Chapter 438: I’m Planning to Kill Young Master Jang.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 438: I’m Planning to Kill Young Master Jang.
Sun-woo wore a satisfied smile.
He felt that everything had concluded smoothly.
He had cleared the awkwardness with his favorite heroine, Kang Ha-yoon, and resolved the misunderstanding that he had been teasing her with lies.
Not only that, but he had even offered comfort to her while she was spiraling into self-loathing.
It was a perfect wrap-up.
How could he not be satisfied?
"…Thank you. Thanks to you, Young Master… I feel much better."
Kang Ha-yoon regained her composure and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Don't mention it. I'm just glad I could be of help."
Sun-woo replied with a light chuckle.
"……."
"……."
Soon, silence settled between them once again.
Neither of them spoke.
What’s this? Why is it getting awkward again?
Sun-woo felt flustered. The sudden, heavy silence caught him off guard.
He pondered deeply on what to say next.
"Um…"
"Um…"
Sun-woo was startled. He had finally summoned the courage to speak, only for his words to overlap with hers.
"Please… you go first."
"No… you first."
"No, it’s nothing urgent. You can speak first."
"It’s not urgent for me either…"
The two continued to defer to each other out of consideration.
"Actually, I forgot what I was going to say. Please, go ahead."
"Pfft… Hahaha… What is that supposed to be?"
Perhaps finding Sun-woo’s remark amusing, Kang Ha-yoon let out a soft laugh.
"Doesn't that happen sometimes? You forget what you were about to say right as you're about to say it. That’s exactly what just happened."
Sun-woo lied through his teeth with a straight face.
"Fufu… All right. Then I’ll speak first."
Hearing Sun-woo’s joke, Kang Ha-yoon opened her mouth with a lingering smile.
"…Could you go somewhere with me?"
Kang Ha-yoon’s eyes, beautiful as fine jade, sparkled as she asked.
"…Right now?"
Sun-woo asked back, looking bewildered. Where could she possibly want to go so suddenly?
"…Yes."
"Where are you planning to go?"
Sun-woo tilted his head. He couldn't fathom where she would want to take him in the middle of the night.
"…Can you come with me… without asking?"
"Is it just the two of us?"
"Yes."
She looked at Sun-woo with an alluring gaze.
What is this? She’s not asking me to go pick flowers, is she? Moon watching? With me?
Sun-woo began to run through various theories in his head. He was genuinely curious about where she wanted to take him.
Taking me to a secret location at this hour… and just the two of us…
Flash!
A thought suddenly raced through Sun-woo’s mind.
His face instantly turned bright red. The idea that had crossed his mind was far too scandalous.
No! There’s no way! My Kang Ha-yoon wouldn't do that!
Sun-woo quickly shook his head from side to side, denying the thought that had surfaced. He told himself it was impossible.
But… what if she… actually feels that way?
Yet, the scandalous thought lingered in a corner of his mind. No matter how he looked at it, this seemed like an invitation for a secret tryst.
Sun-woo thought to himself: even if it was impossible, he needed a plan just in case.
I have to refuse.
Sun-woo resolved that even if such a situation arose, he had to decline. Hadn't he made countless promises to the other women before leaving?
That he would never lay a finger on Kang Ha-yoon.
That he wouldn't add another unmanageable "bomb" to his life.
That if he ever made her his woman, he would be no better than a dog.
I can't become a dog!
As a man, he couldn't afford to lose his humanity.
Moreover, Kang Ha-yoon was Lee Jae-won’s second wife. If she came into his arms, it would mean he had stolen two of the man's wives. The risk was astronomical.
He couldn't take that kind of risk—for his own sake and for everyone back at the Tang Clan.
Therefore, he had to refuse. He had to make sure she didn't get any wrong ideas.
Whew.
Sun-woo let out a long internal sigh. He looked at her with a firm, steady gaze.
He was going to turn her down. He would tell her that no matter how charming he was, this was wrong. That he couldn't embrace a married woman. That he couldn't let the woman he admired commit such an infidelity.
"Is that a no?"
Just then, Kang Ha-yoon asked again, her eyes glistening with moisture. His long silence made her anxious that he might refuse.
And that tearful gaze began to melt Sun-woo’s heart relentlessly.
There is a saying: "The first to cry wins."
When a woman sheds tears, her unique sorrow and femininity are magnified. It naturally triggers a protective instinct in men.
And that desire to protect paralyzes a person’s rational judgment, turning everything emotional.
"Of course not!"
Just like right now.
…Ah.
Sun-woo immediately regretted it. He realized he had blurted it out instinctively.
No! I have to refuse! I can't become a dog!
Sun-woo tried to take back his words in a panic.
"I'm so happy… Young Master Jang."
"……."
But he had no choice but to shut his mouth. He saw Kang Ha-yoon smiling so beautifully. He didn't want to ruin that smile with a rejection.
"I was worried… about what I’d do if you refused… but I’m so glad you accepted so readily."
She continued, looking at Sun-woo with eyes as beautiful as starlight.
Blank.
Facing that gaze head-on, Sun-woo’s expression went blank. He was completely entranced by her peerless beauty.
Maybe living as a dog isn't so bad?
He even began to compromise with himself. Since he was already acting like a dog in heat, maybe getting officially "certified" as one wouldn't be so terrible.
Rustle.
Suddenly, Kang Ha-yoon stood up.
Grip.
She reached out and wrapped her hand around Sun-woo’s.
"Shall we go, then?"
She spoke softly, gently pulling his hand as if to lead him.
"…Let’s do that."
Sun-woo gave a goofy grin and let himself be led, looking as if he would follow her anywhere.
Kang Ha-yoon gently guided him as they began to move outside, acting secretly so that no one would notice.
*
"How much further are we going?"
Sun-woo asked her with a curious expression. A significant amount of time had passed since he had surrendered himself to her lead. Yet, she showed no signs of stopping.
They walked and walked and walked. It was as if she felt they had to get there as quickly as possible.
Sun-woo didn't understand. If she intended to have a secret midnight tryst, there were plenty of decent spots along the way.
A deserted mill at the edge of the village.
A forest with a wide, flat rock.
A small riverside that looked easy for cleaning up afterward.
A steep but manageable mountain path where one could easily find a position.
But she ignored all these good spots and hurried her pace. It made no sense to him.
"Just a little further."
In response to Sun-woo’s question, Kang Ha-yoon spoke with an alluring smile.
"Okay~"
I guess there’s a better place further up.
Seeing that smile, Sun-woo immediately conceded, thinking she surely knew what she was doing.
.
.
.
.
.
After some time, the two arrived at the peak of an unnamed hill.
"Phew… I never imagined the Unit Leader would come all the way to the top."
Sun-woo spoke with an impressed expression. He truly hadn't expected her to choose a mountain peak for their secret meeting.
Hmm… I guess it’s not bad.
Of course, he didn't think it was a bad choice. No one would come to a mountain peak in the middle of the night, and being closest to the moon made it a very fitting place for a tryst.
The endless cliff nearby was also quite charming in its own way.
"Young Master Jang."
Just then, Kang Ha-yoon called out to Sun-woo with a serious expression.
"Yes, please speak."
Sun-woo’s voice trembled slightly. He was incredibly nervous about what she was going to say.
"I have something to tell you."
"I'm listening."
Sun-woo tried to hide his pounding heart as he spoke.
"I'm planning to kill Young Master Jang."
She looked at Sun-woo with sorrowful eyes.
"…Pardon?"
Sun-woo’s expression turned to one of pure bewilderment. He couldn't understand her sudden words at all.
Kill?
Me?
Why?
Was she using some kind of metaphor for "dying in the throes of passion"?
Countless thoughts began to race through Sun-woo’s mind.
"The reason I brought Young Master Jang here was to kill you. I'm sorry."
"…May I ask why?"
Sun-woo spoke in a calm tone. It seemed she wasn't talking about death by ecstasy after all.
"A secret order was sent. It told me to kill you."
"…Me? From whom?"
Sun-woo asked back, looking puzzled. He didn't understand. The name Jang Sun-woo was currently known as the Divine Dragon of the Murim, a rising star. Who would hold such a grudge against a rising star to order his assassination?
He had some friction with other "Dragons and Phoenixes," but it wasn't to the point of seeking each other's lives. His suspicion grew.
"…Think about who you’ve recently earned a grudge from."
She spoke in a level voice.
"……."
Hearing her words, Sun-woo fell into deep thought. He tried to deduce who might have ordered his death.
After a moment, Sun-woo was able to guess the identity of the person who had commissioned his assassination. A name Kang Ha-yoon had mentioned when she was trying to persuade him to defect came to mind.
"…Tang Jin-seol."
"That’s right. She was the one who sent the secret order. Telling me to eliminate Young Master Jang."
She looked at Sun-woo with sad eyes.
"…I don't understand."
Sun-woo spoke with a look of incomprehension.
"Why on earth are you following Tang Jin-seol’s orders? You, the great Phoenix Unit Leader?"
He couldn't understand it. The Kang Ha-yoon he knew was a woman who would rather break than bend. She never compromised with the ways of the world. Nothing could move her if it wasn't for justice.
So why was she following Tang Jin-seol’s orders? Especially an assassination order that went against the chivalric code? It was impossible to grasp.
"Because I owe her my life."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke in a calm tone.
"A life debt?"
"As you know, I am at odds with the Law Enforcement Hall. To be precise, I am at odds with Paeng Ga-ryeon. In such a situation, I had no choice but to owe my life to her to preserve it."
She spoke with a bitter expression. She had never expected that her struggle to survive would return as a leash. But by the time she realized it, the leash was already tightly fastened.
She couldn't escape it. The heavy leash of a life debt.
"…So, you intend to assassinate me to repay that life debt?"
"You could say that."
She continued, looking at Sun-woo sadly.
"…I'm disappointed."
Sun-woo spoke with a look of visible disappointment. A wave of letdown regarding Kang Ha-yoon washed over him.
Of course, it wasn't that he didn't understand. He knew well how much she valued chivalry. She must have agonized between chivalry and loyalty.
Whether to keep her chivalry and discard her loyalty, or to keep her loyalty and discard her chivalry.
Chivalry and loyalty—both were incredibly precious beliefs to her.
She had simply made a choice. To discard chivalry and keep her loyalty. This, too, was an action consistent with her convictions.
Yet, strangely, he felt disappointed. Even though she had acted according to her principles.
Perhaps it was because, deep down, he was disappointed that she hadn't chosen chivalry.
"…I'm sorry… for disappointing you."
Kang Ha-yoon spoke in a bitter tone. Her voice was thick with deep sadness.
"……."
Hearing her voice, Sun-woo clamped his mouth shut.
"Still," he began slowly. "If this is also your conviction, then it is only right that you see it through."
Sun-woo looked at her with steady eyes.
"Because the woman I know as Kang Ha-yoon is that kind of person."
Sun-woo continued with a calm expression.
"……."
At Sun-woo’s words, Kang Ha-yoon’s eyes began to tremble uncontrollably.
"So, come at me with everything you have. I, too, will face you with all my strength."
Sun-woo looked at her with a resolute gaze.