There Is No Sejong In My Joseon [EN]: Chapter 462

I pulled my hat down low.

‘I guess I’m kind of a celebrity in this world too.’

The problem is, I’m not famous in a good way.

Of course, I was a celebrity in my past life too, but that was as the monarch of Joseon, so it can be considered an exception.

I got out of the car and looked around.

‘Hmm, it’s been a while since I’ve smelled the air of a campus.’

– Seoul National University, a forest of intellect blossoming the future

– President Lee Won-ik, don’t hesitate, push for the construction of a dormitory!

– Congratulations to Song *yeol and Song *gil of the Department of Electronic Engineering on their voluntary enlistment! Seoul National University Veteran’s Association

I walked along, looking at the banners hanging on the street, and after asking people who caught my eye, I found it wasn’t located too far away.

‘I could just walk there.’

Sure enough, I soon saw the Lee Man-ju Auditorium.

Looking at the bust placed in front of the auditorium, I recalled the question that came to mind when I first heard the building’s name.

‘Why is this guy’s name on the auditorium?’

He was a mid-level military officer who had made contributions during the war… but his military achievements couldn’t compare to those who were in charge of overall command, like me or Kim Jong-seo.

I had no idea why such a name was suddenly attached to a university auditorium.

But before I could resolve that question, I saw the person I was looking for coming out of the auditorium.

“Hey! Over here!”

I waved my hand and shouted, and he turned his head sharply in this direction.

“Hyung [older brother], what brings you here?”

…I knew it would be like this.

The person who walked out was Do, just with a slightly more modern outfit.

Still, perhaps because he came from a military family, he was strictly managed, and my brother’s physique wasn’t as round as I thought.

“The butler told me to bring you.”

“You took that at face value? You, hyung?”

He looked at me with an expression full of disbelief.

Ah, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen that look.

It’s the same look I used to get from my brothers when I first fell into Joseon.

A dubious gaze as if looking at a piece of trash.

But I have a history of turning this subtle brotherly relationship into a complete ‘I love you so much, hyung’ development, haven’t I?

…Looking back now, I think giving them food was the key.

‘Should I buy him an ice cream or something?’

I shook my head.

No matter what, he’s not a child anymore, so he wouldn’t fall for being tempted with food.

Instead, I put on a benevolent smile and asked a question that a hyung would ask.

“Did you have fun at school today? Did you listen to your professor well?”

“…I’m the professor.”

“……”

‘No wonder there were so many plaques and diplomas in the display case.’

It seemed that my brother had gone through early admission and early graduation here as well, earning a doctorate at a young age. Now, he’s making a name for himself by giving lectures at his alma mater in a special lecture format.

To think that such a guy is my brother, there’s a reason why Assemblyman Lee swung his 격구채 (gyeokgu chae, a polo stick) in frustration at his eldest son.

Three members of the family are a member of the National Assembly, a VTuber [virtual YouTuber], and the youngest a Ph.D., respectively.

Then what are the others doing?

“Come to think of it, where is the second one now?”

I met Chung-nyeong, so I was suddenly curious about where Hyoryeong was.

First of all, it must be true that all four of our brothers exist in this world, right?

“He seems to be filming some movie these days, so he doesn’t come home often.”

He said that without taking his eyes off his phone.

“Movie? Is he an actor?”

Well, my uncle is a VTuber, so it wouldn’t be strange if Hyoryeong was an actor…

But my brother looked at me with a dumbfounded expression and said.

“You don’t even know what the second hyung is doing? He doesn’t come home because he’s doing something like an assistant director for a Buddhist movie.”

“Ah, is that so.”

Seeing him turn his gaze back to his phone while grumbling, my hands were itching.

‘Why didn’t the original educate his younger brother?’

But who can I blame for this?

Like the butler earlier, and from this guy’s point of view, I’ve already been labeled as an older brother who has no interest in his siblings, so I understand why he’s reacting like this.

So, instead of hitting him, I turned on my phone and looked up the information myself.

“A movie about the life of Shinmi, the founder of the first non-governmental organization…”

I have not so good memories with Shinmi.

I once suspected that he was the one who tried to steal Hangeul [Korean alphabet] in the original history.

Of course, I, a benevolent monarch, didn’t attach much importance to the changed history, so I just left it alone.

Fortunately, Shinmi had greatly reformed (?) here and seemed to have done a lot of good as the founder of an NGO.

Anyway, such an art biopic that maniacs would like was not my taste.

I want to see a more commercial movie.

“Then this is it. The theatrical version of Genius Illegitimate Son of Minister Panseo [a high-ranking government official title].”

I asked, showing my phone and slyly trying to sell it to my brother.

“You… watch stuff like that?”

My brother’s phone had a very animated poster on it.

“No! Why! This is super famous! Even ordinary people watch it!”

My brother shouted, his face turning red rapidly.

From the point of using the word ‘ordinary people,’ can’t you realize that you are a full-fledged 덕후 (deokhu, otaku, a person with obsessive interests)?

“The writer even received the Hanseong Geosa Award for this…!”

“Okay, okay, I get it, but this is the theatrical version.”

You shouldn’t recommend it to beginners who haven’t seen the beginning.

Only then did my brother open his mouth with a slightly softened look.

“Then go home and watch all of Season 1.”

“What’s it about?”

Looking it up briefly, the background is the era of Sejong Taehwangje [King Sejong the Great], and the story is about a protagonist who was exiled for being born as an illegitimate child, learns Taoism, and fights against the imae-mangnyang (goblins and monsters) who harass the people with his companions in similar situations.

Since it’s roughly a mix of historical drama and fantasy, I’m reminded of a few Japanese manga that were hits in my original world.

‘But why is the background my time?’

Where else is there a wise monarch like me? Why did you make my reign a world of maleficence infested with monsters?

‘There were a few large-scale wars, though.’

But Joseon won, so it all ended well.

“Well, that era itself is the most popular,”

Well.

Isn’t it the beginning of Joseon’s stability and golden age?

There’s no way it wouldn’t be popular since it was the era ruled by the great Emperor Ije.

While I was nodding, my brother continued to speak.

“Unexpectedly, there’s a theory that Taehwangje had a severe hatred for illegitimate children, so there’s talk that the writer actually set him as the mastermind.”

“Hatred for illegitimate children, what nonsense!”

I jumped up and shouted.

Did the spirit of the dead Yi Bang-won [King Taejong] cover me with his infamy?

‘I thought I did my best to behave myself.’

Didn’t I do a good job of walking the tightrope between my parents pulling me in both directions?

‘My mother had to be an ordinary person.’

I thought I managed Queen Wongyeong’s stress and took care of my half-siblings as best as I could.

‘Thinking about it now, I did use them a bit.’

But thanks to that, everyone saw Joseon rise to become a 천자국 (cheonjaguk, a country authorized by heaven), and they lived well and prosperously as relatives of the imperial family for the rest of their lives, didn’t they?

But I actually hated illegitimate children and half-siblings, and that’s why I didn’t take in any concubines?

Even the grandchildren who were not of the direct line were all expelled to the countryside?

It seems that there are readers who speculate that the Genius Illegitimate Son of Minister Panseo adopted this hypothesis because such rumors were openly circulating in later generations.

“Doesn’t the imperial family censor things like this?”

“What are you talking about from the 1980s? They wouldn’t have censored it like that even in the 188th year of the founding of the country.”

“Is that so?”

Unexpected.

It seems that the imperial family has ruled the country without any major mistakes even after my death.

Since there was no external loss of authority, I thought that they would inevitably show a somewhat overbearing side.

Even if it’s not a royal dictatorship, wouldn’t it be offensive enough from the perspective of emphasizing tradition and authority?

Perhaps because the imperial family has been running its own cultural industry company like 됴흔생각 (Dyohun Thought) for hundreds of years, they may have a more open trend in these areas.

“Then let’s go see a romance movie or something.”

Somehow, the conversation turned into going to see a movie on the way back, but there’s no reason to refuse.

But I’m not very interested in modern dramas.

I’ll watch it later, but right now, I’m more eager to find traces of the era when I wasn’t around.

When I said that, my brother looked at me strangely.

“Why is someone who wasn’t interested in history at all suddenly looking for historical dramas?”

It seems that I in this world was not very interested in history either.

Well, if it wasn’t for the world I created, I wouldn’t have been curious.

My brother, who was looking at his phone and searching for a movie, said.

“Surviving in Tawan Country? This is also very popular these days.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s a movie about the adventures and love of Prince Shim Hwan. But just by looking at it, the content is pure fiction…”

I shouted without thinking twice.

“Let’s go see this!”

===

The movie was touching. A bit like Pocahontas.

‘Hwan, you son of a b*tch, to think you were such a romantic guy.’

To think that Hwan was a guy who could have such a heartbreaking love.

It’s truly amazing.

‘You had a heart too, Hwan!’

I was worried because I had been suspicious that I had raised him too preciously as the youngest, but I was quite worried because I had 붕어 (bungeo, passed away).

The epic adventure in Tawan Country made my hands sweat, and the scene where he declared that he would marry this woman even against the opposition of the imperial family was truly touching.

However, my brother pushed up his glasses and said.

“The historical accuracy is completely messed up.”

If you go somewhere and say that, you’ll be told that you’re ruining the mood.

The scene where Hwan wipes out the apostles of the resurrected evil god with a submachine gun is obviously not historically accurate, but it still showed great action, so wouldn’t it be okay?

As I turned my stiff body and came out of the theater, someone who came out late quickly brushed past me.

“……!”

I stopped walking without realizing it.

“Ouch! Why did you stop so suddenly?”

My brother, who was following me, bumped into my back, but I didn’t care.

“Wait a minute.”

My brother complained, but I couldn’t hear his voice.

“Why, what’s wrong? Where are you going?”

I shook off my brother’s hand that was holding my shoulder and ran out urgently.

Where did she go?

Where to?

‘Is that her?’

I barely found the back of the person I was chasing on the escalator going up to the upper floor, and I ran up the escalator steps.

People around me frowned at the behavior that only elementary school students would do, but such things were not important.

If I miss this moment, I felt like I would regret it forever.

“Excuse me!”

I finally caught up, grabbed the other person’s arm, and turned them towards me.

Then I shouted.

“What is your name!”

“……Yes? M, my name?”

“Huh.”

However, the one caught in my hand was unexpectedly an ajumma (middle-aged woman).

I bowed repeatedly to the ajumma who was looking at me with an expression as if she was seeing all kinds of crazy people, then pulled my hat down and turned around.

‘Mistake?’

No, it’s not a mistake.

So, it’s true that I mistook her for the ajumma’s back, but the person I saw in the theater before that is not a mistake.

I clenched my fist tightly.

Blood started to circulate from my pounding heart. I felt like I might cry.

Ju So-hwa was here.

Definitely.