Chapter 196
Chapter 196
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: Seclusion (3)
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“...You don’t hate me?”
Cheongwol asked after a long period of anguish.
Even after asking, she was afraid to hear the answer.
Because if he said he hated her here, it would really hurt a lot.
And yet, she couldn’t think of any other response he could give.
She had forced him into the very situation he had guarded against his whole life.
She had imposed a scenario he would hate just because she wanted it.
What else could it be but hatred? Cheongwol certainly would have felt that way.
“I’m more surprised that you’re worrying about something like that. You keep asking things like this.”
But just as he had with the Beggars’ Sect elders, Han Seojin chuckled softly.
Cheongwol could only think it was all an act on his part.
“Branch Leader, I... I’m really asking.”
“I never imagined the old Cheongwol would be this attentive to others’ feelings.”
“...”
How could she not be?
In her life now, the only truly precious thing left was Han Seojin.
How could she not worry about being hated by him?
Han Seojin sounded utterly exasperated.
“When I decided to get involved with you, I already thought something like this might happen someday. It came sooner than I expected and caught me off guard too, but now what...”
“Huh?”
“You think I avoided you for no reason before? I already anticipated you’d get tangled up with the Demonic Cult. But back at Mount Song, I had already made up my mind. I vaguely accepted that something like this could happen.”
Was he saying he had committed to that extent back then?
Cheongwol had been terrified that he regretted his choice that day.
But he was saying the opposite.
“Why is this your fault? It’s that bastard Dokgo Jinmuk who’s the problem. Besides, thanks to you, I didn’t get dragged off and managed to survive. You think I’d shamelessly hate you for that?”
“Ha, but... Dokgo Jinmuk targeted you because of... me and...”
“I told you, I accepted that part a long time ago. Why are you worrying about it now? It’s all in the past anyway.”
“...”
Unlike his curt tone, the way he washed her hands was as gentle as handling a treasure.
When Cheongwol flinched in pain, he avoided that spot and simply poured more water to clean her.
It was just like always with him.
He gave harsh orders, berated and insulted her... but his actions always treated her as precious.
Tears streamed down her cheeks in drops.
Ashamed to let him see, Cheongwol buried her face between her knees.
“If there’s one thing I’m worried about, it’s don’t make a huge fuss about this happening. If you stick to me every day saying you’ll protect me... it’s a bit burdensome.”
Cheongwol flinched.
Because that was exactly what she had been planning.
But how could she not?
The Demonic Cult that had even crushed the Namgung Family might now target Han Seojin.
A powerless commoner like him—how could he stand against that?
He could vanish overnight, and it wouldn’t be strange at all.
When Cheongwol didn’t respond, Han Seojin glared at her.
“...Aren’t you going to answer?”
He leaned in closer and said to her.
“Cha Ha. Answer me.”
“...”
Reluctantly, Cheongwol nodded.
By the time he had finished washing her hands completely, Cheongwol’s chest felt astonishingly light.
The anxiety that had seemed impossible to unravel had melted away so easily, filling her with a slight fear.
Han Seojin had become a far greater presence in her life than she had realized.
The fact that a single word or action from him could sway her so much was truly frightening.
Yet the reality that her fate rested in his hands stirred something deep within her.
She liked this sensation of being dominated by him.
“Let’s head back.”
As Han Seojin spoke, Cheongwol wanted to make one more selfish request.
She grabbed the hem of his robe.
“...Branch Leader, you really don’t hate me?”
She asked one final time.
Han Seojin nodded.
“It’s already commendable that you’re trying to walk the right path.”
“...Then just hold me once.”
Cheongwol whispered.
A shameful request she wouldn’t make even to her senior brothers, her master, or Sect Leader Muwol.
But she had already shown Han Seojin far more shameful sides of herself.
This level of shame was bearable for the sweetness that followed.
Han Seojin slowly drew her in by the nape, pulling her into his embrace.
Pressing her ear to his bare chest, she listened to the strong beat of his heart.
Cheongwol felt a profound happiness that sent chills down her spine.
While held in his arms, Cheongwol slyly opened her eyes.
In the distance, she spotted a figure.
“...”
It was Dang Soran.
She stood there, lips pressed tightly together, watching them.
Cheongwol had no time to pay her any mind right then.
Instead, she wrapped her arms around Han Seojin’s waist and closed her eyes.
****
I had told the others that, but truthfully, I was worried too.
Marked by the Demonic Cult.
Curses slipped from my lips constantly.
The war hadn’t even started, and I was already targeted...!!
Could I even survive this?
Was now the time to be thinking about Namgung Yeon?
Honestly, shouldn’t I spend every penny to build my own safe house?
Maybe even dig a bunker.
One thing was certain: I’d need a ton of money from now on.
I couldn’t just stick to training the craftsmen Bang Biyeon Uncle sent and making clothes.
I really needed big money now. It was time to consider how to get it.
I was entangled with the jianghu now. I couldn’t back out just because I didn’t like it.
“...Haa.”
I let out a sigh.
Sprawled atop the donkey like seaweed, I was carried toward Mount Emei.
I looked around.
For now, one change had occurred.
Cheongwol and Dang Soran no longer approached me closely.
As if they had finally realized what I had feared all along.
As if they now understood why I kept trying to hide our connections.
They probably hadn’t even thought about the Demonic Cult bastards before, so they were clueless up until then.
If I hadn’t known about the Great War between Righteousness and Evil, or that these two were among the most influential figures in it, I might not have pushed them away either.
But in the end, that information gap led to this.
I couldn’t blame them for it.
You can’t act on future knowledge.
And nitpicking over what had already happened would just give me a headache.
****
In the dead of night, Dang Soran made her way quietly to the sleeping Han Seojin.
It was an hour when everyone, save for a few on guard, was deep in slumber.
She took a deep breath, shaking off negative thoughts.
Curling up listlessly wasn’t her style at all.
Yeah, no need to think badly of it.
This was an opportunity instead. That was the conclusion she’d reached after thinking all day.
“...What are you doing?”
The sudden voice from the darkness startled Dang Soran, making her flinch.
Cheongwol emerged quietly from the shadows.
She had seemed to be asleep among the nuns, but she was guarding Han Seojin.
“...You scared me, Wol-ah. Were you there?”
Dang Soran was genuinely startled.
She hadn’t sensed Cheongwol’s presence at all.
Had crossing the peak threshold brought some change?
No one could match Cheongwol’s talent for suppressing and detecting presence.
“Why are you approaching the Branch Leader?”
“...”
At Cheongwol’s low, calm question, Dang Soran exhaled sharply through her nose.
Yeah, Cheongwol would hear this story eventually anyway.
No harm in telling her now.
“Come listen too, then.”
She slowly bent down and shook Han Seojin’s shoulder.
“Young Master.”
-Pak!
Han Seojin’s eyes snapped open as he bolted upright.
He looked greatly startled.
Seeing that made Dang Soran’s heart sink darkly.
He didn’t show it, but he seemed anxious too. It was heartbreaking.
“What is it? Soran? You scared the hell out of me...”
As Han Seojin laughed weakly, Dang Soran steeled herself and shook off the gloom.
Thinking again, this was an opportunity. There was no reason to be sad.
“You seem really frightened, Young Master.”
Dang Soran said with a faint smile.
“...Come on, frightened? What...”
He said that, but cold sweat beaded on Han Seojin’s forehead and trickled down.
Without hesitation, Dang Soran gently wiped it away with her sleeve, as if serving him.
“Wait, Senior Dang...”
Cheongwol’s voice carried a hint of displeasure, but Dang Soran ignored it.
Even in this grim reality, her greed flickered coldly.
“Young Master, what are your plans from here?”
“...Pardon?”
“The Demonic Cult has taken an interest in you. Because of us...”
“...”
“...Aren’t you in real danger now?”
“...What choice do I have? I’ll find a way to survive. It might even end with just this.”
“You know that’s not true, Young Master. We were the most prominent among the later generation talents, and you’re the one we followed around?”
“...You do know.”
“I finally realized. How foolish that was.”
“...So you’re going to distance yourself now?”
“Would that even make a difference? It already seems too late.”
“That’s true.”
Dang Soran glanced at Cheongwol.
She was sending an astonishingly dangerous glare.
Dang Soran knew that look. Burning jealousy.
Just for talking closely to Han Seojin, she gave that glare.
How intense was her possessiveness? Or how deeply did Han Seojin mean to her?
But Dang Soran wouldn’t yield to it.
She needed Han Seojin just as much as Cheongwol did.
She had been pushed back until now, but there was no reason for that anymore.
“Young Master. Let me make a proposal. Come to our Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
Cheongwol’s body stiffened instantly.
Han Seojin’s eyes widened as he stared at her.
“...Pardon?”
“Hide out at the Tang Clan of Sichuan until the Demonic Cult’s attention fades. We’ll shelter you. You’re not a martial artist affiliated with any sect anyway, so it’ll be hard for them to find you. If you slip into our Tang Clan, surely...”
Dang Soran could no longer bear sending Han Seojin to Mount Emei anxiously.
His home was in a remote spot even on Mount Emei, and rundown at that.
Dokgo Jinmuk could waltz right into his bedroom without hiding.
“I’ll protect you. I promise I will. So... don’t go to Mount Emei. Come with me to the Tang Clan of Sichuan.”
Even with Cheongwol watching, Dang Soran carefully took Han Seojin’s hand.
Her desire to protect him was sincere.
...But her greed toward him was equally sincere.
At first, it had been mere play.
Just because he was the man Cheongwol watched over, he caught her interest.
It started from a childish whim to see if she could steal him away.
But now it wasn’t childish.
It was utterly serious.
She wanted to take that man Cheongwol desperately clung to, no matter what.
Seeing Han Seojin cherish Cheongwol made an unbearable rage boil inside her.
That torment hurt more than anything he could inflict.
Cheongwol stood frozen, unable to affirm or deny Dang Soran’s proposal.
Even to Dang Soran, it felt like a checkmate.
But she took it one step further.
“You don’t have to play our games. Really. Just... accept our clan’s protection.”
At those words, Han Seojin looked surprised. So did Cheongwol.
“You don’t have to do the games?”
No games needed—her eyes met his, conveying sincerity.
...But of course, it was a lie from Dang Soran.
How could she steal him from Cheongwol without the games? They were the deep bond tying them.
Dang Soran wasn’t foolish enough not to know that.
“I promise. No games.”
It was just to lower his guard.
A trap baited to draw him into her web.
“Come... and just stay safe. I’m really worried.”
The closer she got to him, the more intimate they became, the harder it would be for him to resist the games.
Dang Soran no longer had the luxury of approaching properly.
Outwardly calm, but since Mount Song, jealousy toward Gayeong and Cheongwol had driven her mad with desire for him.
Dang Soran’s eyes burned hot.
She would steal him. Make him see her, not Cheongwol.
Make him treat her as most precious. Even if he cherished another more now... in the end, she would make him choose her.
Casting aside all playfulness, she whispered with pent-up longing.
“Right? Young Master... come to me.”