“Hey, you crazy bastard!”
Gu Yeong Uncle, spinning round and round, glared at me with irritation as I opened my eyes.
I was lying in the inner courtyard of the Chengdu Beggars' Sect, taking a rest.
“Why’d you go that far, why! If I’d known it’d come to this, I would’ve stopped you!”
“Uncle, I think I’m gonna puke.”
“Tch, Childuk! Quick, get a basin and a cup of water!”
No matter how much he snapped at me, the moment I let out a weak whimper, his momentum died and all he could do was worry.
Even in my dizziness, the sight made me chuckle.
“Ow! Urk!!”
I hurled a basinful into the one Ma Childuk Uncle barely managed to toss my way.
Ma Childuk Uncle, uncharacteristically, rebelled against Gwak Du Uncle.
“Hyung! Can’t you see he’s half-dead? Beat him later!”
But Gwak Du Uncle didn’t back down.
“He’s gonna croak either way, so what’s so weird about me finishing him off with my own hands!”
“Uncle?”
“You mutt, who the hell are you to grab the Poison King’s messenger with your bare hands! Even if you didn’t know about Jegal Yong, you heard it yourself—you could die!”
Dizzy. My ears were ringing too.
I felt like I was dying.
I gave up on soothing the uncle and shot back.
“...I didn’t die, did I? That’s what matters.”
“You...!”
“With the Poison King right there, you think he’d let me die? Huh? Urk! Cough! The guy who played that game with his prospective son-in-law—would he kill him? Of course there was an antidote!”
“Whether you croak or not, what I wanna know is why the hell you did it!! Were you that desperate to beat Jegal Yong? Or did you just wanna ruin Dang Sojeo’s wedding that bad!! Risking your life for something so trivial!!”
The uncle slammed his fist into the ground and bellowed.
“Get your head straight!! You and Dang Sojeo can never be together!!”
“...”
What the hell...
“...Uncle. Your stomach’s bad too—stop spouting nonsense. Urp...! When did I ever risk my life? I knew I’d survive. And when did I ever say I wanted to be with Dang Sojeo?”
“You think I’m a fool—”
“No, I said no! Urk...! Th-there’s just some things I can’t explain! That’s it!”
Gwak Du Uncle let out a long sigh through his nose and grumbled.
“What the hell did you eat to make you this reckless...!! Aren’t you scared of anything, you punk! Watching you is shredding what’s left of my heart!”
...Back in the day, I would’ve been terrified of that messenger too, but my tolerance has shot way up now.
Why fear poison when the antidote’s right there?
Why fear something with a zero percent chance of killing me?
Cheongwol scares me more.
Touching the messenger won’t kill you, but touch Cheongwol wrong and you’re dead.
Dead, for real.
And I’m the guy who survived that.
Amid the dizziness, I grabbed Gwak Du Uncle’s wrist.
Wait, no—it was Ma Childuk Uncle.
“Anyway. The reason I ended up like this? It’s a secret from Cheongwol Sojeo.”
Something told me it wasn’t a good idea.
Cheongwol flips out just hearing Dang Soran’s name.
I’d calmed her down by promising to punish Dang Soran later... but no need to poke the bear.
“That might be tough, Seojin.”
Gu Yeong Uncle replied.
“Ah, come on! When I beg like this, urp...! Cough! Just go along—”
“—Not that...”
The uncle pointed at something, lowering himself to my eye level.
Far across the beggars’ courtyard, a lone figure stood.
I tried to focus, but my vision kept blurring.
But instinctively, I knew.
...It was Cheongwol.
****
“Clan Leader!!”
The moment she crossed the threshold into the clan leader’s quarters, Dang Soran unleashed the words she’d been holding back.
“How could you bring out the Black Ultimate War scorpion there!! What if Young Master Seojin had died!!”
“Explain the energy that settled into his dantian first.”
“Father!!”
Dang Jeokcheon regarded his daughter with an even calmer gaze than usual.
Under that seemingly indifferent yet profound stare, Dang Soran realized her outburst had gone too far.
She often forgot.
To her, her siblings, and the family, he was endlessly kind—but to outsiders, he was a blade as cold as ice.
The moment he deemed someone an enemy, Dang Jeokcheon showed no mercy whatsoever.
Anyone who handled poison needed the resolve to ignore even the dying gasps of those writhing in agony from it.
“...I lent him some of my energy to pay a debt.”
In the end, Dang Soran swallowed her anger and spoke.
“A debt? What debt? Answer properly, Soran.”
It wasn’t just Dang Soran holding back her temper.
Perhaps that was exactly why he’d brought out the Black Ultimate War scorpion.
“You’ve now passed the Tang Clan of Sichuan’s internal arts to an outsider. Don’t think you can brush it off as just the Secret Blood Heart Method. I’m rebuking the act itself. Depending on the situation... I may have to punish you.”
No matter how much her father tried to intimidate her, the image of Han Seojin foaming at the mouth and collapsing fueled her rage.
That scorpion prodding his hand. Han Seojin standing unfazed.
Then his face turning blue, collapsing...
She’d injected the antidote right away, so no real harm done—but seeing him suffer made her chest burn.
And the one who’d done it was her beloved father.
“Are you curious what debt I owed?”
In the end, Dang Soran laid it bare.
“My heart demon.”
Dang Jeokcheon’s resolute eyes wavered instantly.
The corners drooped, his lips parted slightly.
As if he were facing his own nightmare again.
“...Who do you think is resolving it for me?”
Dang Jeokcheon couldn’t answer.
“You don’t think I’m overcoming it alone, do you? If that were possible, I wouldn’t have holed up in my room for over a year.”
“...”
Dang Jeokcheon failed to compose his expression for a long while, then covered his face.
“We’ll discuss that later... This isn’t a conversation for emotions like these.”
“Father!”
“No need to make such a fuss!”
Dang Jeokcheon barked.
“I gave that Leather Room owner the Detoxification Immortal Root long ago. As a gesture for you two to tie the knot amicably. Didn’t you once come crying to me that he was bullying you and beg me to scold him?”
Only then did Dang Soran understand her father’s excessive actions.
Why he’d chosen the Black Ultimate War scorpion of all things—and the extra pain Han Seojin had to endure because of it.
Dang Jeokcheon continued.
“The game itself was the problem from the start. With the Detoxification Immortal Root’s energy, even a sting from the Red Lantern Scorpion would’ve been harmless. It would’ve only disadvantaged Jegal Yong. To make it fair, I used the Black Ultimate War scorpion, which still lets some poison through even with the root... But the moment he accepted those rules, that was the price—”
“—He didn’t take it...!”
Dang Soran shattered her father’s misconception.
“...?”
“That Detoxification Immortal Root! Young Master gave it to someone else!”
“What?”
Dang Jeokcheon wore a rare expression that day—and more than once.
“Nonsense. Do you know what a treasure the Detoxification Immortal Root is that he’d...”
Mid-sentence, Dang Jeokcheon recalled how Han Seojin had stubbornly refused the gift, and fell silent.
Then, as late realization dawned, he whispered.
“So he entered that game without the Detoxification Immortal Root?”
Dang Soran nodded quietly.
Dang Jeokcheon blinked several times before slumping into his chair as if drained.
“...Hah. More disadvantaged than Jegal Yong?”
He blinked repeatedly, replaying the situation.
“Then all of that was...”
Watching her father’s face, Dang Soran landed the final blow.
“If anything happens to Young Master, I’ll never forgive you for life, Father.”
“Soran!”
With that, Dang Soran boldly strode out of the clan leader’s quarters.
As she walked far, she calmed her heart.
First things first—I need to see Han Seojin.
If I’d known he’d pull something like this, I wouldn’t have gone along from the start.
Yet she wondered when she’d started defying his wishes.
Would she have gone this far for him?
His sincerity choked her up, while her heart raced.
There was the clear gap in status she didn’t want to accept.
If Han Seojin hadn’t pushed this far, no such opportunity would’ve arisen.
Naturally, this wouldn’t break the engagement.
But...
“S-So, Soran Sojeo.”
As Dang Soran headed toward Han Seojin, she ran into Jegal Yong.
“Could we talk for a moment?”
Dang Soran, gazing in Han Seojin’s direction rather than at Jegal Yong, replied.
“...No.”
She couldn’t break the engagement, but she’d gained ample reason to show her dislike openly.
She tried to brush past Jegal Yong.
“S-Sojeo.”
But Jegal Yong blocked her path.
Dang Soran calmly looked up at him.
“I know you must be disappointed in me after that display.”
“No. No disappointment. I just realized the sincerity Young Master spoke of toward me couldn’t even overcome a Beggars’ Sect beggar.”
“Urk...! Th-that wasn’t a rational game at all, I hope you understand!”
“Rational.”
“Wasn’t it just a fight where we both lost? In the end, that reckless beggar collapsed too, didn’t he? I just didn’t want to obsess over a mere game and harm myself.”
“I understand. It was a foolish game.”
Jegal Yong’s eyes lit up.
“Th-then...!”
“But knowing it was foolish, you still went along with it, didn’t you, Young Master Jegal? The Beggars’ Sect folks warned you. Said it wasn’t a game for gentlemen. And yet you stepped up anyway, right?”
“...”
“If you knew it was foolish, you should’ve backed out. If you didn’t want to back out, you should’ve proven yourself... Coming to me with excuses after failing at both—doesn’t look good even to you, does it? Charging at a tiger to prove your courage only to get eaten isn’t brave or wise, is it?”
“Sojeo...!”
“I’m not scolding you. Why would I? But since you’re making excuses, I just shared my thoughts. You spoke of rationality.”
Dang Soran whispered to Jegal Yong’s tender eyes.
“Courage and rationality are polar opposites by nature. A brave decision can never seem rational.”
“...”
“And I prefer the brave over the rational. Not the strong—I mean, even the weak overcoming fear for my sake... That sincerity. As a woman, it’s embarrassing to say, but preferring brave men over cowards—isn’t that natural law?”
Jegal Yong had no reply.
This time, Dang Soran passed him by.
She hurried toward Han Seojin.
She’d been worried sick about him.
.
.
.
“Could you leave?”
Guided by the Beggars’ Sect beggars, Dang Soran found Han Seojin in an inn.
She entered the room where he was said to be fast asleep.
Han Seojin lay on a straw bed.
But he wasn’t alone.
A woman stroking his sweat-drenched forehead.
It was Cheongwol.
Without even glancing at Dang Soran, she spoke coldly.
“...Cheongwol.”
“Please leave, Senior Dang. The owner just fell asleep.”
Cheongwol continued caressing Han Seojin like a precious jade.
She gently brushed aside each strand of his hair with care.
...Huh?
For the first time, Dang Soran felt an unease she couldn’t place.
Not the usual envy of wanting what was someone else’s.
...It was like something of hers had been taken away.
As Dang Soran froze, unsure what to do, Cheongwol glanced back at her.
Her eyes seemed to say:
I told you he’s asleep. What’re you doing here? Scram.
But Dang Soran had her own retort.
He ended up like this because of me—what gives you the right to be there?
Who are you to hog the spot by Young Master’s side like it’s yours?
As if answering, Cheongwol whispered.
“With the owner running around to ruin your engagement, if word spreads that he knows you, won’t it make things harder for him? Didn’t that occur to you?”
“Ah.”
That did make sense.
In the end, Dang Soran turned away without even approaching Han Seojin.
As she left, resentment bubbled up.
Fine. He’s not a monk anyway—no need to worry that much.
And even if not, Young Master already chose me over you...
Clinging to that petty joy, she endured.