Book 26 Chapter 6
The First Gateway to Namhaedo
―Show Me The Money
“Two people… The alarm bell is ringing, yet the gate guards are more lax than I expected. Is that really the path to Namhaedo?”
Namgung Sansan asked suspiciously, secretly observing the gate leading to Namhaedo.
“It seems so.”
Hyunwoon replied with an uncertain voice.
“We have to go in, right?”
Seeing the gate to Namhaedo far in front of her, Sansan sighed lightly and asked again.
“Probably.”
Hyunwoon, standing beside her, answered briefly. The two had been moving together until now, and luckily, they had made it this far without any significant interference. However, from now on, they had to forge their own path with their skills. Knowing this, Sansan opened her mouth again.
“It’s going to be tough, isn’t it?”
“Probably.”
Hyunwoon replied with the same tone and words again. Sansan disliked that answer, no matter what she asked, it was always the same.
“Probably, probably, probably! Hyunwoon, can you only speak in such vague and lukewarm words? Can’t you say something nice to hear, like, ‘No, it’s okay, we can do it!’?”
She had asked hoping for words of comfort, but the constant discouraging answers made Sansan irritated.
“Wisdom of the Ancients. ‘Probably’ was an honest assessment. Lying is not good.”
Hearing that, Namgung Sansan was dumbfounded.
“Don’t just quote from your books when it suits you. Do you know what your problem is? It’s that you’re always uncertain about everything! You are too, too ambiguous.”
She huffed, clearly furious. Hyunwoon, after a moment of silence, spoke again.
“Hmm… It seems so.”
As expected, it was a lukewarm tone. What was wrong with this man? Namgung Sansan exploded again.
“There you go again, only speaking in lukewarm words, that’s why you’re always the second best! Why don’t you try to have a more definite attitude?”
Her words were sharp, as if she had thorns in them.
“Sansan, your problem seems to be that you try to make everything definite, doesn’t it?”
Hyunwoon pointed out Sansan’s problem instead.
“What’s wrong with being definite? It’s much better than being like water diluted with water, or liquor diluted with liquor, neither one nor the other!”
At least it wouldn’t lead to situations where the other person would be so frustrated they’d hit their chest.
“If only everything could be divided so cleanly, as if cut with a knife…”
“Ugh, it’s because you’re always so uncertain that the people around you have a hard time.”
“No, who is having a hard time?”
At that, Namgung Sansan’s face suddenly turned bright red.
“Ev-everyone, everyone!”
She shouted. This was not how someone hiding would act.
“That seems to be your personal opinion, Sansan?”
“If I say so, then so it is. That’s why you’re always second best!”
The words were completely disconnected from the context and, in a way, bordered on personal attack. However, instead of getting angry, Hyunwoon chuckled.
“If I’m second best, isn’t that even better for you? That means your friend, Gungsang, is the top player.”
“Even as twins, they have different thoughts.”
She scoffed and turned her head away. Hyunwoon smiled again.
“Speaking of which, don’t you think we are alike?”
“What are you talking about?”
Namgung Sansan couldn’t understand Hyunwoon’s obscure words.
“We’re both second best, aren’t we?”
That one sentence, like a hammer, mercilessly struck the truth that Sansan’s mind had been avoiding. Sansan swayed for a moment.
“Ho-how can you say such a preposterous thing! My nickname is different from yours, which flows along leisurely!”
Namgung Sansan’s face turned as red as a heated iron, and she shouted. She seemed to have completely forgotten their current covert situation.
“Are you really different? Lying to yourself isn’t a good thing.”
Hyunwoon continued to poke at her sore spot, unfazed by Sansan’s flustered state.
“That… that is…”
Sansan couldn’t form a proper reply. The mental shock was that significant. Hyunwoon kept bringing up the truth she just wanted to ignore, and of all times, he chose this moment.
“See? You can’t deny it. We are indeed alike. Both you and I have someone blocking our way within the Vermillion Bird Gang. For you, it’s Jinryeong, and for me, it’s Gungsang.”
Hyunwoon delivered the final blow to Sansan, who was swaying from the shock.
“Th-th-this time, if we handle this properly, there’s no reason why we can’t become the top players.”
“Us?”
Hyunwoon pointed alternately at Sansan and himself with his finger. Then, Namgung Sansan’s angry expression returned, and she shouted.
“Yes! You and me, us! So, let’s handle it ‘definitely,’ okay?”
Although they were finally taking the lead after a long time, surpassing Namgung Sang and Jinryeong, their coordination was off from the start.
Namgung Sansan, angered by Hyunwoon’s ambiguous and uncertain attitude, walked forward with long strides, shaking off Hyunwoon’s attempts to stop her. Hyunwoon chased after her, but their argument continued. Namgung Sansan just wanted to get away from Hyunwoon, and Hyunwoon tried his best not to be separated from her.
“I’m sorry to interrupt your argument, but could you please stop fighting for a moment and listen to me?”
Wh-when did this person appear in front of us?
A well-dressed young man in white robes stood before them. He had a look of considerable distress on his face, as if he was pondering how to mediate their argument.
“What brings you to Namhaedo? Could you tell me your purpose?”
His tone and demeanor were so polite that he didn’t seem like someone from the underworld at all. It was an elegant hospitality, like that of a shop employee greeting a customer.
The young man guarding the gate wore a simple white robe, and the insignia on his chest indicated he belonged to the Fifth Unit. He had a rather neat and tidy face, and he gave off more of a merchant’s impression than a warrior’s. One could imagine him holding an abacus rather than a sword. This young man in white robes had a sword at his waist and a long, cloth-wrapped rod slung over his back.
“Could you tell me your purpose?”
The young man in white robes asked politely once more.
“We wish to meet the Captain of the Fifth Unit, who manages Namhaedo.”
Namgung Sansan stepped forward and said, finding Hyunwoon’s indecisiveness unreliable.
“Do you have an appointment?”
“No. We couldn’t get an appointment.”
Then the young man said with a slightly apologetic expression.
“That would be difficult then? He is always busy. Today alone, he has twelve appointments. And he hasn’t even finished half of them yet.”
“But it’s something we absolutely must discuss, right now.”
Namgung Sansan emphasized the words ‘right now.’
“No, you didn’t have to be so forceful from the beginning…”
“No. Hyunwoon, you stay put. I’ll take care of everything.”
She seemed to have very little faith in Hyunwoon.
“But…”
She was prepared to draw her sword if necessary. However, for now, she was just assessing the situation. The other party was being unusually polite, so she had no choice but to engage in a proper conversation.
“Hmm, judging by your appearance, you don’t seem to be from the Machaek Pavilion. Do you have a transit pass?”
Namgung Sansan and Hyunwoon showed the transit passes they had received upon arriving at Machaek Pavilion. They weren’t sure if it would still be valid, though.
After staring intently at the transit pass for a long time, the young man looked back at them and said.
“Hmm, this is not a valid transit pass for entering the gate of Namhaedo. Furthermore, this transit pass is not valid after the highest level of emergency has been declared. All individuals holding this pass are to gather in the Thirteenth Dormitory and not move a single step. Didn’t you know?”
Namgung Sansan exclaimed with a surprised expression.
“Oh my, I had no idea there was such a rule.”
She feigned ignorance, though she had a hunch.
“It’s usually not something you need to know.”
The young man in white robes replied without suspicion.
“I have an urgent matter with the Captain here, so I’ll return immediately after finishing it. How about it? It will be quick, very quick.”
Please just let us pass, Namgung Sansan prayed inwardly.
“However… it is impossible unless you clearly state your purpose.”
At that, she flinched.
“Do I absolutely have to state it clearly?”
“Uncertainty is not acceptable. If you do not state it clearly, we cannot let you pass.”
“What should I do?”
Namgung Sansan quickly sent a telepathic message to Hyunwoon.
“What do you mean, what should we do? They asked us to be clear. Isn’t uncertainty not good?”
It was a request to state their purpose, but for some reason, the words sounded extremely grating to Namgung Sansan’s ears.
“Are you mocking me right now? Are you mad because I told you to be more decisive earlier?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. And a Taoist doesn’t get offended.”
“Now you’re even lying, Taoist. Fine. There’s nothing I can’t say! I’ll say it. I’m a woman who is definite about everything!”
Namgung Sansan turned her head sharply towards the young man.
“We just need to check what’s inside the wooden coffins that were transported here. How is that? Is that enough? Can we go in now?”
Namgung Sansan suddenly tried to push past. The young man in white robes then blocked her path and said.
“As I thought, you seem to be accomplices with the intruders who sounded the alarm earlier.”
The young man in simple white robes said in a very calm voice. In that moment, both of them stiffened with tension.
“Ahaha… That’s impossible. Not at all.”
She denied it with a laugh, but her hand was in a position to draw her sword at any moment. However, the young man in white robes did not attack, nor did he sound the alarm.
“Hmm, I see. You illegally trespassed, and you don’t have a valid transit pass. And there are two of you…”
He muttered to himself, fiddling with his fingers.
“……?”
Although he wasn’t looking at them at all, the fact that they couldn’t tell what he was thinking made them uneasy.
“Prepare yourselves.”
Namgung Sansan sent a telepathic message, her guard still up. An immediate reply came back.
“I am already preparing.”
Only then did the young man in white robes turn his head towards them. Then he said.
“The calculation is complete. The toll is one hundred silver taels.”
“Wait a minute, toll? So, if we pay one hundred silver taels, you’ll let us pass?”
Namgung Sansan blinked and asked in disbelief.
“Yes, one hundred silver taels.”
“So… you’re saying I didn’t mishear?”
She had clearly expected a fight. But suddenly, they were asked to pay money…
“You did not mishear.”
“Ah, then you must have misspoke.”
At that, the young man in white robes shook his head.
“I did not mispeak either. One hundred silver taels to pass, that is correct.”
“Are you saying I have to pay all that money now?”
“That is correct. That is the rule here at Namhaedo. This is a place where money is justice.”
The young man said with a serious face, as if stating a truth.
“So, money can get you anything?”
“No, that’s not it. To make anything work, you need not just money, but a lot of money.”
The young man’s tone was very firm.
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“That’s ridiculous. There’s a vast difference between the two. But most people don’t seem to realize it.”
“You sound just like my senior disciple.”
Namgung Sansan said with a bewildered expression. She felt the exact same way when she was constantly baffled by her senior disciple.
“I am merely stating my opinion. However, if you wish to enter Namhaedo, you must abide by that opinion. What will you do?”
“Hmm… But one hundred silver taels… that’s extortion!”
After all, bargaining was basic, as taught by Bilyuyeon.
“Why do you think so?”
“Think about it. If everyone has to pay a hundred taels every time they pass through this gate, who would want to visit? Consequently, the number of visitors would decrease, leading to a deficit.”
It was a bargaining attempt with her own logic, but the other party was more resilient than expected.
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that at all. Other people can pass through this gate at a much cheaper price. About a tenth of that is sufficient. Of course, our Fifth Unit members can pass for free.”
A tenth would be ten silver taels. Of course, that was not a small amount, but it seemed negligible compared to the absurd amount of one hundred taels. The young man’s words only fueled Sansan’s anger.
“Wait a minute. Then why are you charging us such exorbitant extortion? This is a rip-off! It’s against all fair trade practices.”
“No, it is not. This toll fee is set according to strict standards. The most important task of the guards protecting the Namhae Gate is to set the toll. You are so-called illegal intruders who do not possess a transit pass. It is natural that such individuals must pay several times more than legitimate passers to get through this gate. Don’t you agree?”
“Ugh…”
Since they were being cornered based on their current situation, Namgung Sansan had no adequate rebuttal.
“C-can you, perhaps, lower the price?”
“I only know how much I am supposed to receive; I do not know how much I am supposed to lower it.”
“Still…”
The young man in white robes seemed to ponder for a moment, then abruptly asked.
“Are you two perhaps married?”
“No!”
“No!”
The two of them vehemently denied it, neither able to hold back.
“Then, are you perhaps a couple?”
The gatekeeper asked again.
“Absolutely not!”
“No!”
This time, Hyunwoon’s denial was faster. Moreover, he added the unnecessary word ‘absolutely.’ Namgung Sansan’s gaze became even sharper, almost neurotic.
“Who would be with someone like this!”
Namgung Sansan turned her head away sharply. The young man in white robes scratched the back of his head, looking perplexed.
“In that case, you cannot receive a married couple discount or a lover’s discount.”
He meant he couldn’t lower the price because there was no further justification for it.
“So, what will you do?”
The young man in white robes smiled again and asked. It was a smile without any creases, a very friendly smile. However, for some reason, Hyunwoon didn’t like that smile. It seemed too fake. As if he wasn’t smiling at them, but at the money they possessed. A smile as if money were the only value in this world.