DKM 17

The Madam, exhausted from crying, fell into a deep sleep as if she had fainted. We left the room after confirming she was sound asleep. It was already dark everywhere. Myoryeong gave my shoulder a light nudge.

“You were pretty cool earlier.”

“……Myoryeong.”

“What?”

I leaned against the wall listlessly.

“……Please don’t talk to me.”

“Huh? What’s wrong with you?!”

My stomach was churning, likely because I had eaten snacks in such an awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere. I curled my body up and punched my own chest in frustration.

“Should I call Young Master Soseo?”

“N-no. I think I’ll be fine if I just lie down for a bit…….”

I didn’t have the strength [Read on Read BL Novels]to Read on Read BL Novelsmake it back to my room. As I lay there panting quietly, Myoryeong patted my back.

“How is it? Feeling better?”

“A bit better than before, but…….”

My chest still felt tight. Myoryeong was fidgeting, not knowing what to do with me in my sick state, when someone spoke.

“You finally came out.”

It was Moyong Hwa. No, wait. Why is he coming now? Is being cute like a cat everything? Couldn’t he have come a bit later? I looked at Moyong Hwa with bewildered eyes.

“What did you two talk about with my aunt? Why did she specifically pick you two, whom she’s meeting for the first time, to stay behind…….”

Moyong Hwa flinched upon discovering me looking half-dead.

“What’s this? What’s wrong with him?”

“He says his chest feels tight.”

“What?”

I groaned and spoke.

“I’d rather just throw up, but nothing’s coming out.”

“You’re really something. So what, do you want me to hit your back?”

“I’d be grateful if you did.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Moyong Hwa raised his hand without hesitation. Just as he was about to swing his arm, a thought flashed through my mind like lightning. I shouted urgently.

“Wait!”

Moyong Hwa’s arm stopped. I asked desperately.

“You’re a Martial Artist too, right?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m the successor of the Moyong Clan.”

“Then you can’t! Don’t hit me! Just leave me alone! I was wrong!”

In my attempt to clear my stomach, I almost ended up vomiting blood. When I reversed my decision, Moyong Hwa grew irritated.

“Then what on earth do you want me to do?”

“Don’t worry, Young Master.”

Myoryeong wore a meaningful smile, as if he had realized something.

“There’s a method that’s perfect for times like this.”

“What is it?”

“Watch closely.”

Myoryeong poked one of my cheeks with his finger and shouted.

“Orabeoni!”

“Bleeaaargh!”

And so, thanks to Myoryeong, I was able to throw up everything I had eaten earlier. Moyong Hwa looked at me as if I were a lunatic, but I felt refreshed, so it was fine.

Lying in place, I muttered blankly.

“……I can honestly tolerate the [Read on Read BL Novels]word ‘Oppa,’ Read on Read BL Novelsbut I absolutely cannot stand being called ‘Orabeoni.’”

“Are you still shocked by that?”

“My stomach is churning for a different reason than before.”

“You really don’t know how to be grateful.”

“No, thanks. Myoryeong, if my stomach feels bad again, I’ll ask you for a favor.”

“……I hope you get a hundred boyfriends instead of one girlfriend.”

“Hah, it would be a hundred times easier to get one girlfriend than to date a hundred boyfriends.”

Despite Myoryeong’s curse, I was full of leisure. Myoryeong, who had been glaring at me with his hands on his hips, nudged my arm.

“Hey, move closer to the wall. I’m lying down too.”

“Ah, it’s cramped.”

“Stop complaining.”

As I moved closer to the wall, Myoryeong flopped down beside me. As expected, unauthorized copyI feel most at stolen contentpeace when lying next unauthorized copyto Myoryeong. Perhaps because I had relaxed, my true feelings slipped out.

“Ah, I want to read a romance fantasy novel.”

“…….”

Usually, Myoryeong would follow my lead and say he wanted to read BL, but he remained silent. I looked at him with curious eyes. Myoryeong, lying with his back to me, muttered.

“I mean, well. I can see it in real-time.”

“What? Speak a bit louder.”

“Nothing. By the way, don’t you think we fit surprisingly well with wuxia?”

“Why change the subject so suddenly? It’s even more suspicious now. Tell me quickly what you just muttered.”

“No, it’s not sudden; I’ve always thought about it.”

Myoryeong’s speech grew faster.

“I know quite a few wuxia terms now. Ah, if I go back to my original world, I’m going to read wuxia diligently. It’s such a shame I closed Tales of the Martial Arts World after only a few chapters because there were too many words I didn’t know.”

“……I feel the same. I’m so curious about what will happen next. I wonder what unauthorized copySeolhwa unauthorized copywill experience in the North Sea.”

“Right? If we knew the original story, we could have prepared for whenever dangerous things happened.”

“But the thing I’m most curious about right now is this.”

“What?”

“Was Soseo a lead or a supporting character in Tales of the Martial Arts World?”

“Soseo is the successor of the Paeng Clan, after all. Wouldn’t he have had a decent amount of screen time as the protagonist’s helper?”

“Wow, that would be amazing. If those two stood side by side, the visuals would be top-tier.”

“……Visual-obsessed.”

“Huh? What?”

Myoryeong annoyingly shut his mouth again. Why is he like this today, making me curious? I was poking Myoryeong’s back, urging him to repeat what he said, when the door slid open.

“Myoha, are you inside?”

“Ah, Grandpa Jang.”

“Myoryeong, you were here too. If I had known, I would have come to your room first.”

We scrambled to get up.

“Is something the matter?”

“Both of you, tidy up your attire first.”

“Ah, yes.”

We tidied our clothes and hair as Grandpa Jang instructed. Once our disheveled appearance became neat, Grandpa Jang spoke.

“Young Master Moyong Hwa says he wants the two of you specifically by his side during his training.”

“What?”

“Young Master Soseo hasn’t even left his room, saying he has things to think about. Nothing happened yesterday, did it?”

“No.”

I gave an awkward smile. The grandfather urged us several times to be careful.

“Be careful, and I mean very careful, with your behavior. Young Master Moyong Hwa is not as generous as Young Master Soseo. Even a minor mistake will sour his mood.”

“We know that. We’ll be sure to be careful.”

“And if possible.”

Is there more to say? We looked up at him. The grandfather spoke solemnly.

“Show him that the servants of the Paeng Clan are superior to those of the Moyong Clan. You haven’t worked here long, but you have a knack for work.”

“……We’ll try.”

We headed to the martial arts training ground. Moyong Hwa, dressed in black martial arts attire embroidered with red patterns, was waiting for us.

“What did you talk about with my aunt yesterday?”

……I knew it. He’s really persistent. We answered exactly as we had yesterday.

“We are sorry. We cannot tell you.”

“…….”

Moyong Hwa frowned, twisting his braided hair with his fingertips. After glaring at us for a while, Moyong Hwa spoke.

“Would you have spoken that way even if I were your elder brother?”

We nodded immediately.

“Yes.”

Moyong Hwa’s eyes widened.

“……Even if it were Brother Soseo, you would really have said that?”

We nodded once more. The corners of Moyong Hwa’s mouth curled up again.

“I see, so that’s how it is.”

Getting angry on his own, then getting satisfied on his own……. Moyong Hwa seems to be a friend with very rapid emotional shifts. Saying he should just start training, Moyong Hwa drew his sword. Ohh, admiration escaped our lips instinctively. If Soseo’s training with the heavy great saber was taciturn and destructive, Moyong Hwa’s training with the nimble sword was light and rhythmic. It was fascinating because he felt different from Soseo in every single way.

But…… is it my imagination?

“……Hey, Myoryeong.”

“……Yeah, I felt it too.”

It seems the more we admire him, the more intense his training becomes. We shouted as a test.

“I can feel a wall coming from the Young Master. Perfect!”

“The Young Master’s day is more rewarding than my entire week!”

As expected. It became more intense again. We stared at the corners of Moyong Hwa’s mouth, which had risen again. It seems Moyong Hwa isn’t just quick with his emotions, but also loves praise. I thought he was just a prickly person; is there no one in the Moyong Clan who praises him like this? Due to the intense training, Moyong Hwa’s body was soon drenched in sweat.

After the training ended, Moyong Hwa put down his sword and beckoned us. We rushed to him with water and a towel. Moyong Hwa gulped down the water Myoryeong gave him and wiped his face with the towel. We quickly flattered him.

“I didn’t know the sword was such a cool weapon. Ah, or is it that it looks cool because Young Master Moyong Hwa is using it?”

“That’s right. You were truly cool, Young Master.”

“Really? I was cool?”

Appropriate flattery is very helpful for social life, indeed. With our parade of praise, there was no sign of the corners of Moyong Hwa’s mouth coming down. Yes, just be happy here. You seem to have your own circumstances, so we’ll be nice to you. The moment I thought that, Moyong Hwa asked.

“More than Brother Soseo?”

Myoryeong and I gave awkward smiles.

“Huh? I’m not sure about that…….”

“No.”

However, the answer I gave was different. Unable to betray the kindness I had received from Soseo, my firm answer made Moyong Hwa freeze in place. Myoryeong hugged me and hurriedly backed away.

“W-we are sorry, Young Master. It’s because he likes Young Master Soseo too much.”

“…….”

“Young Master Soseo took us in when we had no way to make a living. Since then, whenever he has a chance, he lays out all sorts of praises, saying Young Master Soseo is the kindest person in the world, or that Young Master Soseo is the coolest. It’s a real headache for me too. Haha…….”

The distance between us and Moyong Hwa grew. Good, let’s escape to the lodging with this momentum. Just as Myoryeong whispered, Moyong Hwa’s mouth moved.

“……The kindest? Ha, even a passing dog would laugh at that.”

Moyong Hwa’s head tilted eerily. Just like Moyong Soha on a day when he had lost his reason. The moment Myoryeong hugged me tighter, Moyong Hwa’s face suddenly came close. His two eyes, wide open like a fish, stared at me without a single flicker.

“That guy is kind? That hypocritical, two-faced bastard?”

Goosebumps broke out all over my body involuntarily. Soseo is two-faced?