Chapter 140
Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Jealousy and Fishing Tactics
"Ah! Gaga, over here!"
Moyong Hui spotted me and waved with a bright smile.
The murmurs from the surrounding crowd grew louder.
I felt my shoulders shrug involuntarily as I walked over to her.
"Hui-ah, what brings you all the way here?"
"What do you mean? I came to head back with you, Gaga."
She beamed at me as she said it.
The onlookers' whispers swelled even more.
"Head back together?"
"Are they already living together...?"
"Damn, the rumors were true."
"That newbie's done for."
I could even hear some curses aimed at me mixed in...
'Eh, this much is cute.'
Instead of backing down, I wrapped an arm around Moyong Hui's waist to provoke the haters.
"Then let's get going."
Moyong Hui leaned into me as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
But then, still pressed against me, she started glancing around.
"Hui-ah, what? Looking for someone?"
"Oh, just wondering where Red Phoenix sis is."
They were already on friendly terms, so it wasn't odd for her to look for Baek Iryeong. But something felt off.
Like she was talking as if Baek Iryeong would obviously be with me.
Sure enough, unable to spot her, Moyong Hui flashed a satisfied smile.
"Hm, looks like she left already. I was hoping to at least say hi since it's been a while. Oh well."
She didn't look disappointed at all.
I teased her mischievously on purpose.
"I was actually thinking of setting up a little drinking party soon. What do you say, Hui-ah?"
Instead of answering, she shot me a glare.
I burst out laughing and pulled her waist in tighter.
"What's wrong? You said you were bummed."
"Tch, forget it!"
She must have been really miffed, because she slapped my arm away hard and pulled out of my embrace.
Realizing she'd hit harder than intended, she hesitated for a moment, peeking at my reaction.
"..."
I just stood there silently, so she crept back over.
And took my arm first this time.
"Gaga, did I upset you?"
I considered teasing her more, but remembered we were still inside the Murim Alliance grounds.
Playful banter like this was best saved for when we were alone—doing it in public would just stir up rumors.
'Though that could have its own perks...'
Who knows.
Maybe some beauty who'd been eyeing me but holding back because of Moyong Hui would make a move.
But on the flip side, it might invite guys to approach Moyong Hui too.
Guys like that Sword Dragon or Spear Dragon punk, for instance.
I smiled reassuringly to avoid any misunderstanding and stroked her head with my free hand.
"Nah, why would I get upset with you, Hui-ah? Let's head out."
"Hehe."
She giggled happily at the affection, and I casually asked her something while pretending it was no big deal.
"By the way, Hui-ah. It was your first day back in a while—anything happen? Especially with that Namgung Chan jerk."
"Hmm, nothing much."
"Really?"
I gave her a skeptical look, and she pouted innocently.
"For real. He was the one avoiding eye contact first. We only talked once, and that was for work."
"...Huh."
He didn't seem like the type when I saw him last.
Pretty unexpected.
'No eye contact, though? How many times did I lock eyes with Baek Iryeong today?'
Too many to count.
Toward the end, I was staring outright.
"How was your day, Gaga? Your first day on the job."
"Me? Nothing much. First day, so I didn't do anything real. Just exchanged greetings."
Wangjeom did give that guy a beating, but wasn't that a kind of greeting?
A silent 'watch yourself around me' welcome.
"I see. So what about tomorrow?"
"Starting tomorrow, it'll be more hands-on..."
We chatted amiably like that as we left the Murim Alliance.
"You really won't meet her?"
"No. I've been too busy lately—no time for that."
"Hmm, you've changed a lot, Wyvern. Back in the day, you'd make time for Sword Phoenix even if you had to carve it out of thin air..."
At Paeng Deokjo's words, Jegal Wi unconsciously furrowed his brow for a split second.
Of course, he smoothed it back to calm in an instant.
"I really am busy. Can't you see this stack of documents?"
Jegal Wi pointed at the pile of papers that looked at least a foot thick.
Paeng Deokjo gave an awkward chuckle at the sight.
"Er, yeah, you do look swamped. Still, the old you would've squeezed in time to see Sword Phoenix somehow..."
Paeng Deokjo kept pressing his point.
Jegal Wi sighed inwardly.
'True enough.'
The old Jegal Wi had put Sword Phoenix above everything.
No, it was still the same.
'The reason I'm swamped is all because of Sword Phoenix anyway.'
Of course, external duties were piling up too.
The current state of the martial world was far from stable.
But who was Jegal Wi?
A genius from the brilliant Zhuge family, one of their top prodigies, who'd risen to provisional military strategist of the Murim Alliance at just twenty.
The Wyvern himself.
If it were just Alliance work, he could've handled it all within regular hours without breaking a sweat.
But now, on top of that, he had a mountain of self-imposed tasks.
'Plus, even if I saw Sword Phoenix now, it'd just hurt me more.'
Hadn't he heard the story from Namgung Chan just recently?
He had no hobby of wasting precious time to hurt himself.
"Speaking of, how's it going with Spear Phoenix, Spear Dragon? I heard rumors you're not as close lately..."
Finally, under Paeng Deokjo's relentless probing, Jegal Wi changed the subject.
He'd half-hoped to needle the guy who'd been annoying him...
"Oh, those rumors reached you already?"
Paeng Deokjo responded with a grin, brighter than expected.
Catching the off reaction, Jegal Wi eyed him suspiciously.
"Did you give up?"
Namgung Chan had backed off too—now Paeng Deokjo as well?
But why?
Unlike Moyong Hui, whose reputation had taken a hit from dating, Namgung Sua had no such issue.
And Paeng Deokjo wasn't the type to fuss over that anyway.
Paeng Deokjo gave a meaningful smile at the question.
"Wyvern, have you ever been fishing?"
"Fishing...?"
Jegal Wi tried to parse the sudden tangent.
But before he could, Paeng Deokjo launched into his explanation.
"If you yank the line too hard while fishing, it snaps. So sometimes you gotta give some slack. A step back for two steps forward, you know? Same with man-woman relations. Pull too constantly, and the line breaks for sure. So right now, I'm loosening it just a bit."
What nonsense is this?
Of course, Jegal Wi got the gist.
But...
'The fish hasn't even bitten the bait yet—why worry about the line snapping?'
As far as Jegal Wi could see, Paeng Deokjo needed better bait, not fishing technique.
He should've been closing in, scattering chum, upgrading his lure nonstop.
Yet here he was, fretting over the line—when the fish hadn't shown interest in years.
Oblivious to Jegal Wi's thoughts, Paeng Deokjo looked pleased with himself.
"If even you know about it, our Sua must be getting antsy by now. But reel in too soon, and she might bolt, so I'll give a little more slack."
Slack? Namgung Sua had already bolted far away.
Word was, her usual icy demeanor had brightened up lately.
Still, Jegal Wi kept that pragmatic truth to himself.
No point clashing head-on.
Instead, he gave Paeng Deokjo a half-hearted cheer.
"Then I wish you luck."
"Haha, thanks. Hope you sort your heart out soon too."
"...Appreciate it. I'm busy, so let's talk later."
"Guess I took too much of your busy time. I'll head out then. Keep up the good work."
Once Paeng Deokjo was gone, Jegal Wi shook his head.
Where did he pick up that drivel?
'Fishing theory, huh...'
Jegal Wi briefly applied it to himself and Sword Phoenix.
Then shook his head again.
'Same as Spear Dragon.'
No, worse.
Spear Phoenix hadn't bitten, but she was still in the water.
Sword Phoenix, though?
'She's already hooked and aboard the boat.'
What good was casting lines now?
There wasn't even a fish.
So what should Jegal Wi do?
The best play: Buy the fish from its current owner at a premium.
But slim chance.
'Anyone who knows her true value wouldn't sell.'
So only one option left.
Capsize Mok Jimyeong's boat and rescue Sword Phoenix.
Fishing could come later.
In the busy Jegal Wi's hand was a detailed report of Mok Jimyeong's actions in the White Tiger Unit that day.
'Three-Eyed Spear Juwangpil, huh... Guess I'll have to meet him.'
No personal ties, but an enemy's enemy could be an ally.
Jegal Wi rose to forge a new one.