Chapter 453: What If You’re More Popular Than Your Son?
Chapter 453: What If You’re More Popular Than Your Son?
The safest place in the Murim?
Ju Hyang-wol didn’t take those words as a hollow boast or mere bravado. Instead, she interpreted them differently.
‘This man has such absolute faith in his father.’
She knew that feeling well. She had felt it once, too. To her, her father’s embrace had been the safest place in the world.
Memories of her father began to flicker through her mind like a revolving lantern.
The image of him teaching her martial arts when she was a child.
The way he looked leading the warriors of the Sword House with such majesty.
The sight of his back as he stood alone in the courtyard, gazing up at the moon.
Even the sight of him suffering from illness before his passing.
In all those scenes, she was never the one taking the initiative. She had never been the first to suggest they share a meal, nor had she ever been the first to suggest they go on a trip together, like these people were doing.
When she was young, there were so many things she wanted to do with him, but as she grew older, those desires gradually faded. Even if she did have something she wanted to do, she likely pushed it off until "next time." She had always assumed her father would be by her side forever.
‘Father, I miss you.’
Her gaze turned toward the man who had made her miss her father so much today—the man who had silently reached out and taken charge of the agreement for her.
When she first saw him in front of the inn, an indescribable emotion had surged within her before vanishing. It was a feeling she had never experienced before. Was it because they were destined to share this connection?
She suddenly realized she hadn't properly thanked him. Standing up abruptly, she offered a polite and formal bow.
“I truly thank you for taking charge of the agreement.”
Geom Wu-jin looked up at her.
“It was nothing.”
It was a short, clipped response, but it sounded incredibly reliable and gentle to her ears.
Geom Mu-geuk noticed that the way she looked at his father was far from ordinary. He wouldn't be Geom Mu-geuk if he let a moment like this pass.
— Father, what am I to do if you’re more popular with the ladies than your own son?
At Mu-geuk’s voice transmission, a smirk played on Wu-jin’s lips. Surprisingly, that smirk didn't deny his son's words.
So you’re saying you’re still a man too, Father?
While Mu-geuk watched him with that look in his eyes, Ju Hyang-wol spoke to him.
“Young Master, you seem to be very fond of your father.”
“Can you tell?”
When she nodded, Mu-geuk raised his voice toward his father.
“Did you hear that? The whole world knows how much I love you, Father.”
Of course, this desperate echo didn't reach his father. Geom Wu-jin spoke to Hwi as if he weren't interested.
“Give me some tea.”
Hwi lifted the teapot and respectfully poured tea into Wu-jin’s cup.
Though they sat at the same table, the two of them seemed to exist in a different world.
‘You act like you’re not looking and like you don’t care, yet you read every single word of that agreement!’
That was why every moment of this trip with his father was so enjoyable.
“It’s enough that you recognized it, Miss,” Mu-geuk said.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t even know your name.”
“It’s Geom Yeon.”
He used his usual alias and added the explanation he always gave.
“It’s the character for ‘smoke,’ not ‘fate.’ We’ve met like this, but I’ll vanish like smoke soon enough.”
Mu-geuk then introduced his father and Hwi.
“As you already know, that cold-hearted man is my father, and this gentleman is my uncle.”
Mu-geuk felt Hwi flinch at being introduced as an uncle. Hwi had likely expected to be introduced as a warrior of the family or an escort; he was clearly flustered to be introduced as the father’s brother.
Despite Hwi’s reaction, the father wore an expression that seemed to say Mu-geuk had done well.
Uncle Hwi, you can be my uncle. You are more than qualified for it.
“If there were a competition for being tight-lipped, these two would take first and second place side-by-side,” Mu-geuk joked.
Ju Hyang-wol gave a sympathetic smile. They really were incredibly taciturn. The man introduced as the uncle, in particular, hadn't said a single word. However, she felt one thing: he was seeing and hearing everything.
“Of course, I’m doing enough talking for the three of us.”
Ju Hyang-wol laughed. He certainly was talkative. But soon, her expression turned serious. This was no time to be sitting around laughing, yet she had been doing so without a thought.
In the meantime, the new dishes they had ordered arrived.
The fresh food was placed in front of Ju Hyang-wol, while Mu-geuk ate the leftovers he hadn't finished earlier because of their conversation. His father and Hwi had set aside portions of the food just for him.
Even though time had passed while they talked, the food wasn't cold; it was still warm.
Mu-geuk could tell. His father had used his Heat Yang Energy to keep the remaining food warm.
‘No one would believe me, but I think I really am like my father.’
Throughout this trip, Mu-geuk was seeing new sides of his father, bit by bit.
Ju Hyang-wol ate her food in silence. There was a strange comfort in this setting, but her heart was filled with worry.
How could Mu-geuk fail to read her mind?
“Are you worried?”
“To be honest, I don’t know what to do from here.”
This was a statement that could bring shame to the Ju Clan Sword House. Such concerns should have been shared with her mother or the family’s experts upon her return.
However, she could already picture the situation she would face when she went back. Her mother would be furious that the meeting fell through, but if she told her she had entrusted that important agreement to a total stranger, she would absolutely lose her mind. She could see her mother screaming in anger.
But her mother wouldn't know. The reason Hyang-wol had suspected the alliance with the Imperial Capital Merchant Group was a mistake in the first place was because she didn't trust her mother. It was a distrust born from the way her mother constantly dumped her unfiltered emotions onto her child.
And this time, that distrust had been accurate. Her mother had misjudged the opponent. Furthermore, while she couldn't know their exact intentions, the situation was more serious than ever before.
Because she felt that, she found herself not wanting to leave this place. The moment she stood up from here, that grave situation would become her reality once again. She wanted to lean on these people. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she kept wanting to escape.
“Go back and prepare,” Mu-geuk said.
Ju Hyang-wol, who had been staring silently at her food, looked up at him.
“The opponent has bared their teeth to devour you. Then you must prepare to fight.”
She should have been encouraged by Mu-geuk’s words, but instead, worry took precedence.
“My mother won’t believe me.”
That one sentence allowed Mu-geuk to guess the nature of the relationship between her and her mother. After staring at her for a moment, Mu-geuk said something unexpected.
“Parents don’t usually believe their children. Do you know why?”
“Why?”
“Because they lived through those same years. They watched us through our growing pains—when we talked nonsense, insisted on things, lied, and rebelled. How could they suddenly believe a kid like that just because they say they’ve matured? Even if you tell them you’ve mastered the world’s greatest lightness skill, a parent is someone who still tells you to watch out for carriages when crossing the street. Because they remember us running forward without looking left or right.”
Ju Hyang-wol gave a faint smile.
“You speak like someone who’s raised three children.”
“The relationship between parent and child is a two-way street. We just tend to forget that.”
Why was it? The moment she heard those words, Ju Hyang-wol thought of her mother.
Mu-geuk looked at his father.
“My father doesn't believe me either.”
He was referring to the time Wu-jin had commented on him backing away from a dangerous spot during his Nine Calamities Demonic Art training.
Then, Geom Wu-jin spoke indifferently to Ju Hyang-wol.
“You shouldn't believe that fellow either, Miss.”
At those words, Ju Hyang-wol smiled despite herself.
“That’s too much!” Mu-geuk cried.
Contrary to his words, the look in Mu-geuk’s eyes as he watched his father was soft.
You can take your time believing me. You can believe me after this trip is over, much, much later. It’s fine if you only say ‘I believe you’ five years from now.
Mu-geuk spoke to her again.
“So, go back and talk to your mother.”
“I don’t have the confidence to persuade her.”
“That merchant who left earlier will also be trying to persuade someone when he gets back.”
“What do you mean?”
“Since he failed the agreement today, he’ll have to explain and persuade someone. He’ll ask to be entrusted with the task again, promising he’ll succeed next time. If an enemy in a better position than you is making that kind of effort, why are you trying to give up already?”
“...!”
It was a rebuke she hadn't expected.
“It’s because you’re only thinking with your gut. Don’t do that.”
Mu-geuk stood up, walked over to the table where Hwang In and Hyang-wol had been sitting earlier, and brought back the brush she had been about to use to sign.
“Write it down. What you’ll say and how you’ll say it. How you’ll start, and what you’ll do if your mother reacts like this. Write it all down.”
Ju Hyang-wol looked at Mu-geuk with a startled expression. At first, she thought he was joking, but he was speaking with total sincerity.
“What if it still doesn't work?”
“Write that down too. What you’ll do then.”
“...!”
“It might look easy, but nothing is harder than persuading a person. And among them, persuading family is the hardest. It’s difficult precisely because you know each other too well. So, don’t just try to persuade her; go into it with the mindset of having the conversations you’ve been putting off. Have you ever asked your mother what she’s been worried about lately? Do you even know if she’s eating properly?”
Ju Hyang-wol couldn't say a word. At some point, she had started only looking for her mother’s mistakes while longing for her father.
Ju Hyang-wol stood up. The realization that Hwang In would be trying to persuade someone, and the advice to have a conversation rather than just trying to persuade her mother, made her spring to her feet.
Right. This was no time to be running away. She wouldn't become such a weak person.
“Thank you for the advice.”
She looked at Geom Wu-jin. Once again, her father’s image overlapped with his. Father, I’ll do my best.
“I’m truly grateful for everything today.”
As she turned to leave, she glanced back and spoke.
“By the way, if I want to find the safest vault in the Murim, I can find it, right?”
Mu-geuk laughed and accepted her first joke.
“Look at that face and judge for yourself. For the record, even I can’t open it.”
As if she were actually going to judge, she stared at Geom Wu-jin for a moment before bowing politely and leaving the inn.
Now, only the three men remained.
“Seeing as she has the leeway to make jokes, I think she’ll do well when she gets back.”
Regardless of that, Geom Wu-jin had a different concern.
“The Imperial Capital Merchant Group is not an opponent the Ju Clan Sword House can handle.”
With those words, it was certain. The merchant group was related to the masterminds behind this incident in some way.
“I suppose so.”
“Why did you provoke her when you knew that?”
“We’ll be the ones taking the lead to handle this anyway, but they need to change too. If they don't, they’ll eventually be devoured by someone else.”
He added a silly joke to his explanation.
“She’s a woman who likes you more than me, Father, so I had to help. I really felt your popularity this time. I’m definitely my father’s son!”
Just like before, the joke didn't land. He thought his father might say, “Nonsense!” but instead, Wu-jin wore an expression that seemed to say, “I was quite popular in my younger days.” Truly, no one could match that haughty and self-assured expression of his.
“What will you do now?” Geom Wu-jin asked for his son’s thoughts first.
“They’ll probably come to take the agreement first, right?”
This wasn't a guess made because they were connected to the masterminds. It was because of what Hwang In had said earlier.
— I am a man who is very precise when it comes to settling accounts.
Though disguised behind a merchant’s smile, the man was someone who couldn't stand being in debt.
“Since he seems like a cautious man, he’ll try to dig into our identities first.”
Predictions born from Mu-geuk’s vast experience flowed out smoothly.
“Since he emphasized being a mere merchant, he probably won't step forward himself. He’ll likely hire an information broker to figure out who we are.”
The one thing that could absolutely not be allowed was for his father’s or his own identity to be revealed.
“I plan to reach out to the information brokers in advance. We’ll make sure our fake identities leak to them.”
Geom Wu-jin nodded silently. Watching them, Hwi could feel it: the Cult Leader was satisfied with his son’s judgment.
He had served the Cult Leader for a long time, but he had never seen him show his emotions as clearly as he had lately. Hwi understood this change. Since he was always by his side, he had heard all sorts of reports about Geom Mu-geuk—where he had eliminated someone, and where he had struck down another.
But the Geom Mu-geuk he heard about and the Geom Mu-geuk he experienced in person were completely different.
Through this trip, he was feeling it clearly. The Young Cult Leader was a person whose process shone even brighter than his results. If he had only heard the results of this incident at the Heavenly Demon Hall, he would only have known that the Young Cult Leader helped the Ju Clan Sword House against the schemes of the Imperial Capital Merchant Group.
Then, all these other things would have been omitted.
The fishing bets they made on the way here, the walks and martial arts training with the Cult Leader, the advice he gave to Ju Hyang-wol. Even the way he tried to help Hwi find his own place as an escort.
All those exchanges of emotion would have been left out and unknown. If he hadn't experienced them by his side, he would never have known how brightly they shone.
The Cult Leader was experiencing that son right now. The five years the Young Cult Leader had requested were flowing by even in this moment. Before this trip, Hwi had thought it was an impossible gamble for the Young Cult Leader. He believed the Cult Leader’s heart would never change.
But as they traveled, he felt the thought that he might be wrong growing, bit by bit.
“We’ll disguise ourselves as the West Blade Sect from Gansu.”
Whenever he used the name Geom Yeon, he always used that sect as his cover. Since it was a sect actually operated by the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the disguise became more solid the more one investigated it.
“An Orthodox sect, I see.”
As expected, his father wore a displeased expression.
“When else would you get a chance to play the head of an Orthodox family if not for an opportunity like this?”
Geom Wu-jin snorted and asked, “And then?”
He seemed curious about what choice his son would make.
“The people we’re looking for are behind them, aren't they?”
As if confirming those words, Geom Wu-jin silently waited for the next part.
“Dealing with these people is easier than flipping one’s palm. But if we just deal with them blindly, the masterminds will go into hiding or prepare themselves.”
They had to approach them naturally and dig deep. To do that, the Imperial Capital Merchant Group could actually be an opportunity.
Mu-geuk revealed his plan.
“So, I’m going to have them write one more agreement. An agreement designed to be absolutely advantageous to the stronger side.”
In other words, he was going to lure them into involving the West Blade Sect, the sect they were impersonating.
“And we’ll sign that agreement exactly as it’s written.”