Chapter 2
My first encounter with Namgung Yeon-hee was terrible.
“I have an urgent matter, so please let me in.”
“Unless you show your token, I absolutely cannot allow entry!”
“Are you saying you don’t know who I am?”
The most important trait for a gatekeeper is flexibility.
Checking the tokens should be done based on who you’re dealing with.
A clueless rookie was blocking Namgung Yeon-hee’s way.
“What’s going on here, Lady Namgung?”
“Is this how the East Gate trains its gatekeepers these days?”
The chill was palpable from her very first words.
A low, cool voice.
Hmm, this is bad.
“It seems the rookie has made a mistake. I will ensure that this doesn’t happen again. Please, go right in.”
“Are you trying to brush this off so easily? I was held up here for over a quarter of an hour.”
It would be best to let this slide as “what’s done is done,” but Namgung Yeon-hee had no intention of doing so.
Why make a fuss over this?
“Wiuong, is it true?”
“Senior, she didn’t have a token, so…”
“Kid, you’ve been working here for how many months, and you still don’t know that?!”
I smacked the rookie on the back of his head and yelled at him.
“Lady Namgung Yeon-hee wishes to pass! Shouldn’t you be bowing down and clearing the way for her…? Get out of my sight!”
“What do you think you’re doing?”
As I waved my hand to shoo the rookie away, Namgung Yeon-hee raised her voice.
“Since you mentioned the training seems inadequate, I was just educating this rookie. Is there a problem?”
“Educating? Is that what you call it?”
She sure seemed perceptive.
Namgung Yeon-hee demanded answers with an overbearing attitude.
“Are you protesting against me right now?”
“Oh, how could a mere gatekeeper dare to do that?”
Naive Girl.
The type of person I despise the most.
Every word she spoke was laced with disdain for those beneath her.
People who flaunt their status and act arrogant—these were the people I hated the most.
“I’ll be sure to inform my father about this incident in great detail. I’ll tell him that discipline at the East Gate has completely crumbled.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful. Please do so.”
Namgung Hyuk’s fierce face flashed in my mind.
I remembered the time he struck Jegal Sang with a fierce kick.
Terrifying.
But there was nothing I could do.
The rookie had a sick mother to support, so I had to take the blame.
It didn’t matter for me—I could leave anytime.
I took one step closer to Namgung Yeon-hee and said:
“What did you say?”
“It’s been a long time since I thought to myself, ‘What the hell is this circus where people without tokens come and go freely?’ Perhaps it’s time to reassess if this regulation even makes sense, don’t you think?”
I closed the distance between us until I could almost feel her breath.
I looked straight into Namgung Yeon-hee’s eyes.
Her beautiful face turned bright red.
Yes, she must be furious.
A mere gatekeeper daring to confront the daughter of the Lord of the Murim Alliance.
“Hmph! Do you think I don’t know the rules? I’ll make sure someone is held accountable for this incident!”
With her face flushed redder than the evening sunset, she bowed her head and ran beyond the gate.
Gone was the fiery attitude that seemed like it could pierce through me at any moment.
Her reaction was… strange.
‘What’s going on?’
Now that I think about it, that might have been the first misstep.
***
Surprisingly, there was no punishment.
I thought I would finally return to Master, but it turned out that Namgung Yeon-hee hadn’t reported me to the Lord of the Alliance.
After all, we were mere gatekeepers.
For her, dealing with us was easier than twisting a chicken’s neck.
It was an inexplicable matter.
“Do you have nothing to say to me?”
So, a week later.
When Namgung Yeon-hee returned to the East Gate, I thought to myself, “Ah, the inevitable has come.”
Her tightly closed lips.
She started the conversation, but she avoided eye contact as if she didn’t want to continue.
“Well, thank you for not reporting the matter to the Lord.”
“Did you think I was that petty of a person?”
“Of course not. It’s thanks to your generosity, Lady, as broad as the sea, that I am still here.”
I cracked a joke and smiled brightly.
I was a little impressed that she hadn’t ratted me out.
“Do you think I’m going to be swayed by that kind of smile…?”
She muttered something, but her voice was so soft and quiet that I couldn’t quite hear it.
“Did you say something, Lady?”
“It’s nothing!”
She took a deep breath as if calming her anger, and her face turned red.
“Lady, do you have anything to say to me?”
From the looks of it, Namgung Yeon-hee seemed to have come here to reconcile, but she was speaking in a very roundabout way.
As I looked at her quietly, she seemed unable to bear it and spoke up.
“Well, yes. There are regulations. It’s just that I had an urgent matter that day… I guess I lost my temper in my haste.”
“I understand.”
There was no apology, but that was okay.
For such a proud young lady, this was already a considerable effort.
“Don’t you have an apology for me?”
“An apology?”
Now, that’s a different matter.
I didn’t do anything wrong.
I was simply following the rules.
“Lady, don’t you think both of us were at fault that day?”
“So what?”
“How about we resolve this the martial arts way?”
Fortunately, there was a convenient method in the martial world for settling disputes.
“Let’s decide through a duel.”
“Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
“Well, I won’t get beaten easily.”
“Fine.”
She looked confident.
Understandable, given that her master was the number one in the world.
Clang!
“I have learned my lesson.”
“…”
“Lady?”
“I… lost.”
As she let go of her sword, Namgung Yeon-hee reluctantly admitted defeat.
Two moves were all it took to subdue her.
The Namgung Family’s swordsmanship was certainly impressive, but she was sorely lacking in experience.
“I apologize for violating the strict rules of the Alliance. It won’t happen again.”
“No, Lady. There’s no need to lower your head…”
For the daughter of the Lord of the Murim Alliance to bow her head to a mere gatekeeper—if the Lord heard of this, she’d be in serious trouble.
“Name.”
“Pardon?”
“What’s your name?”
“I am Lee Se-woong.”
“Lee Se-woong…”
She repeated my name several times and then said:
“I won’t lose next time.”
Next time?
That ominous feeling resonated through my entire being.
***
Sometimes in life, you just know.
That a bad premonition will never be wrong.
From that day on, Namgung Yeon-hee started coming to see me every day.
Was it because she wanted to wash away the sense of defeat?
“I lost.”
The result was always the same.
My victory.
Even though she kept losing every time, she never gave up.
“Hey.”
“Hey?”
“I’m older than you. Let’s speak casually.”
I thought that maybe if I treated her roughly, she would stop coming.
To a sophisticated lady like her, it would have been an insult.
But—
“Alright. Oppa.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t this what you wanted?”
It ended up becoming an excuse to get closer instead.
Contrary to my intentions, she began seeking me out even more frequently.
Of course, I still never lost.
She was overly emotional.
Whenever our swords clashed, her face would flush bright red, indicating that she struggled to suppress her emotions.
Because of that, she could never win against my calm and composed style.
“Next time, I’ll definitely win!”
“Yeah, I’ll be looking forward to it~.”
“Ugh…”
Namgung Yeon-hee trembled with frustration.
It was amusing to tease her.
“My second brother is struggling with his appetite these days.”
“Is that so?”
“Lately, he’s taken up embroidery as a hobby.”
“Really?”
“Are you even listening?!”
Now that our daily routine consisted of sparring, we naturally started having various conversations.
Gradually, I realized that I had misunderstood her.
Namgung Yeon-hee wasn’t just some spoiled young lady.
That incident was an accident caused by a series of overlapping circumstances.
She was deeper than I initially thought.
She just wasn’t good at expressing herself.
“Oppa, do you enjoy drinking?”
“Of course. Nothing beats a glass of Baekgeon-ah with some noodles.”
“Just because it’s cheap doesn’t mean it’s lacking in taste.”
“You know a thing or two, huh?”
We even shared similar hobbies.
She, like me, enjoyed drinking.
A person who could appreciate the beauty of a drink.
Nothing brings people closer than shared hobbies.
We were already seeing each other every day.
I could feel the distance between us shrinking.
‘Does she like me?’
At first, I scolded myself for such a ridiculous thought.
But I’m not oblivious.
There was a faint warmth in her eyes when she spoke playfully.
Before I knew it, she seemed to enjoy spending time with me more than actually trying to win.
‘I don’t understand this.’
She was the woman called the Unrivaled Beauty of the World.
I treated her like a little sister, but when she smiled at me, it sometimes made my head spin.
The elegant fragrance she exuded when she came close, her body shaped like a porcelain vase.
As a man, it was only natural to be drawn to her.
‘No way. It’s impossible.’
It was true that I felt a stir in my heart, but it was a wild dream.
A gatekeeper daring to pursue the Lord of the Alliance’s daughter?
Even if the Murim Lord cut off my head, I’d have no excuse.
I thought I should start keeping some distance from her, but I only pondered it without taking action.
“Do you have any plans for tonight?”
“Why?”
“I wanted to treat you to the plum wine I mentioned earlier.”
“Well…”
“Are you afraid you’ll get drunk before me? Isn’t that unmanly?”
There’s one thing I can never tolerate—an insult to my drinking prowess.
***
“Are you still doing alright?”
“I’m fine. You should worry about yourself.”
“Have another drink.”
Namgung Yeon-hee persistently offered me more alcohol.
Good liquor, delicious food, and a beautiful woman whose charm couldn’t be hidden even behind her veil.
It was a combination impossible to resist.
That’s the last thing I remember.
And now—
Namgung Yeon-hee’s scream made me face reality.
“Kyaaa!”
“Wait, Yeon-hee, calm down.”
“What did you do to me?!”
She flailed at my shoulders, hitting me with her fists.
With her figure swaying so wildly before me, I felt like I was losing my mind.
Sensing my gaze, Namgung Yeon-hee shouted.
“Pervert! Lustful beast! Animal!”
“I know what you’re thinking, but it’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!”
“Misunderstanding, my foot!”
Her shrieks only stopped when I pulled the blanket over her.
“What do you remember from last night?”
“Nothing at all!”
“Really?”
“If I remembered anything, would I still be here?!”
Namgung Yeon-hee shrank back like a frightened animal.
“Yeon-hee, we were both so drunk that neither of us can remember, so maybe nothing happened. Shouldn’t we just chalk this up as an accident and—”
“Ugh…”
As soon as she heard my words, Namgung Yeon-hee hung her head low and began to sob.
But I was just as confused.
That I’d taken advantage of Namgung Yeon-hee?
No matter how drunk I was, would that really have happened?
“I thought you were a good person, but you just used me as a toy for the night…”
Treating me like trash, huh?
Well, I admit what I said was a bit questionable…
“Yeon-hee.”
“I’m ruined now. How can a maiden show her bare body to an outsider…?”
“Agh, I said I’ll take responsibility for it!”
“Really?”
As if all her crying had been an act, she abruptly lifted her head.
“I, Lee Se-woong, even if I don’t remember what happened, am not the kind of man to avoid responsibility. So stop crying already.”
“Are you serious?”
“I said I’d take responsibility.”
For a moment, I thought I saw a gleam in Namgung Yeon-hee’s eyes.
“If that’s the case, then once the sun rises, we should go see my father and arrange the engagement ceremony…”
Wait, no.
Can’t you give me a little more time to think?
The fierce face of Namgung Hyuk flashed through my mind.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
-> MAKE ACCOUNT AND GET [50] COINS FREE!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Comment