Chapter 348 Their Circumstances

Chapter 348: Their Circumstances

“The dawn air is cold. Why don’t you stay in bed a little longer, dear?”

Jin So-eun forced a smile and shook her head at the warm words of Seon Woo-joon, her father.

“No, Father. If I miss seeing the carriage depart, I’d feel even more uncomfortable.”

Though calling him Father still felt a bit awkward, Jin So-eun was genuinely grateful to Seon Woo-jung and So Nan-so for treating her like a real daughter-in-law, or even a daughter.

It felt as though she had developed a more tender bond with him than with her biological father, Jin Gongmu, whom she had never shared much affection with.

She had now completely overcome the critical situation and was steadily recovering.

It was all thanks to the Moolang Mind Technique Seonwoo Jin had taught her.

Of course, her mastery of the Moolang Heart Method was still low, so her wounds hadn’t regenerated dramatically.

Nevertheless, the wound that had pierced her from her abdomen to her back, thick and deep, was now healing, leaving only a faint trace.

This applied not only to the visible external wounds but also to the internal injuries that had torn her organs to shreds.

But the state of her mind was different from that of her body.

Unlike her physical wounds, her heart was far from healed.

“Take care and come back safely, Jin-ah.”

“Yes, I’ll return in a few days and greet you again, fully recovered.”

Seonwoo Jung and So Nan-so greeted Seonwoo Jin, who was about to depart for the final battle against the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon, forcing smiles.

And Seonwoo Jin, facing those two, smiled cheerfully with an expression as if going for a stroll, as if nothing was wrong.

It was a light farewell, as if he were stepping out briefly and would return soon.

After the light yet weighty farewell with his parents concluded, the heads of the Haenam faction and Myaoran also saw Seonwoojin off, each wearing a different expression.

“Please take care on your journey, Head of the Sect.”

“Wishing you good fortune.”

“Crush that bastard!”

To their farewells, Seon Woo-jin responded with a relaxed, wry smile.

“Do not worry. I have no desire to go down in Haenam Sect history as the shortest-serving Sect Leader. I will return safely, without fail.”

“Hahahaha! I’ll be counting on you, Grand Master!”

The only ones departing to participate in this decisive battle were the two Flower Realm masters, the Demoness of the Crimson Mist, Son Eun-sang, and the Holy Maiden of the South Sea, Shi Xiu; the two Thirty-Six Heavenly Realm masters, the Dragon Clan Lord, Yong Woo-shin, and Seon Woo-jin; and only the Six Harmonies Sword Master, Pacheonjo, who could wield Thirty-Six Heavenly Realm martial prowess when using the Demon-Slaying Six Harmonies Sword Technique.

Those of lower ranks decided not to accompany them.

Xian Wuzhen judged they would only become meaningless sacrifices.

In truth, it was unclear how much help the Six Harmonies Sword Masters or the Thirty-Six Heavenly Masters would be in a battle between the monstrous masters of the Flower Realm.

They could only hope to become a minor variable.

Anyway, since few were leaving for that reason, not many came out to see them off either.

The operation to intercept the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon was conducted under the strictest secrecy; no one knew about it except the closest associates of the intercept team and the leaders of each martial arts sect.

“Take care of yourselves, Master. The peace of the realm rests upon your shoulders.”

“Good luck, Young Master!”

“Yes, Master. And Sir Hero. I will pay my respects again upon my return.”

After bidding farewell to his family, the Haenam Sect leaders, and finally to Qing Gongzhenren, the head of the Hyeongsan Sect, and Mo Dongju, the sword master of the Buan River who had now become the second-in-command of the Hyeongsan Sect, Seon Woo-jin turned to leave. Just as he was about to take a step, he glanced briefly in Jin So-eun’s direction.

As she often did lately, she stood hidden behind Sun Woo-joong and So Nan-so, her hands clasped tightly together, watching him cautiously.

Xian Wujin had been thinking Jin Xiao’en seemed a bit off lately.

She hadn’t approached me boldly in front of others, but she always waited for an opportunity and would sneak up beside me. Lately, though, she hadn’t approached me at all, for some reason.

‘Even yesterday was the same. Even though she was with her parents, she seemed to avoid eye contact somehow, and didn’t say a word at all….’

Now, when their eyes met, she gave an awkward smile and then hurriedly bowed her head deeply, which also felt very strange.

But that didn’t mean he felt comfortable approaching her to greet her again.

There were people around, and Seon Woo-jin felt a bit awkward too.

‘Well, since she seems to be getting along well with her parents, it must be okay, right?’

In the end, Seon Woo-jin had to turn away again without having what might be his last conversation with her.

It was time to go.

***

At that moment, Jin So-eun’s eyes, bowed low, were brimming with tears.

She wanted to exchange even a single word with Seon Woo-jin, knowing this might be the last time, but she still couldn’t bring herself to step forward and face him.

It was after that very day that Jin So-eun could no longer look Seon Woo-jin in the face.

Ever since he learned that he couldn’t go save his fiancée, Dang Yeo-eun, to save himself.

Of course, Seon Woo-jin himself had never shown such signs in front of Jin So-eun.

Instead, he had stayed by her side until she had overcome the danger.

And when she finally got through the critical moment, he had smiled and said this to her.

‘What a relief, Lady Jin. It seems we’ve passed the critical moment. Now, continue resting and circulating the Moolang Mind Technique. From here on, you must focus solely on recovery.’

At that time, Jin So-eun was not in her right mind.

Even though she had recovered somewhat, the persistent stabbing pain in her stomach kept her mind clouded.

Yet even so, she could discern a deep shadow of sorrow in Seon Woo-jin’s expression as he spoke and smiled.

It was a shadow so heavy she couldn’t bring herself to ask why.

That look had come as a great shock to Jin So-eun.

It was the first time she had seen such an overwhelmingly heavy look in Seon Woo-jin’s eyes—a man who had always seemed to overcome any crisis with effortless ease.

‘What on earth happened? Could it be because that beauty was possessed by the Heaven-Defying Blood Demon back then?’

Jin So-eun felt that Yeon Tae-jin was somehow hiding the reason from her too. While she was briefly away, she asked the Hyeongsan Sect disciple who brought the meal about Seon Woo-jin’s recent situation.

Then she heard the story.

That Sunwoo Jin, knowing his fiancée Tang Yeo-eun was in danger, had decided not to go save her.

And that he was now staring blankly at the western sky, waiting only for news of her.

Jin So-eun was momentarily stunned.

‘Confucius… decided not to go rescue his fiancée?’

The first emotion that surfaced in that moment was guilt.

She immediately realized that the reason Seon Woo-jin made that decision was because of Jin So-eun herself.

And the next emotion that surfaced was fear.

She was suddenly overcome with fear.

Because if anything happened to his fiancée, she felt he would remember the reason whenever he saw her.

‘If Seonwoo Gongja starts thinking that every time he sees me…’

The mere thought of it was nothing short of terrifying.

Every time he saw his own face, it reminded him of his fiancée’s crisis—perhaps even her death.

If he were Seon Woo-jin, he would never want to see his own face.

And after that, Sunwoo Jin never actually came to see Jin So-eun again.

The reason, of course, wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Jin So-eun, but because he was waiting for news about Dang Yeo-eun.

But Jin So-eun couldn’t accept it that simply.

The longer Seon Woo-jin didn’t come to see her, the more she couldn’t help but shrink back.

That was when it began.

The reason she couldn’t look Sunwoo Jin straight in the eye…

Guilt, fear, and self-loathing made her feel infinitely small.

She simply couldn’t bring herself to face him.

‘Because of me, Gong-ja almost lost someone precious to him. How could someone like me possibly stand by his side…’

Such thoughts gradually gnawed away at her mind.

She even began to think that perhaps this time, it was finally time for her to disappear from his side.

‘Even if I couldn’t be his woman, I wanted to be someone who could at least be of help to him. That’s why I tried so hard…’

It seems even that failed.

It was truly the worst.

***

Seon Woo-jin couldn’t see Jin So-eun’s expression, couldn’t see her tears.

Naturally, he couldn’t possibly know how her heart was crumbling.

He merely turned his head to watch the female demon Son Eun-sang, who was having an affectionate conversation with Ma Jong-hwan of the Life and Death Sect.

Namhaeseongnyeo Shi Seo-woo and Yong Gajoo Yong Woo-shin had already finished preparing to leave and were waiting for him, and the Yukhap Sword Masters were also standing by, awaiting his orders.

So now, once Son Eun-sang was ready, they could depart.

Seon Woo-jin was about to open his mouth to call out Son Eun-sang.

“Son Seon…!”

That was when it happened.

Someone sent him a telepathic message.

– Isn’t this going too far, young master?

A woman’s voice, sharp and clear.

It was the voice of Miao A-lan, the Divine Mystic Sword Peak of the Haenam Miao Clan.

Seon Woo-jin paused, having just been about to call out to Son Eun-sang, and looked at her with a puzzled expression.

Then he replied telepathically.

– Too much? What do you mean, Miss Miao?

Miao A-lan continued to counter via telepathy.

– Are you really going to leave Young Master Jin like that? Don’t you feel anything seeing that expression?

‘That look?’

At her words, Seon Woo-jin suddenly turned his gaze back to Jin So-eun.

He noticed her, who had been staring at him with tear-filled, sorrowful eyes, startled, then quickly bow her head again.

“……”

Seon Woo-jin stared blankly at her bowed head for a moment.

Tears? Why? Was it because she was worried about me?

Of course, that could be it.

But her recent behavior had definitely been a bit strange to dismiss it as just that.

‘Then what is it? Did I do something wrong?’

Seon Woo-jin briefly pondered the cause of her tears and her incomprehensible behavior.

But naturally, he couldn’t guess the reason at all.

That was when it happened.

Once again, Mya-ran’s exasperated voice reached his ears.

– Look at that. Don’t you get it even after seeing that?

Hearing that question, Seon Woo-jin, who had been looking at Jin So-eun, thought.

‘…I really don’t get it?’

He was honestly a bit flustered.

He hadn’t seen Jin So-eun again since treating her. How could he possibly know why she was acting like that?

It seemed matters concerning women were beyond the reach of his wisdom after all.

So after a moment’s hesitation, Seonwoo Jin decided to just be honest and ask for help.

– My dull mind simply cannot fathom it, young lady. Would you kindly enlighten me?

Miao A-lan sighed and sent another telepathic message.

– Master, you haven’t visited Lady Jin since hearing news of your fiancée’s peril, have you?

– Well…

Of course not.

While waiting for news of Dang Yeo-eun, he hadn’t visited anyone, not just Jin So-eun. After that, he couldn’t see her because he was going to An Tang Mountain.

And after that visit, she was always with her parents, so I couldn’t see her separately.

‘But wasn’t that unavoidable?’

That was when Seon Woo-jin was having that thought.

Mya-ran’s telepathic transmission resumed.

– Even an ordinary woman would naturally feel hurt if she neglected herself while worrying about another woman. And wouldn’t a kind woman like Jin Xiaoze have thought that? That it was her fault she couldn’t go save her fiancé because she was busy saving herself. She said Confucius might resent her for that reason. Seeing how she can’t approach Confucius, I can’t help but think that’s exactly what’s happening, don’t you?

– Huh?

Upon hearing those words, Sunwoo Jin frowned slightly.

He had made the choice himself not to go save Dang Yeo-eun but to treat Jin So-eun instead. He thought it was ridiculous to feel guilty about that choice.

But then it happened.

This time, Mukrang’s voice reached her ears.

– I don’t know much about women either, so it’s hard for me to say… but it’s clear Jin So-jae’s heart is filled with guilt and self-loathing. I suppose Miao So-jae was right after all?

Hearing those words, Seon Woo-jin froze in place.

And he looked again at Jin So-eun, who kept her head bowed low, unable to meet his gaze.

‘Guilt and self-loathing… Is that really why?’

At first, he couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

How kind must she be to even think that way?

She nearly died because of that incident, yet instead of resentment, she feels guilt?

He wondered how she could possibly navigate the world being so purely kind.

But as Seon Woo-jin pondered this, she suddenly recalled all the things she had seen her do up until now.

The image of him at their first meeting, silently enduring his brothers’ contempt even after mastering the natural arts, which had been the Jin family’s long-cherished goal.

The moment he tried to take his own life, saying he wouldn’t be a hindrance to Seonwoo Jin when being chased by Jin Taedo.

And even after learning of the existence of his true love, Dang Yeo-eun, he never showed any sign of it, always smiling at her with unwavering consistency…

Then, suddenly, a thought struck him.

‘Perhaps she had always been the same, but I was the one who failed to recognize her?’

It seemed that was probably the case.

Wasn’t that very innocence and purity—so foolishly pure that it made everyone around her pure too—her charm?

For someone like her, it was possible she felt guilty about not being able to go save her—regardless of whether her own life was in danger or whether Dang Yeo-eun was her rival.

Having thought that far, Seon Woo-jin let out a light sigh and gave a small chuckle.

She truly was a woman who demanded a lot of attention.

And he thought.

‘So I have no choice but to keep watching over her from the sidelines….’

***

Jin So-eun, who had kept her head bowed low, found it difficult to lift it again.

She was afraid that Seon Woo-jin might still be watching her.

She worried he might have seen her tears, and that it might have weighed heavily on his heart as he departed for something important.

Of course, she also wanted to see him one last time before he left.

No, she wanted to see him so badly.

But her fear and worry that she might cause him concern were even greater.

That was when it happened.

A shadow suddenly fell across her face as she kept her head bowed.

Someone had approached her.

Startled, Jin So-eun suddenly lifted her head.

Then, one after another, familiar shoes, pants, and a sturdy chest clad in black entered her field of vision.

And finally, when she lifted her head completely, she could see him.

Seon Woo-jin’s face, smiling warmly at her…

“Ahh…!”

Too shocked to speak, Jin So-eun was momentarily speechless.

She could only stare at his face with wide, flustered eyes.

Then Seon Woo-jin smiled as if he knew everything and slowly, firmly embraced her.

Jin So-eun, buried deep in his embrace, was still staring blankly, only her eyes blinking.

She couldn’t possibly understand what was happening right now.

It felt unreal and hazy, like she was dreaming.

Then Seon Woo-jin whispered softly into her ear.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t understand your pain, Miss Jin. No… So-eun. Please take good care of yourself until I return.”

Jin So-eun couldn’t help but gasp and hold her breath.

The moment he called her ‘So-eun,’ it felt as if her heart had stopped beating.

It felt like a miracle had happened.

***

Seon Woo-jin, who had left Jin So-eun breathless, now stood slightly apart, gazing at her face.

There she was, staring blankly at him with wide, rabbit-like eyes.

It was an impossibly cute, irresistibly lovable face.

In that moment, her cherry-like pink lips suddenly caught his eye.

An overwhelming urge to kiss her came over him.

Just like that time on the peak of Hyeongsan, surrounded by the glow of the sunset.

I wanted to feel that soft touch once more.

But no matter how much I wished, it was impossible to go that far.

The gaze of his parents and the people around him, watching him now, was intense enough.

Seon Woo-jin’s inner vision showed him all too clearly that every gaze was fixed on him.

A moment later, Seon Woo-jin stepped away from Jin So-eun as if nothing had happened, spun around swiftly, and addressed Son Eun-sang.

“Senior Son, that’s enough…! Ah, you’ve already finished your greetings. Shall we get going then?”

After saying that, he took the lead and began walking with confidence.

He decided to ignore Son Eun-sang’s voice calling out from behind, “Oh! You’re a guy?”

***

Myo A-ran watched Seon Woo-jin’s retreating back with a slightly bitter expression.

It was something she had brought about by speaking up, but she couldn’t help feeling a bitter taste in her mouth.

Seeing Seon Woo-jin confidently embrace Jin So-eun in front of everyone, especially in front of his parents, was undeniably incredibly cool.

But at the same time, it made her feel a little hurt.

Seeing Jin So-eun relax in his arms, her expression softening, she felt relieved.

But on the other hand, I also felt jealous.

Above all else.

The bitter truth that whatever she thought about him, it wouldn’t matter to Seon Woo-jin at all felt bitter and even a little miserable.

Myo A-ran tried to compose herself as she thought.

‘Accept it rationally, coldly, Miao A-lan. This is your current position.’

Her cold judgment told her that to Seon Woo-jin, she was merely one of the disciples of the Haenam Sect, nothing more.

Of course, she was a wise mentor who could discuss and advise on the plans he devised, but that was strictly limited to professional matters.

Recently, Seon Woo-jin treated me with great courtesy.

He treated me only with ‘courtesy’.

His attitude felt like he was emphasizing that while he was a very important person professionally, privately, they had absolutely no connection.

He gave no opening whatsoever to get closer.

Myo A-ran took that attitude as his answer.

His answer to their previous conversation and to the feelings she had conveyed through his parents.

He probably had no intention of accepting her as a woman, or even seeing her as one at all.

It was deeply hurtful and couldn’t help but feel cruel.

Honestly, at first it wasn’t even accepted.

‘So decisively? Without any room for compromise?’

She was the woman known as the most beautiful woman in Hainan.

And she had never even left Haenam, so that was merely how she was known. Had she been as active in the martial world as the Four Great Beauties of the Sapa Sect, like Yeon Taejin or Woo Nanseol, she might have been recognized in far wider circles.

Of course, she hadn’t particularly attached any meaning to such things.

But she had never once imagined she was the kind of woman a man would reject so coldly.

Yet reality showed no respect for her thoughts whatsoever.

The man she wanted didn’t want her at all; in fact, he was pushing her away.

So now, the only choices left for her were to cleanly give him up to avoid further hurt, or to cling on pathetically.

With that thought, Miao A-lan let out a hollow laugh.

‘Either way, it’s a choice that hurts my pride. You really weren’t that special after all, Mya-ran.’

But regardless of that self-loathing, her choice wasn’t difficult at all.

Her choice was already decided.

She had never been interested in marriage to a man from the start.

No, she had actually found it bothersome.

Since she had been betrothed to her close childhood friend, In Parang, from a very young age, she had simply accepted it as fate. She had never once felt any flutter of excitement about the opposite sex or marriage.

The only thing that held her interest was the person Seon Woo-jin himself.

The very man who had made her heart flutter for the first time in her life.

So the answer was already decided.

If it weren’t for Seon Woo-jin, she would have ended up living alone without marrying anyone anyway. Focusing on him was simply the most natural choice for Miao A-lan.

‘Having to cling to him like this is a bit humiliating, but what can you do?’

Of course, she was a woman renowned for her wisdom even among the Haenam Miao, the brains of the Haenam faction.

There was no way such a woman would stoop to low methods like tearful begging.

She knew well that the very thought of being someone’s woman diminished her appeal to men.

‘And a woman who clings pathetically is just as unattractive.’

She simply had no interest in men; it wasn’t that she didn’t know them well.

Let me reiterate: she was the wisest woman in the renowned Haenam Myoga, famed for its wisdom, and she was also Haenam’s most beautiful woman, courted by countless men.

She was on a different level in terms of experience compared to Seon Woo-jin, who had barely had any opportunity to interact with women even after living at least two lifetimes.

The method she chose was to remain as a colleague around Seonwoo Jin, gradually closing the distance between them.

Telling him about Jin So-eun’s situation just now was also part of that plan.

‘It allows me to appear completely impartial toward Seonwoo Gongja while also putting him in my debt. You could call it killing two birds with one stone.’

Given Seonwoo Jin’s character as she understood it, he would never pretend not to know about the debt he owed her this time.

So, Miao A-ran reasoned, by steadily building up this debt of gratitude in this manner, an opportunity would eventually come her way.

But…

‘Still, there’s no helping how much it hurts.’

With that thought, Mya-ran bowed her head and smiled bitterly.

It seemed the plan she had devised in her head was weighing heavily on her heart.

No matter how wise she was, she simply couldn’t control her own feelings.

‘Huuuuu.’

It was just as Mya-ran was quietly sighing deeply, trying to calm herself down.

Suddenly, a telepathic message reached her ears.

– Thank you for your guidance, Lady Miao. I will pay my respects again upon my return.

Hearing those words, Miao A-lan snapped her head up.

It was Seon Woo-jin’s voice.

She caught him glancing back at her with a faint smile just as he turned away again.

Though it was only a fleeting smile, Miao A-lan found herself staring blankly at his retreating back.

Somehow, just that smile he had given her seemed to make all the disappointment she had felt moments before vanish completely, leaving her with a strange feeling.

After staring at his back for a long while, Miao A-lan suddenly let out a hollow laugh.

She felt pathetic that she could be swayed by just one brief smile from him.

‘Me, the wisest person in Haenam Myao?’

If anyone had seen her like this now, they wouldn’t have said such things.

But…

It didn’t matter anymore.

Her fight was just beginning.