Episode 138

After finishing their meal, everyone was heading back to their rooms.

Suddenly, someone called out to Jegal Seoyul from behind.

“Jegal Sojeo!”

The voice was unfamiliar to her, having spent some time with the Sunwoo family—it was Sunwoo Jin’s voice.

Jegal Seoyul turned around with a puzzled expression, waiting for him to approach as she thought to herself,

‘What’s this about? Earlier, he barely even glanced my way. So he was just pretending not to care on the surface?’

That seemed to be the case.

After all, there was no way a young man wouldn’t be interested in her.

It was only natural.

As that thought crossed her mind, her opinion of Sunwoo Jin dropped a little, but oddly enough, her self-esteem felt a bit boosted.

Now wearing a haughty expression, Jegal Seoyul stopped and waited for him to speak.

But what Sunwoo Jin said next was nothing like what she had expected.

He spoke with a heavy expression.

“Jegal Sojeo, you must be deeply troubled over Cheongyeon Sojeo’s situation, right?”

“…What? What are you talking about?”

At the sudden mention of her friend Hae Cheongyeon, Jegal Seoyul blinked in confusion and asked him to clarify.

Sunwoo Jin, now looking a bit flustered, asked again.

“Uh, haven’t you heard? Cheongyeon Sojeo was attacked by the Blood Cult…”

“What?!”

Jegal Seoyul was utterly shocked.

What on earth was he saying?

Cheongyeon was attacked by the Blood Cult?

Since her friend Hae Cheongyeon had gone to the front lines, Jegal Seoyul hadn’t heard a single word from her.

But knowing Cheongyeon’s personality—and how capable she was—Jegal Seoyul hadn’t worried at all.

And now, to hear that Cheongyeon had been taken down by the Blood Cult?

She shook her head in disbelief and asked again.

“W-what do you mean? That can’t be true. Cheongyeon wouldn’t… she wouldn’t do something like that…”

Sunwoo Jin answered with a dark, apologetic look.

“You didn’t know? The report came in through the scouts, so I assumed you were already aware. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s not that. But Cheongyeon… really…?”

Jegal Seoyul stammered, her hands trembling as she struggled to speak.

Sunwoo Jin only nodded gravely in response to her disbelief.

At that moment, Jegal Seoyul looked completely dazed, as if the world was collapsing around her.

Sunwoo Jin sighed deeply and recounted the exact details from the report.

“After Cheongyeon Sojeo entrusted a letter to Jegal Gunsa to deliver to you, she was kidnapped by the Blood Cult’s leader. And since then… nothing.”

Jegal Seoyul shook her head, nearly on the verge of tears.

“That’s impossible. No way… And a letter? What letter are you talking about?”

Sunwoo Jin looked a little surprised and asked back.

“You haven’t received it? When Jegal Gunsa came to the front lines, Cheongyeon Sojeo entrusted a letter to be delivered to you.”

“…No? My father never mentioned anything like that…”

Suddenly, several troubling thoughts tangled in Jegal Seoyul’s mind.

• Her friend Hae Cheongyeon had entrusted a letter to her father.

• But her father never gave her that letter.

• And shortly after, Cheongyeon was kidnapped by the Blood Cult’s leader.

These three facts combined into a dark, ominous conclusion in her mind.

On top of that, she had recently learned—almost by accident—that her father, Jegal Jigang, held a grudge against Hae Cheongyeon’s father, the sword master Hae Unbaek.

‘Could it be…?’

The suspicion that followed was something she couldn’t believe, and didn’t want to believe.

The shock was so great that Jegal Seoyul, uncharacteristically, felt her legs give out.

She staggered.

“Sojeo!”

Sunwoo Jin caught her, alarmed by her unsteady steps.

Jegal Seoyul, pale and drained of color, gave him a faint nod.

“Th-thank you, Gongja.”

“Not at all, Sojeo. Are you feeling unwell?”

“No, it’s nothing…”

She was uncomfortable.

The suspicion swirling in her mind made her uneasy.

She knew better than anyone the kind of person her father was.

But she couldn’t voice those thoughts aloud.

Her eyes clouded with confusion.

Sunwoo Jin watched her carefully, sharp and observant.

It seemed clear that Jegal Seoyul truly considered Hae Cheongyeon a friend.

And she probably had no idea what her father, Jegal Jigang, was really up to.

‘If that’s the case…’

Sunwoo Jin began thinking about how he might use this information later.

Just then, an angry voice cut through the tension.

“Third brother! What are you doing?!”

Turning his head, Sunwoo Jin saw Sunwoo Gi, the fourth brother, running toward them with a flushed, furious face.

He must have misunderstood the sight of Sunwoo Jin supporting Jegal Seoyul.

Realizing how close they’d been standing, both Sunwoo Jin and Jegal Seoyul jumped apart in surprise.

But that only fueled Sunwoo Gi’s suspicion.

He shouted again, harshly.

“How dare you! What on earth were you doing with Jegal Sojeo just now?!”

Sunwoo Jin quickly raised his hands, trying to explain.

“W-what do you mean? Nothing like that! I just helped her because she looked unwell!”

“Unwell, you say?”

Sunwoo Gi’s eyes widened as he looked at Jegal Seoyul.

“Are you feeling unwell, Sojeo?”

Jegal Seoyul, having regained some composure, shook her head.

“No, I’m fine now. And thank you, Sunwoo Sam Gongja.”

“Not at all. It was nothing.”

They resumed their gentle conversation.

Though brief, a subtle understanding seemed to form between them.

But Sunwoo Gi, still suspicious, couldn’t hold back his frustration.

“Sojeo! If you’re feeling unwell, I can help you!”

He couldn’t forget how close Sunwoo Jin had been to Jegal Seoyul earlier.

And he was jealous.

He wanted to be the one supporting her.

But Jegal Seoyul, now steady, firmly declined.

“No, I’m fine. I can go on my own now. I’ll be going.”

Sunwoo Gi’s face fell with disappointment.

In the midst of fearing that his eldest brother, Sunwoo Seong, might steal her away, he couldn’t just let her go like this.

Then, his eyes caught sight of Sunwoo Jin.

The third brother, smiling foolishly despite having every reason to be beaten up.

Sunwoo Gi smirked darkly and asked Jegal Seoyul as she turned to leave.

“Sojeo, now that you’re feeling better, would you like to watch the duel between So-saeng and third brother?”

“…A duel?”

Jegal Seoyul was a martial arts enthusiast.

More precisely, she loved duels.

If she had to pick her favorite things, winning a duel came first, fighting in one second, and watching one third.

So, watching Sunwoo Jin’s duel, especially when she was already concerned about him, was something she couldn’t refuse.

Sunwoo Jin, however, looked horrified at his younger brother’s sudden suggestion.

“W-what are you saying, Giya?! You and I dueling?!”

Sunwoo Gi glared sharply at Sunwoo Jin.

“You’ve lost weight, so it’s time for this rematch. You didn’t think you could just knock me out last time and get away with it, did you, hyung?”

“N-no, that was one-sided on your part…!”

Sunwoo Jin flailed his arms, desperately refusing.

But Sunwoo Gi wasn’t interested in hearing excuses.

He cut him off and charged.

“Hah!”

Filled with rage, Sunwoo Gi’s fists split into four strikes.

This time, he wasn’t going to let his guard down.

His improved Gale Thirteen Strikes pressed down on Sunwoo Jin with full force.

But then, to everyone’s surprise, all four punches landed cleanly.

“Ugh!”

Sunwoo Jin screamed as if his throat had been cut, flying backward and rolling on the ground in a pitiful heap.

Sunwoo Gi, stunned by the unexpected success of his attack, paused for a moment.

He had prepared three feints for a single strike, but every one of them had hit.

Sunwoo Gi’s best efforts seemed wasted against such a pitiful display.

“Oh no! Giya! Hyung’s dying! Oh no!”

Sunwoo Gi shouted, looking down on Sunwoo Jin as he writhed on the ground.

How many humiliations had Sunwoo Jin suffered since that day he was knocked out by that pig?

There were even whispers that the real disgrace to the Sunwoo family was not Sunwoo Jin, but Sunwoo Gi himself.

And yet…

“This is ridiculous. To suffer such humiliation because of trash like this!”

Still fuming, Sunwoo Gi kicked Sunwoo Jin, who hadn’t even gotten up yet.

“Thud!”

“Oh no! Giya!”

Watching the scene unfold, Jegal Seoyul’s face darkened with disappointment.

He had a handsome face and an intriguing aura that had caught her attention.

Even when he helped support her earlier, she’d felt her heart flutter a little.

But now…

To think that he, of all people, was actually this kind of scum.

It felt like a betrayal.

Without another word, Jegal Seoyul turned on her heel and decided to leave.

Sun Woo-gi’s brutal treatment of someone who couldn’t even resist seemed excessive, but she didn’t even want to point it out.

‘Even last time, when he was a pig, at least his defense was decent. Now he can’t even manage that. Has his skill really deteriorated after going to the front lines…?’

But as she walked away, a strange thought nagged at her mind.

‘Is the front line really such an easy place that someone with skills like that can come back on leave in one piece? The same front line where even Cheong-yeon died? And he says his skills got worse after going there? Yet he’s lost so much weight…’

Suddenly, Jegal Seoyul stopped and glanced back at Sun Woo-jin.

She saw him curled up, taking a relentless beating.

No matter how you looked at it, he was getting seriously thrashed.

Even if he were a warrior hiding his true strength, getting hit like that should have been fatal.

Her mind spun with confusion again.

But in the end, she decided there was no point in overthinking it. With a sigh, she resolved to stop Sun Woo-gi.

If this kept up, Sun Woo-jin might actually die.

Her voice turned cold as she spoke.

“Sun Woo-gi, do you find it fun to beat someone who can’t even fight back like that?”

Honestly, Sun Woo-gi was enjoying himself.

It felt like all the frustration he’d bottled up over the past few months was finally being released.

But the moment he heard Jegal Seoyul’s icy tone, he snapped back to reality.

He’d shown a side of himself he shouldn’t have in front of her.

Startled, he tried to explain.

“Ah, M-Ma’am, this is just…”

But seeing her expression, he couldn’t continue.

She was looking at him with a contempt he’d never seen on her face before.

Of course, Jegal Seoyul had always despised him inwardly, but this was the first time she’d shown it so openly.

Her voice was as cold as ice.

“You’re not even a proper warrior, let alone a righteous man.”

With that, she turned her back and started walking away.

Sun Woo-gi hurried after her, desperate to stop her.

“Je-Jegal Ma’am!”

There was no way he could just let her go like that.

But just as he reached out to grab her, Jegal Seoyul gripped her sword and suddenly radiated the aura of a top-tier master.

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

Startled by the overwhelming presence, Sun Woo-gi froze on the spot.

Jegal Seoyul glanced at him sideways and said,

“Don’t follow me. I might cut you down.”

Sun Woo-gi’s courage wasn’t enough to ignore the warning of a master at her level.

He hung his head in defeat.

After a moment of glaring at Sun Woo-jin with eyes full of resentment, Sun Woo-gi, afraid that Jegal Seoyul might come back, didn’t dare touch him any further and left.

Finally alone, Sun Woo-jin dusted himself off and stood up as if nothing had happened.

Having mastered external martial arts enough to tussle with mages, enduring Sun Woo-gi’s beating was nothing for him.

If anything, pretending to be hurt was the harder part.

But at that moment, a worried transmission from Jeok Ma-hyuk reached his ear.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Sun Woo-jin chuckled softly and replied,

“No, not really. It’s just ticklish. And my clothes got dirty, which is annoying.”

He meant to sound lighthearted, but Jeok Ma-hyuk didn’t seem to pick up on the humor.

With a sympathetic tone, he sent another message.

“Sir, was it really necessary for you to let that kind of guy treat you like that?”

Apparently, Sun Woo-jin looked too pitiful.

He replied with a bitter smile.

“It had to be that way. Right now, I need to be seen as weak and insignificant. Remember this: the real enemies we face aren’t those pathetic fools. The deadliest blade is the one whose presence remains hidden.”

After a moment, Jeok Ma-hyuk responded.

“…Understood, sir.”

But then, he sent a longer message than usual.

“To be honest, I envied you. I thought you were someone born with everything. But… it seems everyone has their own trials. I only observed briefly, but if I were in your position, I’m not sure I could endure what you have.”

There was a hint of sentimentality in his voice.

Sun Woo-jin smiled faintly.

He really was a soft-hearted man.

It made you wonder how he’d managed to survive as a warrior with that kind of heart.

Just then, Gyeon Jung, who had been sent to watch over Sun Woo-yeon-ha, his younger sister, returned and sent a transmission.

“Sir, as you instructed, Sun Woo-yeon-ha came into contact with a handsome young man. She didn’t get too close, as you advised, but he felt extremely dangerous.”

Sun Woo-jin had suspected that the Yun family, involved in the recent confrontation with Jeong Hyup-bang, had likely been absorbed by the Blood Sect.

He had confirmed this through No Sam-ryong, the exiled branch chief of the Hao Sect.

That’s why he was keeping a close eye on his youngest sister, Sun Woo-yeon-ha.

Since she was from the Yun family on her mother’s side, if the Blood Sect tried to reach the Sun family, it was highly likely they’d use her as a conduit.

And if they were targeting the Sun family, now that their father, Sun Woo-jung, had effectively declared the eldest son, Sun Woo-sung, as heir, they certainly wouldn’t stand idly by.

Sun Woo-jin grinned and muttered,

“Good. You’ve shown up at just the right time.”

Then he set off toward the location Gyeon Jung had reported.