Chapter 205: Eternal Spire[R-18] (30)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 205: Eternal Spire[R-18] (30)
From early morning, the sharp sound of a sword cutting through the air echoed along with spirited shouts.
In the middle of the sunlit courtyard, Park So-young was swinging her sword with a serious expression.
Jin Seo-yun, who was watching her with his arms crossed, spoke up.
“Lower your center of gravity a little more.”
Park So-young followed his advice and adjusted her stance.
However, her balance soon faltered again.
“Ugh…”
“You’re putting too much strength into your body. Of course the sword is going to feel heavy like that.”
Jin Seo-yun approached and lightly pressed down on her waist and shoulders.
“Like this. Relax your shoulders and anchor your center with your lower body.”
Park So-young flinched for a moment at his touch, but she soon nodded and corrected her stance again.
It definitely feels more stable.
When she swung the sword again, her movements were much smoother this time.
Jin Seo-yun smiled in satisfaction.
“Just like that. But swordsmanship isn’t perfected with posture alone.”
He lightly raised the sword in his hand.
“You have to learn the flow that naturally connects offense and defense.”
Jin Seo-yun moved his body slowly, demonstrating the flow of basic swordsmanship. His movements were as fluid as running water, and he looked as if he had become one with his sword.
“Wow… that’s amazing.”
Jin Seo-yun lowered his sword and smiled.
“Still, you’ve improved a lot, So-young. Now, try getting into your stance again.”
Park So-young nodded and took her stance once more. She could feel the tension in her shoulders gradually release as her body became more natural.
“You’re getting better and better.”
Jin Seo-yun slowly circled her, assessing her form.
“Shall we try a light spar?”
“Okay.”
Jin Seo-yun raised a wooden sword and took a ready stance. Park So-young also assumed a defensive posture, her expression tense.
“Here I come.”
He moved at a speed Park So-young could follow, disrupting her rhythm.
“Just like that… lower… rotate your body.”
Park So-young moved her sword according to his instructions. It was awkward at first, but she seemed to be slowly getting the hang of it.
“Like this?”
“Yes, just follow the flow naturally.”
They exchanged slow blows for about ten minutes.
“Shall we pick up the pace a bit?”
With those words, Jin Seo-yun’s attacks became much faster.
Swish! Thwack! Swish! Thwack!
Park So-young took a deep breath and focused, continuing to defend as she followed his attacks.
But then—
Slip!
Her balance momentarily broke.
“Ah!”
Her feet tangled, and her body pitched forward. She was about to fall flat on her face, but—
“Be careful.”
Jin Seo-yun quickly reached out and caught her.
His hand supported her waist.
Park So-young’s eyes widened.
His face, so close to hers. His warm body heat and his low, deep voice.
“Are you okay?”
“...!”
Park So-young was momentarily speechless. Her face grew redder and redder.
Flustered, she hastily pulled away, putting some distance between them.
“I-I’m fine! I just lost my balance for a second!”
Jin Seo-yun chuckled lightly.
“That’s a relief. But maintaining your balance while handling a sword is a very important part of it.”
Park So-young cleared her throat for no reason and readjusted her grip on the sword.
“I know. I’ll try again!”
She deliberately showed her enthusiasm and corrected her posture.
Jin Seo-yun watched her with a pleased expression and raised his wooden sword again.
“Alright. Let’s try to be more natural this time.”
Park So-young composed herself and raised her sword again. But the moment from just before didn’t easily fade from her mind.
…Now I can’t stop thinking about it.
She lightly bit her lip and tried to focus again.
After a quick shower, Park So-young headed to the cafeteria. The hot water had washed away her fatigue, and her body felt much lighter.
Just then, she saw a familiar face in the distance, surrounded by people. It was Kim Min-su.
“Geez, look at him, all excited to be surrounded by women.”
At that moment, Kim Min-su spotted her and waved cheerfully as he approached.
“So-young! Long time no see!”
“Yeah. How have you been? I heard you’re busy with the new recruits.”
“Hehe, it’s great.”
Kim Min-su grinned, a sly smile spreading across his face.
“You have a real perverted smile. Do you really like hanging out with only women that much?”
“Of course! Spring has finally come for Kim Min-su, a 29-year-old who’s been single since birth!”
Kim Min-su looked up at the sky, his hands clasped together as if in deep gratitude. Park So-young stared at him in disbelief before letting out a snort of laughter.
“So, has that spring of yours bloomed yet?”
“It’s still just a sprout…?”
“What? So you’re saying you’ve still got a long way to go?”
“Hey, I’m trying my best here!”
“And the results?”
“Well…”
Kim Min-su cleared his throat and avoided her gaze.
Seeing him, Park So-young chuckled again.
“Well, you seem to be doing better than before, at least.”
“Of course! My goal is to be like Seo-yun!”
“Stop talking nonsense and let’s go get some food.”
Park So-young shook her head and led the way. Kim Min-su followed her, clearing his throat again.
“So, So-young, what about you?”
“Huh? What about me?”
“Are things going well with Seo-yun…?”
At Kim Min-su’s words, her face turned slightly red.
“Wh-what nonsense are you talking about…!”
Kim Min-su glanced at her with a mischievous expression and snickered.
“You two have been hanging out a lot lately. Training together, running dungeons together~ I even saw you two talking alone yesterday.”
“Th-that’s because I’m learning swordsmanship from him!”
Park So-young said, placing her hands on her hips as if wronged. But when she realized her own voice was trembling slightly, her face flushed even more.
“Oh~ is that so? Then why is your reaction so cute?”
“Do you want to die, seriously?!”
As Park So-young flared up, Kim Min-su backed away, holding up his hands.
“Hey, hey, it’s a joke, just a joke! Getting so worked up makes you look even more suspicious.”
“I’m not worked up?!”
“Right, right. So if you have feelings for Seo-yun, just admit it honestly. You have to take your chances when you get them.”
Kim Min-su shrugged and spoke playfully.
“Okay, to be honest… it’s true my heart fluttered a bit when I first met him.”
“Ooh~ I knew my eyes weren’t mistaken!”
Kim Min-su laughed playfully and nudged her.
“But it’s a little different now. I just think he’s a good person. How should I put it… he feels reliable?”
“Hmm~ so to put it simply, it’s not romantic feelings but more like camaraderie?”
“Exactly.”
“But you know~ feelings like that can change in an instant, can’t they?”
“Hey!”
When Park So-young got angry, Kim Min-su chuckled and raised his hands.
“Alright, alright. But you know… even if you think that way, you don’t know how Seo-yun feels about you, do you?”
At those words, Park So-young was momentarily at a loss.
Seo-yun… about me?
She had never considered such a thing. She had just thought she was the only one with a crush and had gotten over it, but what if Jin Seo-yun harbored different feelings…?
No. That can’t be it.
Park So-young tried to push the thought away.
“Whatever! Stop talking nonsense and let’s just go eat!”
She pushed Kim Min-su’s back, hurrying toward the cafeteria.
As they sat in a corner of the cafeteria eating, he spoke up cautiously.
“Hey, there have been some nasty rumors about Seo-yun spreading around lately.”
“What kind of rumors?”
“Things like he’s running a brothel, or that he uses women like sex slaves. Vicious stuff like that.”
Park So-young stopped her chopsticks mid-air and looked at Kim Min-su.
“…What?”
“When I first heard it, I thought it was ridiculous too, but a surprising number of people believe it.”
Kim Min-su glanced around before lowering his voice.
“Besides, haven’t you noticed the weird looks our party has been getting lately?”
Park So-young couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling as she fell into thought. It was true that recently, she had noticed a few parties they passed whispering strangely when they saw her. But she hadn’t paid it much mind.
“But what does that have to do with Seo-yun? Is there any solid proof?”
“No. But the problem is, once rumors like this start spreading, they get out of control. Especially since Seo-yun provides equipment for the party members, and the fact that most of our party is female is also being used as an excuse.”
“…Even so, are there really that many people who believe such rumors?”
“You know how it is. The world is full of jealous bastards. And Seo-yun runs his party in a pretty unique way. He’s strong, rich, and all his party members are beautiful women…”
Kim Min-su smiled bitterly.
“It’s the perfect setup for jealous guys to spread bullshit.”
Park So-young bit her lip.
“So, does Seo-yun know about these rumors?”
“He probably does. There’s no way he wouldn’t. But he doesn’t seem to care much.”
“Tsk, there are always trashy people who talk behind others’ backs, no matter where you go.”
Park So-young didn’t hide her displeasure. Kim Min-su thought for a moment, then lowered his voice even further.
“…But to be honest, those rumors might not have just appeared out of nowhere.”
“What do you mean?”
Park So-young asked, frowning. Kim Min-su looked around once more before speaking carefully.
“You remember Mila, the woman Seo-yun brought back last time? The one he said he saved from being raped.”
“Yeah. The small woman with red hair. I remember.”
“I saw her a little while ago. And you know where?”
“Where?”
“There’s a building behind the new red-light district. She went in there. The problem is, she was surrounded by suspicious-looking women.”
“What?”
Park So-young’s expression hardened instantly.
“What are you talking about? Seo-yun even gave her money to start a new life.”
“I thought it was strange too, so I secretly followed them… and I kept hearing women’s moans coming from that building. Not just one or two, either. Something felt off, so I tried to look inside, but the security was insane. They’re definitely hiding something.”
“But what does that have to do with Seo-yun?”
“That’s the problem. Do you know who I saw coming out of that place?”
“Who?”
“You know Kim So-yeon, the woman who sometimes visits and only talks to Seo-yun and Yekaterina? She came out of there.”
Park So-young’s expression froze.
“No way…”
Kim Min-su nodded with a grave face.
“I can’t be sure. But something is definitely suspicious.”
Park So-young bit her lip.
“…But I don’t think that’s enough to be suspicious. You know Seo-yun isn’t that kind of person.”
Kim Min-su sighed and scratched his head.
“Well, I think so too. Honestly, Seo-yun has been good to us, and he especially looks out for you.”
“Right. If anything, Seo-yun is more respectable than most people.”
“But still.”
Kim Min-su paused and glanced around one more time.
“You know… people aren’t always what they seem.”