Chapter 101
Chapter 101
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 101
>Chapter Title: Misunderstanding (1)
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A man who believed not that the world shunned him, but that he shunned the world. Baek-cheon shouted.
“But I shall make you, my friend, the second lead in our new troupe, right after me!”
At Baek-cheon’s bold declaration, Jeong-hyeon frantically shook her head side to side.
She had no intention whatsoever of becoming an actress or joining a troupe.
“First, we must fix that tiny voice of yours! Come on! Follow after me!”
But Baek-cheon was already lost in his own world.
From that day on, after training ended, Jeong-hyeon was always with Baek-cheon.
In truth, she had mustered the courage to ask for his guidance, but she found Baek-cheon overwhelming.
The problem was.
“Where do you think you’re going! Over here!!”
Whether she ran or not, Baek-cheon clung to her like a leech.
Not content with that, he bellowed regardless of who was watching.
“Come on! Take a deep breath, put strength into your gut, and shout! Ahahahahaha! Hurry and try it!!”
As all eyes turned to her, her mind went blank, and in a fit of “whatever,” she grabbed Baek-cheon’s hand and bolted.
To the clearing where she had been with Il-mok.
She figured no one would come here.
And no sooner had they arrived at the clearing than she startled and let go of Baek-cheon’s hand.
“Eek!”
She let out a scream like she was having a fit, but soon a wondrous feeling washed over her.
‘H-holding hands!? Me!?’
Hanging around with that senior might just help her overcome her condition, even a little.
While Jeong-hyeon pondered this alone, Baek-cheon glanced around the clearing and said.
“Hmm. Shall we practice here?”
Nod, nod.
“Hah. And here I thought I could show off my magnificent talents to the world.”
Shake, shake.
He watched her reactions for a moment—fiercely nodding up and down, then side to side.
Then Baek-cheon cried out as if struck by enlightenment.
“Indeed! No matter how skilled one is, practicing an unfinished play in public ruins the mystique! We must rehearse in secret and reveal only the perfected show to leave the audience in awe!”
He gazed at Jeong-hyeon with an admiring expression.
“Now I see—you’ve got talent as an actress hidden within you!”
Jeong-hyeon thought it was utter nonsense, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak, so she just shook her head.
“Hohoho. No need to be modest even in front of me!”
As Jeong-hyeon felt an ominous premonition that she’d latched onto the wrong person.
Thud.
Baek-cheon suddenly approached her and shouted.
“Come on! Let’s start practicing! Like cultivating inner arts, take a deep breath, put strength in your gut, and laugh! Ahahahaha! Hurry and follow!”
“Ah… Ahahaha….”
“Hey! That’s not it! Once more!”
Unable to resist Baek-cheon’s insistence, her face flushed red as if about to burst while she shouted.
* * *
For several days after that, the two continued practicing in that secluded clearing.
And now, a few days later.
“Ahem.”
Il-mok, who had been watching the bizarre scene, finally couldn’t hold back and cleared his throat.
At the sudden noise, Baek-cheon and Jeong-hyeon whipped their heads around, their eyes widening like saucers.
“Young Master Il-mok!!!”
“Y-Yo, Young Master…?”
As expected, their reactions were polar opposites.
“You’re alive after all! This Baek trusted in you, Young Master! Ahahahaha!”
“…….”
Baek-cheon approached with a laugh like he was about to embrace him, while Jeong-hyeon twisted her body in bewilderment, not knowing what to do.
“Young Master! Won’t you tell me what happened in the meantime? Hearing your tale will surely spark a flood of inspiration!”
Ignoring Baek-cheon’s nonsense as he drew near, Il-mok turned his gaze to Jeong-hyeon, who stood awkwardly behind.
“Disciple Jeong. Were you perhaps being bullied by Senior Baek?”
No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like a schoolyard bullying scene.
“Bullied? What nonsense is that! I was clearly teaching this friend out of goodwill!”
Whether the perpetrator protested or not, Il-mok fixed his gaze on the victim.
Meeting Il-mok’s eyes brought the previous incident to Jeong-hyeon’s mind, flushing her face red.
Though shame made it hard to speak, Jeong-hyeon.
“Whew.”
After several deep breaths, she finally steadied herself.
“I-It’s true. Yo, Young Master.”
“…What kind of guidance from this madman—no, Senior Baek?”
“I-I was learning ho-how to ta-talk to pe-people.”
Only then did Il-mok roughly grasp the situation.
‘There was that kind of shock therapy.’
He recalled hearing that people afraid of singing or acting in front of others overcame it by doing street performances.
“…You’ve suffered.”
“I-It’s fine.”
The two exchanged glances laden with complex emotions.
At that moment, Baek-cheon spoke to Il-mok again.
“Hahaha! Glad the misunderstanding’s cleared! Now, Young Master, tell me of your adventures in the Myriad Spirit Mountains!”
With a sigh at Baek-cheon’s drivel, Il-mok said.
“I’ll tell the story later. For now, could you give us some space? I have something to discuss with Disciple Jeong alone.”
Il-mok saw this as his chance to find out why Jeong-hyeon had been avoiding him.
But for some reason, no sooner had Il-mok spoken than Jeong-hyeon shook her head vigorously side to side.
With Baek-cheon there, it was manageable, but alone with Il-mok, her mind would surely spiral again.
At Jeong-hyeon’s intense reaction, Il-mok’s face crumpled.
‘Damn. She’s still avoiding me? Why?’
Unaware of Jeong-hyeon’s head-shaking, Baek-cheon laughed heartily and moved to leave the clearing.
“Hahaha! You promised, so tell me next time!”
At the sight of Baek-cheon departing, Jeong-hyeon’s face paled, and she shouted without thinking.
“D-Don’t go!… Please….”
“!!!”
It dwindled to an ant-like whisper at the end, but at least it started as a shout.
Both Il-mok and Baek-cheon stared in shock at Jeong-hyeon’s rare outburst.
“See! It works if you try! This is thanks to my brilliant guidance, isn’t it? Hahaha!”
Suddenly elated, Baek-cheon approached and patted Jeong-hyeon’s shoulders.
Watching the two, who oddly seemed on good terms, Il-mok sighed and spoke.
“It seems I’m in the way.”
For someone with social phobia like Jeong-hyeon to shout like that meant she found being alone with him utterly repulsive.
‘Tch. Did I do something she hates that much?’
Amid the various perplexities, Il-mok prepared to step aside for her sake.
“D-Don’t go….”
If not for Jeong-hyeon’s voice from behind.
Il-mok halted and looked at her quizzically.
“Were you talking to me?”
At Il-mok’s question, Jeong-hyeon peeked out from behind Baek-cheon, nodding her head up and down frantically.
‘What’s this now? She doesn’t want me close, but doesn’t want me gone either?’
As Il-mok let out a baffled chuckle.
“Junior Il-mok!!”
A familiar voice echoed, and soon Mak Ho-yeol appeared in the clearing.
“When I heard you’d returned, you can’t imagine my joy!”
Il-mok let out a deep sigh at Mak Ho-yeol’s face brimming with ecstasy as he bellowed.
‘Why do the crazies keep multiplying?’
Oblivious to Il-mok’s feelings, Mak Ho-yeol prattled on.
“You’ve returned safely, so now answer my sincere feelings!”
“What sincere feelings?”
“The letter I gave you before I left!”
A question mark hovered over Il-mok’s head.
‘Letter? What letter?’
Then, belatedly, a hazy memory surfaced.
The memory of the letter he’d tossed aside immediately after receiving it from Mak Ho-yeol.
“Sorry, but I didn’t even read it.”
At Il-mok’s honest reply, Mak Ho-yeol didn’t rage but laughed heartily and drew his sword.
“Uhahaha! No worries! The challenge was mere formality anyway. Take my blade!”
Ignoring Il-mok’s intentions entirely, Mak Ho-yeol charged with blade aura formed, unleashing a killing blow from the start.
At the surprise attack, Il-mok instinctively drew his sword.
It was the first time his new moves, honed under Instructor Gang No-sa for the past five days, were unleashed on a person.
Clang!
The moment it clashed with Il-mok’s sword wrapped in sword aura, Mak Ho-yeol’s blade veered oddly and bounced aside.
Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword, the latter two moves.
Soul-Bouncing Sword.
A technique that manipulated the sword aura around the blade at the moment of impact to repel the incoming object.
The final eight moves of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword all transcended sword motions, focusing on freely wielding sword aura.
Just like in his spar with Baek-cheon, when Il-mok had formed a sword barrier with the twelfth move, Mixed Jade Circle, and blended in the subtleties of the Soul-Phantom Sword.
In a way, Il-mok had already grasped parts of the latter moves that day.
Seeing his full-force swing repelled so futilely, Mak Ho-yeol’s face went blank for a moment.
‘No way….’
After their last spar, Mak Ho-yeol had trained diligently. He’d even received a month of special training from his vice-branch leader, Yu-geuk.
‘The gap… hasn’t closed.’
No, far from closing, it had widened vastly.
At least in their first spar, they’d exchanged some blows.
But now, his blade bounced after one clash, and the youngest young master’s sword was already flying toward his throat.
‘Is it over….’
Of course, being a spar between cadets, he wouldn’t be killed. It’d probably stop before his throat.
But the futility of defeat in one exchange didn’t fade just because he lived.
As Mak Ho-yeol sensed defeat and wore a dazed expression.
The path of Il-mok’s sword toward his throat twisted.
It suddenly veered toward his face.
Thwack!!
“!?”
The flat of the blade smacked Mak Ho-yeol’s face squarely.
“Wh-what!?”
Mak Ho-yeol shouted in bewilderment at the sword slap.
“Haat!”
Meanwhile, Il-mok was already swinging at him again.
‘Fuck it. Since I drew the sword, let’s finish this properly.’
Dodging types like spar-addict Dokgo-phae or Mak Ho-yeol was wearing thin; he was sick of it.
This time, he’d give him a proper mental re-education so he’d never challenge again—like he’d done to the Choi Woong trio.
Il-mok’s sword danced with the ferocity of a malign spirit.
Thwack! Thwack!
The flat repeatedly struck Mak Ho-yeol’s face and body.
Mak Ho-yeol panicked briefly at Il-mok continuing the assault instead of ending the spar.
‘So that’s it!’
Realizing Il-mok’s intent, Mak Ho-yeol grinned in感動.
“Uhahaha! Thank you! Junior Il-mok!!”
Despite the vast skill gap, he was continuing the fight to teach him—that had to be it.
Elated, Mak Ho-yeol laughed heartily amid the blows, swinging his blade in return.
Clang!
Thwack!
After dodging or parrying Mak Ho-yeol’s blade and pummeling his body several times.
“Uhahaha! Give me more!!”
“!?”
Il-mok, venting his frustration, suddenly got goosebumps.
‘This bastard—turns out he’s not a spar addict, but a masochist who likes getting hit?’