<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 135>
In Jin Do-ha’s office.
Jin Do-ha was holding the phone with a bright smile—a stark change from his usual icy expression. But it was understandable; he was speaking with none other than Park Ki-hyuk, the person he had been eagerly awaiting.
“Who would’ve thought, but you really did manage to get the materials. It’s astonishing. Thank you for your hard work, Ki-hyuk.”
– Well, turns out the answer wasn’t as far away as I thought it would be.
“Do you mind telling me the source? Oh, don’t misunderstand me, I’m not doubting you. It’s purely out of curiosity.”
– I don’t mind. But it’s not something I can talk about over the phone. Just know it’s from the ‘Red Dragon.’
“Understood.”
– And one more thing.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep it to myself.”
– You really are the best, Uncle Do-ha. We get each other, don’t we?
“We’re friends, aren’t we?”
– Friends. Sounds good.
Ha ha ha ha!
Being able to share and exchange knowledge on equal footing, looking at the same horizon.
A true bond of friendship.
Jin Do-ha felt genuinely grateful and happy to have such a friend.
In the middle of their conversation, Jin Do-min walked into the office at his brother Jin Do-ha’s summons. Do-ha greeted him with a nod before continuing the call.
“… You’re saying next week, right? When do you plan to start making the ‘Dragon Armor’? It’s been about two months since Ki-hyuk left for the U.S.… There’s things to take care of, let’s aim for next month, perhaps?”
– No, since the groundwork is already done, there’s no reason to drag it out. We’ll start as soon as I return.
“Refreshing to hear. We’ll prepare accordingly.”
– Oh! By the way, there’s something I should mention about that.
“Go ahead.”
– I thought we’d aim for around ten units in the initial production run.
Pause!
A crack appeared on Jin Do-ha’s usually composed expression.
Ten units…?
Jin Do-ha quickly recalled the inventory of parts, but no matter how hard he tried, there weren’t enough.
“There are not enough. Not even remotely.”
“Ten units…?”
-Wasn’t that more than you expected?
“To be honest, yes. We thought five would be enough.”
– Here’s the thing. We want each family member to have their own: father, brother, sister, me, and Spring make five. Mother asked not for an original but rather a basic model.
“Ah, I see.”
The original Dragon Armor production project was a joint endeavor where Park Ki-hyuk would provide the idea and design, and Jin-ryong Family would take care of the funding and production. An even split.
In other words, if Ki-hyuk was claiming five, it meant the Jin-ryong Family would need five as well—totaling ten units.
An exact calculation.
– And could I make one more request?
“Anything.”
– Out of the five assigned to Jin-ryong Family, could one go to Yuri…? You see, she’s worked hard while I’ve been away, and… Spring has taken good care of her… I just… I just want to say thank you!
“Haha. No need to feel obligated, but thank you.”
Despite knowing they didn’t have enough parts to possibly build ten units, Jin Do-ha didn’t have the heart to tell Park Ki-hyuk that he couldn’t possibly include Yuri.
Not even by the time the call ended.
– Then, please use the form I sent to select the recipients.
“Well, next time we meet, it won’t be on the phone but face-to-face. Stay healthy until we meet again.”
– You too, Uncle.
Click. The moment he put down the phone, Jin Do-ha’s expression transformed dramatically. His usual frosty demeanor returned.
“Do-min.”
“The security measures you requested are completed. The instant Mr. Park Ki-hyuk arrives, our Woon-ryong Corps will…”
“Not that.”
At that moment, Jin Do-ha cut off his younger brother mid-sentence.
“Do-min, it’s not security that’s the issue.”
“Huh?”
Hadn’t Do-ha been harping about security just moments ago?
Do-min asked carefully, and Do-ha explained the situation.
We need to build ten units, but we lack parts…
Do-min’s expression darkened.
“How prepared are we?”
“…Six. Maybe seven with some effort.”
“We need to produce three more.”
“…”
“By next week.”
“…”
“Absolutely.”
“…Understood.”
The word ‘impossible’ was on the tip of Do-min’s tongue, yet he couldn’t utter it under the intimidating gaze of his brother.
“The family council will meet. The Woon-ryong Corps, the Young Dragons Corps, and the Junior Dragons Academy—everyone must attend. No exceptions.”
…
…
Let there be light.
Whoosh—
A beam of fire shot up from the peak of Jin-ryong Mountain and soon the entire mountain was bathed in a fiery glow.
The Jin-ryong family meeting had begun.
After concluding our conversation, I got to work in my own way.
Of course, our Spring is a genius who doesn’t need preparation, but isn’t perfection always good?
The timing is excellent too.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window and hit my eyes.
I had clearly closed the curtains before sleeping, so whose sunlight was that?
“Spring?”
“Dad, the sun’s come up!”
The energetic Spring, bustling around since the morning.
“Open your eyes! Open them wide!!”
“Dad’s sleepy.”
“Not sleepy! We need to get up! It’s morning! We have to wash up!”
“Can I sleep a bit longer?”
“No! Lazybones!”
Lazybones? Tell me, who is it that bangs their head against the pillow every morning because they don’t want to go to kindergarten?
And here she is making Dad’s life hard when we still have plenty of time until our appointment.
Today, Dad and Spring are going to the zoo alone for the first time in a while since Mom’s schedule suddenly changed, so Yuri has to accompany Madam Kim Yeon-hee.
So, thanks to that, Dad and Spring will have a rare father-daughter day.
Yuri’s face was amusing yesterday.
Next to the requesting Madam, Yuri was sticking close: “Ah, Madam. Of course I must go with you. I would’ve felt left out if you hadn’t asked.” But in our direction, she was making exaggerated expressions of anguish—”What do we do? I prepared lunch too!”
But our Spring is no joke.
This little troublemaker, while she was saying “I wanted to go with you,” in front of Yuri, was whispering into my ear while hugging me to sleep—”Dad, Dad. What will we do tomorrow? I’m so excited!”
…Jin Yuri, exactly what are you teaching Spring?
Moving past the small matters though.
The important part is this:
Are you watching, Jin Yuri?
No matter how close you think you’ve gotten, Spring’s number one person in her heart is still Dad. Heh.
“Dad, what are you thinking about? Weird expression. You look ugly!”
“You’re ugly? Do you dislike Dad?”
“No, ugly is okay, but late is a no-go! Hurry up and get up!”
Our Spring is now pretending to be a strict teacher, hands on hips, eyebrows twitching adorably.
Aaaargh~
“My daughter, you’re just too cute!”
“Ahhh! Don’t touch me!!”
“I want to touch youuu~.”
“No touching!! We need to hurry and get ready! Spring is going to get angry!”
As I mentioned earlier, we still have plenty of time. The zoo won’t open for a while, and the restaurants we’ve booked aren’t open yet either.
But what can I do? Spring is in teacher mode. Reluctantly, I get up, pretending to give up. When Spring is this excited, how can I not oblige her?
After eating something quickly, we left the accommodation early.
“Shall we run this time?”
“Uh-huh!”
“On my back!”
Heave, heave. Spring, wrapping her legs around my neck.
By the way,
our accommodation is a villa located halfway up an unnamed mountain.
So normally, we’d move around by car…
But our excited Spring said “Let’s go!”
“Action!”
I leaped forward like a speeding b*llet.
The wind whipped past my face, and Spring’s long hair danced in the wind.
“Wooow!! Faster!”
“Fun, isn’t it? Even quicker!!”
“Grip tight!”
Spring’s hands clutched onto my head tightly as I increased my speed.
Here in the U.S., regulations for superhumans are much lighter compared to Korea. Meaning, Dad can be faster than any car.
The landscape changed rapidly before our eyes.
From a fenced hiking trail, we entered a road lined with trees, and ahead of us, a breathtaking scene unfolded like a famous painting.
“Waaah!”
“Right, isn’t it?”
Beautiful.
Myself and Spring both let out gasps of admiration without even realizing it, captivated by the natural harmony.
“Let’s see it from up high.”
“Let’s!”
“There! That’s the tallest tree!”
Among the lush and calm trees, a single giant tree stood out like a lightning rod.
With a crack, my thigh muscles strained as I pushed off the ground and leaped up in one swift motion.
I landed precariously on one foot atop the tallest branch of the tree.
The entire world unfolded before our eyes.
The lake, the peaks of mountains – everything lay beneath us.
A completely different and fantastical view unfolded before us compared to what we could see from the ground.
“Beautiful…”
Spring’s mesmerized gaze looked down with a misty daze.
My grip on her tightened instinctively, worried she might be scared, but when I looked up, Spring was beaming brighter than the sun.
“…”
“Do you like it?”
“Uh-huh… I’m happy.”
Happy…
A common word that has become hard to say recently.
The pure emotion of a child resonated softly in my heart.
“I’m happy too.”
The lush forest? The distant shimmering lake? The sun high in the sky?
None of it mattered.
Dad’s happiness lies with you.
Park Bom.
“Seeing Spring’s happiness makes everything worthwhile.”
And with a smile, I soared high into the sky.
Jin Yuri, seated on the office sofa, stared intently at her phone.
“Guess he’s having fun.”
On SNS, a picture of Park Ki-hyuk and Park Bom was uploaded.
Apparently from the zoo, various animals appear as backgrounds.
Though whatever the backgrounds may be, the center of attention remains on the two.
Huge Park Ki-hyuk and the pudgy, smiling Park Bom dominate the screen. Despite the changing backgrounds, the poses are strikingly similar, making each photo look like the last.
“Seriously Park Ki-hyuk, you lack sense.”
How can you take this kind of picture with Park Bom, your golden character?
She deserves better models. Truly.
“I should’ve gone if I knew he’d botch it this badly.”
Only then could I have paid attention to these delicate details.
An evil whisper reached Jin Yuri’s ears.
‘Go now!’
‘You’ll be there in no time! Spring will love to see you!’
Then, a gentle voice entered the other ear.
‘No!’
‘Since I’ve gone through all the trouble to give them their private time, I should hold back!’
That’s right.
Helping Madam Kim Yeon-hee with her business isn’t going to make a huge difference anyway. This was all just to give Park Ki-hyuk and Park Bom some alone time.
“Huh~ I’ve become so human.”
I used to be so full of myself, but now I’ve learned consideration.
Jin Yuri was amazed at her own transformation.
Thus, with a coffee in hand, she was deeply engrossed in the SNS updates when…
Out of nowhere, a man sat next to her without a word.
“Hello.”
“Ah, yes. Hello.”
She first thought he was an acquaintance of ‘Madam’ and smiled politely.
“Do you not know me?”
“Ah? Do we know each other?”
“Uh… well… how should I say it?”
Fact was, this man was a rising star in the American music industry. With impressive performances and bold charisma, he was riding a wave of immense popularity.
He had come for an advertisement and his meeting got delayed, so he popped into a café briefly. Typically, with a personality like his, the mere delay would’ve prompted him to flip out and leave, but knowing this was the Western branch of the hottest company ‘Prism’ and that the person he’s supposed to meet was the largest shareholder of Prism, ‘the Witch of Optimum,’ he decided to suppress his usual attitude and headed in.
Then seeing an exotic beauty with an aura completely unseen before sitting right in front of him, he couldn’t help but take a shot in the dark.
The man began softly humming one of his songs, an underhanded ploy thinking, ‘By now, she must get it, right?’
But…
‘Who is this guy?’
Jin Yuri isn’t someone who watches much TV.
The extent of what she watched was the ‘Captain Tiger’ show she watched with Park Bom, so how was she supposed to recognize such a fast-paced American song?
‘I don’t know him.’
No matter how hard she tried to recall, it was a face she had never seen before.
Still, she didn’t lose her smile. After all, this might be someone sent by Madam Kim Yeon-hee.
However, the words that next came from the man shattered her forced smile instantly.
“Hmm, looks like you don’t listen to music much. You don’t know my music, alright then. I’ll leave coolly. You are beautiful. Give me your number.”
“This guy’s actually…”
Her irritation exploded upon realizing she had wasted time even considering this interaction.
The instant Jin Yuri’s cuss words were about to spill out…
Vrooom- Ting~!
Of all moments, precisely at her much-awaited notification, a familiar chime rang!
An update on SNS—a new picture of Park Ki-hyuk and Park Bom.
Spring leaning across the steel mesh, nose to nose with a tiger.
“Oww.”
My heart… My heart hurts.
Such a precious photo, this needs to be treasured.
She took a deep breath, hit the save button, and almost affectionately stroked the photo as though it were a treasure.
“Uh, there?”
“Busy.”
“Hey?”
“Leave.”
“Uh, wait. Your number?”
“Cut the nonsense and leave while you still can.”
Jin Yuri, her eyes fixated on the photo, flailed her hand dismissively at the man. Assuming he’d been dismissed rudely, the man reacted sharply.
Something something… playing with me. Insulting me. Strange words spilled from his agitated mouth.
Click.
Jin Yuri simply turned off her translator.
“What are you doing? Irritating.”
But did she turn it off too obviously? The guy’s reactions escalated even further.
Someone rushed to restrain him, and others nearby started evacuating. The commotion drew attention and murmurs of disturbance arose. A few pulled out their phones and started recording.
This was not ideal.
Precisely because Jin Yuri wanted to focus on Spring’s photos, and the pesky mosquitoes buzzing in her ears were getting on her nerves.
Therefore,
Snap.
She flicked her finger.
Boom!
The aftermath? Who knows. Jin Yuri’s eyes remained on Spring’s photo.
“Isn’t she just adorable?”
Whatever happens around her, be it a chaotic mess or not, what does it matter?
Spring is smiling, after all.
Jin Yuri was quietly smiling among the ensuing chaos.
