Chapter 8
“Sogyo.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
“Sit down. I have something to talk about.”
Having risen from her seat, Unyeong had decided to start putting her plan into motion one step at a time.
“Sogyo. There’s something I need you to do.”
“Yes, Young Miss. Please, go ahead.”
“But it might be a bit, um, no—more than a bit dangerous. And everything must remain confidential. You must not tell anyone—”
“I’ll do it. Leave it to me, Young Miss.”
Sogyo answered readily, but Unyeong’s expression darkened.
Yes, Sogyo had always been that kind of person.
Someone who would willingly take on any difficulty or danger for Unyeong without hesitation.
That was exactly why Unyeong had agonized countless times before asking her for help.
She liked seeing Sogyo getting along well with Yumo and Hyanga. She wanted to protect that peace.
But Unyeong’s paradox was that peace at Seolga Manor couldn’t be preserved by doing nothing.
If Seolga Manor was not at peace, Sogyo couldn’t be either.
Unyeong calmed her guilt toward Sogyo with that thought.
And right now, there was no one else she could trust to take on this task but Sogyo.
“Sogyo, I want you to go to Wuhan.”
“Wuhan?”
“Yes, Wuhan.”
Unyeong nodded as she replied.
Wuhan was the capital of Hubei Province, located where the Yangtze and Han Rivers met. It was also the central city of the Central Plains, famous for its beautiful Donghu Lake.
And it was the city where the headquarters of the Murim Alliance was located.
From Hongan County, where Seolga Manor was, to Wuhan was about 200 li (approx. 100 km). It would take three to four days by carriage.
“Tell Yumo that a personal matter came up and you’ll be gone for a while. Say I gave you permission.”
“Yes. Understood. What exactly do I need to do?”
Sogyo asked calmly, her gaze deepening slightly.
“First, I want you to deliver this letter. Go to the Wuchang branch of Deungcheon Escort Agency in Wuhan and send it from there.”
Unyeong placed a sealed letter, wax-sealed, on the table and pushed it toward Sogyo.
Upon seeing the recipient written on the envelope, Sogyo asked in surprise,
“You know the young master of the Zhuge family?”
The recipient was none other than Zhuge Dam, the eldest son of the renowned Zhuge clan—one of the Five Great Families.
Being born the eldest son of such a family meant fame came even without doing anything.
But Zhuge Dam hadn’t just been born. He inherited his family’s legendary intellect and had also been born with martial talent.
Naturally, the Zhuge family had great expectations of him and likely poured their resources into his upbringing.
‘Still a smug bastard, though. My dislike of smart guys probably started with him. Yeah, definitely because of him.’
Unyeong’s expression soured as memories of Zhuge Dam surfaced.
What “Young Master”? Just Zhuge the Know-It-All.
“No way. I’ve never even left Seolga Manor. How could I possibly know someone like him? I’m just trying to start an acquaintance.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m saying I’ll try to build a connection with Zhuge Dam. If he replies to the letter, great. If not, it can’t be helped. Maybe next time I’ll send one to the Namgung clan.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean…”
She would have to reach out to the Namgung clan at some point anyway.
‘Anyone who connects with me now is lucky. If they don’t want to, that’s fine too. I’m not in a rush. Hmph. I’m still the precious daughter of Seolga Manor!’
If they responded properly, they might become reliable allies in the future. Even if they didn’t, they were people she’d inevitably meet again someday.
They were all people who would inevitably clash with Cheongung, and among the few she had trusted in her past.
“Deungcheon Escort Agency is run by a Zhuge branch family, so delivering the letter should be easy. Just treat it like a love letter, and they’ll pass it on nicely.”
“…What?”
“Puhaha! That face—you’ve never made that face before.”
Seeing Sogyo’s dumbfounded expression, Unyeong burst into laughter. It was a new expression she’d never seen before.
Likewise, it was the first time Sogyo had ever seen Unyeong laugh so heartily.
“Is that so?”
Sogyo blushed slightly and joined in Unyeong’s laughter.
“Well, that’s that. Next, you’ll need to stop by the Wuchang branch of the Manggeum Money House. There’s someone you need to meet—Cheon Ilhui. No one else, only Cheon Ilhui. And take this.”
Unyeong handed over another envelope.
“Inside, you’ll find the account information and questions to ask. If you recite them exactly as written, they’ll hand over a certificate for a substantial sum of money. Receive it, and then deposit the contents of the envelope you’ve been given.”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
“I’m keeping it simple, but this is actually a dangerous task. Let me be clear. I can’t tell you how I know of this account, or whose account it is… Sogyo, I can’t tell you.”
“That’s fine.”
“Thank you. There’s someone I need to meet. This is the only way to see them.”
“I understand.”
“You might end up in danger.”
“I—”
“No, listen, Sogyo.”
Unyeong cut her off and took a deep breath. Sogyo sensed something change in her gaze.
It was no longer the gaze of a child.
Sogyo had already felt it—that Unyeong had changed a great deal after recovering from her illness. She had been by her side long enough to notice.
But she hadn’t questioned it. Sogyo wasn’t someone who needed to question. She was someone who simply stood by Unyeong and protected her.
“I know you’re a martial artist who’s trained in martial arts.”
“H-How did…?”
“It’s okay, Sogyo. You don’t have to be shocked. Let’s do this—each of us will carry a secret. I also have things I can’t talk about right now. You’ve probably noticed, right? You’re always by my side.”
“Yes.”
“So let’s say we each have things that are hard to explain. Let’s bury them and move forward. I trust you more than anyone. So…”
“I understand, Young Miss. There’s no need to say more.”
“Thank you, Sogyo. And I’m sorry.”
“No, Young Miss. This is what I’m meant to do.”
“Okay.”
With just a nod, Unyeong conveyed many words unspoken.
It had always been like that between her and Sogyo—back then and even now. Even without saying everything aloud, there were things only the two of them could sense in each other.
It was a bond different from what she shared with Yumo.
“Then go safely. More than anything else, your safe return is what matters most.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Sogyo stood, bowed to Unyeong, and left the room. Left alone, Unyeong closed her eyes. The wind drifting in through the window had grown noticeably warmer.
“Spring’s come, and the flowers bloom. A pouch full of coins—under heaven, I’m no beggar.”
She hummed an old song that street children used to sing.
‘It was so close, and I never realized it back then.’
Just recently, Hyanga had been cleaning while humming that same song. The lyrics had no clear meaning—just something children chanted.
Hyanga had a nice singing voice, and Unyeong had heard her sing it over and over.
Then, it had triggered a long-buried memory.
—The song. Yes, it was the song. The answer was in the song the street kids used to sing.
Zhuge Dam, then the Murim Alliance’s Grand Strategist, had spoken those words with a weary expression.
—A song sung for hundreds of years by children, yet unknown to someone like me, raised within a great family. It contained the clue.
The location of the treasured relic sought by the Cheongung faction had been hidden within that song.
—If I had known that song… could I have stopped them from the beginning?
Zhuge Dam’s voice had sounded heartbreakingly sorrowful then. Unyeong remembered thinking she preferred his usual smug face to that pitiful expression.
That version of him didn’t suit him at all.
—Enough nonsense, smarty-pants. Regret won’t change anything. Now we just take them down one by one, right? I’ll go. I’ll start cleaning up the rest. Don’t you trust me?
Unyeong could no longer recall what kind of expression Zhuge Dam made in response.
But she remembered one thing clearly—she was relieved.
This time, she had figured it out.
She had been lucky. Though she knew of the song, she had never heard it, having grown up inside Seolga Manor.
But hearing Hyanga hum it had brought back the memory.
Hyanga, excited, even taught her the full song, thrilled that she could teach something to Unyeong.
“Even if the dragon in the sky blocks the light, don’t worry.
The snow will fall again.”
Unyeong quietly sang the latter part of the song to herself and thought,
‘You were so devastated about that clue. But now we’ve got it before them, Zhuge the Know-It-All. Right?’
Don’t worry.
The snow will fall again.
