By Zephyria Do you like me? (5)
“Just now…… were you deceiving me?”
To that dumbfounded question, Seong Mu-yeon nonchalantly replied, tidying his disheveled clothes.
“Don’t look at it that way. You should be thankful. Thanks to me, you weren’t kicked out, and you didn’t get punished!”
“You…… you……”
“Young master!”
The big and small people alike had their mouths wide open, and even though their appearances were hardly similar, they looked alike.
“What? What is it! Are you so desperate to be locked up in the Repentance Cave again? Now that I see it, you do like it. Are you a pervert?”
“……Ha.”
Baek Ryeo-il let out a hollow laugh.
“You have no idea how much I……!”
Baek Ryeo-il’s mouth clamped shut as if glued together.
He was shocked.
‘Worried’?
Why would I be worried?
What does it matter to me whether that bastard is sick or not?
“Why are you stopping mid-sentence? How much what?”
Seong Mu-yeon’s expression as he pressed the question was so innocent that it only made him angrier.
“Young master…… please don’t do that again. I was surprised.”
Gang Woong teared up, and Seong Mu-yeon felt slightly apologetic.
“I’m sorry. The situation was so urgent that I couldn’t help it. Master Gang, I have a favor to ask. Could you possibly go to the cafeteria and get some lunch? What if Master goes back and the cafeteria collapses? I’d appreciate it.”
“Yes! Don’t worry! I’ll be right back!”
Gang Woong knew very well that his master was a tightly wound time bomb, so he dashed out without complaint.
“Ha! Seriously. Hah…….”
Baek Ryeo-il swept back his hair, making sounds as if he was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn’t decide whether to get angry or offer thanks.
In the midst of it all, he suddenly turned his head towards a corner of the room. His gaze landed on the wardrobe in Seong Mu-yeon’s room.
“…….”
Baek Ryeo-il strode over and flung open the wardrobe door. Unexpectedly, Seomun Yuha was crouched inside, awkwardly smiling and waving his hand.
“Haha…… hahahaha…… Hello?”
“Young Master Seomun! What are you doing there!”
Seong Mu-yeon was aghast.
He had completely forgotten about his existence since he left for the external mission, and to think they would meet again so dramatically…… was bull! This is stalking!
“What are you doing, hiding in someone else’s room as soon as you get back! Come out now!”
Baek Ryeo-il, already in a foul mood, unreservedly revealed his displeasure to the uninvited guest.
“I’ve been too lenient with you. Do you think this is the Seomun Clan? This is Mount Hua, and it’s not a place where a guy like you can do as you please.”
Baek Ryeo-il muttered ominously.
Seomun Yuha flinched as if momentarily frightened, but then shouted back.
“I didn’t come to see Master! I came to see Young master Seong Mu-yeon!”
“Whether you did or not, this is my house, and Seong Mu-yeon is a guest living in my house. I am the owner. I didn’t invite you, so get out now.”
Seomun Yuha didn’t seem to have any rebuttal, so he simply raised his rebellious face and clamped his mouth shut.
Seong Mu-yeon had an ominous feeling that this immature Young master might say something unnecessary. Can’t we just live quietly…?
Not wanting any more noise, he led Seomun Yuha out.
“Okay, Young Master Seomun. Let’s go. Let’s go!”
But Seomun Yuha stubbornly shook off his hand and shouted confidently at Baek Ryeo-il.
“I will cure Young master Seong Mu-yeon’s illness. I am a Flowering Bone, after all. That’s why I came!”
Seong Mu-yeon rubbed his forehead.
He finally did it.
“……What?”
Baek Ryeo-il froze as if struck by lightning.
“Master knew too, didn’t he? About the illness Young master Seong Mu-yeon is suffering from. I can cure it! This is a matter between me and Young master, and it’s none of Master’s business. So, would you please step aside?”
Baek Ryeo-il stood stiffly, his eyes wide open without even breathing. His pupils flickered, scanning the two of them. Seong Mu-yeon, who was ill, and a Flowering Bone…… The words ‘cure the illness’ couldn’t mean cutting off his flesh to feed him.
It didn’t take long for Baek Ryeo-il to realize the meaning of those words.
“……So, you’re saying you’re going to do the Art of the Bedchamber with Seong Mu-yeon?”
“Why, is there a problem with that?”
Seomun Yuha, unaware of what he had done, arrogantly raised his chin. Baek Ryeo-il let out a hollow laugh as if dumbfounded.
“Why would Seong Mu-yeon be crazy enough to do that with you?”
“There’s no reason why he can’t. He’ll die if he doesn’t cure the illness, so he has to try something, right? Isn’t that right, Young master Seong Mu-yeon?”
Seomun Yuha asked, looking at Seong Mu-yeon. Naturally, Baek Ryeo-il’s fierce gaze followed and landed on him. He gritted his teeth and asked, emphasizing each word.
“Tell me, Seong Mu-yeon. Are you sick anywhere?”
Seong Mu-yeon put on the most innocent expression he could muster and shook his head.
“Noooo? I’m not. I’m perfectly fine. I don’t know why Young Master Seomun is acting like this either. I clearly refused him, I thought. Haha…….”
If he showed even the slightest sign of his condition worsening here, he felt like he would suffer a miserable fate.
At those words, Baek Ryeo-il twisted up the corners of his lips.
“See? He doesn’t need it. I’ve already prepared a way without having to do that with you. So…….”
“No, but why is Master Baek acting like he’s anything to Young master Seong Mu-yeon? Why is Master making such a fuss?”
“What?”
“That’s how it is. I was talking to Young master Seong Mu-yeon, but why is Master acting like his spokesperson? Is Master his lover or something? Why are you doing this?”
“Th, that’s…….”
Baek Ryeo-il clamped his mouth shut as if he had lost his words.
A moment of silence passed.
And the next moment.
“Who are you to tell me what to do! Anyway, get out of my house right now!”
Baek Ryeo-il lifted Seomun Yuha and threw him over the fence. He didn’t forget to give a fierce warning before closing the door.
“Just try loitering around here one more time. It won’t be fun!”
Bang-!
The door slammed shut.
Baek Ryeo-il stood there with his back turned, panting for a long time.
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air. He didn’t know what kind of expression he was making beyond those stiff shoulders, but the longer the silence stretched, the more suffocated he felt.
“…….”
Seong Mu-yeon squeezed his eyes shut.
Why do I have to feel guilty like someone who cheated on his wife? He was overwhelmed with a sense of injustice, as if the world was forcibly pushing him down.
Afraid of the aftermath, Seong Mu-yeon opened his mouth to try and make excuses.
“Um…….”
“That bastard dares to lay his hands on what belongs to me……?”
He doubted his ears at that ominous muttering. It was absurd.
“Hey. Master Baek. Don’t just use possessive pronouns on people like that. I am a person with my own dignity.”
But Baek Ryeo-il didn’t even pretend to listen and muttered.
“Isn’t he completely crazy? I should have stopped that bastard from setting foot in Mount Hua in the first place…… What was that he said?”
At this point, even Seong Mu-yeon tilted his head in confusion. He had expected Baek Ryeo-il, who had a strong sense of possessiveness and competitiveness, to go wild, but the reaction was more extreme than he had thought.
Even though he thought it couldn’t be, Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t help but ask him.
“I’m curious too, so let me ask. Master, do you perhaps like me?”
Baek Ryeo-il turned his head like a flash of lightning. His eyes flashed fiercely.
“What? Are you crazy? Me? Like you? Ha! I’ve never heard such nonsense in my life!”
Baek Ryeo-il shouted and jumped up and down. Seong Mu-yeon smiled in relief.
“That’s what I thought! Whew, I was worried for nothing. Where would the great Heartless Sword Baek Ryeo-il ever be that kind of person? You must keep that heart unchanged and keep going forward.”
“Y, yeah! Of course!”
Seong Mu-yeon, feeling relieved, began to clear the table for the meal.
“By the way, I’m thinking of going to see Yak Seon again soon, so you’ll help me, right? You have to help me. If Master and Il-gwang hadn’t messed things up, I would have gone alone, but since you have sins to atone for, it can’t be helped.”
“……That’s not difficult.”
“Gang Woong should be back soon. I wonder if that side is okay. I’m sure Master Wang has taken care of it.”
Baek Ryeo-il became abruptly silent, but Seong Mu-yeon didn’t notice.
“…….”
An indescribable complex emotion floated across Baek Ryeo-il’s face as he stared intently at Seong Mu-yeon’s back as he busily moved around.
‘What is this…… feeling?’