Book 23 Chapter 14
The worry of Yeonbi
—Who will be the third person?
A single person, with raven-black hair as smooth as silk and clad in a black robe as dark as night, sat on a chair, gazing intently with a serious expression at the papers spread on the desk. The papers were filled with names, most of which were crossed out.
Lee Jin-seol
Namgung Sang
Moyeong Hwi
Hyo Ryong
……
All other names were also crossed out. All were the work of the brush held in the hand of the person in black.
“Hmm, what should I do… No matter how much I think about it, there’s no talent, no talent.”
Currently, Yeonbi had one worry. It was a much more important worry than trivial concerns like romantic issues. The day of the Tournament was rapidly approaching, yet the third spot for the participating team was still empty. It had seemed like an easy spot to fill at any time, but now that she was trying to find someone, it felt overwhelming. If she did not register a third female player by the day before the Tournament, it would be a breach of contract. Paying a penalty was out of the question. And that day was tomorrow.
Originally, Yeonbi and Na Yerim had thought of Lee Jin-seol first and were relaxed. Although it was a dangerous task, they believed Lee Jin-seol could handle it. There was no need to fight fiercely. It was enough for Yeonbi herself to risk her life. All she needed was someone to fill the numbers and possess enough skill to protect herself in an emergency. In a critical situation, she could simply have her forfeit. That critical situation, of course, meant Yeonbi herself being defeated by the opponent. Even if the result was death, revenge was not needed. She just had to forfeit.
Of course, she had her calculations. Lee Jin-seol, who would not refuse Na Yerim’s request. But a problem arose just yesterday. Lee Jin-seol was in a state where she could not participate even if she wanted to.
“Unnie… I’m, I’m sorry……”
With a frail voice, gasping for breath, Lee Jin-seol apologized. Lying in bed, her complexion was as pale as someone whose martial arts had been completely crippled. Her cheeks were hollow, and her eyes were sunken. Her lips were cracked like a parched paddy field, and there was no trace of color.
“Seol Ah!”
Na Yerim knelt by the bedside, tightly grasping Lee Jin-seol’s frail hand.
“Unnie, I’m sorry… I’m sorry……”
Two streams of tears trickled down her pale cheeks. Na Yerim’s throat tightened at Lee Jin-seol’s weak apology. How could the child who was so lively and healthy become like this overnight…
“Who did this to you?”
Na Yerim asked, still holding Lee Jin-seol’s hand.
“It was my fault for trusting that person.”
Lee Jin-seol replied with a voice filled with regret.
“No, surely……”
Disbelief flickered across Na Yerim’s face. It was understandable, as there was only one person Lee Jin-seol could refer to as "that person."
“Surely… it was Young Master Hyo?”
Lee Jin-seol nodded with difficulty.
“I shouldn’t have eaten what he brought……”
Lee Jin-seol shed tears of regret, saying she should have been wary when he did something uncharacteristic.
“I’m such a fool for being moved for even a moment! Sob!”
Lee Jin-seol sobbed softly. Na Yerim, feeling pity, raised her hand and stroked Lee Jin-seol’s hair.
“It’s okay. You’re alive, and that’s what matters.”
The fact that she was still alive was the most important and grateful thing.
“But… but……”
Lee Jin-seol still seemed indignant and resentful just thinking about it.
“Who knew it would taste so disgustingly bad! Grrr!”
Lee Jin-seol gritted her teeth and let out a roar of anger.
For three days after eating it, she had to fight constant stomachaches and diarrhea. She couldn’t count how many times she had teetered on the brink of death. It wasn’t food; it was poison. No, it was the ultimate weapon. Even the "Absolute Poison," the most heinous poison of the Sa Cheon Dang Ga, was undoubtedly less toxic than that.
It was a mystery how such terrifying, potent poison could be concocted from mere oil, sugar, salt, meat, and vegetables. Considering its price-to-performance ratio, the Sa Cheon Dang Ga would undoubtedly have their eyes on it. "It must be!" Lee Jin-seol thought, grinding her teeth. The fact that it even made her think that showed how terrifying it must have been.
'Hyo Ryong~ I will never forget! This humiliation! This disgrace! I will never forget it! I will torment you for the rest of my life! Never let me go near a kitchen again! I must prevent you from ever touching cooking. But then I’ll have to cook for you all the time? ……Well, that’s not so bad, is it?’
Still, Lee Jin-seol didn't say they would break up in the end. She still intended to make him pay.
“Take responsibility, Hyo Ryong!”
At Lee Jin-seol’s resentful cry, Hyo Ryong flinched and asked back.
“Re, responsibility?”
“Yes, responsibility! A man must take responsibility for his actions.”
“B, but that was an unavoidable…”
“Silence! What kind of man makes so many excuses? You must take responsibility for what you’ve done!”
“V, very well! I will take responsibility! Let’s get married!”
For a moment, Lee Jin-seol’s face turned as red as an apple.
“M, marriage? Why marriage all of a sudden?”
“Ah, wasn’t that it? You said to take responsibility, so I reflexively…”
Come to think of it, whether fortunately or unfortunately, there had never been any such hint until now.
“Disgusting! Is that all you know about responsibility?”
Lee Jin-seol, whose pale complexion had regained a slight flush, exclaimed.
“T, then what kind of responsibility…”
“You, Hyo Ryong, go in my place at the Tournament! Dressed as a woman!”
“D, dressed as a woman?”
Hyo Ryong was dumbfounded by Lee Jin-seol’s request. It was certainly an unusual way to take responsibility.
“Yes, dressed as a woman! We need a woman to participate in the Tournament, and there’s no one, so what can we do? You have to dress as a woman!”
For Hyo Ryong, this was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.
“But a man like me would be discovered immediately if I dressed as a woman. And I’m not particularly pretty. Besides, besides…”
“It’s okay. Who knows? Maybe you’ll look decent?”
Lee Jin-seol said with a hint of anticipation. If viewed positively, it wouldn’t be bad to see such a sight once. However, Hyo Ryong hated it more than death.
“P, please don’t do that. Can’t you take responsibility in another way, Seol?”
“No!”
Lee Jin-seol refused resolutely.
“You must fill my empty spot somehow.”
Hyo Ryong quickly thought and said,
“T, then let’s do this.”
Realizing there was no going back, Hyo Ryong offered a different compromise.
“Someone else goes in my place dressed as a woman, how about that?”
“Who would go in place of you, Hyo Ryong? And dressed as a woman at that? Is there anyone who can do that?”
“W, of course! I can vouch for that person’s skill.”
Hearing that, there was one person who came to mind.
“Ah, you mean that person?”
“Exactly that person. I guarantee their skill.”
“But wouldn’t that be even more horrific?”
“W, what’s horrific?”
Hyo Ryong blinked as if he had never heard of such a thing.
“Young Master Jang Hong, with his patchy beard, dressed as a woman… Just the thought of it gives me goosebumps.”
She shivered and shook her head.
“I, I just got goosebumps too. T, there’s no way! How could that old man dress as a woman? If I saw that, I’d have to wash my eyes all day.”
She could guarantee it would be a very horrific experience.
“He’s shorter than me and slender, so he would definitely suit cross-dressing better than someone like me. I guarantee it.”
“Who is it?”
“Who else but Young Master Jun Ho!”
“Ah, Young Master Yoon of the Hwasan Sect?”
Hyo Ryong nodded vigorously and said,
“Exactly.”
“Hmm… Young Master Yoon…”
Certainly, Yoon Jun Ho was slender enough to suit cross-dressing. His shoulders were much narrower than Hyo Ryong's, he was short and petite, and his waist was surprisingly thin. And his skin was quite fair.
“Indeed, Young Master Yoon might suit it even better than you, Hyo Ryong.”
“Of course. He would suit it a hundred times better than someone like me. People would definitely be fooled. If I dressed as a woman, I would be discovered immediately. And then if I were disqualified, how sorry would that be for your unnie? Wouldn’t it?”
This persuasion was definitely effective. Lee Jin-seol, her heart moved, countered.
“But would he be willing to go?”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ll make sure he goes!”
Hyo Ryong thumped his chest and exclaimed confidently. For him, this was a do-or-die situation.
“You had better. Otherwise, you’ll be the one going dressed as a woman.”
“O, of course. I will definitely, absolutely, never let you not send him! Trust me!”
And so, Yoon Jun Ho found himself sold out for his friend. It was a moment when another friendship came to an end.
‘Now, what should I do? I guess I need to borrow some help from the old man!’
First, Hyo Ryong decided to ask the reliable Jang Hong for help in carrying out the great deed.