Chapter 226: Patience Runs Out-1
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 226: Patience Runs Out-1
"What on earth do you two think you're doing?!"
Bulsok Satae shouted at Sun-woo, her face flushed with indignation.
She was currently swept up in a wave of boundless fury.
Unable to sleep because the argument she’d had with Seol-hyang weighed heavily on her mind, Bulsok had gone for a short walk to soothe her troubled heart.
But then, didn't she spot a familiar silhouette in the distance?
Bulsok focused her eyesight to identify the figures and was immediately struck with horror. The people walking toward her were individuals she knew all too well.
It was Jang Sun-woo and Seol-hyang.
At first, she doubted her own eyes. She rubbed them several times to be sure. But no matter how much she blinked and checked, the reality remained unchanged.
Her shock quickly curdled into rage.
She had clearly told Seol-hyang not to harbor any feelings for him and not to approach him first. And yet, here she was, completely ignoring those words, being carried on his back in the dead of night?!
Bulsok couldn't help but feel her blood boil. Despite her warnings, they hadn't listened at all. She rushed over to them, ready to vent her fury. She felt as though she would explode if she didn't let it out.
"......Senior Bulsok."
"I asked what you think you're doing!" Bulsok screamed again, her face turning beet red.
"Bulsok Satae... there's been a misunderstanding..." Sun-woo began, looking troubled by her furious outburst.
"Young Master Jang! What do you think you're doing with a young, innocent disciple of Emei?!"
Bulsok cut him off, acting as if his words weren't even worth hearing.
"Bulsok Satae, you've got it wrong. Seol-hyang isn't feeling well right now, so..."
"I don't want to hear it! Put her down this instant!"
Bulsok barked, interrupting Sun-woo before he could even finish his sentence.
Snap.
Sun-woo felt a vein throb slightly in his forehead. He found her attitude incredibly rude and overbearing.
`Whew.`
However, he swallowed his anger and let out a silent sigh. He knew Bulsok Satae was only lashing out because she was worried about Seol-hyang.
"It really is a misunderstanding, Bulsok Satae. Lady Seol-hyang isn't in good condition, so I'm simply carrying her. None of the things you're imagining have happened."
Composing himself, Sun-woo spoke to her in a remarkably polite tone.
"I will carry her. Put her down right now!" Bulsok shouted, her voice ringing with the weight of a command.
"I'll carry her back to the inn."
"Do you have any idea how many eyes are watching near the inn?! You mean to carry her all the way there?!"
Hearing Bulsok Satae's words, Sun-woo slowly turned his head. He looked at Seol-hyang, who was still on his back. It was a silent question, asking if she would be okay.
Nod, nod.
Feeling Sun-woo's gaze, Seol-hyang nodded in affirmation. She felt that if she stayed on his back any longer, it would only cause him more trouble.
Sun-woo slowly approached Bulsok Satae and handed Seol-hyang over to her. Bulsok grabbed Seol-hyang firmly as soon as she took her.
Tap, tap, tap.
She quickly turned around and began heading toward the inn. Sun-woo followed silently behind her.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time, they finally arrived at the inn. Upon entering, Bulsok Satae headed straight for the second floor, where Seol-hyang’s private room was located.
Sun-woo also stepped onto the stairs to head up to his floor.
[Young Master Jang.]
It was then. Bulsok Satae’s voice began to echo in his ears.
`Voice Transmission?!`
Sun-woo was surprised by the sudden voice but quickly realized she was using a secret technique.
[I have something to say to you. Meet me in the clearing behind the inn.]
She gave him the one-sided notice and continued upstairs without looking back.
"Sigh."
Sun-woo let out a long breath and turned around. It seemed going straight to sleep was out of the question.
*
Thud.
Upon reaching the private room, Bulsok unceremoniously dumped Seol-hyang onto the bed.
Bam!
"Ouch!"
Seol-hyang let out a cry of pain, having been thrown onto the bed without warning. She hadn't been prepared for the impact.
"You were pretending to be hurt when you're perfectly fine."
Bulsok looked down at her, her tone icy.
"Hehehehe."
Under Bulsok's accusatory glare, Seol-hyang let out an awkward laugh. Even she felt embarrassed by the situation.
"Don't try to laugh it off!"
Despite her sheepish grin, Bulsok raised her voice in rebuke. "Seol-hyang, what exactly do you intend to do?!"
Bulsok glared at her.
"About what?" Seol-hyang asked, pouting.
"I'm asking why you're throwing yourself at a man like that!"
"A man like that?!" Seol-hyang snapped back. No matter how angry Bulsok was, there were things she should and shouldn't say. Calling Sun-woo "a man like that"? That was crossing the line by a mile.
"He's a man who already has a fiancée. Why are you acting so recklessly?!"
"I told you, it's not that kind of feeling!"
"Don't make me laugh. If you don't have those feelings, why were you being carried on his back?" Bulsok scoffed, refuting Seol-hyang's denial.
"I really wasn't feeling well then..."
"Stop making excuses."
Bulsok’s expression turned stern. "I won't make this long. Give up on him right now. No matter what you feel for him, bury it."
She spoke with a voice of absolute finality.
"Who I like is my own business!" Seol-hyang felt a surge of rebellion against Bulsok's decisiveness.
"Have you never considered that your affection might hurt someone else?"
"How can affection be hurtful?!" Seol-hyang shouted back. How could liking someone cause pain?
"By liking him, you will make his fiancée, Tang Seo-yoon, miserable and deeply wounded. And if the Head of the Seol Clan finds out his only daughter is pining for a man who is already engaged, he will be devastated. Is that what you want?"
"........."
Seol-hyang fell silent at those words.
"I didn't raise you to be such a selfish child. Your affection will cause great pain to many people. And it will end up hurting you deeply as well. That is why I am telling you to give up."
Bulsok spoke with a sorrowful expression.
".........."
"If you are hurt, I will be deeply wounded and saddened as well. I don't want to see you, whom I've raised like my own daughter, suffer like that. I just want you to meet a good person, love normally, marry normally, and start a normal family."
Bulsok began to reveal the true feelings she had kept hidden.
Many in Emei said that Seol-hyang was the future of the sect. They believed that her existence would bring about an unprecedented golden age for the Emei Sect. Bulsok acknowledged this too. She knew Seol-hyang possessed transcendent talent.
Wasn't she a being who could even bypass the laws of the sect because of that talent? A secular disciple, yet the only one to be granted the secret martial arts of the main sect—that was Seol-hyang.
Many Emei elders hoped and prayed that Seol-hyang would never return to secular life. They feared that if she married, she wouldn't be able to bring glory to the Emei Sect.
But Bulsok, who had cared for her like a daughter since she was a child, thought differently. Bulsok simply wanted her to be happy. Whether she remained in the sect to focus on martial arts or married to start a family, Bulsok wanted it to be Seol-hyang's choice.
But this was different. Too many people were involved for this to be dismissed as a momentary whim. It affected the relationship between the Tang Clan and Emei, as well as the standing of the Seol Clan, one of the Five Great Merchants.
"So I'm begging you. Please... I beg of you... let go of these feelings. Hyang-ah..."
Bulsok looked at Seol-hyang with eyes full of sorrow and pleaded earnestly.
"............"
Seol-hyang couldn't say a word in the face of such a desperate plea. Bulsok was no different from a mother to her. While many in Emei treated her with expectations and ambition, Bulsok was the only one who cherished her like a daughter. How could she easily refuse such a heartfelt request?
Glisten.
Tears began to well up in Seol-hyang's eyes. Bulsok looked at her sadly for a moment before turning away. She thought it was better to give the girl some time alone.
Creeeeeak.
Thud.
"Ugh... hic... sob... sob..."
As soon as Bulsok left, Seol-hyang burst into tears, trying her best to stifle the sound so it wouldn't leak outside. Being told to give up her feelings before they could even begin sounded incredibly cruel to her. Though she was usually easygoing and playful, she was still too young a woman to simply brush off such harsh words.
She cried and cried until her tears ran dry.
*
The clearing behind the inn.
Sun-woo went to the clearing as Bulsok had requested and waited patiently. Part of him wanted to ignore her and just go to sleep, but since it seemed like she wanted to talk about Seol-hyang, he decided to wait.
After waiting for a while...
Step, step.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the air.
`She's here.`
Assuming it was Bulsok, Sun-woo turned toward the sound. In the distance, he saw someone walking toward him. It was too dark to see clearly, but the silhouette seemed to match Bulsok Satae's stature.
Sun-woo began walking toward her, thinking it was better to meet her halfway than to just stand there.
Step, step.
Step, step.
Soon, the sound of two sets of footsteps filled the clearing.
Stop.
"Huh?!"
Before long, Sun-woo was forced to stop in his tracks. As the distance closed, an unexpected figure revealed herself.
"Greetings, Young Master Jang."
The woman spoke to Sun-woo in a voice that was sharp as a blade.
"How... Bulheo Satae?!"
Sun-woo spoke in a bewildered voice. Bulsok, whom he was supposed to meet, was nowhere to be seen, and Bulheo had appeared instead. He couldn't help but be flustered.
"I have a matter to settle with you, Young Master Jang," she said with a cold smile.
"Settle?"
"It's simple."
At Sun-woo's question, Bulheo's smile deepened.
"Operational control of the search party, and your total indifference toward Seol-hyang."
She looked at Sun-woo with an incredibly arrogant expression, as if he had no right to refuse. Her attitude immediately triggered the rebellious streak buried deep within Sun-woo.
`This fucking bitch!?`
Sun-woo cursed inwardly as he glared at her. It seemed a peaceful night was out of the question.
*
"Operational control? What on earth are you talking about? And what do you mean, indifference toward Lady Seol?"
Sun-woo spoke with an incredulous expression.
"It's exactly as it sounds. I don't want the Emei Sect to be under anyone's command. We prefer to give orders rather than receive them. That's why I'm demanding operational control—to take charge of the search party."
"Do you honestly think that makes any sense?" Sun-woo asked, his brow furrowing deeply.
What kind of bullshit was this? Demanding full control of the search party just because she didn't like taking orders?! She was out of her mind.
"Why wouldn't it make sense?"
"Who in the world wants to take orders? It's not just Emei; the Tang Clan and the Qingcheng Sect feel the same way. So how can you throw such a tantrum based solely on Emei's perspective?"
"I believe it's a perfectly reasonable demand. Who is currently the strongest force in the search party? Isn't it Emei, with two Super-Peak masters? Naturally, Emei should hold the control."
"Since when do we divide the search party's strength like that? Once we agreed to work together, we became one force. Besides, being strong doesn't necessarily mean you're good at leading."
"Are you calling Emei a bunch of muscle-bound idiots?" Bulheo Satae snapped.
"That's not what I said! Why do you keep twisting my words whenever you run out of arguments?!"
Sun-woo countered, pointing out her tactic of derailing the conversation. This woman was always like this. Whenever she was losing an argument, she would pick on a minor point, turn it into an emotional dispute, and blur the main issue. It was a god-awful way of speaking where she only heard what she wanted to hear.
"Enough. I will have your word today that you'll hand over operational control. And, of course, your promise to stay away from Seol-hyang."
She brushed off Sun-woo's words and continued with her own agenda. Her attitude began to grate on Sun-woo's nerves.
`God, this fucking bitch, seriously.`
"Whew."
Sun-woo took a deep breath to calm himself. They say three bouts of patience can prevent a murder. He was trying his best to avoid a homicide.
"And what's this about staying away from Lady Seol?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. Don't go near that child. She is a precious talent who will be the future of Emei. She isn't some low-class girl for a lecher like you to mess around with."
Bulheo criticized him scathingly. From her perspective, Sun-woo was just a lecherous man seducing a much younger, naive girl. She had nothing good to say to him.
Snap.
A vein popped on his forehead again. And in that moment, Sun-woo realized something.
He had just reached his third bout of patience.