Debt Relations (1)
“What do you mean by that?”
“Yang Taek sent assassins……”
“You call that an explanation right now?”
“No, I mean……”
“You put me under with acupuncture and went out! Tricking our innocent lord into going along, and that's how this happened!”
“Tricking? Why do you have to phrase it like that? It was out of loyalty to our suffering lord, trying to understand his……”
“Shut up!”
“……”
“I told you to guard him, and instead of guarding, you throw him into danger? Are you in your right mind? Are you insane?!”
The words grew harsher by the minute. But with his guilt laid bare, Im Pilsaeng could only smack his lips in response to So Hye's shouting, unable to muster a single retort.
By the time they returned to Unjeong Pavilion from the inn, the sun had already risen. They'd given emergency treatment, but with so many wounds, Hwang Ja-su had hurriedly moved Jin Yeo-rip to the infirmary. The physician had clicked his tongue, saying it would have been disastrous if the cuts had been just a fraction deeper. And from then on, So Hye's relentless nagging had begun.
“Hah, hah.”
After unleashing a storm of scolding, So Hye paused to catch her breath and shot a glare at Kang Seong-gil, who stood blankly by the door.
“And who's this guy?”
“Ah, he's……”
“Name's Kang Seong-gil, miss!”
Just as Im Pilsaeng opened his mouth to answer, Kang Seong-gil dashed forward, bowing his head in greeting. He'd spent years in the murim world and even more as an innkeeper serving guests. Unlike Im Pilsaeng, he'd clawed his way up from the dregs of the unorthodox sects. He grasped the power structure of Unjeong Pavilion in an instant. Jin Yeo-rip was the lord, of course—but next came Yeon Sohye. Even Im Pilsaeng couldn't stand up to her.
“Call me Kang the Escort from now on.”
“Kang the Escort?”
So Hye tilted her head at Kang Seong-gil's cheeky response.
“That's right. After that unfortunate incident at dawn, Young Master Jin asked if I'd join him, and I said yes.”
“Hmm, the lord did? He said that?”
“Yes! It's a great honor to escort such an excellent man.”
“Hmph.”
So Hye's expression softened considerably as Kang Seong-gil followed up by praising Jin Yeo-rip. That was social life in a nutshell. Martial arts? Age? Who needed them? Unlike Im Pilsaeng, Kang Seong-gil knew how to flatter when it counted—he was flexible like that.
“So, shall we hear the details? What on earth happened out there that the lord came back covered in wounds and even hired a new escort?”
Now she was asking. She'd dumped a cartload of nagging on Im Pilsaeng, but she didn't know the full story. It had all started with “The lord got hurt.”
“Well, see……”
“That's enough out of you, Pilsaeng. If you're bored, go sweep the courtyard or something.”
“What?”
“What? Got a problem with that?”
Im Pilsaeng furrowed his brow in response, and So Hye's gaze turned icy in an instant. A chill ran down his spine as he averted his eyes, mumbling awkwardly.
“I'm injured too……”
“Where?”
“Huh?”
“Should I start from the beginning? Who was it that got the lord hurt and brought back like this?”
“Uh, no. You know, thinking about it, I'm not really hurt. Where should I start sweeping?”
“Figure it out yourself.”
“Haha! Right? Just checking.”
“Hmph!”
So Hye turned away primly, and Im Pilsaeng's face twisted in frustration. But a broom was already in his hands.
“Haha! You knew my way with words is better, right? Truth is, he's right—Im clan's got a habit of dragging things out.”
“True. And from the nicknames, you two must be pretty close.”
“Ah! I'll explain that later. The important thing is, what happened to our lord at dawn?”
“Oh? You get right to the point—unlike some people.”
“Of course! I'm a whole different caliber from certain folks.”
Kang Seong-gil chimed in eagerly, and Im Pilsaeng, sweeping the courtyard, kept pursing his lips in annoyance. That damn punk. Sucking up to So Hye, whom he'd just met today, while ignoring his old friend? Just wait. With a new escort around, he'd be the escort captain now—the superior. He'd chew him out for ages. Im Pilsaeng gripped his broom tighter, trembling with resolve.
“Alright, let's hear it.”
“Yes!”
Kang Seong-gil gave a concise rundown of the dawn incident at the inn, hitting all the key points anyone could grasp at once.
“……And that's how the inn got totally wrecked. But who cares about the inn? As long as Young Master Jin is alive, that's enough.”
“Thanks for thinking that way.”
“No problem. Oh, and he asked if I planned to keep running the inn.”
“And?”
“I said I wasn't sure, so he asked if I'd consider escort work. I've long admired him deeply, so I gladly accepted without hesitation.”
“Hmm, just like the lord. Seeing you, Kang Escort, I get why he made that call.”
“He's brilliant, isn't he? Top-notch martial arts, not a single flaw.”
“You see him clearly. You'll make a fine escort. Unlike some.”
“Exactly. I'm Kang Seong-gil, a cut above the rest. Now, let me tell you about myself!”
Another round of explanations followed, with So Hye nodding along. Not a bad pick for an escort. Still, her gaze darkened as she glanced at the straw mat in the corner of the courtyard. Tak Sobak. Im Pilsaeng had rolled up his lightning-struck corpse in it and brought it back. She knew he was dead, but sparks flew in her eyes anyway. The lord had nearly died— she wanted to dig up his grave and whip the corpse, slice open the coffin and behead it again.
“Hah, the real problem is that old poison bastard Dokbi.”
Tanggu had fled in terror, but Dokbi had held out till the end, retreating only when facing all three. The snake was brimming with venom now—what to do? He'd come after them again, commission or not. People like that never acknowledged their own sins; they just turned their victims' suffering into grudges.
“Damn it, we should've chased him down and finished him.”
So Hye ground her teeth, her gaze turning chilling, and Im Pilsaeng flinched instinctively while sweeping.
“Miss So, don't worry.”
“……”
“From now on, I'll stick close to Young Master Jin and guard him.”
“You sure you can handle it?”
“Of course. Back in the day, I was on par with that Im clan fool here.”
“With Pilsaeng?”
“I was a smidge behind. Just a smidge. But with a hefty long saber in my hands, no one in Shandong dared ignore me.”
“Didn't you say you've been out of it for a while?”
“I'll…… get my old edge back as fast as possible. Oh, and Young Master Jin asked me for sparring sessions too. Said he's been doing it with Im clan guy all the time and needs variety from different fighters.”
“Got it. Take good care of him.”
“Yes, miss!”
“Call me So Hye.”
“Pardon?”
“So Hye.”
“Ah, got it.”
“And since you'll be escorting, call the young master 'lord' from now on—not 'Young Master Jin.'”
“Huh? Lord? That's a bit……”
Kang Seong-gil scratched his head with a laugh. 'Lord' implied sworn loyalty, didn't it? He was just a hired escort filling in till he found new work. Jin Yeo-rip had said as much: stick around till then.
“Haha! What's in a title? I'll do the job perfectly.”
He tried to brush it off good-naturedly, but So Hye cut him off sharply.
“If you won't change it, then leave.”
“Pardon?”
Her sudden sternness was over the top. He couldn't even keep a straight face. Wait, why was she interfering when Jin Yeo-rip had hired him? He glanced at Im Pilsaeng, but the man didn't care—like her word was law. As Kang Seong-gil floundered in confusion, So Hye stood and bowed politely.
“Then farewell.”
“Pardon?”
“Unjeong Pavilion has no need for outsiders. Too many enemies to trust unreliable folks.”
“But I'm not an enemy……”
“You want to pick up the sword again, so you're murim folk.”
“……”
“Murim folk have no eternal friends or foes. Unorthodox ones especially.”
“Miss So!”
“Same answer either way.”
Kang Seong-gil's face reddened at her harsh words, but So Hye was unyielding—like a different person from moments ago. Cold and resolute. Especially those unfathomable eyes, unsettling him deeply.
“Hmm.”
“Even if it's the lord's decision, safety's non-negotiable for me. Sorry to waste your time.”
She turned sharply and walked toward the infirmary where Jin Yeo-rip was being treated. Kang Seong-gil stared at her back, letting out a hollow laugh.
“Get it?”
“Get what? Kicking me out over a title? What's that got to do with escorting? And it wasn't even my idea—Young Master Jin brought it up first. What right does she have?”
“Fair point. But cut her some slack. So Hye's got a lot of pain.”
“Pain?”
“Yeah.”
“What kind?”
“When disaster hit the Ak family, there were escorts who stuck by the lady and fled with her. Guys we trusted. But they betrayed us in the end. Some even sold us out. Just us left.”
“……”
“Hearts change in a heartbeat. So Hye cut their throats herself. No hesitation. I couldn't have done it.”
“Damn.”
“That's why it weighs on her more.”
Shed have sliced cold, but wept endlessly inside. Kang Seong-gil nodded in understanding, then voiced a sudden question.
“How old is Miss So, anyway?”
“Twenty-six this year…… no, twenty-seven? Eight? Hell if I know.”
“What? Twenties? Wait, wasn't the Ak family disaster sixteen years ago?”
“Yep.”
“So she was about ten?”
“Did it at ten.”
“Huh?”
“Back then, she wasn't the fox-faced heart-stealer she is now—she was adorable. Who'd suspect a kid slicing throats?”
“……”
“Smiled at the traitors, then slash.”
“……”
“That's her.”
“P-Possible at ten?”
“Terrifying, right? Those flickering eyes? Watch out back then. You never know what she'll do.”
“Ah……”
He'd seen it—the eyes when she scolded Im Pilsaeng. No wonder he took the endless nagging without a peep.
“So what do I do?”
“What? Call him lord.”
“Huh?”
“Like you said, title's no big deal. She knows that. Just testing your resolve.”
“Resolve?”
“Yeah. Who trusts a guy who flips titles easy?”
“Ah.”
“She'll act tough, but she's already planning to dig into your background—assuming you'll stick around.”
“Dig how?”
“Her info-gathering's beggar clan level.”
“……”
“Probably knows your life from birth by now. Same for that Dokbi geezer.”
Im Pilsaeng said it casually, like it was obvious.
“Scary woman.”
“Yeah. You'll learn soon enough—after the nagging storm.”
It wasn't even cold, but Im Pilsaeng shivered. Maybe that's why Kang Seong-gil felt a chill too.