Closer (Part 2)
The headquarters of the Night Alliance was in chaos.
It was only after they discovered the identity tag of the man Gu-cheol had killed that they realized he was a member of the Cheondo Sect.
“You fool! How could you just kill him like that?” Ya-cheon bellowed, his voice echoing through the room.
Gu-cheol, feeling wronged, tried to defend himself. “I didn’t mean to kill him. But what was I supposed to do when he charged at me like a madman? Ask the others, they’ll tell you.”
“Still, you idiot!”
Fearing a slap, Gu-cheol quickly stepped back.
Ya-cheon sighed deeply, worry etched on his face. “Of all people, why did it have to be someone from the Cheondo Sect?”
“Don’t worry. No one saw anything. Besides, we disposed of the body perfectly, didn’t we?”
“There’s someone who knows.”
“What? Who could have seen it?”
“The one who tipped us off about his whereabouts.”
“Oh!”
Ya-cheon’s concern was justified. The fact that someone knew was a bigger problem than the killing itself.
“We’ve given them a real advantage over us.”
“I’m sorry.”
Finally grasping the gravity of the situation, Gu-cheol hung his head low.
Ya-cheon didn’t scold him further. This wasn’t Gu-cheol’s fault. It was his own mistake for sending him there in the first place.
The person who had informed them of the man’s location had used them to eliminate him.
“But why?”
The fact that a bundle of notes was found on the man’s body suggested that the one who had contacted them was the thief.
“If they were capable of stealing from the Shandong Trading Company and setting such a trap, couldn’t they have eliminated him without our help? So why involve us?”
Suddenly, Gu-cheol had a thought. “Could it be that we’re the real targets?”
“Finally figured it out, huh? Of course, that’s the case.”
“Let me find out who it is and take care of them.”
“First, we need to identify them. There must be something wrong related to Ma Jeong-su. Investigate him quietly.”
“But is it okay to provoke them?”
“Given the situation, we have to act. If we just sit back, we’ll end up being blindsided. Start with Ma Jeong-su.”
“Understood. Leave it to me.”
Gu-cheol left the room.
Ya-cheon walked over to the window. Something was happening that he wasn’t aware of.
His heart raced, and his skin tingled. But it wasn’t entirely unpleasant.
After all, solving dangerous problems always came with great rewards.
Ma Jeong-su paced his room, restless.
Even the next day, Si-gon hadn’t returned. At first, he was angry.
Leaving over something so trivial? How childish and rebellious. It was pathetic.
By afternoon, worry began to creep in.
He tried to shake off his unease, convincing himself that Si-gon wasn’t someone who would be easily taken down. In the process, yet another desk was broken. He’d lost count of how many had been destroyed.
When evening came and Si-gon still hadn’t returned, Ma Jeong-su concluded that he must be dead. Si-gon wasn’t the type to leave without a word, even when angry.
A chill ran through Ma Jeong-su’s veins.
“Those bastards! No matter what, I won’t back down.”
His anger was directed at his siblings. He was convinced one of them was behind this. They were the only ones with the motive and capability.
He had never wanted to lose to them. They had tormented him since childhood, simply because his mother was a concubine. They weren’t siblings; they were dogs.
“I’ll have my revenge, just wait.”
At that moment, someone was watching him from the half-open door. It was the mysterious woman.
“Hey!”
Despite Ma Jeong-su’s angry shout, the woman remained expressionless.
“Report everything. Don’t miss a single detail. Watch how I turn this situation around on my own. Got it?”
When she didn’t respond, he yelled again.
“Do you understand?”
The woman left without a word.
“Arrogant wench! A stone with no emotions. When I become the successor, I’ll twist your neck first.”
The woman heard every word as she walked down the hallway.
At least the part about her being emotionless was wrong.
Her expressionless face grew even colder after hearing his words.
The next day, Ma Jeong-su went to see Jeong-yeo as soon as he woke up.
With Si-gon gone, he couldn’t just sit idly by.
“What brings you here?”
“I have something important to discuss with you, Jeong-bangju.”
Jeong-yeo was internally tense at his sudden visit but tried to remain calm.
“Please, go ahead.”
“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors. Our alliance with the Shandong Trading Company has fallen through.”
“Several unfortunate events have coincided. But I believe you’ll overcome them, Ma Gong-ja.”
“That’s why I need your help, Jeong-bangju.”
“What do you mean?”
“We can’t just abandon the plan to establish the martial arts school. I need your support.”
Jeong-yeo hesitated. Helping him meant providing financial support and lending the strength of Yangso-bang.
“I’m worried that our humble group might only cause trouble for your grand endeavor.”
Though he politely declined, Ma Jeong-su persisted.
“Isn’t Yangso-bang the most prominent group in Shandong? If you help me now, I’ll never forget this favor.”
Ma Jeong-su needed to establish the martial arts school to secure a foothold for the Cheondo Sect in Shandong. Failing to do so would mean losing the succession test.
He just needed to get past this hurdle.
The contract for the martial arts school had been canceled, but with enough money, it could be revived. The cancellation was due to rumors of his bankruptcy, so money would solve everything.
Initially, he hadn’t approached Yangso-bang because it wasn’t necessary. Plus, it wouldn’t look good to outsiders if he sought help from them while staying there, as advised by Hwasun Nodae.
But now, the situation had changed.
If Yangso-bang helped him overcome this obstacle, he would pass the first test.
Then, when a new challenge arose, he would handle it even more impressively. He would gather new followers. This time, he had been hit, but next time, he would strike his competitors so hard they’d never recover.
“I understand. Could you give me some time to think it over?”
“Of course. But don’t keep me waiting too long.”
“I’ll visit you soon.”
As Ma Jeong-su left the room, he smirked inwardly.
‘Hmph! You might want to back out, but it won’t be easy.’
He intended to use everything and everyone he could. Once he had extracted all the value, he would discard them without a second thought.
‘Just watch, I won’t go down easily. I’ve come too far for that.’
After sending Ma Jeong-su away, Jeong-yeo came to my room.
She relayed Ma Jeong-su’s request and spoke with concern.
“What should we do?”
It was indeed a worrying situation. That greedy bastard would drain Yangso-bang’s resources dry if they started helping him.
“He’s planning to sacrifice Yangso-bang for his own gain.”
“It seems so.”
Jeong-yeo looked like she wanted to curse him out, so I did it for her.
“That dirty, shameless bastard. You want to slap him and crush him, don’t you?”
“I want to stomp him into the ground.”
Only then did her expression relax.
“Don’t worry, his end is near.”
I had already devised a grand plan to eliminate him by involving the Night Alliance. Only a few details remained, one of which was the mysterious woman.
“This might actually work in our favor.”
“What do you mean?”
I smiled, confident in my plan.
“If he wants to carry the firewood himself, we should light the match.”
The next day, I went with Jeong-yeo to see Ma Jeong-su.
Jeong-yeo calmly delivered her prepared speech.
“As you know, I haven’t been the leader for long. I’m embarrassed to admit that I haven’t fully taken control of the group yet. So, I can’t step away from my duties. Instead, I’d like to introduce someone who can assist you.”
Ma Jeong-su scrutinized me closely.
But with my disguise and altered voice, he didn’t recognize me.
I had used the highest quality disguise. Unless someone was an expert, they wouldn’t see through it. It was expensive, but given the importance of the task, it was necessary.
“This is my most trusted warrior. He’s skilled and intelligent, and he’ll be a great help to you, Ma Dae-hyeop.”
I bowed my head in greeting as Jeong-yeo introduced me.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Gal-pyo.”
The alias was a combination of Gal Sa-ryang’s surname and Baek-pyo’s name.
I saw this as a perfect opportunity to learn more about the mysterious woman.
There’s a saying in the martial world: Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
When Ma Jeong-su’s face showed reluctance, Jeong-yeo quickly added, “Of course, we’ll also provide financial support. Don’t worry.”
Only after hearing about the financial support did Ma Jeong-su’s expression soften.
“Alright. If Jeong-bangju recommends him so highly, I trust him.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
Jeong-yeo looked at me sternly.
“Take good care of him. Don’t make any mistakes.”
I bowed respectfully to Jeong-yeo.
“Yes, I will follow your orders.”
I was given the room where Hwasun Nodae had stayed.
After unpacking my things, I stepped out and encountered the mysterious woman in the hallway.
She was walking towards me from the end of the corridor.
I stood by the door, watching her approach.
I was tense, but I didn’t hide it.
Meeting someone for the first time and not feeling a bit nervous would be strange, wouldn’t it? I was doing my best to keep my composure, projecting the kind of calm that someone like Galpyo would exude.
Up close, her face wasn’t particularly cute or glamorous. Maybe it was the lack of makeup that gave her a cold aura? She had a slightly androgynous look, which only added to her intriguing charm.
Our eyes met.
Her gaze was devoid of any emotion.
I had seen eyes like that before.
In the ranks of the Sapa, or among the elite trained by the Demonic Cult. Raised from infancy to carry out missions without a trace of emotion.
Those ruthless killing machines had eyes just like hers.
Could she be one of them?
Did Mabong-gi raise her? If so, when did he start planning this? Judging by her age, he must have begun at least twenty years ago. It was hard to believe, considering what I knew of Mabong-gi’s past.
Or was it just a similar look? You couldn’t discern everything about a person from their eyes alone. It might have been a coincidence.
When she was close enough, I greeted her first.
“I’m Galpyo.”
She glanced at me briefly, but that was it. She didn’t stop walking and simply passed by without a word.
“Hey! When someone greets you, you should respond. What’s your name?”
She disappeared around the corner.
I saw her again that night.
Unable to sleep, I went for a walk and found her standing by the pond.
Was it the moonlight spilling over the water, or the way she gazed into the pond so endlessly?
She seemed lonely.
But the loneliness I sensed from her wasn’t the kind that made you want to reach out and comfort her. It was an emptiness, a void so profound that it couldn’t be consoled.
I watched her from a distance for a long time before heading back inside. Whether she noticed me watching or not, I couldn’t tell.
From the next day, I began to observe her more closely.