By the time the morning training wrapped up, I was drenched in sweat. Moyong Jegeom, my master, was so taciturn it sometimes felt like he shouldn’t even be allowed to teach. Praise was practically unheard of.
But today, he let out the briefest comment, almost as if it slipped out.
“A disciple’s progress is also a blessing.”
Honestly, hearing praise from these Moyong Clan bastards shouldn’t make me happy. But weirdly, it didn’t piss me off either.
Or to be more honest — yeah, it just made me happy. I knew better than anyone how much of a pretty piece of trash this body had been. Seeing any real progress was something else.
I was getting closer to breaking out of here.
My steps felt light as I headed toward my quarters. That’s when I spotted a familiar figure in the distance. Tall, broad-shouldered, wearing green robes. Dang Iheon.
As soon as he saw me, his face brightened, and he strode over. The other man standing by him, also from the Dang Clan, just gave me a polite nod and didn’t approach.
“Yeonhwa. Finished training for the morning?”
“Yeah. You off investigating again?”
“Mm. Things aren’t looking great, so we’re trying to speed it up, but it’s not easy. I’m worried we’re causing too much trouble for the Clan Head.”
Honestly, it’s not like this sprawling Moyong Clan was running out of buildings or starving for rice. Also — not my fucking problem.
Still, I knew better than most what it was like to be chasing something for so long away from home. Naturally, I felt a bit of sympathy. The bastard really was working hard.
“If you need help, just say so.”
I reached out and gave those sturdy shoulders a light pat. Dang Iheon’s eyes went wide.
“You’d help me?”
“If it’s something I can help with, sure. Why’s that so surprising? I still owe you, don’t I?”
He seemed to mull it over, genuinely confused. Then he asked,
“You owe me? Since when?”
“You bought me that wine. And… well, in the process, I kinda… uh, caused a bit of a scene.”
At that, Dang Iheon let out a soft laugh. Clearly remembering it. Ugh, embarrassing. What’s he laughing for. Though, to be fair, I’d probably laugh too.
He waved it off lightly.
“‘Caused a scene?’ Not at all. I was happy just to drink with you that night. Just… maybe try not to do that in front of everyone.”
I agreed so hard I let out a long sigh and nodded.
“Yeah. Think I’ll stay off booze in this life, just to be safe.”
“You can still drink with me. Ah — not weirdly. I mean, just relax around me if you want.”
“Yeah, thanks. If I ever feel like I’ll die without a drink, I’ll come find you.”
I gave him a big grin and nodded. Not like I actually planned to drink even around him, but… it was nice of him to say.
We were about to part ways when he seemed to remember something.
“Oh, by the way — I heard Sohae’s returned.”
Somehow it felt like everyone but me knew Moyong Sohae. I nodded, eyeing his face. Unlike Sahyeon or Hyangah, he didn’t seem wary of her at all.
So I probed.
“So you’ll be seeing her again after a long time too, huh?”
“Yeah. Haven’t really since we were kids. I don’t remember well, but… wasn’t she kind of demure? Still like that?”
“Eh… guess so.”
Hell if I knew. I only met her yesterday. So basically we both didn’t know.
And sure enough, speak of the devil. There was Moyong Sohae, approaching.
Today she was dressed a little more plainly than yesterday. Which only meant there were fewer ornaments on her clothes — the fabric still screamed high-end.
She had at least six or seven attendants trailing behind her.
When she spotted us, her face lit up with what looked like genuine delight. But she seemed to only see Dang Iheon, greeting him with practiced grace.
“Young Hero Dang, it’s been so long. I’d heard you were here, but what a pleasant surprise to meet you like this. Have you been well?”
Her clear, ringing voice delivered a perfectly formal greeting. Dang Iheon looked briefly startled but then smiled.
“Ah, yes, I’d heard you’d returned. Truly, it’s been a long time. I’ve been well, thanks to you. I heard you were at the temple — seeing how peaceful you look now, I’m sure it bodes well for the Moyong Clan’s future.”
That actually surprised me a bit. Dang Iheon often seemed like a bit of a dumb puppy in front of me, but here he was, smooth as anything.
They traded a few more polite lines in that refined tone of theirs.
It all sounded like meaningless fluff to me, but apparently they couldn’t get to the point without these rituals.
I was going to say something to Sohae if she happened to look my way — like maybe clear up yesterday’s awkwardness. But she never even glanced at me. Her eyes stayed locked on Dang Iheon.
Well, it’d been ages since they’d met. Maybe they had a lot to catch up on.
“Talk all you want. I’m off.”
I slung my wooden sword over my shoulder and left. I heard Dang Iheon call after me, but couldn’t be bothered to turn around.
I needed breakfast. I was starving.
***
“You tend to lean a little to the right, my lady. How about shifting your balance left?”
“…”
My good mood was steadily dying thanks to that bastard.
I’d told Sahyeon countless times not to come to this secret spot when I was training in the afternoon, but did it stick? Not a chance. In fact, he seemed to purposely show up only during my practice hours, dropping the mask and lounging around like this. Annoying piece of shit.
Still, it wasn’t like he was entirely useless. Having someone to talk to wasn’t the worst either, so eventually I just gave up.
“He doesn’t really seem like such a bad person.”
I thrust forward one last time, powerfully, just like Sahyeon showed me. I didn’t say who I meant, but of course he knew immediately.
Lying back in the grass, a blade of it dangling from his lips, he laughed.
“Sure, from your perspective.”
“Not from others’?”
“Could be. Could not be.”
“Even a dog could give an answer like that. You’d starve as an information broker.”
I meant that. Sahyeon burst into loud laughter, then stood up and brushed the grass off himself.
“You even worry about my meals. That’s why you’re so entertaining.”
He stepped over and flicked something off my forehead. Probably a stray hair. I flinched back but he was faster.
I smacked his hand a beat too late. Staring at that smooth face — always hidden behind a mask — I grumbled.
“I’ve got my own shit to worry about. Why should I fret over whether you eat? And why does everything with you end in me being some kind of joke?”
“Being amusing and being ridiculous aren’t quite the same.”
Yeah right. Either way, it meant he was laughing at me.
I dropped my wooden sword, wandered into the shade of a tree, and flopped down. Right where Sahyeon had been lying. The grass was cool against my sweaty neck.
He soon came back and sat beside me.
“I appreciate the concern, but I meant what I said earlier.”
“What.”
“That it could go either way. Moyong Sohae has a reputation that splits sharply. I haven’t dealt with her myself, but from what I’ve found out, she’s skilled at managing people.”
I thought that over. It sounded weird. Usually someone good at managing people had an overall positive reputation, didn’t they?
Sahyeon added, like he’d read my mind.
“If someone’s not particularly useful to her, or can’t demonstrate their worth, she’ll probably be pretty ruthless.”
“…Ah.”
Well, that explained how her reputation could be so extreme.
I — or Seol Danhae — had always just had a uniformly horrible reputation, so I couldn’t quite relate.
“But still, I didn’t think she was all that bad. Just hard to deal with.”
“Even if there’s a good chance she doesn’t particularly like you?”
“Yeah. It’s not like she slapped me out of nowhere. Didn’t draw a sword either. No need to start fearing people just because of gossip. Of course, I’ll stay somewhat on guard.”
And really, what could that delicate girl actually do? Even if I’d only been training for a short while, I could probably stop her with a finger.
A soft breeze teased my forehead. Sleep tugged at me. This would be the perfect time for a nap — except I’d never fall asleep in front of that bastard. I forced my eyes wide open.
Sahyeon laughed quietly.
“If you’re sleepy, just sleep. I could even carry you off somewhere gentle…”
“Not happening. Shut your damn mouth.”
“Yes, yes.”
Honestly, he was a damn pro at needling me. I muttered curses and curled over on my side, turning my back to him. Then he spoke, and I could feel his gaze drilling into the back of my skull.
“So, you don’t judge people without experiencing them yourself.”
Did I? I thought about it.
Yeah. I didn’t like judging people I hadn’t dealt with directly. Because people had always gone overboard hating me for my inflated bad reputation. No reason for me to do the same.
Besides, worrying over rumors was a pain.
“Yeah, guess that’s about right.”
Sahyeon fell silent at that. Then, suddenly, he asked something out of nowhere.
“Then what kind of person do you think I am?”
“You?”
“Yeah.”
That was hard. Or really, I was about to unleash a flood of insults when I found myself hesitating.
Was he really that awful?
Sure, first impressions were the worst. He was still the most likely to ruin my safe escape and current peace. Always smirking, unreadable, teasing me. Shady and annoying as hell.
But looking back, he’d also subtly helped me plenty. Got me out of scrapes with brats by making excuses, somehow sensed trouble and gave me an out. We were the only ones who vaguely knew each other’s secrets, so we had a weird space to talk. He’d shown me this hidden spot, sometimes even corrected my swordsmanship.
Sahyeon waited patiently, even though I was quiet for ages.
God, why was this so hard to answer. Why was I even seriously thinking about it?
I stared pointedly at the empty air where he wasn’t and snapped.
“Dunno. Maybe tell me who the fuck you are first before asking shit like that, you arrogant bastard.”
A moment later, I heard him laugh softly. I curled up tighter on my side.
I almost looked back at that smug face. Almost. But my better judgment held me steady. Looking might just lead to more annoying questions.
