The Precious Treasure of the Gold Wealth Bank

“Yul-ah.”

To anyone else, it would have sounded like an incredibly dry, detached voice, but it sounded completely different to my ears.

Letting out a small sigh at the eldest’s voice, which was laced with worry, I averted my gaze from Namgoong Hwi.

“…Yes, brother.”

When I lifted my head to answer his call, the eldest’s eyes were filled with deep anxiety. Was it because of his gradually softening gaze, or was it because of his actions that clearly showed how much he worried about me?

Whatever it was, exchanging glances with him like this made me feel my emotions slowly settling down.

I leaned my entire weight against him just as I was.

“Brother, I’m tired.”

The moment the words left my mouth, the hand wrapped around my waist firmly supported me. Leaning against him even more comfortably as if relying on him, a voice drifted down from above my head.

“From now on, I will make thorough preparations so that you won’t have to face anything exhausting, Yul-ah.”

“…You know I only have you, brother, right?”

“Of course I know.”

As if satisfied with my response, the eldest nodded his head immediately. Nodding along with him, I walked back through the main gates, following his lead.

Creeeeak—

The sound of the heavy door closing—which I wasn’t sure I had even heard earlier—echoed loudly. Along with that sound, a sigh escaped my lips at the realization that I was now completely isolated from the main protagonists of the original novel.

“Haa.”

“Are you that exhausted?”

“A little bit.”

“Let us return to the detached pavilion quickly.”

“Yes, brother.”

The eldest supported me with an amount of care that couldn’t even be compared to before. Thanks to that, the time it took to reach the detached pavilion felt surprisingly short.

“Aren’t you going to go in and rest?”

When I took a seat in the guest parlor instead of going straight to my bedroom, the eldest could not hide his anxiety. Seeing how he was scanning every inch of my face while trying to act casual, it seemed he was deeply worried about my encounter with Namgoong Hwi.

I leaned back against the chair and forced a smile.

“Mother, Father, and Sister will be arriving soon anyway.”

Since I had revealed my identity, the news of my return must have spread rapidly. Perhaps they were already on their way to the pavilion at this very moment.

“…….”

The thought of Geum Seo-yul’s family rushing over the moment they heard their youngest had returned made the corners of my mouth lift naturally. I tried to compose my feelings while absentmindedly fidgeting with my clothes, and the eldest watched me with worried eyes.

“Will you be alright?”

That question implied so many different things. Rather than adding this or that explanation, I simply voiced what was on my mind.

“…Yeon Ji-oh was bolder than I expected, so I was a bit taken aback.”

The Yeon Ji-oh I remembered was a character who lacked situational awareness but was fully armed with a bright, sunny disposition. He was also quite clever, which allowed him to capture the hearts of many, including the main lead, Namgoong Hwi.

However, the Yeon Ji-oh I ran into just a moment ago was so shameless and foolish that it made me wonder if he was truly the person I used to know.

“…….”

Now that Geum Seo-yul had dropped out of the picture, he should have been spending sweet, lovey-dovey time with Namgoong Hwi. Why on earth did he come all the way here to mess with my peace of mind?

When I let out a heavy sigh as my mind grew complicated, the eldest patted my shoulder.

“It seems you have drained too much of your mental energy.”

It was a simple comfort, but there was nothing more reassuring than those words right now. I let out a deep breath and purposely let my shoulders slump.

“It breaks my heart to think that this kind of thing happened every single day while I was away.”

“Today was the first time we actually exchanged words with them, so do not trouble yourself over it.”

“The gatekeepers are part of our family, too. Seeing what Yeon Ji-oh’s group did today, I can only imagine what a grueling ordeal it must have been for them all this time.”

Despite confirming that I had stepped outside with the eldest, Yeon Ji-oh had remained busy throwing a tantrum in front of the gatekeepers. He acted as if he held the upper hand.

As the image of Yeon Ji-oh flashed through my mind, my stomach, which had barely settled, turned upside down again. When I began to huff and puff, unable to overcome the rising anger, the eldest exhaled a soft sigh.

“Since you and I stepped up personally today, they won’t dare to act rashly in the future.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“Calm down, for I will instruct them to not let it slide if they ever show up again.”

I felt exactly the same way.

I had endured it today because there were too many watching eyes, but next time, I really wouldn’t care about anyone’s gaze and would completely cut them off.

I subtly revealed my true intentions.

“If they come looking for us one more time, it won’t just end with salt.”

Next time, I should really prepare and throw something sticky and incredibly hard to wash off.

Like the hair oil used for styling, or perhaps…

“Dye would be perfect.”

It might be considered a bit excessive, but if I made it impossible for them to even lift their faces in public, they wouldn’t dare loiter around the Gold Wealth Bank ever again.

It was a sudden thought, but I wondered if there could be any better solution than this.

When I nodded to myself and lifted my gaze, a gentle smile was playing on the eldest’s face.

“I shall have them prepare something that is exceptionally difficult to wash out.”

“As expected, there’s no one like you, brother.”

“…I truly wonder what goes on inside this small head of yours.”

I’m just filled with the thought that since I’ve broken free from the original plot, I won’t stand idly by if anyone dares to provoke me.

Deep down, I wanted to voice exactly what I was thinking, but doing so wouldn’t be wise.

I rolled my eyes, organized my thoughts, and then opened my mouth.

“I’m just full of thoughts about not letting anyone slide if they dare torment my family.”

“Haha, is that so?”

Perhaps my attempt at acting cute worked, as a laugh burst out from the eldest.

I smiled along with him, feeling the atmosphere soften significantly. Just then, the outside of the guest parlor grew noisy, and soon, the people I had been longing to see made their appearance.

“Yul-ah!”

“My baby!”

“Youngest!”

I knew the news would travel fast, but I hadn’t expected them to show up this early. A brief moment after I directed my gaze toward the wide-open doors of the parlor, the rest of Geum Seo-yul’s family, whom I hadn’t seen in nearly two months, came into view.

The master of the Gold Wealth Bank, who had clearly rushed over while writing something given the ink stained on his sleeves and hands; the mistress of the estate, who was moving with tear-filled eyes while being supported by her daughter; and my older sister, who couldn’t hide her sheer joy.

Staring blankly at the family, I belatedly stood up from my seat to greet them.

“…Father, Mother, and Sister.”

“Yes.”

Even though they weren’t my actual family, why did my voice tremble just from uttering those titles?

Swallowing the inexplicable surge of emotion, I extended my hands, and the three of them reached out their hands simultaneously.

However, their hands could only hover in the air, unable to fully reach out to touch me.

“…….”

Seeing how they clearly wanted to hold my hands but hesitated, I realized just how flawlessly I had acted over the past five years.

Without saying a word, I gathered their three hands together and wrapped mine over them.

“You just have to hold them like this, so why do you hesitate so much?”

“…Yul-ah?”

Perhaps because it was completely unexpected behavior, the people whose hands were caught flinched and looked at me.

For a brief moment, I looked into their wide, disbelieving eyes. Then, I repeated the words I had said to the eldest.

“Because while I was traveling, I realized that family is the absolute best.”

“…Yul-ah.”

Even if I were in their shoes, those words would have been truly shocking.

The eyes of the three grew as wide as saucers, and before anyone could even start, tears began to well up in their eyes. Watching that scene, I suddenly came face-to-face with a dark, murky emotion rising from the depths of my heart.

“…….”

Some people were instantly cut off from their family simply because their sexual orientation was different from others, while someone else had a family that waited for them unwaveringly for five years despite them acting like a complete scoundrel.

There had been many times when I envied Geum Seo-yul, but my jealousy had never exploded to the point of shaking my composure like it did today. Fearing that my emotions might be conveyed to them, I tried to pull my hands away, but the three of them tightly gripped my hands.

“It’s alright.”

“…….”

I didn’t know what they were saying was alright. Surprised by the words that seemed to say even this kind of jealousy was fine, I quickly looked at the Master of the Gold Wealth Bank, and immediately, the mistress and my sister beside him vied to speak first.

“My baby, we only need you.”

“You said family is the best. To us, you are the best too.”

“That’s right, Yul-ah, you are the treasure of our family. So… so please don’t try to push us away again.”

“…Ah.”

It seemed that because I had merely tried to hide my jealousy, it appeared to them as an action to push the family away.

As I stared blankly at the three of them, lost for words, the mistress spoke up.

“My baby, have you eaten?”

“…….”

I never imagined that the words I used to hear so frequently up until just two months ago would pierce my heart like this.

When I couldn’t answer due to the swelling emotions, worried gazes pinned themselves onto me.

Realizing that even the eldest was now looking at me, I desperately calmed my emotions and stammered out a reply.

“…I only had a light snack because I wanted to… eat dinner together.”

“Together….”

The moment she heard the word ‘together,’ my sister’s eyes brimmed with tears, and she finally burst into sobs.

“Yul-ah, do you have any idea how much I wanted to have a meal with you?”

The sorrow packed into her voice warmly soaked my heart. Feeling a wave of emotion myself, I subtly pulled up the corners of my mouth.

“Let’s eat together often from now on.”

“Yes!”

Nodding her head the moment I finished speaking, my sister wiped her eyes.

While I silently watched her, the Master’s voice drifted over.

“We must prepare a magnificent dinner then.”

“Since the youngest is back, how about throwing a banquet?”

“Time is too tight to throw a banquet right this moment, so how about holding one for a week starting tomorrow?”

“…….”

My heart had been warm and soft just a moment ago, but it wasn’t anymore.

Feeling my heart instantly turn heavy with dread, I quickly put a brake on the three people’s suggestions.

“Instead of a banquet, can’t we just have an intimate meal among ourselves?”

“If you felt uncomfortable because of what happened today, I will make sure to strictly vet the attendees for the banquet.”

It appeared that not only the news of my return but also the incident that occurred at the front gate had been reported to him.

Looking at the Master who was putting strength into his shoulders while telling me not to worry, I shook my head.

“I’m grateful for your consideration, but I don’t think I have the physical stamina to attend a banquet.”

“I agree with Yul’s opinion as well. The journey back must have been exhausting, and did he not face a massive ordeal the moment he arrived home? If he attends a banquet in this state, it is glaringly obvious that he will end up bedridden.”

The moment I finished speaking, the eldest immediately added his support. At that, the family members scanned me up and down once before nodding their heads in agreement.