Chapter 48
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Jegal Yeong was utterly flustered.
Because of the books cradled in her arms.
‘Why did I have to run into him at a time like this…?’
Exploring the novels scattered across the marketplace was one of Jegal Yeong’s small hobbies.
The paper’s quality was barely worthy of being called books, and the content was often crude and unsophisticated.
However, once in a while, there would be masterpieces buried among them, and Jegal Yeong roamed the marketplace as if searching for treasures.
The raw and unfiltered nature of the novels sold at the market also added to the appeal.
The book she discovered today, Chronicles of the Heavenly Martial Arts Hall Conquest, was a hidden gem.
It told the story of a Heavenly Martial Arts Hall where only the talented children of righteous sects were gathered.
The protagonist barely made it into the school due to his meager abilities.
He then began collecting the weaknesses of women and trapping them one by one…
Its bold strokes and the protagonist’s ambition evident from the very beginning captivated her.
‘This is the one for tonight!’
Excited, she was on her way home when she unexpectedly ran into Lee Se-woong.
“I thought you were going to rest at home?”
“I met up with a friend after a long time. And you, senior, you came here to buy novels again? Don’t you ever get tired of them?”
“Wh-what are you talking about? These are all military strategy books!”
‘I should’ve hidden the covers.’
Jegal Yeong hurriedly clutched the books to her chest.
‘Why did I have to run into him now of all times?!’
She had dressed as plainly as possible, even wearing glasses.
But he still recognized her. Was it because he was that observant?
Among the countless people walking by, he managed to find me?
Should I feel happy about this or be upset that it had to happen now?
Jegal Yeong was torn.
“Are novels really that fun?”
“They’re not novels, I said!”
“You read them so much, I’m getting curious too. Is there any you can recommend?”
Jegal Yeong’s reason screamed.
‘Now is the time to retreat!’
Her emotions whispered.
‘Stay just a little longer.’
‘Why does even his slightly drunken face have to be so handsome!’
It was a side of him she hadn’t seen before.
His face was slightly flushed, possibly because he didn’t bother suppressing the effects of alcohol.
Was it because he’d been meeting a friend?
There wasn’t a hint of wariness in his relaxed smile.
The carefree and slightly loose expression kept drawing her attention no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.
‘What’s this now?’
Feigning disinterest, Jegal Yeong stole glances at Lee Se-woong.
Watching her, Park Il-do sensed an unusual atmosphere.
He didn’t usually rely on intuition.
The thing the Beggars’ Sect should avoid most was acting purely on gut feelings.
Decisions should always be made based on collected information.
Meticulously.
That was the only way to avoid leaps in logic.
But sometimes, there were moments when you had to trust the subtle, nagging sensations and follow where they led.
Like right now!
‘This young lady likes Se-woong!’
Her suspicious demeanor was practically radiating from her.
The books she held so dearly…
He didn’t know what they were, but it was obvious she wanted to hide them.
If that’s the case, the best course of action would be to leave her alone!
But what about her?
A few casual remarks from Lee Se-woong, and she instantly let her guard down, listening attentively to his words.
Even if she tried not to show it, her gaze was so sweet it seemed like honey could drip from it.
‘Let’s probe her a little.’
“Good day, young lady. I’m Park Il-do, a friend of Lee Se-woong.”
“Oh, hello.”
“Seeing you standing there like this makes me uncomfortable. Would you mind joining us?”
“What? Oh… um… I actually have urgent business to attend to.”
‘Was I too forward?’
Only then did Jegal Yeong seem to snap back to reality, her hazy gaze regaining clarity.
For a moment, she almost accepted Il-do’s invitation without thinking.
“I-I should get going. Don’t drink too much!”
“Yes, senior. Take care~”
“Have a safe trip!”
As Jegal Yeong scurried away, Il-do clicked his tongue.
‘If she had stayed just a bit longer, I could’ve been certain.’
“Who is she?”
“Jegal Yeong. She’s my senior in the White Sun Squad.”
“Senior?”
“Yeah. She trained me during my apprenticeship and still works with me on missions.”
Lee Se-woong answered casually.
“So she’s just a colleague?”
“Exactly.”
“She seems to like you.”
“Are you drunk already? What nonsense are you spouting?”
Lee Se-woong didn’t even flinch.
Watching him, Il-do felt a pang of pity for her.
“You really haven’t changed.”
“What?”
“Asking for novel recommendations—don’t you know how that might come off? It could seem flirtatious to the other person.”
“How would it?!”
Il-do felt a wave of exasperation rise.
The problem with Lee Se-woong, Il-do realized, was his unawareness.
He genuinely believed he was just making casual conversation.
He had no idea the impact his actions had on others.
This unintentional obliviousness was exactly how Gye-hui fell for him.
Ah, the sorrow of first love.
Il-do drowned his melancholy in a bowl of takju.
“Hey there, junior-junior!”
Just as Il-do was about to give Lee Se-woong a piece of his mind, a lively voice rang out, strangely out of place in the rowdy drinking crowd.
“senior Hwang Bo Se-yul.”
“Hey, don’t be so stiff! Just call me senior-senior!”
“Um, I’d rather not… Senior, what brings you here?”
“I was tracking you, of course!”
“Tracking me?”
“Yeah! You said you’d go straight home, but here you are heading to the marketplace? Suspicious! Aren’t you curious about what you were hiding so much that you had to lie?”
“Not really.”
“So cold! Have you been influenced by our junior as well?”
Looking disheartened, she slumped her shoulders dramatically.
How should I put it…
She was incredibly endearing.
She pouted and playfully patted Lee Se-woong’s shoulder with her arms.
Lee Se-woong, familiar with her antics, let her be without much reaction.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Okay.”
“Wish me luck finding the junior!”
“I’ll think about it.”
Once she left, only two people with awkward expressions remained in her absence.
“Is she just another workplace superior?”
“Yeah. She’s been around even longer than the person you saw earlier.”
“Are all workplace seniors these days like this?”
“Like what?”
“The discipline of the White Sun Squad has truly hit rock bottom…”
While I was rolling around with shady men, this guy was frolicking in a flower field.
The heavy frustration in Il-do’s chest overwhelmed any joy at the reunion.
“Hey, come sit here for a second.”
“I’m already sitting, what nonsense are you spouting?”
For the sake of maintaining the moral code of the martial world, it couldn’t be tolerated.
* * *
“You also charmed the Moyong family’s daughter, didn’t you?”
“Charmed? What kind of wording is that?”
“So at least you captured her heart.”
“How do you even know about that?”
“The Moyong family put together a search party. There’s no way the Beggars’ Sect wouldn’t hear about it.”
Il-do made a rather serious face.
Usually, whenever he got like this, it was followed by an onslaught of nagging.
“Do you have multiple lives?”
“What?”
“Namgung Yeon-hee, Moyong Hye, and from what I saw today, two more. That’s already four. Are you planning to extend your claws even to your master?”
He muttered under his breath, just loud enough to hear.
“Your surroundings are full of women.”
“I’m actually worried about that.”
I told Il-do about Master Samahyeong’s words, summarizing them as best as I could.
The prophecy about being fated to attract women and the advice not to resist it.
“Jealous. I’m so jealous!”
“What’s there to be jealous of?”
“If I were you, I’d have settled down ages ago.”
“Living according to a fixed fate, isn’t that unpleasant?”
I muttered under my breath.
Fate.
Wasn’t that the word we hated the most?
“Fate, huh.”
“…”
“It reminds me of the days when we wandered through the back alleys together.”
Il-do’s face softened with nostalgia.
Drunkenness brought out old memories.
“Remember? The day Gyehui’s father passed away.”
How could I forget?
Caught in the conflict between sects, the villagers were killed.
Even those who had fed us despite scolding us until just the day before were gone.
There was nothing we could do.
“The world’s a mess. Are we destined to be tossed around like stones our whole lives?”
I still remember Il-do asking me that with a twisted expression.
“If that’s what fate is, we need to smash it.”
“Do you think we can?”
“It’s not about whether we can or not. It’s about whether we must.”
We couldn’t even build burial mounds and had to cremate the bodies.
The dampness running down our cheeks must have been because of the smoke.
It was an old memory.
“We’ve tried to live that way and have lived that way, so it’s inevitable that fate bothers us now.”
“Ha…”
“But, my brother. Didn’t we resolve that day? No matter what, let’s live as our hearts dictate.”
“So what’s the conclusion?”
“Do whatever you feel like.”
Yeah.
That’s the kind of person Park Il-do was.
A free-spirited soul who decided to live as the wind carried him.
That’s probably why he stayed with the Beggars’ Sect.
“What kind of conclusion is that?”
“If you like the women who approach, embrace them. If not, let them go. Simple, right?”
“That’s so like you.”
Looking at Il-do cracking jokes, I felt relieved.
The weight pressing on my chest seemed to disappear along with the intoxication swirling in my body.
It felt refreshing.
“And that prophecy? Is it worth worrying about?”
“It’s hard to completely ignore it since it seems to be accurate in some ways.”
“Ha! This guy doesn’t even look in the mirror.”
“…?”
“Fate, my foot. If women didn’t flock to this face, that’d be defying heaven itself. Even the stray dogs in the neighbourhood could guess as much.”
Il-do grumbled as he poured himself another cup of rice wine.
“Just consider it as nonsense from a fortune-teller.”
“That would certainly be comforting.”
“Isn’t that what all prophecies are? If it doesn’t fit your ear, just hook it to your nose.”
The fog clouding my vision felt like it had lifted a little.
“Even if something goes wrong, your big brother is behind you, so don’t worry.”
“Big brother? Stop with the bluffing. Why don’t you take over the Beggars’ Sect first?”
“Maybe sooner than you think?”
“Talking nonsense means you’re feeling fine. Just drink.”
“One more bowl, and I’ll still be fine.”
With humble snacks and a warm bowl of rice wine, we toasted.
The sound of passersby’s footsteps became our background music, and sharing drinks with my brother meant we needed no extravagant feast.
“If I were you, I’d have already settled down multiple times.”
“But you haven’t, have you?”
“You little brat.”
It was a good night.
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