Chapter 705: Isn't That Life Too Dull?
Chapter 705: Isn't That Life Too Dull?
Cha Yi-ran’s expression hardened.
Naturally, she assumed Geom Mu-geuk was lying. To let Ak Gun-hak leave, he would have to fight them—there was no other way.
“You’re saying you’d fight your own people just to let that man go?”
At her disbelief, Geom Mu-geuk replied as if the answer were self-evident. “It seems like reason enough to fight.”
“It isn’t.” She stood up, her chair scraping against the floor. “What kind of fool risks their life just to let someone walk away?”
Their gazes locked.
“Calling me a fool to my face, are we?” He spoke as if joking, but the Young Cult Leader was clearly being sincere.
Because she could feel that sincerity, Cha Yi-ran was genuinely confused. If it were anyone else, she might have understood. But her opponent was the Young Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult—a man who possessed power, martial prowess, wealth, and fame. He was someone who could have the entire Murim if he so desired.
Would such a man truly risk his life for someone who was leaving? And he expected her to believe that?
Right then, 1st Gyo rushed into the room.
She flinched, surprised to see Cha Yi-ran with Geom Mu-geuk. As she hesitated to report, Cha Yi-ran spoke up.
“It’s fine. If it’s urgent enough for you to contact me like this, it’s likely something this man orchestrated anyway.”
However, she hadn't expected the matter to be so grave. Because of the nature of the situation, 1st Gyo delivered the report right in front of Geom Mu-geuk.
“Except for myself and 2nd Gyo, everyone has been taken down by the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests.”
A heavy silence instantly filled the room.
Cha Yi-ran quietly closed her eyes. Even though her anger should have exploded, she neither lashed out nor released any killing intent. She was demonstrating that sometimes, silence is the most powerful expression of emotion. In that stillness, one could feel her rage being forged.
She slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze was incredibly transparent and clear.
“So, you’re telling me you came here to say these things to me after killing all my subordinates?”
Geom Mu-geuk felt a massive surge of anger beneath her deceptively calm words. It was the first time he had glimpsed a facet of Cha Yi-ran as a true assassin.
He immediately cleared up the misunderstanding. “They are alive.”
Though he hadn't confirmed it himself, he trusted the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon and the Faceless Guests.
Cha Yi-ran, however, did not believe him. As she looked at 1st Gyo, the rest of the report followed.
“Judging by the distress signals from multiple locations, it appears they were attacked and captured simultaneously. Their current status is unknown.”
Since he wasn't one to let unnecessary misunderstandings linger, Geom Mu-geuk spoke with emphasis. “They are not dead.”
“Where are they now?”
“The Smiling Demon has them.”
Judging by what she had seen of him so far, Cha Yi-ran felt that Geom Mu-geuk was telling the truth. At the very least, he wasn't the type of person to lie about such a thing.
Cha Yi-ran dismissed 1st Gyo for the moment. “Wait outside.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
Once they were alone, Cha Yi-ran asked, “You could have killed them all. Why did you spare them?”
Geom Mu-geuk stared at her and answered, “Because of you.”
It was an unexpected answer, but Cha Yi-ran remained composed as she stared back. “What does that mean?”
Geom Mu-geuk spoke honestly. “I was worried that he might like you.”
“...!”
Only now could she understand why Geom Mu-geuk had found her faster than she had anticipated. He had a clear purpose.
“You came to find out if Ak Gun-hak liked me. Because if we liked each other, you couldn't kill my subordinates.”
As Geom Mu-geuk nodded, a thought occurred to Cha Yi-ran along with the relief that her subordinates might be safe. If that were true, then his claim that he would fight to let Ak Gun-hak leave might also be sincere.
Would you really risk your life, Young Cult Leader, for that man?
Was such a thing truly possible? To go this far for someone you met as an enemy and then parted ways with?
And at this moment, the biggest problem was this:
“Now that you’ve confirmed he doesn't like me, I suppose you’ll kill them all now.”
“Wouldn't I have to do that to stop you?”
The air around them grew cold as a taut tension hung between them.
“Didn't you come all the way here to kill the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader? Even if the final stage doesn't happen, you’ll try to kill him one way or another.”
Cha Yi-ran admitted it readily. “Because that is my mission.”
She was surprisingly honest.
“I cannot stand by and watch that happen.”
Geom Mu-geuk slowly gripped the hilt of the Black Demonic Sword. Even in a situation where the sword could be drawn at any second, she did not back down a single step.
“Are you not afraid of dying?”
At Geom Mu-geuk’s question, her transparent eyes shone even brighter.
“If you kill people for money but fear your own death, wouldn't that life be too dull?”
Geom Mu-geuk could feel it. To her, life and death were already one. She did not fear death. Perhaps that was why she could act so drunkenly and throw such a fit in front of him.
“What are you doing? Why aren't you cutting me down?”
Geom Mu-geuk took his hand off the hilt.
At that, a captivating smile formed on Cha Yi-ran’s previously cold face. Her emotions shifted so instantaneously that it felt as if a different woman was standing before him.
“You can't cut me because I'm too pretty, right?”
She had returned to being the seductive Cha Yi-ran.
“I wouldn't want to get blood on your new clothes.” Geom Mu-geuk had no intention of drawing his sword in the first place.
“Kill me while you can. Don't regret it later.”
“Couldn't I also feel relieved later, thinking, 'I'm glad I spared her then'?” Geom Mu-geuk turned around, showing her his back. “Let’s go out and walk for a bit.”
Cha Yi-ran stared at Geom Mu-geuk, who was exposing his back to her in this situation, before following him out.
The two walked side by side through the marketplace. The tension that had existed between them was masked by the smell of dumplings wafting from ahead.
“Aren't you hungry?”
“You wouldn't be saying that if your subordinates were held hostage.”
Geom Mu-geuk stopped in front of a dumpling cart, but she kept walking.
Following behind her, Geom Mu-geuk said, “Even if you don't eat dumplings, let’s let that man leave.”
To think he would compare eating dumplings to such a matter.
“Go ahead then.”
“Let’s do it together.”
“Why do you keep trying to drag me into this?”
“Because you like him.”
Cha Yi-ran stopped in her tracks. Naturally, Geom Mu-geuk stopped as well.
“What about him?”
He didn't even know that she liked him.
“If you help him, he’ll probably think, 'Huh? Why is this woman helping me?'” Since it would be a matter of risking one's life, his surprise would be even greater. “When that happens, smile first. Not the smile you give me, but your real smile.”
My real smile? Wondering what he meant, Cha Yi-ran looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a puzzled gaze.
“When I told you I didn't kill that man but that he spared me and left, you smiled. It was an awkward, stiff smile. But that smile suited you so well. Just as those martial robes from earlier suited you better than these clothes.”
It was something she had never considered. She had such an awkward smile? And those plain martial robes suited her better than this dress?
“You’re trying everything you can to make me drop out of the final stage.”
Geom Mu-geuk laughed and continued. “You have to give him that smile. That man will realize in an instant that the seductive smile you give me is fake. Give him a real smile and say this.”
She wondered what on earth he was going to say.
“'Since this is also a twist of fate, why don't we have a cup of tea?'”
Cha Yi-ran was so dumbfounded that a hollow laugh escaped her. But Geom Mu-geuk remained serious until the very end.
“If he says no, take off your shoes and chase after him.”
Finally, she blurted out, “Are you a madman?”
It was directed at the Young Cult Leader, but it was also what she thought Ak Gun-hak would say to her if she actually did such a thing.
“I hear that often.” Geom Mu-geuk laughed out loud.
Cha Yi-ran recalled the image of Geom Mu-geuk standing in the alleyway last night, smiling as he watched her leave. It seemed it wasn't just his mouth that had been itching all this time. He laughed so well that she wondered how he had ever held it in.
“The most dangerous people in this Murim are those who laugh as well as you do.”
“Then you're all in big trouble. Because this time, I've brought someone who laughs very well indeed.”
Cha Yi-ran knew he was referring to the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon.
“I’ll have to see for myself just how cheap that laughter is.” She was saying she would check for herself if her subordinates were safe.
*
Despite 5th Gyo’s pointing it out, 17th Gyo stared at the Crescent-Moon Faceless Guest again. This time, it wasn't of her own volition.
The man, who had been looking out the window, tapped on the wall again to draw everyone's attention. This time was different from before. The tapping sound was peculiar.
At that sound, all the Faceless Guests reacted in unison. The Faceless Guest who had been dozing in a crouch in the corner sprang up, and the one leaning against the far wall leaped over. The one who had been maintaining his weapons moved as if a war had just broken out.
Just like that, all the Faceless Guests, who had been doing their own thing, lined up behind the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. Soon after, the door opened and Geom Mu-geuk entered.
“I greet the Young Cult Leader.”
At the Smiling Demon’s greeting, the Faceless Guests also performed a fist salute in perfect unison.
Clack-clack-clack-clack!
Their movements were so disciplined that it was hard to believe these were the same people who had been staring blankly out windows or dozing in corners moments ago.
Geom Mu-geuk politely returned the salute to the Smiling Demon. “I greet the Lord Smiling Demon.”
Cha Yi-ran entered immediately after. The assassin women were startled. Had she finally come to rescue them? But Geom Mu-geuk had entered so casually and exchanged greetings.
The thought that even she had been captured sent them all into a state of shock and despair. It was unbelievable—that the great Cha Yi-ran had been caught.
Then, Geom Mu-geuk spoke to them. “Don't misunderstand. I’m the one who was captured by this woman.”
While everyone was puzzled by his incomprehensible words, Cha Yi-ran walked toward them. Her gaze went to her subordinates' necks.
Blood threads, drawn at the same spot and with the same length.
Those lines spoke of the skill of the one who drew them in a single stroke. Because she knew their skills so well, the lines were even more vivid to her.
Cha Yi-ran said to her subordinates, “See? Because you didn't commit suicide and instead grit your teeth, you get to see me again.”
At those words, the assassins' expressions softened slightly. So Cha Yi-ran wasn't captured?
Then, Geom Mu-geuk quickly took the credit. “You really brought them here without anyone getting hurt. As expected! You are truly amazing!”
Of course, there were three or four assassins who had been injured while resisting to the end, but considering the total number, it was fair to say they had been brought here with great care.
Cha Yi-ran’s gaze turned toward the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. It was likely because he was following the Young Cult Leader’s orders, but she was grateful that he had suppressed and brought them here without injury. Especially since it was the Smiling Demon of all people.
She conveyed her gratitude with her eyes. Though she had said she came to see the Smiling Demon’s cheap laughter, she had no desire to actually see it. She knew all too well when he usually laughed.
She had to make a decision. If she didn't help Geom Mu-geuk, they would all die. Even if the Young Cult Leader tried to spare them, that Smiling Demon wouldn't just stand by. To save them, she would have to fight her own organization.
As she agonized, Geom Mu-geuk’s voice transmission reached her.
— Take your subordinates and go.
Startled, Cha Yi-ran looked back at Geom Mu-geuk. His gaze was serious, showing he wasn't joking. He was releasing them without any conditions?
— Are you serious?
The reason was also very much like Geom Mu-geuk.
— I am. Their leader came in person; I can't just have you leave your subordinates behind and lose face, can I?
He meant he would protect her authority.
— I could take these released subordinates and still assassinate the Unorthodox Path Alliance Leader.
— Then most of the subordinates here will die. Regardless of whether you succeed or not.
— I would use them as sacrifices to ensure my success.
Geom Mu-geuk nodded.
— Perhaps you would.
But she could feel it. Geom Mu-geuk was certain that such a thing wouldn't happen.
— Why do you think I won't do it?
— Because if you were that kind of person, you wouldn't have risked coming here to check if your subordinates were alive.
The same went for the planned ambush on the Alliance Leader. Only she, having become the World’s Most Beautiful Woman, could attend the celebratory feast where the Alliance Leader would be present.
Because she couldn't understand him, she had to ask again.
— Why are you showing me such kindness?
— Because I want to get on your good side.
— And after you get on my good side?
— Then you’ll have to let that man leave.
— You really are persistent.
— Aren't madmen usually persistent?
Cha Yi-ran stared into Geom Mu-geuk’s eyes. Since everyone knew the two were conversing via voice transmission, they all watched them without even daring to breathe loudly.
Geom Mu-geuk said to the Faceless Guests, “Release their acupoints.”
At his command, the Faceless Guests stepped forward and released their Mute and Demonic Acupoints.
Cha Yi-ran didn't say anything else to them. “Let’s go.”
The assassins followed her quietly. They didn't know what kind of deal had been made, but Cha Yi-ran had saved them. Thinking she must have paid a great price, none of them could show their joy.
At the entrance, Cha Yi-ran looked back at Geom Mu-geuk.
— You lost out on this deal. I wouldn't have given up on my subordinates.
She meant she would have agreed to any demand. There was no way the sharp-witted Young Cult Leader didn't know that.
— I have plenty, so I can afford a loss of this magnitude.
Geom Mu-geuk added with a smile.
— If you fight by taking hostage what your opponent can never give up... wouldn't that life be too dull?
After staring at Geom Mu-geuk for a moment, Cha Yi-ran turned around and left without a word.
Once they had all departed, Geom Mu-geuk apologized to the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon. “I’m sorry, after you went through the trouble of capturing them.”
The Smiling Demon didn't ask why he had released them. He simply smiled at Geom Mu-geuk and then looked back at the Faceless Guests standing behind him.
Knowing what the Demon Lord’s intent was, the Faceless Guests performed a fist salute in unison.
Before them, the Extreme Evil Smiling Demon also politely saluted and said, “Just give the command. I will capture them a hundred times over.”