Geom Mugeuk entered the great hall.
With his beard cleanly shaved and his hair neatly arranged, he was dressed in a fine new martial uniform and long robe. With each and every step, he captured everyone's gaze.
It wasn't merely because he was handsome. There was a strange atmosphere about him that drew people in. An air of ease that could only be felt from someone approaching the pinnacle of the Martial Way, and a mysterious yet noble aura that no one could imitate, emanated from him.
Jin Ha-ryeong didn't recognize Geom Mugeuk. The moment she saw him, pure admiration sprang to mind.
*He's magnificent!*
He was truly magnificent. If someone were to ask her what kind of face she liked, she felt she could say this: That person right there.
She wasn't the only one having such thoughts. The women stared at Geom Mugeuk, spellbound. It wasn't just the women—the men were equally captivated.
"Who is he?"
"I don't know either. Who is he?"
"A young hero I've never seen before?"
"He's handsome!"
Such remarks flowed openly from here and there.
Drawing everyone's attention, Geom Mugeuk walked toward where Jin Ha-ryeong and Jo Sin were standing.
*Why is he coming toward us? Ah, is he someone Jo Sin knows?*
While she was thinking that, Geom Mugeuk greeted her first.
"So the young lady Jin has come as well."
Jin Ha-ryeong was startled.
*He knows me? Who is he, pretending to know me?*
The voice was familiar. But even after hearing it, she couldn't place him. Such was the vast difference between the Geom Mugeuk she had seen until now and the one before her.
"Surely you don't mean you don't recognize me?"
Even at this very moment, she truly didn't recognize him. She thought he might be someone with a similar voice, but it never occurred to her that he was the same person.
"Who are you?"
"Didn't you tell me to say something if someone bullied me? At this rate, will you even be able to help me? You might not recognize me and bully me along with them."
In that instant, Jin Ha-ryeong's eyes went wide. They were exactly words she had spoken. *If someone bullies you, tell me—the granddaughter of the Martial Alliance Lord is your friend.*
"No way? You!"
"That's right. It's me."
Without realizing it, Jin Ha-ryeong let out a sharp scream.
"I'm not sure if this is something to scream about, but I am indeed Geom Yeon."
Those clear, profound eyes that were unbecoming of a servant—looking again, he was indeed Geom Yeon.
In that instant, a thrill ran through her body. The hair all over her skin stood on end.
It was already thrilling to have such a magnificently handsome man standing near her, but for this person to be that Geom Yeon who had been a servant?
She asked with a trembling voice.
"What happened?"
"I shaved my beard and tidied my hair. I also bought and wore new clothes."
Jo Sin, who was beside her, was equally flustered.
He was so surprised and taken aback that he couldn't react at all. He merely blinked his eyes and stood there blankly.
At first, he too hadn't recognized Geom Mugeuk. Because he took great pride in his own appearance, he felt resistance the moment he saw a man more handsome than himself.
That was why he had already been in a foul mood from the moment Geom Mugeuk appeared.
It was unpleasant enough that a better-looking bastard was attending the banquet, but when he walked toward him, who was with Jin Ha-ryeong, his nerves were on edge. *What the hell, this bastard. Why is he coming this way?*
*But what? This guy is that guy? That dirty servant bastard is this guy? Impossible. Truly impossible!*
Jo Sin had nearly screamed and spewed curses.
*That bastard was this handsome?*
This completely threw his plans off track. He had intended to erase the sense of mystery and bring out ordinariness, but now true mystery had burst forth. What angered him more was that he had paid money to bring it out.
Geom Mugeuk greeted Jo Sin, who was standing behind him.
"Young Master Jo gave me money to buy clothes."
Jin Ha-ryeong looked at Jo Sin with a surprised expression.
"Is that true?"
"Ah, yes. It is."
Jin Ha-ryeong misunderstood the situation.
"Oh, you really decided to apologize. Honestly, I didn't believe your words. I'm sorry."
"No."
Jo Sin was truly in a state where he could neither laugh nor cry.
He immediately sent a sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.
—You bastard! Get lost! Get the hell out of here!
He had meant to get out of the banquet hall, but Geom Mugeuk walked over to the junior martial artists as if he had been told to withdraw from that spot.
"Oh! There are many expensive and precious dishes. May I eat to my heart's content? Ah, there's alcohol here too. The aroma is very fine."
Everyone watched his every move. Geom Mugeuk felt not the slightest burden from people's gazes. He ate with evident enjoyment and drank his fill. He acted so naturally, as though he were the protagonist of this place.
Jin Ha-ryeong approached him as if mesmerized. *Damn it,* Jo Sin thought, following behind.
"You truly seem like a different person."
"It's because I usually go around so unkempt."
"Why didn't you go around like this before?"
"What business does a servant have dressing up?"
Seeing the way Jin Ha-ryeong's eyes sparkled toward Geom Mugeuk, Jo Sin's heart grew urgent.
*This isn't right. This isn't it!*
He had to change this situation somehow. He had tried to lift the veil of infatuation from her eyes, only for an even thicker one to fall into place.
Jo Sin sent a neurotic sound transmission to Geom Mugeuk.
—You bastard! Why did you dress up so handsomely!
At that, Geom Mugeuk looked at him. In those eyes that said, *You're the one who told me to dress up like this,* Jo Sin could not retort.
Moreover, he hadn't really dressed up that much. It was just shaving his beard, tidying his hair, and wearing new clothes. But even so, Geom Mugeuk shone.
Jo Sin had to drag Geom Mugeuk down somehow.
"You dressed up to the nines to impress our young lady Jin."
"Yes, I deliberately put on some airs."
As if it sounded like he had put on airs just for her, Jin Ha-ryeong's cheeks flushed slightly.
At that sight, Jo Sin burned with anguish.
*Damn it! This isn't it either.*
He should have looked awkward, like someone forcibly dressed up. But that servant bastard looked like someone who naturally suited such luxurious clothes.
And his actions displayed *I dressed up because I'm attending this banquet* without a hint of shame. That rather made him look like an even more confident person.
"By coincidence, your martial uniform is the same color as young lady Jin's, as if you matched."
"So it is."
Unable to watch that scene any longer, Jo Sin sent a sound transmission to one of his men to have him strike up a conversation with Jin Ha-ryeong.
While Jin Ha-ryeong briefly accepted the man's greeting, Jo Sin took Geom Mugeuk to a corner.
"You crazy bastard! Do you want to die?"
"Why do you ask?"
"Do you want to earn one hundred thousand nyang for opening young lady Jin's eyes today? Or lose one hundred thousand nyang and die by my hand? It's up to you."
"Then what should I do?"
"Do something that makes a woman lose all affection. Put on airs, pick fights with others, cause a drunken scene! You got it?"
Jo Sin truly hadn't expected such words to come out of his own mouth. Had he ever tried to degrade someone so vulgarly? He would have just killed them and been done with it.
But right now, he was impatient. He had to somehow humiliate Geom Mugeuk before a new blind infatuation stuck to her eyes. His irritation had truly reached the top of his head.
"Then give me the money first."
"What?"
"Give me fifty thousand nyang and I'll do it. And another fifty thousand nyang when it's finished."
"You bastard! Do you want to die?"
Jo Sin raised his hand high to strike, but Geom Mugeuk wasn't frightened.
"That's how deals work. I have to make a living too."
"You worn-out piece of trash!"
Just then, Jin Ha-ryeong walked over from that direction. Jo Sin lowered his raised hand and adjusted Geom Mugeuk's clothes.
"Our servant young hero truly looks like a different person."
At that, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
"As I said before, it's all thanks to the young master."
"Honestly, the money was given for our young lady Jin."
"You are truly broad-minded and magnificent."
Geom Mugeuk did not spare his praise for Jo Sin.
Jo Sin felt an uneasy sensation, as if he had opened something that shouldn't have been opened.
But he couldn't back down like this.
Jo Sin changed the subject.
"We plan to make a large investment in the Martial Alliance from our main branch this time."
When Jo Sin brought up work matters, Geom Mugeuk stepped aside.
Jo Sin enthusiastically boasted about his clan and his wealth, but Jin Ha-ryeong's gaze kept turning toward Geom Mugeuk, who was talking with other junior martial artists. Especially when a female martial artist listening to Geom Mugeuk giggled at something amusing, Jin Ha-ryeong clenched her fist.
How could Jo Sin not know her heart?
Even though he had stopped speaking, Jin Ha-ryeong was only looking at Geom Mugeuk.
Jo Sin's expression hardened.
Jin Ha-ryeong suddenly felt a chill and turned her head. Jo Sin was silently staring at Geom Mugeuk. The snake that had disappeared from her heart rose again.
"It's truly a waste for someone like that to be a servant. Don't you think?"
"What can one do about an innate fate?"
Regret was felt in her answer. Jo Sin was truly furious.
*Damn wench! She ignores me this much?*
Needless rage surged up.
He again sent a sound transmission to the junior martial artist he had ordered to talk to Jin Ha-ryeong earlier.
—Provoke a martial arts duel and fight that bastard. Beat him mercilessly when you do.
The junior martial artist who received the sound transmission was Ho Yeong.
Ho Yeong was a person with the ambition of somehow getting into Jo Sin's good graces to expand his clan. Therefore, he accepted the order without hesitation.
Ho Yeong asked Geom Mugeuk.
"I see you wear a sword. Have you learned martial arts?"
"Yes."
"How did a servant learn martial arts?"
"It's because my master is an excellent person."
"Then may I learn a move or two of the martial arts passed down by that excellent person?"
Everyone made curious expressions.
As Jin Ha-ryeong tried to stop them, Jo Sin spoke to her.
"Aren't you curious, young lady Jin? What kind of martial arts and how much that servant has learned?"
Of course, Jin Ha-ryeong was curious too, but her worry took precedence.
"Even so, he wouldn't be at the level to compete with junior martial artists."
"Warrior Ho is a scion of a prestigious clan. He won't injure that servant."
Then Geom Mugeuk spoke to Ho Yeong.
"If we use swords, we might get hurt, so let's compete with fist techniques."
"Very well."
Ho Yeong was internally dumbfounded. He hadn't expected him to agree to fight so readily.
*I'll break at least one place thoroughly.*
If he pretended it was an accident and broke an arm or a leg, Jo Sin would be sufficiently satisfied.
"Then please go easy on me."
"Fine. To think I'd experience a martial arts duel with a servant in my lifetime. Truly a wonderful day."
Ho Yeong was letting his guard down. Showing a nervous demeanor was itself a shameful thing.
Geom Mugeuk dodged Ho Yeong's fist. He didn't dodge it lightly, but narrowly, as if he were about to stumble and fall. Laughter burst out here and there.
Ho Yeong's fist flew again, and this time too, Geom Mugeuk dodged by rolling on the floor. Ho Yeong, pressing Geom Mugeuk as if hunting prey, looked around and laughed.
"This is really dull……"
"Watch out!"
The moment he turned his head at someone's shout.
*Pow!*
Ho Yeong was sent flying by Geom Mugeuk's fist. He had let his guard down and taken a clean blow. Moreover, as he fell, he crashed through a table, and the food there splattered, dirtying Jo Sin's clothes.
Jo Sin, whose anger was already at its peak, couldn't hold back and exploded.
"Goddamn it!"
Meanwhile, Geom Mugeuk ran over and examined the fallen Ho Yeong.
"Fortunately, he isn't seriously injured."
Compared to Geom Mugeuk, who first checked his opponent's injuries, and his own behavior of spewing curses because food had gotten on his clothes, Jo Sin felt awkward. Though no one spoke, contempt was contained in the gazes directed at him.
But what angered him more was that Jin Ha-ryeong didn't even pay him any mind and was only looking at Geom Mugeuk.
"I apologize. I got too excited and—"
Geom Mugeuk apologized to the junior martial artists watching.
Jin Ha-ryeong stepped forward and spoke on their behalf.
"It's nothing to apologize for. The one who didn't concentrate during the duel is at fault."
Everyone nodded at Jin Ha-ryeong's words. At least in this duel, Ho Yeong had let his guard down and been caught, so they couldn't blame Geom Mugeuk for a surprise attack.
Jin Ha-ryeong bid farewell to Jo Sin.
"Well, I'll be leaving now. Come, you come too."
Jin Ha-ryeong took Geom Mugeuk and left the banquet hall. From behind came the sound of something shattering. She didn't know what had broken, but she knew who had broken it.
Geom Mugeuk walked back with Jin Ha-ryeong along a moonlit road.
She was again worried about Geom Mugeuk.
"You've become even more dangerous because of this."
Then Geom Mugeuk suddenly spoke.
"Friend."
Jin Ha-ryeong was startled for a moment.
"Why are you so surprised? Didn't we agree to be friends?"
"No, that's right."
"Friend. You are the granddaughter of the Martial Alliance Lord, the Hobuk Ilmi, and a candidate to win the Soryongjeon. You are most true to yourself and most magnificent when you are proud and elegant. This appearance of worrying about someone every time doesn't suit you."
After a brief pause, Jin Ha-ryeong spoke.
"Then can I trust you? Do you have the confidence not to die miserably at the hands of someone like that for no reason, and not to make me feel guilty for the rest of my life?"
"I do."
"Really? How can I believe that?"
"Because we're friends. Believe a friend's words."
"You said I suit a proud and elegant appearance, but I'm not that kind of woman. I have lots of thoughts, lots of worries, and lots of regrets. I'm timid by nature. I don't like meeting people, and that's why I don't even know how to shake off my wounds. So don't you startle me later."
"Yes, I won't."
It was something absurd, but she found herself believing Geom Mugeuk's words. There was no basis for her belief, yet she believed.
This time, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
"In exchange, promise me one thing."
"What promise?"
"If something strange and inexplicable happens to you as you live your life from now on, promise that you will definitely come find me and tell me."
He hadn't said this solely regarding the matter of this Cheonmyeong Hoe. It was also something he said with the time in mind when signs of that incident would one day reach the Martial Alliance as well.
"A moment like that in my life……"
No matter how much she thought.
"It's right now?"
Then Geom Mugeuk spoke with a faint smile.
"Yes, if something as strange and inexplicable as right now happens, make sure you do. Now, let's head back."
Jin Ha-ryeong silently watched Geom Mugeuk's back as he walked ahead. Suddenly, this thought came to her. As he had said, perhaps it was fine now to show the proud, elegant bearing of the Hobuk Ilmi, rather than needless worries.
She began to walk toward Geom Mugeuk, who was waiting up ahead as if asking why she wasn't coming.