Reborn As A Villainous Widower
~●Chapter 1●~
Villagers
"Oh dear, how utterly tragic! Already a widow with children, with no grown man to anchor the household. Now that Hyunsoo is gone too, how will Jiya ever manage?"
Villagers
"Her, tragic? I think Hyunsoo's husband is the one to be pitied! So young, and already forced into widowhood... What a cruel fate!"
Villagers
"Who knows what the Jeon family did to offend the heavens? An old widow above, a young bereaved husband below, and two little ones to raise... Mark my words, their days ahead will be bitter indeed."
Taehyung's head throbbed, aching so fiercely it felt as if it might split open. His vision was utter darkness, and his legs felt weak, as though he were standing on sponges.
Noisy voices buzzed in his ears—a cacophony of chatter from all directions, spoken in a strange accent, a dialect from some unknown region.
Though it sounded awkward, he could oddly understand every word.
Taehyung staggered, bracing himself against an old wooden cabinet behind him just before he could collapse headfirst. The cabinet was aged; with just one touch, a handful of rotten wood debris crumbled into his palm.
It took a long while for the dimness to fade from Taehyung's eyes, gradually allowing light to seep back in.
He found himself standing in a dilapidated room with gray walls and a thatched roof overhead. To his left was a large window, its gray-white paper pane torn open, letting in gusts of cold wind.
Jagged cracks zigzagged across the mud-plastered walls. Against one wall stood a narrow wooden bed, neatly made, with a folded quilt and a woven rattan sewing basket on top. Inside the basket lay an old, half-mended patched garment.
Poor, but tidy... But this wasn’t his home! Since when had he signed up for a reality TV makeover?
That was Taehyung's first thought.
He blinked, and in the next moment, he spotted a small, shadowy figure in the dim light.
Startled, Taehyung instinctively took a step back, his heel slamming hard against the cabinet leg. Pain shot through him, making him grimace.
Almost simultaneously, a flood of memories that weren’t his own surged into his mind, pounding in his skull with excruciating pain, as if his head were about to explode.
It took him a long moment to sort through it all—these were the memories of the original "Taehyung."
Only then did Taehyung realize with a jolt that he had transmigrated into a book—a historical *danmei* political intrigue novel—and had become a cannon-fodder character with the same name as his, an infamous *ore* (a male who can bear children).
As for the person in front of him...
Just as Taehyung thought this, a small, slender figure emerged from the shadows—a boy around twelve or thirteen, his features not yet fully developed but already showing elegance, with delicate eyebrows, rosy lips, and fair skin, hinting at future handsome refinement.
Jeon jungkook, the antagonist of the novel.
And the original Taehyung was Jungkook's elder brother’s widowed husband. On the day news of his husband’s death arrived, the original Taehyung stole the family’s savings—the Jeon family’s last bit of silver—and fled. Without that money, Jungkook could no longer afford to study, and Jungkook's mother Jeon Jiya fell ill with no means for treatment.
Later, She passed away from illness, and Jungkook left the village with his twin sister. By chance, he saved a high-ranking official, was adopted as a foster son, and sent to study, thus beginning his journey as a villain.
As for the original Taehyung... after offending the major antagonist, he was tracked down by Jungkook, tortured mercilessly, and died a gruesome death.
Taehyung stared at the young boy in front of him. He looked thin and small, weakened by long-term malnutrition, with slender arms and legs, and a stature unlike that of a typical thirteen-year-old. Yet, Taehyung regarded him as one would a wolf cub.
Jeon jungkook
He stood with his hands at his sides, expressionless, and addressed him,
"Brother-in-law."
Hearing that term made Taehyung's scalp tighten. In this world, there were three genders: men, women, and *ore*. *Ore* resembled men but were generally weaker and capable of bearing children.
As luck would have it, Taehyung had transmigrated into a *Ore* who could give birth.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
He forced a dry laugh and said to Jungkook,
"Haha... Kook, what brings you in here?"
~●Chapter 2●~
In the novel, the original Taehyung had also been caught by Jungkook while stealing the money. But relying on his older age and greater strength, he knocked Jungkook unconscious with a clay pot and fled with the money.
Fortunately, in his panic, he hadn’t used full force. Otherwise, a blow to the head with a clay pot could have caused serious harm, and Jiya might have received two pieces of tragic news in one day.
Jeon jungkook
He glanced at the object Taehyung was hiding behind his back and asked calmly,
"What is Brother-in-law doing in my mother’s room? What are you holding?"
Following Jungkook's gaze, Taehyung noticed the money pouch already clenched in his hand.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
He stammered,
"Ah... this, this..."
Could his luck be any worse?!
He was just reading a novel!!
He was just eating a bowl of instant noodles because he got hungry while reading!!
He was just eating too hastily and choked on the noodles!!
How did he end up here after waking up?!
And as a vicious cannon-fodder character?!
Did he choke to death on instant noodles?!
Ah... what a pathetic way to die!!
Seeing Jungkook still staring at him, Taehyung's mind involuntarily recalled the original Taehyung's miserable death, and a mental list of "One Hundred Ways for Taehyung to Die" sprang to mind.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
He quickly tried to cover up,
"I-I was just checking how much money is left... After arranging your brother’s funeral, we still need to save money for your studies. I... I was worried it might not be enough."
It was a clumsy lie, and Jungkook clearly didn’t buy it. He narrowed his eyes, his youthful face revealing a depth beyond his years.
Just then, a commotion erupted outside.
Villagers
"Oh dear, Junhi, quick... steady your mother! She’s about to faint!"
At the mention of Jiya, Jungkook finally showed urgency. He shot Taehyung one last glare before turning and rushing out.
Taehyung breathed a sigh of relief.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
Once alone, he muttered under his breath,
"This is too bizarre... How could something like this happen to me?"
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
"...Could it be that I’m actually the protagonist?!"
Still mumbling, he placed the money pouch back into the cabinet and hurried out after them.
The courtyard was crowded with onlookers. A woman stood pale-faced in the center, supported on either side by Jungkook and a girl about his age.
Aunt Bora
A kind-hearted aunt brought over a stool and whispered to the siblings,
"Here, help your mother sit down and catch her breath."
Jungkook thanked her and quickly helped his mother sit, assisted by his sister. Jiya was as pale as paper, her lips trembling as she stared at an object on the ground.
It was a blood-stained garment and a broken sword—the belongings left behind by Jeon Hyunsoo.
Years ago, the imperial court had conscripted Hyunsoo for military service, and he had never been heard from since. Recently, demobilized soldiers had begun returning to the village, but there was no news of Hyunsoo.
Jita had already feared the worst, yet without confirmation, she had clung to a sliver of hope that her son was merely delayed.
But today, a stranger claiming to be Hyunsoo's comrade had arrived, bringing these remnants.
Jiya didn’t recognize the broken sword, but she knew the bloodied clothing—it was the outfit her eldest son had worn when he left, sewn by her own hands.
Upon suddenly receiving the devastating news, Jiya seemed too stunned to even cry, just staring blankly and numbly at the clothes on the ground and the broken sword.
Jungkook remained much calmer. Despite being still just a boy, he showed no excessive grief upon learning of his elder brother’s death. Instead, his eyes held an uncommon detachment.
He shifted his gaze from the ground and finally settled it on Taehyung, who had just stepped out of the house.
The comrade sighed at the sight of Jiya. Many of his fellow soldiers had died, and he had traveled all this way to deliver their belongings. He had witnessed countless heartbroken parents weeping in agony, yet he still did not know how to offer comfort.
The pain of losing a child could never be eased by mere words.
Comrade
He sighed once more and finally took two silver ingots from his pocket, saying,
"This is the pension funds issued by the authorities… Please take it, Madam."
Two round, shiny silver ingots, each weighing ten taels, gleamed brightly, catching the eyes of many present. But as soon as they remembered where the silver came from, they all sighed one after another.
No one envied those ten taels of silver.
~●Chapter 3●~
Jiya widened her eyes, trembling as she reached out to take them. The next moment, her eyes suddenly rolled back, and she fainted, falling backward.
The scene instantly became chaotic. Taehyung immediately elbowed his way through, took her from Jungkook's arms, and without caring about the dusty ground, laid her flat. He raised her head with his hand.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
Then he waved his arms and shouted,
"Step back, everyone step back… It’s too crowded, the air's too stale!"
In his panic, he completely forgot that people in ancient times had no idea what "air" meant.
But Jungkook seemed to figure out what he meant and immediately pulled his younger sister two steps back, urging the villagers gathered around to disperse.
While speaking, Taehyung reached out to check Jiya's pulse and bent down to listen to her heartbeat.
Fortunately, though her breathing was weak, her heart was still beating regularly.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to call out to the onlooking villagers,
"Where’s Doctor Wan? Is Doctor Wan here?"
Doctor Wan was the village’s barefoot doctor, a local healer, whom the villagers usually consulted for minor ailments like headaches and fevers.
Hearing this, Jungkook glanced at Taehyung, then looked down at his sister Junhi, whose eyes were already red with fear. He whispered a few words to her, then dashed off to fetch the doctor.
Soon enough, Doctor Wan arrived. He stroked his beard while taking her pulse, then sighed and shook his head repeatedly.
This frightened Jungkook and Junhi terribly. Both children turned pale, and the little girl's lips trembled as if she were about to burst into tears at any moment.
But Taehyung widened his eyes. Somehow, he knew that Jiya would eventually die of illness, but not at this time.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
He immediately snapped,
"How is she? Just say it! Why keep shaking your head?"
Doctor Wan
Doctor Wan continued shaking his head but finally spoke,
"Your mother has a chronic condition. I can’t cure it. It’s best to take her to a clinic in town and have a doctor there examine her. But…"
But medical expenses were costly, enough to impoverish a family. Worst of all, the money might be spent, and the person still not saved.
Doctor Wan couldn’t bring himself to say the last part aloud and only shook his head with another sigh.
Kim/Jeon Taehyung (ore)
Taehyung, however, straightened his back and barked,
"Junhi, go to the main room and take all the money we’ve saved from the cabinet! Kook, go to the village head’s house and borrow a cart. Hurry! We’re taking Mother to town for treatment!"
Jungkook found it strange, as if Taehyung had suddenly become a different person. But there was no time to dwell on it now. He was about to run off when a woman pulled him back.
Aunt Bora
She held onto Jungkook and said,
"Jeon boy, my family has a donkey-drawn cart. Come with me to fetch it! The village head’s is far from here—it’ll take too long for you to go back and forth!"
That made sense. Jungkook quickly thanked her and hurriedly followed her out the door.
Soon, the two returned with the cart. The people in the yard hastily moved Jiya onto it, and Taehyung headed for town with Jungkook and Junhi.
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