Chapter 7. Reckless (2)
“Cough! Cough!”
The coughing continued for more than half a gak.
She didn’t spit blood, but her stomach churned, and her throat—raw and scraped—burned with pain.
“Huff… huff…!”
Every time she tried to steady her breathing, the irritation in her throat threatened to trigger another coughing fit. In the end, Moyong Sujeong had no choice but to recover her breathing on her own.
After another gak passed, she finally managed to calm down.
“Is the attack getting worse?”
Probably not. If anything, her coughing had lessened recently, and she rarely coughed up blood anymore.
But whenever her emotions wavered, the coughing returned.
“My discipline is lacking. You must always keep your mind firm, Sujeong.”
Encouraging herself, she sat back down.
Just then—
“Acting Head.”
“Come in.”
The door opened, and Seok Woong stepped inside.
“Why aren’t you asleep?”
“With something like this happening, how could I sleep?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Acting Head, I am the steward of this house. I know our financial situation better than anyone.”
A shadow crossed Seok Woong’s face.
“We can prepare the money immediately… but the textile business we’ve been preparing for a year may fall apart.”
Sujeong shook her head.
“If it could collapse over something like this, it wasn’t worth preparing so carefully in the first place. You know that.”
“I’m familiar with the Black Tiger House. Once they mark prey, they never let go.”
“Isn’t the problem solved if we simply repay the debt?”
“If only it were that simple. With them, when we start a new business, they may use our reputation against us to demand even more.”
“……”
“It’s a common tactic among well-known loan sharks.”
Though the Moyong family’s reputation had fallen, it was still a prestigious lineage.
If word spread that they borrowed money from the Black Tiger House, their business partners would naturally question their reliability.
Seok Woong sighed.
“This is on a different level from the young master’s past troubles. If handled poorly, it could become a major disaster.”
“That doesn’t mean we can refuse to repay.”
“Of course not.”
“Do you have a solution?”
After a brief hesitation, Seok Woong nodded.
“I have some savings. If we add that, we can settle this matter decisively.”
Sujeong’s calm eyes trembled ever so slightly.
“Steward…”
She knew him well.
There was no way he had such savings. His salary was meager to begin with.
Even if he had saved, he would have quietly spent it again for the family.
Most likely, he intended to borrow money elsewhere to resolve this.
“If, as you say, the Black Tiger House is that kind of organization, and we offer even more money to silence them… won’t they just watch us more closely? They’ll think we can be squeezed further.”
A sharp analysis.
Seok Woong replied immediately.
“At the very least, we can complete our business successfully before they act again.”
“That would be deceiving our partners.”
“Acting Head.”
“I know. Business can’t always be clean.”
For once, Sujeong smiled faintly.
“Don’t worry. It will work out.”
“…If you insist, then please allow me just one thing.”
“Yes?”
“When we go to repay the debt tomorrow, I will go personally.”
“That—”
“And I will transfer the debt into my name instead of the young master’s.”
Sujeong’s face instantly turned cold.
“Absolutely not.”
“Please be rational. If rumors spread that a blood member of the Moyong family is entangled with loan sharks, our reputation will plummet beyond recovery.”
“Even so, no.”
“Acting Head!”
“Sometimes, even when you see the right thing, you must endure. And sometimes, even when hardship is certain, you must not turn away. This situation is clearly the latter.”
“But the young master aside, the family’s standing—”
“Is there even any standing left to lose?”
For a moment, Seok Woong was speechless.
With a firm expression, Sujeong shook her head again.
“No. This is an order as Acting Head.”
“…Understood.”
In the end, all that came out was a sigh, and worry only deepened.
Sujeong spoke apologetically.
“I keep saying no, but truthfully, I feel at a loss too. If you can’t sleep, shall we discuss how to overcome this?”
Seok Woong smiled. It was forced, but still better than gloom.
“I am the steward of this house. Of course.”
“Thank you.”
“And in a way, it’s fortunate. The youngest lady went to observe the Hwa Sword Group’s mountain training earlier. It’s best she doesn’t hear about this.”
That was indeed a relief. She already despised her older brother—she might have lost her temper completely.
“We should still send someone to inform the Hwa Sword Group, just in case.”
“Yes, we should.”
As they continued discussing countermeasures—
“A-Acting Head! Something terrible has happened!”
Kwak-no’s urgent voice came from outside.
Sujeong shot to her feet.
“What is it?”
“The young master—he’s gone!”
* * *
“Haah… I barely did anything, yet wandering around at night is exhausting.”
Ga Hang casually tossed his blade aside and collapsed into a tiger-skin chair.
“You’ve all done well. Go rest. And don’t drink tonight.”
“Yes!”
“And Janggu.”
“Yes, sir!”
Ga Hang’s eyes twitched.
“Did that Moyong Bi brat really beat you?”
“I—I’m sorry!”
“I asked if it’s true, not for an apology.”
“…It’s true.”
Killing intent flickered in Ga Hang’s eyes.
“How does a weakling like that beat you?”
Though not top-tier, Ga Hang was still a martial artist who practiced internal energy.
To him, Moyong Bi had always looked like someone who’d snap with a light push.
Janggu slammed his forehead to the ground.
“I don’t understand it either! But it’s true!”
“Let’s say you two useless idiots missed every punch. But getting beaten by someone weaker than a girl? That’s ridiculous.”
“Ugh! It’s unfair, boss!”
Ga Hang clicked his tongue.
Despite his words, he favored Janggu and Jangsam. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent them after Moyong Bi.
“After this job is done, you’re both dead.”
“…Yes…”
As Janggu retreated, Ga Hang stretched out his legs.
“Still…”
His thoughts drifted to Moyong Sujeong.
“Was she always that beautiful?”
He had seen her in passing before, but never spoken to her.
This time, though, her beauty was on another level. Even her calm voice was captivating.
He felt an urge stir within him.
“What a shame.”
If not for the Hong Sword Family’s son eyeing her, he might have made a move.
“They say the younger sister is pretty too…”
He had gone for work, but part of him wanted to see them.
He hadn’t seen the younger one, but Sujeong alone left a deep impression.
Ga Hang sighed.
“Even without that… she’s not someone I can touch.”
Rumor had it both daughters knew martial arts.
If true, that made her even more intriguing.
His heart quickened—
Then he scoffed.
“Know your place, idiot.”
With the Hong family’s son involved, she was untouchable.
“Forget it. It’s not like she’s the only woman in the world.”
Still, he felt restless.
Unable to sleep, he grabbed a hidden bottle and drank.
Five cups in, his face flushed.
“Maybe I should try anyway…”
Ten cups in, his thoughts shifted.
“What if she actually likes me?”
Soon, the bottle was empty.
“Enough nonsense. Sleep. Gotta make money tomorrow.”
Lately, he’d been especially busy—mostly with work from the Hong family.
“Damn life…”
He lay down and quickly fell asleep.
…
After some time—
Rustle.
“…Huh?”
Ga Hang frowned slightly.
“…What was that?”
Too tired and drunk to care, he turned over and closed his eyes.
Then—
Flinch!
Something touched his lower back.
His eyes snapped open.
“Who—!”
He couldn’t finish.
His body wouldn’t move.
His upper body felt stiff, and numbness was spreading downward like ink in water.
“Ugh?!”
Something pressed against his throat.
Instinctively, he shut his mouth. His entire body bristled.
“For a thug, you’ve got a decent blade.”
A low, cold voice.
Swallowing hard, Ga Hang asked,
“W-who are you?”
“Forgot already?”
The voice was familiar—but his mind wouldn’t work.
Slowly, he moved his eyes.
“—!”
A pair of glowing eyes stared down at him.
Blue energy swirled within them—cold, inhuman.
Pure terror gripped his heart. The only word in his mind was death.
“You look like a frightened girl. Not like earlier.”
“W-who…?”
“I didn’t want to see your face in daylight, so I came now.”
Only then did he realize.
“Moyong Bi?!”
Moyong Cheon tightened his grip on the blade.
“Ready to pay your debt?”
