A moment of silence filled the room.
Then, with a trembling voice, Hong Ye-hwa asked,
“…That’s not true, right? You’re just saying that, right? If you had any sense, you wouldn’t be this irresponsible.”
“It’s… not just something I said? I really did it.”
“You’ve lost it, lost it; you must be crazy, completely crazy…”
Hong Ye-hwa mumbled as she covered her mouth with her hand.
Expecting a flurry of shoulder and back smacks like a coming storm, Hong Yeon-hwa shrank back and raised a clumsy guard.
‘Is she mad? F-Fine, bring it on!’
But instead of attacking, Hong Ye-hwa took out a communication crystal and contacted someone.
After a few rings, the screen lit up with the image of their father, Hong Yeom-baek.
– My daughter—! The sun must be rising from the west today! You called me fi—
“Dad!! Do something about her! She’s seriously lost her mind!”
Hong Ye-hwa was near tears, wildly pointing at her younger sister.
She was two years older and the club president, but this kind of massive incident was a first for her.
Unable to handle it on her own, she had reluctantly decided to use the “parent card”.
Soon, the joy on Hong Yeom-baek’s face turned into confusion.
– What are you talking about? What did Yeon-hwa do?
“I’m so stressed out because of her!”
Then, mixing in a few complaints, Hong Ye-hwa recounted everything that had just happened.
Including the two bombs her sister had dropped.
“She said she’s not going to be Ruby Tower Master!” and “She said she formed a bond with Kim Ho!”. The combo hit left Hong Yeom-baek utterly stunned.
And then, he exploded with fury.
– Whaaat—!! A bond—!!
“She said she just went ahead and did it! Didn’t even talk to anyone about it!”
– That little punk—!!
The title had already changed from “future son-in-law” to “that punk”.
He was about to shout that someone should drag the guy in front of him right this instant.
But then—
A sliver of rationality stopped Hong Yeom-baek in his tracks.
…That’s strange. That kid wouldn’t do something like that.
A memory of Kim Ho flashed through his mind.
It was like he had a hundred serpents coiled in his belly. So sly that even as a Tower Master, he couldn’t fully grasp what Kim Ho was thinking.
Hadn’t even the Witch of Exhaustion fallen for his mind games and made a critical mistake?
And now that same Kim Ho had gone ahead with something as serious as a Monarch Bond without consulting anyone?
No matter how you looked at it, the drawbacks far outweighed the benefits.
There must be something missing or something that needs correcting.
So Hong Yeom-baek calmed himself and asked in a composed tone,
– Daughter, did you really form the bond?
“……”
Under the watchful eyes of both her father and sister, Hong Yeon-hwa’s eyes darted around nervously.
Then she made a decision.
…I’ll just be honest…
If she escalated things any further, it would likely end up causing trouble for Kim Ho.
And getting permission would only become harder.
Summoning all the courage she could muster, she finally opened her mouth.
“Well… actually, we haven’t done it yet.”
“What?! You just said you did!”
“You kept saying no, so… I got all fired up and just said it…”
“You little. Seriously, you… wow…”
Feeling a throb in her skull, Hong Ye-hwa grabbed the back of her neck.
She knew something felt off. Turns out she’d been tricked.
She was about to lash out again but instead let out a long sigh.
“Ugh, I’m done. Dad, you deal with it.”
She had already played her “summon Dad” card, so she saw no reason to make any more tough decisions herself.
With that, Hong Ye-hwa stepped back into bystander mode.
Hong Yeom-baek continued speaking in his calm tone.
– Daughter.
“Mhmm?”
– Are you really okay with giving it up? The dream you’ve had since you were little?
“…I’m okay. Really.”
– You’re sure you won’t regret following that boy, no matter how it ends?
“I’m sure.”
Hong Yeom-baek looked at his daughter in silence for a long moment.
Had she ever looked this determined before?
At least, not in his memory.
And so, he could only nod.
– …Alright. Let’s go with that, then.
At this, Hong Ye-hwa’s eyes widened in shock.
She had assumed their father would talk her sister out of it. But instead, he had just gone and approved it.
“Dad! Isn’t this way too early?”
– I know you’re just worried about your sister. And it’s not like I don’t have any concerns myself.
“That’s what I mean! What if things go wrong later?”
– But as you’ve seen for yourself, that boy doesn’t seem like someone who’d falter easily. He’s the type who’s going to live a long, successful life.
On that point, even Hong Ye-hwa couldn’t argue.
Hong Yeom-baek continued.
– There’s a saying when it comes to Monarchs: between a Monarch and their retainers, there’s a strange gravitational pull, constantly drawing them toward one another.
“……”
– If it’s something unavoidable, whether it happens sooner or later…shouldn’t we, as family, at least respect her decision?
“…Fine.”
Hong Ye-hwa responded weakly.
She still hadn’t fully accepted it, but she also realized she couldn’t stop it.
Hong Yeom-baek turned to Hong Yeon-hwa again.
– Still, I’d like to meet the boy at least once. As your father, I think that’s a reasonable request.
“Ah, mhmm. That’s fine…”
Hong Yeon-hwa slowly nodded.
***
I was training at the center when I received a message.
[Hong Yeon-hwa: (sneaky puppy emoji)]
[Hong Yeon-hwa: (puppy looking for approval emoji)]
[Kim Ho: How did it go?]
[Hong Yeon-hwa: It went okay, but……]
[Hong Yeon-hwa: My dad… wants to meet you……]
[Kim Ho: Then of course I’ll meet him. I’ll head over.]
It was something I’d have to go through eventually anyway, so I arranged a time and made my way to the Ruby Magic Tower’s clubroom.
Hong Yeon-hwa eagerly ran out to greet me, and Hong Ye-hwa welcomed me with her usual gentle smile.
“Welcome.”
Though she tried hard to maintain her expression, it was clear her feelings were complicated. Her face was a bit pale despite the smile.
Soon, we stepped into the club president’s office, and Hong Ye-hwa used the communication crystal to contact the Ruby Tower.
Before long, Hong Yeom-baek appeared and spoke.
– It’s been a while.
“It has indeed. My apologies for not staying in touch.”
– Yes, let’s try to keep in touch more often.
If it were any other time, he would’ve laughed heartily, but now he maintained a heavy, subdued demeanor.
His feelings were probably just as complicated as Hong Ye-hwa’s.
Hong Yeom-baek got straight to the point.
– I hear you wish to form a Bond with Yeon-hwa.
“That’s correct.”
– I’ve already heard the details. I have no intention of opposing it. However…
“……”
– I just want you to understand how much Yeon-hwa had to give up to follow you.
“I’ll do my best to give her even more in return.”
– I’m glad to see you’re prepared. I’ll trust you.
We continued to talk for a while longer, and in the end, Hong Yeom-baek left us with a final message: to visit the Ruby Magic Tower.
In the past, it might’ve sounded like a casual invitation to drop by when I had time. But this time, it felt like an obligation.
Looks like I’ll be busy going from place to place in my second year.
And with that, the communication ended.
Hong Ye-hwa let out a deep sigh, then gave us the boot.
“You two, get out.”
“Unnie…”
“I’ve got a lot to do.”
She made a point of slapping a thick stack of documents down on her desk.
She probably wanted to keep objecting, but now that permission had been granted, she couldn’t.
At times like this, the best thing to do is give her some time alone, so I took Hong Yeon-hwa and left the room.
Then we headed to a quiet, deserted alley.
“You ready?”
“Mhmm.”
[Activated ‘Bond’.]
Flaaaash—
A glowing crown-shaped crest appeared.
Hong Yeon-hwa looked at it with fascinated eyes, then gave a slight nod, signaling me to continue.
The crest shone even more intensely, sending blue threads of light toward us.
Flaaaaaash—!
▷Bond [3/3]
1. Dang Gyu-young
2. Seo Ye-in
3. Hong Yeon-hwa
“……!”
Hong Yeon-hwa looked a little moved.
She had pushed through the opposition and gotten what she wanted, after all.
It was just a simple notification message, but she couldn’t take her eyes off it.
I figured I’d leave her be for now, so I waited in silence. Then, when our eyes met, I asked her a question.
“Where did the crest appear on you?”
“Me… here…?”
Hong Yeon-hwa brushed aside her red hair slightly.
A small crown-shaped crest could be seen where her collarbone met the side of her neck.
Apparently curious herself, she took out a compact mirror and gently touched the mark.
I gave a small nod.
“Not bad. Mine’s on my shoulder.”
“Then what about senior Dang Gyu-young and Seo Ye-in…?”
“You should ask them yourself. It wouldn’t be polite for me to say.”
In truth, the location of Dang Gyu-young’s crest was still a mystery.
Even back at the Poison Serpent Pond, I’d tried asking a few times, but she always dodged the question with uncanny precision.
Setting aside my curiosity over where exactly it appeared, I said to Hong Yeon-hwa:
“Anyway, that’s the bond done with. What are you up to now?”
“I’m going to finish up my research…”
“You said it was almost done, right?”
“Mhmm, if all goes well, I should be finished before the next dungeon…”
“Alright. Keep at it.”
Just as I turned to leave, a familiar voice called out from behind.
“Excuse me.”
Hong Yeon-hwa and I turned our heads at the same time to see Song Cheon-hye standing there.
She walked over slowly and asked,
“What are you doing here?”
“Why do you want to know?”
Hong Yeon-hwa immediately scowled.
Keeping a professional expression, Song Cheon-hye glanced around and gestured at the surroundings.
“Because students usually don’t come here. I’m just checking if school rules are being followed.”
“We were just talking.”
“Here, of all places?”
“Mhmm. Does the location matter?”
“Of course it does.”
“You might care about things like that. We don’t.”
“……!”
The two of them stared each other down for a moment.
Then something unusual flashed in Song Cheon-hye’s eyes.
“What’s that?”
“What do you mean?”
“On your neck.”
Judging by the way she pointed toward the side of her neck, she must’ve noticed the bond crest.
It was mostly hidden by hair, but she had a sharp eye.
Contrary to expectations that she might stammer or get flustered, Hong Yeon-hwa remained completely composed.
She even shot a glance my way, then smirked and said curtly,
“You don’t need to know.”
“……!”
Then, ignoring Song Cheon-hye, she turned back to me and said her goodbye.
“I’m heading in.”
“Alright, go on.”
As the red hair moved farther away, Song Cheon-hye let out a sigh of disbelief.
“Ha… seriously, what the heck…”
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