Chapter 734: I'll Apologize Properly, So Please Forgive Me.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 734: I'll Apologize Properly, So Please Forgive Me.
"Then I shall record it in the incident report as the work of the same culprit."
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued in a calm tone.
In the end, she had decided to accept Lee Jae-won's proposal.
"A wise choice. Your decision, Madam, will serve as excellent fertilizer for the stability and peace of the Murim."
Upon hearing her words, Lee Jae-won assumed a grave expression and commended her.
He intended to erase any lingering reluctance she might have.
He used the grand justification of the Murim's stability and peace to do so.
"…I truly hope that is the case."
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke with a complicated expression.
It seemed she was still uncomfortable with making a false announcement.
However, Lee Jae-won couldn't have cared less.
Who cares if her conscience pricks her or not?
Her internal conflict was of no concern to him.
The important thing was that the deal was done.
Exactly as he wanted.
Life is so damn easy.
A satisfied smile began to spread across Lee Jae-won's lips.
"Then, I must get to writing the medical opinion."
Paeng Ga-ryeon looked at Lee Jae-won and spoke.
It was a natural expulsion order.
"Ah, I see. I've held up a busy person for too long."
Lee Jae-won replied immediately.
He also had no intention of staying in the Law Enforcement Hall any longer.
Now that he had achieved what he wanted, there was no reason to linger.
It wasn't like he was going to stay and play patty-cake with that bitch.
"I shall take my leave then. Please send the incident report later. I will make the public announcement based on that report."
Having finished his piece, Lee Jae-won gave her a light nod.
Then, he turned around immediately.
Without a single shred of regret.
He walked straight out the door.
Creeeeeak.
Thud.
The sound of the hinges clicking into place followed, and the door closed shut.
Paeng Ga-ryeon stared silently at the closed door.
Her expression was incredibly cold.
*
Hehehehe.
Lee Jae-won began to walk away, snickering to himself.
Joy welled up within him at the thought of how well things had gone.
Though she had played hard to get, Paeng Ga-ryeon eventually accepted his demand.
She had agreed to announce that all the incidents were the work of the same culprit.
Specifically, the work of Jang Sam.
Perfect! Fuck yes!
Lee Jae-won cheered inwardly.
Everything was going according to plan.
Jang Sam would once again make a name for himself in the Murim as the suspect in these serial rape and murder cases.
And once that happened, all the malicious rumors surrounding Lee Jae-won himself would sink below the surface.
All eyes would be fixed on Jang Sam.
Furthermore, he could use the anger directed at Jang Sam to bolster the strength of the Cheonmu Alliance.
A common enemy always encouraged allies to band together.
Hehehe… This is what you call anger marketing, you damn Chinks.
Lee Jae-won let out a mean-spirited laugh internally and spat out a curse.
He felt a surge of superiority, looking down on the pathetic, uncivilized masses who were so easily manipulated, and relishing the fact that he could control them at will.
Step, step.
Lee Jae-won walked with a light, rhythmic stride.
He savored the sense of superiority filling his chest.
Swish, swish, swish.
Paeng Ga-ryeon continued her brushwork smoothly.
Her strokes were incredibly fluid yet filled with power.
After she had been brushing for some time—
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone began to knock on the door.
Tak.
Hearing the sound, Paeng Ga-ryeon immediately set down her brush.
"Who is it?"
She looked up toward the door and spoke.
"It's me, Hall Master."
A familiar male voice reached her ears.
"What is it?"
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked him in a calm tone.
"I have something to report. I've come in person."
"Is it urgent?"
"It is urgent."
"Come in."
Paeng Ga-ryeon granted permission to enter the office.
Creeeeeak.
The door opened with the sound of hinges, and a man revealed himself.
A rugged man with bold features.
It was the Heavenly Dragon Sword, Kang Myeong.
"Greetings, Hall Master."
Kang Myeong greeted her with a very polite attitude.
"Welcome, Kang Myeong."
Paeng Ga-ryeon welcomed him with a businesslike expression.
"What is this urgent matter?"
She immediately asked for his business while looking at him.
"I have discovered a new fact regarding the culprit of the recent serial rape and murder cases."
"A new fact?"
"That is correct."
"Speak."
"…As this matter requires secrecy… I believe I should erect a Qi Barrier."
Kang Myeong spoke with a cautious expression.
"Do so."
Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded at his words.
Sshhhhh.
She immediately circulated her internal energy to form a Qi Barrier.
Soon, the barrier completely enveloped the entire room.
"Well done."
Suddenly, Kang Myeong began to praise her.
He was speaking down to his superior, Paeng Ga-ryeon.
"Haa… Did I… did I do well? Haa… Sun-woo-nim…"
Paeng Ga-ryeon asked him with an incredibly flushed, excited expression.
Her overbearing demeanor was nowhere to be found.
"It was a brilliant performance. If anyone else had heard, they would have truly thought you and Kang Myeong were having a conversation."
Sun-woo continued with a deep smile on his lips.
"Haa… I'm so happy… I… I have perfectly carried out your orders, Sun-woo-nim."
"I'll have to hear more to know if it was perfect or not."
Sun-woo spoke with a playful expression.
"Yes…"
Paeng Ga-ryeon nodded, looking at Sun-woo with a face flushed red.
"Lee Jae-won was here, wasn't he?"
"Yes… just a moment ago… he came to… my room."
"What did he say?"
"I was asked to… make this serial rape and murder case… the work of Jang Sam-nim."
"And you accepted?"
"…Yes…"
"I'm disappointed. Did you really have to make me the culprit?"
Sun-woo spoke to her in a voice that sounded hurt.
"I just… I just did… as you told me, Sun-woo-nim…"
Seeing Sun-woo's expression, Paeng Ga-ryeon asked back with a flustered look.
Sun-woo had clearly ordered her.
He told her to accept whatever proposal Lee Jae-won made.
Yet, for him to suddenly speak in such a disappointed tone—
She was bewildered.
And anxious.
She feared she might have made a mistake.
"Even so, to make me the culprit… Was once not enough?"
"…T-That… you see…"
Hearing Sun-woo's words, Paeng Ga-ryeon looked as if she were about to cry.
It seemed she had once again caused harm to her master, who was like the heavens to her.
She was essentially the one responsible for framing Sun-woo as a rapist and making him a public enemy of the Murim in the past.
Because she was fully aware of that fact, she tried even harder to do well.
And yet, she had caused trouble like this.
"I-I'm… sorry… I… I will somehow… fix it… so please… forgive me…"
She began to plead with him in a trembling voice.
"What's the use of fixing it after you've already done it?"
Sun-woo spoke with a firm expression.
"T-That's…"
Despair began to cloud Paeng Ga-ryeon's eyes.
It seemed her young master had no intention of forgiving her.
Paeng Ga-ryeon's face looked more and more like she was on the verge of tears.
Sun-woo simply watched her with a dry, expressionless face.
And Sun-woo's attitude made Paeng Ga-ryeon shrink even further.
She was convinced her master was angry.
After enduring his cold gaze for some time—
"Do you want to be forgiven?"
Sun-woo finally asked her in a calm tone.
"Yes… I want… I want to be forgiven… Please… forgive me…"
"Fine. But there's a condition."
"What is it? Anything! Anything! I'll do it!"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke urgently.
Her eyes were filled with desperation.
"Come here…"
Sun-woo beckoned her.
Seeing this, Paeng Ga-ryeon walked toward Sun-woo without hesitation.
She brought her ear close to Sun-woo's lips.
"…Please tell me."
She spoke in a voice laced with tension.
She couldn't predict what his condition would be.
"The condition is…"
Sun-woo looked at her and began to speak, drawing out his words.
"Later…"
Gulp.
Paeng Ga-ryeon swallowed hard.
"Will you let me use your backdoor too?"
"…Huh!?"
For a moment, Paeng Ga-ryeon asked back with a bewildered expression.
She wondered if she had misheard him.
"Thinking about it, I've never tried sticking it in the backdoor before…"
At her question, Sun-woo chuckled and continued.
His face was full of mischief.
"…Ah."
The moment she saw his playful face, Paeng Ga-ryeon felt all her tension vanish.
She realized it.
The fact that he was teasing her.
Flump.
Paeng Ga-ryeon collapsed into her seat.
The tension that had gripped her entire body had dissipated all at once.
"Uh… uh… uh!?"
Sun-woo looked at her, puzzled by her sudden collapse.
"…Sob… hic… sob…"
Then, Paeng Ga-ryeon covered her face with both hands and began to burst into tears.
She wept as if her heart were breaking.
Seeing this, Sun-woo looked flustered.
He was taken aback by her sudden outburst of tears.
"Ga-ryeon?"
Sun-woo called out to the weeping woman.
"Sob… hic… hic… sob…"
But Paeng Ga-ryeon only continued to cry sorrowfully, offering no answer.
What do I do now?
Sun-woo felt awkward.
He had played the prank thinking her reaction would be funny, but he never imagined it would lead to such an extreme response.
This was Paeng Ga-ryeon, the woman called the "Iron Lady" for her cold, hard-as-steel judgment of criminals.
He never imagined she would cry as piteously as a lost lamb.
What to do…
Sun-woo fell into deep thought.
It seemed he had to comfort her.
She had handled the work perfectly.
She had brilliantly fulfilled his command.
Even setting aside personal feelings, she deserved praise.
But since he had made her cry with a prank, how could he not comfort her?
Sun-woo slowly reached out.
Then, he gently wrapped his arm around Paeng Ga-ryeon's slender shoulders.
"I'm sorry. You're… very angry, aren't you?"
He asked, looking at the weeping woman.
"Sob… hic… No… I'm fine…"
Paeng Ga-ryeon spoke in a tear-choked voice.
"You don't look fine at all."
Sun-woo flatly contradicted her.
How could someone who was fine be crying like that?
It made no sense.
"I really am… I truly…"
"Ga-ryeon, I hate lies."
Sun-woo spoke in a firm tone.
"If you're sad, say you're sad. If you're angry, say you're angry. You have to speak properly so it doesn't fester… I want you to tell me exactly what you're feeling."
Emotions, though invisible, had a massive impact on one's well-being.
One's psychological state changed depending on their emotions.
That's why a person must be honest with their feelings.
Dishonest emotions were bound to fester, and festering emotions led to sickness of the heart.
That was why Sun-woo spoke somewhat sternly.
Even though he was the one who needed to comfort her.
He did it to prevent her from hiding her true feelings with lies.
Ever since she became his slave, Paeng Ga-ryeon had always walked on eggshells around him.
It was because she felt immense guilt for having framed and tried to kill him in the past.
He had left her be, thinking she deserved it, but he felt it had gone too far.
She was being excessively cautious.
He intended to use this opportunity to fix that habit.
"………………"
Hearing Sun-woo's words, Paeng Ga-ryeon kept her mouth shut and remained silent.
She didn't know what to say.
After some time had passed—
"…I'm sorry."
She finally opened her mouth slowly to apologize.
"…I was… a little… just a little… heartbroken."
She looked at Sun-woo with tearful eyes and spoke.
"What part of it made you feel that way?"
"…I thought… I would be praised today… Because I handled the work as you ordered… I thought Master… would tell me I did well… and stroke my head… But… you suddenly scolded me… and then said it was a joke… I felt a surge of sorrow."
Paeng Ga-ryeon seemed to get emotional again as she spoke, her eyes welling up even more.
"…I'm sorry."
Then, Paeng Ga-ryeon bowed her head deeply in apology.
She felt overwhelmed and guilty for daring to harbor such petty feelings toward a being as high as the heavens.
"Why are you sorry? I'm the one who did wrong."
Sun-woo apologized immediately.
He could empathize to some extent with the sense of deprivation she must have felt.
"I'll refrain from jokes like that from now on… I didn't know you'd be so hurt."
Stroke, stroke, stroke.
He then began to slowly stroke her soft hair.
Duck.
Perhaps embarrassed by the gentle touch, Paeng Ga-ryeon lowered her head, her face turning bright red.
After he had stroked her for a while—
Lift.
Sun-woo gently lifted Paeng Ga-ryeon's chin.
"I'll apologize properly, so please forgive me."
"Pardon?"
Chu.
Having finished his sentence, Sun-woo pressed his lips against hers.
And as she received his kiss, Paeng Ga-ryeon's eyes grew as wide as a rabbit's.