It Was Summer
It was summer.
Ever since Jin Seongun had begun learning martial arts, he could see and feel far more than before.
When judging a person, for instance, he no longer relied on outward appearance alone — he read the color of their qi, the flow of it, the atmosphere it carried. Or he would distinguish the true intent behind a man's words by listening to his breathing, his pulse.
Seen through that lens, Jang, the Head Steward of Mangeum Manor, was an exceedingly curious man.
He doesn't seem to have trained any martial arts.
Yet the flow of his energy was more solid than any martial artist Jin Seongun had ever observed — more so than Hyeon Un of Wudang, Dang Taesan of the Tang Clan, even Saryeonggeuk of the Thousand Poisons Alliance.
Those who had never trained, as a rule, wavered like young leaves scattered on the wind, their qi drifting this way and that.
Above all, a wariness stirred from somewhere deep in his instincts. The very reason he had woken from his doze was that strange, alien sensation.
While Jin Seongun studied him as though he were some marvel, Head Steward Jang broke into an easy smile.
"Mangeum Manor, you see, has always known a great deal."
He did not deny Jin Seongun's question.
Mangeum Manor knew everything. What was unfolding inside Hwaun Merchant Group, the ambitions of the Thousand Poisons Alliance, the young monsters who had appeared in Deokyang, the Tang Clan's intervention — and even the consequences that would follow from it all.
The eyes and ears of Mangeum Manor were spread across every corner of the world.
"Within the murim, those most richly informed are commonly said to be the Open Sect and the Dark Gate, are they not?"
Jin Seongun nodded. This was common knowledge — so common that even he, who took little interest in murim affairs, knew it.
The smiling steward continued.
"But if one widens that scope to the world itself, the story becomes rather different."
With that, Head Steward Jang deliberately drew a sly, enigmatic smile, then rose from his seat.
He behaved as though his business were concluded, as though Hwa Yeonseol's acceptance of the gift were only natural.
"Haha, you all must be exhausted — it would be shameless of me to linger any longer. I shall pay you a proper visit before long. Hwaun Merchant Group, the Tang Clan... ah, and Seongun Inn as well, of course."
Before long, Jang exchanged light farewells with everyone and departed. It felt as though he had swept in, briskly handled only his own affairs, and swept out again.
Hwa Yeonseol gave an awkward laugh.
"Well. It is Mangeum Manor."
The words carried a great many meanings.
Yet Dang Taesan and Seo Yugyeom both nodded as though they understood completely. That was simply what Mangeum Manor was — the greatest merchant syndicate under heaven, trusting no one and doubted by no one.
Quite a different air from Elder Sangwang, isn't it.
Granted, he had only seen one steward, not the whole of Mangeum Manor. Even so, Jin Seongun thought the manor was a little different from what he had imagined.
Around the time dawn began to break, Dang Taesan returned to the Tang Clan. Having gained a new conviction about Jin Seongun and Seo Yugyeom, he was eager to hurry back to his clan and speak with the Family Head without wasting a single hour.
Jin Seongun, Seo Yugyeom, and Hwa Yeonseol stayed up through the night.
Jin Seongun had shaken off all his fatigue with nothing more than a brief doze, and Seo Yugyeom had never needed much sleep to begin with. For Hwa Yeonseol, though, it was a night on which falling asleep was simply impossible — she still felt as though she were dreaming, adrift in a daze.
Several emptied bottles sat between the three of them.
Jin Seongun and Seo Yugyeom were murim men, so that went without saying, but Hwa Yeonseol seemed to hold her liquor remarkably well too; there was not a trace of drunkenness about her.
The atmosphere was mildly awkward.
Their misunderstandings had been cleared away, and help and compensation had been exchanged between them — but they had kept each other at arm's length for far too long.
Still, there was not a shred of hostility left between them, and for Seo Yugyeom and Hwa Yeonseol, that alone was enough.
There was something else weighing on their minds, in any case.
It was Jin Seongun.
The two of them kept stealing glances at him. For a while now, Jin Seongun had been repeating the same pattern — pursing his lips as though about to say something, then letting out a long sigh.
He had been at it for well over an hour, and the two of them were beginning to feel their chests tighten with impatience.
Just as Jin Seongun heaved yet another sigh — hoo... — Seo Yugyeom finally lost his patience and burst out.
"Look, if you've got something to say, just say it!"
Beside him, Hwa Yeonseol nodded along in fervent agreement.
Jin Seongun put on a surprised expression.
"...How did you know?"
The two of them wore identical looks of dumbfounded disbelief. You could have seated the most oblivious man in all the world beside them, and he still would have noticed that Jin Seongun had something on his mind.
"Did you have something you wished to ask of me?"
Hwa Yeonseol's tone was exceedingly careful. To her, Jin Seongun was not merely Seo Yugyeom's friend. He was the benefactor who had saved Hwaun Merchant Group from ruin — an honored guest even the Grand Elder of the Tang Clan sought to win over.
Jin Seongun gazed at her with a grave expression.
"In fact, I do."
"Please, speak freely."
"There's something I'd like to ask of you..."
Jin Seongun's manner was so earnest that Hwa Yeonseol found herself growing tense in spite of herself. If a man of Jin Seongun's caliber hesitated this much, she half feared how difficult a favor it might be to bear.
A brief breath passed, and then Jin Seongun opened his mouth as though he had finally made up his mind.
"It's about the Yanghe Daqu."
"Yes?"
"It would be wonderful if Seongun Inn could sell it too. I'd like to let the people of Yichang taste a liquor this fine as well..."
Jin Seongun looked sheepish.
Hwa Yeonseol, on the other hand, burst into incredulous laughter — as did Seo Yugyeom, who had tensed up alongside her.
"You hesitated over that?"
"I did."
Hwa Yeonseol stared at him as though he were some strange creature. Truthfully, even if he had demanded exclusive rights not just to the Yanghe Daqu but to every liquor Hwaun Merchant Group distributed, she would have found it perfectly reasonable. Without Jin Seongun, she would never have reclaimed Hwaun Merchant Group at all.
"You shall have it."
"Oh."
A rare bright expression crossed Jin Seongun's face. He was already imagining the looks on Noh Sangwon's and Hyeon Un's faces — those two lost causes where alcohol was concerned — and it put him in an excellent mood.
Hwa Yeonseol smiled back and went on.
"From now on, everywhere but here in Deokyang, the Yanghe Daqu will be a liquor that can be enjoyed in one place only — Seongun Inn."
Jin Seongun's eyes went wide. He hadn't wished for anything quite that far.
It struck him as excessive generosity, and he was about to decline when the words caught in his throat. Whatever else he was, Jin Seongun was a businessman running an inn. If Seongun Inn became one of the only establishments in the world where one could drink Yanghe Daqu, its name would be worth a fortune.
"Hmm..."
Perhaps every one of those thoughts had shown plainly on his face, for Seo Yugyeom and Hwa Yeonseol snorted with laughter at the same instant.
Their laughter was remarkably alike. It reminded him anew that the two had grown up under one roof as children. Catching each other's eye, Seo Yugyeom and Hwa Yeonseol both coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Hwa Yeonseol rose without warning and fetched something from a safe in the corner of the office — a small wooden case.
Before it was even opened, the expressions of Jin Seongun and Seo Yugyeom changed at the same moment. The energy emanating from within the case was anything but ordinary.
"What is it?"
Seo Yugyeom asked. Without a word, Hwa Yeonseol opened the case.
Inside lay a single pill gleaming with a brilliant azure light. Hwa Yeonseol slid the case toward Seo Yugyeom.
"You mean for me to take it?"
"For an assassin, I'm told a cold-natured elixir is best. If I'm not mistaken..."
Before she could even finish, Seo Yugyeom had picked the pill up, turning it over in his fingers and examining it from every angle.
She was right. Cold-natured elixirs paired beautifully with the martial arts of the Salsu. Especially now, when the murderous impulses of the Heavenly Killing Star were surging stronger than ever, it would prove a genuinely meaningful aid.
Seo Yugyeom's expression grew stranger and stranger.
"This is no ordinary elixir."
Jin Seongun gave a slight nod as well. He had never once seen an elixir before, but from the energy alone he could tell it was an immensely precious one. If elixirs like this were common in the Jianghu, then every average martial artist out there would have to be a formidable master.
"The Millennium Ice Essence."
Hwa Yeonseol said it briefly.
Seo Yugyeom dropped the elixir as though it had suddenly turned into a ball of fire, recoiling in shock. Then he lowered his voice.
"Are — are you out of your mind?"
For once, Seo Yugyeom was flustered. The Millennium Ice Essence was the sacred treasure of the North Sea Ice Palace. Anyone caught carrying such a thing would need a dozen lives and still come up short.
"Where did you get this?"
"..."
Hwa Yeonseol could not bring herself to answer. After a moment, Seo Yugyeom nodded as though he could guess well enough. He hadn't intended to think it in front of his daughter, but the thought crossed his mind all the same — Hwa Yuntak, that bastard, had died well.
Seo Yugyeom glared at the Millennium Ice Essence for a long moment as though he could kill it with his eyes, then spoke.
"Did you honestly think I'd just fall over myself and accept this? From you — the woman who filed assassination requests with Salmak to have me killed ten separate times?"
"I — it's not like I could sell it, or take it myself. And you helped me this time, so I just thought..."
Hwa Yeonseol tried hard not to let it show, but her face grew gloomy.
Watching her, Seo Yugyeom went on — in the same unyielding tone, but with words that meant something else entirely.
"If you took me for that kind of man, then I'd say you have one hell of a gift for insight."
"?"
Just as her face began to flood with bewilderment, Seo Yugyeom — without a moment's hesitation — swallowed the Millennium Ice Essence whole.
Proper practice dictated that one take an elixir in the safest of places, with the most trustworthy guardian standing watch. For Seo Yugyeom, that place was right here — because standing beside him was Jin Seongun himself.
Before long, Seo Yugyeom crossed his legs into a lotus position, and a chill began to billow out from every part of his body.
.
.
.
Shielding Hwa Yeonseol from the cold, Jin Seongun watched the process for some time. His qi sense was already spread open at all hours, but he stretched it wider still and sharpened it to its limit.
How much time had passed? Suddenly, the cold seeping from every inch of Seo Yugyeom's body began to churn wildly out of control.
A faint groan escaped Seo Yugyeom's lips. Even for one graced by the five lethal stars of the Heavenly Killing Star, digesting the full force held within the Millennium Ice Essence was no easy feat.
Jin Seongun quietly placed a hand on Seo Yugyeom's back and let a thread of his own energy flow in. In an instant, Seo Yugyeom's face smoothed into ease.
Meanwhile, Hwa Yeonseol fidgeted anxiously, glancing every which way. If even Jin Seongun was carrying on like that, did guarding him fall to her?
Of course, contrary to her worries, Jin Seongun's qi sense remained spread wide open the whole time.
Roughly half a shichen later, the cold that had wrapped the entire room began slowly to gather back into Seo Yugyeom's body.
Then his eyes snapped open. For an instant, a pale blue-white light flickered in both of them before fading away.
Hwa Yeonseol watched him tensely. It was the first time she had ever witnessed a martial artist consuming an elixir with her own eyes.
"How is it?"
Jin Seongun asked.
Without a word of reply, Seo Yugyeom rose from his seat — and then, suddenly, picked up a wine cup.
As he stared at it for a long moment, Jin Seongun and Hwa Yeonseol found themselves leaning in to watch as well.
A chill swept through the room. And in the same breath, the liquor inside the cup began to freeze white.
Crrrk-crk-crrk—!
Elation flooded Seo Yugyeom's eyes.
The assassin's arts he had trained all his life had absorbed the extreme cold and transformed into the form of Binggong — the Ice Arts.
Masters of Ice Arts were exceedingly rare — so rare that an ordinary martial artist might go an entire lifetime without crossing paths with a single one.
And so a master who wielded Ice Arts always held the upper hand in a fight, even against an equal.
"The fact that I can now use Ice Arts means—"
Seo Yugyeom went on, looking at Jin Seongun with a face more solemn than Jin Seongun had ever seen on him.
"—that Seongun Inn is now the only inn under heaven that sells both Yanghe Daqu and shaved ice."
"...You're insane."
Binggwa was a dessert of finely crushed ice topped with honey or fruit. Ice was as precious as gold, and it was a treat only royalty and the highest officials could afford to enjoy.
Jin Seongun and Seo Yugyeom nodded to each other, their faces full of wonder like murim men who had stumbled upon every legendary opportunity the world had to offer.
It was summer.