The sudden situation caused everyone in the Tea House to gasp and freeze. This included Ak Mujin’s group and Yeong-ji.
So Seung-ji was understandably flustered when someone snatched his Golden saber. Moreover, the fact that he was stopped by an unexpected person seemed to be a shock in itself.
How could Jin Geum-ryeon struggle to avoid a low-level swordsman’s blade? Therefore, Ak Mujin’s action was purely accidental. In his eyes, So Seung-ji’s sword seemed quite slow, and he thought he could easily deflect it with his hand. A hot and chilling sensation rose up Ak Mujin’s palm, but he gripped the blade and didn’t let go.
“Let go immediately!”
Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes, which had been consistently ignoring the situation, widened. He instantly drew his sword and aimed it at So Seung-ji’s neck. So Seung-ji was startled once more and flinched, and the Martial Alliance members also awkwardly stood up, drawing their weapons.
Jin Geum-ryeon wasn’t concerned about So Seung-ji threatening him. His only worry was that Ak Mujin might get hurt more if So Seung-ji moved even slightly.
All eyes in the Tea House were on them. Only then did Ak Mujin blink and release the blade of the Golden saber.
“…This is a Tea House. Don’t cause unnecessary disturbances. You, put your sword away too.”
At his calm words, So Seung-ji hesitated and bit his lip tightly. Jin Geum-ryeon glared at So Seung-ji once before lowering the sword aimed at his neck, only after he put his sword away first.
So Seung-ji looked resentful, but also dejected, his shoulders slumped heavily, unable to bring himself to turn around. He was afraid that if he turned around, the Martial Alliance members who had shown him some friendly feelings would ridicule him again. So Seung-ji’s hand holding the Golden saber trembled. His eyes began to turn red as if suppressing his resentment. Seeing So Seung-ji’s hunched shoulders, Yeong-ji couldn’t bring herself to approach or speak to him.
“Are you alright? Let me see.”
Jin Geum-ryeon didn’t even look at So Seung-ji, but unfolded Ak Mujin’s hand to check his palm. It was only a shallow cut, and there wasn’t as much blood as he had expected. Cheong-aeng quickly took out a handkerchief and pressed it firmly against his palm.
“It’s fortunate that you gripped it tightly. Otherwise, it might have been cut more deeply.”
Only after confirming that Ak Mujin was unharmed did Jin Geum-ryeon sheathe his sword and turn to look down at So Seung-ji. So Seung-ji took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling. Then, he slowly raised his head to look at Jin Geum-ryeon. His eyes, filled with tears, held resentment.
“Why do you… always get in my way?”
“Consider it fortunate that your head is still attached to your shoulders.”
Jin Geum-ryeon retorted coldly and turned his gaze away, taking Ak Mujin and getting up. Cheong-aeng also supported Ak Mujin. It was just a small cut, so there was no need for such excessive care. Ak Mujin felt awkward, but the Martial Alliance members were still standing in place with their weapons, on guard, so it seemed better to leave the Tea House quickly given the atmosphere.
“Jin Geum-ryeon!”
So Seung-ji called out to them as they were about to leave.
“Still, wasn’t I your only friend…?”
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had been sitting down, intending to listen to what So Seung-ji had to say, left the Tea House without hesitation, as if there was nothing more to hear. Until they left, the eyes of the people in the Tea House were still fixed on the back of Jin Geum-ryeon’s head.
*
From the start, Jin Geum-ryeon hadn’t been pleased with So Seung-ji and Yeong-ji following him around like goldfish droppings. But he had scratched Ak Mujin’s body. It was a wonder he hadn’t killed him on the spot. Jin Geum-ryeon, still in a bad mood, took Ak Mujin somewhere.
The Unryong Inn. It was the largest building located in the market district, quite far from the Tea House.
The octagonal building had a total of five floors, decorated with red banners from the first to the fifth floor, and each pillar was carved with a dragon coiling around it and soaring into the sky. It was a very splendid place, a high-class inn with a stage.
Cheong-aeng quickly climbed the stairs first, and Jin Geum-ryeon followed, leading Ak Mujin. When they reached the top floor, Cheong-aeng reappeared with a gaunt man.
“Lord! What brings you here without a word?”
“Call a doctor, Janghyo.”
“Yes, yes?”
Jin Geum-ryeon began to walk briskly along the circular corridor. However, at the word ‘doctor,’ Ak Mujin stopped and halted Jin Geum-ryeon.
“A doctor is too much…. It’s just a small cut, it’s nothing.”
“Hurry!”
Jin Geum-ryeon immediately snapped when the man named Janghyo hesitated for a moment at Ak Mujin’s words. Janghyo hurriedly gestured to the clerk who had followed him. The clerk began to trot down the stairs. Janghyo also moved quickly, standing in front of them and guiding them. He walked down the corridor, opened the door to the innermost room, and stood aside to allow them to enter.
“Shall I bring tea?”
“No. Come back when the doctor arrives.”
Jin Geum-ryeon quickly led Ak Mujin inside. Cheong-aeng closed the door and came inside, spreading a blanket with elaborate embroidery on a long chair. Ak Mujin was once again caught off guard and half-reclined. Cheong-aeng busily moved again, taking out a small box from a fancy drawer.
“I’m really alright. It’s just a light cut on my hand. Look at this.”
Ak Mujin, who had suddenly become a seriously ill patient, showed Jin Geum-ryeon, who was sitting on a small chair next to him, his palm. There was a little blood on it, but it had already stopped bleeding long ago. It was a shallow wound that would heal roughly if he applied medicine and slept for a day, so he felt very embarrassed.
But Jin Geum-ryeon still didn’t look good. He took Ak Mujin’s hand and looked at his palm. There was a cut about the size of three finger joints. He stared at it for a long time with a gloomy face before finally letting go of his hand.
“Why did you do something so foolish?”
“I don’t know why either.”
Ak Mujin felt awkward again when Jin Geum-ryeon said that. Ak Mujin sighed lightly and folded his hands.
At that moment, Janghyo’s voice was heard outside the door of the inner room.
“Lord. Go Seong-cheon has arrived. He urgently wants to see you about the Tea House incident earlier, uh… he came with someone. Shall I bring them in?”
Who was Go Seong-cheon? Ak Mujin looked at Jin Geum-ryeon, and Jin Geum-ryeon narrowed his brows and said towards the door.
“Didn’t I tell you not to disturb me?”
“Ah, of course, you did! But this person says he’s from the Martial Alliance.”
Jin Geum-ryeon, who had been ignoring outside matters and trying to focus on Ak Mujin again, sighed slightly at the word ‘Martial Alliance.’
“…Who is it?”
“It’s Namgung Eui. Did we get caught running the gambling den?”
Ak Mujin’s ears perked up at the name Namgung Eui. Ak Mujin looked towards the door with shining eyes. He had been racking his brains all night about how to meet him, and he had come on his own. He had been worried that the Martial Alliance might cause trouble because of the wrestling match at the Tea House, but with the situation like this, he even thought it wasn’t so bad.
Jin Geum-ryeon didn’t seem surprised that Namgung Eui had come, but it seemed he couldn’t avoid this meeting. He looked at Ak Mujin.
“Would you mind if I let them in for a moment?”
“I don’t mind, so bring them in quickly.”
Ak Mujin said, hiding his excited expression. Jin Geum-ryeon looked at him for a moment before getting up from his seat.
“Let them in.”
“Yes, Lord!”
Janghyo’s footsteps faded away. Ak Mujin looked up at Jin Geum-ryeon and asked.
“It seems like you’ve met Namgung Eui more than once or twice.”
“I haven’t met him directly, but as the Sandow Union’s power grows, we often clash with the Martial Alliance. Young Master Namgung is the current patrol captain of the Martial Alliance, so I have no choice but to deal with him often.”
Jin Geum-ryeon answered readily. His tone was very bland, and it sounded like he didn’t have any particular feelings even though he often heard news about Namgung Eui. Ak Mujin felt a little disappointed.
Before long, the footsteps that had left returned several times louder.
“Go Seong-cheon and Namgung Eui of the Martial Alliance will enter.”
It was Janghyo’s voice. He opened the door and came in, placing the tea set on the table, and Namgung Eui and Go Seong-cheon stepped inside in turn.
The moment Ak Mujin saw Namgung Eui, he admired his robust appearance inwardly. His tall height and handsome face weren’t as good as Jin Geum-ryeon’s, but he was definitely eye-catching. Moreover, he had become the patrol captain, and although he looked a little tired, he was dressed more neatly than when he had first seen him.
He still didn’t know what people saw in these two to pair them up, but when he was writing, he had definitely imagined that they had a faint brotherly love. If they had met differently, their relationship would have been closer than anyone else’s.
Certainly, they were in different camps and had different positions, but they got along well. In particular, in the original work, Namgung Eui admired Jin Geum-ryeon’s skills and defied his father’s intention to erase his existence from the martial world, eventually siding with him. It was almost Romeo and Juliet.
Hmm…. Thinking about it, the narrative wasn’t bad?
Having thought that far, Ak Mujin suddenly groped his face to check again if he was wearing the human skin mask properly. Fortunately, it was still firmly attached to his face.
Namgung Eui, who noticed Ak Mujin, flinched once as soon as he saw him, but soon cleared his throat and looked at Jin Geum-ryeon.
“It’s been a while, Young Master Jin.”