1100 - Childhood Friend of the Zenith

The World's Best Warrior's Childhood Friend, Chapter 1100 "What did you just say?" I asked Do Yoon abruptly, sitting up. What on earth did I just hear? "What did you mean by that?" I asked again, staring at Do Yoon in disbelief. "Who do you want revenge on?" In response to my question, Do Yoon looked back at me with a determined expression. "I said Goo Cheol Woon." "The Goo Cheol Woon I know?" "Yes, that's right." Do Yoon nodded his head. "Goo Cheol Woon, the Sinryong. I must take my revenge on him." "..." Words were stuck at the back of my throat. 'What did my father do to you?' Goo Cheol Woon of the Sanseo family. What had he done to Do Yoon of the Do family? I wanted to press for more information, but I couldn't. 'Damn it.' I never intended to get involved, but this situation seems like one where I should be involved. 'Do I have to get involved...?' Should I really get involved? I pondered for a moment. Whatever this person did, it didn't affect the future I knew. Do Yoon was a person I was unfamiliar with, and my father was alive and well, eventually becoming the head of the Goo family. 'Maybe it's better not to get involved?' Maybe it's best just to stay out of it. That's what I was inclined to think, but... 'Perhaps.' I thought while looking at Do Yoon, along with what my mother had hinted. 'Is this the guy?' Maybe what I'm meant to do here isn't about my father, but is somehow related to this fellow, Do Yoon. This thought suddenly crossed my mind. * * * Two days passed by. During that time, I interacted with Do Yoon as usual. We stayed in the same accommodations but didn't speak much to each other. We participated in training together and shared meals, spending time in a fairly routine manner. There was nothing particularly special. Just ordinary time passing by. After spending these two days like this: "Baek Chin Woo, it's time to go." "Oh." I got up and headed towards our destination. As I left the residence and approached the entrance to Cheongryongdae, So Yi was already there. Additionally... "Huh?" I had to react somewhat peculiarly upon seeing the figure beside her. "You...!" The other person frowned at me as well. It was Nam Goong Jin, his face still swollen and bruised. "You, why are you here...!" "Wow, nice to see you." I approached him with a grin, but Nam Goong Jin only furrowed his brows further. Next to him, So Yi tried to calm him down. "…Calm down." "Calm down?" Nam Goong Jin distorted his face at So Yi's touch. "How can I calm down? Look at what he did to me." "It was during a match." "I can never forgive him…" "Geomryong." So Yi addressed Nam Goong Jin with a cold tone. "We're gathered here for a mission, aren't we? Isn't it better to put aside personal feelings?" "…" "Or should I report to the leader that you're not willing to participate?" Gritting his teeth. At So Yi's words, Nam Goong Jin ground his teeth and then turned his head sharply. He looked as if he had been subdued. "You're not late, are you?" So Yi said, looking at Do Yoon and me. In response, Do Yoon chuckled and replied. "Oh, absolutely not. I would never be late for my first mission!" "…" This was a liveliness I never saw when he was with me. Was this also an act? 'He's good at it.' He seemed to do it quite well. I thought it would be a good idea to learn from him. "If I had known the seniors would come out this early, I should have come at dawn. What a failure of a junior I am. Hahahaha." He spoke with honeyed words, though insincere. Nam Goong Jin looked visibly displeased, while So Yi didn't seem to care much. "…It's fine if you're not late. We still have others to wait for." "Who else is coming?" When I asked, So Yi narrowed her eyes at me. Seriously, I was just asking. I felt a bit wronged. "…Yes. Usually, you'd go with a squad leader." 'A squad leader, huh.' Though I'd been provided accommodations, I hadn't joined a squad in Cheongryongdae, so I didn't know who my squad leader was. Thus, I wasn't sure who else would be accompanying us. "Tsk... of all things." Nam Goong Jin, his face still swollen, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. As I waited for a moment, I understood why Nam Goong Jin was so displeased. "Here they come." So Yi looked towards the entrance. My gaze followed instinctively. A familiar, intense heat brushed past my nose. 'Ah.' If it's someone above the squad leader, who's joining us? '...Above a squad leader?' Someone higher-ranking than a squad leader appeared. "We greet the division leader." "We greet... you…." So Yi immediately have a respectful bow, and Nam Goong Jin followed with a reluctant expression. The person who appeared was none other than my father, Goo Cheol Woon, the Sinryong. So we were going with my father? 'Is this another orchestrated situation as well?' I recalled when I met Keomjon. My father was present then too. If Geomjon gave this order... 'Could it be surveillance?' Could my father be playing this role? I glanced sideways, puzzled. Looking at Do Yoon. There were no changes in his expression. He had said his target for revenge was my father, but there was no sign of it. 'Certainly.' This guy is exceptionally good at acting. While observing quietly, I nodded to myself. "Is everything ready?" "Yes. All the personnel are assembled." At So Yi's report, my father nodded. Then he subtly looked in my direction. Our eyes met. His face revealed nothing, leaving me unable to discern his thoughts. It was always like that. After a brief moment, my father shifted his gaze to Nam Goong Jin. Seeing his swollen and bruised face, he paused. And then... 'Did he just?' If it wasn't my imagination, my father seemed to smirk. It felt almost like a sneer. Nam Goong Jin must have sensed it, as his eyes widened suddenly. "Did you just laugh—" "The carriage is ready." At the very instant Nam Goong Jin was about to lash out, a grand carriage appeared from the entrance where my father had come in. Neigh-----!!! Just at a glance, the horses looked of excellent breed, sturdy and magnificent. The carriage was as large as a small residence. A flag on top caught my eye. '...Baekhwa?' The emblem was that of the Baekhwa Merchant Guild. Which meant... the owner of that voice was... "Shall we leave immediately?" '...Madam Mi?' A beauty leaned her face out of the window from the carriage. It was a younger version of Madam Mi. 'What is this?' Why was Madam Mi appearing here? While I stood there, unable to comprehend the situation, "...Uh!?" Nam Goong Jin suddenly hid his face upon seeing Madam Mi. 'Huh?' I frowned at the sight. His once-blue face now had a hint of redness. Even his ears were turning crimson. 'What the...? What's wrong with him?' Why was he acting this way? It was a strange sight indeed. He appeared to be trying to cover his face, but doing so only made it more obvious. "What are you doing? Aren't you getting on... huh?" Perhaps because of his behavior, Madam Mi turned her gaze toward Nam Goong Jin. "Nam Goong little brother?" "Oh, uh, yes." "What are you doing over there?" "...Nothing. There were some ants on the ground." "You're watching ants...?" Madam Mi scrunched her face as if asking what nonsense he was spouting. Even I found the excuse of watching ants utterly bizarre. Was he that embarrassed? I was the one who hit him, but did he really need to hide himself like that? As I momentarily studied Nam Goong Jin, '...No way.' I alternated my gaze from Nam Goong Jin to Madam Mi. Repeating this a few times, a thought crossed my mind. Could that guy possibly have... 'A thing for Madam Mi?' Considering transparency, his reaction was too clear to be otherwise. If even I, the unobservant one, could see it so blatantly, then it was definite. 'Huh?' What absurdity is this? Stumped by the ridiculousness of the situation, I was briefly at a loss for words. "If you're ready, get on. We need to leave soon, you said." Having seemingly lost interest in Nam Goong Jin, Madam Mi urged us to board quickly. In response, my father nodded and got into the carriage. "Let's prepare to depart," he said upon boarding, prompting us to also approach the carriage slowly to board. "Hold it." Just as I was about to step into the carriage, Madam Mi spoke in a cold voice. "Where do you think you're going?" "Excuse me?" "What?" Thinking we needed to get into the carriage to begin, I took a step, only to be blocked by Madam Mi. What's going on? Do Yoon and I exchanged confused glances at Madam Mi, who pointed her finger behind us. "You two are over there." Wondering what she meant, I turned slightly to look and noticed there was another carriage further back. The issue was... "......" That carriage was in much poorer condition. It didn't look bad on its own but compared to the one we were to initially ride, there was an undeniable difference. 'We have to ride that?' I looked at Madam Mi with a face of disbelief. There was plenty of space left in the carriage they were in. Even though my bulky father and So Yi were seated in it, there was still room for us, the remaining passengers. Despite this, Madam Mi pointed assertively to the other carriage, showing no intention of switching. "What are you doing? Let's go." "......" Her firm words left us no choice but to proceed to the rear carriage. Upon boarding, Nam Goong Jin was already there, arms folded in irritation. His face was clearly still upset. "Damn it…" I gathered it wasn't my presence that bothered him. No matter how I looked, his eyes were fixed on the carriage carrying Madam Mi. Observing his expression, I took my seat. With Do Yoon onboard as well, the carriage felt a bit cramped. "......" "......" "......" The three of us sat in silence, each likely having the same thought. That this mission wasn't going to be easy.