By Zephyria Do you like me? (2)
It wasn’t exactly a secret, but Baek Ryeo-il somehow wanted to hide the fact.
Whenever he recalled the day Seong Mu-yeon killed his enemy, his body and mind felt extremely uncomfortable.
The sight of him swallowing his sobs under the moonlight, eventually unable to hold back and bursting into tears, was vivid in his mind.
He didn’t want to say it out loud, nor did he want to recall it, but the scene was etched in his brain, often resurfacing without warning and tormenting him.
Seeing others cry was nothing special. It was common for Senior Brother who had been beaten by him during sparring to cry, and as he lived, he had often seen old men crying for various reasons.
But Seong Mu-yeon’s tears were different.
He could only dare to guess that something he didn’t know existed beyond them.
‘Let’s forget it. Forget it.’
Baek Ryeo-il, not wanting to think about anything complicated, shook his head vigorously, trying to shake it off.
Fortunately or unfortunately, not long after, Ma Jin-cheon, furious to the top of his head, came to catch him, so it was quickly forgotten from his mind.
“Baek Ryeo-il, you rascal!”
Ma Jin-cheon’s roaring shout of rage erupted. He grabbed Baek Ryeo-il’s ear and dragged him away.
“Ah, Master! Don’t do this! I now have Junior Brother. I have face as a Master!”
“Why does a guy who knows that cause trouble! How dare you run away again? You’re hopeless!”
“Ah! It hurts!”
Dragged away like that, Baek Ryeo-il was confined to the Library and had to dust the thousands of books piled up there.
“Don’t even dream of coming out before sunset!”
Bang!
The door slammed shut. He picked up the duster that Ma Jin-cheon had thrown down and began to dust the books, but soon threw it down haphazardly with a curse.
“Damn it!”
As a result, the mountain of books collapsed with a crash. He lay down on the pile of books, resting his arm.
‘Why do I have to be trapped here at a time like this.’
A fierce look flickered in his eyes as he stared at the empty air.
He was annoyed by the thought that the sly fox might be stretching his dirty hands towards Seong Mu-yeon while he was away.
This was not the time to be doing this.
Baek Ryeo-il jumped up.
I have to go right now…!
But as he opened the Library door, he met a pair of coldly sunken eyes head-on.
“Close it.”
Ma Jin-cheon had even brought a desk and chair to the front of the Library and was working there.
Baek Ryeo-il quietly closed the door again.
‘Agh!’
He thrashed wildly on the pile of books for a while, as if having a seizure. When he stopped struggling, a mixture of annoyance and resentment appeared on his face.
However, he didn’t regret what he had done to Junior Uncle. They had done things they shouldn’t have, they had to pay the price, and this kind of punishment was nothing to him. Through past experience, he knew that if he just dragged out the time, it would eventually end.
But this punishment was particularly annoying.
‘It’s all because of Seong Mu-yeon.’
Since he had met that guy, nothing had gone his way. He was constantly causing trouble, making him suffer hardships that he wasn’t destined for.
Baek Ryeo-il anxiously bit his lip.
“…….”
In the end, he reluctantly got up, picked up the scattered rags again, and began to dust the books.
‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll finish it as quickly as possible and go back!’
His eyes shone fiercely.
Not even half a day had passed before Baek Ryeo-il opened the door and came out.
“I’m done.”
“Already?”
Ma Jin-cheon narrowed his eyes. Suspicion was rising.
Baek Ryeo-il had never faithfully carried out a punishment before. No matter how much he urged him, if he didn’t want to do it, all he could do was watch him so he wouldn’t run away. He thought it would be the same this time…
The Library was a place that had preserved the traces of time with the dust and grime that had accumulated over the past hundreds of years. But when Ma Jin-cheon entered, he doubted his own eyes.
“You really… did it all.”
The floor, which he thought was originally a gloomy color, had regained its original color and was sparkling white, and the books that had been haphazardly placed were now neatly arranged in order.
“Can I go now?”
Baek Ryeo-il, who asked that question, was covered in dust and sweating profusely. He must have suffered from cleaning the dust that had accumulated for hundreds of years.
“Y-yes…….”
No sooner had Ma Jin-cheon nodded awkwardly than Baek Ryeo-il shot out.
He went straight to his residence and threw open the door.
“Hey, Seong Mu-yeon!”
He didn’t really expect Seong Mu-yeon to be here, since he was running away from Seomun Yuha, but he did it anyway.
But.
“You’re here?”
Seong Mu-yeon was lying sprawled out on the window sill, basking in the sunlight.
“Huh? Where’s Seomun Yuha?”
“Ah, don’t worry. All the Outer Sect Disciple have gone out on missions! Haha! They say they won’t be back for a few days, so that’s great.”
Seong Mu-yeon laughed heartily and threw dried snacks into his mouth. He was humming a tune and seemed to be in a very good mood.
“…….”
“Let them suffer to their heart’s content outside! Hahahaha!”
“…….”
“……Senior Brother?”
Only then did Seong Mu-yeon sense something unusual from Baek Ryeo-il and raise his head.
“Why……. Why did I go through all that trouble…….”
Baek Ryeo-il’s fists trembled. A martial artist’s physical abilities were several times greater than those of ordinary people. Nevertheless, removing the grime that had accumulated for hundreds of years was not easy for him. The solid muscles he had trained to wield a sword were trembling from being overworked by cleaning.
But Seong Mu-yeon was lying down comfortably, enjoying his leisure?
“S, Senior Brother? I don’t know why you’re doing this, but calm down.”
Seong Mu-yeon, who had an excellent sense of danger, immediately erased his smile and slowly got up. While quickly looking for an escape route with his side eyes, Baek Ryeo-il took a step closer.
“……I won’t let you get away with this…….”
“Hey. Calm…… Ugh!”
When Gang Woong returned after finishing joint training, the inside of the room was a mess.
“Can we at least have a reason! Why are you guys acting up again!”
“Your very existence is the problem! Seong Mu-yeon, it’s my wish to hit you just once.”
“Then I’ll die!”
“You won’t die!”
“…….”
Gang Woong watched the chase for a while, then quietly sat down at the table and spread out his books and papers. He had a lot of homework to do today.
“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Gang Woong tilted his head to the side without taking his eyes off the book. Then, an incense burner flew through the air with a whooshing sound, crossed where his head had been, and crashed into the wall.
“Oh, you dodged it? So you want to try it, huh?”
“Wasn’t it thrown so I would dodge it? It was so obvious that I couldn’t help but dodge it even if you told me not to.”
“I guess I’ve been too lenient with you. I’ve been too nice to you, and you’re trying to climb all the way to the top of my head. You’re dead today.”
“Ugh! Save me!”
“…….”
Gang Woong dipped his brush in ink and wrote something down, shaking his head.
‘Those two are really something. They get along so well.’
His Master was a person who could do anything he set his mind to. And what about that pretty Demonic Cult Young master? He was deliberately provoking the other person by subtly scratching at their insides. They were just matching each other’s rhythm appropriately.
A faint smile appeared on Gang Woong’s lips as he calmly continued his homework amidst the moderate noise.
Time passed endlessly.
While Seong Mu-yeon was lazing around like a nobleman, Baek Ryeo-il’s punishment was almost over.
On the last day of his punishment, Baek Ryeo-il headed to Heo Saeng’s residence.
Heo Saeng’s residence had not yet had the collapsed wall repaired. The gaping hole in one wall was temporarily blocked with a large cloth, making it look unsightly. Baek Ryeo-il indifferently passed by the result of his actions and approached Heo Saeng, who was sitting at his desk.
“Have you come……?”
Heo Saeng greeted him with a sullen expression.
“Yes. Tell me what to do.”
He had already been punished by the other two Junior Uncles. They had seized the opportunity to torment Baek Ryeo-il, who was already a thorn in their side, and had subjected him to all sorts of abuse. First, he had to collect the shattered pieces of the vase and painstakingly put them back together. Then, he was forced to oversee the training of the injured Junior Brother. Of course, the vase never regained its original pattern, and the Junior Brother had to endure a second beating disguised as sparring.
Among the Junior Uncles, Heo Saeng was the biggest victim. The broken vase could be glued back together, and the wounds would heal, but he had to sleep in the cold wind until the gaping hole in his residence was repaired.
Heo Saeng’s face became complicated as he looked at Baek Ryeo-il, who was standing there with a brazen face. He then spoke with a faint sigh.
“It’s enough, so you can go now. I’ll consider the punishment served.”
Heo Saeng showed mercy, but Baek Ryeo-il didn’t readily accept it and retorted sullenly.
“Why?”
“Why, you……!”
Heo Saeng, who was about to burst into anger at the rude retort, calmed himself down again.
“Anyway, I also did something wrong to Ma Senior Brother, so let’s just call it even. Go now.”
“…….”
Baek Ryeo-il looked at Heo Saeng with a fresh gaze. Did this Junior Uncle eat something wrong? Why is he suddenly acting like this?
Heo Saeng didn’t argue any further and chased him out the door as if he was annoyed. Baek Ryeo-il shrugged.
Good for me.
I’m free now.
But Heo Saeng’s decision was a mistake.
At that moment, unexpected guests passed through the sect gates.
The Elder of the Jongnam Sect had come to Mount Hua with his disciples without even sending a letter.