Chapter 157 - What's Wrong with Being Misunderstood?

Excitement over the Young Dragon Tournament grew even more intense.

With the start of the main tournament, all the small dueling platforms in the Orthodox Martial Alliance's Outer Hall were dismantled, and a massive platform was erected at the center. Tiered seating was built around it to accommodate a vast audience, allowing thousands to watch the matches at once.

Starting today, the winners of the thirty-two groups would compete in earnest for the championship.

Anyone who reached the final eight was guaranteed a place in one of the Orthodox Martial Alliance's elite organizations. Even those who fell short would have a chance to join the Alliance if they caught the eye of its masters. That made the main tournament truly important to everyone.

Of course, Seo Daeryong was fired up for a different reason.

Something was awakening in his heart as a martial artist. Until now, he had merely been someone who had learned martial arts. Through this tournament, he was becoming a true martial artist.

Even the martial heroes packed all around us did not intimidate him in the least.

He stared only at the opponent he would fight. I said nothing. Through our training, I had already told him everything I needed to say. All I could do now was hope he had learned something from it. I trusted his intelligence.

"So Dang of the Jangpyeong Sword House in Fujian Province!"

Cheers erupted at the referee's shout, amplified by internal energy.

So Dang slowly ascended the platform. His expression and his steps conveyed ease and confidence. With his skill, it would have been entirely natural for him to aim for the championship.

"Seo Ryong of the Western Saber Sect in Gansu Province!"

Another roar went up. The cheers for Seo Daeryong were even louder than those for So Dang. So Dang had been a renowned young talent from the outset, whereas Seo Daeryong was a rising expert from an obscure sect who had taken the tournament by storm to reach the main rounds. The crowd's desire to see a new expert pull off an upset was every bit as strong as its desire to cheer for the powerful.

Listening to the cheers, Seo Daeryong turned to look at me below the platform and sent me a sound transmission.

—I'll make last night's dream a meaningless one before I come back down.

What words were needed at a time like this?

Instead of voicing my encouragement, I gave him a firm nod, my gaze conveying my faith in him.

At the referee's signal, their match began.

So Dang was a martial artist who had been thoroughly trained in swordsmanship since childhood. His attacks were sharp, and his defense was solid. His defense, in particular, verged on perfection. Like an impregnable fortress, it remained unshaken by any attack.

I knew exactly what kind of frustration Seo Daeryong must be feeling. Fortunately for him, it was a frustration he had experienced plenty of times before stepping onto this platform.

'Don't get drawn in!'

Usually, people could not bear that frustration and attacked recklessly, only to suffer a counterattack. Counterattacking was the essence of So Dang's swordsmanship.

If Seo Daeryong could instead frustrate his opponent, he would surely find an opening. But I had not given him that answer. I wanted him to find it himself.

Sword and saber struck sparks.

The spectators held their breath. The moves being exchanged were far too sophisticated for what was supposed to be a contest between promising young martial artists.

Seo Daeryong fought aggressively, but never rushed. He was painting a larger picture of his own. Its title was Patience. He had found the answer himself.

After hundreds of exchanges, he finally succeeded in making his opponent anxious, completing the picture. He had made So Dang think that if the match continued like this and came down to the referee's decision, the more aggressive Seo Daeryong would have the advantage.

That anxiety, turned back on his opponent, exposed a tiny opening. Seo Daeryong did not miss it.

SLASH!

Seo Daeryong's saber cut deep into So Dang's arm. Blood sprayed, and So Dang dropped his sword.

Despite his serious injury, So Dang tried to continue fighting, but the referee stepped in and declared Seo Daeryong the winner.

Cheers erupted for both of them. Regardless of who had won or lost, it had been an excellent match worthy of the main tournament.

After coming down from the platform, Seo Daeryong could not stay on his feet and sank to the ground.

Many people were watching him, but he did not care. If anything, his dazed figure slumped on the ground seemed to make him look all the more human to them. Everyone passing by saluted him with a fist cupped in a palm to express their respect, and some applauded from a distance.

I said nothing. It was not so much because people were watching as because I wanted to let him savor the feeling of this moment fully, on his own.

Among those congratulating him was the woman who had encouraged him before.

"Congratulations on your victory!"

At the sight of her beaming smile, Seo Daeryong sprang to his feet.

"Thank you."

She left with a smile, and he sat beside me again.

"A moment ago you were dying, but now you look ready to fight another match."

After making sure the woman was far away, Seo Daeryong shook his head and slumped down again.

"No, I couldn't do it to save my life. That was truly exhausting. My next opponent will be even stronger, won't they?"

"Probably. Why? Want to give up?"

"Yes. Please send me home!"

"What will you tell everyone when we get together for drinks? That you came back because you got too scared and exhausted at the last moment? Well, Commander Jang and Yi An are so kind that they'll comfort you. They'll tell you you did well enough. But inside, they'll be thinking, 'I would have kept going to the end.' Every time they see you, 'I would have kept going...'"

"Enough."

Grinning, I held out my hand. Seo Daeryong gripped it tightly and stood.

"Thank you. If you hadn't sparred with me, Pavilion Master, I never would have won."

"He wasn't someone you could beat just because you had a practice partner. You did well."

"This really drives a man crazy, doesn't it? When I beat him and the cheers erupted all around me, it felt so damn good."

"Go completely crazy, and you're just a madman. Go just crazy enough, and no one can stand against you. Be just crazy enough."

We chatted about this and that on our way back to the inn, where someone unexpected was waiting for me.

Jin Haryeong was there, eating noodles.

Seo Daeryong and I paused at the entrance. He spoke worriedly.

"I hope noodles are the only thing that young lady likes."

"What's brought that on?"

"Why pretend you don't know? A woman of such high standing has come back just to eat noodles?"

"She's probably here for treatment today."

"Treatment for what?"

"Her pride was wounded."

"You wounded it on purpose, didn't you?"

I could not deny it. At the very least, I was doing my utmost to get close to her.

"It's all because of the Heavenly Mandate Society."

"The problem is that she doesn't know that."

Seo Daeryong went straight upstairs to his room, while I walked over to her.

* * *

Jin Haryeong looked at Geom Mugeuk's hands as he approached. They seemed smoother and fairer than the hand he had held out to her as she hung from a cliff in her dream.

He reached her table and greeted her.

"Your match is in three days, isn't it? My young master's was today."

She really had to acknowledge this servant's ability to get along with people. They had met only a couple of times, yet he spoke to her as comfortably as if they had known each other for years.

"May I sit for a moment?"

She nodded.

"Please be sure to pay for your noodles before you leave today, miss."

"What do you mean?"

"Both the first time we met and the second, you simply left, so I paid for the food and wine."

For a moment, she was flustered. Thinking back, she was fairly sure she had done that the second time. She had been so angry that she had jumped up and stormed out. Had she done it the first time, too?

When in her life had she ever left someone else out of pocket? It was clearly a mistake. Her face flushed slightly. This man kept finding ways to fluster her.

Was that why you appeared in my dreams? To get me to pay you back?

She had intended to take firm control from the outset, but instead he had seized the initiative.

"How much was it? I forgot."

"No, just treat me to noodles and wine twice sometime."

Was he using that as an excuse to see her again? Perhaps this seemingly guileless fellow was a womanizer.

'It won't be that easy. Do you think you're the first man like this I've met?'

If all the men hoping to change their lives by marrying her lined up, they could—with a little exaggeration—encircle the walls of the Orthodox Martial Alliance. Hearing and seeing how they coveted her background and beauty was enough to give her an aversion to men even if she had never had one before.

"I'll repay it all today. Order whatever dishes you want, not just noodles."

"No, I don't want to do that today."

Such a firm refusal from a servant! Feeling as though she had become the maid, she ordered wine.

"I need a drink."

She ordered wine. Only after downing two cups in succession did she bring up what had happened that day.

"To be honest, I was angry that day. Just as I was about to introduce you honestly to my friend as a servant, you spoke first and said you were a junior brother. It made me feel as if I'd deceived my friend, and I got angry."

What would saying this change?

She knew that, but her damnable temperament insisted that she say what she had to say.

She met Geom Mugeuk's gaze.

His eyes were utterly unsuited to a servant. Calm and deep, yet impossible to fathom, they resembled the eyes of her late father and of her grandfather, the alliance leader.

With that gaze, he asked calmly,

"Why do you keep worrying about that?"

At that moment, she said inwardly that she truly hated this side of herself, too.

"Because I don't want to be misunderstood."

"Because you're afraid you might look like someone who looks down on servants?"

"Yes. I'm not that sort of person."

"What's wrong with being misunderstood?"

"I don't like it."

"Have you ever considered that feeling that way might lead you to look down on the other person even more?"

She bristled.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Servants are people, too. They think just as their masters do; they simply hold their tongues. If someone looks down on servants from the start, we can see them for what they are and dismiss them in turn."

"Then are you saying my consideration is worse than the behavior of someone who looks down on servants?"

"No, but let me ask you one thing. Is that consideration for the other person's sake? Or for your own, miss?"

"!"

Jin Haryeong flinched.

"Ah, it's fine even if it's for your own sake. But you shouldn't let it show. Once we notice, we have to take it just as seriously. 'Ah, sharing a table and talking with us is something she has to agonize over that much. She has to make such an effort not to hurt us. She worries about it that much.' We end up thinking things we never needed to think in the first place. All so you can feel at ease."

Jin Haryeong could say nothing. Her face was flushed. It was something she had truly never considered, and she had no idea how to respond.

She felt wronged and angry. No doubt she would only think of what she should have said once she got home, then kick her blankets in regret.

Was this why he had appeared in her dreams?

That thought led her back to self-reproach.

'Ah! I really am selfish.'

Even now, all she worried about was herself. Her pride had been wounded by a servant appearing in her dreams, and she was desperately trying to bandage it with the explanation that he had appeared because he was someone who said such unexpected things.

"You're far too insolent for a mere servant. You should consider it an honor to dine at the same table as me."

After speaking coldly, she added,

"Like that?"

"Yes. Isn't that much better? If I held your position, I'd think the same thing. Most of the people eating here would, too. So do the same yourself. Don't think too deeply about it. You'll only hurt yourself."

After staring at him for a moment, she sprang to her feet.

"No! Who do you think you are to lecture me? You're nothing but a servant, and a young one at that!"

As if putting what she had just learned into practice, she spoke her mind without restraint.

"I concede the point. And it suits you very well. Take this opportunity to remove your mask and live comfortably."

"Shut up, you wretched servant!"

She snapped at him and stormed out.

Almost immediately, Seo Daeryong scurried over and sat opposite him, as though he had been waiting. Apparently, he had been secretly watching from the top of the stairs leading to the second floor.

Sipping the wine she had left behind, he said,

"Fated love always ends in tragedy."

How could Geom Mugeuk fail to know that he was saying this out of concern for him? But the mood did not call for seriousness, so he teased him a little.

"Since when does love come so easily? Even being in the same organization doesn't make it work out. You know that better than anyone, don't you?"

Seo Daeryong had eaten with the junior colleague he liked at Yellow Springs Pavilion once, and nothing had progressed since.

"Do you have to hit me where it hurts? I have young ladies cheering for me, too!"

Geom Mugeuk smiled at Seo Daeryong's pout.

Daeryong, I couldn't have a fated love even if I wanted one. The moment I fell in love, the fate called Hwa Mugi would surely say, With me still here, you dare play at love? As long as that fate is coming toward me, love is nothing but a luxury, just as that drunkard over there is singing. That's why, for now, I don't even have time to feel my own heart, or its beating, do I?

"Investigator Seo, let's just go train."

"Yes! For loser monkeys like us, training is our only hope!"

"What do you mean, 'us'?"

And when he stood up, he realized that Jin Haryeong had left without paying yet again.