Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 49
>Chapter Title: Giving Her a Scolding (1)
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After spending nearly an hour discussing the psychiatric ward, my master left Wind Rock Hall, saying he had other matters to attend to.
By then, the sky had already darkened, and right after receiving a bath and Pushing Palaces and Passing Meridians treatment from Jin Ha-yeon, I passed out cold.
From the sparring match to my master's not-quite-a-threat threat. And then dealing with the side effects while constantly refining the proposal.
I'd expended so much mental energy that I fell asleep like the dead without any side effects, for the first time in ages.
"Ah... I've been passing out to sleep these past few days, haven't I?"
The thought hit me the moment I closed and opened my eyes.
I'd been knocked out repeatedly by Jin Ha-yeon while in the infirmary.
Turning my head at the memory, I saw that the bedding she'd used was all neatly packed away. Even the sunlight streaming through the window was bright.
"I just blinked, and a whole day has passed."
Feeling a sense of emptiness, I straightened the covers when footsteps approached from outside.
"What's this about?"
Jin Ha-yeon would never make that much noise.
And sure enough, the owner of those footsteps wasn't Jin Ha-yeon.
"Oppa!!"
The door flew open, and a little girl appeared, her face a mix of emotions.
Seon-a kicked off her shoes like they were in the way and threw herself into my arms.
I stroked the head of the kitten-like child with her rain-soaked face and said,
"Sorry for worrying you."
At that, Seon-a looked up at me with eyes trembling on the verge of tears.
"I'm fine now, so don't worry."
"I'll kill all the jerks who hurt Oppa!"
"Don't... what?"
What kind of kid talks like that?
'How do the Hyeok-ryeon Clan raise their kids?'
Then again, what could I expect from a bunch of cult fanatic lunatics? I'd be the fool for hoping.
Letting out a deep sigh, I gave the little one a stern scolding.
"Tch! Kill them all? You can't think like that. It's dangerous."
"But..."
"Hey now. Seon-a, you're still too young."
"There are bad guys targeting Oppa! And I learn martial arts to kill bad guys!"
Unbelievable! The kid who used to follow me everywhere was talking back like this.
But she had a point. I wasn't really shocked by her saying she'd kill people.
"That's why you can't. Among the ones targeting me, there are lots of experts. If you go after them now, you could end up dead instead. That's what I mean by dangerous."
Unable to argue, Seon-a hung her head with a dejected look.
My resolve softened at her pitiful expression, so this time I offered a carrot instead of the stick to console her.
"Still, it makes me happy to see our Seon-a working so hard."
At my praise, the kid peeked up from her bowed head to look at me. I grinned and added,
"You must've been shocked hearing I was hurt, but you kept up your training steadily, right? Holding back until today."
I hadn't seen Seon-a once during my time in the infirmary. Meaning she'd resisted visiting me and focused on her cultivation instead.
'Well, she couldn't hold back today, it seems.'
Coming in the early morning instead of her usual afternoon visits meant she'd reached her limit.
But for some reason,
At my praise, the kid turned her head slightly to avoid my gaze.
"???"
As I puzzled over it, Jin Ha-yeon entered through the wide-open door, carrying breakfast.
Spotting Seon-a by my side, she spoke in her usual curt tone.
"You came again?"
"...Again?"
When I asked back, Jin Ha-yeon set the breakfast tray before me and said,
"She kept coming while you were in the infirmary. I didn't wake you for your rest."
"I don't think I saw her during meals, though?"
"She said not to disturb your rest, so I chased her away if she came during mealtimes."
Seon-a pouted as she confessed.
It was cute, but not something to let slide.
Spoiling a kid just because she's cute was a sure way to ruin her.
"Seon-a? You have to keep your promises, right?"
"I-I am keeping them! I finished all the training Grandma told me to do before coming!"
Before I could press her further on the hasty excuse, surprisingly, Jin Ha-yeon took the kid's side.
"It seems true enough."
Though with that 'seems' qualifier.
I glanced at Jin Ha-yeon in surprise at her defending Seon-a, and she continued,
"The 'Hyeok-ryeon Clan' hasn't said a word to you so far, which means the young lady's training is on track, doesn't it?"
It was an explanation that had me nodding despite myself.
Sure, they'd barged in before just because I played with the kid a bit. Their silence now meant no cause for complaint.
"Time's getting late, so how about starting with breakfast, Young Master?"
Jin Ha-yeon urged me to eat, as if she couldn't let my morning studies be delayed.
But the day didn't proceed as she wished.
Just as we finished breakfast with the early-morning visitor, two more guests arrived at Wind Rock Hall.
"Hahaha! How's your body faring, Young Master?"
"Little brother. How are you feeling?"
A mix of positivity and negativity. It was Guyang Mun and Third Senior Brother.
"Thanks to resting well in the infirmary, I'm fine. But, Brother Guyang, what's that bundle in your hand?"
No way he'd brought another load of gifts for Jin Ha-yeon?
My guess unfortunately missed the mark.
He'd prepared something far more serious.
"Hahaha. Actually, starting today, I'll be staying here for a while, Young Master."
"...Brother Guyang staying here? What do you mean?"
Third Senior Brother provided the answer to my question.
"After the last incident, Master was worried about your protection, so I recommended Brother Guyang. He'd been saying for days he wanted to serve as your guard, and he's reliable enough to entrust you to. Heh heh heh."
With that, Third Senior Brother glanced at Guyang Mun, and when their eyes met, they shared a quick smile before hastily sobering up.
They'd apparently become brothers in the meantime.
Third Senior Brother, now the big brother, had pulled in Master himself to support his lovesick junior and stick this guy on me as a guard.
And I knew exactly why he wanted to be my guard so badly.
"...You're that worried about Miss Jin sharing my bed?"
"W-Wh-What are you saying, Young Master! I just heard you'd been attacked again and was worried..."
"That sounds like you don't trust my guard."
Guyang Mun squirmed under Jin Ha-yeon's icy question.
"N-No, that's not..."
Seeing his flustered junior pitiful, Third Senior Brother finally stepped forward.
"It's a misunderstanding, Miss Jin. I recommended Brother Guyang. Even with you here, how could one person handle what three of us were doing?"
Unable to snap at Third Senior Brother too, Jin Ha-yeon replied with her usual impassive expression.
"Understood, Third Young Master."
And I had nothing more to say.
'If I push it here, Third Senior Brother might spiral into another delusion.'
If he flipped out claiming I was ignoring him, I might end up staring at the infirmary ceiling again.
Plus, he was a bit pitiful.
'If the woman you unrequitedly love is bedding some other guy, it'd drive anyone mad.'
The fact that the other guy was me was the problem.
* * *
In the end, after a minor squabble, Guyang Mun unpacked his things in my room.
By then, Eldest Senior Brother, Hang Geon, and even Sixth Senior Brother with his psychosis showed up, making Wind Rock Hall lively for a bit.
"Young Master has a backlog of studies for today. Please leave now, everyone."
Thanks to Jin Ha-yeon's cold dismissal, they all soon departed Wind Rock Hall. Except Guyang Mun.
After that, aside from the order being shuffled, things weren't much different from usual.
Since I'd handled visitors in the morning, I studied and trained external arts from lunchtime on. Then Master arrived right on time for practical sparring training.
In other words, suffering under his horrific killing intent and demonic energy, struggling desperately to survive.
After Master left, I trained alone briefly, then received a bath and Pushing Palaces and Passing Meridians.
Though this time, unusually, it was Guyang Mun who did it.
It felt strange.
'He really is competent at his job, huh?'
Having a guy handle my bath and treatment felt off, but he was thorough.
I just couldn't fathom why he lost it so badly around Jin Ha-yeon.
And that night.
Somehow ending up sharing a bed with the terminal unrequited love patient, I asked him,
"How'd you fall so hard?"
To be honest, I suspected it might be a side effect of demonic arts.
Guyang Mun shook his head side to side quickly at my question, confirmed no one else was around, and sighed in relief.
Then, with a distant, reminiscing look, he began.
"The first time I met her was on the day we entered the Demonic Path Academy."
And so began Guyang Mun's long-winded tale of unrequited love.
Starting from their first meeting at the academy, through the various situations they shared as peers.
"Ha-yeon had a cold, haughty appearance unlike her passionate nature, Young Master. She always trained the latest, competing fiercely with me for top of the class."
"But she never relied on anyone. She always tried to stand on her own. How to put it... She seemed strong on the outside, but fragile up close, which made her all the more pitiable."
"So I'd offer help, but she'd refuse to stand alone, like a noble crane—so beautiful."
I listened to the endless praise of Jin Ha-yeon for a good while.
At some point, it was going in one ear and out the other.
Not just from boredom. I'd gotten the gist.
'What? He just fell for her face at first sight?'
The story started with being stunned by her beautiful face at their first meeting.
And it got worse.
Whatever Jin Ha-yeon did, it was lovely because she looked pretty; another action made her seem haughty and wonderful; the next showed her diligence, which was great.
Basically, he liked everything she did.
Like he liked her first, then tacked on reasons after.
"Ahem. That's enough. I get how you feel, Brother Guyang."
"There's still so much more to tell, Young Master."
"I have things tomorrow, so let's sleep."
It'd probably just repeat anyway, so I turned my back.
I'd thought it was a demonic art side effect, but it was just your standard first crush story from a lifelong bachelor.
* * *
The next morning.
Unlike yesterday, after breakfast as usual, I began morning studies with Jin Ha-yeon.
Reviewing the doctrines, histories, and laws we'd already covered once.
As I focused on the books for a bit, I glanced up at the door.
Confirming it was firmly shut, I said to Jin Ha-yeon,
"Miss Jin, mind if I ask one thing?"
"Ask away."
"Why do you dislike Brother Guyang so much?"
Maybe because of what I'd heard from him last night, curiosity got the better of me.
Not that I cared much if his romance succeeded or failed. Just...
'Come to think of it, it's not that she has no interest in him—it's that she dislikes him.'
Her lack of emotional swings made it less obvious.
I'd never paid attention before, but last night's events made me realize.
"This is study time, Young Master. Ask about your studies."
"I'm not dying to know, but we'll be together a while. It's inconvenient for me if you two get along poorly."
Did my words hit home, that the one she served was uncomfortable because of her?
Despite her muted emotions, her strong sense of responsibility showed as she let out a faint sigh and spoke.
"I've disliked him from the start."
Thus began a story that would make Guyang Mun weep blood if he heard.