"An atheist? What is that? What kind of new religion do you follow?"
the man asked Seo-jun, who instead fell silent, confused as he tried to think of how to explain it.
"Hm… I place more trust in the logic of the universe without believing in the existence of God or gods. In short, I reject belief in God,"
Seo-jun answered hesitantly.
Before he could even let out a sigh of relief, the man immediately pressed Seo-jun's head down with his right palm and began chanting verses without stopping.
Seo-jun struggled desperately to free himself from the hand gripping the top of his head with an unnatural amount of strength.
"Let go! Let go of me!"
he shouted over and over.
The moment the horse-drawn carriage came to a halt, the young coachman who was about to open the door was startled when Seo-jun opened it first and ran straight into a house—whose house, he did not know.
The only thing on his mind was to get as far away as possible from the robed man, who was now kneeling and praying in deep repentance, begging forgiveness from the Almighty for his younger brother's soul.
The guard standing beside the young coachman smiled broadly.
"Don't forget your promise."
The young coachman immediately nodded, then began unloading the luggage belonging to Alaric Hanwick—the first son of the noble Bastian Hanwick family, a household with deep roots among merchants and successful businessmen.
Seo-jun, who had entered without thinking things through, now slowed his pace and began observing the surroundings of the magnificent house.
"Where should I go? This is the owner of this body's house, right? Should I just ask that maid?"
he muttered while glancing at a female servant who smiled shyly at him.
Seo-jun gestured with his right hand for the woman to come closer. However, as soon as she stood before him, the servant suddenly crouched down right in front of the zipper of Seo-jun's trousers.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing?!"
Seo-jun shouted instinctively as he reflexively pushed the servant's head away.
The servant immediately lowered her head, her face flushing red with embarrassment as she did not dare to look at Seo-jun at all.
"Please forgive me, Young Master. I apologize if my service yesterday did not satisfy you."
"What? What do you mean?"
Seo-jun frowned.
"Never mind, whatever it is. Take me to my room right now, before that robed man comes into this house,"
he said quickly.
The servant lifted her head slightly.
"You mean… Young Master Alaric?"
"Yes, yes. Whoever that is. Hurry up—why have you been talking this whole time?"
The servant immediately nodded and went up the stairs to the second floor. Seo-jun followed her until she stopped in front of a bedroom door. Completely exhausted, Seo-jun was about to open it, but the servant suddenly grabbed his hand.
Seo-jun brushed her hand away irritably.
"What now? This is my room, right?"
Suddenly, laughter came from inside the room.
Seo-jun froze and turned his head. Inside, there was a man busily painting, surrounded by realism paintings that looked truly astonishing.
"Wow… incredible,"
Seo-jun remarked without realizing it.
"Haha… Brother Adrian is really something. Normally, you'd spit on those paintings every time you entered this room,"
the man said with a soft chuckle.
"Oh, right—this is the first time you've come in while fully conscious. What's going on? Is there something you'd like to say?"
The bespectacled man with slightly wavy blond hair looked at Seo-jun with open curiosity.
"There's nothing—your name is Lucien Hanwick, right?"
Lucien looked at his older brother for a moment, clearly startled by a question that sounded as though it came from someone who had lost his memory. However, that expression soon turned into a soft chuckle.
"Haha… that's absolutely right. It seems the drink you had earlier contained quite a high level of alcohol,"
he said casually.
"You should take a bath and get some rest before dinner time."
"Dinner?"
Seo-jun repeated quietly.
"Yes, dinner. You must have already heard about it from Brother Alaric. Wasn't he the one who picked you up in the city center?"
Hearing that name, Seo-jun instantly recalled the irritating man in the robe earlier. Without saying another word, he rushed out of the room and grabbed the arm of a female servant who had just entered Lucien's room—the woman immediately lowered her head in nervousness.
In the end, the servant led him to the correct bedroom. As soon as the door closed, the exhausted Seo-jun dropped himself onto the bed and lay there with his arms spread wide, letting out a long breath.
However, as his eyes closed, he felt something soft, plush, and warm against the palm of his right hand.
Instinctively, he squeezed it.
A muffled gasp was heard at once.
Seo-jun froze. In a single panicked motion, he opened his eyes and jumped off the bed. His eyes widened when he saw the same female servant now sitting on the bed—completely unclothed.
"What are you doing, you idiot?!"
he snapped irritably, more panicked than angry.
The servant looked confused, then hurriedly put her clothes back on.
"I… I thought Young Master wanted the usual service,"
she said nervously.
"Please forgive me. I'll take my leave now. Please rest well, Young Master."
Once the door closed, Seo-jun immediately collapsed onto the sofa in the room and covered his face with one hand.
He tried to recall Adrian Hanwick's personality—as it had been written in the history book he once read.
Now everything made sense.
Adrian was a noble with utterly corrupt morals: a womanizer, fond of indulgence, an alcoholic, and quick-tempered. No wonder the servants offered themselves without question. Even a small movement—such as lifting a hand to straighten a jacket damp with sweat—was enough to terrify them.
"How did I end up trapped in the body of such a pathetic man…"
Seo-jun muttered softly.
He leaned back against the sofa and crossed his legs.
"If I remember correctly… tonight, all the children of the Hanwick family are supposed to gather. Their father was already exhausted from managing the business, suffered prolonged stress, and then fell ill a few days later…"
That memory made his jaw tighten.
"I can't let everything unfold the way it was written in that book."
Instead of despair, a strange surge of determination welled up in his chest. His long-buried thirst for the world of business seemed to awaken once more. He wanted to know what kinds of businesses the Hanwick family ran. He wanted to change this family's tragic ending.
With that resolve, he stood up and headed toward the bathroom.
But his steps came to a halt.
Inside, there was only an empty, luxurious bathtub, an old-fashioned toilet, and—most disturbingly—no water faucet. No tissues. Nothing that felt even remotely "normal."
"How do you even bathe in this century…?"
he muttered with a look of disgust.
"No wonder people in the city smell like that. Don't tell me… they don't even clean themselves after using the toilet?"
His expression immediately stiffened.
While he was still reeling from the culture shock, a knock sounded from outside the room.
"Come in,"
he said flatly.
Sitting on the sofa, Seo-jun watched as the head maid efficiently coordinated several other servants to carry in buckets of water—the quantity, temperature, and order arranged without a single mistake.
Seo-jun let out a quiet sigh.
"All right,"
he murmured.
"If I really have to start from zero… then I'll adapt."