From the moment demonic energy appeared, the hesitation lingering in the corner of Go Myeong Han’s and the Chengdu Branch warriors’ hearts vanished without a trace.
The first thing Go Myeong Han did was to detain everyone within the Tang Clan to designated locations.
“From this moment on, anyone who leaves their assigned area will be considered a member of the demonic cult and be executed on the spot!”
He realized that stirring up the Tang Clan was beyond the power of a single branch, so he immediately sent an urgent message to the central headquarters of the Moorim Alliance. Until reinforcements arrived, he decided to put all his efforts into maintaining the situation in the area.
The night grew darker under the sharp, watchful eyes of the guards.
Jin Mi Yeon who was disguised as a servant and hiding among the others bit her lip as she searched for an opportunity to escape.
Where the hell has that idiot gone?
Big Shadow, whom she had sent to check on the lab, hadn’t returned. If he had been there, escaping would have been much easier.
At this point, I have to assume he’s been caught….
With no other choice, she decided to act alone. She slipped out from among the sleeping maids and cautiously approached one of the warriors standing guard.
“Um, excuse me, I need to use the restroom….”
“Ahem, ahem! Y-You can’t go alone.”
“Oh, come on, if I wake up the others who are sleeping so soundly, I’ll be scolded terribly in the morning!”
The sight of such an innocent-looking beauty stating her worries could melt even a stone-hearted man. How could a low-ranking warrior resist?
“Please, won’t you just escort me? Hmm?”
“F-Fine. I have no choice.”
Having lured the gullible warrior, Jin Mi Yeon struck the back of his neck as soon as they reached the restroom.
“Guhk!”
With a faint cry, the warrior collapsed unconscious.
Jin Mi Yeon used her technique to transform herself into his exact replica and even stripped him of his clothing, which she wore on her own body.
From then on, everything went smoothly. No one suspected her because she was disguised as a familiar face.
“Just this once, please! Hmm?”
“Ugh… You better come back quickly. If we get caught, we’re both finished!”.
With a plausible excuse and a few silver coins tossed to the warrior guarding the main gate, Jin Mi Yeon successfully escaped the clan.
“Baek Woo Jin… You despicable bastard, even gnawing you to the bone wouldn’t satisfy my anger!”
After safely making her way out to the capital, she cursed Baek Woo Jin, the man who had brought her to this state.
“One day, I’ll make you crawl at my feet, begging for mercy.”
She swore revenge for all the humiliation she had suffered and set out on the mountain path.
“There’s no one more laughable than someone who says, ‘You’ll see’.”
The familiar voice coming from behind froze Jin Mi Yeon in place.
“Besides, I don’t think you’ll get the chance to look to the future.”
Step, step.
Too stunned to even turn around, she stood paralyzed as the man kindly walked ahead, revealing his face.
“A, Ah….”
For the first time, Jin Mi Yeon’s eyes were filled with terror. She stammered, frozen stiff as if she had seen a ghost, while Baek Woo Jin grinned with an endlessly cheerful smile and opened his mouth.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
That you reek.
Baek Woo Jin unsheathed his sword and pointed it at her neck. Jin Mi Yeon collapsed to her knees and started rubbing her hands together desperately as she began to beg.
“P-Please, just spare me! I-If you let me live, I’ll do anything!”
It was truly pathetic and disgusting.
She had killed countless people who begged for their lives before her, used them as material for her experiments, and now here she was, doing exactly the same thing when her own life was on the line.
“You will die here, no matter what.”
He erased the smile from his face entirely and spoke as if delivering a death sentence. But only for a moment. As if it had never happened, he quickly added with a faint smile.
“…is what I’d like to say. But unfortunately, there’s one way for you to live.”
At the same time, the dark lifeless look in her eyes reignited with a desperate will to survive.
“I-I’ll do anything! Just say it!”
Baek Woo Jin crouched down to meet her gaze. His deep unreadable eyes stared into her face.
“I need the list of names. The ones who fell for your sweet lies and corrupted the Tang Clan from the inside.”
It was a crucial item for restoring the Tang Clan as quickly as possible. Now that the existence of the demonic cult had been confirmed, a thorough investigation of the clan would inevitably expose those who had aided the cult in both material and covert ways. But that would take far too long and create unnecessary complications, something he wanted to avoid if possible.
“You’ve already lost everything. If you have that list, I might just spare your miserable life.”
“I-I do!”
She took the bait immediately.
“If you lift the floorboards under my bed, there’s a safe. If you press the buttons in the order I tell you…”
Jin Mi Yeon gave such detailed instructions that it would be easy to find.
Baek Woo Jin stared intently at her face, trying to discern the truth. Judging by the complete lack of composure, it didn’t seem like she was in any position to lie.
“Alright.”
He readily stepped aside. The path that had been blocked was now clear, and Jin Mi Yeon’s face lit up with relief and joy.
I did it, I really did it!
As long as she survived, as long as she made it through this moment…
The humiliation she endured now she would repay it one day, no matter what.
She walked cautiously, fearful that any misstep might change his mind. Just then, Baek Woo Jin’s cold voice pierced the air.
“I’m holding back the urge to kill you, so get lost quickly.”
“Eek…!”
The startled Jin Mi Yeon bolted down the mountain trail at a speed that was hard to believe for someone with no martial arts training.
“What even is she?”
There were no traces of martial arts in her, yet her speed defied all logic.
“Not that it matters now.”
Though curious, it wasn’t a mystery worth solving.
After all, she wouldn’t live for much longer.
“Tsk.”
He clicked his tongue in slight disappointment.
Even among villains, Jin Mi Yeon was a rare breed of evil, the kind one hardly encountered even in the days of heroes. The desire to personally deal with her was overwhelming, but what could he do?
Someone with a more pressing reason than his own had already asked for the privilege of killing her.
***
Jin Mi Yeon ran madly down the mountain path.
Sharp branches cut into her skin, and though she tripped over roots and fell, she quickly got back up, desperate to put even one more step of distance between herself and Baek Woo Jin.
By the time she managed to cross an entire mountain,
Slice.
A chilling sound rang in her ears, and her body tilted.
“Ah…?”
Jin Mi Yeon rolled down the steep slope.
Thud!
She crashed into a large tree, the impact sent her mind spinning into a haze.
“Agh…!”
Groaning in pain, she turned her gaze toward her legs, which had refused to move since earlier.
Blood was gushing from her ankle. The sharp sound she had heard moments ago had been the tendons in her ankle snapping.
“A-Ah…!”
Her eyes filled with terror.
“You have quite the pretty expression on your face.”
Just then, a low voice echoed from the darkness.
It was a voice she knew all too well. Soon, the figure emerging from the shadows was none other than Tang Seon Yeong.
“Do you remember?”
A cold smile curled on Tang Seon Yeong’s lips.
“It’s what you always used to say to me when I trembled in fear in the laboratory.”
The image of Jin Mi Yeon grinning with twisted joy as she looked at Tang Seon Yeong’s terrified face remained a haunting memory, one seared into her mind.
Watching her approach like a reaper, Jin Mi Yeon bit her lip hard.
“B-Baek Woo Jin promised! He said he would let me live!”
Her voice rose in frantic desperation, and Tang Seon Yeong nodded slowly.
“Yes, he did.”
“So then, the promise…!”
“Baek Woo Jin kept his word. He let you go.”
Jin Mi Yeon’s face turned deathly pale. She realized she had been deceived by a cruel wordplay.
Her face shifted rapidly, first pale, then flushed red. Watching her expression change, Tang Seon Yeong let out a soft laugh.
“Fufu, how naïve. Did you really think you could make it out alive with just names on some list?”
The deeds she had committed against the Tang clan were unforgivable, no matter how much gold she offered in exchange. The very thought that a life of such value could be bought with a single list was laughable.
“Y-You wretched bastards…!”
Having lost all hope of survival, she began to spit out whatever words came to her.
“Do you think you’ll be happy? Don’t make me laugh. Sooner or later, that filthy body of yours will drag you and Baek Woo Jin into utter ruin!”
Those words struck a nerve in Tang Seon Yeong. Just when she thought happiness was finally within reach, Jin Mi Yeon dug into the one remaining worry buried deep in her heart.
“Don’t worry. I’ll still live much longer and happier than you.”
With a cold tone, her hand moved like lightning.
Thud-thud!
The hidden daggers flew out of her hand and pierced Jin Mi Yeon’s heart three times in a row as she cursed wildly.
“Kuugh…!”
Jin Mi Yeon coughed up blood that surged backward and her eyes slowly lost life. Tang Seon Yeong watched her fading gaze and waved her hand.
“Go ahead and save my place. I’ll follow after I’ve been as happy as I can be.”
With those parting words, she turned away without hesitation.
Jin Mi Yeon’s final breath left her as she watched Tang Seon Yeong’s elegant figure walk away with unwavering steps. Even in her last moments, she died with ugly jealousy festering in her heart.
***
After finishing the final task, Baek Woo Jin returned to the guesthouse and found Jegal Yeon Ji sitting alone in an empty room.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice he had arrived. Quietly, he crept toward her and suddenly hugged her from behind.
“Eek…!”
“What’s got you thinking so hard?”
“Y-You startled me…!”
She jumped in surprise but soon let out a sigh of relief while pressing a hand to her chest. Seeing her flustered state, a smile formed on his lips.
“You came to find me in the middle of the night… Does that mean you want to sleep with me?”
When he spoke playfully, her cheeks puffed up in protest.
Jegal Yeon Ji untangled Baek Woo Jin’s arms from around her neck and stood up from her seat.
Her bold action left Baek Woo Jin shrinking back instead. As he glanced at her nervously, she shook her head vigorously, then put on a very awkward smile.
“I-I just wanted to see your face before going to bed…”
She lifted her head, and her face, illuminated by the moonlight, was flushed red like an apple.
“Y-Young master Baek!”
Jegal Yeon Ji stretched out her arm and grabbed Baek Woo Jin’s shoulder, which was far above her reach.
“Y-You know, if you do it too much, your bones will wear out…!”
“…What?”
“W-Well, goodnight then!”
Ignoring his confused response, she quickly scurried away on hurried steps.
Baek Woo Jin started to reach out to grab her but stopped himself when he sensed another presence behind him.
A cool breeze blew in from the window, where Tang Seon Yeong was perched on the ledge. She was holding a very special bottle of liquor in her hand.
“Care to have a drink with this noona?”
Her captivating smile seemed to foreshadow a long night ahead.
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