The Supremes' Amusement (1)
The carriage arrived at a remote manor tucked away in seclusion.
The one who greeted them was an elegant, dignified middle-aged beauty.
“I greet the Supreme.”
The woman seemed to know Yeom Hwa-sin's true identity precisely.
“Have you been well?”
“Thanks to you, I have.”
“Today we've brought a precious guest, so you must attend to him with utmost care.”
“I shall devote myself fully. This way, please.”
As he followed her, Baek So-cheon sensed the presence of ambushes lurking nearby. This place was guarded by experts of considerable skill.
The woman led the two men to a room lavishly decorated with expensive furnishings.
In the brief moment after she departed, Baek So-cheon asked,
“Where is this place?”
“A spot I come to when I feel like resting.”
Baek So-cheon could guess that this was his secret palace.
“And when you're not here?”
“They all wait for me.”
“Just waiting around doing nothing until you show up? Isn't that a bit much?”
“A bit much? Aren't they living easy lives because of me?”
“I wouldn't say so.”
“Even so, I can't very well drink with those other bastards, now can I?”
A short while later, a table laden with drinks was set. Along with it entered women in splendid silk garments that revealed their figures, their faces bearing only subtle makeup. They were beauties one might expect from the finest pleasure houses.
Two sat to Yeom Hwa-sin's left and right, and two more took seats beside Baek So-cheon.
“Greetings, great hero. I am Seol-ah.”
“I am Cho-ah.”
They were poised and well-trained.
But Baek So-cheon could tell they were desperately trying to conceal their terror.
In an ordinary brothel, a mistake might earn a scolding or a slap at worst.
But to err in front of Yeom Hwa-sin could mean not just their own deaths, but the massacre of everyone in this place.
No amount of training could prepare young women in their early twenties for such dread.
Baek So-cheon glanced at Yeom Hwa-sin.
How could he fail to notice the fear they couldn't fully hide? Baek So-cheon suspected he was savoring it.
“You don't seem pleased. Are the girls not to your liking?”
“No, it's been ages since I've seen such beauties. I can see your taste now.”
“How do they compare to the ones you fancy?”
“Not much different, I'd say.”
“Then why the gloom?”
“This is your domain. It doesn't sit right with me.”
“Fair enough.”
“If we're to have fun, how about a spot where young folks gather?”
“Where?”
“You'll see. This time, I'll guide us.”
“Very well.”
Yeom Hwa-sin accepted Baek So-cheon's suggestion without protest. Perhaps the idea intrigued him all the more, coming from someone who seemed so far removed from revelry.
“It's a fair distance, though.”
“No matter. Time is the one thing we have plenty of.”
The two stepped outside.
As they walked toward the carriage, Yeom Hwa-sin spoke abruptly.
“That was needless consideration on your part.”
In that instant, Baek So-cheon realized he'd read his mind.
There had been another reason for wanting to leave.
He could have stayed and enjoyed himself here.
But instinct told him the two women attending him would pay with their lives for it. This was his secret palace, after all. Regardless of his own goodwill, the strict rules here would likely demand their execution. The place existed solely for Yeom Hwa-sin.
“I'm leaving, but you're the problem too.”
“What problem?”
“Drop that needless air of authority.”
“Authority? Am I authoritarian?”
“You didn't know?”
“I always thought myself quite open-minded.”
“No. You're definitively authoritarian. This place stems from that very trait.”
Yeom Hwa-sin neither affirmed nor denied it.
Seizing the moment, Baek So-cheon added,
“Before we came here, didn't you ask if I'd ever indulged in pleasures? To me, true pleasure is shared by all and fleeting by nature. Once it becomes mine, it takes on a different meaning. At the very least, this place and the word 'pleasure' don't go together.”
“Hm. There's merit in that.”
Yeom Hwa-sin fell into deep thought.
This was likely what he sought from their journey: overlooked perspectives, change and reflection, fragments of insight coalescing into enlightenment.
The carriage traveled the full day before arriving at a new destination—a tavern called Cheong-chun Jupjeom. It was the one place Baek So-cheon associated with revelry. He'd visited a few times early in his days at the Murim Alliance, tagging along with seniors.
“It's really been ages, but thankfully it hasn't gone under.”
Far from it—the place seemed even larger than before. Near the entrance, clusters of young men and women stood chatting. The atmosphere was utterly unlike any ordinary inn or tavern.
At the entrance, Baek So-cheon cautioned Yeom Hwa-sin.
“One promise before we go in.”
“Speak.”
“If any trouble brews inside, don't lift a hand, no matter what.”
“Feet are fine?”
“Spare me the lame jokes. We'd end up drinking alone all night.”
“Agreed. I promise.”
“Good. Let's charge!”
The two entered.
As the door swung open, a wave of vibrant energy washed over them. It wasn't just the outside that differed. The interior was a world apart from typical taverns.
Musicians played fast, lively tunes, while young men and women gathered at tables, laughing and chatting boisterously.
They weren't confined to seats. Groups mingled here and there, and people freely joined other tables.
“Oh! What's this?”
“A spot young folks flock to. You naturally join strangers' tables and chat.”
“And hook up if eyes meet?”
“Something like that.”
“When were you last here?”
“A few times before the war, with my seniors.”
“Oh ho.”
Yeom Hwa-sin scanned the room with evident surprise.
“First time for me.”
“Heard there's nothing like it in unorthodox circles. Makes sense—with your lot, it'd be knife fights daily.”
“We could run it ourselves. Profitable, no?”
“Serious?”
“Of course. The Alliance is strapped for cash with war looming. Why haven't those Finance Party fools spotted this goldmine?”
“Moments like this, you seem utterly war-mad.”
“Finally see it? No regrets bringing me?”
“None. You should run this business.”
“Why?”
“Does a place like this boom in a year or two? Needs word-of-mouth, investment. War delay would be ideal.”
“True. After we wipe you out, it'll make fine pocket change. Hahaha.”
Yeom Hwa-sin laughed heartily, in high spirits.
“No war talk now that we're here. Let's drink with the young ones—if they'll join us.”
“They might say no.”
“Naturally.”
“Stirs the competitive spirit.”
Just then, a server approached and said politely,
“Apologies, but we'll seat you two upstairs.”
“Upstairs?”
Looking up, they saw older patrons on the second floor.
As Yeom Hwa-sin bristled, Baek So-cheon quickly interjected,
“Promise!”
“Fine.”
To the server, Baek So-cheon said,
“Lead on.”
“Yes.”
Following the oblivious server's guidance, they ascended. Unlike the lively first floor, the second was elegantly appointed, mostly with older guests.
They ordered drinks and appetizers there. Prices were several times those of a normal inn.
“Now what?”
“Go chat up women who catch your eye and ask to join.”
A middle-aged woman on the floor smiled at Yeom Hwa-sin. Ignoring her signal, he peered down at the first floor.
Surveying, he pointed out one.
“That girl's a beauty.”
She was a young woman downstairs, strikingly pretty among her three companions—comparable to those at the secret palace.
“Your taste is clear enough.”
Yet the courtesan he'd once known stood apart from such preferences, which only made her more special. He favored this type, and she was the opposite.
“I'll fetch her.”
“You?”
“Unless you plan to?”
“I could bring her in an instant.”
“Naturally.”
By threat or abduction.
“Wait here.”
Baek So-cheon descended to the first floor and approached them.
Me, at my age, asking women to join my table!
He was doing something utterly unforeseen.
Reaching them, Baek So-cheon said,
“Ladies, care to join us?”
Until then, he'd been confident. His looks held up anywhere, and his apparent age wouldn't raise eyebrows.
They eyed his face, then exchanged glances.
“Sorry, we have girl talk.”
“Sorry!”
“Forgive us.”
Their excessive apologies left Baek So-cheon flustered instead.
“No, it's fine.”
He returned upstairs, face flushed without a drop of liquor.
Having watched it all, Yeom Hwa-sin grinned like he was dying to tease.
“What'd they say?”
Baek So-cheon downed a loser's drink in silence.
“You're truly past your prime now.”
“Back then, women fought to sit by me.”
“Those women have daughters that age now.”
“But I don't look that old.”
“Hey, when's the last time young women called you baby-faced?”
“Never.”
Mostly from peers or older men. Or his mirror.
“Young ones have a sixth sense for it.”
After ribbing him, Yeom Hwa-sin rose.
“Where to?”
“Can't drink alone with you after coming this far.”
He descended and approached the same group.
Baek So-cheon watched tensely. He hadn't expected trouble, but who knew?
Moments later, something astonishing happened.
The women rose after a brief chat with Yeom Hwa-sin and came upstairs.
Baek So-cheon asked the one who'd rejected him,
“Were you threatened, by chance?”
She burst into laughter.
“No, he's just too entertaining. You understand earlier, right?”
“Of course.”
The three sat.
Yeom Hwa-sin shot Baek So-cheon a victor's smirk.
“I was quite the heartthrob in my day.”
The women giggled.
A clear defeat.
The girl Yeom Hwa-sin had picked asked,
“What’s your relationship?”
Simultaneous replies:
“Friends.”
“Nemesis.”
Yeom Hwa-sin said “friends”; Baek So-cheon, “nemesis.”
The women laughed uproariously, delighted.
They drank and shared stories for a good while.
Eventually, the women stood.
“See you next time.”
One said to Baek So-cheon,
“Keep at it.”
The others cheered him on.
“You'll get there!”
As they headed downstairs, Baek So-cheon turned to Yeom Hwa-sin.
“What was that?”
“What?”
“Be honest. Now.”
Yeom Hwa-sin chuckled deeply.
“When you went down earlier, I told them you'd never been with a woman at your age. Brought you here to chat with some, at least. Said to pretend I'm your father.”
“Good lord!”
Flabbergasted, Baek So-cheon finally burst into laughter.
“Hahaha!”
Who could have guessed Yeom Hwa-sin would say such a thing?
And the sheer absurdity of the situation tickled him. Sharing a place like this with him.
It was right then.
A man passing their table glanced casually at Yeom Hwa-sin and recoiled in shock.
“You!”
Baek So-cheon tensed as well.