Chapter 291: A Fight Between a Dog and a Cat
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 291: A Fight Between a Dog and a Cat
"That is not what I meant! It is only natural for a woman to conduct herself with modesty, so how can you act with such... such openness!"
"And if the person I like leaves while I'm busy being 'modest'? What am I supposed to do then?"
"That would simply be a matter of fate, would it not!"
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of living such a passive life. I prefer to seize what I want for myself."
Bukgung Yeon continued, her gaze flickering toward Sun-woo with a burning intensity.
"Sun-woo is not an object!"
Perhaps noticing that look, Neung So-hwa flared up and raised her voice.
"Who said anything about treating him like an object? Why are you overreacting? I'm merely expressing interest in a man I've taken a liking to."
Bukgung Yeon spoke with a look of genuine confusion, as if she couldn't understand the problem.
"Do not involve Sun-woo in your fleeting dalliances! He is not someone you can treat so lightly!"
Neung So-hwa glared at Bukgung Yeon, her face flushed with indignation. To her, Sun-woo was the most precious existence in the world. She could not stand to see him treated like a toy by a woman like this.
"I'm not treating him lightly."
Bukgung Yeon looked at Neung So-hwa with eyes that were nothing if not serious.
"I am being sincere with him."
"Do not lie! How could you develop such feelings in such a short time? It is utterly unnatural!"
"How can anyone predict human emotions?"
"It is still strange! Exactly what part of him are you supposed to have fallen for!"
"He's cool."
Bukgung Yeon spoke, a faint blush creeping onto her deathly pale face.
"…What?"
"Don't you think his intellectual side is incredibly attractive?"
"Of course, I do not think such traits are bad. In fact, I think they are quite wonderful! But that alone is insufficient as an explanation!"
Back when Sun-woo first began provoking Bukgung Yeon, Neung So-hwa had been filled with a sense of resignation. Far from coddling her to keep her in a good mood, he had criticized Bukgung Yeon with all sorts of harsh words.
However, after seeing him use his own logic to calm Bukgung Yeon down, her resignation turned to hope. And when she saw Bukgung Yeon completely convinced by him, that hope turned to shock.
How could he subdue that prickly, ill-mannered woman with nothing but his eloquence? Bukgung Yeon wasn't just convinced; she was accepting both his rebukes and his comfort.
Watching this, Neung So-hwa realized something. Sun-woo's greatness didn't lie solely in his high martial arts realm. Unlike other martial artists, he possessed a unique way of looking at the world.
Most martial artists are idealists. Because of that, many act according to their own whims without calculating profit or loss—drawing their swords the moment they see injustice while shouting about chivalry, or drawing steel the instant they feel insulted without weighing the consequences.
But Sun-woo was different. He looked at reality. Rather than chasing ideals, he calculated gains and losses to derive the most practical solution.
That was why she understood. She understood why Bukgung Yeon had taken a liking to him. After all, she herself had developed an immense fondness for him.
Even so, the explanation was lacking. Liking someone and falling for them were two different things. And if she liked him, she should have gone through the process of getting to know him slowly. How could she try to seduce him through such blatant physical contact?
Moreover, wanting his seed? How could she utter such vulgar words?
"What exactly is the problem!"
Hearing Neung So-hwa's words, Bukgung Yeon snapped back with irritation.
"I agree that the situation warrants having a favorable impression of him. However, that does not justify uttering such vulgar words as wanting his... his... seed!"
"Why not?"
"What?"
"Is it not a female's natural instinct to be drawn to a capable male?"
Bukgung Yeon spoke with an expression that asked why she was being questioned on something so obvious.
"Humans are not beasts!"
"We're no different. I am drawn to him, and I want to have his child."
"W-What!"
"Do you know what the North Sea Ice Palace needs right now? People. I intend to encourage childbirth policies, and as the Palace Master who rules the Ice Palace, I plan to lead by example."
"And why must you set that example with Sun-woo!"
"Because he's the most attractive man I've ever seen."
Bukgung Yeon continued with a confident expression in response to Neung So-hwa's question.
"My current goal is the revival of the North Sea Ice Palace. And I felt that Sun-woo is the man who fits that purpose."
"Why!"
"His martial arts might be weaker than mine, but he's at the respectable Upper Stage of the Transcendent Realm. He has a quite handsome appearance. Furthermore, despite only being here for a day, he listened to the Ice Palace's internal affairs and even derived a solution with his intellectual side... How can you say he doesn't fit?"
Bukgung Yeon bared her inner thoughts to Neung So-hwa. She truly believed it. She believed that if her blood and Sun-woo's blood were mixed, a talent capable of reviving the North Sea would surely be born.
"So stop interfering and get lost. It's adult time from here on."
"I am not a child!"
Neung So-hwa retorted, her face flushed deep red.
"Pfft. How can you call yourself an adult when you've never even been in a relationship?"
Bukgung Yeon looked at Neung So-hwa with a mocking expression.
"In the Central Plains, it is never a flaw for a woman to conduct herself with modesty! Rather, it is something worthy of praise! It means one is not filled with vulgar thoughts like you!"
"Vulgar! In what way am I vulgar?"
"Haven't you been in countless relationships? Surely there must be an issue with your chastity as well. A woman like you is not a suitable match for Sun-woo!"
"What are you talking about! I spent my entire life training until I reached my current realm. There's no way I've met a man!"
Provoked by Neung So-hwa's accusation of being vulgar, Bukgung Yeon snapped back, her face turning red with anger.
"..........."
Hearing this, Neung So-hwa was lost for words. This woman had been looking down on her as if she'd been in countless relationships, yet her own situation was exactly the same. Where did she get such confidence?
"Then you are in the same position as I am!"
Regaining her senses, Neung So-hwa shouted back in a huff.
"I'm different from you. Because I am ready to receive the seed of a man I like at any time!"
"Hmph! You talk big for someone who has never even met a man!"
"What did you say!"
Bukgung Yeon flared up at Neung So-hwa's blatant dismissal.
"Did I say anything wrong? Your words are grand, but there is no substance. How can you speak so eloquently when you have experienced nothing?"
"Then I'll just have to show you that I can do it!"
Bukgung Yeon pulled Sun-woo's arm even harder.
"Do you think I will just stand by and watch!"
Feeling her pull his arm, Neung So-hwa grabbed Sun-woo's other arm and pulled back, refusing to lose. Sun-woo's body began to be stretched taut.
What is this...
Sun-woo felt a sense of profound awkwardness. What was this situation? Why were these two suddenly fighting over him?
Sun-woo couldn't keep up with the sudden, whirlwind-like development. He simply couldn't understand it—neither Bukgung Yeon, who suddenly proposed they sleep together, nor Neung So-hwa, who was blocking her.
Sun-woo decided he had to mediate.
"Wait! Wait!"
Feeling his arms being pulled tight, Sun-woo spoke up urgently.
"Both of you, calm down!"
Despite his attempt at mediation, neither woman let go of his arms.
"Let go of my arms first! It hurts!"
Sun-woo shouted, looking back and forth between the two women pulling on him.
"I will let go once that woman lets go first!"
Neung So-hwa shouted back.
"Tell that woman to let go first!"
Bukgung Yeon shouted, refusing to back down.
Damn it.
Sun-woo cursed inwardly. Neither of them showed any sign of letting go. He decided he had to make at least one of them release him first.
"Neung So-hwa, let go first."
Sun-woo spoke to Neung So-hwa. He figured she would be more reasonable since they were closer than he was with Bukgung Yeon.
"How can you say that to me? Do you not know with what heart I am holding onto you?"
Neung So-hwa looked at Sun-woo with a hurt expression. Her face was filled with distress.
"See! Sun-woo finds you annoying! So let go of his arm and get lost!"
Gaining confidence from Sun-woo's words, Bukgung Yeon began to press Neung So-hwa.
"That cannot be!"
Neung So-hwa shook her head at Bukgung Yeon's words.
Grip.
Neung So-hwa's grip on Sun-woo's arm tightened even further. It seemed she had no intention of letting go.
"Palace Master. Would you please let go of my arm?"
This time, Sun-woo made a polite request to Bukgung Yeon.
"No. I will never let go as long as that woman doesn't."
Bukgung Yeon flatly refused Sun-woo's request without a moment's hesitation.
Seeing this, Sun-woo realized that she was engaged in a battle of pride with Neung So-hwa. In the first place, if Bukgung Yeon used her internal energy to pull him, he would have no choice but to be dragged toward her. But she didn't do that. She was waiting—waiting for Sun-woo to shake off Neung So-hwa and choose her.
Sun-woo began to worry. It was difficult to shake off either hand right now. If he shook off Bukgung Yeon's hand, he might lose not only the Ice Essence but also the favor he had built up through his words. The plan he had squeezed his brain to create would go to waste.
Rationally, shaking off Neung So-hwa's hand was the right choice. But if he did that, she would clearly be hurt. This was a woman who had swallowed her pride for the sake of the Ice Essence, yet had given up on that very essence the moment she saw him being toyed with. He couldn't easily shake off her hand.
Sun-woo's head began to ache. What was he supposed to do in this situation?
Grip.
Grip.
As time passed, the strength with which they were pulling him grew even more intense. Sun-woo could tell that they were both extremely angry right now.
I'll just shake them both off.
Sun-woo put strength into his arms.
Flick!
He shook off both of their hands simultaneously.
"Ah!"
"Oh!"
Surprised by Sun-woo's sudden action, both women let out a cry.
"What do you think you are doing!"
Sun-woo shouted with a look of pure fury.
"I am not an object, nor am I anyone's property! So why are you both trying to force me?"
"..........."
"..........."
As Sun-woo vented his anger, both women fell silent, as if they had swallowed honey-soaked bees.
"Palace Master. I am very grateful for your proposal, but I am bound to the Tang Clan. Under such circumstances, I cannot relocate to the North Sea. Furthermore, I do not sleep with anyone I do not love. I cannot accept your proposal to share a bed."
"..........."
Hearing Sun-woo's words, Bukgung Yeon bit her lip hard. She hadn't imagined he would be so firm.
"And weren't we just discussing how to rebuild the North Sea Ice Palace? How can you bring up personal feelings in such a situation? I was bewildered. And then I became angry. How lightly must you have viewed me to suggest sleeping together so easily?"
Sun-woo fired sharp words at her, his face flushed. Of course, Sun-woo actually felt quite good about Bukgung Yeon's temptation. He was a man in his prime; how could he dislike being seduced by a peerless beauty like her?
However, in this situation, he had to act as if he were offended. Only then could he calm down Bukgung Yeon, who was so excited she couldn't control herself.
"It wasn't like that... I just... I wanted to show my favor..."
Bukgung Yeon spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. She felt somewhat wronged. In her own way, she was just expressing her feelings intensely, so it felt unfair that he reacted so sensitively.
In general, views on romance in the North Sea differed greatly from those in the Central Plains. Women of the Central Plains wait when they like someone—until the person they like notices their heart.
But it was different for women of the North Sea. When a North Sea woman likes someone, she actively expresses her feelings. This is because of the anxiety that if she likes someone, others will too. They choose to seize what they want so they don't lose them to another woman.
That was why Bukgung Yeon had approached Sun-woo so boldly. Though, even for a North Sea woman, the comment about wanting his seed was embarrassing beyond belief.
Meanwhile, seeing this, Neung So-hwa felt a secret sense of satisfaction. She felt good because she thought Sun-woo had taken her side.
"And Neung So-hwa. I am disappointed in you as well."
Suddenly, Sun-woo called out to Neung So-hwa. In an instant, her expression turned to one of bewilderment. Why had the target suddenly shifted to her?