Choosing not to enhance Hwa-eun’s intelligence had been, in hindsight, an excellent decision.
Instead, I had selected heart enhancement, and thanks to that, her mood had turned... abundantly generous. Her body fragrance, too, had taken on an incredibly sweet aroma.
Even standing near her was like being enveloped in a cloud of perfume—its sweet scent would flood my nose. I even held her hand, and her skin was as soft as a baby's, moist and silky, almost like it clung to mine like glutinous rice cake.
She was already intelligent—but had she become any smarter, I would have no choice but to spend the rest of my life completely under her thumb, unable to breathe. So yes, definitely the best choice.
The next day, we left the stone chamber and boarded the boat moored nearby, heading toward the Tang Clan estate.
And yet, while floating along the river, as we discussed the topic of partial enhancements for the children, Hwa-eun immediately figured out that I had enhanced her body. What would’ve happened if she’d been any sharper?
‘I would’ve died on the spot.’
Drifting down the river, not far now from the Tang Clan’s domain.
As I sat atop Geumdo’s head and stared into the flowing waters, memories of a few days ago resurfaced.
「“You’re saying... you can enhance the children’s bodies, part by part?”
“Yes, Hwa-eun. Enhancing legs makes them more agile. Enhancing antennae improves their sensory detection. That kind of thing. So I thought I should discuss it with you, as their mother.”
“Oh! That’s amazing! Yes, of course. Naturally, a mother should be consulted for something like this. Hehe.”」
Just after the boat departed, I had begun explaining everything I’d discovered to Hwa-eun, who was delighted.
But then, she suddenly asked about her own stone slab, and I stumbled over my words.
“So, who should we start with...? I guess Cho, our little guy—wait. Didn’t you say my stone slab exists in the mental realm too?”
“Huh? Well... yes, it does.”
At my response, she glanced down at her chest, then lifted her head with a smile blooming across her face.
It was a smile lovelier than any flower—but the moment I saw it, cold sweat trickled down my spine.
And then came her voice, filled with knowing.
“So-ryong, don’t you «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» have something to tell me?”
“W-What? Something to tell you? N-No... I don’t think so?”
‘Damn it!’
The moment the words left my mouth, regret flooded my mind.
It was an obvious slip-up.
The answer itself wasn’t a problem. The problem was... I panicked in this situation.
It was the one thing you must never do when being suspected—panic. It was like watching a thief twitch at their own guilt.
Why is it that, whenever women ask men, “Do you have something to say?” their minds go completely blank?
It must be encoded into male DNA from generations of married predecessors being caught in similar traps.
Unsurprisingly, my suspicious behavior seemed to confirm everything. Hwa-eun turned to Unmirang, who was grooming Bini, and the children in the room.
“Unmirang, could you give us a moment?”
“Huh? But I haven’t finished dressing Lady Bini...”
“I have something to discuss with So-ryong... behind closed doors. Just the two of us.”
“J-Just the two of you? G-Got it!”
Unmirang leapt up as if struck by lightning at the phrase just the two of us.
“Shall I take the young ladies and the other spirit beasts with me as well?”
“Yes, kids, would you mind stepping out for a moment? I need to talk with your dad. Alone.”
—Slrrrp. 『Got it, Mom. Let’s go, everyone. Come on, sisters.』
—Kkyuut. 『Is Grandpa in trouble again?』
—Tsst. 『Shh! Pretend you don’t know. Auntie said not to interfere when this happens.』
“Kids? Unmirang? No, it’s fine, you can stay, really...”
At Hwa-eun’s quiet yet decisive words, the children immediately made themselves scarce.
They would fight to the death if martial artists attacked, and yet in a moment like this, they all vanished in an instant.
Frankly, this felt way more dangerous than fighting martial artists.
‘You all said you loved Dad! Said you loved Grandpa!’
As I inwardly cried out in betrayal, I heard the unmistakable sound—
—Creak. Click.
Hwa-eun had locked the door behind the departing children.
Turning around, she smiled at me once again.
That smile was cold. Too cold.
I was sitting in a chair at the dining table, but without thinking, I stood up. As she stepped toward me, I instinctively took a step back.
—Step. Step.
One step forward from her—one step back from me.
Eventually, I found myself pressed up against the wall. No room left to retreat.
Hwa-eun came in close. Too close.
The pressure was intense—emotionally and physically.
“Khh... H-Hwa-eun?”
Pinned between her and the wall, her intoxicating scent washed over me.
Then came her whisper—soft and saccharine against my ear.
“Are you sure... you don’t have anything to say?”
Eyes tightly shut, I confessed the truth.
I had no choice—it was clear she already knew.
‘Shedding one’s skin definitely improves intelligence too...’
“I-I’m sorry! I-I enhanced you! If I enhanced the legs, muscles would form and your legs would look too bulky. If I enhanced the hands, venomous nails would grow and wouldn’t look good either! Enhancing the arms would also bulk them up.
The last remaining option enhanced the skin’s softness and improved fragrance... so I chose that... I’m sorry I didn’t consult you!”
As I finished my apology, Hwa-eun looked down at her chest between us and said,
“But that doesn’t entirely explain this, now does it?”
“Uh, well...”
Her eyes said it all: Why is my heart so full? Fess up.
But I couldn’t answer.
How could I flat-out say I chose it because I liked full-hearted women?
Still, as I hesitated, Hwa-eun began coaxing me.
Turning my head to avoid her gaze, I suddenly felt her hand gently stroking my cheek.
“If you tell the truth, I won’t punish you... I’m not angry.”
Her words, paired with her touch, were a lie. I knew this from my past life.
My mom used to say the same thing, and the moment I answered honestly:
"So you’ve been hiding things from your mother!?"
"Y-You said you'd forgive me!"
"That was if you didn’t hide it!"
And yet, even in this life, I fell for that same trap. In the end, I had to confess everything—even the feelings I had tried to bury.
“The last unenhanced part of the slab... was, uhm, the chest... and it said... it might also grow a bit... I thought that seemed better than the rest...”
“You picked it for that reason?”
With eyes squeezed shut, I shouted—
“Y-Yes! I chose it because I like it!”
Then silence.
I braced for the scolding. Just like in my past life, I expected her to explode.
But when I cautiously opened one eye, I saw it—
A satisfied smile on Hwa-eun’s face.
Why that smile...?
Then I understood—she loved me, and now she looked like what I liked. She was happy because she believed I would love her even more now.
“So, this is the version of me So-ryong likes the most?”
“Yes...”
“Hehe...”
“W-Weren’t you going to scold me?”
“Scold you? I told you I wasn’t mad. And now that I’m someone you love even more—why would I scold you?”
Then she gently hugged me.
Yes. This had truly been the right choice for the good of the clan.」
Just as I was nodding to myself, convinced that my choices had saved an entire household—
—Vrmmm.
I felt a tremor from Geumdo’s head beneath me.
Wondering what was going on, I looked down—and though it was broad daylight, the river had darkened.
No—more precisely, the water had turned into muddy sludge.
“A mudflow...?”
I couldn’t help but frown in confusion as I stared at the river.
The stream that flowed in front of the Tang Clan was famous for being crystal clear, yet now it looked like murky runoff straight out of the Yellow River.
Unable to breathe well in the turbid water, Heukjeom poked his head up beside Geumdo’s.
—Splash!
“Heukjeom, you okay?”
—Chiii.
It was a bit irritating, but he didn’t seem to be struggling to breathe.
On the other hand, Hwanji and Hwana—who had been trailing behind—looked visibly relieved.
It made sense. In order to avoid drawing attention, they had submerged their entire bodies with only their noses sticking above the water. But now that the water was muddy, they could rise to the surface without worry.
—Shii. 『Ahhh, finally I can move comfortably.』
—Shooo. 『Tell me about it.』
I quickly summoned Cho and had him fly up into the sky.
I needed a bird’s-eye view to understand what the hell was going on.
Soaring upward, we traced the river’s course—until we spotted a massive construction site.
Dozens of laborers were working hard, carving out the riverbank in front of the Tang Clan.
The project looked nearly finished. After a moment, it became clear: they were expanding the riverbed to create a space for Heukjeom and Geumdo.
“Everyone!”
Since this was Tang Clan territory, I could show Cho freely.
I descended from the sky and called out loudly.
The surprised martial artists looked up and broke into delighted shouts.
“It’s Master So-ryong!”
“Master So-ryong has returned!”
“Inform the Clan Lord! Master So-ryong is back!”
A moment later, people began streaming out of Tangga Mountain—likely after receiving the report from those who had taken to the rooftops with their light-footwork.
Behind Geumdo, Hwanji and Hwana emerged and revealed their heads as well. I stepped down onto Hwanji’s crown.
And then—Tangga Mountain erupted.
“W-Wowww!”
“Master So-ryong brought another spirit beast!”
“A t-twin-headed snake!”
They might not have reacted much to the other kids, but the aura of Hwanji and Hwana was on another level.
The wedding hadn't even happened yet, and the Tang Clan was already celebrating like it was a festival.
***
A formal presentation for the new members of the family.
I was honestly starting to worry about the elders’ hearts.
“A twin-headed snake this large!?”
“These are Hwanji and Hwana. They’re Red-Sunring Serpents, and since they’re a pair, we’ve named them the Twin-Headed Red-Sunring Serpent.”
“Twin-Headed Red-Sunring Serpent! Yes, that’s perfect.”
“And this one here is Changcheon. He’s the Black-Wood Locust King.”
“T-The Locust King!?”
“These friends over here are Azure Steel Immortal Ants.”
“Another of the Twenty-Four Venoms!”
Each time I introduced a new companion, the elders reacted like they were about to pass out from excitement.
“And this is the Crimson Poison Harpoon Snail. It’s a species of the Hwaho Grass Division. Since it didn’t have a name, I named it myself.”
“Ooohh, incredible!”
“These two are husband and wife—Yeoncheon and Yeonji.”
[A pleasure. I am Yeoncheon.]
[And I’m Yeonji. I think we’ll be in your care, so thank you in advance.]
“Th-The spirit beasts... are talking!?”
“They say they were personal friends of Senior Hwamu-jin.”
“Hwamu-jin!?”
“Are you saying... they’re spirit beasts from Hwamu-jin’s era!?”
“Ah, thanks to their help, I found Senior Hwamu-jin’s tomb...”
“The tomb!?”
“I was able to recover his martial arts and his broken sword from there...”
“S-S-Senior Hwamu-jin’s martial arts and sword!?”
At the mention of recovering Hwamu-jin’s techniques and broken blade, the elders placed trembling hands on their chests or pressed them against their foreheads to calm themselves.
“Is... is there anything left that could possibly surprise us more?”
“There’s... one thing left.”
“One more?”
The father-in-law, visibly dizzy, swallowed hard.
“What... else could there possibly be?”
None of them had realized yet that Hwa-eun was still absent.
And so I mentally called out the main event of the day.
‘Hwa-eun, come now!’
‘Do I really have to?’
‘Yes. We talked about this days ago, remember?’
‘But... it’s embarrassing...’
She said she was shy—but Hwa-eun was never the type to run from something just because of embarrassment.
From the place where Geumdo had been stationed, a glimmer of green shot into the sky.
Or more precisely—Yeondu soared upward, wrapped around Hwa-eun.
And then Yeondu, with Hwa-eun cradled inside, gently descended toward us.
She landed softly in the center of the crowd and greeted them with a martial salute.
“Grandfather, Father, Mother—I have returned.”
Only then did the three elders realize Hwa-eun wasn’t among them. Looking sheepish, they widened their eyes in disbelief.
“Our son-in-law gave us such a shock we forgot all about our dear Hwa-eun. Our Hwa-eun...”
“Let me take a look at you—huh!?”
“Oh my! Hwa-eun, what on earth happened to you!?”
They recoiled in surprise at Hwa-eun’s appearance.
Just as I was about to explain she had gone through a full rebirth—
“Rebirth...”
Hwa-eun, blushing, answered their inquiry.
“S-So-ryong... did it to me...”
“The son-in-law!? Gasp!”
“So-ryong did!? Huhhh!?”
“Oh my goodness! Oh heavens! Oh my!”
Excited exclamations poured out of the three elders.
“Son-in-law! Couldn’t you have waited until after the wedding!? I mean, I’m thrilled to be a grandmother, but if her chest gets much fuller, we’ll need to alter the wedding dress! My, my, our Hwa-eun must be the type to swell early during pregnancy, hmm?”
“Ahahaha! So the real wedding gift was something else entirely! Well done, So-ryong!”
“Well done indeed! We’ll need to hold the wedding this very month—if we wait, the belly will start to show!”
Seeing how full Hwa-eun’s heart had become, the three elders had clearly... misunderstood something entirely.
