Chapter 31

Dark clouds followed Danwoo-seong.

The rain fell and stopped repeatedly, then poured down again in a torrent not far from the road leading to the Eunha Trading Guild.

Danwoo Seong, who had returned after a forced march using his lightness skill training, stared blankly at the man being chased in the distance.

What kind of trouble had he gotten into this time to be chased by dozens of men?

Perhaps he hadn’t caused trouble at all.

After all, this was simply the nature of his life.

Soaked to the bone, the stubborn Cheolmyeongho made a splashing escape before spotting Danwooseong.

They barely exchanged a glance before dashing off into the rain.

Then, with a roar, dozens of men appeared and hurriedly gave chase after Cheolmyeongho.

Danwooseong turned his head and stared blankly at the chased and the chasers. Cheolmyeongho disappeared around the corner of an alley. A clatter of footsteps echoed briefly, then moments later, he appeared from the direction Danwooseong was standing, desperately calling out his friend’s name.

“Ah, long time no see. It’s raining hard, isn’t it?”

Cheolmyeongho, gasping for breath, stared at Danwooseong in the rain. He looked less like a vicious dog and more like a drenched little rat.

Danwooseong said.

“I live a busy life.”

“Well, that’s just how I am. Always busy.”

Then, with a rumbling sound, the pursuers of Cheol Myeong-ho arrived belatedly. They must have lost him and come back from far away. Most of the pursuers also looked exhausted. They couldn’t immediately rush forward, instead bending over and frowning.

Even amidst this chaos, Cheol Myeong-ho didn’t beg for mercy. He just stared blankly.

Danwooseong spoke to Cheolmyeongho first.

“Put on a hat.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Cheol Myeong-ho slipped under the umbrella, swallowing hard as he glanced at the group of pursuers and also watched Dan Woo-seong’s reaction.

Cheol Myeong-ho spat out a curse.

“Damn bastards, they’re following us like a shadow.”

Dan Wooseong hadn’t seen these men before either. Their identities were likely no different. He assumed they were scoundrels like Cheol Myeong-ho, who had come from other regions. The latecomers finally arrived, lining up in a row to scrutinize Dan Wooseong.

One man thrust out his sword and said.

“Send that bastard over here. Don’t get involved in something you can’t handle and end up bleeding.”

Dan Wooseong watched the approaching crowd as he spoke to Cheol Myeongho.

“Is your hand all healed up?”

Cheol Myeong-ho slipped out his bandaged hand and replied.

“Nope. Still a cripple.”

Somehow, his tone suggested he was glad to be crippled. Dan Wooseong couldn’t help but laugh.

Dan Wooseong addressed the approaching men.

“Since you lot aren’t from around here, I’ll explain it to you. Come at me when Cheol Myeong-ho’s hand is healed. Now get lost today.”

One man retorted.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

Cheol Myeong-ho chuckled and pointed at the group of pursuers.

“Hey, my friend showed mercy. Get lost while I’m being nice. I remember all your faces, so just wait. I’ll come find you.”

Danwooseong asked.

“Who the hell are they?”

“The Red Harvest Alliance. I used to run an auction business, remember? Went to settle some old accounts after all this time, and those bastards snatched it from me. Thieving scum…”

Dan Woosung asked the crucial question.

“Underworld?”

Cheol Myeong-ho retorted.

“Then would they be white-collar?”

The reason why the Red Harvest Alliance’s men couldn’t easily attack even while they were talking was simple.

The oppressive atmosphere emanating from Danwooseong was palpable. Mistaking someone and swinging a sword only to be slaughtered was commonplace in the martial world, and the underworld within it was even more so.

Still, these guys were the type who had to be tested to know whether they were shit or soybean paste. The leader of the group shoved the back of the subordinate standing beside him. The startled man bounced forward and swung his sword at Dan Wooseong.

At that moment, with a loud thud, the man who had been kicked flew through the air, slammed into a wall, and came to a stop with a final thump.

The gaze of his colleagues was fixed on the man, who looked as if he might be either unconscious or dead.

Danwooseong spoke up.

“Guys, I’m so hungry right now, I feel like I could kill everyone if we fight. Let’s meet again later. Either Cheolmyeongho will go, or I’ll go.”

At the words “see you later,” a murmur rose again, and they scattered like a swarm, fleeing in a group. Then two men returned, hoisted the man Dan Woosung had struck onto their backs, and fled.

Dan Wooseong didn’t kill every black-clad man outright. This stemmed from experience. Because often, even among black-clad men, there were men who were truly men. Cheol Myeongho, who had been knocked sideways by the kick without realizing it, spoke to Dan Wooseong again as he stood in the rain.

“Buy me some food. I’m starving. Noodles would be fine. You stole my noodles last time, didn’t you? That day, I wasn’t nearly beaten to death by you—I nearly dropped dead from hunger. Dammit, you eat first, then get treated…”

He could have just asked me to buy it for him, but when he brought up the noodles he snatched last time, even Danwooseong was flabbergasted.

“You’re something else.”

“What about me?”

“You’re a total lunatic.”

“Like you’re the first to say that. Let’s go. The noodles are Jinpyeong noodles.”

.

.

.

Cheol Myeong-ho held the bowl with one hand and gulped down the broth. With a clatter, he set the bowl down and said.

“On a rainy day, it’s definitely Jinpyeong noodles.”

Cheol Myeong-ho glanced at Dan Woo-seong, then held up two fingers toward the waiter and said.

“Here, give us two more bowls.”

Danwooseong’s noodle bowl was also neatly emptied. The two, who had been watching the rain for a moment, began eating the freshly served noodles in silence. The sound of rain mingled with the slurping.

A moment later, both men simultaneously slurped up the last of the broth.

Once again, Cheolmyeongho was slower. Wiping his mouth with his sleeve, Cheolmyeongho said with a puzzled look.

“Did a branch office of the gang open up in your stomach? This is the first time I’ve seen you eat better than me. You used to just nibble away… Anyway, you’ve changed. Hey, people shouldn’t change so abruptly. You should live according to the natural order.”

Cheolmyeongho looked at Jeomsoi and spread two fingers again.

“Here, give us two more bowls.”

Only after they had neatly finished three bowls did the two men look up at the rain again. It poured down relentlessly, as fierce as Dokjonghori’s temper. After watching the downpour with Danwooseong for a while, Cheolmyeongho asked.

“Is Ssangbo doing well?”

“He’s fine.”

“What are they doing there?”

“Training.”

“They must be getting stronger. Those guys must be costing a fortune to feed. They’re not humans, they’re gluttonous devils. Gluttonous devils…”

“I’ve got plenty of money.”

“Ah, I forgot about that. Right. I contributed to that too. I packed it all into one shot.”

Cheol Myeong-ho grinned, and Dan Woo-seong asked.

“So, are you broke now?”

“Not exactly, but buy me some noodles.”

Cheol Myeong-ho scratched his forehead with one finger before asking.

“By the way, how do you learn proper martial arts? The techniques I’ve mastered seem so crude. They just don’t work well.”

“Why martial arts?”

“Why what? I was just wondering if I could handle Jikyeo once I master martial arts. His minions are just too numerous. One-on-one, I’m confident. You saw it earlier. Those bastards swarm you the moment a fight breaks out. They’re not even beggars. They’re too busy running away.”

Dan Woosung asked.

“Teach me?”

Cheol Myeong-ho replied with a slightly surprised look.

“Well… if you teach me, I’d be grateful.”

Dan Woosung deliberately looked Cheol Myeongho in the eye as he said,

“Will you do exactly as I teach you?”

Cheol Myeong-ho answered without thinking.

“Ah, of course.”

“Are you sure?”

“Ah, don’t you know my temper? I’m a stubborn bastard, a hard-headed fool. Why is the young master acting so strange all of a sudden?”

Dan Woo-sung pointed at the floor beside the table as he spoke.

“Try lifting me up once.”

Cheol-myeong-ho retorted with an annoyed expression.

“Ah, this brat is embarrassing me. In a noodle shop… Tsk.”

Cheol Myeong-ho immediately stood up, went to the side of the table, bowed once, then stood up again as if nothing had happened and sat back down.

Cheol Myeong-ho threatened.

“Just try not teaching me. I’ll dump my shit right in front of the Eunha Trading Company’s main gate.”

Dan Woo-sung picked up the black iron umbrella standing beside the table with his right hand, then slowly demonstrated a deceptively simple downward strike.

In the second demonstration, he pointed to the position and angle of his elbow, as if to emphasize remembering the height when raising his arm while holding the umbrella.

Then he struck down again.

He pointed to several spots with his fingers, as if to say remember the shape of the arm when the movement ended.

As Danwooseong set the umbrella down again, Cheolmyeongho bellowed.

“That’s it? I’ve stolen once! Go take a dump right now!”

Dan Woo-sung smacked Cheol Myeong-ho’s head hard enough to make a thudding sound as he spoke.

“Shut up, you bastard. Pick up the umbrella. With one hand.”

Cheolmyeong-ho lifted the heavy iron umbrella with his uninjured hand, his expression immediately contorting.

“Why is it so heavy?”

Cheol Myeong-ho’s arm was trembling violently.

Dan Woo-sung uttered a truly terrifying statement.

“I can’t give it back because it was a gift. Borrow it, then precisely repeat the movement I just demonstrated one hundred thousand times before bringing it back. As soon as possible. If you’re going to dawdle, forget about martial arts altogether.”

Cheolmyeong-ho asked politely.

“Your Highness, how many times?”

“One hundred thousand times.”

“Not a thousand times, not ten thousand times, but a hundred thousand times?”

Danwooseong retorted in a tone of utter contempt.

“What kind of long-tongued bastard are you? If you can’t handle it, drop the umbrella and get lost, you moron.”

Cheol Myeong-ho lowered his umbrella and asked.

“Are you serious?”

The moment the words left his mouth, Dan Wooseong grabbed Cheol Myeongho by the collar.

“Hey…”

“Why?”

You think learning a few childish, clumsy moves will let you kill someone? Does a hundred thousand times seem like a lot? If you’d swung that umbrella a hundred thousand times, you could’ve beaten half those idiots to death with just a wooden sword. What were you doing just now? Running away like a rain-soaked rat. Myeongho, don’t live like a pathetic worm. Just die, you bastard.”

“······I don’t want to die.”

Cheol Myeong-ho answered, and Dan Woo-seong released his collar.

The two glared at each other like old times.

Dan Woosung spoke.

“You little rat, you bastard. Know your place. Stop running your mouth.”

Cheolmyeongho turned his head without a word and stared at the pouring rain.

Unconsciously, his eyes had turned red. With his head turned away, he silently watched the rain until his bloodshot eyes returned to normal.

During that time, Danwooseong also said nothing.

After a while, the rain that had been pouring down so fiercely gradually began to ease off, turning into a light drizzle scattered by the wind, light enough that one didn’t really need an umbrella.

Cheol Myeong-ho, having confirmed the rain had stopped, turned his head and said to Dan Woo-seong.

“Borrow my umbrella.”

Dan Wooseong pointed to the umbrella with a nod, as if to say, “Take it.” Cheol Myeong-ho then grabbed the black umbrella and stepped out of the noodle shop. Dan Wooseong couldn’t tell where he was going, caught in the wind and drizzle.

As Danwooseong got up to pay for the noodles, the shopkeeper cautiously asked.

“Sir, should I include your friend’s meal too…”

Dan Wooseong handed over the money, looked at the waitress, and gave a slight nod.

ⓒ Yoo Jin-seong

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