Leaving Han Seojin, who was trying to stop her, behind, Cheongwol forcibly squeezed her way into the Leather Room.
Now it was a space that no longer felt unfamiliar.
She had gone in and out several times, and the layout was already familiar.
But strangely, every time she came, her heart seemed to pound even harder than before.
Thick dust smell. Floorboards with gaps at the seams.
Rays of light streaming in through the crudely pierced walls.
Chilly air. The basement door in the corner.
The distinctive smell of leather and... Han Seojin's scent, which she was gradually coming to recognize.
"...Don't you ever ventilate this place?"
Instead, she perked her nose even more, carefully distinguishing the scent.
The Leather Room was divided into two spaces.
A thin plank wall in the middle of the square shelter separated the shop area from the living space.
The shop area's window was wide open, with a small chair where Han Seojin could sit placed nearby.
In contrast, behind the plank wall, the living space held just a small bed, a small chest, and the door to the basement.
The moment Cheongwol stepped into the shop, Han Seojin closed the large window on the shop side.
With that sound, the air inside the room grew strangely more stagnant.
"Wh-which part of 'don't come looking for me' didn't you understand? There are still plenty of eyes around, and you're doing this? Even the Tang Clan retainers haven't left yet...!"
Han Seojin pressed her sharply.
Cheongwol felt embarrassed and couldn't muster a reply.
She had come swept up in impulse, without any plan for what to say.
She wasn't even sure herself what she wanted by coming here.
She had vaguely hoped for some refreshing conversation, but no matter how she looked at it, this was the kind of behavior that wouldn't earn her kind words.
Even so, she had wanted to come. Her heart had pulled her here.
...No, if she were being a little more honest...
"...The Emei Sect felt suffocating, so I came to you."
"Haa..."
Cheongwol hesitated, then carefully turned to face Han Seojin.
He was standing closer than she expected.
Sure enough, the taller Han Seojin was gazing down at her.
She felt a strange pressure.
In a fight, she wouldn't stand a chance against him... but it wasn't something so simple.
His gaze. His presence. His aura... all of it was gradually wearing her down.
"Isn't the Emei Sect like home to you, Disciple Cheongwol?"
"...But it's still suffocating, so maybe my heart demon led me here?"
"No, if that's the case. You should leave the Emei Sect... no, you can't do that."
Cheongwol took in Han Seojin from close range.
An inexplicable fluffy sensation stirred near her heart.
She had no idea what it was, but it didn't feel bad.
It was a kind of feeling she never got even after grueling training when she finally slept deeply, or when closing her eyes to the wind at Reflection Hermitage, or even when basking in the pride of victory in a spar.
Perhaps this serene sensation was why she had come to see Han Seojin.
Han Seojin was frowning.
Yet even that didn't look bad to Cheongwol.
He was troubled by the situation, but a smile rose on her face instead.
Seeing the troubled Han Seojin, Cheongwol let out a soft "pfft" of laughter and whispered.
"...You're ugly."
"Pardon?"
"With your face all scrunched up like that, you really look ugly, Shopkeeper."
Han Seojin turned his head in disbelief and let out a sigh.
Even so, bothered by it, he carefully smoothed out his furrowed brow.
Cheongwol found that even cuter—
"...!"
Cheongwol realized what she had just thought and shook her head.
Even then, she felt swept by the urge to tease him back, now that he was teasing her.
Cheongwol, who had never known how to play around, finally understood why people joked in moments like this.
"So that's why you're such a loner, Shopkeeper."
She kept at it relentlessly.
Somehow, knowing he was a loner like her now felt good.
"It's not my looks—it's because I'm poor."
"In my eyes, it's definitely because you're ugly."
"...How is it that all you Emei Sect nuns say the exact same thing?"
"..."
Cheongwol blinked for a moment.
Her thoughts stalled briefly.
"...You know other Emei Sect nuns?"
"Why, that little girl. Her name... no, I keep forgetting."
Feeling a faint sense of relief, Cheongwol replied brightly.
"Ah, you mean Honghwa. Honghwa said that too?"
Han Seojin let out a chuckle.
"If anything, she said it even more."
"See? They all think so."
"You Emei Sect disciples being so chaste seems like a bunch of lies now, too."
Cheongwol covered her mouth and let a gentle smile slip out.
Han Seojin's eyes quietly watched her smile.
"..."
In that instant, Cheongwol sensed it.
Just now, Han Seojin had thought she was pretty.
Having drawn so much attention from the world, Cheongwol could pick up on that much.
But what was different this time was that she felt a little shy.
Being seen as beautiful was nothing new, but this time felt strange.
Han Seojin soon scratched his head vigorously and looked away.
Then he spoke.
"Anyway, if you keep breaking our agreement like this, it's a problem for me too. I clearly said I wouldn't help if—"
"—This time was special. There was the match, too."
Cheongwol cut in before Han Seojin could finish.
"What does the match have to do with anything?"
Right on cue, Han Seojin got pulled in.
"Before... because of the advice you gave me."
Rolling his eyes, Han Seojin continued as if it made no sense.
"...You didn't listen to a single bit of what I said—not even as much as an ant's shithole. No, even normally, you don't hear a word I say. You're the first person I've met who ignores me this badly. And now you come here even though I told you not to—"
"—It helped a little."
Cheongwol interrupted him again.
"And, Shopkeeper, you were thrilled that I won—so why act like it wasn't a big deal now?"
"..."
This time, Han Seojin's mouth snapped shut.
Cheongwol lifted the corner of her mouth, as if she had been waiting.
"Right? You were so happy back then, Shopkeeper."
As he retreated, a provocative thrill bubbled up in Cheongwol's chest.
She took one more step toward him.
And whispered.
"...Nothing to say?"
She didn't desperately crave it... but if the chance arose, she wanted to hear it—even outside the basement.
Not that sticky praise, just... a simple word or two.
Words heard here might land even harder. Each one would sink in deeper.
Han Seojin hesitated for a long while before finally muttering softly.
"...Well... you... did well."
Even before the words finished, one corner of Cheongwol's heart blazed hot.
Ah. What now.
At Han Seojin's words, Cheongwol thought to herself.
...She wanted to go down to the basement.
Her body grew hot.
Because in the basement, she felt she could hear his even more honest feelings.
Dealing with people, when was the last time she felt this at ease and positive?
To Cheongwol, people were all creatures who only deepened her worries.
Some demanded she meet expectations, others required hiding her true self, some needed smiles, others sternness...
Every one of them left her exhausted just being around them.
Han Seojin was the exception.
With him, she felt at ease for no reason.
No need to force a fit or put on a show. It was just... natural.
Cheongwol hesitated, then carefully parted her lips.
It should have gotten familiar by now, but suggesting it always felt oddly embarrassing.
"...Shopkeeper, shall we..."
"...?"
"...go down to the basement?"
Han Seojin froze for a moment, then asked back.
"...Why?"
It wasn't unexpected.
She answered.
"Heart demon resolution..."
For a moment, Han Seojin stiffened in disbelief.
Cheongwol was already preparing an excuse to tack on when Han Seojin spoke.
"But, Disciple Cheongwol. Uh... don't you not need me anymore now?"
"...What?"
Han Seojin said.
"You, you're smiling way more than before. Th-the heart demon doesn't seem as bad anymore. Do you really still need to keep resolving it?"
"..."
...Huh?
Cheongwol had no reply to Han Seojin's words.
It had definitely started as a way to resolve her heart demon.
She had endured all that initial humiliation and shame for exactly that reason.
It had helped, without question. She had felt relief and freedom through the act.
...So what about now? It helped, it's resolved... then why does she need it still?
Once the heart demon was fully gone, would that mean the end of her connection to Han Seojin?
"..."
...Darkness flooded her heart in an instant.
Her fingertips trembled faintly.
She felt a precarious void, as if something vital might slip away.
"...Still not enough."
Unknowingly, she whispered in a voice sunk far too low.
Han Seojin panicked and rushed to reply.
"Y-yeah, of course. Sorry. Uh... but our agreement was clearly ten days... and I'm not prepared at all to start right now..."
Seeing Han Seojin hastily swallow his words, her heart eased a little more.
Bewildered by her own heart's reaction, she awkwardly pressed a hand near her chest and replied.
"I... I was just throwing it out there. Today isn't about resolving the heart demon—just... a short chat or—"
At that moment, a sound that never should have come rang out.
The door opening.
Before Cheongwol could react, Han Seojin grabbed her and urgently shoved her behind the plank wall.
Incredible reaction speed.
Cheongwol tumbled onto Han Seojin's bed.
"Oh, closing up shop for the day."
Han Seojin called out to the visitor on the other side of the plank.
Unconsciously, Cheongwol held her breath too.
Her heart pounded once more.
"...Awkward reaction. Usually, people startle at the sight of my face."
A familiar voice struck Cheongwol's ears.
Her heart beat even harder.
Why... is she here?
"Ah... ahahaha!! Th-this is!! S-startled! G-greetings to you, Miss Dang...! Wh-what brings you to this rundown Leather Room..."
At that moment, Dang Soran's voice shifted.
"...What's your name?"
A whispery tone.
"Y-young hero isn't the type to—"
"—Your name."
...Don't tell her.
For some reason, that's what Cheongwol thought.
"...Han Seojin."
The door shut again.
Silence filled the room.
"...Wol-ah."
Dang Soran continued.
Cheongwol's breath caught.
"...If there was a way to resolve your heart demon, I could have told you."
****
Hao Gate's Sichuan branch deputy leader, Wi Chang.
He had trailed the Tang Clan retainers, disguising himself and his men as merchants to infiltrate Ami Mountain.
Bundling up their loads, they moved through the streets here and there, keeping watch on the Emei Sect.
Especially Cheongwol and Soun.
But it wasn't as easy as it sounded.
Soun and Cheongwol hardly ever left the temple.
In the end, Wi Chang seeded his men throughout the village and gathered local rumors himself while biding his time.
Then, Wi Chang scrapped his plan entirely.
He decided after Dang Soran and Cheongwol's match.
What he had expected to be mere entertainment turned out subtly extraordinary.
Especially Dang Soran.
She was a standout figure even in the Central Plains, one of the most anticipated later-generation talents.
And she had lost.
The look on her face afterward... wasn't mere regret or anger.
It felt... dangerous somehow.
As if she suffered from a heart demon too.
Maybe that's why he sensed something ready to burst.
Surveilling Soun and Cheongwol was plenty with his subordinates.
His gut told him the real prize lay with Dang Soran.
And that moment arrived.
Wi Chang spotted Dang Soran bolting out of the Tang Clan lodging.
He tailed her carefully.
Shockingly, he found Cheongwol at her destination too.
Cheongwol even ducked into some odd Leather Room.
Wi Chang's heart had started pounding hard from then on.
One inexplicable event after another.
Cheongwol visiting a Leather Room wasn't a big deal on its own.
...But the way she treated the shopkeeper out front didn't scream strangers.
...Lovers? The Emei Sect's Thousand-Year Flower?
...No way. Why him of all people...
Still, it nagged at him.
Dang Soran seemed to feel it too—she approached the Leather Room with an odd expression.
Then stood in front of the door for ages.
As if eavesdropping.
Wi Chang knew the mere sight of Dang Soran—the Tang Clan's golden jade leaf—eavesdropping on others was intel enough on its own, but he sensed an even bigger vein of gold waiting beyond.
Wi Chang kept eyes on Dang Soran, who lingered long at the door... before stepping inside.
"...How's any of this playing out?"
Wi Chang held his breath tight.
Tension gripped his whole body.
He muttered to himself.
And... who the hell is that guy?
Only then did Wi Chang creep closer to the Leather Room.