Chapter 225
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 225
Chapter Title: So-ha's Consultation
If I told the me from back then that we'd ended up in a relationship like this, he absolutely wouldn't believe it.
He'd probably shudder and tell me not to say such creepy nonsense.
Chuckling to myself, I let my thoughts drift along with my consciousness, recalling events from that time. Naturally, the incident that stuck with me the most came to mind.
Hwa-ryeon's drunken rampage.
Also known as the drinking incident.
There was that time when Hwa-ryeon, clueless as she was, guzzled down the Golden Pure Wine that Father had gifted to Master.
She was just a little girl barely over ten, and after a single sip, she got completely wasted.
-Crash! Shatter!
-Hey, hey! Are you crazy!? Snap out of it!
"...That was one hell of an event."
It was the day I discovered a dangerous... new side to Hwa-ryeon, who had always seemed so cold and prematurely aged.
After that, big incidents would occasionally happen whenever Hwa-ryeon drank, but none were as shocking as that day.
-Sob, hic, waaah-!
Well... it was shocking in another sense, too.
Tears streaming down her flushed red cheeks like droplets.
The pitiful face I could never forget in my life was vividly clear before my eyes.
Including both my past and present lives, I'd never been so flustered.
I'd desperately tried every line I could think of to stop her crying...
-I heard this somewhere...
"...Huh?"
Wait a second, something's coming to mind...?
"Your face looks all refreshed now?"
Right then, the cleaned-up Hwa-ryeon entered the room.
The image of her tear-streaked, childish face from back then overlapped with her now more mature one, and the hazy memory that had almost surfaced vanished in a flash.
"Why are you staring like that?"
"...No, it's nothing."
A puzzled question came back at my gaze, tinged with regret.
I forced a smile and shook my head as if it were nothing.
Hwa-ryeon tilted her head at that, then her eyes drifted slightly downward, and another question flew my way.
"But what's that?"
"...Huh?"
Following her gaze, I realized I was still holding the small box in my hand.
"Oh, it's nothing."
"...Hmm?"
I hurriedly tucked the box into my bosom and played dumb.
Even I thought my reaction was awkwardly obvious.
Hwa-ryeon's eyes naturally narrowed.
I averted my gaze from her sharp stare and broke into a cold sweat inwardly.
Thankfully, she didn't seem intent on pressing me. She soon shrugged and relaxed her eyes.
I smoothly changed the subject.
"B-By the way, what do you think about this raid?"
Relieved inwardly, I asked casually as if it were no big deal, and Hwa-ryeon countered.
"What do you think, Ja-seong?"
"...It's weird. Unreasonable in all sorts of ways. Though, it's kinda funny to talk about reason when dealing with monsters."
"Yeah. I think the same."
Hwa-ryeon nodded at my answer.
It wasn't just to change the topic—the monsters' movements today had been strange in several ways.
"The biggest thing is that they attacked the Wudang Sect during broad daylight when people were awake. Even if they've turned into monsters because of that blood tree sapling, at their core, they're beasts with good night vision."
Just as she said, since they were beasts with sharp night vision, they had the option of attacking at night.
If they'd ambushed when everyone but a minimal guard was asleep, they wouldn't have retreated without killing anyone.
Someone might ask if beasts could make such tactical judgments.
But,
"As soon as the tide turned against them, they retreated without hesitation. Whether it's the hoe beast or the ox beast, someone's controlling them from behind. I'm sure of it."
There was someone with the judgment to assess odds of victory and the state of battle.
Having gone through today's fight, I was certain of that much.
"But we still can't tell who it is."
"If that tiger bastard had shown up, we'd know for sure, but it was nowhere to be seen."
As our grumbling mixed with sighs, I sensed several people approaching the room.
Soon, the door opened, and three women from Haomen entered, led by Ye So-ha.
"Whew, washing up after so long feels so refreshing. People really should stay clean, right?"
Ye So-ha spoke innocently with a pleased face, then froze upon seeing us and gave an awkward smile.
"Uh... are we interrupting something?"
"No. We were just about to head out anyway."
There was no point in us two pondering it alone—we wouldn't come up with answers.
Besides, it felt awkward lingering with the women while their hair was still damp.
"I'll take a quick look around the Wudang Sect grounds. We'll discuss what we just talked about later when everyone's gathered."
"...Okay. See you later."
With Hwa-ryeon's slightly hesitant farewell, I left the guest hall.
*
After Ja-seong left, an awkward silence hung in the room.
More precisely, Hwa-ryeon was awkward around the three women from Haomen.
'...This is uncomfortable.'
He'd left her behind without a word, so it seemed a bit better now, but back when they first met in Gyunhyeon, Ja-seong had been extremely wary of So-ha.
Being around those people felt prickly enough, but,
"Hmm? Is there something you want to ask?"
"...No. Nothing."
For some reason, So-ha kept striking up conversations with sparkling eyes and a bright smile.
Honestly, it was pretty off-putting.
"You seem like you have questions...? Don't hold back—ask anything!"
"......"
And one of the two maids beside So-ha, Hong, was eagerly chiming in.
Cheong watched So-ha and Hong with a complicated expression, hesitating, but she couldn't rein them in outnumbered three-to-one.
In the end,
"...I'll step out for a bit too."
"Oh, sure."
Unable to bear it, Hwa-ryeon declared her escape.
Contrary to expectations, So-ha let her go without a word.
But just before she opened the door, another question came flying.
"But really, nothing you want to ask?"
"...What on earth would I want to ask you?"
At the repeated question, now starting to grate on her nerves, Hwa-ryeon shot back, and a sly glint entered So-ha's smile.
"Well, to put it bluntly... how to win a man's heart?"
"Ugh...!"
A sudden ambush.
Reading the fluster on Hwa-ryeon's face, So-ha's smile deepened.
"Wh-Why would I be cu-curios about that?"
"Come on, just between us girls, no need to hide it. We already know everything."
Too late to deny it, but So-ha looked at Hwa-ryeon with a gaze that said she knew it all, unnecessarily benevolent.
Then, in a subtle tone, she broached the topic.
"Truth is, men are like that. Once they think a woman is in the bag, they lose interest fast? Like how you stop caring about a fish you've already hooked."
"Ja-seong isn't like that!"
"Oh my? I didn't specify Young Master Goon, did I?"
She'd taken the bait.
A look of dismay flashed across Hwa-ryeon's face at the realization, but she quickly composed herself and countered.
"You said you already figured it out? Stop teasing and get to the point."
"...Aw, you caught me."
So-ha feigned disappointment outwardly while smirking inwardly in triumph.
Hwa-ryeon was continuing the conversation instead of fleeing, so she'd achieved her goal.
'Alright, Ye So-ha's Love Advice Session is now open.'
With that silly thought, So-ha spoke in a suddenly serious tone.
"Honestly, it's nothing major. From the sidelines, it's obvious you're head over heels for each other, but... how to put it? It's a bit frustrating?"
"...Frustrating?"
Hwa-ryeon flinched.
Truth be told, she felt the same.
Ever since that impulsive kiss with Zhuge Seo-hee out of jealousy at the Zhuge House, there'd been no real progress between her and Ja-seong.
'No, if anything, they've regressed...'
And after the incident at Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, things between them had grown quite awkward.
They conversed as usual, but subtly walled each other off.
"It kinda seems like you fought...?"
"...!"
At Hwa-ryeon's wide-eyed reaction, So-ha snapped her fingers.
"Bingo. You fought."
"...If we're splitting hairs, it's not exactly a fight."
"Fine, let's say that. But what's the reason?"
The reason.
They both knew it all too well.
Just one phrase.
That one phrase, etched into Hwa-ryeon's memory for life, but vanished without a trace from Ja-seong's.
Objectively speaking, it wasn't anything special.
A young girl, drunk on a single cup, bursting out with the grievances and anger she'd bottled up inside.
-I'm gonna get revenge! On the bastards who did that to my dad! Waaah, Daddyyy-!
To her, who had spoken of revenge, the boy her age had blurted out something he'd overheard, clueless as he was.
'Honestly, it's understandable he'd forget.'
Back then, Ja-seong had been so flustered by her outburst that he'd thrown out every line he could think of.
So even if Ja-seong didn't remember, it was forgivable...
'...No! I won't forgive it. I can't!'
Something welled up inside her, flipping her thoughts in an instant.
Her head understood, but her heart refused to.
It might be ordinary to others, but to her, it was special.
Exaggerating a bit, it was a phrase that might have changed her life.
So she wished Ja-seong would remember it too.
Was that asking too much?
"Judging by your face, you've already realized the problem yourself?"
"...Yes."
Hwa-ryeon answered So-ha's question glumly.
Seeing that, So-ha approached, took her hand, and led her to the table.
Hwa-ryeon followed limply and sat in the chair as guided, with So-ha sitting opposite.
"Now that you've realized the problem, you need to work on solving it, right?"
"...How?"
"Hmm, for starters, even if it's simple, could you explain what happened? Like, 'this went down, so it ended up like this'?"
At So-ha's words, Hwa-ryeon hesitated but briefly explained the situation.
Hearing it, So-ha's eyes lit up with interest.
"Hmm, so long ago, you two had this tender little memory all to yourselves, but Young Master Goon doesn't remember it?"
-Nod nod
So-ha gazed cutely at Hwa-ryeon, who nodded silently without a word, then spoke slowly.
"Hmm, I have a good method. Wanna hear it?"
"...!"
Hwa-ryeon jerked her head up, and So-ha whispered as if sharing some profound secret.
Hwa-ryeon looked dubious upon hearing it.
"...Do I really have to do it that way?"
"This is the second-best option, not the best. It's to avoid the worst case. If things really hit rock bottom, use it then."
So-ha's advice, stripped of all playfulness.
Hwa-ryeon took it fairly seriously too, while Hong watched with an excited expression beside them.
And from a slight distance, Cheong coldly observed the three with a stony face.
'...Do they realize we're right in the heart of enemy territory?'
Having a love consultation right after a battle like a war.
And the even funnier part was,
'...Why does it sound plausible?'
Even to her ears, So-ha's advice seemed pretty decent.
It made her initial anxiety when So-ha first offered to help Ja-seong and Hwa-ryeon's romance seem unfounded.
But whether that was a good thing, she wasn't sure.
Cheong let out a small sigh so the others wouldn't hear.