Chapter 698: Did You Know You Had Such Drunken Habits?
Chapter 698: Did You Know You Had Such Drunken Habits?
‘The person she knows and trusts the most?’
If the forces backing her included those already dead, there was no telling who it might be. However, it didn't seem likely she would name a dead person as her most trusted.
What if it were someone living?
One name naturally came to mind: The Sword King, Ak Gun-hak.
Among those who could be the subject of her answer, he was the only one who had survived an encounter with Mu-geuk.
Mu-geuk recalled the final moment he had parted ways with Ak Gun-hak. He saw the man’s back as he walked away, hair tied back tightly, a steel sword and a pair of shoes dangling from his waist. He remembered the man walking barefoot, turning back to look at him from a distance.
— My name is Ak Gun-hak.
He remembered the shout and the way the man had smiled brightly despite the loneliness in his eyes. Seeing how this image always surfaced, Mu-geuk realized he truly missed the man.
‘So, the person you trust most is Ak Gun-hak?’
Through this answer, Geom Mu-geuk understood. She was telling him: I know that you’ve seen through me.
Until now, whether she had suspected it or not, she hadn't shown any sign of it. It was no coincidence that the Secret Casket had reacted. She was throwing down a gauntlet.
Stop me if you can.
Geom Mu-geuk looked at Cha Yi-ran. She was tapping the table and shouting like a martial artist challenging an opponent.
“Come on, bring it on! I’ll take any question!”
At that, Lee An stepped forward. “I’ll ask the next one.”
Since they had agreed to drink before asking, all four emptied their glasses.
“I’ll ask Miss Cha.”
Lee An had been displeased by Cha Yi-ran’s first question, which had probed Mu-geuk’s feelings for her. To ask if he liked her in a place where everyone involved was present, rather than in private? It felt as though Cha Yi-ran was treating Lee An's relationship and feelings for Geom Mu-geuk like a joke.
However, Lee An did not react emotionally. She only felt this oversensitive because she valued the relationship so dearly, and she knew that such a reaction was exactly what her opponent wanted.
Lee An smiled and asked calmly, “I want to ask about that person you trust the most. Does that person know of your trust?”
Cha Yi-ran’s expression stiffened slightly. “Why are you asking about that person?”
“Because of Geom Mu-geuk,” Lee An thought. If it was someone he knew, they were surely important. Lee An wanted to be of even the slightest help to him. Even if she couldn't grasp the details herself, Mu-geuk would be able to sense the woman's minute emotional shifts.
“I’m just curious. From what I’ve seen, Miss Cha, you don’t seem like the type to trust people easily. I wondered what kind of person they must be for you to say you trust them most. I wonder if they know?”
He probably knows. No, he probably doesn't. It was a simple enough answer, but without hesitation, Cha Yi-ran chose to drink three penalty cups instead. She was showing her resolve not to speak of that person at all.
Lee An spoke with an apologetic expression. “I won’t ask about that person anymore.”
“It doesn’t matter. There’s plenty of alcohol. Come on, next!”
Lee An’s question had been useful. From Cha Yi-ran’s reaction, Geom Mu-geuk realized that her feelings for Ak Gun-hak were quite deep.
‘Master, while you were digging in the dirt underground, when did you find the time to steal the heart of such a beautiful woman?’
Next was Bi Sa-in’s turn. “I shall ask Miss Cha.”
Cha Yi-ran laughed. “I’m the only popular one here. Miss Lee might feel left out.”
“I’m not the type to ignore someone who tells me to ‘bring it on.’”
To be honest, Bi Sa-in had nothing he wanted to ask her other than why she was trying to kill his master. However, he singled her out, thinking that knowing even one more thing about Cha Yi-ran might help with the current situation.
“Why do you want to become the World’s Most Beautiful Woman?”
It seemed like a formal question, but it was actually connected to what he was truly curious about. She had planned to become the World’s Most Beautiful Woman to get close to his master and launch a sneak attack. If she were to answer honestly, she would have to say: To kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader.
When Cha Yi-ran hesitated to answer, Lee An smiled and said jokingly, “I jumped in for the prize money.”
But in the end, Cha Yi-ran did not answer.
“Ah, how nice would it be if I had such a simple reason?”
With that, she drank another three penalty cups. She could have easily brushed it off by saying something like, ‘Isn’t it a dream any woman would have at least once?’ At the very least, these penalty drinks proved that she was being incredibly honest and serious about this bet.
After drinking repeatedly, the alcohol began to show on her face. Her tolerance didn't seem particularly high.
“Will you be alright?”
At Geom Mu-geuk’s concern, she spoke gallantly. “Are you actually worried about me? I haven’t even started yet!”
The round of questions finished, and it was Cha Yi-ran’s turn again. Mu-geuk expected her to ask him, but her target was Bi Sa-in.
“I’ll ask the Young Alliance Leader.”
The question was something entirely unexpected. “What does the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader like the most?”
Bi Sa-in was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected her to ask such a thing. Beside him, Lee An also tried her best to calm her racing heart.
“May I ask why you are asking?”
At Bi Sa-in’s query, Cha Yi-ran replied, “I’m just curious. What does the Supreme Master of the Unorthodox Faction like?” She looked at Lee An provocatively. “If I become the World’s Most Beautiful Woman this time, I’ll be meeting him in person at the celebration. It would be helpful to know what he likes, wouldn't it?”
Instead of answering, Bi Sa-in drank the penalty. “How could I dare speak of the Alliance Leader at a drinking table? Please understand why I am taking the penalty.”
He was angry at her audacity in asking about his master, but Bi Sa-in struggled not to let those emotions show.
“I’m sorry. I must have asked an impertinent question.”
“It is fine.”
Geom Mu-geuk could tell. She had thrown that question to see if they knew she was targeting the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader. Her question had been useful as well.
It was Geom Mu-geuk’s turn to ask again. He singled out Cha Yi-ran once more.
“I apologize for making this feel like a gauntlet, but I have another thing I’m curious about, Miss Cha.”
“Questions from Guard Geom are always welcome.”
But it was by no means a welcome question. “Who is the person you fear the most?”
He felt Cha Yi-ran flinch for a moment.
“First you ask who I trust most, and now you ask who I fear most.”
Geom Mu-geuk, the questioner, gave his own answer first. “For me, it is my father.”
Aside from the two questions he had already asked her, there were many other questions where his father would be the answer. The person he liked most, the person he respected most…
Cha Yi-ran eventually picked up the penalty cups again. “Bring it on! Bring it on!”
Lee An followed up on that same line of questioning. “Then I’ll ask a slightly easier one. What is the thing you treasure most, Miss Cha?”
But even this question troubled Cha Yi-ran. “Honestly, you people!” She shook her head as if she hadn't expected such questions when she first suggested the bet. “The thing I treasure most right now is…” Her gaze fell upon her glass. “This alcohol!”
She gave an answer, but as if it wasn't the one she truly wanted to give, she drank the penalty cups again. The sound of her setting down the glass grew louder. Her eyes, clouded by intoxication, began to lose their focus.
Geom Mu-geuk suggested they take a break and drink more slowly, saying to her, “It seems you have lived a very arduous life, Miss Cha. These are questions others would be able to answer without much difficulty.”
Geom Mu-geuk and Cha Yi-ran’s gazes locked in mid-air. Soon, a flicker of sorrow passed through her eyes, and she let out a sigh.
“It hasn't been a smooth life.”
She didn't hide her emotions. It was impossible to tell if she was being sincere or acting drunk.
“Now, let’s go again!”
“Take a break.”
“Bring it on!”
From then on, they didn't necessarily direct their questions only at Cha Yi-ran. Lee An asked Bi Sa-in about his greatest regret, and Geom Mu-geuk asked Lee An what book she had read recently. The order of questions shifted, and sometimes someone would ask twice in a row. They gradually grew more intoxicated.
Though they still harbored wariness toward one another, they fully enjoyed the pleasure of the drinking session. They asked and answered things they might never have brought up otherwise.
As the questions circled round and round, the last intelligible question from Cha Yi-ran was directed at Mu-geuk in a slurred voice. “What is your greatest secret?”
Her drunken eyes seemed to be asking: Who are you, that our organization is being torn apart? Who are you, that he spared your life? Who are you, that I have to go this far? Who are you…
Geom Mu-geuk picked up his glass and spoke in a drunken voice. “In my intoxication, I almost let my secret slip.”
When Mu-geuk drank the penalty, Cha Yi-ran rejoiced. “You’re finally breaking down too! Come on, let’s go!”
The words she said most that night were these: “Bring it all on!”
*
When Cha Yi-ran woke up, she was lying on a bed in a guest room specially prepared at Hwamyeong Pavilion. When she turned her head, Geom Mu-geuk was sitting in a chair beside the bed.
“What did you do to me? You look innocent, but you’re quite devious.”
Geom Mu-geuk asked with an incredulous expression, “Are you pretending not to remember, or do you really not know?”
“Of course!” Cha Yi-ran said with a silly grin. “I’m pretending not to remember.”
“Vomiting, acting out, screaming and cursing at the top of your lungs. Do you remember any of that?”
“In bits and pieces.”
Let’s drink without expelling the alcohol qi!
What on earth had she been thinking when she said that? He didn't know how much of it was intentional, but at the very least, her drunken antics hadn't been an act.
He had experienced many things in his fight against the forces behind the scenes—no, in his entire life before his regression—but this was the first time he had seen an enemy’s drunken habits so vividly. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, as it likely wouldn't happen again.
“Did you know you had such drunken habits?”
Cha Yi-ran shook her head. “Yesterday was the first time I’ve ever drunk that much.”
To think she would have her worst bout of overdrinking in front of her enemies—and in front of the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the Young Alliance Leader of the Unorthodox Path, no less. What if she had said something while blacked out? He had to give her credit for her sheer audacity.
And now, it was time to speak the truths they hadn't shared yesterday.
“Why did you reveal your identity?”
As expected, she didn't try to play dumb. “You already knew about me, didn't you?”
How had she realized that? The only reason he knew about her was because he had known her in his life before the regression.
“How did you know?”
“A woman’s intuition.”
This time, she asked the question. He should have just regarded her as one of the many beautiful women competing in the tournament. “How did you know about me?”
“A man’s intuition.”
Cha Yi-ran laughed enchantingly. “Actually, I feel relieved. It was so frustrating not being able to speak freely until now. Why else do you think I suggested such a bet?”
“But you were the one who drank the most penalty cups.”
“I didn't think you Demonic Cultists would ask such questions. Someone even asked what my childhood dream was, right? Who was that?”
“So you remember everything.”
Cha Yi-ran slowly pushed herself up from the bed. Her clothes were completely crumpled and covered in everything from unidentifiable stains to mud. She must have rolled around on the ground outside.
“I’d believe it if someone said these were martial robes fresh from a battlefield.”
“You underestimate the cleanliness of martial artists.”
She laughed, picked up the water pitcher on the table beside the bed, and gulped it down.
“What if I had put poison in that?”
“If you intended to kill me, you would have done it while I was sleeping.”
Geom Mu-geuk knew. She wasn't the type of person to fall into such a defenseless sleep just because she was drunk. So why had she shown such a weakness?
“Why didn't you kill me?”
“You aren't someone who dies easily. If an easy opportunity to kill you appeared, wouldn't that be a trap?”
At Mu-geuk’s words, Cha Yi-ran set down the pitcher and laughed. “You’re as clever as I heard.”
She stretched and walked to the window to look outside. It was still early dawn.
“Even if you didn't kill me…” As she turned back to look at Mu-geuk, her figure was incredibly voluptuous. No matter how dirty her clothes were, they couldn't mar her beauty. “I thought you might succumb to the alcohol. You had the excuse of helping me change my clothes.”
At her blunt words, Geom Mu-geuk laughed and said, “If you hadn't kept trying to vomit on me, I might have.”
With a faint smile on her lips, Cha Yi-ran formally greeted him. “Young Cult Leader, it’s a pleasure.”
Even with her identity revealed, she remained as confident as ever.
“I’m not the type to leave an enemy alive and invite future trouble. What were you planning?”
It sounded like he was saying he had been waiting to kill her, but she wasn't intimidated. “Then I’ll just die.”
Her eyes didn't show a fear of death. It wasn't so much out of courage, but rather a certainty that Mu-geuk wouldn't kill her.
“The man who came back after fighting you said so.”
He knew 'that man' referred to Ak Gun-hak.
“That you let him go alive.”
Geom Mu-geuk shook his head. “He was the one who spared me and left.”
A smile that said ‘I thought so’ formed on her lips. It was a different kind of smile than the ones she had shown before. Compared to the enchanting smiles that always came out reflexively, this one was slightly stiff and awkward.
But Mu-geuk could feel it. That smile was her true one. And one more thing: she didn't just trust Ak Gun-hak the most; she loved him.
“Has he left?”
Cha Yi-ran was inwardly surprised. Geom Mu-geuk knew he was going to leave. Ak Gun-hak wasn't the type to tell others he was leaving.
‘What did he see in you that he even told you that?’
The wind blowing in from the window fluttered her hair. “He hasn't been able to leave yet.”
Geom Mu-geuk didn't ask further and simply nodded.
“Why don't you ask? Why he hasn't been able to leave.”
If it were an organization one could easily leave, he wouldn't have met the man in that underground place. The man wouldn't have said he was going to leave. How could leaving such a loathsome organization be easy?
Geom Mu-geuk bid her farewell. “Enjoy your hangover cure.”
As Mu-geuk was about to leave, she asked, “Why are you leaving without killing me?”
Geom Mu-geuk looked back at her. Because he hadn't yet discovered the reason she wanted to kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader. And because there was one more thing he had to find out.
“Is it mercy, letting me finish the finals before you kill me?”
At her uncharacteristic display of weakness, Geom Mu-geuk shook his head firmly. “I won the bet after seeing you in such a pathetic state.”
Mu-geuk added as he stepped out of the room, “I can’t very well kill the person who’s supposed to pay for the drinks, can I?”