“What did I tell you?”
“What do you think? Everything you did wrong to me, Young Master.”
Everything?
That’s way too much to cover, isn’t it?
Grabbing her by the hair, spanking her soles and butt, selling her off—does she mean she told her about all of that?
Then I’m dead.
No. No way, right?
You’re Dang Soran. You’re not that stupid.
If you spilled all that, you wouldn’t get off scot-free either.
Who in this world would be such an unfilial bastard as to tell their dad they did SM play and have nails hammered into their chest...!
She didn’t tell.
This has to be another lie to provoke me.
No normal person would tell their parents about that.
If she really snitched on my wrongs, at most it’d be about kicking her out of the Leather Room.
“Right? Who’s the one who chased me away like a dog? I took such good care of you, Young Master, and you didn’t even give me a sip of water before kicking me out. It’s just karma.”
“...”
...So she really didn’t tell everything?
The Dang Soran I’ve gotten to know in person is worlds away from the one I read about in the novel.
In the novel, Dang Soran sacrificed herself for the common folk.
Graceful. Dignified. The steadfast supporter of the protagonist.
...The Dang Soran in front of me is just a brat.
She’s like 24, but way more childish than Cheongwol.
Honestly, she seems on par with Honghwa.
If Honghwa talked to this honest version of Dang Soran, I wouldn’t be able to tell them apart.
24 years old and tattling to her parents? Is that adult behavior?
What pisses me off most is that I can’t do a damn thing about this brat’s nonsense.
Dang Soran giggled as she watched my flustered expression.
“Regretting it? Oh no. I really did tell him. You’re not long for this world, Young Master. Not to brag, but Dad dotes on me a lot. Oh, right—and when I told him about the spanking, I called him ‘Daddy’ in the letter instead of ‘Clan Leader.’ He melts when I call him Daddy.”
“...”
This brat even hummed a tune as she spun circles around me.
“Big trouble, big trouble. Young Master’s in~ big trouble.”
Singing a childish little song. She’s definitely doing this because she knows it’ll piss me off even more.
Her bratty taunts got under my skin, and I let out a hollow laugh, trying to play it cool, but I could feel my face heating up.
It was just so absurd.
I’ve never met a woman her age this immature.
The fact that she’s Dang Soran makes it hit harder.
She lifted my arm and slipped under it like a playground tease.
“But come on, it never made sense to begin with. No one in this world has treated me as badly as you, Young Master. If you were someone great, I could understand, but you’re just the owner of a rundown Leather Room on the outskirts of Mount Emei—do you think it’s okay to treat me like that? When I asked you to hang out with me, you should’ve just done it.”
I was so flabbergasted that I lost all sense of fear and blurted it out.
“Dang Soran, I never knew you were this childish and arrogant.”
“I told you. I’m worse than you think.”
“Yeah. And now I know that firsthand.”
“Gonna punish me for it?”
Dang Soran grinned.
I just swallowed my boiling rage.
I was outside the Leather Room right now.
In front of it, tending to hides as usual.
Dang Soran had at least shown some consideration by wearing a hat.
It didn’t hide her face completely, but it concealed her identity somewhat.
I figured I should chase her off before she drew the villagers’ attention.
With a deep sigh, I looked her straight in the eye.
“Soran. Why are you doing this to me?”
“Huh?”
“What did I do to deserve this torment? What do you want?”
Dang Soran didn’t hide her intentions.
“Let’s play. It’s been fun for me.”
“No thanks. And it’s not something you approach so lightly. Don’t talk like that.”
“Why not? It’s just a game.”
“You might think so, but the one doing it doesn’t.”
“I’m the one who has it hard. You’re... just playing with me.”
Dang Soran didn’t seem to realize what she’d just said.
Like how people in anger spit out cruel words without knowing.
Or how lovers don’t realize how embarrassing their sweet nothings are.
Sometimes, you get so lost in your goal you don’t even register your own words.
That’s when you repeat it back to snap them out of it.
“Playing with you... huh.”
I set down the hide I was working on and approached Dang Soran.
Just that made her flinch, freezing in place.
Her face flushed deep red, and her gaze dropped naturally.
“The precious jewel of the Tang Clan of Sichuan, Poison Phoenix Dang Soran... you want to be treated like a plaything by the owner of a rundown Leather Room on the edge of Mount Emei?”
The way I put it seemed to strike her as weird, and she fell silent.
“Huh? N-no, that’s not...”
“So you’re saying you want humiliation and shame from a lowly beggar-born guy like me. The daughter of Poison King Dang Jeokcheon.”
I pointed lightly between her and myself in turn.
Even our clothes showed the vast gap.
I was draped in ragged brown sackcloth like a potato bag, while she wore a beautiful silk robe in shades of green.
The idea that I’d treated her harshly was utter nonsense.
Last time, she’d blamed it on the alcohol, but I still didn’t get how.
As I said, a sadist has to overwhelm a masochist... Just look at our social standings.
No comparison.
Dang Soran seemed to grasp my point, her face burning as she couldn’t respond.
“You were raised delicately and preciously, no doubt. You’re not saying you grew up into some pervert who gets off on being dominated by a beggar, right? No way. The beggars in the holy lands would be drooling.”
“...O-of course not.”
“Then why suggest we play?”
She searched for words a while before snapping back.
“You do it with Cheongwol! Why not me?”
I lied.
“Cheongwol and I are pretty close.”
“Huh? I thought... we were pretty close too...”
“...Rea-lly?”
My last word must have scratched something deep.
A hurt expression flashed across her face for a moment.
Stunned, her mouth agape, Dang Soran muttered.
‘But... last time, you said I was really pretty...’
I didn’t catch it and asked again.
“...Huh?”
“...”
Dang Soran fidgeted, unsure, then scowled suddenly.
“...Jeez.”
And just like that, she blew up.
“Anyway!! I told Daddy!! Get ready for big trouble!!”
Then she ran off.
I stared blankly at Dang Soran’s retreating figure.
“...Nah. She didn’t tell.”
That’s what I wanted to believe.
She’s not that dumb.
.
.
.
But unease bloomed in me, so to check my hand, I ended up seeking out one woman.
She too flinched the moment she saw me—maybe she’d gotten word.
She and I faced off for a long time.
The woman eyed me warily, then smiled and greeted a customer in front of her.
Once the stall cleared, I approached.
“Surprised, huh? Totally.”
“...”
“Didn’t think you were hiding a secret like that.”
“...Sigh.”
Gayeong let out a long sigh.
Then, glancing around at the people, she lowered her voice.
“You think you’re the only one shocked? I was too. What kind of secret are you hiding that’s got headquarters in such a panic?”
“...”
...Yeah. She must be just as shocked as me.
Thinking about it, of course.
She must’ve gotten some order from Hao Gate, but she never treated me overly deferential.
Probably because we’ve known each other’s faces since we were kids.
Honestly, it was a relief. If she started using formal speech now, it’d feel awkward...
Still, knowing a longtime acquaintance had been hiding this left me with a bittersweet look.
Gayeong caught my suspicious gaze and added defensively.
“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve never sold info on you to headquarters, okay? Who’d care about a beggar-born Leather Room owner? I haven’t done wrong by you once.”
“...Nah, it’s just... surprising you had a secret.”
Fair enough.
She’s never harmed me. If anything, she’s a benefactor—tossing me free dumplings back in the day.
Gayeong grumbled.
“You think I joined because I wanted to? I need money. You know how Dad’s been getting weaker.”
“...”
“You’d do the same in my shoes. So don’t judge me. You jerk. If you were such a big shot, you could’ve helped my dad! How many extra dumplings did I sneak you!”
I came to confront her, but now I’m the one getting grilled.
These Hao Gate folks. Don’t they train their grunts? What VIP treatment—this is just getting owned...
...Kidding. Her words made me uncomfortable too.
Truth is, while growing up in this village, she was one of the few who treated me like a person.
I owe her a lot.
She doesn’t know it, but that’s why I only bought dumplings from her place.
So I defended myself too.
“...It’s not like that. I’ve only recently gotten...”
“What?”
“...tangled up in some mess. If I could’ve helped, I would’ve sooner. Not like I took your dumplings and shut up about it.”
“...”
Gayeong looked unhappy.
But it wasn’t betrayal toward me—it seemed more like shame over her Hao Gate ties.
Like she said, it wasn’t something she wanted. It was for her filial piety.
Do I have the right to judge?
“...”
I never planned to lean heavily on Hao Gate’s power.
Just as a last resort.
I’m no heart demon doctor, after all.
...But I do feel I owe Gayeong.
Helping her out like this, even if I take some risk, isn’t that hard.
Handing over free dumplings isn’t easy in the Central Plains.
She’s just kind. Like someone steadily donating in modern society.
“...I requested some good tonic medicine.”
I told Gayeong with a long sigh.
“What?”
“Tell headquarters I asked for a tonic good for the body. The kind that’d get a fallen ox back on its feet.”
“...Is your body—”
“—Give it to your dad when it arrives.”
“...!”
“I told you. I would’ve helped if I could. I’ll do it now.”
“Seojin, but...”
“Enough. Go steam some dumplings, you brat.”
Gayeong agonized for a while, then smiled even through her sad eyes.
“...You rascal. Knew you were a good guy.”
I felt oddly proud.
People really need power for this stuff.
Then Gayeong suddenly welled up with emotion and wiped tears.
She hopped out from her stall and hugged me.
“Thanks... sniff... Seojin, thank you.”
“...I said go steam dumplings—why the waterworks? Get off, you’re heavy.”
Despite my words, I patted her back lightly.
A comfort for the tough times she’s going through.
****
“Really, I swear. They were in a hot, ho~ot embrace.”
Cheongwol was resting after swinging her sword in the training grounds.
Off in the distance, her junior sisters were gossiping excitedly about village boys and girls.
Odd for nuns to spread such news, but even nuns are human—they can’t help being curious.
Cheongwol had zero interest.
But the chatter reached her ears anyway.
She just pondered.
How to shine brighter.
How to make Han Seojin prouder of her.
How to get closer.
“Warmer vibe than I thought. But they’ve always talked a lot anyway.”
Maybe her goals hadn’t changed much from before.
If she earned a title like Emei Sect’s Thousand-Year Flower—or like Dang Soran’s Phoenix—maybe he’d be proud.
Or making a name through good deeds in the jianghu.
“But is it really about ability for men? One donkey and he’s all over her?”
Spend some time with Han Seojin first, then head to the jianghu...
...Donkey?
Cheongwol knew exactly who’d gotten a new donkey in the village lately.
All eyes turned to her suddenly.
“It’s not about the donkey. Insiders knew—they’ve always been close-ish.”
“Yeah? Weird pair. Dumpling shop girl and beggar-born Leather Room owner, getting all hot and bothered. That steamy, huh? Ho~ot embrace—”
“—Myeonghui.”
A chill voice echoed through the Emei Sect.
The called Myeonghui stiffened and looked at Cheongwol.
The other juniors sensed the mood and scattered.
“S-senior Sister. Did you call me?”
“Yes. Come here.”
Myeonghui shuffled over timidly.
Cheongwol rarely called anyone by name.
So she knew this was unusual... that she’d messed up big time.
Cheongwol’s tone was different from usual too.
Standing before Cheongwol, who stared at the ground, Myeonghui spoke first.
“...Ch-Cheongwol Senior Sister. I won’t talk about this stuff near the training grounds ever agai—”
Thwack!!
Cheongwol grabbed Myeonghui’s chin.
“Eek!”
Cheongwol pulled her close and smiled.
“No. Not that...”
“...Huh?”
Cheongwol barely swallowed the inexplicable chest pain and whispered.
“...Tell me the story in detail. Who was doing what with whom?”