Toying with People (2)
“What do you mean?”
Myeol Ji-ryun stared at Baek So-cheon with a look of surprise.
“It means I know you came here with some other intention.”
Half of it was reasonable suspicion, and half was a calculated hunch.
He tried to respond as calmly as possible, but Myeol Ji-ryun's eyes wavered.
“I have no idea what you're talking about. Are you just teasing me?”
She flashed a bright smile. A woman's smile was as powerful as her tears. It lit up the surroundings like sunlight breaking through clouds.
“You're beautiful enough to shake a man's heart, and no doubt just as clever. Your martial arts must be formidable too. Otherwise, your parents wouldn't have sent you here alone. They must believe you can overcome anything.”
Baek So-cheon's words were calm, but their weight pressed down on her bit by bit.
“You've probably been adored since childhood. Whatever you wanted, it all worked out for you there, right?”
“I won't deny it.”
“But it doesn't work on me.”
“I really don't know what you're getting at.”
“This is your one chance. If you don't tell me now, you won't get another. I'll handle it my way without listening. So, I'll ask again.”
Baek So-cheon wasn't showing his usual gentle demeanor. Nor was he threatening her. He was simply asking in deadly earnest.
“Why are you here?”
A strange pressure made Myeol Ji-ryun's gaze flicker.
But she soon composed herself and answered steadily.
“I've come to marry you.”
“Understood. It's late, so you should head back. Goodbye.”
Baek So-cheon gave a polite bow and turned to leave.
As he walked away, Myeol Ji-ryun's voice called from behind.
“Stop.”
Baek So-cheon halted. A somewhat agitated question flew at him.
“What do you mean by 'handling it your way'?”
Baek So-cheon turned back to face her.
“Exactly what I said. It means I won't consider you at all—only what's best for me and the Murim Alliance. Just like you're only thinking of yourself and the Blood Cult right now.”
“...!”
He could sense her agitation. She was still no match for him.
“One more thing. What did you mean by knowing I have other intentions?”
“I know you don't want to marry me.”
“Why do you think that?”
“I can feel it. There's a clear difference between genuine fondness and pretending to have it.”
It was probably because of Cheon-geuk, he thought. He'd been feeling what true affection really was, firsthand.
And there was one more thing.
He had to suspect Myeol Saeng's intentions in sending his daughter to this dangerous place. It wasn't just a mistake. There had to be some other purpose or agenda.
Baek So-cheon's gambit had hit home.
Breaking the suffocating tension, Myeol Ji-ryun let out a sigh.
“You're right. I didn't come here to marry you.”
“Then why did you?”
Even after speaking, she hesitated to answer. The unexpected turn had thrown her into confusion.
“It's already out in the open, so honesty will benefit us both.”
“Fine. I'll tell you everything.”
She first explained the internal dealings of the Blood Cult sending the matchmaker.
“As you know, the Black Heaven Alliance sent a matchmaker to us first.”
“I know.”
“But you probably don't know this. It caused a rift between my father and Grand Master.”
It was news even to Baek So-cheon.
“Grand Master—Jeok Pa-rap, you mean?”
“Yes, exactly. He's the only one in the cult who can stand up to my father.”
Jeok Pa-rap, the over-century-old supreme master, was Myeol Saeng's teacher.
“One side insisted on the marriage, the other said we absolutely shouldn't. The opposition argued that marrying would make me a hostage, dragging the cult around by the nose. The proponents worried that refusing would break the alliance, leaving the Black Heaven Alliance to attack us first.”
That anxiety must have peaked after the failed attempt to plant the Cheon-oe Won-go. Yeom Hwa-sin was the type to demand revenge without fail. They'd probably pushed for the marriage to temper his rage.
“It ended up causing a schism. Can you believe it? My marriage split the cult.”
“Splits happen over far pettier things. And those are often harder to mend.”
“Why is that?”
“The smaller the issue, the more it infuriates people.”
“Ah!”
Myeol Ji-ryun let out a short gasp. Memories of her own fractured relationships flooded back—deep bonds shattered over trivial matters, some even ending in death.
“You're right.”
“Of course, this isn't trivial. It concerns your future and the cult's.”
“In the end, the cult divided into two factions: those following my father and those following Grand Master.”
“Since you made it here, the anti-marriage side must have the upper hand.”
“Yes. That's how I could come.”
“Your Grand Master must be furious.”
Suddenly, Myeol Ji-ryun's expression hardened, and she dropped a bombshell.
“The one who supported the marriage was my father.”
“...!”
“He said for the cult's sake, I should marry Yeom Sa-won. Taking the Black Heaven heir as a husband wasn't a bad deal. I never dreamed he'd say that.”
Baek So-cheon had assumed her father would oppose it. No parent would push their only daughter into a hostage situation. And surely he'd heard the rumors about Yeom Sa-won's character? Yet he'd tried to force the marriage anyway.
His honest reaction in that moment was pure outrage.
These bastards!
Fury at Myeol Saeng mingled with his anger toward Yeom Hwa-sin.
Like rivals in a contest, they were all too willing to use and sacrifice their children for power.
“Grand Master has cherished me like a granddaughter since I was little.”
Myeol Ji-ryun's eyes welled up, perhaps with genuine sorrow—or maybe crocodile tears. Either way, caution was key. Men often let their guard down when a woman showed weakness, only to regret it.
“Even so, did the Blood Cult Lord just let you come to me so easily?”
“Grand Master confronted my father directly. He must have given Father what he wanted.”
“Do you know what that was?”
She shook her head. Even if she knew, she wouldn't say easily.
“So, sending the matchmaker to me was Grand Master's idea?”
“Yes. He said proposing to you would let me avoid marrying Yeom Sa-won.”
If her words were true?
Then Jeok Pa-rap might know his personality well—and even his subtle ties to Yeom Hwa-sin.
How far had he anticipated?
“What if I'd agreed to marry?”
“Grand Master was certain. He said you'd never marry Blood Cult blood.”
Jeok Pa-rap seemed to understand him perfectly, despite never meeting. How? His life had been public enough for anyone to learn about him.
“I'm sorry I couldn't tell you sooner.”
“If everything you've said today is true, you've seized your last chance. I've heard you out.”
“It's the truth.”
“I hope so.”
He figured most of it was true. But he had to watch for the one lie cunningly woven among nine truths.
“In the end, you've made me your safe haven.”
“I'm sorry.”
“Did you expect Yeom Sa-won to challenge me to a duel?”
“No. Even Grand Master didn't foresee that.”
“What if I lose to him?”
“...”
She had no answer. Clearly, she hadn't thought that far.
Staring intently at Baek So-cheon, she said,
“Please win.”
“Fine. I'll beat Yeom Sa-won for you. But what will you give me in return?”
“Pardon?”
Myeol Ji-ryun looked startled.
“You want payment?”
“Of course. This is life-or-death. Payment is only natural.”
“But you're...?”
She trailed off, unable to continue.
Baek So-cheon finished for her.
“One of the righteous, so you expect me to handle it for free?”
Myeol Ji-ryun couldn't deny it. Her surprise had stemmed from exactly that assumption.
“You're a hero of the Murim.”
“You've lived sheltered, so you don't know how the Murim works.”
Calling her immature made her frown slightly.
Baek So-cheon pretended not to notice and pressed on.
“In the Murim, nothing comes free. If you want something, you pay the price.”
He deliberately cornered her. People revealed their true colors under pressure.
Yeom Hwa-sin was overwhelming enough. If she had ulterior motives here, it could catch him off guard.
Then Myeol Ji-ryun ventured cautiously,
“If Lord Baek were to say he'd marry me... I'd seriously consider it. Your first impression is much better than I expected.”
She bowed her head, cheeks flushing. She knew how to please a man. Had he not been Baek So-cheon, that soft gaze and shy demeanor would have worked wonders.
But she'd misjudged.
“Your Grand Master read me right. I have zero interest in marrying the Blood Cult Lord's daughter. Offer something else.”
Her expression froze. She'd been smoothly rejected.
“What do you want?”
“I decide that. Tell me what you can offer, and what favor you want. That's how deals work. Think about what you can give me and let me know. I'll judge then. Oh, and no hearts.”
“What if I refuse?”
Baek So-cheon replied coldly.
“Go home. Now.”
“If I do, Yeom Sa-won won't just sit idle.”
“I'll handle him.”
Their gazes locked in the air. Myeol Ji-ryun knew he meant it.
“I'll wait, then.”
As Baek So-cheon turned to leave, she snapped sharply,
“Why are you doing this to me? Is this the price for telling the truth?”
The moment her composure cracked, her pupils glowed red.
Truly Myeol Saeng's daughter!
Na-sa-rin had mentioned the Blood Cult bloodline trait: gray eyes turning red in anger. First objective achieved.
“The truth you told was for your own sake. Isn't it? You confessed because you feared the consequences of silence.”
Myeol Ji-ryun couldn't retort. It was exactly as he'd said. She'd thought shedding tears and revealing "truth" would deepen a righteous hero's trust, making her easier to manipulate.
“Yeom Hwa-sin, your lot—you all love toying with people. I know you see it as your right, your power. But from now on, I'll collect full payment.”
“Payment for what?”
“Usage fee. If you're going to toy with people, pay the fee.”
“...!”
“I'll be waiting for your offer.”
Baek So-cheon bowed politely and strode away.
Myeol Ji-ryun watched his retreating figure silently, her eyes now dry and ashen.
Sss.
A figure appeared beside her.
It was Pa-jeong, the younger of her two guardians.
Myeol Ji-ryun spoke coldly.
“He's no ordinary man.”
Her tone with him differed from how she addressed the elder guardian, Rap-sa. With him, she was the vulnerable woman needing protection; now, she was the cold leader in command.
“What will you do?”
“Give him what he wants to buy time. We can't afford to be chased out of the Murim Alliance yet.”
“What will you offer?”
Her gray gaze darkened as it followed the direction Baek So-cheon had gone.
“Two things. If the first works, we can save the second.”