Chapter 39 Likes (1) - Martial Arts Masochist

"Arghhh!" I slammed my head on the table. Well, not too hard. One of the two promised days had already passed. I had been obsessively thinking about what kind of play to engage in with Tang So Ran. Sure, I could think of plenty of things. But doing them was a different matter entirely. How did things end up like this? Why do I even have to engage in an SM play with Tang So Ran? If Tang Jeokcheon finds out about this, he would gouge out my eyes and drink from them like a drink. I was sitting in the basement, meticulously examining the tools one by one. ...There was really nothing usable. Everything was too heavy for a beginner like Tang So Ran. But if I went too lightly, she'd definitely complain that I was just making a show of it. All of this was because of Cheong Wol. As my anxiety grew, so did my irritation towards Cheong Wol. How was a novice like me supposed to handle two people at once? It's driving me nuts. I should've asked for more than two days. "Sigh..." Nonetheless, I continued to wrack my brain diligently. Sitting quietly in the basement, I rummaged through my thoughts. I was currently writing two books at the same time. One was a book related to SM information. Whenever something about SM came to mind so that I wouldn't forget, I jotted it down. I hadn’t given it a title yet. The other was a book about this world, "Blood Road" (Hyeollo). I was roughly outlining future events in it. ...I hadn't titled that one either. Both were helping me in their own ways. It's been ten years since I fell into this world. As I wrote down each word, forgotten information came flooding back. And now, I was trying to recall Tang So Ran's exploits from those memories. Indeed, an important character. She is indispensable in the Great Demon War. A person who can't afford to crumble here. "Sigh..." Another sigh escaped my lips. Inner demons. Just like with Cheong Wol, I had to start from that. I had to comfort Tang So Ran based on the societal pressures she faced, just like I did with Cheong Wol. SM wouldn't help with inner demons. But if I completely gave up, it'd be my head on the line. I had to somehow weave the information I knew into this play. Why did inner demons come to Tang So Ran? Could it also be social pressure for her? But that overprotective father never would have forced anything on her. Tang So Ran might have put pressure on herself. "...Tang So Ran... was certainly quite humble in my memory." She kept mentioning her shortcomings and insisted she wasn't a nice person... ...But besides that... "Sigh." In the original work, Cheong Wol at least voiced her reasons for falling apart. ...As Tang So Ran had overcome her inner demons, it's hard to grasp. My sighs only deepened. ...Should I consider borrowing the help of those older men to escape? ...Damn it! If I really run away, Tang So Ran will just be broken! "..." To summarize Tang So Ran... Like a responsible eldest daughter, self-sacrificing... strong sense of responsibility... good at suppressing emotions... exemplary and humble... kind... but battling inner demons... and threatening me... ...She's good, yet insists she's not... struggling because of it... "Hmm?" ...I think I see a way. **** Late at night. In the hour when there wasn't a single soul on the street. Cheong Wol cautiously placed her hand on the leather room's door. A dim candlelight was leaking through the poorly constructed wooden wall. Her heart pounded loudly. For the past two days, she hadn't been able to sleep properly. She was tormented by irritable feelings for no reason. Meditation didn't come easily, food not passing her lips, and she couldn't train properly. ...It had to be this way. Cheong Wol told herself. If not, Tang So Ran wouldn't give up. Nevertheless, Cheong Wol didn't want Tang So Ran getting close to Han Seo Jin. Why? "...Because Tang So Ran's personality isn't particularly good." Cheong Wol thought that must be the reason. Moreover, she believed her friend Han Seo Jin would feel uncomfortable having someone like that close. Besides, wasn't Han Seo Jin not fond of martial artists? She and Han Seo Jin shared the same thought. To push Tang So Ran away. So she just had to get through tonight. As promised, once Han Seo Jin deeply humiliates Tang So Ran and drives her away, it'll be over. Cheong Wol had initially warned Tang So Ran about it too. That Tang So Ran could never bear such humiliation and shame. It would be her own doing. She wouldn't have anything to say even if she regretted it later. "...And since it involves play, Cheong Wol's determination was especially resolute compared to usual." She resolved to listen to Han Seo Jin more diligently today than ever, to show who the more obedient and pretty one was... "Am I really out of my mind...?" Thinking so, Cheong Wol pushed the door. "...You're here." Inside, Tang So Ran was sitting quietly. It felt strange. That she and Tang So Ran had come to the leader's quarters to play. Although it was part of resolving inner demons, it still felt like something naughty that shouldn't be done. Tang So Ran, who still didn’t know much about this play, spoke up. "But did we really have to meet at night? I had a hard time sneaking out." Cheong Wol rolled her eyes. "...The leader..." Tang So Ran said as she stood up. "...told me to come down to the basement once I'm ready." **** Following Cheong Wol, Tang So Ran descended into the basement with a slightly eager heart. -Thud. She closed the basement door herself. She felt a thrill as if she was about to do something she shouldn't. If her father found out she snuck out at night to meet a man, it'd be a disaster. She could already picture his furiously livid face. But she had no choice. She was somewhat in doubt, yet hopeful. Though she had seen the possibility of resolving inner demons through Cheong Wol... She didn't fully believe it would completely resolve her own inner demons. She was merely betting on that possibility. That pressure was something she desperately wanted to shake off. Tang So Ran could describe herself like this: A person with no standards of their own, seeking value only in others. She had no world to call her own. The insatiable void of desire in her heart engulfed everything. Occasionally, she experienced an identity crisis. Sometimes, it was difficult for her to assert herself. She became depressed and lethargic, which is why she secluded herself in her room. Would the world know how ugly she could become if she lost her self-control and started coveting everything to fill her lacking world? Perhaps, she might even find pleasure in witnessing the struggle on the face of someone who’s been robbed. The discrepancy between her current ugly self and the self she wished to be tortured her. ...And despite all this, Tang So Ran let out a shallow laugh. ...She wasn't even being scolded. The Sichuan Tang Clan was giving her everything. Wasn't she rumored to be the cherished jewel of the Tang family? Tang So Ran found herself increasingly unable to discern right from wrong. She merely clung desperately to the thin thread of her conscience. "...Oh?" The basement she descended into was a scene unlike what she had imagined. The gentle candlelight illuminated a room overflowing with an array of torture instruments. Ropes, whips, handcuffs, gags. The violent spectacle made her catch her breath. "...Wol, this place..." Tang So Ran cautiously called out to Cheong Wol, but Cheong Wol merely walked silently to stand in front of Han Seo Jin as if it were nothing unusual. To her, it seemed like an ordinary place. Han Seo Jin, with his hands behind his back, was waiting quietly for them, appearing much different from the shabby man he was a few days ago. ...The atmosphere was strange. Cheong Wol seemed oddly submissive, and Han Seo Jin unusually imposing. Tang So Ran's eyes darted around. For someone raised elegantly in the Sichuan Tang Clan, this raw environment felt utterly foreign. "...Wol." Tang So Ran stood frozen with one step left on the stairs. She only called out to Cheong Wol, as if seeking help. But Cheong Wol didn't even pretend to hear her. It was as if only Han Seo Jin’s voice mattered, and she only had eyes for him. Han Seo Jin turned his head toward her. And the moment Tang So Ran saw his eyes glimmering in the dark, she couldn't help but frown subconsciously. “...Young Master, what is this-” “If you're going to come in, come in.” His tone suddenly shifted. “...If you're leaving, leave.” “...” Tang So Ran was at a loss for words. Surprised by his change, bewildered by his rudeness, and overwhelmed by the atmosphere. Even if she opened her mouth to argue, no words came out. He was right. If she disliked it, she could leave. But she didn't. The eerie feeling of the place, Cheong Wol unusually obedient. And the man she was hiding... Curiosity and stimulation continually paused her in her tracks. -...Thud. In the end, Tang So Ran descended the last step. Then, to avoid being oppressed by the momentum, she approached Han Seo Jin with her shoulders straightened. “...” Now she noticed the striking difference in their statures. Tang So Ran was the shortest among the three, with Cheong Wol slightly taller, and Han Seo Jin towering above them both. She felt strangely intimidated. She still didn't understand the situation. She thought they would deal with the inner demons through a game of control or by consuming seals. ...What was this torture chamber for? Why was Cheong Wol, who never took her eyes off Han Seo Jin? "Before we start... let's establish a rule." Han Seo Jin spoke. Tang So Ran finally voiced her complaint over his rudeness. “...Young Master, at least keep some manners-” “I told you if you dislike it, you can leave.” “...” Tang So Ran shut her mouth again. Han Seo Jin continued. "As I said, if you don't like it, you can leave. I won't force anything. Tang So Ran, you came here because you wanted to, and it's clear that I said I didn't want to. Am I correct?" “...” Tang So Ran nodded slightly. “You're doing this because you want to, right?” She nodded once more. It wasn't incorrect yet. "In that case, here's the rule. Unless you want to leave... respond to every command I give with 'I agree'.” “...What?” Han Seo Jin gave a brief shake of his head. “Not ‘What,’ but...” “...I agree.” Cheong Wol intervened. Tang So Ran couldn't believe her ears. ...Cheong Wol? The woman who kept her distance from men, like a solitary flower in bloom, followed a man's words so obediently? The Cheong Wol beside her wasn't the one she knew. The Cheong Wol she connected with through swordplay wasn't here. Just a stranger standing next to her. “...Lovely.” Han Seo Jin complimented, and Cheong Wol lowered her eyes brusquely. Surprised by the scene... “...Tang So Ran.” The head of the leather room, who once seemed like a vagabond, now called her name carelessly once more. ...It felt different. Who could treat her with such disregard? Except for her parents and the elders, no one had ever called her Tang So Ran so freely. It was the first time a commoner addressed her without reservation. "The answer?" When pressured, the choice was given. Either leave or comply. For the goal of resolving the inner demons... ultimately, she opened her mouth. “...I agree...” A faint sense of humiliation seeped into her chest. “Lovely.” Han Seo Jin complimented again. Even that felt strange. **** Cheong Wol scanned the basement. A chair that hadn't been there before was placed in the center. Next to it was a large bucket of water... with steam rising, indicating it was warmed. “...” Was he perhaps planning to repeat what he did on the first day? To pour water over her, making her feel shame? ...If that were the case, Cheong Wol wished to dissuade Han Seo Jin. Though she wasn’t sure how she endured it herself, wouldn’t Tang So Ran struggle? ...Of course, it was Cheong Wol who had suggested humiliating her. However, whether a lady from such a prestigious family could endure such shame... Ultimately, Cheong Wol was unsure of what she desired. While she wished for Han Seo Jin to humiliate Tang So Ran, she also didn't. Cheong Wol found herself amidst a tangled web of emotions. The mere fact that Tang So Ran had stepped into this basement was distressing. Her presence alone felt like something precious was being taken away. Cheong Wol had already developed a certain attachment to this space. It was where she had bared her soul and shed tears. Where she had shared secret moments with Han Seo Jin. It was a personal world where she had shown her skin, been praised for her beauty, and shared secrets with him. But now, Tang So Ran had intruded into this world. Cheong Wol wished for this situation to end quickly. She wanted to return everything to its original place before the uninvited guest could disrupt it. So, she looked at Han Seo Jin. But his gaze was entirely fixed on Tang So Ran. "Let's begin," Han Seo Jin said. "Tang So Ran, sit in that chair over there." “...” Displeased with Han Seo Jin's rude tone, Tang So Ran moved silently. -Thud! Han Seo Jin grabbed Tang So Ran's arm. -Slap! Startled, Tang So Ran shook off his hand. “...Young Master, what is this-” “You didn't answer me.” His abrupt tone marked the end of that conversation. It was the authoritative stance Cheong Wol had wanted to see, but for some reason, she found it displeasing now. “...” “Did you already forget the rule?” Tang So Ran mumbled quietly as she sat in the chair. “...I agree.” Han Seo Jin seemed satisfied, responding, "See, you can do well." Cheong Wol watched, sensing that her turn would soon come. Unconsciously, her gaze swept the room once more. What would the next command be? There were no chairs left, so he couldn't ask her to sit. While she didn't like Tang So Ran being here... she also felt a thrill. It was the game she'd long waited for. What kind of surrender would she have to make today? A competitive spirit flared within her. If it was too humiliating, she wouldn't do it, no matter what... ...Yet she felt confident she could at least do better than Tang So Ran. Han Seo Jin's eyes settled on her. Cheong Wol didn't shy away. "...Wol," he called her by the familiar nickname. Cheong Wol's heart ached. When he called her, it felt like she could lay down the burdens she carried. A sensation of being close again. She responded, "...Yes." He whispered, “...You've been causing me trouble lately, haven’t you?” “...Huh?” "I told you not to come, but you showed up and got caught... and you suggested things before I even spoke..." "That, that was..." “Shouldn't you be punished?” Straightening his posture, Han Seo Jin commanded, “...Go over there, kneel, and face the wall.” “......What?”