Chapter 34: Operation Matchmaking (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 34: Operation Matchmaking (3)
“Hold on a second.”
Seo-jun stopped Seong Yi-hyang and stared at her, lost in thought.
This is a sure thing.
It wasn’t as if these Murim types had a completely different standard of beauty. Usually, if a woman looked pretty to Seo-jun, she was a beauty by any standard.
And obviously, these people liked pretty things too.
With a face like that, there’s no way there isn’t at least one guy in this village nursing a crush on her.
Of course, she was about twenty million times less attractive than his Chun-bong, but she was still a top-tier beauty in her own right.
After a moment of deliberation, Seo-jun spoke up.
“Hey, do you want to get married?”
“Excuse me…?”
Seong Yi-hyang, who had maintained a cynical attitude until now, let her jaw drop.
Chun-bong’s reaction was exactly the same.
“Wh-wha… what…? Mar-married…? What…?”
Chun-bong had completely broken down.
Her jaw hung open with no sign of closing, so Seo-jun reached over and clicked it shut for her. She immediately exploded.
“Hey! Hey! Are you crazy?! What the hell are you talking about?!”
“What? Why?”
“Why? Why?! You—you son of a bitch! You absolute bastard! Just go die already!”
What was wrong with her?
Acting as a professional Geum Chun-bong repairman, he tried to tuck his hands under her armpits to give her an ‘upsy-daisy,’ but for some reason, his attempt was thwarted by her violent resistance.
“You jerk…”
“No, seriously, why are you like this…?”
Now she was actually on the verge of tears.
Baffled by this incomprehensible behavior, Seo-jun grabbed her cheeks.
“Did you get that attached to her already?”
“What…? Are you talking to me right now?”
“Yeah?”
“How could you do this to me…?”
Chun-bong froze, her mouth agape.
Did I get that attached already? Then what the hell were the past twelve months to him?
She was so shocked that the words barely registered. Even when Seo-jun poked her, she didn't react.
Terrified by the tears beginning to stream down her face, Seo-jun scooped her up in his arms.
“Hey, hey. Seriously, what’s wrong? Is it that shocking that she’s getting married? It’s not even confirmed yet.”
“I… I…”
“Oh, my poor Chun-bong. Uh… what should I call her? Ms. Yi-hyang? When did you two get so close?”
Yi-hyang, who had been watching Seo-jun quietly, knit her brows slightly.
“By any chance… who exactly are you suggesting should get married?”
“Well, Ms. Yi-hyang and someone from this village, obviously?”
“Ah, I see.”
Yi-hyang let out a soft laugh. Simultaneously, Chun-bong’s trembling body went completely stiff.
It was exactly like that—the calm before the storm.
The pitch-black silence that warns you something disastrous is about to begin.
“You—argh…!”
“Whoops! Our Chun-bong! Upsy-daisy for our Chun-bong!”
Sensing a crisis, Seo-jun hoisted Chun-bong high and sprinted across the yard.
Unless one was a complete idiot, it was impossible not to understand the situation now. And he was no idiot. To stop Chun-bong from wanting to die of embarrassment, he needed to distract her completely.
“Our Chun-bong is the best! Our Chun-bong is the kindest!”
“K-ghhh…!”
“Wow! Look over there, Chun-bong! The sun is up!”
“Ugyaaaaaaahhh…!!”
He failed.
*
Since he’d already failed, he figured he might as well tease her a bit more.
“Oh, my. Our little Chun-bong. Do you like your Oppa that much? Did it feel like I was being taken away because you thought I was getting married?”
“……”
“How cute. My Chun-bong, your Oppa will just have to live with you for the rest of his— Ack!”
“I’m going to kill you!”
“H-help me!”
It was only after he took a thorough beating that they could return to the previous conversation.
“Ow, my aching bones… Anyway, what were we talking about? Ah, right. So, I was thinking it might be a good idea to find you a decent husband.”
“Why a husband all of a sudden…?”
“You said you have nowhere to go back to. Then you can just make a home here.”
It was dubbed ‘Operation Matchmaking.’
As Seo-jun explained the plan with confidence, Yi-hyang shook her head with a bitter smile.
“No one would accept a woman like me. Especially since my body is already… soiled.”
“You know, even unicorns break their own horns depending on the situation.”
“Pardon?”
Even the most hardcore ‘purity’ enthusiasts would nod in approval at a face like hers.
Besides, frankly speaking, it wasn't as if Seong Yi-hyang had done anything wrong. Would a bunch of commoners really be that picky about such things when they weren't even from some noble family?
Even women who were like the village bus, hopping from man to man, got married just fine. There was no reason Seong Yi-hyang couldn't.
All she had to do was pick a guy she liked. It was a very simple and easy plan.
“So, is there anyone you’ve had your eye on?”
“……”
“Oh, what’s this? What’s this?”
Judging by her expression, there was someone.
As Seo-jun smirked, Yi-hyang’s expression darkened further.
“Greed invites disaster. I have no intention of burning myself on a love that is beyond my station.”
“I think you could afford to have a little more confidence.”
“It is nothing but vanity.”
“Hmm…”
If she was this against it, forcing the issue felt wrong.
Just as Seo-jun was smacking his lips in thought—
Thump, thump.
Someone knocked on the gate.
“Is anyone home?”
It was a familiar voice.
Creak— Grandmother Chun opened the window, poked her head out, and spoke to Seong Yi-hyang.
“Hyang, open the gate.”
“…Yes.”
Hesitating, Seong Yi-hyang approached the gate and cautiously opened it.
“Hyang.”
“Mister…”
The face of the man standing beyond the gate was familiar. It was the same man who had accompanied Mr. Seong yesterday to hold him back.
“…I’m truly sorry about yesterday. I never imagined he would say such things.”
“…No. It wasn’t your fault, Mister.”
“I should have stopped him better.”
“Don’t say that. I don’t hold a single grudge against you.”
The two of them conversed hesitantly. Watching them, Seo-jun nudged Chun-bong, who was standing beside him.
“Hey, hey. That’s it, right?”
“……”
“Ms. Chun-bong? Geum Chun-bong? Hey, Chun-bongie?”
There was no response. It seemed she was still suffering from the aftereffects of her embarrassment.
Smacking his lips, Seo-jun didn't have the confidence to butt in between the two, so he quietly picked up Chun-bong and headed inside the building.
“Ah, you are awake, Benefactor.”
Wang Dae-san and Jang Yu-ho were there.
Jang Yu-ho was still asleep, drenched in a cold sweat as if his body hadn't fully recovered, and Wang Dae-san was changing the wet towel on his forehead.
“Where’s the kid?”
“So-ryeong sleeps quite a bit in the morning, so she is still resting.”
“Ah. Well, kids are like that.”
Seo-jun set the still-frozen Chun-bong down on the floor and approached Wang Dae-san.
“By the way, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask.”
“Ah! Ask anything, Benefactor!”
“Why did So-ryeong go out like that with just one guard? Seeing as you were talking about crossing mountains, it seems like she was pretty far from home.”
“Ah, that is…”
Sigh… Wang Dae-san let out a long breath, then suddenly flinched and bowed his head.
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No, it’s fine.”
“So-ryeong… well. Her friends are a bit on the active side. I heard they travel here and there quite often.”
Wang Dae-san paused to rub his temples before continuing.
“It seems So-ryeong grew envious and wanted to go on a trip as well.”
“And you just let her?”
“Guard Jang is a First-rate master. I thought it would be fine. Besides, it wasn't that far. The destination was a village just one mountain away from our estate.”
Grit— Wang Dae-san gnashed his teeth. For a moment, a red energy flickered in his eyes.
“But to think such a thing would happen. The problem was likely me staying behind at the estate because I was busy. From now on, I shall never leave So-ryeong’s side.”
“That might not be easy once your daughter grows up. She’ll probably hate it if her dad is too clingy.”
“H-how can you say such a cruel thing, Benefactor!”
“Oh, boy.”
Was this guy going to sit on the floor and cry when So-ryeong hit puberty?
Seo-jun clicked his tongue and reached out to pat Chun-bong’s head—
Slap.
“…Leave me alone.”
Chun-bong trudged out of the room with slumped shoulders.
Seo-jun froze with his mouth open.
“G-Geum…?”
“…Benefactor. It seems you are my senior in this regard. If such a day ever comes for So-ryeong… Sigh…”
Hit by Wang Dae-san’s follow-up blow, Seo-jun finally broke down and wailed.
“N-noooooooo!!”
He sat on the floor and cried.
*
Of course, he didn't actually cry.
To be honest, he figured he’d be embarrassed too if he’d made a mistake like that. In times like this, the best way to fix things was to approach her and tease her just enough to walk the line.
It was a skill born of long experience.
“I’m going to catch a Geum Chun-bong~.”
As he stepped out of the room humming a self-composed tune, he saw Seong Yi-hyang and that man still talking. It looked like they were saying their goodbyes as the conversation wound down…
“Oho.”
The man took Seong Yi-hyang’s hand and offered some words of comfort, causing her to blush and lower her head.
The age gap is…
He looked old enough to be her father, but hey, if they liked each other, who cared? This matchmaking business might actually be fun.
While Seo-jun was smirking and spying on the two, Wang Dae-san’s voice came from behind him.
“Benefactor.”
“Gah! You scared me!”
He almost reflexively chained an ‘Aka’ into a ‘Murasaki.’ Unaware that he had just narrowly escaped death, Wang Dae-san continued calmly.
“I have spent the entire night agonizing.”
“Over what?”
“Over what I could possibly give to you, Benefactor.”
Wang Dae-san slowly stepped up beside him, glanced briefly at Seong Yi-hyang and the man, and then spoke.
“After much thought, I realized the only thing I have to offer is martial arts.”
“Martial arts?”
“Of course, you are a martial artist far stronger than I. However, the saber technique passed down through our Wang Family for generations can be considered peerless.”
Wang Dae-san extended a finger and drew a line from top to bottom.
“Unlike a sword, a saber is specialized for hacking and slashing. It will likely be quite unfamiliar to you. The deeper you delve into it, the more profound it becomes.”
Withdrawing his hand, Wang Dae-san performed a fist and palm salute and spoke with serious eyes.
“Therefore, please give me the chance to repay my debt—the chance to be of help to you.”