58 - I Spent the Night with the Youngest Daughter of the Martial Arts Leader

I Spent a Night with the Murim Alliance Leader’s Youngest Daughter - Chapter 58 > Northern Rabbit - Web Novel Archive "Master, did you have to work me so hard where others could see just to feel satisfied?" "Hmph. How could you possibly grasp the depth of a master’s intentions? There’s always a reason." After Yeon Hee left, the conversation with my master began with a small reprimand. I had many more things I wanted to say but held my tongue. I knew too well how my master would react to what I was about to share. "Anyhow, explain yourself quickly. Why did the topic of engagement come up without you informing me?" My master spoke with a stern expression. This confrontation was inevitable. I had to frame the explanation as neatly as possible. From the incident that started when I was working as a gatekeeper and had a dispute with Yeon Hee. The days when she would visit after our sparring to settle scores, and how we gradually became closer. As my explanation continued, my master cleared his throat, signaling he had much to say but remained silent for now. Until I brought up the night Yeon Hee and I drank together, just the two of us. “You, foolish boy!” “Ouch! Master, that hurts!” “It’s meant to hurt!” With a tiny fist, my master beat me. A destruction power betraying its appearance. Almost as if he used inner strength! “So, you decided to take responsibility and accepted the Murim Alliance Leader’s test?” “Yes. Honestly, I planned to just feign acceptance and lose deliberately. But…” “You couldn't resist your competitive spirit, I get it.” Right. No one could understand my inner thoughts as well as he could. My master sighed, as if he saw what was coming without me saying it. I continued with my explanation. “I was able to delay the engagement until being acknowledged by everyone in the clan.” “……” “But things don’t always go as planned, do they?” The days I struggled in my own way. Yet, results wouldn’t come. As if the world was pushing for me to become Namgoong’s son-in-law! Upon hearing that part, my master covered his forehead. “Child.” “Yes, I’m listening.” “You say you struggled not to become their son-in-law?” “Yes, that's right.” “Do you dare to lie before me!” “?” I was wronged. I’m serious, I genuinely tried! “You should say something believable. Weren’t your actions all to win over the Namgoong family’s favor? How could you not succumb when they are wooing you like that!” “What?” “I’d sooner believe if you told me you were smitten by Namgoong Yeon Hee’s beauty! Just like earlier when you held hands so tenderly!” Goodness. Even my master didn’t believe me. “Well, Yeon Hee is indeed pretty, but that’s not the point…” “You rascal!” Out of the blue, my master grabbed my collar. Because of our height difference, it looked as if he was hanging onto me. “I specifically warned you not to fall for a woman’s charms!” “No, that’s not it!” “You confessed with your own mouth and now you try to make excuses!” A force I couldn’t resist overwhelmed me. I could only be shaken as my master dictated. After tussling like that for a moment, as if his anger had subsided, my master spoke. “So, what do you want to do?” “Has your anger subsided?” “No! But shouldn’t I at least listen to what you want to say?” “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” Apparently, I hadn’t been scolded enough yet. Saying so, as he tried to grab me again, I caught my master’s hand. “Things have come this way, I must take responsibility. But even now, I’m unsure of my own feelings.” “……” “It’s the first time I’ve connected so deeply with someone other than you, Master. It’s fascinating. To think there’s someone who cherishes me besides you.” It was unfamiliar. Yeon Hee who unwaveringly looked only at me. The Namgoong family who took my matters as their own. For the first time, I felt that someone other than my master was like family. “Do you know Sa Ma Hyung Jin In?” “What did he tell you?” “He said I’m fated to be troubled by women all my life. Master, you know it too, how fickle destiny can be.” My master didn’t reply. He only gave a low sigh. After a moment of contemplation, my master tapped my shoulder and said: “Is that what’s been bothering you?” “But…” “Sometimes, you seem more rigid than I am.” “Huh? Me?” “Did you think with that face of yours you wouldn’t encounter any storms? If that’s your fate, just embrace it.” I like to think I’m not as rigid as my master. “Don’t block those who come, nor hold onto those who leave.” “……” “If everything were as easy as saying it, there wouldn’t be such a thing as agony. But live long enough, and things will work out somehow.” What can I say? My master was always like this. Speaking casually and simply, yet there was an ineffable wisdom shrouded in those words. “To think my student would try to start a household without telling his master. The world is truly ending!” “I didn’t want to overwhelm you, so I planned to explain once you arrived.” “By the way, does that Murim Alliance Leader still disapprove of you?” My master cheerfully lightening the mood. I was grateful. I feared he would be disappointed. Yet, he was still my master. “I’ll handle that aspect.” “How?” “There’s a way.” His tone was oddly confident. Oddly unsettling. Whenever he got like this, something would always happen. * My beloved student. But you can’t keep them in a nest forever. I knew this day would come. I had anticipated the tumultuous fate that surrounded him. That’s why I prepared in advance. To help him cultivate his mind. It was part of why I sent him to work as a gatekeeper. ‘Getting engaged, of all things.’ It happened sooner than expected. Yet it was something he’d encounter eventually. ‘He seemed happy.’ The way Lee Se Woong looked at Namgoong Yeon Hee. How his expression softened when he spoke of the Namgoong family. I was both proud and furious. Two conflicting emotions. Because I was not only Lee Se Woong’s master. But also a woman who loved him. I was happy. The fact that he now had a family he could rely on. What master wouldn't wish for their student's happiness? He belonged to a reputable family, so he would live comfortably. Yet, I was angry because... He didn’t choose me first. No matter how much I hinted, my student never understood my feelings. I was grateful he thought of me as family, but I wished he saw me as his wife. ‘Anyway, there’s plenty of time.’ There was no need to rush. The meal was already set; it was just a matter of who picked up the spoon first. Despite the bitterness. At least things weren’t ruined completely. I knew my student’s potential the best. He was nearly at my level. Eventually, he would reach it. The transcendent scenery I view now. So, I only needed to wait. Human life is trivial. When people around him start to leave one by one, he’ll realize. The vast world. That I am his sole, true understanding companion. Let him enjoy the fleeting pleasures. Being entangled with many women might actually be good. He'll realize that the woman who stays by his side until the end is me. ‘Only me.’ That’s why she wished for her student’s happiness. Even as she swallowed the bitterness she couldn’t hide. ‘I’ve built this grand mansion...’ Yet, this house can’t even keep the warmth. The night breeze seeping through the window was a bit chilly. * The next morning. Yeon Hee sought out Lee Se Woong’s master early. “Did you sleep well last night?” “Did anyone think to light a fire? I nearly froze.” “Perhaps it's because the room has been vacant for so long...? I’ll make sure it’s taken care of from tomorrow.” “It wasn’t intentional?” “Oh my, surely not.” The air between the two was tense. As if they knew each other's thoughts from the beginning, the mood was cold. “Did you have a good conversation with him? About our engagement.” “Hmm. Do you think I would be convinced?” “Of course. He must have told you how much we love each other.” “I object!” The loud declaration. Even with her decision not to oppose her student’s wish. Being a little stubborn was a different matter, wasn’t it? “Hmm… You object?” “Yes, how could I suddenly accept him being called a fiancé?” “Oh my.” Yeon Hee brought her hand to her lips in amusement. “What would you do even if you object?” “?” “You know you aren’t truly family… you’re not family, right?” “What did you say?” She planned to make a slight jab and move on. But then she countered Yeon Hee’s retort. “And wouldn’t it be best to accept it?” “Me? Why?” “Because you love him. Not as family, but as a woman.” Her words left her frozen. “W-what nonsense is that?” “Feigning ignorance won’t help.” “I’m telling you, it’s not true!” “But your eyes tell the truth.” Yeon Hee was relentless. Yes. A woman in love is perceptive. As I was. “Phew. To think you acted so tame in front of him, who knew you had such a dark side. Fine. You’re right.” “Dark, huh… Is it any worse than secretly loving someone closer than family?” “Ha.” Both had no intention of backing down. “You must be worried.” “?” “Because he doesn’t see you as a woman at all.” Yeon Hee tried to maintain her momentum. “It must be tough. Not being family, yet closer than family. How could he see you as a woman?” “Listen to yourself, it’s laughable.” “I might be able to help you.” In a whispering tone, as if sharing a secret. Yeon Hee spoke to her rival. “You’re young.” “?” “Even in realizing your mistakes.” Yeon Hee, thinking she was smoothly handling the situation, faced an unexpected counter. “Negotiations happen when the weight of what’s on the scales is equal.” “…….” “I can wait patiently. What about you? What if I insist it's impossible until I die?” The tables turned. “You know that if I ask, my student will jump into the fire for me.” “My student.” The phrase grated on her. “I was just about to meet the Murim Alliance Leader today. Aren’t you curious about what I might say?” “Uh, Father is busy with work…” “There’s a way to make him come. Want to know?” Her unusually relaxed demeanor was unsettling because she couldn't grasp the source of her confidence. So unsettling that she couldn't even object to the term “my student.” “What will you do? When you love him so much but can't be with him.” “That’s unfair!” “Unfair? That’s just an excuse for losers.” Stepping forward, she approached Yeon Hee. Slide. A hand brushing against her cheek. Yet Yeon Hee couldn’t shake it off. “Since this is destiny, I’ll leave you with a lesson.” “……?” “If you want something, show respect first.” Pat. Calmness. Or experience. This bout of exchanges ended with Yeon Hee’s defeat.