The man could feel a presence in the room moving near him. A pair of gentle hands nudged him, lightly pulling back what felt like a blanket from over his head.
"Young Master, it's morning,"
The voice was unfamiliar and extremely serious. The man felt that something odd had happened and cracked open his eyes. Instead of bright sunlight, he could see the face of a tall man in a suit, his black hair neatly brushed, and a pair of silver-framed glasses perched on his nose. A completely unfamiliar face.
"Young Master, I'm delighted to see you've woken up easily today,"
"Huh?"
"The Master wished to dine with you and the Lady,"
Kim Rok Soo could see a window behind the stranger and looked at his appearance. It was similar to himself, with black hair with red-brown eyes, however, he didn't really recall himself being this young and slim.
'I guess this is me?'
"The Lady is eager to dine with you as she will be leaving the Henituse territory for a few days,"
He turned towards the servant who spoke with no emotion, but that was not the problem. He had clearly heard it.
Henituse. It was a familiar name, blurred a bit, but soon became unmistakably clear.
"Cale Henituse,"
The blank expression finally seemed to ripple, looking down at Kim Rok Soo, "The Eldest Son? Young Master, why have you mentioned Young Master Cale this early?"
Kim Rok Soo blinked before looking towards the other side where an actual window was. He muttered, "Henituse Territory...Roan Kingdom,"
"Young Master, I presume you're still asleep,"
The man felt his surroundings turn dark and felt dizzy. He lowered his head into his hands, peeking out to let his eyes wander the European-styled room, completely different than the typical Korean one.
"Young Master, this servant of yours has made an error of judgment. He has ignored the possibility of an illness, forgive me, shall I summon a doctor?
"Cold water,"
"Excuse me? Young Master, I assume you're asking for cold water to drink and not bathe with?"
Kim Rok Soo looked towards the servant, "Please get me a drink of cold water,"
He needed to clear his mind a bit.
"I shall prepare it at once,"
"Great. Thanks,"
The man with silver-framed glasses gives a deep bow, before leaving the room, and closing the door behind him. Kim Rok Soo got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. He turned on the tap and quickly splashed some water on his face before looking up in the medium-sized mirror that was hung on the wall.
Henituse, Cale Henituse. This was a character from a book series Kim Rok Soo had started to read. It was called [The Birth of a Hero]. Cale was the trash oldest son that gets mercilessly beaten up by the main character in volume 1.
Rok Soo felt surprisingly calm in the situation of being transported into a book. Do people usually become calm in a place of being dropped somewhere unfamiliar and completely unexpected, Rok Soo didn't think normal people did.
"Then again..." Rok Soo looked down, pulling up his nightwear sleeve and tracing his fingers over the unmarked skin of his arms, "...I wasn't exactly alive like that vicious punk when he was dropped here,"
It was a situation gone wrong. Rok Soo had prioritized getting his team out alive over the ripping of his skin as he used Instant over and over.
Rok Soo let out a sigh, "Well...at least I did something useful before I kicked the can,"
Rok Soo took another look around, before thinking back to the servantâ
"Rok Soo-dear, this is Balint. He'll be your personal attendant,"
"At your service, youngest master,"
Rok Soo blinked at a memory that...felt like his, but also did not. Within this memory he saw the servant from before, Balint as he seemed to be called, and heard a woman's voice.
Rok Soo looked in the mirror again. The face was not unfamiliar. No, rather, it was definitely the face of 18-year-old Kim Rok Soo.
'However, I'm 36 and got larger with work. Also, there are almost no scars from Instant,'
Rok Soo wondered, briefly, if he had gone through some strange reincarnation, but instead of as a child, he started from 18-years-old with memories of his previous life and memories of his current one.
Rok Soo decided to not think about this situation anymore as it seemed complicated. Instead, he thought about the current territory he was in.
'Will things go the way they do in the novel?'
[The Birth of the Hero] was a novel about the birth of heroes in the Western and Eastern continents, as well as their trials and growths. These growths ended up including war that engulfed the Roan Kingdom and other places in the western continent. The Henituse Territory was the first territory hit by the Northern Alliance.
Rok Soo had no idea what the outcome of the battle was, however, he knew from previous information in the novel that the Henituse Territory would suffer a terrible blow. It was a territory famous for its wealth, not military strength. That didn't mean the territory was unprotected, the Henituse family came from a line of established swordsmen and to maintain their wealth and power, they naturally had to have a strong military to show for it.
"This is bad?"
Rok Soo moved from the sink and removed his clothes, sinking into the bath that was full of warm water. He leaned back and looked up at the polished stone ceiling. It was a light grey color and after a moment, Rok Soo realized it was granite.
'This at least means I'm a part of some wealthy family. Nobles used expensive stones such as marble and granite to build their houses. The Henituse Estate was made entirely of marble'
Rok Soo mumbled as he thought some more, "Well...there's not much to miss with being dead,"
His life as Kim Rok Soo. There wasn't really much to it. He was an orphan and didn't have that much money. He also didn't have a person he loved to death, nor a friend he would give his life to save. He only lived because he could not die.
Yes, he could not die.
He completely hated the thought of pain or death. He became an orphan after his parents died in a car crash when he was little.
He didn't like pain or death. Even rolling around in dog shit was better than being dead.
He had no idea what day it was in the novel so that would be his first plan. Once he figured out the date, he could plan accordingly.
He thought about the main character, Choi Han. He was a Korean highschooler who was dropped into the world abruptly. He lived in the Forest of Darkness located in the Henituse Territory and tried to survive in there for tens of years. His lifespan was as long as dragon as he aged extremely slowly. After years, he escaped the Forest and landed in Harris Village. He would show up in the Henituse Territory after his village was slaughtered by assassins. Choi Han who was out collecting medical herbs came back just as the killers were leaving. Choi Han lost control and killed a human for the first time.
After he killed the aggressors, he managed to bury the villagers, before starting towards the capital of the Henituse territory, Rain City, to report what has happened, as well as ask for a proper funeral for the dead, and continue his search for the group behind the assassin's from there. This is the city Rok Soo is currently in.
Choi Han begins the era to prove that he is a hero and due to the war, heroes have the chance to shwo their full potential.
Rok Soo started to frown. Kim Rok Soo's life motto was pretty simple.
Living Long without pain. Enjoying the small joys of life.
Living a peaceful life.
Rok Soo shook his head, "First I need the date,"
"Young Master, are you in the bathroom?"
"Yes, I'll be right out,"
Rok Soo naturally spoke informally to the man that was his servant. He realized that he could easily speak and understand the Roan Kingdom's language. Must be a default setting for being some sort of resident of this world.
Rok Soo got out of the tub and grabbed a robe to put on. Balint was standing stiff as a board with a tray in his hands. He bowed his head, "Young Master,"
"Great, thanks,"
Rok Soo walked towards him and grabbed the cup, raising it to his lips and drinking the cold fluid. He paused as it passed his lips, lowering the cup and looking at the butler.
"It's sweet?"
"Young Master prefers sweet,"
This butler is actually quite good!
Compared to Cale's butler who gives Cale lemon tea even after knowing the boy despises sour things.
"I do," Rok Soo admitted after a small pause, unable to smile at this small fortune of luck. He drank as he thought.
Then again, Ron doesn't actually care about Cale at all. He's just hiding as a servant when he's actually an assassin. He leaves with Choi Han after Cale gets beat up.
Sigh.
There were too many strong people in this city alone.
'I at least need the strength to protect myself'
In order to live long in war he needed a decent amount of strength. Of course he didn't want to be too strong. Then more complicated things would happen.
There were a few powers that the heroes picked up to strengthen themselves. Rok Soo could simply pick the ones he needed and were useless to them.
There was one power that was nearby in Rain City. A shield that no one ever claimed.
'I wonder why the author mentioned it though...'
"Young master, I will start to dress you now,"
"Oh right, thanks,"
Balint picks up a stack of clothes on the bed and Rok Soo lets him get dressed up. The clothes are different than his usual attire but it isn't extremely flashy as the descriptions of Cale's clothes were in the novel. However, they were still of perfect fashion and expensive materials.
'Hm...I guess I really am a wealthy person'
He couldn't quite recall the family name yet, but Rok Soo wasn't too bothered.
After a glance in the mirror, Rok Soo can't help but acknowledge he looks quite good in the clothes. He wonders if it's because of the lack of scars and eye bags.
"Let's go Balint,"
"Yes young master,"
Rok Soo walked behind Balint. They passed a few servants who all simply glanced at him or gave shallow bows. Rok Soo focused on the house, noting the variety of statues, ceramics, and paintings displayed around.
It was a short walk before Balint opened a set of polished wooden double doors. Rok Soo caught sight of a beautiful room with a large table with chairs around it.
"Enjoy your breakfast, young master,"
"Thanks. You too,"
He walks past Balint and into the dining room. As he gets closer he can properly notice the two older people sat softly chatting with one another. The oldest, a male, who sat at the head of the table had dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. He was clearly the lord of the family due to his place at the table.
Another memory popped into his head at that moment.
Rok Soo was looking up at a younger version of the lord he had just seen. Rok soo's voice asked, "Young Master Elis, whereâ"
"Hold on," Elis cut Rok Soo off, looking confused, "Why are you calling me so formally? I'm your hyung-nim, remember,"
Rok Soo blinked out of the memory and glanced at the table arrangement and noticed the plate with food set for him was to the manâ Elis's left and across from the second person at the table. A beautiful female who looked to be in her twenties with pale blonde hair and darker gold eyes. She noticed him and smiled brightly, "Aya, there's my little brother!"
"I'm a noona!!" A teenager version of the blong haired woman delighted, staring at Rok Soo.
An older woman's voice spoke from behind Rok Soo, "Now, now, Siwan, dear. Calm down, let's help your little brother get settled first,"
'Little brother?'
"You're late again today, dongsaeng," Elis smiled slightly.
'Who me?'
Rok Soo was confused from both their words and his memories. These two were his older siblings? They all looked nothing alike!
"Elis Orabeoni, be nice," Siwan scolded, "Take a seat Rok Soo-yah"
"....yes...noonim..."
Rok Soo said quietly, sitting down. Seeing as the other two already had utensils in their hands, he began to eat as well. The food was not what he expected, but then again, his old and new life were very different.
Before his breakfast consisted of coffee or nothing on bad days. Now, he was having sausage, eggs, and an assortment of fruits. He also noticed a cup of wine set out for him.
"Siwan, how long will you be gone?" Elis asked the female.
"I'll be back before Mother's passing day,"
Rok Soo noticed two glances thrown at him, but he ignored them and focused on eating the food that was unlike any he'd ever had before.
'So...our mother has passed. And judging by how this supposed hyung of mine is the master of the house, our father must be dead as well'
He waited for a memory, but instead, he only got a feeling of dark and negative emotions. Immediately, Rok Soo chose to ignore his head and focus on reality. It was a familiar feeling he did not want to feel.
"Ha...you better be. The day after Countess Violan wishes to meet about the new piece for the Gallery,"
Siwan rolled her eyes. Something that surprised Rok Soo as it went against the etiquette of high society, "Yes, yes whatever Lord Elis wishes of me,"
Elis shook his head, before looking at Rok Soo, "This sister of ours is really annoying,"
Rok Soo blinked at him, yet said nothing as Siwan clicked her tongue in displeasure, "Don't taint him,"
"You've tainted him. I have to undo it," Elis mumbled.
Rok Soo thinks that these siblings of his are quite odd. They are close enough to joke, yet the age gap between them all also creates some walls. He thinks there might be more, but he'll have to research on his own or wait for his memories to return. He reaches for wine, drinking a sip of it. He is satisfied by the smoothness of the high-quality drink.
With the wine, he finished his meal and softly pushes back, standing up, "Hyung, Noona, excuse me,"
"Aigoo, where are you running off to now?" Siwan sighs.
"Town,"
"As expected," Elis smiles, waving a hand to dismiss him, "I'll send Balint with some money,"
"Thank you very much, Hyung," Rok Soo smiled slightly.
This family seemed quite well off. Though Rok Soo doubted they were the rank of even Barons or Viscounts, he realized this household was quite prestigious. He needed money to proceed with his plans.
"Have a safe trip Noonim,"
"Mm,"
Rok Soo turns from the dining hall. However, when he reached his chamber, he was slightly surprised at the weight of the money pouch. It was, of course, not Henituse level wealth, though Rok Soo doubted any family other than Royalty could say they were on Henituse level. It was more than Rok Soo had expected.
With his heart slightly lifted by his family's wealth, Rok Soo informed Balint he was leaving and made his way to the entrance. Balint didn't follow him as expected, and no one tried to stop him either. Rok Soo took note of more artistry and a very beautiful main entrance with marble floor peaking out between the fancy rug. Rok Soo left what he could now confidently call a manor.
It was three stories high and had a large outdoor area and a front courtyard with a roundabout from the gate to the entrance. In the center of that roundabout was a large fountain that stood at least six feet. It was an interesting display, an abstract play with various animals and human-like figures dancing or hanging around the levels. Rok Soo turned away as he exited the gate, walking down the brick path toward where he could hear the sounds of a market. He could've used a carriage, but Rok Soo was in an unfamiliar setting so he needed to know it well enough to get around on his own.
Thankfully, it seemed the wealthier district wasn't too far from the main portion of Rain City. He walked around, taking in the sight. It really was a fantasy world.
Rok Soo spotted a stand selling bread and walked towards it with firm strides. The man selling smiled at the sight of a wealthy young man approaching his stand, "Welcome Young Master!"
"Mm, good day," Rok Soo greeted shortly, before pointing at a loaf of bread on one end of the table and moving his finger to point at the one on the opposite end, "Everything from here to here,"
"Excuse me?"
Rok Soo frowned, "Is it not possible?"
"It's possible! It's definitely possible!" The man scrambles to begin to place everything in a large bag.
Rok Soo places a few silver gallons on the table, the man pausing his packing, "Y-young master? This is too many,"
"Oh well," Rok Soo shrugged, unbothered.
He'd always wanted to spend money without caring.
As he waited for the bread to be packed, he heard the clattering of hooves and wheels on the stone. Glancing over, Rok Soo's eyes widen at the luxurious carriage rolling through the streets. His eyes flicker down towards the crest on the carriage, a golden turtle.
Rok Soo's thoughts are confirmed by the words of the street.
"Oh, the Henituse carriage!"
"Is it young master Cale again?"
"That kid has been entering the streets a lot more than usual,"
Rok Soo turned his eyes away as he realized the carriage would pass him. He stepped closer to the table, watching from the corner of his eyes. He turns fully when the carriage stops outside a building and the door clicks open. Everyone is paying attention to the luxurious boots stepping out of the carriage. With a few steps, Rok Soo is greeted with bright red hair and red-brown eyes that were the same color as his own.
'This really is a novel!'
Truly, he did not expect to see Cale Henituse so soon.
However...
Something seemed wrong.
No, something was wrong.
This redheaded noble who exited looked nothing like the 18-year-old Cale was supposed to be at the beginning of the novel. He looked far too young!
"Young Master, shall I wait for you?" The driver says.
"I don't care what you do as long as you're here when I'm ready to leave," Cale glances back with a stoic gaze.
Rok Soo frowned at the sight. The cold expression was one Rok Soo had seen before on many people. However, those people were adults in the same profession as him. Not noble children who looked as they had barely passed puberty.
"O-of course," The driver laughed awkwardly.
Cale let out a click, before turning away and entering the establishment. Rok Soo blinked, "What's a noble kid doing going to a restaurant alone?"
"Ha," he hears a laugh and realizes the baker had finished and was watching the scene with him, "Young Master, you probably haven't seen Young Cale before today! He's a troubling kid, causes all sorts of a mess due to being unable to hold alcohol,"
Rok Soo looked at the baker.
'So, he's already started drinking enough to have these rumors? Butâ why he is speaking like he's talking about some sort of criminal? Cale never hit anyone...he did cause quite a bit of chaos though'
"Oh?" Rok Soo commented.
"Throwing bottles, screaming, breaking things, cursing. He's a bit trashy," The merchant shook his head looking like a disappointed parent, "Even the servants of the Henituse Family are terrified of that lightweight"
Rok Soo also deadpanned in his mind, 'Lightweight my ass. That punk's got a high alcohol tolerance'
'And those servants clearly aren't doing their jobs if they're unable to see that Cale never caused problems with his step-family or disobeyed his father'
"Hm," Rok Soo says simply.
"You should never cross Young Master Cale. It'll be both dangerous and just tiring to deal with. He's simply trash and not worth too much attention,"
Rok Soo thought for a moment, 'Cale's character was really interesting. That's why I remember him so well even though his role was hardly that important in the overall plot'
"My bread?"
"Huh? Oh, right, here you go!"
"Thank you," Rok Soo picks up the bag, enjoying that it wasn't too heavy for him.
"Oh, by the way," Rok Soo stops before he turns to leave, "What's the date today? I forgot to check,"
The man smiled and answered, "It's the 16th of the 5th month of the 778th year of the Felix Calander,"
'....what'
"Excuse me?" Rok Soo blinked "did you 778th year?"
"Huh, yes?"
"...Ah, I thought I heard wrong," Rok Soo mumbled.
He nodded to the baker and quickly left, walking towards the slums.
His mind was very occupied. [The Birth of a Hero] was a novel that began on the 28th day of the 3rd month of the 781st year. It was also the day Harris Village is attacked and a day before Choi Han met Cale Henituse.
However, the date was currently three years earlier?!
'No wonder Cale looked younger, it's because he is! He's only just started to become an alcoholic'
Rok Soo sighed at this troublesome life of his. He quickly passed into the slums and ignored the people staring at him. It was probably odd for a wealthy young man to walk through the slums.
'Cale probably causes a ruckus here too'
Rok Soo kept walking until he reaches the hill. It's quite a large hill, but it stands lower than the hill the Henituse Estate was built on. Hiking up, he finds a black tree fenced off in all directions. The fence had an entrance that was rotted and Rok Soo easily broke it, pushing through the fence.
This tree had lasted hundreds of years and was called the man-eating tree. It didn't really eat humans, it just whatever was left near the tree was soon gone. Even people who hung themselves on the tree would disappear.
Rok Soo set the bag down, opening it up. He approached the dark patch at the base of the tree and placed a loaf inside. He felt a cold sensation as the bread began to disappear in his hand and quickly pulled his hand out.
'If I remember correctly, I have to feed it until the darkness disappears'
Picking up the sack, Rok Soo dumps the entire collection of bread into the hole, only, the darkness remained.
"Hm...I suppose you'll need about ten more bags,"
He wasn't too worried. He had quite the timeâthree yearsâto formulate a plan of action. He could also gather a few things earlier than intended, but, he also didn't want to rush himself. Knowing the story let him have a slight advantage.
'First things first...I should gather some information on the important people and this territory'
Rok Soo turned from the tree and headed back through the slums and into the more traveled part of town. First, he decided to familiarize himself with the city and spent most of his time aimlessly wandering and memorizing the layout, including a few shops that caught his eye.
He took a short break for lunch, choosing an establishment that was quite full of people. While he ate, he also listened to the conversations nearby, looking for any information that could be useful to him.
There wasn't much other than the mentions of the Henituse Family here and there. More often than not it was the gossip of the firstborn. Rok Soo was getting a bit tired of the information that he knew to be false. Furthermore, the fact they were discussing about a kid like they were the weather was annoying.
"Oh? Is that Young Master Rok Soo of the Nyphan family?"
Rok Soo looked up at his name. He saw a young man dressed in casual clothes of trousers, a dress shirt, and a large coat. His hair was the common brown and his eyes were the same shade. Pulling a chair, the young man smiled widely, "I've never got to see the Young Master at the Nyphan Gallery,"
'Nyphan...Gallery? No, wait, he mentioned I was of the Nyphan Family, that must be my household. And gallery must mean an art gallery. The manor was full of and Hyung mentioned meeting with the Countess. Countess Violan handles all the art of the territory due to being an established artist herself and from an artist family,'
Rok Soo simply looked at the man, chewing his food. At the lack of response, the young man seemed to realize what he'd forgotten and laughed, "A-ah! I'm Elliot Joyce! I'm one of the artists that made the new pieces for the gallery the Nyphan and Henituse Family are opening in a few weeks,"
'The Nyphan and Henituse are doing what now?'
"I heard its quite a big show, I heard the entire Henituse Family will appear in public with the Nyphan household. I'm really honored a historical household like the Young Masters saw something in my paintings," Elliot looked embarrassed.
Rok Soo spoke casually, "If Hyung and Noona chose you, then Mr. Joyce's work is surely worth much,"
'What is this cliche happening to me? Appearing with the Henituse household, I've only been here for a few hours!'
Elliot flushed, "T-thank you, Young Master,"
Elliot thought about something before slightly opening his mouth to speak. However, he hesitated and bit his lip, looking unsure. Rok Soo wanted to get this over with and was curt, "What?"
"Oh, no, its just, I've heard a thing that unlike Lord Elis and Lady Siwan, Young Master Rok Soo does not participate in artistry,"
"...mother,"
"Rok Soo? Is something wrong?"
Rok Soo couldn't see his mother's face as he was currently staring at his boots. He spoke cautiously, "Mother, Hyung-nim and Noonim are both very good at art like you. I also know that our Nyphan Household is an artistry family, however...I don't think I want to follow art,"
There was a moment of silence.
Rok Soo heard the soft clicks of heals on the floor and two gentle hands cupped his face. Rok Soo looked up, meeting gentle green eyes of woman with light brown hair. She smiled, caressing his face lovingly, "My good son, you don't have to do art. You can do what you want, be who you are. I just wish for you to be happy and healthy,"
"Hm, I'm not good at it like them," Rok Soo admits after a small pause, overtaken by the affection in the memory, "I'm good at other things. I also am really not that interested in paintings, or sculptures. I can recognize them but I have no interest in making them,"
"I see," Elliot looks at Rok Soo intently, "Then, can this commoner ask what Young Master is interested in?"
"Hm...I enjoy novels, I suppose. Good food. Sleep," Rok Soo listed, "I don't really think of things in terms of interest or enjoyment, though. It's whatever I want to do, I'll do it,"
Elliot's lips were parted in awe. He'd never seen a noble like this! No, no, he'd never met a person so attuned to the small pleasures of life! What an honor to meet with this young master!
"Young Master...you're really amazing,"
'What?'
Rok Soo feels like there has been a misunderstanding.
A watier appears at that moment, "Young Master, shall I clear your table?"
"Yes, thank you," Rok Soo had finished.
"Young Master, would you like some companyâ"
"No need," Rok Soo cut off Elliot as they left the restaurant. He nods his head to the young artist, "I will see you at the Gallery, Mr. Joyce,"
"I look forward to it!!" Elliot exclaims as Rok Soo walks away as quickly as he can without being obvious.
'I'm not looking forward to it'
He decides he's done with roaming today. His feet are aching as well and he needs to think over everything. With a sigh, Rok Soo takes his way back to the Nyphan Estate.