Flower in Both Hands (5)
It's brutally tough. That's my take after sparring with Hong Yeonhwa right after Paeng Soso. Not only did I wring every last drop out of my already beat-up body, but I even took hits all over to train the Iron King Heart Protection Art. The one saving grace is that I've made a bit of progress lately—my muscles and bones feel tougher, and my recovery's noticeably better. Add in Hong Yeonhwa's Poking Blood Acupuncture, and all this fatigue should be gone by tomorrow.
...Huh? If there's no buildup of exhaustion, doesn't that mean I have to pull this crap again tomorrow...? Reward! I need a reward!
Hong Yeonhwa was squatting beside me, stashing the stuff she'd bought into the travel pouch. I lunged from behind and wrapped her up in a tight hug, smothering that defenseless backside.
"Eek?!"
Startled, Hong Yeonhwa squirmed to break free, but I held on fast. If anything, I slyly slipped my hand into her collar....
"Huh?"
Something snagged in Hong Yeonhwa's cleavage. I pulled it out, revealing a small bundle wrapped in cloth.
"What's this?"
"Ugh... What do you mean, what... Ah!"
Pinned under my weight as she grunted to keep her balance, Hong Yeonhwa yelped and toppled over with a thud. Her eyes shook wildly left, right, up, and down like there was an earthquake.
"Th-that... even this lady doesn't know what it is...."
Suspicious as hell, no matter who saw it. Whatever it was, Hong Yeonhwa was definitely hiding something. Even Paeng Soso, who shared our room now and had been tending her saber, stopped dead and stared right at her.
I pressed down on the top of Hong Yeonhwa's head, forcing the tension out of her. "Nyaang...."
"Soso, grab her for me!"
"Yes!"
Paeng Soso pounced like she'd been waiting for it. Using her long limbs, she coiled around Hong Yeonhwa like a snake, locking her down tight.
"No! Let go! Soso, how could you do this to this lady!"
"Sorry, sis! I really like you, Hong sis, but Young Master Jin comes first!"
Damn, that's my girl. I'll have to give Paeng Soso all the ass-spanking she wants later to show my appreciation. I shot her an approving look, then carefully unwrapped the neat bundle.
"What the hell is worth hiding so deep in your tits... Wait, what is this?!"
Three neatly wrapped rice cakes emerged. Rare sweet treats in this era—exactly the kind Hong Yeonhwa would love... but the problem? I'd never told her to buy any, and she'd never mentioned getting them.
I whipped my head around to stare. She whipped hers away to dodge my gaze.
"What is this, I said?"
"Th-this lady knows nothing about it."
Playing cute won't cut it! "Like hell you don't. It came out of whose boobs? Did you buy these behind our backs? To hog 'em all by yourself?"
"Hong sis, is that for real? I'm kinda hurt...."
With Paeng Soso piling on, Hong Yeonhwa frantically shook her head. "That's not it!"
She shook so hard that even pinned by Paeng Soso, her chest jiggled from the momentum. With exactly three cakes, it was obvious she wasn't planning to eat them alone. I just wondered why she'd bought them in secret.
I stared her down until she started stammering. "Um... Didn't this lady say she used her silver tongue to haggle the price down?"
"Oh yeah, you bragged about it right when you got back."
From what I gathered, it wasn't her eloquence—it was her looks making the seller bend over backward with discounts. Next time, we'll pay full price and shop together, hassle or not. I wouldn't have minded if she'd just done it to look good, but something felt off about her trying so hard.
"Bought 'em with the money we saved. Was gonna surprise you and Soso as a gift later. This lady didn't spend recklessly or plan to eat 'em alone!"
Her pink eyes sparkled like she was begging me to believe her. A cute little event like that? I wanted to ruffle her hair silly right then—but where's the fun in letting her off easy? I put on a stern face.
"Even if that's true, hiding it from me is a big no-no."
"......"
Hong Yeonhwa deflated in an instant. Seeing her like that nearly melted me.
"Young Master Jin...?"
Paeng Soso actually looked flustered, glancing between us in confusion. But stopping here would ruin everything.
"If you're sorry, you gotta take your punishment."
Hong Yeonhwa paled even more at "punishment," so I held out one rice cake. "Feed me."
"Huh?"
"Cut it to a bite-size piece and feed me!"
Hong Yeonhwa's mopey expression and Paeng Soso's wary glance both turned to wide-eyed shock. Still stunned, I flopped onto the floor and flailed my limbs like a baby.
"Waaah! Me baby Sochan! Gimme yeonhwa!"
"Ah, stop that! Not in front of Soso—what are you doing!"
Sounded like she was worried about my dignity, but I knew better. That was all about hers. So I yelled even louder.
"Waaah!"
"Ahh~ here."
"Ah... nom nom."
Pillow on Paeng Soso's firm thighs, munching snacks fed by Hong Yeonhwa. For all the double-training hell today, this was reward enough. Usually I'm the one feeding them, but getting spoiled like this? I get why Hong Yeonhwa always begs like a baby bird with her mouth wide open.
"Hehe, you have your cute side too."
"Hearing that from you feels... weird."
Getting called cute by the cutest one here? "Really? I think I know what Hong sis means."
"Huh?"
Instead of explaining, Paeng Soso just gently stroked my hair. Eh, close enough. I leaned into it.
The luxurious time didn't last long. "This is the last one."
Hong Yeonhwa's voice dripped with regret. Midway, she'd sliced bites to a third of a third to drag it out, but rice cakes have fixed sizes.
"My turn now."
I sprang up like I'd never been limp, stretched my legs out straight, and patted both thighs. "Everyone, lie here."
"Ooh!"
"Young Master Jin's thighs...."
Hong Yeonhwa flopped down grinning ear to ear; Paeng Soso blushed faintly—wonder what she was thinking?—and carefully laid her head down. Feeling their perfect weight on my thighs, I alternated feeding them bites and spoke up.
"Oh yeah, did you tell Soso our goal?"
"Mm. Of course I told her early on. But back then, it was just testing if she'd fully commit as your woman, so I didn't spill everything."
"How'd you put it?"
Hong Yeonhwa deferred to Paeng Soso, who answered. "Hong sis is a master from the distant outer Murim, rebuilding her power for some reason. Young Master Jin's helping her get back home. If we find a way and she goes, she might never return to the Central Plains...."
"Not wrong, exactly. More precisely, it's not outer Murim—it's a world like this one, but different."
"Huh?"
Maybe too soon to spill to Paeng Soso, but better late than never. No clue if we'll find a way back to Hong Yeonhwa's Murim, but if we do, it'll be decision time. Follow me, ditch everything for another world? Or stay here with family? Unlike me—nothing left but her since Master died—Soso has tons to lose. A direct descendant of one of the Five Great Clans; she'd live large anywhere in the Central Plains. She's run away now, but she gripes about family yet seems close enough.
Rushing after me or staying could mean lifelong regret. Better lay it out now.
"Huh? Another world? Like... even farther than outer Murim?"
"Can't walk there, same idea... So, here's the deal...."
Even trade with the West is rare these days. Hard to grasp "other world" conceptually—that's just how ideas work. I'm reincarnated, Hong Yeonhwa lived it, so we get it easy. Anyway, I explained slow and repeated till Paeng Soso got it. Hong Yeonhwa helped with the Fengyu Merchant Group log and her demonic arts demo.
How much time passed? "Mm... Got it. My answer's the same."
"What? Don't decide so fast—think it over more...."
Paeng Soso cut me off firmly. "Details changed, but the big stuff's identical to what Hong sis said first, right?"
Finding a way back's uncertain anyway. She didn't wanna lose me over some vague chance. What the hell did they talk about while I slept to get instant buy-in like this? Kinda badass. She giggled at my stunned face.
"But what if I said I couldn't come? You gonna ditch me and go with just Hong sis?"
"I'd convince you as best I could."
"And if that failed?"
"...Convince Yeonhwa then."
To wait till we found round-trip, not one-way. Hong Yeonhwa, who'd nodded silently like she expected it, suddenly glomped me. "Soso's the type who can't live without you anyway."
Paeng Soso hugged from the other side. "Yup. Might as well learn the Sun and Moon Star Cycle Gong from Hong sis too."
And whispered in unison from both sides.
"Day training's doubled now."
"Shouldn't night training double too?"