“I have no idea. Why Honghwa would say something like that.”
Of course I knew why. Because you said it.
I continued my work, staring blankly at Cheongwol.
She was the one who came to my side tirelessly again today, striking up a conversation.
“Th-think about it. Would I really say something like that? Would I badmouth you like that?”
...You do it all the time anyway.
The surprising part is that you did it behind my back too.
How sincere were you about it?
“You’re... my one and only friend, and I’d do that to you?”
Lately, more and more people had been noticing Cheongwol hanging around with me.
Time to put some distance between us.
“Enough. I’m not in the mood to listen today.”
“Shopkeeper!”
“I mulled it over last night, and the more I think about it, the less amusing it gets.”
I roughly placed a new hide in front of me and spoke.
Trying my best to convey: I’m mad!
“Go home. I need some time.”
“...”
Cheongwol clenched her fists tightly.
I kept my head down, watching those fists intently.
...Damn, seriously.
Look at my pathetic self.
I spit out those words and now I’m just sitting here, watching her reaction.
But how could I not?
She swore she wouldn’t kill anyone, but I still didn’t quite trust her on that.
The fact that one of those small fists could bash my head in and kill me hadn’t changed.
A strange distance had grown between us.
If only I could push her away completely like before, with formal speech.
I had to treat her like a friend, but I wanted to keep her at arm’s length... It was this weird situation.
I was right on the front lines, watching her change firsthand.
Naturally, I didn’t want to be on the front lines.
Couldn’t she just change somewhere else? I wanted to stay in the rear...
Pretending to ignore her, I took the leather knife and tore into the hide with large strokes.
Cheongwol glanced at the knife she’d gifted me, then slowly turned around.
Only then did I let out a sigh of relief, watching her go.
Her back looked a bit forlorn... Nah, worry about myself.
Did I do something wrong?
Who asked her to badmouth me?
With the oppressive presence gone, I couldn’t hold back the grin blooming on my face, and I went back to work with a silly smile.
****
“To the village comes a precious guest. They’ve come from afar, so go out and escort them in politely.”
At Muwol Satae’s summons, the Emei Sect’s second-generation disciples gathered.
Judging by the lively chatter, even the senior disciples seemed to welcome this guest.
Must be someone famous.
‘Changhwa Merchant Guild!’
‘Really? The Changhwa Merchant Guild? I heard their hairpins are so pretty...!’
‘Wonder if we could get one too...’
...Changhwa Merchant Guild?
Cheongwol had heard the name before.
Wasn’t the hairpin Han Seojin had planned to give her from the Changhwa Merchant Guild?
They’d decided on a different gift now, but when would she get that one?
What if he got mad over this and didn’t give it to her?
Cheongwol shook her head again.
Whatever merchant guild came to the village, it wasn’t her concern.
Watching her, Muwol Satae spoke with a faint smile.
“Greet them politely and properly as usual, without rudeness. They’re the ones who will bestow a great favor upon us. Making a racket before benefactors is unbecoming of Emei disciples. Understood?”
Hye-yul stepped forward first, shouting energetically.
“Yes! No need to worry, Sect Leader!”
“...You’re the one I’m most worried about.”
The senior disciples burst into laughter at the light scolding.
But once again today, Cheongwol had no place in that warm laughter.
She stood silently, her gaze fixed elsewhere, as if she couldn’t hear her seniors’ conversation.
Perhaps she truly had no spare attention for it.
Her inner world was burning black.
It was because of what happened with Han Seojin.
His disappointed eyes still lingered in her mind.
“Wol.”
“Yes?”
Snapping back to reality, Cheongwol realized she was left alone.
Her seniors had already finished preparing to leave and were walking away.
“...Ah. I’ll go, Sect Leader.”
As she hurriedly turned to follow, Muwol Satae grabbed her wrist.
“...Sect Leader?”
“Wol. When you return, let’s have a little talk.”
At those words, Cheongwol’s heart sank.
Whenever the Sect Leader called her aside like this for a talk, whether praise or reprimand, it always stirred ripples in her heart.
“...Understood.”
That was the only response she could give.
If the Sect Leader wished it, she had no choice but to listen and obey, no matter what.
.
.
.
Hye-yul took the lead, cupping her hands in salute.
“Emei Sect second-generation disciple Hye-yul, at your service.”
“I am Bang Biyeon of the Changhwa Merchant Guild. It is a great honor to be greeted by the heroines of Emei.”
“Please, no need for such formality, Guild Leader Bang. We martial artists can hold our place in the Central Plains thanks to the help of benefactors like you.”
“Not at all. Rather, merchants like us can travel the Central Plains safely because of you all. We’re always grateful.”
Haha, hoho—the two exchanged courtesies as they walked toward the Emei Sect.
Cheongwol could feel the stares pouring from the guild’s workers.
‘Thousand-Year Flower...!’
‘No exaggeration. So easy to recognize. Truly a flower that blooms once every millennium.’
‘Purity itself, sculpted into human form.’
The low exclamations and whispers directed at her among them reached Cheongwol’s ears clearly, though they were cautious.
Naturally, it wasn’t a pleasant feeling, being appraised like that by those old men at a time like this.
But these people were the important guests Muwol Satae had mentioned.
The ones who would support the Emei Sect.
So today too, Cheongwol pretended not to hear, maintaining her consistent expression.
It was something she was used to.
Ignoring the gazes around her, she thought back to Han Seojin again.
Cheongwol didn’t know what to do.
She was still clumsy when it came to forming relationships with people.
Having only ever been rejected, all she knew was rejection.
She didn’t know how to approach or reconcile.
Above all, having no allies of her own, she’d never badmouthed anyone.
Vent her complaints about Baekhui or Senior Sister Hye-yul to her seniors? It would just come back as arrows aimed at her.
So even when she had something to say, she’d always swallowed it down.
Then, for the first time in her life, she badmouthed someone. To her one and only ally, no less.
And it wasn’t even sincere. She’d just said it to Honghwa for some inexplicable reason.
But those words had reached Han Seojin intact, and now he was angry about it.
No reason to feel wronged, but she did.
Why did it have to catch up to me? Why him, of all people?
What if that one thing made his feelings turn away? What if the affection he’d shown her had gone out?
The fear that flared greatly even from this minor spat quietly gnawed at the depths of her heart.
She was only now realizing that not being rejected didn’t mean they were friends.
In the midst of that, Hye-yul carefully asked.
“Guild Leader Bang, if I may ask, what brings you personally all the way to these deep mountains?”
Bang Biyeon showed a leisurely smile for a moment, then tossed out a joke.
“I wanted to see with my own eyes if the heroines of Emei live up to the rumors.”
“Have we fallen short of expectations?”
“I thought my eyes had gone blind.”
Hye-yul laughed, then waited quietly with a smile for the real reason.
Bang Biyeon dropped the jest and gave the honest answer.
“Truth is, my new companion is here on Mount Emei.”
“Companion?”
In an instant, a soft murmur spread among the senior disciples.
The Changhwa Merchant Guild workers exchanged glances and whispered too.
Being the companion of a thriving guild leader meant sharing in the wealth.
The seniors whispered among themselves.
“A rich person from our village?”
“Who could it be?”
“To think someone like that was hiding here.”
Cheongwol found their behavior ridiculous.
These nuns who claimed to have left the secular world, so easily swayed by money and status.
What did it have to do with them?
Even them coveting the Changhwa Merchant Guild’s hairpins was the same.
Cheongwol had wanted one too, but not because it was from the Changhwa Merchant Guild... because it was a gift from Han Seojin.
A hairpin from the Changhwa Merchant Guild meant nothing to her if it wasn’t from him.
Cheongwol shook her head briefly by herself.
But the nuns kept chattering.
“If it’s a young one, they’ll be popular in the village.”
“You’re still so interested in romance.”
“It’ll be noisy around here for a while.”
Bang Biyeon continued.
“Bringing all these carriages is actually to boost my companion’s momentum...”
...Cheongwol tuned out their conversation.
Thinking only of Han Seojin again.
She could understand his feelings.
If Han Seojin had badmouthed her behind her back, she would have felt a massive sense of betrayal too.
Han Seojin, rejecting her gently with soft words, saying he needed time.
Was it because she knew his true nature?
If he’d just yelled in anger, her heart might have felt lighter, but because he didn’t, she was more anxious.
Cheongwol fidgeted with her fingers, biting her lip.
Her heart ached.
The biggest problem was that Han Seojin didn’t seem ready to accept her apology just yet.
“...Hoo.”
Still, try to relax a bit.
Don’t be so anxious.
They’d reconcile someday.
This wasn’t enough to end their bond.
...Hadn’t they built up a lot of trust playing games together?
If he stayed by her side even after seeing her ugliest, most shameful sides—more than anyone else—he wouldn’t turn away over this one thing.
Before long, they arrived at the Emei Mountain village.
The creaking carriages kicked up dust as they filed into the village one after another.
In a small village like this, strangers quickly became an exciting spectacle.
Merchants mid-trade, playing children, Beggars’ Sect beggars, and even idle elders scratching their bellies—all gathered one by one at the village entrance.
The symbolism of being merchants escorted by the Emei Sect’s second-generation disciples surely played a part.
The villagers watched the guild with curious eyes.
Cheongwol looked at the crowd too.
Was it because of the Thousand-Mile Scent-Tracking Incense?
Even before entering the village, she knew Han Seojin was at the market.
She spotted him easily, and their eyes met.
“...”
“...”
Unknowingly, Cheongwol made a pitiful expression, like she was gauging his mood.
Hoping maybe seeing her like this would soften him a bit.
It was her instinctive attempt at aegyo.
“...”
But Han Seojin seemed more interested in the arriving Changhwa Merchant Guild than her.
His eyes fixed on the influx of caravans.
Still mad, perhaps—he didn’t linger his gaze on Cheongwol.
Cheongwol pressed her aching chest and turned to Hye-yul.
She regretted those careless words from that day more than ever.
“Senior Sister. I’ll head back now. I want to continue my training...”
She didn’t want to stay here.
Ever since she’d protected Hye-yul from Yeongcheon, Hye-yul had been noticeably gentler toward her.
“Ah, alright. Go on. Training is important. Good work, Cheongwol.”
Cheongwol nodded and started to walk away.
In the end, Han Seojin was still a loner.
No need to worry too much.
Who could he get close to if he drifted from her?
No friends coming to visit a guy handling hides on the outskirts of Mount Emei.
Poor, no background. Even village women didn’t approach him readily.
“...Hoo.”
Cheongwol took another deep breath.
Yes. He was lonely and poor.
No different from her.
No woman in the village had recognized his true worth yet.
So in the end... wouldn’t she still be the only one he could lean on?
Time would sort it out.
“Young Hero Han!!”
At that moment, Bang Biyeon’s booming voice rang across the village.
Cheongwol’s steps froze too.
She blinked and turned to look at him.
As if confirming it wasn’t a mistake, he called out loudly again.
“There you are, Young Hero Han!”
...Huh?
Cheongwol blinked several times, trying to process the situation.
But before she could, murmurs began rising from all corners of the village.
“Huh? Han Seojin?”
“Isn’t that the Leather Room shopkeeper?”
“Why’s the Changhwa Merchant Guild looking for the Leather Room owner?”
The situation didn’t wait for Cheongwol to understand.
She didn’t know exactly what was happening, but her heart pounded wildly.
Things were going strangely wrong.
As the crowd parted, Han Seojin stood there with a bewildered expression.
“...Huh.”
The eyes of the entire village turned to him.
It felt like a pearl buried in mud had been discovered by someone.
Like someone else pointing a finger at something she’d carefully hidden away.
...No.
Whatever it was, it couldn’t go on.
Especially now, when they were distant.
“Wait—”
Cheongwol wanted to cover Bang Biyeon’s mouth, but.
“—As expected, you’re an extraordinary man.”
Before she could, the merchant strode toward Han Seojin with a smile.
Then placed a hand firmly on Han Seojin’s shoulder.
“Young Hero Han, are you ready to turn your fate around?”
Someone had reached out to her one and only loner friend.
And with those words, Cheongwol could feel it.
The shifting atmosphere in the village.
The countless gazes now focusing on Han Seojin amid the confusion.
‘...Oh my.’
‘Han Seojin?’
And his name beginning to spread among the women.