Ian was wearing a bamboo hat with a veil hanging from it.
As she drew nearer and nearer, Jin Haryeong’s eyes grew wider and wider. She had a slender yet sensual figure, one truly not easily seen.
Even so, Haryeong still had some composure left.
Ian walked up before the two of them and slowly removed her bamboo hat.
The moment she saw Ian’s face, Jin Haryeong was shocked.
Haryeong had confidence in her looks. No matter how beautiful a woman might be, once she stood before Haryeong, she was bound to seem ordinary.
But this opponent was different. Her features were clear and refreshing, her eyes bright, and light seemed to shine from her supple skin.
She was so alluringly beautiful that one could scarcely believe it was allowed.
The reason Haryeong was more astonished and admiring than ordinary people would have been was because, when it came to beauty, Jin Haryeong herself understood it better than anyone.
She had been compared to others countless times, and she had met many beautiful women. That was why she knew. It was not easy to be that beautiful.
And there was one thing more.
There was something that made Ian perfect. It was Ian’s aura. Her aura was gentle, yet intense. Looking at her, Haryeong felt as though she were gazing upon a single plum blossom blooming on a snowy day.
‘She’s an expert!’
No young rising talent she had ever seen had possessed an aura like this. It was an aura that overwhelmed not only them, but even Haryeong herself.
‘She’s stronger than I am.’
She was this beautiful, and even her martial arts were powerful? Surely her personality couldn’t be good too, could it? Her voice must be strange, right? Haryeong found herself thinking such utterly pointless thoughts.
While she was lost in thought, Ian smiled and greeted her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ian.”
Jade beads rolled across a tray. Since her personality was still unknown, judging only by outward elements for now, she was perfect.
“I’m Jin Haryeong.”
Jin Haryeong’s voice trembled slightly. She had not trembled even while giving a speech before all those young rising talents earlier, yet in this moment, she did.
Ian, on the other hand, was facing the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader, yet every word she spoke was brimming with confidence.
“I’ve heard a great deal about you. It’s an honor to meet someone so esteemed. You’re truly beautiful. This is my first time meeting someone so beautiful.”
One phrase surfaced in Jin Haryeong’s mind.
‘Look who’s talking!’
To think the day would come when she would be outshone in looks.
Her startled gaze turned toward Geom Mugeuk. Geom Mugeuk looked so smugly proud that it was annoying.
“This is the kind of man I am.”
Jin Haryeong confirmed it again, as if she could not believe it.
“She’s really your girlfriend?”
At the word girlfriend, this time Ian looked at Geom Mugeuk in surprise.
“She looked down on me for not having a girlfriend, so I told her I did.”
Jin Haryeong’s heart pounded in her own way, and Ian’s in hers.
“So is she your girlfriend or not?”
Just as Geom Mugeuk was about to answer, Ian replied.
“No.”
At that very moment, Jin Haryeong felt an inexplicable sense of relief.
“We’re much closer than girlfriend and boyfriend.”
Jin Haryeong flinched in surprise.
It was a brief reaction, but Ian was able to sense it.
‘Lady Jin likes the young master.’
It was an intuition she could feel because they were both women.
The Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the granddaughter of the Murim Alliance Leader.
‘The condition every man in the world would desire has, at least in a relationship with the young master, become the worst possible condition.’
Ian smiled and said,
“I’ve served him as his guard since we were young. I only said that because I’ve known him for a very long time.”
At that, Jin Haryeong glanced at Geom Mugeuk and said,
“It must have been difficult, serving that man.”
“It wasn’t easy.”
When the two women looked at him at the same time, Geom Mugeuk smiled and said,
“People naturally become close faster when they have a common enemy.”
Then Jin Haryeong asked provocatively,
“Is he really a common enemy?”
“What do you mean?”
Jin Haryeong said to Ian,
“If he saw you as a subordinate, I don’t think the word girlfriend would ever have come out of that man’s mouth.”
At those words, spoken as if probing for no particular reason, Ian replied firmly.
“You misunderstand. To me, he is the esteemed Young Cult Leader, and I have never dared harbor such feelings.”
Her feelings of liking Geom Mugeuk were deeper than anyone’s. But she was a mere guard, while Geom Mugeuk was of the Heavenly Demon’s bloodline. She herself was even completely alone in the world, without knowing who her parents were.
“You never know what will happen in the world.”
Jin Haryeong’s words were directed at Ian, and perhaps also at herself.
Just as Ian had sensed Jin Haryeong’s fondness for Geom Mugeuk, Jin Haryeong also sensed that Ian liked Geom Mugeuk.
For a very brief moment, a strange current flowed between the two women.
Jin Haryeong said to Geom Mugeuk,
“Anyway, I’ll take back calling you a braggart.”
“Then that’s settled. My credibility has been restored.”
Soon after, Geom Mugeuk revealed the reason he had brought Ian.
“I didn’t bring Ian here to make the two of you compete over beauty.”
“Then why?”
The reason was entirely unexpected.
“I brought my friend to introduce her to another friend. I thought the two of you would get along well.”
The words “another friend” flew into Jin Haryeong’s heart.
‘So he really did think of me as a friend.’
It was a strange feeling, pleasant yet a little disappointing.
After introducing the two women to each other like that, Geom Mugeuk got to the point.
“Where is Unit Leader Jin?”
“Why do you ask about my brother?”
“Wasn’t he the reason you called me?”
“How did you know?”
Really, this man no longer even surprised her.
“Your brother must have asked you to arrange a chance meeting with me.”
“How did you know that too? Don’t tell me. Are you watching us? Did you plant people around me?”
Because it was sincere and not a joke, the words instead made Geom Mugeuk laugh.
“I truly wish I had spies that capable. The problem is, people that skilled don’t become spies.”
That meant Geom Mugeuk had figured it out through deduction. Yes, it was because he was such a person that her brother had asked for his help.
“Do you think of me as a friend?”
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“Then promise me one thing. Don’t hurt my brother. If you’re going to do that, kill me instead. Understood?”
Geom Mugeuk said to Ian,
“Did you hear that? If I give an order to kill Unit Leader Jin, then you should kill this person here.”
“You introduced us so we could be friends, and yet isn’t that a rather cruel order?”
At Ian’s words, Jin Haryeong smiled faintly.
“My brother is in the guest room at the end of the rear garden over there. If I send word, he’s waiting to come out and meet you.”
“I’ll go meet him.”
“My brother’s pride will be wounded.”
“If he wanted to protect his pride, he wouldn’t have called me in the first place. Then I’ll see you later.”
After saying that, Geom Mugeuk walked toward the place Jin Haryeong had told him about.
When only the two of them remained, an awkward silence flowed between the women for a moment.
Jin Haryeong asked Ian,
“Would you like to go to the banquet together?”
If the two beautiful women returned to the banquet hall together, it would truly cause an uproar.
Ian politely declined.
“Please invite me next time. Today, I don’t think it’s a place I should attend.”
“Yes, then I’ll see you next time.”
They exchanged polite greetings with fist salutes.
After walking a few steps, Jin Haryeong looked back at Ian.
“Will we be able to meet again?”
Jin Haryeong felt curious about Ian. She wondered what kind of woman she was, and she was also curious how the Geom Mugeuk Ian knew differed from the Geom Mugeuk she herself knew. The fact that Ian was beautiful also drew her in even more.
“Of course. I will always be with the young master. If you wish to see me, please seek out the young master.”
“I will.”
Jin Haryeong returned to the banquet hall, and Ian quietly disappeared into the shadows.
* * *
Jin Hagun was waiting in the guest room.
When his sister contacted him, he intended to go there naturally and meet Geom Mugeuk. It would not be strange for him to participate in a gathering of young rising talents.
‘This is madness.’
What would happen if his master found out? Their relationship would probably become irreparable. If his grandfather found out? He, too, would surely be deeply disappointed. A problem had arisen, yet instead of resolving it himself, he had dragged in a demonic cultist. Even knowing that, he had drawn Geom Mugeuk in. That was how great a sense of crisis he felt.
It was just then.
Someone passing by the window stopped in his tracks and looked inside.
The person whose eyes met Jin Hagun’s was Geom Mugeuk.
“Unit Leader Jin! Why are you here? I was attending the gathering because your sister invited me. I was looking for the privy, but what a coincidence this is. As expected, it seems we are bound together by fate.”
Jin Hagun, who had been staring at Geom Mugeuk, soon let out a sigh.
“Stop with the absurd acting and come in.”
Geom Mugeuk laughed and entered the room.
“How did you know?”
“Because if my sister hadn’t told you, there’s no way you and I would meet here. You’re not the sort of person who wanders around because he can’t find the privy, are you? And you are even less the sort of person one would coincidentally run into like this.”
“As expected! Our Unit Leader Jin is clever. Later, if we’re going to strike the Murim Alliance, we’ll have to rack our brains tremendously too.”
“I’m not in the mood to indulge your jokes right now. So stop.”
Jin Hagun was worried how this moment would be remembered in his life. Would it begin with, “It was a truly foolish choice,” or would it begin with, “If not for that choice then, I would not be who I am now”? He was standing at that crossroads.
“How did you know I was the one who called you?”
“Because I know how important the Murim Alliance is to you.”
“What do you know about me?”
“You’re someone who even gave up Cheonhwa Sect in order to become the Alliance Leader, are you not? That one fact alone tells me how badly you want to become the Murim Alliance Leader.”
Jin Hagun accepted those words with silence.
“Does it trouble you that you called me here? You don’t need to worry about that.”
Jin Hagun waited for his next words with an expression asking what he meant.
Then unexpected words flowed from Geom Mugeuk.
“You are not yet the successor, are you? If a successor had called another successor, that could certainly become a problem. But right now, the leader of the Demon Annihilation Unit called his sister’s friend. He did not call me hoping for help, but because there was something he needed to investigate.”
“Then you came because a mere unit leader of the Murim Alliance, not even a successor, called you? You, the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult?”
“I’m fine. I’m a broad-minded man.”
“You say that so easily with your own mouth.”
“If I don’t tell you, how will you know I’m this broad-minded? You’d be too busy worrying about the eyes of the world when you don’t need to.”
“Truly, you are…”
“A man who knows how to praise himself and insult the other party at the same time.”
How could anyone match Geom Mugeuk with words? In the end, Jin Hagun could only shake his head with an expression that said there was no stopping him.
Geom Mugeuk stood, poured tea from the pot on the table in the corner, and asked,
“Why did you call me?”
When it came time to answer, Jin Hagun hesitated. Should he truly speak about his master? About no one else, but his master.
Geom Mugeuk brought over two cups of tea. The sight was so natural that it seemed almost as though Geom Mugeuk were the one receiving Jin Hagun.
“I’ll try to guess why you called me.”
After looking down at the teacup for a moment, Geom Mugeuk suddenly said,
“You are afraid you may end up killing that person with your own hands.”
“!”
In that instant, Jin Hagun’s eyes flew wide open.
“You called me because you cannot bring yourself to kill him. To use me as your blade.”
They were words Jin Hagun had never expected, yet at the same time, they struck the heart of the matter.
Jin Hagun admitted that, deep in his heart, the words Geom Mugeuk had once spoken had come to mind. That in the end, he might have to kill his master. Once that premonition arose, it had never left his heart.
“Why did you not tell the Alliance Leader about something this important?”
At Geom Mugeuk’s serious gaze, Jin Hagun felt that the time had come to reveal everything.
“Because he would not believe me. Even if he did, I thought that person would notice first in the process of handling this matter. There must be many people within the Alliance who serve as his eyes and ears.”
“Who is that person?”
Jin Hagun finally revealed the existence of that person.
“My master.”
Even Geom Mugeuk was hearing of his master for the first time.
“You had a master?”
“You would not know, because it is not known to the outside. My master was extremely averse to being known to the world.”
One thing was certain. When the Murim Alliance Leader’s Hall had been pushed back by Hwa Mugi and the Murim Alliance Leader and all his blood kin had died, his master had not been among the victims. At the very least, he was not someone who would die protecting his disciple.
“Through this incident, I realized it. That my master is strange.”
“Indeed. Masters are always strange. Mine is trying to bring down a cliff with his fists.”
Whether Geom Mugeuk was joking or serious, that was truly how he felt.
“I would rather he were strange in that way.”
“How was he strange? Tell me in detail.”
“I have no solid proof. Just a feeling. And yet I called you… so perhaps I’m the strange one after all.”
“You’re not strange. It’s because you’re too clever.”
At Geom Mugeuk’s words, Jin Hagun raised his head.
“What do you mean?”
“Even to me, this affair was certainly strange. To begin with, it was odd that the Cheonhwa Sect Leader sought help from your side.”
“Isn’t it possible my master and the Cheonhwa Sect Leader were close?”
“Then let me ask you one thing. Did your master mention revenge?”
Jin Hagun’s heart sank for an instant. Because he had been focusing on the sense of incongruity around his master, he had missed that point.
Jin Hagun shook his head. And that was not the only thing he had missed.
“Did he mourn the Cheonhwa Sect Leader’s death? No, did he even ask who killed him?”
There had been no mourning, nor had he asked who had killed him. Why hadn’t he thought of that? It was truly such a basic thing. Suddenly, he recalled what Geom Mugeuk had said.
—Isn’t it precisely because he’s someone close to you that you fail to see it?
When something happens, rather than such objective judgments, countless memories of the past and one’s relationship with that person are bound to come to mind first.
“So what did your master say?”
“He said we should take back the Cheonhwa Sect. He told me to find a way.”
“With a relationship no deeper than this, why did the Cheonhwa Sect Leader ask your master for help? Just what kind of relationship was it? Even viewed objectively, isn’t it strange? The master of the Murim Alliance Leader’s grandson is in some incomprehensible relationship with the Cheonhwa Sect Leader, who is within the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult’s sphere of influence? Your instincts worked well. And your choice to call me was excellent.”
Geom Mugeuk’s barrage of praise continued.
“That is why I look forward to the day you become Alliance Leader. I want to stand with a wise man like you.”
Geom Mugeuk was endlessly provoking him. Then again, he was the sort of man who could shake people like this; so in the moment of crisis, it made sense that he had been the first to come to mind. That he had even come into his dreams and given him faith.
Jin Hagun no longer hesitated or wavered.
“What should I do now?”
To the very end, Geom Mugeuk was the spokesman for Jin Hagun’s heart.
“Since they tried to play with you, shouldn’t you become a dangerous toy for them?”