Chapter v8c13

At first, Mo Yong hwi was considered for the position of bodyguard because he was not only diligent and skilled, but also because his outstanding abilities and exemplary demeanor were thought to make a good impression on the investigators. Of course, since he was a bodyguard, he was expected to use the room next door. But who could have imagined that the Dark Heaven Alliance would deliberately send a young woman, barely twenty five years old, as if they were desperate to strike someone from behind?

No one at Cheonmu Academy, known for its brilliant minds, nor even Ma Jin ga himself, had anticipated that they would send a young maiden like Eun Seol ran. Moreover, Eun Seol ran was very cheerful, lively, and bright, and she managed to dispel some suspicions with her overflowing charm and affectionate behavior. As a result, the psychological defenses against her were slow to activate. To Ma Jin ga, this seemed dangerous, as it left them almost completely defenseless.

After all, it was not feasible to keep grown men and women together indefinitely. He had even considered making a change. However, Eun Seol ran said there was no need for that. In fact, she even said she was very satisfied. But even so, they couldn’t just leave the two of them together given the scrutiny of those around them. There was simply too much noise from the surroundings.

Some fanatical followers of Mo Yong hwi had already been screaming as if they were about to pass out, making Ma Jin ga’s ears ring. It was truly an act unfit for a person.

Therefore, Ma Jin ga decided to balance the male and female presence by assigning another person as a bodyguard. Naturally, this new bodyguard was also a woman. Upon reflection, it seemed better to have two people rather than one in case of an emergency.

“Who among the officials would be most suitable for this task?”

Ma Jin ga wondered. But strangely, no matter how much he thought about it, only one person came to mind.

ice white peak Na Yerin!

He couldn’t think of anyone else. Especially when it came to blades flying in the darkness, there was no one more reliable than Na Yerin, as Ma Jin ga knew better than anyone.

This was because he was one of the few people who knew of Yerin’s innate abilities due to his long standing friendship with the martial alliance leader, Na Baek cheon. It was a spiritual power obtained not through development but innately!

Dragon’s eye!

There was no one more suitable than her for sensing suspicious energies. Moreover, since she was also a woman, there might be a slight hope that they could connect emotionally. However, given Na Yerin’s personality, it was hard to expect her to readily agree.

So now, Ma Jin ga, setting aside all pride, was appealing to Na Yerin like this.

“Yerin, I’m sorry to ask, but could you help me out? Surely you wouldn’t coldly refuse the request of this uncle who has adored you since you were little, right?”

Ma Jin ga was so desperate for Na Yerin’s help that he even resorted to using the forbidden technique of appealing to emotions by invoking the authority of an uncle.

Where in this could one find the dignity of Cheonmu Academy’s iron fist Ma Jin ga?

Na Yerin couldn’t help but be troubled.

The meeting between Na Yerin and Eun Seol ran!

Na Yerin had to wonder why she had suddenly come here. The most certain thing was that she couldn’t bring herself to refuse Ma Jin ga’s request.

Why hadn’t she firmly refused at that time, leading her to come all this way? Suddenly, she was overwhelmed with regret.

“Oh my! What a beautiful person!”

That was the pure exclamation of admiration that Eun Seol ran uttered the moment she saw Na Yerin. It was an exclamation of admiration with twelve points of sincerity! Anyone who saw Na Yerin’s beauty had to acknowledge it, but Eun Seol ran was also a very honest woman with her emotions.

“Hey, hey, isn’t that right?”

Eun Seol ran poked Mo Yong hwi, who had been assigned as her bodyguard, mercilessly in the ribs and asked him. Mo Yong hwi was just despairing upon hearing the news that he still had to serve as Eun Seol ran’s bodyguard, along with the famous Na Yerin.

So a good response was out of the question.

“That’s right.”

Mo Yong hwi’s response was just as blunt and unchanging. His attitude was like a sheer cliff, steadfastly refusing all changes around him. But there was as much difference between steadfastness and being closed off as there is between life and death. And it seemed that Mo Yong hwi could not shake off the suspicion that he was the latter.

“Oh, you really don’t understand romance. To have such stunning beauties before you and not change your expression at all, that’s a great discourtesy.”

Eun Seol ran said with a pouty expression.

“Well then, I’ll be leaving!”

Mo Yong hwi abruptly tried to leave. His attitude was stubborn. Only then did Eun Seol ran realize that her words had no effect on Mo Yong hwi. She felt that this man was a formidable opponent.

“Where are you going?”

Eun Seol ran stopped Mo Yong hwi, who was determined to leave.

“Now that Miss Na has arrived, I will take my leave.”

That was precisely what Mo Yong hwi had been hoping for. Even though he was in the presence of two peerless beauties, he did not feel the typical joy of a man. Instead, he found it very uncomfortable and burdensome to have women of the opposite s*x around him. Naturally, his body tensed up. But let’s not misunderstand , it’s not that he had any homosexual preferences.

Eun Seol ran did not accept Mo Yong hwi’s decision. She put on a sullen face and spoke with a slightly exaggerated gesture that was almost like a semi forced threat.

“Oh my! What an unreasonable young master! Are you planning to leave the beauties alone in a dangerous area and escape by yourself? Do you have the conscience to leave two women alone in a place of death? Was the greatest genius of the martial world only a man of that caliber?”

Mo Yong hwi was at a loss for words in response to Eun Seol ran’s eloquent speech and her overwhelming presence. With his honest and simple mind, he found it impossible to come up with a rebuttal. In fact, her words were not wrong. If an emergency were to happen, it would be very difficult to manage with just two women. Even if it seemed safe at the moment, preparing for any unforeseen circumstances was precisely the role of a bodyguard.

Mo Yong hwi became mute as if he had eaten honey. It was then that Na Yerin, with an impassive face, handed him the official document stating that he still had to perform the role of bodyguard for Eun Seol ran alongside her. Seeing the document, Mo Yong hwi fell into an even deeper despair. It was like a death notice, indicating that his opinion had been ultimately rejected.

“Sigh! There’s nothing I can do.”

Finally, Mo Yong hwi surrendered. There was no other choice. However, the awkwardness remained unchanged. The uncomfortable relationship could not suddenly become comfortable , it was nearly impossible.

“Hey!”

“Yes?”

Eun Seol ran called out to Mo Yong hwi, who was sighing deeply towards the ground. It seemed she felt a sense of duty not to leave this man as he was.

“Sighing in front of two beauties! That’s quite rude. What if someone interprets that sigh from a different angle and gets hurt, possibly falling into depression? You’ll be responsible then? Always remember, women are sensitive to such small things!”

Once again, Eun Seol ran did not forget to give a friendly warning to Mo Yong hwi, who was like a simpleton, with her rapid speech. Mo Yong hwi listened to her words silently, with his head bowed.

Eun Seol ran greeted Na Yerin with a slight and elegant smile.

“So you are the famous ice white peak Na Yerin, the top beauty of the region. I’m really glad to meet you.”

Na Yerin nodded her head without much emotional expression. For a moment, Eun Seol ran mistook the two for siblings.

Thus, the role of bodyguard for Eun Seol ran changed from one man to a man and a woman.

A new connection was being woven at this place, and a new story was about to begin. The thread of fate was gathering different destinies in one place, tying them into one connection to weave the fabric of a new tale.

The incident happened sooner than expected.

Five days is a short time, but it’s enough to overcome the initial awkwardness between people. However, the relationship between Eun Seol ran, Na Yerin, and Mo Yong hwi remained awkward despite the sun rising and setting five times.

It was not in Eun Seol ran’s nature to just watch the cold and indifferent Na Yerin and the blunt Mo Yong hwi. During the five days she was under their protection, she realized that both Mo Yong hwi and Na Yerin were extremely unsociable. The conversations she had with them over five days could be counted on one hand. She could recite all the conversations they had if someone asked her to. Eun Seol ran could not stand this frustrating reality and was determined to improve their relationship somehow.

But the road to improvement was long and difficult, like a mountain range. Improving relationships begins with conversation, the basis of social interaction. However, starting a conversation with these two was not easy.

If she wanted to have a conversation, Eun Seol ran had to initiate it herself and lead the dialogue. This time was no different.

“Excuse me, Yerin!”

Eun Seol ran called out to Na Yerin quietly.

“Do you need something?”

Despite the very business like tone, Eun Seol ran was not disappointed. She was prepared for it.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

Eun Seol ran asked without hesitation. There was no blushing or such behavior.

“No.”

Na Yerin answered decisively.

“Really, even from another woman’s perspective, you are beautiful. Breathtakingly so…”

Eun Seol ran decided to steer the conversation towards beauty, a topic of interest among women. However, Na Yerin’s response was cold.

“I have no desire whatsoever to attract attention simply because I am beautiful.”

Was the choice of topic wrong? The conversation was facing difficulties.

“Indeed, a beauty like you could probably topple a nation with just a move. Since ancient times, such beauty has been referred to as ‘a beauty that could ruin a nation,’ right?”

“I have no intention of living my life fawning over men.”

Eun Seol ran nodded as if she agreed.

“Right. After all, men are like immature children and fundamentally wolves. Our mission as beauties is to keep men under our skirts and play with them in the palm of our hands.”

Eun Seol ran smiled sincerely. To Mo Yong hwi’s ears, her words did not sound like a joke.

“That’s a radical thought.”

That was the end of Na Yerin’s response. Eun Seol ran felt embarrassed by her own futile efforts. But she did not give up.

“You really are as cold as an eternal ice cap. I wonder who will win your heart… The desperate struggle of men to possess you, the endless duels, envy, and jealousy, and the bloody path that will emerge from this whirlpool of chaos. Excessive beauty is a sin, after all.”

“You are beautiful too!”

Na Yerin’s words were sincere. It wasn’t a lie, Eun Seol ran’s beauty could indeed be considered unparalleled. It wasn’t for nothing that she was sometimes called one of the five great beauties.

“Oh my! Really? I’m so happy!”

Eun Seol ran was overjoyed, jumping up and down. She was excessively cheerful. It seemed that without her knowing, she had made some progress with Na Yerin.

She thought she would like to get to know this lady, Na Yerin, better. The indomitable spirit that Na Yerin possessed was something that many men challenging women could learn from.

“Shall we go out to buy clothes, hmm?”

It was an unexpected suggestion, and Eun Seol ran was the one who had proposed it out of the blue.

“Clothes?”

For Na Yerin, clothes were sufficient if they were comfortable to move in, blocked the wind, sheltered from the rain, and covered the body. There was no need to buy them because she had countless splendid clothes sent to her from all around. However, the colorful silk clothes adorned with various ornaments did not satisfy her. She usually returned such clothes, but she kept some. Not because she liked them, but usually for reasons like, ‘It would be an honor for a thousand generations if you just accept it, so please don’t refuse!’ or ‘If you return it, I’ll just bite my tongue and die right here!’ It was either one of these two situations. Of course, the latter was the most troublesome, and even more troublesome were the extremists who threatened to bite a knife if she didn’t wear the clothes at least once, and the strange types who giggled sinisterly and asked her to wear it just once before returning it.

“Let’s go! Let’s go! Absolutely, let’s go! We must go! So, we’re going, right?”

It was the first request she had made since entering Cheonmu Academy. Na Yerin couldn’t bring herself to refuse Eun Seol ran’s almost coercive request.

And so began Eun Seol ran’s first outing.

“It’s a peaceful place.”

“Of course. There has never been a private fight here.”

At least until yesterday.

In the bustling district of Namchang, there was a quite famous and profitable tavern, the Five Star Pavilion!

On the third floor of this colossal five story tavern, two men were drinking heavily. One, a young man in his twenties, was ferociously devouring the alcohol and lavishly prepared side dishes as if to annihilate them, while the other, a middle aged man in his forties, watched the young man’s incredible appetite in a daze. The middle aged man was a peculiar looking bandit, dressed entirely in red. The two were none other than Yeom do and Bi Ryu yeon.

Yum yum, chomp chomp! Gulp gulp!

An astonishing appetite that no ordinary person could imitate! Despite eating so much that it was hard to believe it was human hunger, he didn’t gain a pound—where did all that food go?

Was Bi Ryu yeon’s stomach as vast as the universe? The more Yeom do saw, the more amazed he became. Already, there was a pile of empty side dish plates neatly stacked up beside Bi Ryu yeon.

How much could one eat when not worried about the cost? Yeom do absolutely… absolutely did not want to see the end of it, even if he were to die and come back to life.

Yeom do stared at Bi Ryu yeon with a terrifying gaze. The cup in his hand seemed to have forgotten its purpose, not emptying at all.

“Why? Do you have something to worry about?”

Bi Ryu yeon, who had paused his eating for a moment, asked.

“Ah… No.”

Although he said no, Yeom do couldn’t bear the worry as the numbers on the growing bill kept increasing. It seemed Bi Ryu yeon was eager to drive him into economic bankruptcy.

His stomach, already upset, now began to bubble like lava. It was a wonder there wasn’t a hole in it.

‘Damn, lost again…?’

If he hadn’t lost, he wouldn’t be here, blowing his own money to fill Bi Ryu yeon’s belly.

Now he was stuck in this detestable role of disciple for the next six months. That was what Yeom do found so unjust, infuriating, and grievous.