Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: The Backer of the Peak Expert (1)
Namgung Yeon?
It was only after the uninvited guest appeared that I realized our situation was far from normal.
The winner of the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly wasn't attending the afterparty and had instead dragged a man like me into her room.
She was fuming without even trying to hide her emotions, and that didn't seem like it would change just because Namgung Yeon had shown up.
I also felt there was nothing good to come from getting involved with Namgung Yeon.
Before, I could have passed as just some random passerby, but now I'd be the strange man who entered Dang Soran's room.
I had nothing to say to Namgung Yeon, and I didn't want to see her anymore.
She was like the key to this world, so maybe I wanted to keep my distance from her to the very end. She was the last person I wanted to influence.
From the start, what could I even do if I met her?
If my help could change something, I'd muster the courage, but how the hell was I supposed to turn a crumbling Namgung Yeon into the world's greatest with whatever I had?
Honestly, I'd already done everything within my power.
Sending her treasures, sending money...
It meant my few words wouldn't make a difference. She already had plenty of people around her saying nice things.
I clamped my mouth shut and gestured roughly at Dang Soran.
It was a signal to send her away quickly.
A signal that now wasn't the time.
"-_-"
Dang Soran stared at me blankly, but I kept flapping my hands without snapping out of it.
"-_-"
When she just stood there, I belatedly realized my mistake.
The moment I showed weakness, this beat started flashing a cocky smile.
"...Why do I have to send her away?"
Dang Soran whispered as she approached.
Meanwhile, Mugyeol urged from outside the door.
"Miss? The Clan Leader of the Namgung Family is waiting."
"Young Master, didn't you just say with your own mouth that we're done? So what are we to each other that I should grant your request?"
"Ugh, I didn't mean we're done forever, just that we're stopping the games..."
It wasn't really because I'd decided to show my true feelings to Cheongwol that I was pushing Dang Soran away.
This was just my preference.
I'd always thought that if you were going to get serious about SM, there should only be one sadist and one masochist for each other.
I was trying to stick to that greed.
Honestly, there was an excuse too. Now that Dang Soran had reached peak expert level, what more did she need, and how much? It was time to stop...!
Cheongwol scared me, while Dang Soran didn't, so Dang Soran had been the less burdensome one to me.
But now that I'd decided to be sincere with Cheongwol, Dang Soran was the one I wanted to push away without burden.
Cheongwol might now be in peril without me.
I still hadn't escaped the lingering echo of beating Cheongwol's real name, Chaeha, alone.
"I don't like word games like that. If you're not even going to play with me, you'll just keep steadily pushing me away from now on, right? Our connection was barely that much anyway, with a beggar Young Master like you."
Unable to say anything, I squirmed awkwardly, and Dang Soran's smile grew wider.
She stood on tiptoe and whispered in my ear.
"And how am I supposed to send away the Clan Leader of the Namgung Family? That would be incredibly rude. If it were the young lady of the Namgung Family, maybe, but now she's truly the Clan Leader?"
"I don't know why you're so troubled, but why not meet her once? You could reveal that I've been your sponsor all this time."
"Ah, no, I can't!"
I spoke urgently again, then realized my mistake.
The more agitated my reaction, the happier this beat's face became.
"Then you need my help now?"
"-_-"
"Isn't that right, Young Master? Should I tell her to come in now?"
Thwack!
I grabbed Dang Soran's arm.
If this went on, not only would I have to meet Namgung Yeon, but my identity as her sponsor would be revealed too.
Being tied as the backer who beat five out of six Demonic Cult thugs for Namgung Yeon?
Everyone knew this was a situation to avoid unless you were a complete idiot.
It was a truth anyone could see without needing sharp instincts.
Knock knock knock knock.
"Miss. Th-the Clan Leader is waiting. Please give some kind of response..."
While I couldn't say a word, Dang Soran dragged me toward the large wardrobe in the room.
It was filled with Dang Soran's clothes.
Dang Soran shoved my back, forcing me inside.
"It's heavy... I'll you beggar Young Master only know how to scavenge food..."
"Miss?"
"Just stay in there for now."
I crammed myself inside and closed the wardrobe door.
Dang Soran's scent surrounded me from all sides, giving the illusion that I was in her embrace.
"Please come in."
Dang Soran said as she unlocked and opened the door.
At her words, the door flew open with almost frantic force.
Bang!
I watched everything through the crack in the wardrobe door.
Dang Soran observed the formalities first.
"Clan Leader. I'm sorry for making you wait."
"Oh, no, Miss. I... I congratulations. I heard you won."
Namgung Yeon, who apparently hadn't witnessed the tournament results herself, offered congratulations based on hearsay.
I swallowed hard as I looked at Namgung Yeon.
"...What?"
Shock hit me like a thunderbolt.
What had happened in the mere days since her first defeat? She wasn't the Namgung Yeon I'd seen before.
Her hair was in a messy updo with strands sticking out haphazardly.
Her haggard face. Eyes shadowed with dark circles.
A hand slowly scratching one arm. Wrapped thickly in bandages.
"-_-"
She was someone you could never see as the savior who would rescue the Central Plains.
A wrecked appearance unfit for the protagonist of this world.
If that was Namgung Yeon's default state, the novel Blood Path would surely have been tagged with heavy yandere wasteland vibes.
It was a cruel and brutal novel, but Namgung Yeon had never been this broken.
My mouth slowly fell open, and my eyes blinked repeatedly.
My gaze went to the bandages on her feet.
As far as I knew, Namgung Yeon hadn't been injured in the tournament.
"So what were those bandages?"
No way. It couldn't be what I was thinking?
Why couldn't she keep her hands still, constantly scratching at herself?
Dang Soran seemed to belatedly notice Namgung Yeon's condition and pointed it out.
"...Are you alright? You must have been deeply dishevelled these past few days."
"H-Haha... I need to pull myself together. I have to get up. For the sake of our family's retainers who I must support. And for those who believe in me..."
Namgung Yeon trailed off, biting her lip as if a painful thought had surfaced.
"...Clan Leader?"
Dang Soran called worriedly to Namgung Yeon, who had suddenly frozen.
Instead of any other reply, Namgung Yeon spat out one phrase.
"...You're disappointed, aren't you?"
"Yes? Why would I... be disappointed in you, Clan Leader."
"No, not you, Miss Dang... My sponsor."
My breath caught.
Even from afar, Namgung Yeon's voice dripped with despair as she murmured.
"You must be disappointed. H-Haha. Even I'd be disappointed in myself."
At this sudden self-recrimination, Dang Soran tried to soothe her rather than probe the mystery.
She'd always put on airs of refinement when I wasn't around anyway.
"I don't know if my words will help... but Clan Leader, your opponent was formidable. It was Cheongwol."
"Haha, yes. But everyone was whispering that I was the only one knocked out in one exchange. When my retainers advised against entering the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly, I defied them and took the stage... only to show such a pathetic sight. It's only natural they look down on me now."
...Namgung Yeon was originally called a dullard and ignored in her family.
That must have been weighing on her too.
That's why she'd worked so hard at her male disguise.
Imagine if it came out that the family's sole heir was a woman. The entire Namgung Family would shake.
Few in the Namgung Family knew her true gender--her parents and a few elders, as far as I knew.
They had probably all perished in the Demonic Cult's raid by now.
Namgung Yeon hesitantly asked again.
"...You're disappointed, right? My sponsor. The one who... sent me so much money... even the Tang Clan's Detoxification Immortal Root... and I got defeated in the first exchange by my first opponent."
Dang Soran glanced at me.
Trapped in the wardrobe, I couldn't react.
"Did you pass on my request to meet them back then? I wanted to apologize in person for my disappointing performance in this tournament... Did you hear back?"
"...They said they don't want to meet."
Namgung Yeon stepped forward in confusion.
"Wh-Why? Are they really disappointed? Do they... not believe in me anymore?"
"It's not like that. For now, they're too... disappointed."
Namgung Yeon's sharp eyes turned to Dang Soran.
"How do you know?"
"I heard it directly."
Then Namgung Yeon whispered.
"...You're here, aren't you? Otherwise, the news couldn't have reached so quickly. Ha... haha. Then you must have seen all of my pathetic state."
I swallowed. Strangely, my throat felt tight.
Dang Soran seemed to realize her slip and tried to cover.
"I won't say more. As I've told you many times, they want to remain anonymous..."
"Ah, I know. I understand, but... Miss Dang, isn't there really no way?"
"I don't think so."
"...You definitely owe me a debt."
The debt Namgung Yeon meant was when Dang Soran had broken off their betrothal, and she'd quietly stepped aside.
Even Dang Soran's face showed bewilderment.
After a moment's conflict, Dang Soran replied to Namgung Yeon.
"I can't burden them just to settle my debt to you, so I'll keep silent."
"-_-"
Dang Soran glanced my way again, cleared her throat, and approached the golden box she'd shown me earlier.
"...Here."
She pointed to the box.
"They prepared this for the Namgung Clan Leader again."
Huh? When did I?
Question marks popped up in my head, but technically, it was meant for Namgung Yeon.
...But doesn't this force me to owe Dang Soran?
That seemed to be her goal--her profile flushed with scheming delight.
Namgung Yeon was startled.
"Yes? For me?"
"Yes. Open it."
Namgung Yeon staggered to the box in disbelief and peered inside.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Th-That's... a golden brick...?"
"They said to pass it all to the Namgung Clan Leader."
Namgung Yeon's eyes trembled.
"...Even after seeing... my state like that?"
"...Yeah. I'm jealous."
"Yes?"
"...Nothing."
Namgung Yeon let out a weak sigh.
"...They must be someone truly capable and wealthy. How could such a person... help someone useless like me... with kind words... and aid me again..."
"-_-"
Dang Soran stared silent. She'd been mocking me as a beggar a moment ago--what was she thinking now?
Namgung Yeon looked ready to cry any second.
No, she actually wiped away a single tear.
Dang Soran, uncomfortable with a crying man, spoke firmly.
"I'll tell the retainers to move the box to your quarters, Clan Leader. So pull yourself together. You have to maintain your dignity. Have you seen yourself?"
"I... I haven't slept a wink lately. Because I feel like I disappointed them..."
"It's not like you lost a lover. Shake it off like a man. So what if they're disappointed? Do you know how many people worried about you these past few days? It's weird for one man to care so much about another's opinion."
Namgung Yeon took a deep breath and stood.
She looked Dang Soran straight in the eye and said.
"So you're a man."
"...Yes?"
"I was curious about my sponsor's gender since I didn't know."
"Hey, you bitch! Stop selling out my info!...Though I'm grateful you're hiding it now."
Dang Soran cleared her throat awkwardly and looked at Mugyeol outside.
"Mugyeol. Escort the Namgung Clan Leader out. And take the golden box too."
"Yes."
At the clear dismissal, Namgung Yeon nodded.
Above all, she seemed relieved that I wasn't disappointed.
And seeing Namgung Yeon like that only added more weight to my shoulders.
Shock upon shock kept coming.
A completely broken Namgung Yeon.
A Namgung Yeon watching my reactions.
A Namgung Yeon trying to uncover me.
It was all a situation that made me sigh.
She was supposed to grow fine without me...
Thud.
Even after Namgung Yeon left, I sat still in the wardrobe.
Creak...
Dang Soran opened the wardrobe.
Her face held a strange sense of victory.
It was a total contrast to before.
"...Come to think of it, Young Master."
"..."
"The connection to your beloved Namgung Clan Leader is only through me. And these days, no one even heads toward An Hwiseong, right?"
"Yeah."
There's the Hao Gate, but can I really trust those guys...?
Last time, they even lost the Detoxification Immortal Root.
"Even now, you'll help Cheongwol instead of me? I'm stronger, richer, and more useful. If you have to choose, shouldn't it be me over Cheongwol? And you know, you've already incurred a debt to me. One box of golden bricks."
"No... you gave it away on your own..."
"Then I'll take it back. Hey, everyone there--bring it here--"
"...Okay, okay, fine."
If I left her, she'd really go back what I'd given Namgung Yeon.
If she confronted her with the attitude from earlier, it wasn't hard to imagine Namgung Yeon collapsing even harder the moment it was taken.
"Young Master. I don't act greedy like Wol. I just keep it from Wol--I... really secret is fine. In return, favor me more... more than Wol--I, you know..."
"...I need... some time first."
I said. Too much info to accept right away.
Maybe my greed to do SM with just one person had already crumbled long ago.
Dang Soran shrugged.
"Do as you like. But I need payment for hiding you today."
"...What payment now--"
"--Pfft. Shall I go reveal Young Master Seejin's identity?"
"This brat...!"
Dang Soran enjoyed watching me get pissed way too much.
Brats like her got more flustered when I showed no reaction--that's what happened earlier.
When I brushed her off casually, she strutted triumphantly.
"So what do you want?"
I stretched my legs out of the wardrobe languidly and slumped powerlessly.
Dang Soran suddenly squeezed into the wardrobe and sat beside me.
"It's cramped. Why crowd in here all of a sudden."
"Give me a gift too."
Dang Soran ignored me and said.
"Yes?"
"Cheongwol's choice... I was honestly so jealous. Every time I saw it, I wanted to rip it off."
A choke? She liked that?
"But I absolutely hate duplicates. That'd just make me second place. Give me something unique, just for me."
"You're rich--get what you need yourself--"
"Ah, ignore this request, and I'll really go tell the Namgung Clan Leader your identity? Don't get mad. I'm not blackmailing you; you're the one trying to ditch me. I hid you from the Namgung Clan Leader without reason and even gave away a box of golden bricks. Even for us wealthy Tangs, a box of gold isn't pocket change, right?"
"...Sigh."
She wasn't wrong.
Resigned, I sighed, and Dang Soran poked me playfully.
Squeezed together in the narrow wardrobe, she cautiously leaned her head on my shoulder.
I'd fed I'd be sincere to Cheongwol, and we weren't officially a couple, so it didn't feel like cheating... but a strange sense of taboo crept in.
This subtle twist in my chest--I still didn't know if I hated it. Anyway, it felt like doing something naughty.
"Aren't you going to the afterparty? You're the Dragon-Phoenix Assembly winner."
"Just a bit. Just a little longer, then I'll go."
Too drained to argue, we sat in the wardrobe for a long while.