Chapter 15
Jin Hee-ran was completely shocked.
She had grown up as the beloved youngest granddaughter of the famous Jin family.
So how could some random kid—whose background she didn’t even know—dare to speak so casually to her?
‘…Whose kid is this?’
Everywhere she went, people treated her like a princess. It was normal for Hee-ran.
After all, her family was one of the Four Great Families that supported the strongest sect in the dark world, the Black Gate.
And she was their precious youngest granddaughter.
Even though she was only seven years old, she always got whatever she wanted.
Since daughters were rare in her family, Hee-ran had been spoiled like a rare orchid in a greenhouse.
All the adults bowed their heads to her. People treated her as if she were royalty.
‘But… why isn’t she avoiding my eyes?’
Hee-ran had never even had a chance to make friends her age.
Kids her age didn’t dare look her in the eyes because of the status difference between their families.
In the world of martial arts, only the strong survive. That rule applied even to children.
So this kid, who looked her straight in the eye with a bright smile and introduced herself, was the first of her kind that Hee-ran had ever met.
“What’s your name? Want to be friends?”
Hee-ran suddenly felt uneasy.
She didn’t know why, but something told her that she might lose something important if she kept talking to this girl.
So, without thinking, she yelled,
“My mom told me not to talk to strangers!!”
Just then, the sliding door to the office opened.
“What’s all this noise?”
It was Jin Wol-ryong, the Internal Head, and Hee-ran’s grandfather. He looked between the two girls and seemed to understand what had happened.
“Hee-ran?”
“Grandpa!”
“What are you doing here…?”
“I came to see you—”
His face changed, and Hee-ran quickly stopped talking.
“Did you greet the noble young lady?”
“…Noble young lady?”
What noble?
Then Hee-ran realized what that strange feeling had been all along. Her grandpa sighed and shook his head.
“Your mother didn’t tell you ahead of time, I see.”
Right after that, the Master of the Black Gate, Saryun, came out of the office.
He didn’t even need to lift a hand to open the door—his power did it for him.
He truly looked like the most powerful man in the martial world.
Hee-ran quickly bowed deeply.
“G-Greetings, Lord of the Sapa, Master of the Black Gate!”
“Master!”
And then something shocking happened.
The little girl who had just introduced herself to Hee-ran ran straight to Master Saryun and hugged him!
‘What the—?!’
Even Hee-ran, who belonged to a top family, had barely seen Master Saryun’s face before.
But this girl—he picked her up and smiled.
“Yes, yes.”
“Master, I waited sooo long!”
“The discussion took longer than I expected. Shall we go eat?”
“Yes! Let’s eat meat!”
They looked so close. Like a real family. Hee-ran just stared at them in disbelief.
‘What is going on…?’
Then Master Saryun looked toward Hee-ran with calm eyes. He seemed to think for a moment, then asked the girl,
“Oh, did you greet Jin Wol-ryong’s granddaughter?”
“Uh…”
The girl looked unsure for a second, then clapped her hands and said brightly, “I told her my name. And… I hope we can meet again later!”
For some reason, Hee-ran’s heart dropped when she heard that.
“See you next time!”
Even without her grandfather explaining anything, Hee-ran understood.
That girl was the Grand Disciple—Master Saryun’s first student.
Hee-ran’s heart filled with strange, heavy emotions.
No matter how she tried to shake it off, it didn’t go away.
Jin Wol-ryong quietly watched his granddaughter, then gently said,
“I should’ve explained before letting you visit the Black Gate, Hee-ran.”
“…It’s okay, Grandpa. I’m fine.”
Even though she said that, Hee-ran held her grandfather’s hand tightly.
A girl her age… who stood higher than her.
This was the first time in her life that Hee-ran had felt what it meant to lose.
The next afternoon, after training…
I met the Internal Head’s granddaughter again in the garden of the outer court.
As soon as she saw me, she pointed her finger and shouted,
“What are YOU doing here?!”
“W-Well, what about you…?”
If I had known we’d meet like this, I would’ve brought her a gift.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, then snapped at me again,
“I came because I heard the peach blossoms were blooming!”
“I did too!”
“What?”
When she asked sharply, I hesitated a little, then mumbled,
“My maid Yeji said the flowers were really pretty.”
“You… are you using the same maid as me or something?”
“Of course not…”
“That’s not what I meant!!”
She kept yelling at me so harshly. I shrank back at first, but then started to feel annoyed.
I looked straight into her eyes.
‘Don’t let her look down on you.’
If I seemed weak now, I wouldn’t be worthy of the title “Grand Disciple” that Master gave me. This world is built on strength.
Even in the Black Gate, it’s the same.
Even though I had been given the title right away, people wouldn’t accept me so easily.
There would always be people who’d try to scare me, like this girl was doing now.
But she’s just the beginning. I’m sure adults will also try to take what I have later.
‘Mom said I have to protect what’s mine.’
I remembered what Mom told me, stood tall, and made a serious face. Then I took a deep breath and said clearly:
“This is the Black Gate’s outer court.”
“So what?”
“Are you trying to say this place is yours?”
“W-Well, whoever gets here first can use it.”
Her voice was less confident now. I shook my head and said,
“No.”
“…”
“I’m the Grand Disciple. Since this is the Black Gate, I have every right to be here.”
Her face froze. I think she finally realized what she’d just said.
“I’m not saying you have to leave. There are lots of flowers. Why can’t we just be here together?”
Her face turned red. She looked angry and embarrassed.
“Ugh!!”
Then she turned away and walked to the other side of the garden.
“Yeji, let’s go over there.”
I shook my head and said to Yeji,
“You okay, miss? I didn’t want to butt in…”
“I’m okay. A little surprised, but I’m fine.”
My heart started to calm down.
“But I wanted to be friends with her. I guess that’s not going to happen now.”
Even though I said it out loud, I kept glancing over at her side of the garden while we looked at flowers.
She was still there, thanks to the maids who convinced her to stay.
“Miss, look! These flowers are blooming so nicely!”
Even though Yeji and the others tried to cheer me up, I couldn’t stop looking in her direction.
‘She doesn’t look happy…’
Our eyes kept meeting. The Internal Head’s granddaughter… I still didn’t even know her name.
‘Is she watching me on purpose? Why?’
But after what happened, I doubted we’d ever become friends.
I sighed. I hoped we’d get along, but real life doesn’t always go how you want.
‘Should I try to focus my mind?’
Maybe I could use my ability to see what might happen between me and her…
