v1c1 (1/2)
Citizens of the Cat Empire,
You must be going, “Whaaat? A new project? When you haven’t even released X, X, and X?”
Well, first of all, this is a solo translation project, with proofreading kindly brought to you by Masadeer. You can think of this series as me doing what I want and j.a.ptem being chill enough to host it. My translation of this series has nothing to do with the translation of other series on j.a.ptem. This is currently the ONLY Korean novel getting translated on the site.
Secondly, I picked up this series on a whim and do NOT plan on translating all 18 volumes of this series. Honestly, even one volume would be an achievement. It WILL be dropped at some point, and anyone else will be free to translate it. Therefore, this project is being labeled as a “teaser” series.
Don’t read if you’re spoiled by those wuxia translators spewing releases every other minute. I promise you quality, but I am a slow t.u.r.d.
Also, a warning: this series has a slow start.
Finally, many thanks to the j.a.ptem staff for allowing me to selfishly host this series on the site!
Now, onwards! Put your cat ears on (and wait!).
Your Alpaca Queen / Cat Ear,
Lei
//Edited August 3rd for further clarification.
<hr />
Translated by Lei
Proofread by Masadeer
“The Golden Lane was originally built as lodgings for the guards and gatekeepers of the Prague Castle. As metalworkers and alchemists came to live there during the 16th century with the development of commerce, it was formally named the ‘Golden Lane,’ just as it is now! Now, let’s have everyone go in and freely look around! You have one hour! Be sure to gather here again within the time limit!”
The guide who was leading the students shouted at the distracted kids.
‘Hehehe, where else can I experience such extravagance? A man has to swim with the big fish after all. Uhahahaha!’
Just two months after beating the compet.i.tion and entering Daehan High School, the school known as Korea’s most prestigious inst.i.tution, I boarded an airplane for the first time in my life.
Though my father was a well-off fund manager and my mother was a music professor, the two of them were immensely stingy. They never failed to go on trips around the world for a month or two every year, but they were extremely cruel to their precious, precious, one and only son. During my stormy period of adolescence, when I asked them why they treated me like someone they’d picked up off the street, my parents very simply laughed at my resistance and trampled over my rage.
‘Males must be raised with a strong hand in order to survive’ -- such was my father’s ridiculous opinion.
My mother backed him up, saying, ‘All the expenses you’re using right now are the blood and sweat of your father and mother. Do you want to become a thankless child who carelessly wastes that blood and sweat?’
It wasn’t a safari wilderness simulation game or anything, yet my parents raised their only child with such severity.
After that, I saw that there was no one in the world who I could trust, and spent every single day studying until my nose would start bleeding.
And then, the school I had chosen, Daehan High School. It was the high school that the president of the Daehan Group, the biggest business in Korea and among the top in the world, was the director. From the moment you entered to your graduation, all the expenses and pocket money you needed for school life were provided by the Daehan Group.
Therefore, it was said to be harder to be accepted into than Seoul University, but I was able to get into such a school.
And as a benefit of that, I was currently able to enjoy a paradise-like 10 days 11 nights school excursion in eastern Europe.
“Hyuk, let’s go sightsee. Hehe.”
While I was preoccupied with my thoughts, Joong Hyun, a guy who looked as friendly as your next door neighbor, dragged me along with his plump rump behind him.
“Okay. Huhuhu.”
No matter how miserly my parents were, this was their one and only son’s school excursion. I was generous enough to at least buy them a souvenir or two.
‘Alchemists? Did they really live here?’
Upon entering the Golden Lane I saw charming buildings and various worthwhile handicrafts, through the windows. Perhaps it was because the ancestors of this place had been gold metalworkers and alchemists, the myriad kinds of ornaments I saw were more than enough to catch my attention.
“Wow, pretty!”
“Looks like it’s made of gold.”
“Hoho, it would suit me perfectly well if I wore it.”
The clear female voices I heard while sightseeing this and that with Joong Hyun.
Seo Ye-rin.
The representative of Daehan High School’s first years, she was the embodiment of beauty. With a height of 167 cm (5’5″), long black hair, big eyes, and milky, porcelain skin. She was a G.o.ddess with a graceful disposition, a rare item any guy would want to call their own.
Today as well, she was blooming like an exceptionally brilliant, elegant lily among the chattering weeds. Her long black hair was neatly held back with a plain-looking blue headband, her smile was more beautiful than the moonlight in May.
She was looking at a hairpin through a small window with some friends. Her ebony eyes, which matched her distinctively pale white skin, were s.h.i.+ning.
“Is there something good? Hehe.”
More friendly with the girls than the male students due to his cheeky nature, Joong Hyun thoughtlessly dragged me straight into the girls.
And then. In that moment, the girls turned their heads and I happened to meet eyes with Ye-rin.
Smile
With my appearance, a gentle smile came onto Seo Ye-rin lips.
‘Whoa? Is she smiling right now while looking at me?’
I was a person who had graduated from the brutal wilderness h.e.l.l that baby lions experienced, right at the age when kids graduated from elementary school and began yearning for manhood. Having set aside women in order to get accepted into Daehan High School, this school was truly my dream school.
Contrary to the idea that people who studied well were physically unattractive, the school had some rather charming women.
The saying that accomplished children rose from humble families was entirely a thing of the past. These days, with the waters so dirtied from pollution, you could only raise an accomplished child by maintaining a high quality environment. A world that was truly heartless and specialized. That was how the world where such high caliber children were raised was maintained.
“Wow! So pretty!”
Having squeezed in between the girls, Joong Hyun was looking at the platinum hairpin, which was embedded with many blue jewels.
“It’s well made.”
The hairpin was so exquisite and vintage that my mother’s collection of jewel hairpins couldn’t even compare. Shaped like a long sh.e.l.l, the hairpin was enough to make even a guy like me desire it.
“Whoa!”
However, I exclaimed at the logical price tag.
‘$10,000&h.e.l.lip; oh my G.o.d!’
The hairpin was worth a fortune of ten thousand dollars. I couldn’t close my gaping mouth.
“It’s pretty, right, Hyuk?”
When I was gaping like that and being surprised, I heard what must surely be an auditory hallucination at my ear.
A woman’s voice that was like the tinkling of a mystical silver bell was affectionately speaking my name.
“Huh?”
It was the voice of an elegant lily that had just started to bloom, Seo Ye-rin. The being who possessed looks and intellectual beauty far more delightful than any of the members from the popular Maiden’s Generation or Girl’s Night had called my name.
[T/N: Spoof of Girl’s Generation and Girl’s Day, popular Kpop girl groups.]
“It’s worth looking at, I guess.”
But I replied with a voice so apathetic that it surprised even me.
“Really? I think it’s really pretty&h.e.l.lip;”
As if hurt by my words, the lily looked worried.
‘Kya, if you were to wear it, you’d be the ultimate G.o.ddess of beauty.’
Those who had looks and smarts like Ye-rin’s should be nationally protected.
‘For it to be ten thousand dollars&h.e.l.lip; tch.’
If I could, I wanted to give one to her as a present. But being the still young lion that I was, I hadn’t yet been raised to the level of making money.
“Seo Ye-rin, should I buy you one as a souvenir?”
‘What’s with this rude voice?’
Near the sacred contact place where I was talking to Ye-rin for the first time, I heard an arrogant, c.o.c.ky voice. A mean little lion had sauntered over here with two baby wolves by his side.
‘Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek.’
Called the Crown Prince among the first years, he was the brat trying to dominate with his rank as the eldest son of the Ohsung group. He was still young in his years, yet the punk’s face was full of boredom. The hyena brat was raking my lily’s body with a l.u.s.tful gaze.
“No thanks.”
At Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek’s words, Seo Ye-rin transformed into a rose adorned with scary thorns. Leaving behind those cold words, she walked away.
“Haha! Just let me know, anytime. I always have s.p.a.ce for you in my generous heart.” Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek spat out a boorish line to the back of the leaving Seo Ye-rin.
‘What a waste.’
It had been a golden opportunity to get closer to Ye-rin, a strangely feeling encounter with Seo Ye-rin on this foreign land. A nuisance had flown in before our meeting could even get started properly.
“Let’s go, Joong Hyun.”
“Hm? O-okay.”
There was no reason to stick around Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek and his cronies.
“Kang Hyuk, lemme give you some advice.”
The moment I was about to leave with Joong Hyun, I heard Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek’s cold voice.
“What?”
There was no need for me, a 185 cm (6′) tall Taekwondo fourth-degree black belt and k.u.mdo 3rd dan, to cower. I turned my head and looked down on the 170 cm (5’7″) loser Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek.
[T/N: k.u.mdo is the Korean version of Kendo.]
“Seo Ye-rin is mine. If you want to go through school life peacefully, keep your head down.”
Emboldened by the two wolf pups by his side, Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek was getting ahead of himself. He didn’t know a single thing about me. The only things I feared in this world were my parents and our family motto of ‘truth.'”
With a smirk, I lightly tapped Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek’s shoulder.
“Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek. You, do you know who you owe for living so well?”
“&h.e.l.lip;..”
At my sudden words, Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek was briefly stunned.
“If I were to say, I’d say that it’d be the major shareholder who has a whole 10% of Ohsung’s shares. You owe your livelihood to them, so you shouldn’t live so recklessly.”
Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek made a dumbfounded expression at my words.
“If you keep throwing your money around like this, your grandpappy who nicely cultivated the stockholders will&h.e.l.lip;”
Swish.
Instead of using words, I drew a line over my neck.
“Do your best, kiddo.”
Tap, tap.
I tapped Hw.a.n.g Sung-taek’s skimpy shoulder once again before turning around.
“St-stop right there, you c.r.a.ppy piece of dog s.h.i.+t!”
But I didn’t stop, since I wasn’t a dog s.h.i.+t.
Swooos.h.!.+
Just then, I felt the energy of a fist flying towards my back.
Bam!
I instinctively whirled around and kicked out.
“Gaah!”
And, seeing the foot that had stopped right in front of his chin, the little wolf pup froze without even breathing. In front of the dominating lion, the fools were trembling like dogs.
“I’ll only warn you once. Next time&h.e.l.lip; you’ll pay.”
There was no need to say much. For these guys who couldn’t even be called bullies, it was a waste to use my fist.
“Tch.”
Hundreds of kids had been let loose into the Golden Lane. From all over, kids were shouting and having a good time. Joong Hyun had also somehow disappeared in the press of people. Always the devoted son, he had gone to pick out a present for his mom.
‘Why is this alley so quiet?’
I had split away from the kids who were having fun with the ample pocket money they had gotten from their parents, and was looking around when I noticed a small alley. It wasn’t very different from other alleys, but there were no people to be seen inside. Actually, the others were busy pa.s.sing by, as if they couldn’t even see the alley.
‘Huhu, the good stuff is in places like this. Those idiots.’
Regardless of how heartlessly my parents treated me, they were my irreplaceable father and mother. It was now time to purchase a present for them. We had to return to Korea tomorrow, so today was the last chance for shopping.
“Goodness, these days you can see Korean letters even in a place like this.”