Chapter v10c6

Na Ye-rin’s Hospital Visit

hmf!

As the ice sword was leaving the pharmacy, his face naturally scrunched up. He could not be happy about this unexpected encounter with Yeom Do.

Yeom Do was startled too, but soon returned to his usual demeanor. The ice sword turned away from Yeom Do’s face as if he found it distasteful.

“Oh really!”

Yeom Do narrowed his eyes and glared at the ice sword, but the ice sword ignored him. It seemed he had decided to treat Yeom Do as if he did not exist in this world.

“Hmm!”

Yeom Do ignored the ice sword in return. A compulsion not to be outdone had seized him. Both stood still, ignoring each other. The place where Yeom Do and the ice sword faced each other was near a threshold that barely allowed one person to pass. It was not a place where two people ignoring each other could pass by at the same time. One of them had to step back. However, neither of them was willing to be the first to retreat. Na Ye-rin couldn’t help but be puzzled by the complex and subtle emotions flowing between the two men.

Still pretending to be indifferent, Yeom Do spoke.

“What brings you here? Did you come to visit the master?”

‘Master?’

Interestingly, the master of the ice sword was not known in the martial world.

The same was true for Yeom Do. So how did Yeom Do know that fact?

Irritated by Yeom Do’s provocation, the ice sword glared at him with a cold gaze. The smirk on Yeom Do’s lips was particularly annoying.

“Isn’t that the pot calling the kettle black? Have you never heard the saying that a dog covered in feces scolds a dog covered in chaff?”

It was a way of saying that they were both in no position to act superior.

“Hmm! Taking out your own inadequacies on others is not very adult-like.”

Yeom Do taunted. Then, suddenly turning to Na Ye-rin, he said, “Ye-rin, have you heard that it’s becoming a common problem in the martial world for disciples to defy their elder brothers?”

“No.”

She had never heard such rumors. However, the ice sword’s face was visibly hardened. Something had clearly disturbed him.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. I don’t want to look at your face any longer, so please move along. How long are you going to block the way?”

With that, the ice sword stepped back. He had realized that further confrontation with Yeom Do was a waste of time and energy.

Only then could Na Ye-rin escape from this bizarre standoff.

“Hmm! Has he woken up?”

Yeom Do gestured towards Bi Ryu Yeon’s hospital room with his chin. It was unlikely he would get a polite answer even if he asked nicely.

“Are you blind? Go check for yourself!”

The ice sword left with a cold chill, leaving Yeom Do’s face flushed. Na Ye-rin couldn’t understand why the two were acting this way.

“Such an impudent and disrespectful disciple!”

Fortunately, Na Ye-rin did not hear Yeom Do’s grumbling complaints.

The unexpected encounter with Yeom Do was truly the worst. It almost made him lose his composure.

The ice sword stepped out of the pharmacy. The refreshing and pleasant air outside was a stark contrast to the intense medicinal smell inside, clearing his head and cooling his reason.

‘What should I do now?’

It felt like there was no way out, too ashamed and embarrassed to ask for help from others. It also seemed better to secretly play the role of Bi Ryu Yeon’s disciple than to be humiliated.

‘If that foul-tempered Yeom Do can do it, why can’t I!’

But his pride was still staging a serious rebellion. It was to be expected. However, he had to kill that pride. Clenching his teeth, if necessary, biting his tongue, a promise was a promise! A matter of honor. Once made, a vow could not be broken for personal pride.

“Ugh!”

As various thoughts tangled in his head, a severe pain struck him again. He clutched his chest. The ice sword lifted his robe to gaze down at his chest. A deep darkness settled on his face.

“Still, you say?”

The mark on his heart area had not disappeared. The blue mark.

Proof that someone else’s fist had shaken his heart! To the ice sword, this blue bruise felt like a slave’s brand.

“What an utterly shameful situation.”

He gripped his chest roughly. The god of fate was too cruel.

Of course, Na Ye-rin had eyes as well. When she entered the hospital room, her eyes widened in surprise. Contrary to what she had heard about Bi Ryu Yeon being in a coma due to severe injuries, he was awake. The moment she saw him, she felt relieved. She was surprised at herself for feeling relieved. Why should she be affected by Bi Ryu Yeon’s health? It was a confusing moment for Na Ye-rin.

Na Ye-rin’s face, which had brightened, darkened again because Bi Ryu Yeon’s complexion was noticeably pale. The lively appearance he had shown in front of the ice sword was gone, and he looked somewhat emaciated and weak. One thing was certain: Bi Ryu Yeon had ‘deliberately’ done this.

“You’re awake, Mr. Bi! I’m glad.”

“Hahaha! How could I stay in bed when Miss is worried about me? It would be rude to stay lying down when Miss has come to visit, wouldn’t it?”

Bi Ryu Yeon weakly smiled and spoke. His lack of strength was evident throughout his body, like a sick scholar exhausted from a long illness.

‘That despicable—’

Since when was he so ill to pretend to be a critically ill patient? Yeom Do was speechless with astonishment.

“You seem worried, Miss Na.”

Seeing him struggle to smile at her, Na Ye-rin felt a twinge in her heart.

“I don’t understand why you think I was worried about you.”

Na Ye-rin spoke coldly, flustered.

“Huh, is that so? Then I wonder why you’re here in this place, where the smell of medicine and pus is so strong. You came because you were worried, didn’t you? Without personal feelings between us, there’s no reason for you to visit here, right?”

His words were true.

“That… That’s…”

As Na Ye-rin became flustered again, Bi Ryu Yeon decided not to corner her further. This was a time when artistic tension needed to be adjusted. It wasn’t good to corner a woman too much, as it could cause too much pressure. That was the rule of romance.

“It’s okay. I’m grateful enough that you came here. Let’s be satisfied with that for now. This was an unexpected outcome, after all.”

In fact, Na Ye-rin’s visit was beyond Bi Ryu Yeon’s expectations. That’s why he was hastily pretending to be a patient. Seeing Na Ye-rin fooled by his momentary acting, Bi Ryu Yeon’s acting skills could be considered quite high.

“Of course, the same goes for Master Yeom Do.”

Bi Ryu Yeon gave Yeom Do a meaningful smile. However, Bi Ryu Yeon’s visibly ill face was too much for Yeom Do to handle.

“Hahaha, what are you saying…”

‘I asked you to do it!’ was something Yeom Do could never say to Bi Ryu Yeon. What Bi Ryu Yeon needed was not his visit but the basket he was holding in his left hand.

“A get-well gift!”

Yeom Do placed the food basket on the table next to Bi Ryu Yeon’s bed.

“Was Master Yeom Do always so thoughtful to bring gifts when visiting the sick?” Na Ye-rin had to feel puzzled once again. The Master Yeom Do she saw today was so different from the one she knew, it was disconcerting.

“What’s all this! I’ll enjoy it.” Bi Ryu Yeon received the basket with a bright smile. Seeing the food seemed to invigorate him. It was something he had been looking forward to.

“Hahaha! As if I had to list down exactly what food to bring!” Yeom Do thought, unable to say it out loud.

“Here! Miss Na, would you like to try some too?”

Bi Ryu Yeon struggled to take out an apple from the basket and offered it to Na Ye-rin. Considering the effort he made to offer it, Na Ye-rin felt compelled to accept the apple. It was an acting worthy of a leading actor.

“Should you be eating such burdensome food just after waking up from a comatose state?” Na Ye-rin asked, looking at the red apple in her hand.

“Huh?” Bi Ryu Yeon seemed not to hear what she asked, his hand busily moving in and out of the basket.

“Mr. Bi? What about the pancake you were holding just now?” Na Ye-rin asked in surprise, turning her gaze back to Bi Ryu Yeon.

“Huh? What pancake? I don’t remember that. You must have seen it wrong.” Bi Ryu Yeon stopped his movements and looked at Na Ye-rin. His empty hand was fixed right above the basket. With a thin smile that seemed to melt away, Bi Ryu Yeon responded. However, Na Ye-rin had seen him holding a pancake just moments ago.

“What’s going on here? No?” It wasn’t the first or second time. It was impossible for an optical illusion to occur several times in a row. When she looked away and then back again, the food Bi Ryu Yeon was holding had changed from the pancake to something else. This time it was a traditional Korean sweet.

Na Ye-rin felt bewildered as if she had been enchanted by a ghost. Looking at Bi Ryu Yeon again, she couldn’t find any clues. It felt as if food kept disappearing into an unknown space.

I don’t understand. Surely, in his current condition, he shouldn’t be able to eat anything solid. It was truly incomprehensible. Yeom Do found it even more absurd.

“That… that monster…” In the brief moment Na Ye-rin was distracted, Yeom Do had clearly witnessed the astonishing scene.

“No ordinary person could eat at such a fast pace! It’s not a trick; he just swallows the food in his hand whole.” It didn’t take long for the basket to empty. Alternating her gaze between the dwindling food in the basket and Bi Ryu Yeon, the main cause, Na Ye-rin said,

“Am I the only one who feels my concern was meaningless?” It wasn’t unreasonable for her to think so.

“Oh! So you were worried after all!” Bi Ryu Yeon caught on to her words.

“It’s a relief that there’s no need to worry anymore.” Na Ye-rin responded coldly, but Bi Ryu Yeon was unfazed.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. And since starting is half the battle, we’re now more than halfway there. We can gradually reduce the remaining distance.” Bi Ryu Yeon was ever so nonchalant.

After Na Ye-rin and Yeom Do left… A short while later.

In Bi Ryu Yeon’s hospital room, there was only an empty basket left. The food that had been packed in it just moments ago had vanished. As a result, Yeom Do had to receive a new list of food to bring the next day. It was frustrating enough to receive the list, but even more frustrating was the fact that there was no money. That money was all on Yeom Do.

“Having starved for three days, it’s only natural to eat three times as much, three times as fast, right? Isn’t that so?” Bi Ryu Yeon said with a grin, shamelessly making his point to Yeom Do.