By Zephyria 
Sure enough. As soon as an opportunity arose, Baek Ryeo-il glared and immediately chased after Seong Mu-yeon.
However, people from Mount Hua soon swarmed in and held Baek Ryeo-il back. Seong Mu-yeon took advantage of the gap to head toward the merchant guild with Seomun Yuha.
Seomun Yuha seemed deep in thought at the news that a battle would soon break out. The situation was unfavorable, as the martial artists they could mobilize were only a small fraction brought by Seomun Yuha. However, opportunities to elevate the prestige of the clan did not come often.
“Young Master Seomun, what will you do? Will the Seomun Clan also participate in this battle?”
As soon as Seomun Yuha entered the guild, he was surrounded by the members of the Seomun Clan who had returned. The entire guild was in an uproar.
Not only the Seomun Clan, but similar chaos was likely unfolding within other sects and families.
Seomun Yuha was whisked away by the excited martial artists, and Seong Mu-yeon, left alone, went to look for Owl.
“Brother! Where are you, Brother!”
Seong Mu-yeon, who couldn’t leave Owl behind on the journey to save Yak Seon, had come to find him.
He assumed Owl, who had been separated from him at the house of courtesans, would naturally be waiting. However, the room was empty.
‘Where did he go?’
“Excuse me. Have you seen a small child wearing an owl mask?”
“I haven’t.”
Seong Mu-yeon was anxious, not knowing when Baek Ryeo-il might barge in. He stopped anyone passing by to ask, but no one had seen Owl.
After some time had passed, the guild master approached Seong Mu-yeon.
“If you are looking for your attendant, he returned briefly a while ago and then left again.”
“Where did he go?”
“I’m not quite sure… I only happened to see him through the window. He entered quietly and left again shortly after. I thought he would return soon, but has he not yet? He might have gone to meet an acquaintance, so perhaps you should wait a bit…”
“No. There’s no way he went to meet someone.”
How could Owl possibly have friends?!
Seong Mu-yeon returned to the room to check if he had left a note or something, but as expected, there was nothing.
Now that he looked, none of Owl’s belongings were there. Since he didn’t have much luggage to begin with—just a single bundle carried on his back—it was over once he simply took it and left.
…The ominous feeling he had felt previously had come true. As he feared, the conversation with the Poison Freak seemed to have caused a change in Owl’s state of mind.
Even so, to leave without a word. It wasn’t like Owl.
Where could he have gone? Did he return to the laboratory? If so, why did he leave without notifying Seong Mu-yeon separately?
‘Surely… he didn’t go to find Yak Seon on his own, did he?’
The Owl he had known so far was not the type of person to do something so reckless. However, anyone pushed to an extreme situation could be swept away by irrational thoughts.
“Seong Mu-yeon!”
…Just like the current Baek Ryeo-il.
A furious Baek Ryeo-il strode inside.
“So you’re really going to be like this? Why won’t you just listen!”
“What! So what are you going to do about it! Are you going to catch me and lock me up?!”
“If necessary, I’ll have to do exactly that.”
Baek Ryeo-il pulled a familiar object from his waist. It was the rope that had tied Seong Mu-yeon up tight on his first day at Mount Hua.
Fond memories my foot! He had no idea when or why Baek Ryeo-il had brought such a rope along.
“Come here. I’ll help you wait patiently until we leave.”
“Aaaah!”
It seemed the appearance of a Taoist with a fierce expression had piqued the curiosity of the guild people. Before he knew it, the hallway was filled with onlookers.
“A Taoist is kidnapping someone! Help me!”
Seong Mu-yeon cried out piteously to the people. He didn’t actually expect them to help. Most of them were commoners belonging to the Seomun Clan’s guild. Even if they tried their hardest, it was uncertain if they could even leave a small scratch on Baek Ryeo-il.
Seong Mu-yeon simply hoped that any one of them would go outside and bring back Seomun Yuha or any other martial artist.
Only then did Baek Ryeo-il notice the crowd of onlookers gathered in the hallway.
“What are you looking at? Get lost!”
With his large build and a deep scowl, Baek Ryeo-il was too terrifying for them to handle. The terrified guild people scrambled away, and the hallway became empty in an instant. Not stopping there, Baek Ryeo-il muttered curses and slammed the door shut.
Seong Mu-yeon trembled in the corner.
He couldn’t believe that the night the two of them spent in a secluded forest cabin was only yesterday.
To think that the tender Baek Ryeo-il and the Baek Ryeo-il glaring and brandishing a rope were the same person?
As expected, people don’t change.
Baek Ryeo-il slowly approached, snapping the rope as if testing its strength. Seeing this, a surge of anger rose within Seong Mu-yeon.
“Why are you really being like this, Master? What does it matter what I do! Stop interfering in the business of someone you have no relation to and just get lost yourself!”
Baek Ryeo-il flinched, as if he hadn’t expected such a strong backlash.
“I’m going to do whatever I want! I’ll go outside, grab some handsome guy, and start over! Why!”
“What kind of bullshit is that? When did I ever say you could do whatever you want? What? Meet another guy? You must not value your life.”
Baek Ryeo-il frowned deeply.
“You told me not to wait! What else does that mean if not to do as I please?!”
“….”
Seong Mu-yeon also knew that Baek Ryeo-il’s actions were because he wanted him to be safe. However, recalling the absurd feelings he experienced that morning, he couldn’t help but feel foul.
“It’s not that…! You don’t know anything. …It can’t be helped if you don’t understand. In the one-in-a-million chance that I cannot return…”
Baek Ryeo-il suddenly lost all will and let his arm drop weakly.
“Master…”
Seong Mu-yeon sighed. He slowly approached Baek Ryeo-il, who had his head lowered. He carefully reached out and cupped his face to lift it.
He was trembling with fear.
“The day my parents passed away… I resented my parents for leaving me alone. But now I understand why they did it… I’m begging you, please wait in a safe place. If by some chance I don’t return, please forget me and live your life. As long as I know you are safe and happy, that alone will be enough for me.”
Because then, he wouldn’t even fear death.
In that moment, Baek Ryeo-il fully understood the hearts of the parents who had left him. They must have been able to leave in peace even at the moment of death.
Baek Ryeo-il wanted nothing more.
A life where he could leave while holding good memories and remembering a good person was sufficient. He dared not wish for more, fearing the heavens might be angered by his greed.
“Whether we make a promise or not, I’m going to wait anyway. Why don’t you know that?”
“….”
He did know.
He could never forget. Even knowing the fact that he might not return, he would stubbornly wait and long for him until the day he died.
Because that was how he had been…
And yet, Baek Ryeo-il had made a selfish choice. He told himself that Seong Mu-yeon would be different, that he would be able to overcome it, choosing only the path that made his own heart feel at ease.
“If you die, I die with you; if you live, I live with you. We… aren’t we closer than that?”
“….”
Because he had been a child who needed protection, his parents had no other choice. But Seong Mu-yeon was different.
“…I’m sorry, Seong Mu-yeon. I thought wrong.”
Baek Ryeo-il pressed his forehead against Seong Mu-yeon’s.
“Now that you know, it’s fine.”
Baek Ryeo-il eventually let out a hollow laugh. The two embraced each other deeply.
Pressed completely together without a single gap, they listened to each other’s heartbeats.
They looked into each other’s eyes, and as their lips drew close, they softly overlapped.
Two different people finally aligned their intentions, feeling the euphoria of fitting together. Of course, it hadn’t been easy. Because it was achieved after long fights, separations, and conflicts, it was all the more precious.
“I’m confident I won’t die, so you must never die either,” Baek Ryeo-il whispered. Seong Mu-yeon nodded.
No matter how great and difficult the hardships ahead were, it would be okay as long as they were together.
Baek Ryeo-il pulled Seong Mu-yeon into his embrace strongly, as if to swallow him whole.
Seeing Seong Mu-yeon’s ragged breath and flushed cheeks, blood rushed between his legs. He could feel that Seong Mu-yeon had also become hard where their lower bodies met.
Coincidentally, the people were preoccupied with dealing with the “bomb” that had dropped on their heads. No one would look for them until the appointed time arrived.
Baek Ryeo-il subtly leaned his body toward the bed.
Even if there were no eyes watching, it was an unfamiliar place. Since Seong Mu-yeon tended to be unusually cautious at times like this, he intended not to give him a chance to regain his senses.
However, his aggressive actions instead triggered the quick-witted Seong Mu-yeon.
“Wait a moment.”
Seong Mu-yeon narrowed his eyes and pushed his chest. Before he knew it, Seong Mu-yeon was lying on top of Baek Ryeo-il on the bed like a blanket.
“Right now, don’t worry about anything else and just look at me…”
“Ugh…”
An impatient Baek Ryeo-il tightened his grip on his waist so he couldn’t escape. Because of that, their highly aroused lower bodies rubbed strongly against each other.
But Seong Mu-yeon wriggled and eventually escaped from his embrace. Then, he leaned over and picked up something that had fallen on the floor.
“…What are you going to do with that?”
Baek Ryeo-il broke into a cold sweat upon seeing the object he was holding.
“What do you think I’m going to do?”
Seong Mu-yeon wore a sinister smile. In his hand was the rope.