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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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The violent blood energy, which had been used mostly to destroy opponents during his time as the god of pestilence, began to move with a warm energy.
Originally, he had used blood energy mostly to kill his enemies.
However, the ability to kill someone also meant the ability to save them.
Of course, since Lee Seo-yoon’s condition was not that serious, there was no need to use a grand technique like he had in the past.
‘Blood Flow Control.’
It was a technique he had used the most when he was just a second-rate martial artist, and its effect was simple.
The blood energy that entered the body controlled the blood within.
Following Lee Seong-joon’s will, Lee Seo-yoon’s blood, which normally flowed through her blood vessels, began to move.
From now on, it was simple.
‘Once you open up the flow, it will naturally follow.’
By continuously circulating the blood along the right path, the twisted blood vessels were restored to their original positions.
The moment the twisted blood vessels began to find their way back to their proper places, a moan of exclamation escaped Lee Seo-yoon’s lips without her realizing it.
“Ah…”
It was warm.
It was such a warm and cozy feeling that she couldn’t believe it was just a hand placed on her.
The warmth that spread from his palm gently and carefully caressed her aching back as if cradling a newborn baby.
‘…It’s so comfortable.’
The pain in her lower back, which had been interfering with her daily life and disturbing her sleep, was melting away like snow.
A bright smile naturally bloomed on Lee Seo-yoon’s lips as Lee Seong-joon lifted his hand from her lower back.
“It’s done. Try moving.”
Following Lee Seong-joon’s words, Lee Seo-yoon carefully raised her body and moved her lower back. She couldn’t close her mouth.
“What the… This is unbelievable.”
The pain was completely gone.
She felt so comfortable, as if she had slept for a whole day, that she didn’t even feel like it was her own body.
“How did you do that? Didn’t you say you learned martial arts? I thought martial arts couldn’t heal people?”
It was a natural reaction.
There were many returnees who had learned martial arts, and naturally, a lot of information about martial arts was known.
And most martial arts were used only to subdue or kill enemies.
But Lee Seong-joon’s martial arts had healing abilities.
“The martial art I learned is a bit special.”
“That’s possible?”
Unlike Lee Seo-yoon, who couldn’t hide her surprise, Lee Seong-joon shrugged and answered nonchalantly.
“This is just the beginning. I’ll cure Mother’s illness and earn a lot of money, so from now on, we’ll live happily without any worries, doing whatever we want.”
It was a rather absurd statement.
But perhaps because she had just witnessed Lee Seong-joon’s abilities firsthand, for the first time, she felt a sense of security in her older brother’s words.
It felt like she was looking at a completely different person.
It wasn’t a temporary illusion.
‘…He’s changed a lot.’
It wasn’t just his way of speaking.
Even his demeanor had changed a lot.
Unlike in the past, when he seemed a bit frivolous, every word he spoke now carried weight.
Seeing the dependable Lee Seong-joon, so different from the past, a bright smile bloomed on Lee Seo-yoon’s lips.
“I can rest a little easier now.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just… you used to fight with Dad a lot in the past.”
Of course, most of the problems started with Lee Seong-joon.
At the time, he couldn’t understand his father’s worries and concerns, so he lashed out with words mixed with irritation.
But now he could understand his father’s feelings.
He was just bad at expressing himself.
Looking back now, all of his actions were out of concern for Lee Seong-joon.
A bitter feeling lingered on Lee Seong-joon’s lips as he thought about his immature past.
“You don’t have to worry about that happening, so don’t worry.”
He himself regretted his immature actions in the past.
He had no intention of making the same mistakes after going through so much to return to Earth.
No, he would apologize for his past mistakes and make them truly happy.
“Okay, I’ll trust you.”
It was a short conversation, but she could definitely sense a change.
He was not someone to make empty promises.
Accepting the positive change in Lee Seong-joon, Lee Seo-yoon smiled and nodded.
About an hour after the conversation with Lee Seo-yoon ended.
Bang-!
With the sound of the front door closing, a middle-aged man and woman rushed into the house.
“Oh, son!”
As soon as she threw off her shoes, Kim Ji-young rushed towards Lee Seong-joon.
She felt a warm touch on her cheek.
“Oh, my son!”
Seeing his mother, Kim Ji-young, with an expression of surprise and emotion, Lee Seong-joon’s mind became complicated.
“Ah…”
It was a sudden but long-awaited moment of reunion, but his throat tightened, and the words he had held in his heart couldn’t come out properly.
“Seong-joon!”
Meanwhile, Lee Soo-hyeok, who had rushed over, grabbed Lee Seong-joon’s hand.
It was rough and calloused because of hard work, but it was warm.
A feeling he hadn’t felt in a long time brought tears to Lee Seong-joon’s eyes.
‘Father.’
Like most fathers of this era, Lee Soo-hyeok was also a father who was not good at expressing his emotions.
No matter how difficult or upsetting things were, he wouldn’t show it on the outside and would just silently go about his business.
Of course, children don’t understand this kind of adult behavior.
Lee Seong-joon was no exception.
Because of this, even after becoming an adult, Lee Seong-joon often clashed with Lee Soo-hyeok.
At the time, he had even resented him for actions he couldn’t understand.
However, he only came to understand after being dropped on the Celestial Continent.
‘Father was just being a father for the first time too.’
As the Blood Demon, he had made many choices.
Among them were choices that had led his loyal subordinates and precious colleagues into the terrible abyss of death.
He regretted the choices he had made, despaired, and learned the weight of responsibility.
Only after accumulating these experiences could he understand his father’s heart a little.
‘It couldn’t be helped.’
Since he couldn’t see into the future, he was afraid that his momentary choices would make his family unhappy.
‘He must have been more worried because he cared so much for his family.’
Come to think of it, his father was a meticulous and family-oriented person.
He took care of the cooking and housework instead of his ailing wife.
He didn’t just take care of the visible tasks.
In the past, in order to cover the insufficient medical expenses, he would go out early in the morning to do manual labor,
But even before that, he would take care of his children in detail so that they would not be ignored or bullied at school because of their mother’s absence.
Despite such a hard life, he always smiled brightly and never showed any signs of hardship.
Even when he was immature and lashed out with resentful words, he never once got angry.
‘How hard it must have been for him all this time.’
Why didn’t he know?
Why couldn’t he understand his father’s heart, his inner struggles?
“You were alive. You were alive… I’m so glad, I’m so glad. Are you okay?”
Lee Seong-joon’s heart ached at the sight of Lee Soo-hyeok speaking in a somewhat cautious tone.
He knew why his father was acting so cautiously even after such a long-awaited reunion.
Until he was forcibly transported to the Celestial Continent, Lee Seong-joon was an immature son.
No, he was a bad son.
‘…When I think about it now, he was just worried.’
His adult son’s sudden declaration of independence, and the fact that the family’s financial situation was not good due to his mother’s medical bills, it was only natural for Lee Soo-hyeok to be worried.
He might be able to pay the monthly rent by working part-time, but he wasn’t in a position to afford the security deposit.
Of course, Lee Seong-joon also knew about the family’s financial situation, so he declared independence to lessen the burden a little, and he had been saving up for the security deposit in his own way.
But when his father kept refusing to agree, he got angry, and before he left the house, he said some harsh words to his father.
-If Dad had just earned a lot of money, I wouldn’t have had to work and become independent.
He knew.
He was really immature and foolish.
That’s why his father was still being cautious, even at this moment.
Perhaps because he was still worried about the poor financial situation of the family, if he got annoyed, he would quietly back down.
His heart ached.
‘…What a terrible son.’
He swallowed the self-deprecating remark and bit his lower lip.
Although his father had not achieved social success, he was a great head of the household who had raised his children without any shortcomings and had led the family.
But he had just resented his father for the poor financial situation of the family.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t know how you felt, and I said such terrible things…”
“No, no, it’s this father who’s sorry.”
It was a sudden apology, but perhaps Lee Soo-hyeok also remembered that day, as he was immediately shaking his head.
“My only son wants to be independent, but I was so upset that I couldn’t help you because I didn’t have enough money.”
They didn’t understand each other.
Now that they finally faced each other’s feelings, emotions welled up, creating a great feeling of gratitude.
He wanted to smile brightly, but the tears that had welled up in the corners of his eyes streamed down his face.
In his vision, he saw his family crying with similar expressions.
Although they didn’t say it out loud, he could tell that they were all thinking the same thing.
“I really… missed you so much…”
At Lee Seong-joon’s words, Lee Soo-hyeok’s voice was also filled with emotion.
“This father missed you too. My son.”
With those words, he carefully spread his arms and embraced Lee Seong-joon, who was shedding tears.
Like in his childhood memories, his father’s embrace was wide and warm.
He was really foolish.
Why didn’t he realize that they cared for each other?
Now that he finally knew the truth, there was something he wanted to say.
‘Thank you… so much.’
And I love you.
But unfortunately, the words that had welled up in his heart couldn’t come out of his mouth, and they just flowed down as tears.
“You must have had a hard time, right? From now on, everything will be alright. We’ll live happily together as a family.”
The warm touch patting his back and the gentle voice comforted Lee Seong-joon’s heart, which had been exhausted from overcoming numerous hardships.
The empty part of his heart was warmly filled, and Lee Seong-joon was certain.
‘I’m glad I came back to Earth.’
Perhaps because he had lost them once, he felt the importance of his family even more keenly.
He had held immeasurable wealth, power, and strength that could change the map of the continent, but none of that was more valuable than this.
That’s why he made a promise.
He would not make the same mistakes as in the past, and he would live a happy life with his precious family.
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