Chapter 521: Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s Daughter, Lee So-ran
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 521: Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s Daughter, Lee So-ran
"Did he... really come here?"
Hwangbo Yu-yeon asked, her expression clouded with bewilderment. She found it impossible to believe that Jang Sun-woo had actually sought out Paeng Ga-ryeon.
"He arrived exactly one shijin ago. He brought a chest overflowing with silver taels."
"........."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon fell into a heavy silence, her lips pressed firmly together. She couldn't wrap her head around it.
Why would he go to the Law Enforcement Hall?
Why would he pay five hundred thousand nyang?
It made no sense. She couldn't justify it.
"He said you asked him to deliver it... Was he lying?"
When Yu-yeon failed to respond, Paeng Ga-ryeon looked at her with a suspicious glint in her eyes.
"That... well..."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon began to stammer, caught off guard. She had never made such a request of him.
"You didn't... happen to leak the details about the bribery return, did you?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon narrowed her eyes. The matter of returning the bribes was a secret among secrets. If word got out, even Paeng Ga-ryeon, the Master of the Law Enforcement Hall, would suffer the consequences.
"O-of course not! That’s right... I did ask him to do me a favor. To deliver the money..."
Sensing Paeng Ga-ryeon’s growing suspicion, a flustered Hwangbo Yu-yeon blurted out the lie. She couldn't afford to let the truth about the leak be discovered.
"That’s a relief. For a moment there, I was so incensed I nearly took your head off, Madam Hwangbo."
Paeng Ga-ryeon offered a smile, though her words were chillingly bloodthirsty.
"..........."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon’s face turned pale as she met that smile. She knew instinctively that the other woman wasn't joking.
"Anyway, what brings you here today? The bribes have all been returned, so you shouldn't have any business left with me."
When Yu-yeon remained silent, Paeng Ga-ryeon asked with a look of curiosity.
"...Ah... well... you see..."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon hesitated. She had no idea what to say. She had come here to report that she couldn't raise the funds, but now that the money had been paid in full, she was left without a purpose.
"Perhaps a cup of tea..."
"Please, take a seat. I shall prepare some Longjing tea."
A small smile played on Paeng Ga-ryeon’s lips.
".......Thank you."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon nodded and walked over to the table to sit down. She lowered her head, her mind racing with thoughts of Jang Sun-woo and the unexpected favor he had done for her.
"I should be going now."
Hwangbo Yu-yeon barely touched her tea before abruptly standing up.
"Leaving so soon?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon looked up, surprised by the sudden departure.
"Yes... I have somewhere I must go... urgently."
With a slight bow, Hwangbo Yu-yeon hurried out of the office as if her life depended on it.
".............."
Paeng Ga-ryeon watched her retreating back intently until she had completely vanished from sight.
"Sun-woo, she’s gone."
Once the coast was clear, she spoke softly.
Ssssh.
Sun-woo emerged from behind her, deactivating his Formless Shadow Stealth Technique.
"That was some fine acting."
Pat, pat.
Sun-woo reached out and stroked the back of Paeng Ga-ryeon’s head.
"........Thank you."
At his praise, Paeng Ga-ryeon beamed, her face flushing a deep red. A compliment from him was enough to make her feel like she was walking on air.
"Keep up the good work. Understood?"
"I will... never disappoint you."
Paeng Ga-ryeon looked at Sun-woo with eyes full of resolve.
"Good, good."
Sun-woo smiled, satisfied. He quite liked her display of loyalty.
"But Sun-woo... shouldn't you follow her? She’s definitely going to be looking for you."
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked, her expression tinged with doubt.
"Let her wait. It’ll only make her more anxious and more apologetic."
Sun-woo replied nonchalantly.
"Is that so?"
"Debt has a way of snowballing over time... and a debt of the heart is no different."
".....So you don't intend to meet her for a while?"
She asked, curious about his plan.
"I’m thinking of leaving her be for about four days. It’ll make the eventual reunion much more poignant."
A smirk played on Sun-woo’s lips.
"Four whole days?"
"It takes at least that long for the medicine to really kick in."
Sun-woo spoke with absolute confidence.
"Then I suppose you’ll have to stay cooped up in your room for the next four days..."
Paeng Ga-ryeon fidgeted slightly as she spoke.
"Why? Are you worried?"
"Of course... You’ll surely be bored if you can't go out for four days."
"You’re right. Staying shut in for four days does sound tedious."
Sun-woo nodded in agreement.
"In that case, would you like me to be your plaything? So that you won't be bored?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon let out a wave of seductive qi, her voice dripping with allure. The mere thought of being Sun-woo’s toy for four days made her feel a surge of heat below her waist.
"I’m sorry to disappoint, but I have things to do over the next four days."
Sun-woo chuckled, amused by her offer.
"......Things to do?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon’s face fell, her disappointment obvious.
"Yes."
"What kind of things?" she asked sullenly.
"Something fun."
Sun-woo replied with a wicked grin. Paeng Ga-ryeon tilted her head, wondering what kind of mischief he was planning this time.
Rattle, rattle.
Two dice tumbled across a wide piece of cloth spread out on the floor.
Thud!
The gambler sitting in the center slammed a large bowl down, covering the spinning dice.
"Double sixes!"
"Three-three!"
"Five-six!"
"One-two!"
The crowd gathered around him began to shout their bets, slamming silver coins and copper bits onto the floor. As the noise died down, the gambler slowly lifted the bowl.
"Two-three!"
He shouted the result after checking the dice.
"No luck today."
"My streak is dead... stone dead."
"Dammit... I was sure about this one!"
Lamentations broke out among the bettors as they watched their money vanish in an instant. The gambler smirked; it seemed no one had won this round.
"Isn't this a scam!?"
Suddenly, a woman who had bet on 'three-three,' Lee So-ran, raised her voice, her face contorted in a scowl.
"What are you talking about, young lady?"
"I saw it clearly! It was a three-three! How did a three-three turn into a two-three!?"
"You must have misseen it," the gambler replied dismissively.
"There’s no way!"
Lee So-ran’s voice rose in anger.
"Young lady, you’re making things difficult. You’re disturbing the other guests."
The gambler put on a troubled expression.
"But you cheated!"
"Do you have proof?"
"What?"
"I asked if you have proof that I cheated."
"I saw it with my own two eyes!" Lee So-ran glared at him, her conviction unwavering.
"That is not proof."
"And why not!?"
"Could it not be that you were simply mistaken?"
"W-what!? I am a Peak Realm martial artist! There is no way I was mistaken!"
She snapped, her pride wounded. Even if she was only at the Mid-Stage, she was still a master of the Peak Realm. There was no way her eyes had deceived her. It was a three-three. She would bet her life on it.
"The other guests here are masters no less skilled than yourself, yet they all called out different numbers. How can you be so sure you didn't missee it? You’re just throwing a tantrum."
The gambler frowned, his tone biting.
"A tantrum!?"
Lee So-ran shouted, incensed. The gambler’s condescending attitude, treating her like a child, rubbed her the wrong way.
"You’ve got a lot of nerve—"
Lee So-ran’s face twisted in rage. She was about to give the arrogant gambler a piece of her mind.
"Ran-mae."
At that moment, a woman with an intellectual air, Lee Hyun-kyung, who had been watching silently, spoke up.
"Why don't you stop now?"
"But he—!"
"Calling it a scam is a bit of a stretch. I didn't see a three-three either."
She looked at Lee So-ran with a look of feigned confusion.
"But—!"
"I am also a Peak Realm master. Are you suggesting your eyes are sharper than mine? Is that it?"
She fixed Lee So-ran with a cold, piercing gaze.
Flinch.
"..........."
Lee So-ran fell silent, cowed by the other woman’s sharp aura.
"Ran-mae, this is a high-end gambling den where only guests of a certain status are allowed. If you act out like this, it reflects poorly on me for bringing you here, doesn't it?"
"........I’m sorry."
"Don't apologize to me. Apologize to him."
Lee Hyun-kyung pointed toward the gambler.
"I’m... sorry for the disturbance."
Lee So-ran apologized, though the words tasted like ash.
"It’s fine. I suppose I can understand your frustration."
The gambler accepted the apology with a shrug.
"It must be galling to lose your money. You must be fuming. I get it. You want your money back even if you have to make things up. You want to threaten me into returning it. But remember this, young lady: you shouldn't try to solve everything with force. How can you persecute an innocent man for your own gain? It’s preposterous."
The gambler began to lecture her, his voice thick with mockery and disdain.
Tremble, tremble.
Lee So-ran began to shake. The gambler’s insults—painting her as a piece of trash throwing a fit over lost money—filled her with shame, embarrassment, and a burning sense of injustice.
She had seen it. The dice had stopped on three-three. Why did she have to endure such humiliation?
"Haah... haah... haah..."
Her face flushed crimson with shame, and her breathing grew ragged. Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-kyung watched her with a deep, hidden smirk. Seeing So-ran humiliated by her own foolishness was immensely entertaining.
You must be so frustrated.
Lee Hyun-kyung knew. She knew the gambler was cheating. Of course she did—she was the one who had hired this professional to target Lee So-ran.
He had indeed covered the dice when they showed three-three. But the moment So-ran called it out, he had swapped them. It was only natural for her to be angry when the result was entirely different from what she had seen.
But you have no way to prove it.
So-ran had no choice but to swallow her rage. No one would take her side. Not only the gambler, but everyone else at the table was one of Hyun-kyung’s subordinates. Who would possibly stand up for her?
Stupid girl.
Lee Hyun-kyung felt a surge of delight. Watching the girl get fleeced right before her eyes was enough to make her want to laugh out loud.
"......Do you understand, young lady? This establishment is a high-class den officially sanctioned by the authorities for the upper crust of society. If you cause a scene like this just because you lost some money, wouldn't it bring shame upon your father’s name?"
The gambler continued to needle her, picking the most provocative words possible. He wanted to goad her into a frenzy and turn the place into a chaotic mess, just as his client, Lee Hyun-kyung, had requested. He skillfully insulted her without using a single swear word.
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
His efforts seemed to be working. Lee So-ran shook with even greater intensity, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
"This is something you should have learned through proper upbringing. Since the Alliance Leader is so busy with his duties, I suppose the fault lies with the Seventh Lady."
The gambler had crossed the line. He had insulted her mother, the person she loved most in the world.
Spring!
Lee So-ran stood up abruptly, her eyes flashing with a murderous light. She marched toward the gambler, intent on slapping the man who had dared to insult her mother.
Grin.
That’s another thousand nyang in the bag.
The gambler smirked inwardly. Everything was going according to plan. He subtly tilted his cheek, making it an easy target for her.
Thump.
Just then, someone sat down in the chair Lee So-ran had just vacated. Startled by the sudden presence, So-ran turned her head. A handsome man entered her field of vision.
"This seat is empty, right?"
The man asked with a perfectly calm face.