Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Innkeeper - Anhui (4)
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Dang Hwa-seo grabbed Mok Ri-won by the hand and dragged him out of the inn.
Trailing behind them at a distance was Jegal San, his face beaming with a wide grin.
Dang Hwa-seo's expression crumpled as she walked on in silence.
“Get lost. Don’t follow us.”
“I’m not following you. I just happen to be heading this way too.”
“Then go on ahead.”
“Hey, why go separately? Sister, you’re being too cold.”
Dang Hwa-seo turned her head toward Jegal San.
Her face, brimming with fury, was so fierce that even Mok Ri-won recoiled in shock, yet Jegal San still wore that smiling expression.
“Y-Young Lady… let go for now…”
“You stay put, Young Hero Mok! I’ll give you a real scolding when we get back!”
Mok Ri-won made a miserable face.
Jegal San stifled another burst of laughter at the two’s banter.
‘Well, now.’
He’d thought they were lovers, but that didn’t seem to be the case.
If anything…
‘Yeah, it’s exactly like a mother and son.’
How had they ended up in such a relationship?
What reason did they have for traveling together, and why was Dang Hwa-seo playing the role of nanny to someone so mismatched?
Countless questions flashed through his mind in an instant.
Yet amid the rising and fading curiosity, one firm impression held steady.
‘Mother and son…’
Dang Hwa-seo stood in place, yanking Mok Ri-won’s ear.
Mok Ri-won’s face turned pitch black as her scolding heated up right in the middle of the street.
Watching the scene, Jegal San recalled a nostalgic voice.
-Son! Didn’t I tell you to stop going to the outhouse so much! Why won’t you listen to your mother!
It was a voice he could no longer hear, one he’d tried not to recall, so Jegal San smiled bitterly.
He quickly composed his expression and spoke in a playful tone.
“You’re too harsh on Great Hero Mok. Isn’t he a grown man? How can you crush his spirit like that?”
“J-Jegal Young Master!”
Mok Ri-won jumped in alarm, trying to stop Jegal San.
He knew all too well what happened if you argued back during Dang Hwa-seo’s lectures.
“N-No, wait…”
“Great Hero Mok, you need to stand up for yourself. If Sister told you to jump off a cliff, would you?”
Mok Ri-won blinked.
‘Hmm, if Young Lady said it, there must be a reason.’
Jegal San let out a hollow chuckle at Mok Ri-won’s earnest contemplation.
Dang Hwa-seo snorted and warned Jegal San again.
“You sure meddle a lot in other people’s business. Why don’t you mind your own path?”
Dang Hwa-seo was emboldened now that Mok Ri-won had sided with her.
‘No one’s on my side here.’
Jegal San chuckled at the absurd situation and shrugged.
“Alright, I’ll head out then. Great Hero Mok, see you tomorrow.”
Jegal San cupped his fists in salute.
Mok Ri-won glanced cautiously at Dang Hwa-seo before returning the gesture.
No matter how much the man had tormented him, it was only proper to exchange greetings.
“See you tomor—”
“Just try seeing him.”
Mok Ri-won clamped his mouth shut.
Dang Hwa-seo glared murderously at Jegal San’s retreating back as he sauntered away.
*
Unfortunately for Mok Ri-won, Dang Hwa-seo didn’t forget to give him an earful.
As her soul-crushing lecture droned on, he thought to himself.
‘Th-this is mind control. It has to be mind control!’
It must be some vicious sorcery that shattered a person’s spirit.
How else could her every word pierce so deeply into his heart?
“Do you understand? Jegal San will definitely be a bad influence on you, Young Hero Mok! I don’t want you turning into a slick-talking weasel like him!”
Mok Ri-won’s fingertips twitched at her words.
‘Slick-talking weasel…’
He pictured Jegal San.
The man had a weasel-like face and a glib tongue, but somehow, the term “slick-talking weasel” didn’t fit him.
Mok Ri-won offered his honest opinion.
“Th-that’s… not quite right.”
“What?!”
“Jegal Young Master isn’t a slick-talking weasel…”
Dang Hwa-seo was dumbfounded.
She knew far more about him than Mok Ri-won ever could, yet here he was saying this, filling her with frustration.
In truth, it was more accurate to say her prejudice was clouding her judgment.
The one speaking more truthfully now was Mok Ri-won, who knew nothing about Jegal San and could thus see him purely.
“Jegal Young Master is a diligent man. The calluses on his hands, his gait… and the reactions he showed when using martial arts—those can’t come without consistent training.”
“He was probably forced into it. Do you think a wanderlust-loving guy like that would train properly after leaving home?”
“He did. Definitely.”
“…?”
“He trained this morning too. Right up until he met us. I could tell.”
Mok Ri-won was a martial arts genius.
He had a heightened sensitivity to the human body and martial techniques that far surpassed others.
That’s why he knew.
The breathing, muscle movements, and subtle tremors in Jegal San’s gait were proof of his desperate training even today.
“He’s got rotten tastes, sure, but I don’t think he’s a slick-talking weasel.”
Mok Ri-won finished with a proud smile.
He felt he’d expressed his view like a proper grown man, just as Jegal San had said.
Dang Hwa-seo gazed silently at Mok Ri-won, mulling over his words.
‘Come to think of it…’
Mok Ri-won hadn’t thought negatively of him despite hearing all his misdeeds.
No, even after being tormented, he seemed to hold some fondness for the man.
This from Mok Ri-won, who would fly into a rage at villains.
The only thing he’d truly disliked was Jegal San’s past proposal to a married woman.
Even that was purely on moral grounds.
‘Have I…’
Misjudged him?
Dang Hwa-seo pondered quickly.
One of her strengths was recognizing her own flaws from others’ words and advice.
“…You might be right that he’s not a slick-talking weasel.”
Dang Hwa-seo conceded promptly.
She could be wrong.
He might be diligent about training.
But.
“Still, he’ll definitely be a bad influence on you.”
“Hmm…?”
“I don’t want you turning into the kind of man who drools over every married woman he passes on the street.”
“Wh-what?! I’m no lecher!”
“You made that shady face when I said we’d share a room, and now you say that?”
Dang Hwa-seo glared, and Mok Ri-won ducked his head in shame.
“Th-that was easy to misunderstand…!”
“I’m sure it was.”
Mok Ri-won felt truly wronged.
Any man—even himself—would imagine things if a beauty like Dang Hwa-seo said she’d sleep in the same room.
He was certain even the eminent monks of Shaolin would clutch their hearts if she set her mind to seducing them.
The injustice burned in his chest.
Irritation welled up, along with the urge to prove his innocence.
Mok Ri-won didn’t hide his feelings.
“Y-Young Lady, it’s your fault for being too pretty!”
“Oh, really…? What?”
Dang Hwa-seo’s face went blank.
“It’s because you’re so beautiful that I thought that! I did nothing wrong! Anyone in the world would react the same way!”
What on earth was this man saying?
Dang Hwa-seo’s mind reeled, unable to process his sudden outburst.
“W-Wait, hold on…”
“It’s your fault, Young Lady! You said something that could be misunderstood!”
Thud-!
Mok Ri-won stepped forward.
Dang Hwa-seo backed away unsteadily, her eyes trembling as if from an earthquake.
‘Wh-what’s this…’
Unwanted thoughts flitted through her mind.
Was he throwing a tantrum to dodge her lecture?
‘No.’
Mok Ri-won wasn’t the type to read the room.
Which meant what he was saying now was…
‘H-He means it…’
Realization hit, and heat surged to the top of her head.
Her cheeks burned as if pressed to fire.
Yet Mok Ri-won kept approaching.
“Admit it! I did nothing wrong! It was your fault for not explaining first!”
“F-Fine, I get it. Stop…!”
“Don’t run away!”
Thud-!
Their toes bumped.
With the wall blocking her retreat, Dang Hwa-seo felt her mind go blank as Mok Ri-won’s face loomed right before her.
‘C-Crazy…!’
He was breathtakingly handsome—it was enough to make her gasp.
With his expression set firm, his usual dopey look faded, accentuating his striking features.
She’d heard he’d lived roughly in the mountains, but his skin was fair and flawless, untouched by the sun.
His long lashes cast faint shadows over his eyes, and the elegant line from his high nose bridge to his lips formed a seductively perfect curve.
Dang Hwa-seo’s vision spun.
Facing his face head-on—something she’d deliberately ignored until now—she couldn’t keep her wits.
No matter how she struggled, she was still a woman.
Helpless before a handsome man.
In her daze, Dang Hwa-seo made a truly foolish choice.
“G-Get away!”
Smack-!
“Guh…!”
Her flailing fist slammed squarely into Mok Ri-won’s solar plexus.
Mok Ri-won stared at her in disbelief, his face crumpling as if the world had ended.
‘Oh no…!’
Dang Hwa-seo realized her mistake too late and apologized to Mok Ri-won.
In exchange, Mok Ri-won earned permission to befriend Jegal San.
*
“So that’s how Mok Ri-won and I get to talk!”
“Huh…”
The inn from the day before.
Jegal San had come looking for Mok Ri-won while Dang Hwa-seo was away, letting out a hollow laugh.
Mok Ri-won seemed oblivious, but Jegal San gleaned one fact from his tale.
‘His face.’
His face was a weapon.
An absurdly powerful one.
Dang Hwa-seo, who hadn’t batted an eye at Namgung Jincheon in the past.
Jegal San had thought she wasn’t interested in men, but…
‘Even Brother Namgung wasn’t enough!’
He couldn’t fathom how high her standards were.
No, now he got it.
Only a man like the one before him could capture the Poison Phoenix’s heart.
‘My god.’
It was too intriguing.
Jegal San chuckled.
Mok Ri-won, clueless why, just laughed along happily.
“A-Anyway! The reason I brought it up is something else!”
“Hm?”
“Fortuitous encounter! What’s this fortuitous encounter you mentioned meeting?”
Mok Ri-won’s eyes brimmed with eager anticipation.
Jegal San shook his head with a grin at the sight.
“Just call me Brother Jegal. I’m twenty this year—easier that way, right?”
“Brother…!”
Mok Ri-won’s heart pounded.
“Does that mean… sworn brothers?”
To Mok Ri-won, sworn brotherhood meant traveling the jianghu together, sharing righteous deeds—like Mok Seon-o and Ma Il-seok.
The thrill of finally finding such a friend bubbled up, making Jegal San blink before bursting into laughter.
“Of course! Why not? From now on, I’ll call you Brother Mok!”
“Got it! I’ll call you Brother Jegal too!”
Mok Ri-won busily grabbed two cups and poured bamboo leaf liquor.
He handed one to Jegal San.
“To commemorate! Brother Jegal, drink up!”
“Good, good. But first…”
Jegal San grinned and slid next to Mok Ri-won.
Like the day before, he threw an arm around his shoulders and continued.
“Brother Mok. To celebrate our sworn brotherhood, there’s something we gotta do, right?”
“Hm? Something to do?”
“Heroic deeds.”
Thud-!
Mok Ri-won’s heart sank thrillingly.
Emotion swelled across his face.
“H-Heroic… deeds!”
“Yeah, heroic deeds.”
“Let’s go! We have to!”
Mok Ri-won shot to his feet.
Jegal San roared with laughter, slapping his shoulder.
“You bet! Let’s go!”
Arm slung over Mok Ri-won’s shoulders, he led him out of the inn.
“Where to?”
The question dripped with excitement.
Jegal San licked his lips and replied.
“A good place.”
Mok Ri-won didn’t know.
That this path led to the largest estate in the city, home to the “widow” Jegal San had mentioned the day before.
He didn’t know that the Freak Dragon Jegal San was a tenacious man who always got what he set out for.