Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: I Can't Stand Leaving Things Unfinished (2)
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“Ugh… I’m dying, I really am.”
Wi Hongryeon's face, with her cheeks sunken in, was quite a sight.
Although most of her external and internal injuries had been treated, her body was still covered in bandages. But the haggard look on her face wasn't just due to her unhealed wounds.
Wi Hongryeon glanced to the side.
Seo Ryang sat languidly with his fingers interlaced, looking relaxed, while Ma Dongpil had his eyes closed, exuding his usual stoic aura.
A weary expression appeared on Wi Hongryeon's face.
“Aren't you tired, Young Master?”
“*Yawn!* Of what?”
“The interrogation.”
“What's so tiring about that? All you have to do is answer their questions one by one.”
“Right. The problem is they fire the same questions at you hundreds of times.”
Seo Ryang chuckled.
Assassins were the epitome of patience. Until his martial arts had reached a certain level of mastery, his life had been one of pure endurance.
Naturally, an interrogation of this level was nothing. He had once waited for a target for ten days in the same position, drinking only water. What was a mere three-day interrogation in comparison?
“Well, I can understand you, Young Master.”
Wi Hongryeon's expression soured.
“But why are you so relaxed? Aren't you tired?”
Ma Dongpil opened his eyes.
There wasn't a hint of fatigue in them. Unlike Seo Ryang, he hadn't slept a wink in three days, yet his eyes weren't even bloodshot.
“It is perfectly bearable.”
“Wow, you call that bearable?”
“Staying awake for three days and nights to protect a charge is nothing. This is a safe interrogation, so there is no reason I cannot endure it.”
An assassin and a bodyguard are opposite professions.
But if there was one thing they had in common, it was the need to cultivate extreme patience and tension.
An assassin strives to break through the bodyguard's defense to eliminate the target, while a bodyguard must be prepared for the assassin's blade, which could come from anywhere.
Seo Ryang was known as the king of the assassination world, and Ma Dongpil was an exceptionally talented bodyguard. To them, the three-day interrogation was, with a slight exaggeration, almost like a vacation.
Wi Hongryeon shook her head.
“I really don't get you people.”
Seo Ryang chuckled.
“The ones who won't get it are the guys in the room next to us.”
“*Hehe.*”
Wi Hongryeon gave a thumbs-up. Just moments ago, she looked like she was about to die, but now her face was full of glee.
“By the way, that was amazing.”
“What was?”
“You completely sent those guys—no, the Fourth Young Master and Song Gyeong—packing right in front of that Seventh Captain or whatever his name was. It was so satisfying to watch.”
Seo Ryang glared.
“Is that what matters right now? Because of you, a situation that could have been handled simply was blown way out of proportion.”
“But thanks to that, you landed a solid blow, didn't you?”
“I was lucky.”
“It didn't seem like simple luck to me. The way you talked back then was absolutely killer.”
Ma Dongpil's gaze turned cold.
“You are in the Third Young Master's presence. Watch your mouth.”
“Alright, you boring bastard.”
After briskly shutting Ma Dongpil down, Wi Hongryeon turned back to Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang shook his head.
“It wasn't about my words. I was only able to push them because of my status as the Third Young Master.”
“But the result was good, wasn't it?”
“That's true.”
“What do you think will happen now?”
“Well…”
Ma Dongpil, also curious, looked at Seo Ryang.
Seo Ryang, who seemed lost in thought, soon scratched his head.
“I don't really know either.”
“What? Why?”
“What do you mean, 'why'? Am I some kind of fortune-teller? How would I know what's going to happen?”
“But you seem to know everything so well.”
“Know everything, my ass.”
Seo Ryang drank the water on the table. It was so cold it felt like it would freeze his throat and stomach.
“I just did my best to create the situation I wanted. If I could see the future, I would've known you'd act so recklessly.”
“That's true.”
“But if we're making predictions for fun…”
Seo Ryang stroked his chin. It had grown quite rough from three days without shaving.
“That guy Hong Wi-mun will probably go back to his residence after the interrogation.”
The two nodded in agreement. The only difference was that while Ma Dongpil remained expressionless, Wi Hongryeon's face twisted as if she'd seen a ghost.
“As long as they don't commit treason or a comparable crime, even the Hall of Punishments can't easily touch the disciples.”
“That makes sense.”
Seo Ryang thought it was because of the illusory power of their status, but Ma Dongpil and Wi Hongryeon didn't see it that way.
The Cult Leader's disciples had no real power, and everyone in the cult knew it. Their status was high, but they held no official positions.
Yet, they were rarely held accountable for their sins simply because they were the ones chosen by the god. Unlike ordinary cultists, they existed somewhat outside the bounds of the law.
At least, that's how it appeared on the surface.
“From what I can tell, Hong Wi-mun isn't the type to forget a grudge. He's smart enough, but he has no patience for things like this. Besides, he's been beaten by me repeatedly. When he gets back this time, he'll draw his sword in earnest very soon.”
Wi Hongryeon clicked her tongue.
“You mean he wasn't serious before?”
“He was serious. But this time, an all-out offensive will come our way.”
“Will he really try to see it through to the end?”
“Why wouldn't he? He was utterly humiliated in front of the Lord of the Garden of Joy, his own retainers, and now the Vice Head of the Hall of Punishments.”
“…”
“He's past the point of weighing his options. Forget his anger; he can't let this go because of how it looks to others.”
Ma Dongpil, who had never thought deeply about such social dynamics, looked completely lost.
But Wi Hongryeon agreed with Seo Ryang.
“Appearances, yes, those are important.”
Constantly worrying about how others see you will ruin your life.
But for those who dream of power, nothing is more important than face. If Hong Wi-mun didn't make a statement this time, he would surely be pushed further away from power.
“The Vice Head of the Hall of Punishments, what was his name again? Geum something?”
“Geum Seongju?”
“Right, Geum Seongju. We don't need to worry about him. The Hall of Punishments will deal with him.”
“Even if they don't, he's just a minor player. Not worth our attention.”
“Right, good observation.”
“So we only need to be wary of the Fourth Young Master?”
“That's…”
Seo Ryang stopped mid-sentence and stared at Wi Hongryeon.
Wi Hongryeon's expression became awkward.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Don't tell me you're planning to stick with us?”
“…Pardon?”
“Your job is done, isn't it? You caught Song Gyeong, and you landed a blow on the Fourth.”
“…!”
“The bribe you took, that'll be buried too. Unless Hong Wi-mun is an idiot, he's not going to add another petty charge while he's already on the defensive, is he?”
Seo Ryang scratched his head.
“I think our little venture ends here.”
“…”
“You said the outing was for five days, right? Doesn't it end today?”
“W-well, yes, but.”
Seo Ryang pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling.
A moment later, the door opened, and a member of the Hall of Punishments entered.
“You called, Third Young Master.”
“Shouldn't it be about time to let Commander Wi go?”
“Pardon?”
“She's the victim here. The interrogation is over, so why tire her out? You should just let her go, don't you think?”
“Ah, about that…”
“Besides, the Berserk Demon Unit's outing ends today. They have to be back in the field tomorrow. Does it make sense to keep someone who isn't even a suspect here?”
“…”
“Talk to your superiors. Tell them to let this woman go. If there's a need for further questioning, you can summon her then, right? Besides, I and the Third Team Leader of the Hall of Protectors will still be here.”
The member of the Hall of Punishments, lost in thought, bowed his head.
“I will report to my superiors. An answer should come shortly. Please wait a moment.”
“Yeah, thanks for your trouble.”
After the man left, a subtle silence filled the room.
Ma Dongpil, feeling the air grow stuffy for some unknown reason, glanced at Seo Ryang, but decided he wasn't the cause of the change. His expression was far too relaxed for that.
‘Then…?’
Ma Dongpil turned to look at Wi Hongryeon.
‘…’
Wi Hongryeon's face was blank. She didn't seem angry, but she didn't look happy either.
‘What's wrong with her?’
As Ma Dongpil inwardly tilted his head in confusion.
“I can't stand leaving things unresolved. It’s a filthy feeling I can’t shake.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If we started this together, we should finish it together. It wouldn't be right for me to just slip away, would it?”
Seo Ryang chuckled.
“We may have started together, but we had different goals. Your fight is over, but mine is still ongoing, isn't it?”
“…”
“Don't be nosy. Just go when I tell you to. There's no need for you to be tied down here.”
A strange silence fell again.
This time, even Seo Ryang felt a little uneasy and glanced at Wi Hongryeon. She was still staring at him with an inscrutable expression.
“What? Is there something else you want to say?”
“…Not really.”
“Jeez, you're no fun.”
Just then, the man from the Hall opened the door and entered. It was much faster than expected.
“Permission has been granted from above. Commander of the Berserk Demon Unit, Wi Hongryeon, you are free to go.”
The moment he finished speaking, Wi Hongryeon stood up and walked to the door.
But she didn't leave right away, stopping in front of the door. After standing there for a moment as if in thought, she turned around.
“I got beaten up pretty badly, but thanks to you, Third Young Master, it was fun.”
Seo Ryang waved his hand.
“Thanks to you, my heart was pounding for the first time in a while. It was a good experience.”
“Then, take care of yourself.”
“You too. Train hard so you don't get beaten up somewhere again.”
Wi Hongryeon bowed her head deeply and left the room.
Ma Dongpil cleared his throat.
“Somehow, Commander Wi didn't seem to be in a good mood.”
“You felt that too?”
“Yes. She seemed very disappointed.”
“Hmph, what's there to be disappointed about?”
“…”
“…Did I disappoint her? No way.”
“I apologize, but I am not sure either…”
Seo Ryang grumbled.
“Well, if she's disappointed, she's disappointed. I don't see why I need to worry about it.”
“That is true.”
“Anyway, let's rest. You should get some sleep too. You haven't slept a wink in three days.”
Ma Dongpil's expression became awkward.
“To be honest, I cannot sleep.”
“Really? That's strange. Are you sick?”
The truly strange one was Seo Ryang.
What kind of cultist in the world could comfortably close their eyes in the Hall of Punishments? Unless one had nerves of steel like Wi Hongryeon, it would be difficult to even doze off.
“By the way, I wonder if Geumho is doing well. Then again, Aeng-hwa adores him so much.”
“He should be doing well.”
“I suppose so.”
Some time passed as the two of them chatted about this and that.
*Clank!*
The door opened, and someone entered.
Surprisingly, the person who entered the room was the Seventh Captain.
“Greetings, Third Young Master.”
“It's been a while.”
“There is someone who wishes to see you, Young Master. Will you go?”
Seo Ryang tilted his head.
“Someone who wants to see me? Who is it?”
“The Head of this Hall.”
“…!”
“And the Fourth Young Master is already on his way there.”
Ma Dongpil looked at Seo Ryang in surprise.
Seo Ryang grinned and stood up.
“Dongpil, you should return to your quarters as well.”