beast?!”
