Childhood Friend of the Zenith - Chapter 657
Episode 658. Let go.
The first mention was not about this kind of thing, but rather a somewhat commercial story.
She talked about what she experienced in the North Sea.
She didn’t say what she couldn’t spit out. She organized the words she could say and conveyed them to Moyonghee.
Of course, that role was not mine, but Yuli’s.
Silence.
Moyonghee reads through the organized intelligence a few times.
Inside the room, only the sound of her handling the intelligence could be heard.
After a long time watching the intelligence, Moyonghee speaks.
“I heard the story well.”
Even as she spoke, her gaze remained on the intelligence.
“First of all, I apologize for what happened in the North Sea.”
“Thank you for your words….”
Yuli responds to Moyonghee’s statement, but her voice feels tense.
It can’t be helped.
Moyonghee was a difficult person to deal with from this perspective more than anyone else.
Snap.
Moyonghee, who had been holding the intelligence, looks at Yuli.
“One, apart from that regret, I have a lot of questions to ask the deputy chief. May I start?”
“…Yes.”
This was the beginning.
“Thank you for your understanding. First, it’s about the contract we had before starting the work.”
Her voice lowers. Even if he tried his best(?), the pressure from this guy was no joke.
“In the contract, it was mentioned that upon completion of the work, we would be able to obtain exclusive rights with the North Sea. Is that contract still valid?”
“…It is.”
Moyonghee nods at Yuli’s response.
Mo Yong-hee raised her head at Yuri’s response. It had transitioned from summer to autumn. A reasonable decision.
“If that’s the case, you also mentioned that the deal will be completed and trading will proceed within at least three months. Is it still feasible now?”
“Hmm?”
Yuri raised her eyes upon hearing Mo Yong-hee’s words.
“Did we also secure such a contract?”
She knew they had secured exclusive trading rights. It seemed they had diligently held onto the deadline.
The business was certainly solid.
Yuri’s expression darkened upon hearing those words.
“…It seems there might be some difficulty with that part.”
Trading within three months. Even if the contract had been secured, it seemed unrealistic at the moment.
“Of course.”
Yes, it was only natural. The war hadn’t ended, and the situation was still ongoing.
Judging by the situation, they would achieve victory and settle soon, but even that would take three months.
Until then, it would take time to rebuild the frozen palace, replenish the workforce, and stabilize, at least taking a year.
Starting trading within three months without considering this? It was an absurd idea.
“I see.”
Mo Yong-hee lightly nodded in response to the answer.
She must have already heard the news through reconnaissance and anticipated it sooner.
“Well then, when do you think trading will be possible, according to the deputy?”
“At least until this time next year….”
“Please be specific. You mentioned this when signing the contract as well.”
…”
Apart from the hair, they looked quite similar, but the vibes were different.
Yuri seemed to be struggling under Mo Yong-hee’s determination.
Yuri might have her own strengths, but she seemed far inferior to Mo Yong-hee.
“It can be done until next autumn.”
Summer had turned into autumn. It was an appropriate response.
However.
“At least it means the situation has been prolonged for a few more months.”
There was no need to understand that from this side.
“Although it is regrettable about the situation in the North Sea, since the contract has ultimately been breached, rather than terminating it, it seems we should adjust the terms. Do you agree?”
Before Yuri could respond, the contract was already laid out on the desk.
When did she take that out again?
No, from the start.
‘When did she prepare that?’
It was clearly not prepared just now. Judging by the condition of the contract and the hardened ink, it had been there for a few days.
In other words.
‘…Does this mean she anticipated it from the beginning of the journey?’
It seemed impossible within three months.
This meant that Mo Yong-hee had already been preparing to change the contract.
‘A formidable person.’
While others may not know, they must never be caught by Mo Yong-hee.
Seeing this, I became even more convinced.
Of course, changing a contract is not an easy task, so as the conversation progressed, Yuri seemed to be trying to come up with a solution in any way possible.
However.
“Thank you. Let’s conclude this matter this way.”
“…Yes, yes….”
As time passed and the conversation was about to end, Yuri seemed to be lost in thought as if drained of energy.
Mo Yong-hee remained as composed as ever.
Just watching from the side made me break out in a cold sweat.
The way she cornered her opponent with words made me unconsciously bite my tongue.
“The residence where the princess will stay is prepared. The escorts who came with you will also head in that direction.”
‘Ah, right, there were those people too.’
It suddenly occurred to me that those who came as Yoo-ri’s escorts seemed to have left her here and gone.
Even though it was a hassle, it seemed like Mo Yong-hee was taking care of her well.
“…Then, Yoo-ri should at least stay here until next autumn.”
It was probably sent here as a refuge, but ultimately, it was no different from being a hostage.
There was also a reason to keep her until the contract was properly fulfilled.
Accordingly, the palace would become a reason to start trading with the upper echelons as soon as the war ended.
Yoo-ri was soon to be a bargaining chip.
Mo Yong-hee smiled and said, “…Thank you.”
Yoo-ri, who had nothing more to say, nodded tiredly as if exhausted, and the conversation ended.
After that, following the servant’s guidance, Yoo-ri got up first.
Seeing that, I lightly tapped Woo-hyuk and told him to follow.
Woo-hyuk silently followed Yoo-ri without a word.
“I’ll go ahead.”
Ignoring Woo-hyuk’s greeting, Mo Yong-hee pretended not to see it.
Her attitude was particularly fierce, and even Woo-hyuk couldn’t point it out.
After the two left, a moment of silence lingered in the room.
It felt like seconds had turned into hours.
“Sigh….”
Mo Yong-hee let out a faint sigh, and the tension eased slightly.
Loosening her stiff expression, Mo Yong-hee looked at me and asked, “Did you have a good trip?”
“…Relatively?”
“Just by looking at you, it doesn’t seem like you had a good trip.”
Why would that be when it was written in the report that the palace was hostile?
Unknowingly, I felt like cold sweat was about to break out.
Did my expression give me away? Mo Yong-hee looked at me and suppressed a smile.
“It’s fine. I already knew that wherever Confucius goes, he won’t just stay ordinary.”
“…Sounds like a curse?”
“Yes. It’s not a compliment.”
“Oh, okay… got it.”
She had to awkwardly smile at that.
“Where did Lady Mi go?”
“Madam Tanju had some business to attend to for a few days, so she left her seat empty. Probably… she’ll be back around tomorrow.”
A schedule. Well, considering the timing, Lady Mi was indeed busy.
“Shortly, she’ll be talking about the ‘Bi Muje.'”
When Lady Mi is busy, it’s not during a festival but right before it.
From now on, we need to make arrangements and preparations in advance to benefit from the festival. So, Lady Mi, the owner of Tanju, moving around wasn’t something strange.
“And… even without that, you seem a bit busy because of the rumors.”
“Rumors?”
I asked with a meaningful tone.
It was the talk I heard earlier.
During the conversation with Beomdong, the talk about ‘rumors’ came up.
“It seems like the Head of the Ma Sect visited. It seemed to be a problem. What’s going on?”
“Ah….”
In response to my question, Moyong-hee paused for a moment and then brought up the topic.
That was exactly the talk I had heard.
“A group called Magyo has emerged recently, causing a stir in the Central Plains.”
Rather than being surprised by the story, I couldn’t help but smile.
“They seem to be doing well.”
It seems like they are properly executing the orders given.
Although the progress seems a bit fast, it wasn’t bad.
“They say it’s a sect founded by a master unheard of before, called Cheonma. They attack without distinguishing between orthodox and unorthodox sects.”
This was also within expectations.
He kept spreading rumors, but the news seemed to spread later than expected.
Yes, everything was fine up to this point.
But.
“There are rumors that the identity of that celestial demon. One of the Three Sovereigns, known as Paejon ( Defeat one’s dignity).”
‘…What?’
This was unexpected.
It means that I didn’t plan for that.
Where did this rumor come from?
Before I could even think about that.
“Hmm?”
A voice filled with doubt came from behind.
…”
I felt a sudden gaze on me and had to swallow my dry saliva.
‘…Seems like I’m in trouble?’
Definitely.
That person just started to doubt me with no hesitation. He immediately started to doubt me without any hesitation.
Isn’t that too much? I mean, I did it, but shouldn’t there be some hesitation?
‘Who the hell is it?’
Where did this rumor come from?
At least, it was a rumor that shouldn’t spread ‘yet.’
Who is it?
‘Could it be Paejon?’
He’s the most likely person, but I didn’t think it was him.
That old man isn’t stupid enough to spread such rumors.
Then who could it be?
‘I don’t know.’
I don’t know right now. It wasn’t the time to think about it.
“Gongja-nim?”
“Paejon… It doesn’t seem likely, right?”
For now, it was best to pretend not to know and observe.
In response to my answer, Moyong-hee nodded as if she understood.
“Yes, I also think so.”
Moyong-hee’s gaze shifted somewhere.
It was directed towards Paejon sitting behind her.
Did she notice Paejon’s presence here? It didn’t seem likely.
‘It must be because she saw a descendant of Bi-ga.’
Seo Anbi, born with the blood of rebels.
As long as the descendants of that place are here, one cannot dare to curse.
“…Surely, it wouldn’t be the three masters of the righteous faction who would do such a thing.”
“Yes, it’s highly unlikely.”
Pa Jeon chuckled. It was the first time he had laughed since arriving here.
“It doesn’t seem likely that the great one would do such a thing…”
He called him a great one. I somehow managed to hold back the urge to grimace.
“Perhaps, do you know why such rumors have spread?”
Pa Jeon asked Mo Yong-hee.
“When it comes to information, there are rumors that someone leaked it.”
There was a sense in Mo Yong-hee’s tone that it wasn’t the case.
Does it mean that someone didn’t leak the information?
Then what is it?
Mo Yong-hee spoke, instilling a fear of harboring such doubts.
“…There is information that the poison martial arts used when the shaman elders were assassinated is the same as the one used by Pa Jeon.”
“…”
“This is not confirmed information…. but based on the fact that the Thousand Demons, a person, displayed an intimidating presence similar to that of the three masters, they are investigating.”
I nodded as I heard the words.
Ah, I see.
“It’s because of me. Ha, damn.”
It seemed that problems arose due to the mess I caused with my reckless thinking.
It’s frustrating not being able to curse, damn it.
Thinking that the martial arts of the Two-Faced Thousand Demons didn’t stand out much externally, I thought it wouldn’t be revealed.
“It seems like someone saw something.”
If they noticed to that extent, there must have been other elders around.
“It seems like they found some traces…”
It seemed like they had made some discoveries.
She sensed that something had been discovered.
And she caught on.
“Caught you.”
She had to think over it while hiding the flowing sweat.
Is the issue the spread of information like this? No, that’s not it.
“What do you know.”
Since she hadn’t revealed her identity anyway, she didn’t care about that at all.
The problem is.
“It’s not good to be exposed to that person.”
At least, it was important not to be exposed to the key figure.
“His gaze is piercing.”
Already, Mr. Paejon is glaring at her intensely.
She shouldn’t turn her head.
If she does it now, it’s over.
So, what should she do? She briefly pondered in her mind.
“There’s no other choice.”
In situations like this, there was no other choice. She had to resort to the last resort.
“I’m out.”
Let’s run away.
With that thought, she stood up.
“Mr. Gong?”
“Something urgent came up. Let’s meet later.”
“What? All of a sudden? Mr. Gong-!”
Mo Yong-hee tried to urgently call out, but.
It was already right after she disappeared.
“…Huh?”
Mo Yong-hee was taken aback by the sudden situation.
Is she really leaving like this? We just met after a long time?
“This person is really…!”
Mo Yong-hee clenched her fists fiercely and gritted her teeth.
“We haven’t even finished talking…!”
Especially, she hadn’t even brought up the matter related to the sword, why did she disappear so abruptly.
Just as Mo Yong-hee was trying to calm down her boiling insides.
“Well then, I’ll go first. See you later!”
Dang So-yeol, who had been watching from behind, quickly greeted Mo Yong-hee and disappeared.
That was even more irritating.
“…Both of you, I won’t let you off the hook when I see you later.”
Mo Yong-hee, who thought she would explode if caught, barely managed to catch her breath.
And she realized.
That there was an uncomfortable figure alone with her in this room.
“…”
Perhaps sensing the awkwardness, Mo Yong-hee adjusted her posture.
Then she looked at the young man in front of her.
With black hair, dark eyes, and gentle features, he was a handsome man.
‘Tooryong.’
A member of the Paekcheon clan.
Tooryong Bi-euijin.
Although they were both part of the Yookryong Sam Bong, they had never conversed or interacted before.
She simply considered him a friend because they often accompanied each other like old acquaintances.
He was also someone who made Mo Yong-hee uncomfortable.
‘…There’s something strange about this man.’
Although he didn’t seem to be putting up walls, his indifferent attitude and lack of interest in anything made his dark eyes even more intense.
Her instincts were telling her.
Not to confront the author.
For some reason, the unease was affecting Mo Yong-hee’s demeanor.
In that discomfort, Mo Yong-hee observed Tooryong.
‘Why isn’t he leaving?’
For some reason, Tooryong remained seated in the room without moving, even though everyone else had left.
He seemed like he could get up if he wanted to.
This made Mo Yong-hee wonder.
“You see.”
Tooryong finally spoke to Mo Yong-hee.
“You mentioned Seolbong.”
“Yes, that’s right. Tooryong Gongja.”
In response to Mo Yong-hee’s answer, Tooryong smiled.
It was a gentle smile, but there was an unknown sense of unease.
Amidst that unease, Tooryong unexpectedly made a proposal to Mo Yong-hee.
“It seems you enjoy making deals. How about making a deal with me? The reward won’t be too shabby.”
“…Are you suddenly talking about a deal? Or is it about what you just mentioned?”
“Oh, that’s not it. It’s just a trivial matter, I can handle it myself.”
“Oh?”
Is this not a question about the rebels?
Then what exactly is being negotiated?
“I am asking for a favor because you seem like a trustworthy person. I just need you to find some information for me.”
“…Information?”
“It’s nothing much.”
The expression on Tu Long’s face changes as he speaks.
“I would like to ask for some information about Yeomwang ( King Yan).”
He still seemed to be smiling, but Tu Long was only smiling with his mouth.
Mo Yong-hee couldn’t help but feel a chill at that sight.
********************
She hurriedly left as if escaping from the top.
She increased her speed and distanced herself, but her gaze kept glancing back.
‘…Why isn’t he following?’
She thought he would come after her right away and grab her by the neck, but to her surprise, Paejon did not follow.
That was even scarier.
It was as if he was saying, “See you later.”
‘Damn it.’
Surely there were rumors spreading.
It was a bit of a headache.
“…Tsk.”
She clicked her tongue and shook her head.
Oh well. If caught, she would just pretend not to know.
‘What can I do if he says no.’
She decided to simply go. It was the so-called “pretend to be innocent” strategy.
Or maybe running away for a few days could also be a solution.
It would be more awkward when they meet again later.
Pat, pat.
She quickly brushed off the dust that had stuck to her from jumping out.
“Hmm.”
As she brushed off the dust and looked around, she noticed there were a lot of people.
With the festival approaching, it was natural that many visitors had arrived.
As the festival period approached slowly, many people arrived, feeling the impending festivities. She sensed this and wrinkled her nose.
Even in the midst of the crowd, the proportion of nobles seemed particularly high.
“High-ranking individuals are abundant. Not only the top-tier but occasionally pinnacle-level nobles can be seen. Most of them must have come for the upcoming festival.”
“It seems like there is a lot of interest in this festival.”
It couldn’t be helped.
With the Bi-Mujae held after several years and the unusual items up for grabs.
“There might be famous swords and elixirs.”
But the most important thing here is none other than…
“The revival of the Divine Dragon Corps.”
A special unit directly under the leader and a group of top martial artists representing the Murim Alliance.
That was the Divine Dragon Corps, and the unit that had temporarily disappeared due to an incident was now talking about a revival alongside the Bi-Mujae.
Not only to rebuild its symbolism but also to participate in its beginning.
Nobles who live and die by their reputation can’t help but be ambitious.
And this was an important part for me as well.
The most crucial part of the upcoming “plan.”
I had to make use of the Divine Dragon Corps somehow.
“There’s less than a month left until the Bi-Mujae. Should I start preparing slowly?”
Although it was frustrating to have to move as soon as I arrived, it was no time to hesitate.
Therefore, I decided to check on the tasks I had left behind. In that moment, as I was thinking about going to the head office again…
Thud!
“Eek!”
Someone bumped into me and fell down.
As I shifted my gaze to look, it was a woman.
Naturally, I just looked at her without reaching out to help.
The woman quickly got up, bowed her head urgently towards me, and said, “I’m sorry. The girl didn’t see where she was going. Are you hurt?”
As she bowed her head, the scent of incense filled the air.
When I felt it, I wrinkled my nose.
It was a foul smell. While others might not know, it was a scent I particularly disliked.
At the same time, the woman’s face appeared between the cotton cloth.
Seeing that, my eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Haha.”
I confirmed and suppressed a laugh.
It was a familiar face.
The woman had a rather deep charm.
If the beauty of the White Snow or Namgoong Bi-ah would make people turn back a hundred times, she had a face that would make people turn back eighty times.
With a mature atmosphere and peculiar eyes, her voluptuous figure and body line were undeniably attractive to men.
“Look at this.”
Considering the exceptional beauty of the women around me, such a level of charm was rare to come by.
The reason for my surprise was nothing else.
“She’s still quick on her feet. Send that woman right away.”
The woman’s nickname was Bi Hyeon-hwa ( sad dazzling).
She was a member of the Moolimmaeng Investigation Bureau, known for extracting information using her beauty.
In other words,
In Moolimmaeng, and sent by Beomdong, a woman skilled in using her beauty to extract information.