“That woman is the Poisonous Phoenix senior…”
“There were rumors that she was absent, and it turns out they were true.”
Only after hearing the introduction did Jang Sam and Gu Wang Soo realize that she was the infamous Poisonous Phoenix inside the academy, and they clicked their tongues in disbelief.
“Guess she really has all the guys wrapped around her finger.”
Jang Sam shook his head as he spoke.
They finally understood the allure of the poisonous flower that rumors couldn’t explain, and why foolish men were drawn to it despite knowing they’d get hurt.
“Anyway, why is she acting like that?”
Gu Wang Soo asked in confusion when he saw Jegal Yeon Ji glaring intensely at Tang Seon Yeong. She had a look filled with a fervor he had never seen before.
Jang Sam clicked his tongue and answered bluntly.
“Can’t you tell just by looking?”
“What do you mean?”
“They’re rivals in love.”
Rivals in love!
Gu Wang Soo’s gaze darted between Baek Woo Jin, Tang Seon Yeong, and Jegal Yeon Ji and started processing the situation.
It was hard to believe.
“Jegal Yeon Ji having feelings for the team leader, that much I knew, but…”
Jegal Yeon Ji’s feelings for Baek Woo Jin were something anyone could easily figure out just by spending time around them, even without wanting to know.
But the Poisonous Phoenix liking someone…?
All the countless rumors about the Poisonous Phoenix seemed to boil down to this one fact.
She was like a flower blooming on a sheer cliff, and those who climbed the steep wall to pluck her found themselves facing poison and could not touch her carelessly.
Men who dared to reach for her often met unfortunate ends at her hands. That was why she was called the Poisonous Spider, and the idea that Baek Woo Jin had finally subdued her was a story too hard to believe.
Jang Sam noticed Gu Wang Soo flapping his mouth in disbelief and patted him on the shoulder as if to calm him.
“Don’t get too rattled by this. There are countless things in this world that go beyond your imagination.”
Tang Seon Yeong did not shy away from the intense gaze Jegal Yeon Ji was directing at her; she met it head-on instead.
How dangerous.
The emotion in Jegal Yeon Ji’s eyes was unmistakably jealousy. It was vicious and clinging, like sticky glue.
Though Tang Seon Yeong was no stranger to the envious stares of other women, this was the first time she felt something quite like this.
I need to be careful… No, what am I even thinking?
She shook her head as if to rid herself of thoughts that made it seem like she and Jegal Yeon Ji were rivals. Then she finally broke their shared gaze and looked at everyone else.
“We’ll be working together on this team mission, so let’s get along.”
“Yes!”
“I’ll do my best!”
Jang Sam and Gu Wang Soo responded energetically to the sweet voice. In contrast, Shin Ye Hwa and Jegal Yeon Ji kept their mouths firmly shut and didn’t say a word.
Baek Woo Jin stepped forward.
“We’re set to depart early in the morning unless there’s a significant change in the weather, so make sure you’re fully prepared and wait for further instructions.”
Everyone nodded their heads.
“That’s it for today’s training. I have to discuss the schedule with Miss Tang, so clean up and head back to rest.”
Baek Woo Jin and Tang Seon Yeong exchanged glances before turning away, but just as they were about to leave, Jegal Yeon Ji who had been silent the entire time stepped in front of them.
“I… I want to go too.”
Her eyes were more intense than ever and were filled with fierce longing.
“I-I’m the strategist, right? So I need to know too.”
Baek Woo Jin gently patted her head with a broad smile.
“Yo-Young master Baek…!”
Jegal Yeon Ji grew surprised and spoke in a flustered tone, to which Baek Woo Jin replied with a smile:
“It’s because you’re doing so well. You’re admirable.”
He had already sensed it earlier. She was making a genuine effort to become a true strategist.
She was right. As the strategist of the team, she needed to be fully aware of the schedule, the destination, and the route, even if no one else did.
“Let’s go together.”
As Jegal Yeon Ji naturally joined in, Shin Ye Hwa was unwilling to be left out and jumped in as well.
“Can I… can I go too?”
“No.”
Baek Woo Jin answered firmly.
“Uuu…”
Looking at her face which was now on the verge of tears, he continued speaking.
“Ye Hwa.”
“Mhmm?”
“You know that everyone has their own limits to what they can do, right?”
She nodded her head silently. She knew that her presence wouldn’t be of any help; after all, her real reason for wanting to join was to keep the two women away from Baek Woo Jin.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. While everyone else was moving forward, she felt as if she was stuck, spinning in place.
“What do you think is the best way for you to help our group?”
What embarrassed her most was his tone.
Shin Ye Hwa still viewed and acted toward him as her childhood friend rather than her leader. But Baek Woo Jin was different. No, he was changing.
To him now, she was no longer a childhood friend but just another member of the team. His stern and scolding tone made that painfully clear.
“I, I…”
How can I be useful to this team?
She had never thought about it before.
She looked at Baek Woo Jin with a gaze full of sadness. The face that had once been so familiar had grown, now that of an adult.
She realized that she alone had remained stuck in their childhood.
“I….”
It couldn’t go on like this.
To stand beside Baek Woo Jin, she couldn’t just grab his ankle to stop him; she needed to match her steps to his stride.
Didn’t she already resolve herself?
To change herself solely to win his favor.
How can I make Woo Jin look at me…?
The only way she could lighten the burden on his shoulders as a teammate, no matter how much she thought about it, there was only one way.
Her eyes, which had been lost and wandering, began to shine with newfound clarity.
And the light in her eyes, which had just begun to break free, turned toward Baek Woo Jin.
“Will get stronger.”
In a small group of members, Baek Woo Jin said he wanted reliable teammates who could watch his back in life-or-death situations.
His previously stagnant progress went away and he reached the peak master level. He reached a level she knew she could never match.
Would Woo Jin ever be able to trust her to watch his back?
That couldn’t be. How could he rely on someone so much weaker than himself?
She wiped away the small teardrops pooling at the corners of her eyes with her sleeve and spoke again.
“I will get much stronger than I am now.”
Baek Woo Jin’s lips curled slightly as he looked at her.
“Then where should you be right now?”
With the hesitation cast off, she answered confidently.
“Right here.”
At her correct answer, Baek Woo Jin finally let go of the restraint he’d been holding onto and his lips stretched into a wide smile.
“That’s the right answer.”
The moment she saw his smile, Shin Ye Hwa felt as if her heart had stopped.
It had been a long time.
It had been so long since he had shown her such a bright smile.
It’s so warm.
It was as if she was standing close to a roaring fire; the warmth scorched her skin. The sensation was so intense it felt like insects were crawling on her hand as if she were reaching toward a place too hot for anyone to touch.
It was an addictive feeling. If it meant seeing that smile, if it meant experiencing that sensation again, she felt a surge of determination welling up from deep within her.
I’ll do it. I’ll make it happen.
She looked up at Baek Woo Jin with a burning expression. Her eyes were rapidly filling with something new.
“I’m expecting great things from you, so give it your all.”
“Mhmmm…!”
Baek Woo Jin tilted his head slightly at the voice that sounded a bit different than usual before turning away.
Shin Ye Hwa watched Baek Woo Jin and the two others as they left the training room, but instead of seeing them off, she gripped the crescent sword that was leaning against the wall of the training room and her expression hardened.
***
The day had finally come.
The sky, where the sun had risen, was high and blue. Although the weather was still a bit cold, it wasn’t enough to need to button up one’s collar; it was that kind of day.
They had to go through quite a few twists and turns to get to this day.
Even with twenty members, it would be a challenge to subdue demons. Yet, the newly formed Divine Dragon team, with only five members, was determined to go on a demon hunt. Even though every instructor they met urged them to reconsider this mission.
It was somewhat funny.
It was a world where even the slightest argument could lead to a sword fight. The intention to protect these promising late-blooming talents, these future pillars of the martial arts world, from a senseless death was certainly good, but overprotection also had to have its limits.
If that’s the case, they might as well raise us in a greenhouse.
That was all they could do. The decision-making power for team requests rested solely with the team leader, and so did the responsibility that came with it.
Earning honor through dangerous missions or losing one’s life. These were things the team leader and the members who followed him had to bear.
Baek Woo Jin and the Divine Dragon team gathered at the gate.
“I trust you all have prepared perfectly.”
“Do not worry. I’ve made sure to prepare thoroughly so that I can perform divination even outside…”
He’s really something, this punk.
Feeling uneasy, Baek Woo Jin signaled to Gu Wang Soo with his eyes.
“Search his belongings.”
“Alright.”
Gu Wang Soo moved like a flash and attacked Jang Sam from behind.
“W-What are you doing now?”
“Stay still!”
In an instant, the two who had been so close became enemies.
Gu Wang Soo immediately opened the bundle he had snatched from Jang Sam and examined its contents.
Inside were various items, including books on physiognomy and feng shui, divination rods used for fortune-telling, and tools like incense sticks.
The only item that could be used for camping was a single piece of flint, and the rest were indeed things for fortune-telling, just as he had said.
Baek Woo Jin muttered in disbelief.
“This guy is a complete nutcase.”
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