Chapter 48 ….
“I got a confession from the staff at Maehwagak. They admitted to mixing some unidentified substance into the meals for the superhumans. So, it would be wise to be careful about what you eat from now on.”
At those words, Cheong-eum’s breathing slowed. His eyes, suddenly clouded with confusion, dropped into emptiness. If this oppression was imposed through what they consumed…
“That’s impossible.”
After a long pause, the voice that came out was cold. That meant there was a spy in his own family—someone who had secretly given him lunar suppressants since childhood.
Seon-oh answered calmly.
“From what we’ve discovered so far, that seems to be the case. We need to investigate further to be sure.”
“……”
“First, we need to find a way to transcend.”
“I’ll handle it myself.”
The retort came out sharper, more sensitive than before.
Seon-oh, whose eyes had only just calmed, grew piercingly sharp once more at Cheong-eum’s harsh tone.
Angered, Seon-oh grabbed Cheong-eum’s collar again with a firm grip, yanking him close in a single motion.
“Listen carefully.”
For the first time in his life, and twice in a row by the same woman, Cheong-eum’s lips parted slightly. He had never experienced such humiliation before.
“This is not the time to cling to that kind of pride.”
The lowered voice carried a heat that seemed ready to explode.
“If you fail to transcend and ruin everything…”
Cheong-eum looked into Seon-oh’s eyes, which had pulled him right up close.
“I will never let it slide.”
The look in her eyes, reflecting her face, was colder than anything Cheong-eum had ever seen. He found himself momentarily speechless. She aimed to become a phoenix, so Seon-oh’s fury was natural. If Cheong-eum failed, her goal would collapse as well.
Yet the desperation in Seon-oh’s gaze did not seem born purely from ambition. Cheong-eum sensed there was another reason why she needed to become the phoenix.
Feeling as if he had become an obstacle to this crucial goal, Cheong-eum was unsettled. His lips, stiff with tension, barely moved.
“I….”
“Enough.”
“……”
“You must transcend. There is no other answer.”
Seon-oh’s warning came as an order, leaving no room for response, before she let go of his collar and stood.
“If we discover anything further, we’ll share it. You do the same.”
“You…?”
Hearing a term he had never encountered before, Cheong-eum’s gaze flickered subtly.
Seon-oh stared at the lake again, her expression complex.
‘I didn’t intend to kill him.’
In the original story, Ga-jin was not suppressed by On-gang but had his lunar energy absorbed.
Suppressing Ga-jin, who had lost his lunar energy, was effortless, so On-gang subdued him and handed him over to the royal palace. Of course, Ga-jin eventually lost his mind.
Seon-oh had intended to subdue Ga-jin and bring him to the Night Moon Chamber, but Ga-jin was dead, and any chance to learn who he allied with or how he intended to make Cheong-eum a slave had vanished.
Though there was no capacity for mourning Ga-jin, who had killed so many and tried to kill him as well, Cheong-eum could not feel at ease.
“I will testify regarding the Thousand Talents. You don’t need to worry.”
Understanding Seon-oh’s complexity as stemming from Ga-jin’s murder, Cheong-eum spoke calmly, his tone calmer and softer than before. When Seon-oh turned, she saw Cheong-eum standing.
Testify? That meant he would have to explain everything that happened here: how he knew there was an absence under Myomyoho, why he did not transcend to escape, and all other details.
He could not let such matters distract him from the tasks at hand. He could not risk letting his emotions ruin his actions.
Seon-oh, resolute, spoke in a neutral tone:
“Dying during the trials is common. Neither the Grand Minister nor I know when or how Cheon Ga-jin died. We have never met him here.”
Cheong-eum was not surprised but stared at Seon-oh with eyes that neither fully agreed nor fully disagreed.
“If it comes to light later, things could get more complicated.”
“Oh, then perhaps you should go announce to the world: ‘I am a superhuman who cannot transcend. Therefore, this phoenix will not be born because of me. Lower your expectations.’”
Seon-oh’s calm sarcasm pricked at Cheong-eum’s pride, but he met her gaze without flinching.
“You haven’t answered yet. How did you know all of this?”
Cheong-eum’s persistence sent a surge of indignation through Seon-oh’s throat. From Gong-woon to Wol-bi, and now Cheong-eum—she would give no explanations to these arrogant superhumans.
“Do as you wish. Speak or don’t speak.”
Irritated, Seon-oh turned sharply. Cheong-eum, unable to hold her back, stared intently at her retreating figure.
At that moment, a yokai hidden in the bushes leaped at Seon-oh. Before Cheong-eum could react, a burst of water energy from the ground sent the creature flying.
“……”
The anger, as if aimed at him, left Cheong-eum speechless. As Seon-oh disappeared boldly through the foliage, Cheong-eum’s gaze fell to the empty air.
The delayed impact rose from his stomach, tightening his dry throat.
He had revealed his secret.
A fatal weakness he had never told anyone.
“……”
Finally realizing what had happened, Cheong-eum’s lips parted in a faint sigh.
He realized that what flowed from his lips was not fear, but relief.
That someone had spoken to him with such unwavering resolve—something he had longed to hear.
The despair of having his deeply hidden secret discovered somehow became a breathing hole, and as he recognized a faint thrill leaking from it, Cheong-eum was consumed by profound embarrassment.
The despair reflected in Seon-oh’s eyes was neither scorn nor triumph, but the same despair he himself carried.
“……”
He could not understand why that despair felt comforting.
Wiping his wet face slowly, Cheong-eum recalled a conversation he had before coming here.
“Thank you for agreeing to meet me. I came to ask about the recent events at Maehwagak.”
“Speak.”
The man, a superhuman whom Cheong-eum had never met before, was Hwan, the steward of the Night Moon Chamber. He readily cooperated with Cheong-eum’s request.
“I heard that Maehwagak suppressed the lunar energy of superhumans. Is that true?”
“It is true.”
“Has anything been revealed? Specifically, how the lunar energy was suppressed?”
“We are investigating. It cannot be shared externally yet.”
“Even if it concerns the Grand Minister?”
“Even the royal palace has no exception.”
“……Is it true that Kang Seon-oh, a candidate in the trials, is involved in this?”
Hwan, who had answered without hesitation until now, paused at this question, staring at Cheong-eum. Cheong-eum responded calmly without waiting for an answer.
“It is true.”
“Is that a problem?”
Cheong-eum met Hwan’s gaze steadily at the nonchalant question.
“The sixth You-su Cave was not recorded in the oracle.”
“But it existed. That is why Kang’s name appeared on the first gate’s list.”
Hwan’s subtle defense of Seon-oh made Cheong-eum’s expression complicated.
“Will you assist Kang Seon-oh?”
“……I wonder.”
Hwan smiled quietly, giving a vague answer.
“That is not for me to decide.”
