Chapter 146: Trap-1
Chapter 146: Trap-1
Seonwoo Jung asked.
'If we sorted out the Ha Clan, where must we sort out next?'
At his question, Seonwoo Jin answered.
'We would have to sort out the Un Clan. The Gaeyangmun will have to serve as bait for the final act, and the Seogidang is not a difficult opponent.'
'Hmm, I see. But they had never greatly influenced the family before — Yeon-ha was a woman, and the distance was far. Would they move so easily?'
At that, Seonwoo Jin nodded with a hardened expression, as if recalling something.
'They allied with fourth son Gi's maternal Seogidang and generally had the Seogidang act in their stead, so at a glance they might appear to have no ambitions toward the family. However, we can know through a past incident that is not the case at all.'
'A past incident?'
When Seonwoo Jung asked with a puzzled expression, Seonwoo Jin spoke with sharp eyes.
'When I tried to marry Yeon-ha off elsewhere.'
At those words, Seonwoo Jung asked with a surprised expression.
'Are you speaking of the death of your friend Dan Ha-sang of the Dan family estate?'
Seonwoo Jin nodded heavily.
Then Seonwoo Jung asked again.
'You mean that was the doing of the Un Clan?'
At that question, Seonwoo Jin nodded and answered.
'It is certain that it was the Un Clan's doing. What is uncertain is merely who within the family is connected to that incident. So I intend to use this opportunity to both sort out the Un Clan and also find that culprit.'
Seonwoo Jung gulped and asked.
'How?'
Then Seonwoo Jin grinned and answered.
'Since we already know under what circumstances they move, would it not suffice to present that situation once more?'
'That situation?'
To Seonwoo Jung, who still wore a puzzled expression, Seonwoo Jin began to explain in greater detail.
***
A few days after taking over the Ha Clan.
The people of the Seonwoo family, who had been preoccupied with handling the aftermath of the fight with the Ha Clan, once again had to gather in the family head's office at the summons of family head Seonwoo Jung.
This time it was only the family members.
And at that gathering, Seonwoo Jung detonated yet another bombshell declaration.
"I will marry Yeon-ha to the Gaeyangmun."
The family members of the Seonwoo family were utterly shocked by the sudden declaration.
Excluding Lady Gok — born of the Gaeyangmun — and her own child, first son Seonwoo Seong, the declaration was nothing short of appalling to everyone else.
To marry Yeon-ha off to the Gaeyangmun — those words clearly signaled an intent to further tighten relations with the Gaeyangmun.
Moreover, it was no different from declaring an intent to sever ties with the Un Clan, which had been supporting fourth son Seonwoo Gi in alliance with his maternal Seogidang.
Simply put, he was now blatantly saying he would back first son Seonwoo Seong as family head.
At that, Yeon-ha's birth mother, fifth wife Madam Un, turned pale and tried to object, stammering.
"H-Husband! Th-That is an impossible matter! I will never...!"
But she could not finish her words under the gaze of Seonwoo Jung, who stared at her with cold eyes.
Because Seonwoo Jung was looking down at her with eyes as sharp as if he were looking at an outsider rather than his wife.
To her, frozen and unable to finish her words, Seonwoo Jung asked icily.
"Impossible? You are telling me you oppose the decision I have made as family head. You would certainly have to be able to properly justify that reason, Madam."
At those cold words carrying a warning, Madam Un could only swallow dryly in spite of herself.
Suddenly, the scene of Seonwoo Jung casting out second son Seonwoo Hyeok and Madam Ha without hesitation flashed through her mind.
He was no longer the indecisive husband swayed by his wives.
"Th-That is...."
As she turned white and could not continue, Seonwoo Jung stared at her with sharp eyes and then turned his gaze to the fourth wife, Madam Seo, and asked.
"Do you also have something to say to me, Madam?"
At that, Madam Seo, already terrified by his momentum, could only shake her head vigorously.
At that moment, the first wife, Lady Gok, quickly interjected.
"How could there be any dissenting opinion when the family head makes decisions regarding the Seonwoo family's affairs? This concubine will follow the family head's will!"
After hearing her words, Seonwoo Jung swept his sharp gaze across the rest of the family.
And then he spoke to Seonwoo Seong and Lady Gok.
"You two, send word to the Gaeyangmun and ask them to find an outstanding young man suited for Yeon-ha. Tell them I wish to proceed as quickly as possible."
At that, the two answered spiritedly.
"Yes, Father! I will send word at once!"
"Yes, Husband! Do not worry! I will find an outstanding young man suited for our pretty Yeon-ha."
Having finished speaking, Seonwoo Jung issued a dismissal order.
"Then you may all return now. I am sorry for making you bestir yourselves so early in the morning."
The content of the words was gentle, but the voice itself was not gentle at all.
It meant there was nothing more to hear, nor anything more to say to them, so they should leave.
In the end, the family members had no choice but to leave the family head's quarters without another word.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha, having been led out of the family head's quarters in a daze by her birth mother, could only wear a completely stunned expression.
The matter was about none other than her own marriage, yet her father Seonwoo Jung had not so much as glanced at her face, let alone asked for her opinion.
And so, having come out of the family head's quarters without getting to say a single word, she felt as if her world was crumbling.
At that moment, third older brother Seonwoo Jin, utterly unable to read the mood, spoke to her with a deeply moved expression.
"Our Yeon-ha is finally getting married! Congratulations, Yeon-ha! I had originally wanted you to marry my friend Ha-sang, and I felt so sorry when Ha-sang died and that marriage couldn't happen, but now at last.... I sincerely congratulate you, Yeon-ha!"
Seonwoo Jin, saying this, even seemed to be getting teary-eyed.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha found him utterly absurd, but did not bother to argue.
No, she did not even have the energy to argue.
Ignoring Seonwoo Jin's words, she turned her sorrowful eyes toward fourth older brother Seonwoo Gi.
Then the sight of Seonwoo Gi, wearing a dark expression, letting out a deep sigh and turning his head away entered her vision.
The person she loved most in the world had turned away from her.
Her vision was blurring over.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha hurried back to her own room.
The whole way back, her lips kept murmuring as if reciting a spell.
"Never, I can absolutely never marry another man like this. You think I would marry into some Gaeyangmun? Hmph! Never. I won't go. Absolutely not!"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha's heart had been set from a very young age.
From the moment her mother, Madam Un, joined forces with Seonwoo Gi's mother, Madam Seo, and spoke to her thus:
'Only we here in the Seonwoo family are truly on the same side. So, Yeon-ha, you must get along well with Gi orabeoni here. If we lend our strength to Gi, Gi will make us the true masters of the Seonwoo family. Now we are a community of destiny, no different from a single body.'
When she was still young, she had not quite understood what the words "community of destiny" meant.
But one thing had been certain.
That Seonwoo Gi was someone special to her.
After that, Seonwoo Yeon-ha grew to believe that she would naturally marry Seonwoo Gi.
At least, until she realized that siblings could not marry each other.
But even after learning that fact, Seonwoo Yeon-ha's heart did not change.
Because she was eventually able to find the answer.
'I can't marry Gi orabeoni? Then we just won't marry. We just don't marry and stay together forever, right? I'll make Gi orabeoni the family head of the Seonwoo family and stay by his side. Gi orabeoni's wife? Hmph! Let him marry. I'll just kill her.'
This was the answer she found.
And it was not such an unrealistic answer either.
After all, in order for Seonwoo Gi to become family head, and to maintain power afterward, the strength of his maternal Seogidang alone was insufficient.
In order for Seonwoo Gi to become family head, the power of the Un Clan was absolutely necessary.
Therefore, the fact that he had no choice but to remain with Seonwoo Yeon-ha was certain.
Of course, she had not deeply considered whether that would continue even after he became family head.
After returning to her room, Seonwoo Yeon-ha took out the hidden cage containing a messenger pigeon and went out to the backyard connected to her room.
It was a secret messenger pigeon her maternal grandfather, the former family head of the Un Clan, had given her long ago for sending urgent communications.
And she had used it exactly once before.
She murmured earnestly.
"I beg you again this time."
Murmuring thus as if making a wish, Seonwoo Yeon-ha flung the messenger pigeon with all her might into the sky.
*Pudeudeuk!*
It was then.
*Tadak!*
A sound like something falling came from behind her.
"!"
Seonwoo Yeon-ha could not help but whirl around in shock.
Possessing this messenger pigeon had been a secret from long ago.
Moreover, she knew well that in times like these, it had to be kept even more secret.
At least, if she did not want to end up like the Third Elder or Shin Eung-ijudae, who were executed for colluding with the Ha Clan.
But the scene that met her eyes as she snapped her head around was merely that of a single book having fallen off the table.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha let out a sigh of relief and murmured.
"What, you startled me."
And when she looked back up at the sky, the messenger pigeon was already no longer visible to her eyes.
It seemed it had flown off in that brief moment.
Seonwoo Yeon-ha stared blankly at the sky for a moment, then went back into her room.
She believed firmly, as she had before, that her maternal grandfather would find the answer for her this time as well.
No, it absolutely had to be so.
***
Seonwoo Jin stood leaning against the wall outside Seonwoo Yeon-ha's room door, eyes closed.
And a moment later, with a faint smile, he turned and walked out of the building.
As he slowly made his way back to his own quarters, he suddenly stopped walking and looked up at the sky.
Ever since he was very young, Seonwoo Jin had often gazed blankly at the sky.
He did it when the future seemed bleak due to his family's constant scorn and his own isolated situation, when the foolish act he had chosen for himself was so pathetic that tears came to his eyes, and even when he lost his only friend and was falsely accused of killing that friend.
He abruptly muttered to himself.
"The light of the sky I looked up at from home was originally like this."
The pure white clouds and the blue sky were things that should have been all too familiar, yet today, they felt strangely unfamiliar.
After gazing at the sky for a moment, Seonwoo Jin suddenly turned his gaze ahead.
Then, the sight of Jegal Seoyul walking with a heavy expression, lost in thought, entered his eyes.
She had not shown a bright expression even once since the assassination incident, or more precisely, since the moment he conveyed the news that Cheongyeon had died.
In front of others, she would put on a bright face and even laugh, but the one who knew best that it was a forced expression was Seonwoo Jin, who had delivered the news to her.
At that moment, Jegal Seoyul also abruptly raised her head and ended up meeting Seonwoo Jin's eyes.
She then stopped in her tracks with a startled expression.
"Seonwoo... gongja?"
But as he watched her for a moment, her eyes trembling and unable to say anything, Seonwoo Jin simply bowed his head deeply and walked past her.
It was then that Jegal Seoyul finally opened her mouth.
"Even if that is true!"
Seonwoo Jin halted his steps and turned back to look at her.
"What could I possibly do about it? I am merely a family retainer, and my father is the family head who leads the Jegal family! Is it not the same for Seonu Gongja as it is for me?!"
Seonwoo Jin turned his head and stared at her silently for a moment.
The idea that family retainers have no choice but to follow once the family head has made a decision was, indeed, a common view held by the children of martial clans.
They would have been educated that way since childhood, after all.
Even the fact that she agonized over it to this degree made it seem clear that Jegal Seoyul possessed quite a kind nature.
It also seemed that she had truly considered Hae Cheongyeon a good friend.
Right now, she was probably even afraid to confirm whether her own father had actually killed Hae Cheongyeon.
Because she would think that even if she found out it was true, there was nothing she could do.
But....
Seonwoo Jin opened his mouth, his expression indifferent.
"They usually call those who commit evil deeds the principal offenders, but I have heard that those who merely stand by and watch are called accomplices. If you think that cannot be helped, then that would be Jegal Sojeo's choice. I understand completely."
And he moved his feet again.
Then, from behind his back, Jegal Seoyul, clenching her teeth, screamed as if in agony.
"What gives you the right to criticize me?! A loser who was pushed out of the succession struggle and was sent to the frontlines for killing his friend!"
Yet even at her outcry, Seonwoo Jin did not stop his steps any longer.
He simply walked on indifferently, as if he could hear nothing.
Seeing his retreating figure, Jegal Seoyul, who had been glaring at him while seething, had tears welling up in her eyes.
***
The fourth floor of the Guiyang First Tower.
No Sam-ryong, the master of the Guiyang First Tower and the branch leader of the Hao Gate's Guiyang branch, was letting out a hollow laugh after confirming the letter that had come from Seonwoo Jin.
"Remarkable, truly remarkable. Third Young Master Seonwoo is a truly frightening person."
He was muttering to himself while shaking his head as if in admiration.
Suddenly, someone spoke to him from behind.
"What is it that's so remarkable?"
Startled, No Sam-ryong whipped his head around.
A voice had come again from a place where there had clearly been no one.
Last time, after experiencing the same thing with Seonwoo Jin and even being forced to swallow a poison insect, No Sam-ryong had reached the point of developing a phobia of people suddenly speaking to him from behind.
He snapped his head around to check the face of the person behind him, and after letting out a sigh of relief as if he had taken ten years off his life, he exploded with a yell.
"Huaaa, ah, make some noise when you move around!"
Then, the woman behind him replied with a wide grin.
"I never hid my presence? You're the one who didn't feel it, so why are you bitching at me?"
She was a beautiful woman with eyes full of mischief.
Her appearance seemed to be that of a woman in her mid-thirties at most, but since she spoke so casually to No Sam-ryong, who was in his forties, she could have been much older.
No Sam-ryong scrunched up his face and shouted again.
"Are you lording it over me just because you're a bit stronger now?! I'm already stressed to death because of you, damn it! And did I tell you to come out or not?! Did you drag yourself here because you don't know what'll happen if you're spotted by others?!"
"Ay, why are you so stiff? It's just the two of us? Where are these other people you're talking about?"
At her shameless words, No Sam-ryong clenched his teeth and spat out.
"Are you seriously trying to watch me die?"
She then let out a sigh with a mournful expression.
"Huuu, it's because I'm frustrated too. If I keep hiding alone like this every day, even if the bastards don't kill me, I felt like I'd die of frustration."
But No Sam-ryong, who had flinched briefly at her mournful expression, soon contorted his face again and growled fiercely.
"Drop that expression right now! Who are you trying to fool with that pitiful fox act?! You think I'd fall for your acting?!"
Her expression was then quickly filled with mischief again.
"Ay, it doesn't work? Our Sam-ryongie used to be so innocent, but he's gotten far too tainted."
"Hmph! Are you talking about old times? And no matter how tainted I've become, could I ever be as bad as you?"
No Sam-ryong kept getting angry at the woman, but it didn't particularly seem like genuine anger.
The woman was taking it that way as well.
But at the remark just made, the woman's expression abruptly turned bitter.
"...Right, I have gotten quite tainted."
At the woman's bitter muttering, No Sam-ryong made a slight 'Oops!' expression and cleared his throat with a fake cough.
"Hm, hm. Yeah, well. Were you very bored? Is that why you dragged yourself all the way here?"
It was an action where the intent to change the subject was visible, but the woman simply smiled faintly and played along with his intention.
"Yes, incredibly bored. So much that I wanted to hear any kind of talk. So, that Third Young Master Seonwoo is the guy who made you swallow the poison insect, right? The guy who used the Jegal family as a pretext to set his brothers fighting and devour the Ha family. What did he do this time?"
No Sam-ryong then inwardly sighed in relief that his intention had worked and began explaining to her.
"Look here. It's a request from Third Young Master Seonwoo to leak information to the Un clan's side. Information that the family head, Seonwoo Jung, has decided to marry the fifth child, Seonwoo Yeon-ha, to a son of the Gaeyang Gate."
At those words, the woman frowned slightly and asked again.
"Marry off his daughter? The fifth is the child tied to the Un clan, I assume? Then does it mean the Un clan's power is to be completely expelled from the Seonwoo family?"
No Sam-ryong shook his head excitedly and answered with fervor.
"That's not all. The Gaeyang Gate is the maternal family of the eldest, Young Master Seonwoo Seong. On the surface, it means giving more power to the eldest, Young Master Seonwoo Seong."
"Hmm, I see. But... you said on the surface?"
"Yes, on the surface, that's it. But! He asked for that information to be leaked to the Un clan! What do you think that means? What's more, the marriage partner isn't specified, just lumped together as a youth of the Gaeyang Gate?"
"...He intends to make the Un clan attack the Gaeyang Gate? And since they can't specify the marriage partner, they wouldn't be able to choose assassination either. Besides, you said that guy also knows the Un clan has been devoured by the Blood Cult? If so...?"
At the woman's deduction, No Sam-ryong slapped his fist against his palm and nodded his head.
"Yes, he plans to make the factions of the first and fifth bleed each other. To be precise, since the Gaeyang Gate couldn't possibly be a match for the Blood Cult bastards, he intends to finish off the Gaeyang Gate."
"...And at the same time, drag the Blood Cult bastards outside?"
"Exactly!"
After hearing up to that point, the woman let out a hollow laugh.
"That... didn't you say he's twenty-one years old? But he possesses martial prowess above the peak level and even such schemes?"
"I told you! So why wouldn't I say he's frightening?!"
At No Sam-ryong's words, the woman let out a sigh and muttered abruptly.
"Truly, the world is wide. For there to be such a later-generation talent even in the orthodox faction, like that bastard Gu Yu-sang."
At her words, No Sam-ryong abruptly asked her.
"Is that guy, Gu Yu-sang, truly that outstanding? To the point of being comparable to Third Young Master Seonwoo?"
She then gave a dejected laugh and said.
"Is he outstanding? Indescribably outstanding. His martial prowess, having reached the realm of ninety years of internal energy in his twenties, is astonishing, but his looks and his schemes are even more so. And the same goes for that viper-like nature of his. Who knows? If that bastard becomes the next Blood Demon, he might become a far more terrifying existence than the current Blood Demon."
At her words, No Sam-ryong gulped.
The her that he knew was not someone with a personality that easily praised others. But for her to give such high praise, he could almost guess the fearsomeness of the one called Gu Yu-sang without even seeing it himself.
At that moment, the woman slowly shook her head and added.
"So that's why I'm a little worried. That Seonwoo Jin fellow's schemes are certainly brilliant, but the guy called Gu Yu-sang isn't someone who will easily get tangled up in them."