Chapter 685: You Bitch!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 685: You Bitch!
"As a member of the Tang Clan, surely you know the difference? The difference between the direct line and the branch families, I mean."
Tang Jin-seol spoke as she stared at Tang Gam with eyes that were nothing short of freezing.
Her gaze was as piercing as the bitter cold of a northern wind.
"…The Tang Clan has changed."
Tang Gam replied, maintaining as composed an expression as possible.
"Changed?"
"It is no longer like the past, where one could wield near-absolute power simply by virtue of being born into the direct bloodline…"
Tang Gam looked at her with an intensely serious gaze before continuing.
"Currently, the Tang Clan has been reorganized to be merit-based rather than bloodline-centered. If one has the ability and the results, even a member of a branch family can attain power and status equal to the direct line. Conversely, even those of the direct line are relentlessly cast aside if they lack competence."
Tang Gam kept his eyes fixed steadily on Tang Jin-seol.
"I am someone whom the Clan Head personally appointed as the Vice Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion in recognition of my abilities. There is absolutely no reason for me to receive such treatment from Lady Tang, who is now an out-married member of this family."
"Are you telling me right now that you deny the very blood the Tang Clan was born with?"
Tang Jin-seol glared at him with sharp eyes.
"It is not a denial. While the organization has been restructured around merit, respect for the direct line has not vanished. However—"
Tang Gam continued with a calm expression.
"It means that a direct bloodline member who lacks the proper qualifications cannot simply order the branch families around at will."
"Are you suggesting that I lack the qualifications?"
"Though you are of the direct bloodline, Lady Tang, you are strictly an out-married member. For such a person to interfere in the personnel affairs of the Jaegyeong Pavilion? It is preposterous."
"It seems our opinions differ."
Tang Jin-seol spoke in a tranquil tone.
"Though I may be an out-married member, I believe I am more than entitled to this level of interference. Guiding a lacking branch member toward the right path is practically an obligation of the direct bloodline. And yet, you deny that obligation and claim I lack qualification… I find it quite incomprehensible."
"Did I not tell you? If one lacks the qualification, they cannot carry out the duties of the direct line either."
"The Tang blood flowing through my veins is my qualification."
"The Tang Clan has changed. Blood is no longer a qualification."
The two began to glare at each other with sharp, piercing gazes.
Words were not getting through.
In fact, there was no way they could.
They were operating on completely different concepts.
In Tang Jin-seol’s case, her bloodline-centered mindset led her to view branch family members as little more than servants.
This was a sentiment shared not just by her, but by the majority of prestigious clans.
If the boundary between the direct and branch lines wasn't strictly maintained, the very foundation of a clan could not be preserved.
On the other hand, Tang Gam possessed a merit-based mindset rather than a bloodline-centered one.
Ever since Tang Seo-yoon took over as the Acting Clan Head, she had encouraged meritocracy over lineage.
She had judged that maintaining a hierarchy based on blood would make the clan’s survival difficult, especially since the majority of the direct line had perished during the Demonic Cult’s invasion.
Thus, their mindsets were bound to clash.
Tang Jin-seol demanded unconditional loyalty from the branch families, while the branch members had developed a mindset of offering respect but not blind obedience.
They were on parallel tracks that would never meet.
It was a collision of two entirely different sets of values.
"How arrogant."
After a long moment of staring him down, Tang Jin-seol furrowed her elegant brows.
The more she thought about it, the more her irritation flared.
A mere branch member was standing in her way.
Not the Tang Clan Head, not the Head of the Eon Family, and not even the Cheonmu Alliance Leader—just a lowly branch member.
Her pride was wounded, and her annoyance surged. She felt a sense of self-loathing that her status had fallen so low.
A mere branch member…
Tang Jin-seol slowly raised her hand.
Whoosh—
Slap!
She struck Tang Gam across the cheek once more.
Snap—
Tang Gam’s head snapped to the side.
He had been unable to withstand the force of Tang Jin-seol’s strike.
"You certainly said I lacked the qualification."
Tang Jin-seol looked at Tang Gam, whose cheek was turning a deep red, and continued.
"Then, what happens when I, who lack qualification, slap you across the face?"
Tang Jin-seol wore a wicked smile.
"Please, do tell me."
"…I intend… to formally file a complaint… with the Clan Head."
"Do you really think the Clan Head will take your side?"
Tang Jin-seol spoke with an amused expression.
"The Clan Head is someone who values right and wrong above all else. I believe she will make the correct judgment."
Slap!
Tang Gam’s head snapped to the side again.
"Then I suppose we’ll have to find out."
After striking Tang Gam, Tang Jin-seol spoke with a soft smile playing on her lips.
"Whether the Clan Head takes my side, or yours."
Slap!
Tang Jin-seol’s smile deepened into a serpentine curve.
She immediately began to rain slaps down on Tang Gam’s face.
Slap!
Slap!
Slap!
She did so without a hint of hesitation.
"……"
And Tang Gam silently endured Tang Jin-seol’s assault.
He didn't let out a single scream.
That very sight provoked Tang Jin-seol even further.
She found it utterly distasteful that a mere branch member was trying to maintain his pride by acting so steadfast.
Slap!
Slap!
Tang Jin-seol infused her palm with internal energy.
She began to strike even harder, determined to make him scream.
Slap!
Slap!
After some time had passed…
Thud.
Tang Gam, who had been keeping his neck stiff and upright, finally collapsed.
He had lost consciousness from the extreme pain.
"Senior!"
As he fell, Tang Hye, who had been standing behind him, screamed and rushed forward.
The dependable senior she relied on had been laid low on the floor.
"Senior… wake up… Senior…"
She spoke urgently, looking down at the fallen Tang Gam.
But Tang Gam was completely unconscious, his breathing heavy and ragged.
"A fragile body for such strong convictions."
Seeing this, Tang Jin-seol spoke mockingly.
"Lady Tang! This is too much!"
Tang Hye raised her voice, her tone filled with resentment.
Everything felt so unjust.
She had arrived suddenly without notice and interfered with the business of the Jaegyeong Pavilion—all while being an out-married member with no authority or qualification.
And then she had reduced Tang Gam, who had pointed out her overstepping of authority, to this wretched state.
How could this not be unjust?
"Too much, you say…"
Tang Jin-seol spoke slowly as she looked at Tang Hye.
Click, clack.
She began to walk slowly toward her.
Stopping right in front of her, Tang Jin-seol lowered herself to meet Tang Hye’s eye level.
"Do you really think I’m being too much?"
Tang Jin-seol let out a dizzyingly beautiful smile.
"…It is… too much… Senior… Senior Tang Gam… has never committed a sin… great enough to deserve… this kind of treatment…"
Though Tang Hye was consumed by a terrifying fear, she forced the words out.
She wanted to defend Tang Gam, who had stepped forward for her sake.
"He is a mere branch member, yet he rebelled against me, a member of the direct bloodline. I was simply setting him straight. Do you still think I am in the wrong?"
Tang Jin-seol asked, her expression one of feigned curiosity.
Vroooooom—
She began to weigh Tang Hye down with a suffocatingly heavy aura.
She was exerting her martial pressure.
"Ugh… hng…"
Tang Hye let out a faint groan of pain.
A terrifying fear surged within her—the fear that she might die if she gave the wrong answer.
The urge to beg for forgiveness began to crawl up her throat.
"…I think… you are wrong."
But contrary to the urge rising in her heart, she stood her ground.
She insisted that Tang Jin-seol was in the wrong.
She felt a desperate need not to run away like a coward.
"Is that so? How unfortunate."
Hearing Tang Hye’s words, Tang Jin-seol put on a look of pity.
Then, she slowly raised her hand.
"And you had such a cute face, too."
Tang Jin-seol wore a wicked smile.
Whoosh—
She swung her hand without hesitation, aiming for Tang Hye’s cheek.
Ugh.
Tang Hye squeezed her eyes shut.
Please, let me pass out in one hit…
She prayed inwardly.
She hoped she would be knocked out by just one blow.
She waited and waited, praying all the while.
But no matter how long she waited, the expected pain did not come.
Why doesn't it hurt?
She felt a sense of confusion.
The pain simply wasn't coming.
Slowly…
Driven by curiosity, Tang Hye peeked through one eye to see what was happening.
She intended to find out what had occurred.
And soon, her eyes widened to the size of saucers.
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before her.
Tremble, tremble.
Tang Jin-seol’s hand, which had been heading for her cheek, was trembling violently.
It was being held in a vice-like grip.
Tang Hye was stunned.
Who on earth could possibly stop a direct bloodline member of the Tang Clan, someone so haughty and proud?
"Who are you?"
Then, a familiar and longed-for voice reached her ears.
Drip, drip.
Tears began to stream down Tang Hye’s face.
The voice that usually only made her sigh felt like a reinforcement of ten thousand soldiers in this moment.
"Pa… Pavilion Head!!"
Tang Hye cried out, her voice rising with emotion.
"Who do you think you are, bullying my kids?"
Yorang, the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion, ignored Tang Hye’s tearful cry and demanded Tang Jin-seol’s identity.
She glared at her with a terrifyingly murderous gaze.
"Are you… the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion?"
Tang Jin-seol spoke as she glared back at the woman who was gripping her wrist so roughly.
The two women began a fierce battle of wills, staring each other down.
*
"That’s right, I’m the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion. Who are you?"
Yorang continued in a cold voice, her eyes fixed on Tang Jin-seol.
"The Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion is younger than I expected."
Tang Jin-seol spoke with a slightly surprised expression.
She was genuinely taken aback by how young the Pavilion Head was.
Usually, administrative positions like the Head of the Jaegyeong Pavilion were held by elderly members of the direct bloodline.
They would step back from the front lines and simply oversee management.
But this Pavilion Head was a different kind of appointment.
She was a very young woman.
How could she not be surprised?
Squeeze!
"…!?"
Suddenly, an immense pressure began to radiate from the hand gripping her wrist.
It was enough pressure to almost make her scream involuntarily.
"I asked you. Who are you? Are you deaf?"
Yorang spoke in a frigid tone.
"Could you let go of my hand first? It hurts."
Tang Jin-seol struggled to endure the pain in her wrist, maintaining a composed face.
Though the vice-like grip made her want to scream, she kept her cool.
She felt that she must not lose her dignity if she wanted to win this battle of wills.
"Answer first. Letting go comes after."
Squeeeeeze!
Yorang applied even more strength, pressing her.
Grind—
Tang Jin-seol involuntarily ground her teeth at the sheer force.
An unimaginable pain was washing over her.
"Are you looking for a fight?"
Vroooom—
Tang Jin-seol spoke as she released her own aura.
She was furious to the core at the continued pressure.
"I don't mind, but you'll die."
Yorang let out a deep, amused smile.
It wasn't her usual bright and flighty laugh.
It was the murderous smile of a predator facing its prey.
Flinch.
Encountering that smile, Tang Jin-seol flinched in spite of herself.
A chilling, numbing sensation wrapped around her entire body.
…What is with this woman?
Tang Jin-seol felt a sense of bewilderment.
She was being overwhelmed by the Pavilion Head’s momentum, which was far more powerful than she had imagined.
A direct confrontation… is dangerous.
She realized.
If they fought head-on, she might actually be killed.
"…There is no need for members of the same clan to draw blood."
Tang Jin-seol took a step back.
She realized that nothing good would come from continuing this confrontation.
"My name is Tang Jin-seol. I am the younger sister of the current Clan Head and the wife of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader."
Under the guise of an explanation, Tang Jin-seol revealed her status.
Her position as the wife of the Cheonmu Alliance Leader, Lee Jae-won.
Her position as the younger sister of the Poison King, Tang Jin-cheol.
And her position as a direct bloodline member of the Tang Clan.
She laid it all out so that the rough woman in front of her would have to take notice.
As long as she was being paid by the Tang Clan, she would have no choice but to care about the direct bloodline.
"Tang Jin-seol? You’re Tang Jin-seol?"
Hearing her name, Yorang asked back with a look of surprise.
As if she couldn't believe it.
"Yes, that’s right. I am indeed Tang Jin-seol."
Seeing that reaction, Tang Jin-seol spoke with a satisfied smile.
It seemed this foolish woman had finally realized what a ridiculous thing she had done.
"You total bitch!"
Wham!
Suddenly, a splitting pain erupted in her head.
Yorang had just smacked her across the skull.
"……………"
For a moment, Tang Jin-seol stood there, stunned.
It was a situation she hadn't anticipated in the slightest.
"Do you have any idea how many months of accounting records are messed up because of you?!"
Yorang screamed, her face contorted with fury.