Serafina’s Heart

Translator : Elizabeth

Kang Jin-ho flopped back onto the bed and turned toward the wall. It was an extremely indifferent attitude, as if he had nothing more to say.

Roan stared at his back blankly for a moment, then burst into a hollow laugh.

"Hahaha! Truly befitting the Fist Emperor. My apologies. It seems I underestimated your tastes."

Roan signaled to the women, who were wearing expressions of dismay. They glanced at Kang Jin-ho’s broad back with lingering regret before quietly slipping out of the room at Roan’s urging.

Standing at the doorway, Roan spoke one last time.

"I was a bit greedy because I wanted to establish a friendly relationship with the Fist Emperor. If I offended you, I apologize."

"I'll take the sentiment. I just need to handle the request properly."

Kang Jin-ho’s voice, muffled from the bed, was dry.

"If you need something, put in a request. I’ll do anything as long as you pay. Money is better than women. It’s cleaner, isn't it?"

"Right. I’ll keep that in mind. See you at dawn."

Roan nodded. Just as he was about to close the door, his hand paused on the knob. He glanced down the hallway toward the shadows behind a pillar. A Sword Master’s sensitive senses could not miss the sound of someone holding their breath.

Of course, Kang Jin-ho inside the room had known of the presence long ago.

"It seems you have another guest. I’ll take my leave. It’s polite for the intruder to step out."

Roan left with a meaningful smile and closed the door.

Clack, clack.

Once the sound of his footsteps completely vanished down the corridor, the shadow hiding behind the pillar cautiously revealed itself. It was Serafina. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.

'He must have heard, right?'

The voice that had rejected the beauties sent by the ruler of the South without a second thought. She felt relieved by that decisiveness, but at the same time, an inexplicable anxiety washed over her.

She raised a trembling hand and knocked.

Tap, tap.

"Come in. I’m not sleeping."

An answer came from inside as if he had been waiting, though it was tinged with annoyance. Serafina swallowed hard and cautiously opened the door.

Kang Jin-ho was leaning against the headboard, swirling a wine glass. The sight of the red liquid flowing along the glass was strangely lethargic.

"I didn't know you had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a hobby for eavesdropping. Is information gathering a basic requirement for a Guild Master?"

"I-I’m sorry! That wasn't my intention!"

Serafina was startled and bowed deeply.

"I just… came because I was anxious. I couldn't sleep…."

"Anxious?"

Kang Jin-ho cocked an eyebrow.

"Yes."

Serafina raised her head. Her emerald eyes were wavering like waves. It wasn't simply a worry about the success of the mission. It was a fundamental question about her own value.

"I was worried about whether my request… was worth ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you accepting, Fist Emperor-nim."

"……."

"I saw the conditions Duke Roan presented. Massive capital, power that spans the entire South, and even the highest-class entertainment. Compared to that, I am too pathetic. I have no money, no backing, and all I possess is a failing guild sitting on a mountain of debt."

Pathetic.

The bone-deep gap she felt when comparing herself to Roan de Escar, the so-called Sun of the South. That absolute difference in power made Serafina feel small. She bit her lip.

"And yet, you accepted my request first, prioritizing it over Duke Roan’s. You said you were someone who strictly follows profit… does my request really have that much value to you? If it's out of pity…."

Serafina seemed afraid. Afraid of the possibility of being abandoned because she couldn't prove her value. She was afraid of her own situation being swayed by his whims.

"Compared to Duke Roan’s request, mine is so trivial and insignificant, isn't it?"

Her voice trailed off into a whisper. Watching her, Kang Jin-ho let out a short, hollow laugh. He set down the wine glass and stood up from the bed.

"Hey, Lapis Guild Master."

"Yes…."

"Do you know you're being really funny right now?"

"Pardon?"

Kang Jin-ho strode toward her. His large shadow enveloped her entire body.

"With your mouth, you're whining and acting all pitiful, saying 'I'm lacking, I'm overstepping, I'm nothing.'"

He reached out. His rough but firm fingers grabbed Serafina’s chin and forced it upward. Her tearful emerald eyes met Kang Jin-ho’s pitch-black gaze head-on. She couldn't look away.

"But your eyes aren't saying that."

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed. He was looking deep into Serafina’s pupils, into the abyss.

"Why are your eyes burning like that?"

At his point, Serafina’s shoulders flinched. Deep in her eyes—beyond the anxiety, fear, and self-deprecation—a deep blue flame was burning. It was ambition. A blind craving she had kept tightly hidden so others wouldn't notice.

"Ah…."

Serafina’s pupils shook as if an earthquake had hit. Kang Jin-ho was seeing through her perfectly. The real emotion buried at the bottom of her anxiety. It wasn't just a survival instinct to live. It was jealousy toward the overwhelming wealth Roan possessed. It was the venomous desire to bring those who ignored her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to their knees. And it was the greed to one day stand shoulder-to-shoulder with such giants—no, to stand even higher than them.

"You aren't afraid of failing right now. You're driven mad by the fact that the current you is inferior to that Duke who holds massive wealth. You're resentful and frustrated by that gap."

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was low, but it pierced her like a dagger.

"That's why you came to me. In the middle of the night. You wanted validation. You wanted to hear that even though you don't have money like him now, you have potential. You wanted to hear that my choice to pick you wasn't a mistake. You're desperate to hear those words directly from my mouth."

Kang Jin-ho’s lips twisted into a grin. That smile was diabolical, yet strangely mesmerizing.

"Am I right?"

Serafina couldn't say a word. She felt as though her naked inner self had been exposed. Her secret desires, her merchant’s greed, had been caught. Normally, her face should have flushed with shame. But strangely, she didn't feel ashamed. Instead, she felt a sense of liberation, as if a weight in her chest had been cleared.

'This man… he knows.'

He was someone who didn't deny her desire. He was someone who could see through her greed and not despise her for it.

"Yeah. That’s right. I liked that ambition of yours."

Kang Jin-ho let go of her chin and smiled.

"I detest people who act all nice or play the victim. But you smell of greed. You have a thick scent of money on you. You might be a debtor now, but with that venom, I can see the sprouts of a tycoon who won't lose to Roan one day."

He walked to the window and pulled back the curtain. The night sea, shimmering under the moonlight, came into view. Beyond it were the lights of the harbor, symbolizing Roan’s power.

"That sea, and that massive wealth and power Roan has. You're envious, aren't you?"

Serafina stared blankly at his back, then clenched her fists. Her nails dug into her palms.

"…I am envious."

Her voice trembled, but there was no more hesitation.

"I am insanely envious. I want it. I want that kind of power—power so great that no one can ever look down on me again."

"Yeah, that’s it."

Kang Jin-ho nodded with satisfaction and turned around.

"Then just take it. Steal it, earn it. Scrape it together by any means necessary. Once I solve this request, you’ll have the foothold to become that. The rest is up to you."

He sat back on the edge of the bed and spoke casually.

"Since your ambition to become the Golden Queen seems like it’ll never stop, I’ll just consider this as investing in a blue-chip stock in advance."

Golden Queen.

That title slammed into Serafina’s mind with intense force. No one had called her that yet. Even her father, when handing over the guild, only ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠worriedly told her to "just hold on." Yet the strongest martial artist on the continent was certain of her future.

"You'll succeed. Because you have the grit of a tenacious devil. I guarantee it."

Kang Jin-ho’s voice was full of conviction. Something swelled within Serafina’s chest. Her anxiety vanished, and in its place, a hot longing filled her like lava.

'He… believes in me.'

The potential she hadn't even believed in herself, this man saw right through it. If so, she had to prove it. She had to show that his investment, his choice, was not wrong. She had to show that she was worth him accepting a request—no, that she was an existence worth keeping by his side. To show a lack of confidence to someone who recognized and believed in her was unbefitting of a merchant.

"…Thank you."

Serafina wiped away her tears and raised her head. Her gaze had changed. The eyes of a weak girl were gone, replaced by the sharpness of a merchant eyeing prey and the dignity of a future queen.

"I will surely succeed. And the reward I promised… I will pay you back more than that. I will make the Lapis Merchant Guild the greatest guild on the continent so that your investment won't be in vain."

"I'll look forward to it."

Kang Jin-ho nodded, satisfied. She would definitely grow.

'Grow quickly. That’s the only way I can live comfortably.'

Kang Jin-ho’s provocation wasn't simple kindness. He was currently grooming a competent vault-keeper to manage his massive assets. He had plenty of money, but managing it was a chore. In that case, he just needed to leave it to someone trustworthy, capable, and venomous who owed him a debt. Serafina was a talent that fit those conditions perfectly.

"Go sleep. You’ll be busy tomorrow. Don't let your eyes get puffy."

"Yes, Fist Emperor-nim. Sleep well."

Serafina bowed politely and left the room. There was no more hesitation in her steps as she walked down the hallway. Only an obsession for success remained.

Click.

The door closed, and silence returned to the room. Kang Jin-ho lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

'Venom, huh….'

Serafina’s gaze from earlier. That lethal venom held by someone pushed to the edge of a cliff to survive. It was strangely familiar.

'It feels like me.'

Five years ago. The image of himself falling into this world came to mind. To survive in this world of survival of the fittest, a guy with nothing had to become rough. You had to become greedy, and you had to become venomous.

"Well, she’ll grow well."

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes. Even without him worrying, Serafina would take care of herself as long as he solved the request.