By Zephyria 
“……”
Why is it turning out like this again?
He swore he had hidden his scent well, but what was this about the ‘scent of an old flame’?!
A smile hung on Seo Moon-gwang’s face as he gazed longingly at Ak Mujin, but it couldn’t be seen as a pure ‘smile.’ Ak Mujin clearly felt the sorrow Seo Moon-gwang carried within it.
But, alas, he felt no sympathy whatsoever!
Facing Seo Moon-gwang, he was once again reminded of the night he had tried to force himself on him, and he shuddered involuntarily. Ak Mujin tried to straighten his body and shook his head.
“I am merely one of the servants in the Sound chamber. Not someone Master Gokju would bother to…”
“Won’t you at least tell me your name?”
Seo Moon-gwang’s voice was so earnest as he said that. Ak Mujin thought that it would be difficult to send him away like this, so he finally replied in a small voice.
“…Cho-jin.”
“Cho-jin… A good name.”
Seo Moon-gwang smiled brightly. Ak Mujin felt a faint smell of alcohol from him, so he thought he must have been drinking for quite a while. When he had met him before, he seemed to have a fragrance instead of this smell of alcohol. An ominous premonition flashed through his mind, but that was all. He just wanted to get him out of here as soon as possible.
*
It seemed better to abandon this ridiculous plan and go into hiding. It certainly did.
Since his visit to the Drunken Dream Pavilion, Seo Moon-gwang came to see ‘Cho-jin’ almost every day instead of Mae-yeong or the musician. He used the excuse of appreciating the music and requested that Cho-jin always be the one to attend him. From Bong-myeong’s perspective, he was entertaining an important guest of Hyeon-ryeong, so he couldn’t refuse every time.
Ak Mujin could only say that he had dug his own grave again. No, it was just one encounter, so why was he clinging to him so persistently? Moreover, he was wearing a human skin mask, so his face was very ugly. There was no reason for Seo Moon-gwang, who cared about beauty, to be interested in ‘Cho-jin.’
Did Seo Moon-gwang know his true identity? Otherwise, it was unlikely that he would be so coincidentally smitten with Ak Mujin, especially Ak Mujin in disguise, and keep coming to the Sound chamber so frequently without returning to Illusion Valley.
After hearing the news that Seo Moon-gwang had come again, Ak Mujin lingered in Mae-yeong’s room for a long time, reluctant to leave. Mae-yeong, whether he knew his feelings or not, wiped his zither with an indifferent face and said,
“It might not be a bad idea to get on Seo Moon-gwang’s good side this time.”
“Yes?”
He stared at Mae-yeong with wide eyes, as if he had heard something he shouldn’t have.
“Well, he’s a rare pervert, but he has a lot of wealth. If he takes a liking to you, you won’t have to work in a place like this anymore.”
Mae-yeong said in a still indifferent voice.
It wasn’t because he didn’t have money that he was working here. No, in the first place, Ak Mujin hadn’t come here to work. He had a headache. Now that even the plan he hadn’t given up on until the end had fallen apart, he wanted to send Mae-yeong away, but Seo Moon-gwang kept chasing after him, so he couldn’t bring himself to let go of this talented man. Although he had regained some of his Inner Force, he didn’t think he could defeat Seo Moon-gwang with his own hands.
“He’s a highly skilled Martial Arts expert, so it will be difficult to use force. So, it’s better to give up on the idea of using people to chase him away.”
Ak Mujin, who had been sighing, then thought of asking Mae-yeong about their relationship and cautiously asked.
“…I heard that the two of you were close friends….”
“We used to be, but it’s been a long time since we drifted apart.”
Mae-yeong, interrupting Ak Mujin’s words, plucked a string with his long, slender fingers. A clear and bright sound filled the room.
“He doesn’t care about friendship when it comes to Yin person he likes. He’s crazy. I was tormented by him for a while, but… for some reason, after he took in a disciple, he stopped chasing me. Anyway, if he doesn’t particularly like you, it’s best to be careful. Well, it seems like you’ve already passed the stage of being careful….”
What did this mean? The disciple must be referring to Jin Geum-ryeon. It seemed that Seo Moon-gwang had been chasing Mae-yeong until he took in Jin Geum-ryeon, but he had no idea why Seo Moon-gwang had suddenly gone crazy. Just as Ak Mujin was about to ask something more, he heard footsteps outside the room, and soon Bong-myeong’s voice was heard from outside the door.
“Ak… no. Master Cho. Are you there?”
Bong-myeong had been searching for Ak Mujin for a long time and had finally come to Mae-yeong’s bedchamber. Mae-yeong and Ak Mujin only looked at each other and didn’t answer readily, so Bong-myeong, unable to wait for an answer, opened the door first. Finally finding the person he was looking for, he sighed and leaned against the doorframe.
“The guest has come again, so please go out.”
“Haa….”
“It’s your own fault. I told you not to step forward like that….”
“I know. I know.”
As Ak Mujin reluctantly got up, he heard Mae-yeong’s soft laughter.
“Think carefully about what will be good for you.”
That nonchalant voice scratched at Ak Mujin’s insides. With the situation like this, it felt like he, not Mae-yeong, was trapped in the House of courtesans. He wasn’t selling his music or body, but he was still receiving guests.
Ak Mujin left Mae-yeong’s chamber and spent some time on the floor, his head still complicated, before reluctantly heading to the inner room that Bong-myeong had pointed out. As expected, Seo Moon-gwang was sitting at the head of the table, listening to the musician’s music and sipping his wine. Ak Mujin felt as if his hair was standing on end for no reason and entered the room politely.
Seo Moon-gwang, who found him, smiled at him face to face. One of his hands was gripping the wine glass tightly, as if he was anxious.
*
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had returned to the Sandow Union not long ago, heard a rather strange rumor. There was a musician in Anhui who was famous for his outstanding beauty and skill, and that he was a Yin Person named Mae-yeong.
Normally, he would have dismissed it as just another coincidence, but he couldn’t help but think it was somewhat coincidental, as he suddenly remembered receiving that absurd Messenger hawk.
When he first received the Messenger hawk, he thought it was just an elaborate prank and threw it into a drawer, forgetting about it until now. Due to the pain of his recent heartbreak, he had no time to pay attention to a prank whose perpetrator he didn’t even know.
But was it really true that his master was playing the zither in a Sound chamber? Why would someone of his master’s skill be there? How did it happen? Was the Demon Cult backing him? No. Did it make sense that his master couldn’t defeat the Demon Cult and was trapped in a Sound chamber, working as a musician?
As all sorts of questions began to arise, Jin Geum-ryeon couldn’t just sit still at the headquarters, so he had no choice but to head to Anhui. Cheong-aeng, who had been assisting Jin Geum-ryeon since Ahn Do-hyun left, thought it was fortunate that Jin Geum-ryeon had finally found something else to focus on.
That was because Jin Geum-ryeon, who had shown vitality for the first time after regaining his lover, had once again lost him and was adrift like a buoy with a broken rope. She thought that it was much better when he was frantically searching for his lover, so this news was very welcome.
They used the information collected by the Sandow Union to head to the Drunken Dream Pavilion as soon as they arrived in Anhui. And finally, Jin Geum-ryeon was able to face his master, who was indeed playing the zither in the Sound chamber. Jin Geum-ryeon’s head throbbed when he learned that Mae-yeong was so popular that many guests designated him, so he had to pay five times the amount to meet him. Why was he in a place like this?
“…Master. Did you perhaps fall behind on your debts?”
“No. That can’t be.”
Mae-yeong was already absorbed in his performance and answered Jin Geum-ryeon’s confused question absentmindedly.
“Then why are you playing the zither here…?”
“Hmm.”
After continuing to play for a while, Mae-yeong glanced at Jin Geum-ryeon’s waist as he adjusted his posture and asked back.
“Where did Moonless go, and why do you have something like that?”
“Ah, that’s…. I lent it to someone for a while.”
Jin Geum-ryeon hesitated and mumbled, and Mae-yeong, who had stopped playing, finally looked at Jin Geum-ryeon and smiled faintly. Jin Geum-ryeon somehow straightened his back at that gaze.
“I didn’t give it to just anyone, I lent it to someone I trust. More importantly, that’s not what’s important right now! Why are you here, Master? If those guys are holding you against your will, I will…”
“No.”
Mae-yeong shook his head and started playing again.
“There’s an interesting fellow here, so I’ve settled down. You might be interested in him too if you see him.”
At those words, Jin Geum-ryeon frowned slightly.
“…You’re telling me you’re selling your music here just because of someone in the Sound chamber?”
“What’s wrong with selling something? I’m enjoying it.”
Mae-yeong’s face looked genuinely happy as he said that. As a result, Jin Geum-ryeon couldn’t nag him any further.
Mae-yeong continued calmly.
“He’s a fellow whose words and actions don’t match. He helps me and then tells me to sell my music, and then after telling me to sell my music, he only lets me sell it for two hours and lets me play and eat all day long. And he takes such good care of my meals, buying me wine and rare meats every time. We’re going to the Welcoming Guest Pavilion together tomorrow. I’m looking forward to it.”
The smile that had appeared on Mae-yeong’s face as he spoke softly faded slightly after he said that.
“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since that fellow was called away by the maniac….”
“…‘Maniac’?”
“Yes. I’ve told you a few times. There was a crazy guy who used to chase me before I took you in.”
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had dredged up a vague memory, blinked.
“Is that person chasing you again, Master?”
“Well…. You must be curious too, so shall we go and see.”