What a Pathetic Human
Baek Yeon-hwa sneered at Jin Ak-pung. Killing intent swirled between them. It was Baek Yeon-hwa, surprisingly, who had thrown the first stone. The very first words she spoke to him were these:
“You’re the one who went begging for a loan from our leader recently, aren’t you?”
Jin Ak-pung had indeed visited Yi Cheon-woo to borrow silver. Though they had not entered the Murim Alliance together, the bond between them had never been severed. Baek Yeon-hwa, who had been at Yi Cheon-woo’s side at the time, had witnessed the entire groveling display. To think a man would bow and scrape like that before someone far younger than himself, addressing him with the deference due a senior. Yet the moment the silver changed hands, he had flipped his attitude completely. The memory still made her blood boil.
His condescending lecture about “an older brother’s duty to guide his junior” had been especially unbearable.
“And stop strutting around like you own the place in front of the Eunpa Merchant Group people. Don’t live your life like that.”
This was how their conflict had erupted. Jin Ak-pung, his pride the only thing left after countless failures. Baek Yeon-hwa, whose direct nature made it impossible for her to tolerate a narrow-minded man like him. Their compatibility could not have been worse.
“You pathetic bitch who does nothing but beg in a place like this!”
“What…?”
At last Baek Yeon-hwa’s pupils contracted. She had no desire to waste time on such a lowlife, but he was connected to the Yi Cheon-woo she respected, and his blatant attitude grated on her nerves. Now he had gone and insulted her outright.
“…Who exactly are you calling a beggar?”
Still, she bit her lip and swallowed her rage. After all, why had she come here looking for work? Because what the man said was half true. The meager income from the branch office could never sustain life in a major city like Kaifeng. Every former member of the Un-gye branch patrol squad faced the same problem. Among the remaining four besides Yi Cheon-woo, only Seo Myo-rin had any financial breathing room. Having learned medicine from her sect, she could earn a steady income through her healing arts.
“Tsk… The reason you’d crawl into a nameless merchant group like this is obvious, isn’t it? Your skills are trash and you have nothing to offer. Am I wrong? How is that any different from begging?”
“Ha… haha…”
A hollow laugh burst from her. She wished he would realize his mistake and take the words back, but the man clearly had no idea how pathetic he sounded. Retorts rose in her throat—What about you? At least I worked for the Murim Alliance—but speaking them would change nothing.
“Let’s settle this…”
“What?”
“I said let’s settle this, you son of a bitch!”
Baek Yeon-hwa abandoned even the slightest pretense of courtesy and challenged him to a duel. Given how far the bastard had crossed the line, it was essentially a declaration of a fight to the death. A sneer spread across Jin Ak-pung’s face.
“You? Against me? Don’t make me laugh.”
“Shut your mouth and draw your sword, you fucking bastard!”
“What exactly do you two think you’re doing?! You’re frightening everyone else!”
Jin-pa came running at the commotion. Only then did Baek Yeon-hwa’s gaze sweep over the others. Several had already fled. Those who remained looked terrified, clearly afraid the martial artists were about to run amok.
With an embarrassed expression, Baek Yeon-hwa rubbed her face. Following Jin-pa, Bing Ok-yeon also stepped outside.
“I approve. Let them spar.”
“What? Manager? You can’t be serious.”
“We were going to hire a guard anyway, but none of us know how to judge martial skill, correct?”
“That’s why you said you’d invite someone from the Murim Alliance later to verify their ability.”
“Wouldn’t it be simpler to test them right here? We’d see their true skill immediately.”
“Wow… This woman really has no plan at all.”
The moment Bing Ok-yeon’s clear, melodic voice rang out, the ugly atmosphere transformed at once. Baek Yeon-hwa felt as though she had heard that voice somewhere before. She had been too nervous during the interview to notice, but hearing it now…
…!
Anyone else might not have remembered. But the voice was so pure and transparent that the face connected to it surfaced instantly. She suddenly felt Bing Ok-yeon’s gaze upon her. Realizing this was someone she had seen once before, an intense wave of embarrassment crashed over her. Unable to meet those eyes, she turned her head away.
“Fortunately, our Eunpa Merchant Group’s Kaifeng branch has an unused training ground.”
“I’ll cut you down in a single stroke.”
Jin Ak-pung tapped his sword with a mocking grin. Yet despite his words, a single line of cold sweat trickled down his forehead.
“Even when facing a mere girl, I always give my all.”
Baek Yeon-hwa offered no reply. She simply raised her sword and steadied her breathing. Disciple of a secular practitioner though she might be, she was still a proud daughter of the Cheongseong Sect. She refused to be swept aside by a pathetic whelp like him.
“Still, simply displaying my skill would be rather dull.”
“Then shall we add a condition?” Bing Ok-yeon interjected.
Both Baek Yeon-hwa and Jin Ak-pung turned to look at her. Neither knew the other’s true ability, so both were inwardly tense.
“The loser must grant the winner one request. No matter what it is.”
“What…”
“Heh heh… I like it.”
Baek Yeon-hwa, who had been about to protest, closed her mouth at Jin Ak-pung’s ready agreement. If she opposed him now, it would wound her pride.
“Anything is allowed, yes?”
“Do you consent, Miss Baek?”
“…Yes.”
Bing Ok-yeon’s voice remained soft and unchanged, yet somehow Baek Yeon-hwa had the distinct impression that the woman was smiling with sly amusement. She was already beginning to regret ever coming here. All she had gained so far was humiliation.
“Your waist is trembling. When do we begin?”
“Right now, if you like?”
“…Huh?”
The instant the words left her lips, Baek Yeon-hwa’s sword moved. A low whoosh cut through the air. Jin Ak-pung reflexively threw a punch. The collision rang out like thunder. Both were thrown backward—Baek Yeon-hwa one step, Jin Ak-pung three. Shock flooded Jin Ak-pung’s face while a faint smile of relief touched Baek Yeon-hwa’s lips.
She flowed sideways. Her toes barely brushed the ground as the line of her blade obscured his vision.
“Keuk—!”
Jin Ak-pung ground his teeth and pursued. Explosive bursts of external energy erupted one after another. Any direct hit would have carried devastating force. Yet Baek Yeon-hwa was never touched. She didn’t even appear to be dodging.
At first she assumed he was testing her, but her expression soon twisted with bewilderment. For all his earlier bluster, his punches were laughably weak once the power was removed.
“Even a third-rate thug wouldn’t be this pathetic. Why don’t you draw your sword?”
“Shut your mouth!”
Baek Yeon-hwa’s movements grew increasingly relaxed. Meanwhile, Jin Ak-pung’s limbs became more and more frantic. It wasn’t that he refused to draw his sword—he simply couldn’t. A sneer now decorated Baek Yeon-hwa’s face.
“You dared act arrogant in front of the leader with skill like this?”
“I told you to shut up!”
Baek Yeon-hwa’s sword descended in a long, deliberate arc, as though inviting him to draw. Jin Ak-pung frantically pulled his blade free. Yet his sword froze in midair, its path chaotic, as if he couldn’t decide where to strike. The tip, having lost direction, lost power as well.
That did not mean Jin Ak-pung was truly third-rate. His hesitation had been only an instant. Baek Yeon-hwa did not miss the opening. She stepped in and halted her sword tip directly before his chest. She did not touch him, yet the distance could not have been any closer.
“…”
Jin Ak-pung exhaled harshly. His entire body trembled.
“I wondered if things would change once you drew your sword, but I never imagined you’d be this weak. Where do you get the nerve?”
“If—if I had drawn my sword from the beginning…”
“Bullshit. If you had the skill for it, you would have drawn immediately and attacked.”
“It’s not… it’s not over! I haven’t lost yet!”
“Your skill is garbage and you can’t even admit defeat. A child would show more dignity.”
Baek Yeon-hwa no longer regarded Jin Ak-pung as some unknown martial artist. The only fear she had felt had been rooted in Yi Cheon-woo’s strength. Yi Cheon-woo was an expert she could not possibly challenge, and he had always treated Jin Ak-pung with utmost respect as a senior. She had therefore worried the man might at least be first-rate.
Yet after crossing blades with him, she realized he was so pathetic it was difficult to assign him any rank at all. The killing intent he had radiated at the start had been genuinely fierce. It seemed he had spent all his time practicing nothing but the emission of murderous aura for the sake of intimidation.
“Count the leader’s extreme kindness as your good fortune, you disgusting bastard.”
“Don’t make me laugh! I haven’t lost!”
“Shall we go another round, then?”
“Keuk…! Kkheuk… Fuck…”
Jin Ak-pung could not bring himself to suggest another match. His face flushed and paled by turns. Baek Yeon-hwa snorted and sheathed her sword, then turned her back on him. It was an act of utter contempt. Jin Ak-pung still held his blade, yet she was showing that she did not fear a surprise attack from behind.
“Kheuk… Fuck… Why is it always me… Why… Kheuhuk…”
Sobbing drifted through the air. Baek Yeon-hwa, who had secretly remained on guard in case the wretch tried to stab her in the back, flinched in surprise. Pretending she had heard nothing, she walked away.
“Am I hired now?”
To cover the sound of a man ten years her senior crying, Baek Yeon-hwa deliberately raised her voice when addressing Bing Ok-yeon. Her face was filled with confusion.
“Do you have no request to make of Brother Jin?”
“None! I have none!”
“You may demand anything you wish.”
“I said I’m not interested!”
“I see.”
Bing Ok-yeon’s voice carried perfectly feigned disappointment. She smiled gently at Baek Yeon-hwa.
“We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“…As I thought. It really was you that day.”
“Since you won the spar, I’ll give you a favorable evaluation.”
“Does that mean I passed?”
“I haven’t interviewed every applicant yet. Besides, the two of you drove several of them away.”
“Ah…”
Despite her words, Bing Ok-yeon had already decided inwardly to hire Baek Yeon-hwa.
“Ahem… You previously worked at the Myeongho Trading Company… My, ten full years?”
“That is correct. I devoted my loyalty for that long, yet the treatment grew progressively worse. Those who joined after me rose to higher positions…”
There had been several reasons for orchestrating the spar between Baek Yeon-hwa and Jin Ak-pung. Verifying their skill was the obvious one. She had wondered whether they might be concealing some hidden technique. Jin Ak-pung in particular, as a former member of the youth unit, had required close observation.
Yet Jin Ak-pung had shown almost no improvement from the level she remembered. One could even say he had regressed in certain respects.
“Teacher Yu is only now stepping into this field. Given your age, it is surprising this would be your first attempt… We do hire newcomers, but we require some prior experience.”
“Experience even as a newcomer?!”
They displayed none of the distinctive aura common to those hiding their true strength. The lingering habits of spear technique—their original specialty—were plainly visible. Baek Yeon-hwa, on the other hand, had performed exactly as expected. Her skill matched what could be sensed from her bearing, and her sword path was the straight, upright style characteristic of the Cheongseong Sect.
“Miss Jeong’s career is quite impressive. There is something you should understand. Just because we have hired an accountant does not mean your only duty will be calculations. If you can only perform one task, you may find it difficult to adapt to our merchant group. Will that still be acceptable?”
“…Ah, yes. Please assign me whatever you wish. I would prefer work related to what I have already learned, if possible.”
Jin Ak-pung truly does not possess the skill to have caused a bloodbath at the Baek family manor.
His personality appeared to have grown arrogant and vicious, but it had not been this bad at the time. He had shrunk back in the presence of the overwhelmingly talented Baek Un-hyeon, and even then his martial ability had been quite shallow. His desire for improvement had been evident; he had trained day and night, second only to Yi Cheon-woo in diligence.
The only difference was talent. He was already in his mid-twenties, after all.
Yi Cheon-woo had improved by leaps and bounds under Baek Un-hyeon. Jin Ak-pung, whose bones had already hardened with age, had struggled every single day.
Even when fighting the demonic humans, he gave everything he had.
Unlike Jin Cheong-myeong, who had fled the front lines at the very first clash despite possessing the greatest skill after Baek Un-hyeon, Jin Ak-pung had done his utmost to protect his comrades despite his own shortcomings.
If he can regain that former drive for improvement, he is someone worth giving a chance.
Jin-pa had given him a failing mark. His fight with Baek Yeon-hwa and the attitude he had displayed at Hwahongru were bad enough that discarding him would have been perfectly reasonable. Yet Bing Ok-yeon had decided to keep him close.
If he is someone connected to that bloodbath who has managed to deceive even my eyes, then it is all the more reason to keep him by my side and watch him carefully.
When there was even the slightest possibility that someone was an enemy, the natural course was to keep them closer than anyone else and observe. That was only common sense.