Vol. 1 - Ch. 30

“Is what they are saying the truth?”“Uh? Ah, that…”

“…”

“Yes. It is the truth.”

The lie came out more naturally than I imagined it would, maybe because I had arranged my thoughts in order.

“Is that so?”

The situation was resolved with Baek-ri Jin-chun mumbling.

When the Old Dragon Association bastards realized that Baek-ri Jin-chun had no intention of holding them accountable, they stopped groveling to him to the point of excessive politeness.

“After hearing about the great name of Whirlwind Sword Dragon, I couldn’t help but admire you. Even though we met through an unfortunate reason, we were able to resolve the misunderstandings and expand our knowledge, so I think it was a good relationship that we met like this.”

Instead, until the last moment, they pretended to be great warriors and didn’t forget to flatter Baek-ri Jin-chun.

‘These bastards…’

Even though I looked at that sight as if it were disgusting, I didn’t understand their desire to attract the attention of Baek-ri Jin-chun, a young lord of the family, a prestigious family with history behind it, and a genius who might appear once in a 100 years.

If it wasn’t for the present situation, I might have been hanging around this guy trying to say something.

However, I just didn’t like seeing all the adult men acting like bastards around Jin-chun, who was considerably younger than me, with their eyes wide open in case they said something.

‘Well… Tae-kyung won’t say anything till the end?’

Before I knew it, I secretly glanced sideways at Tae-kyung, who was standing next to me.

No matter how much I decided to side with the Old Dragon Association for various reasons, it was my own situation to handle, separate from Tae-kyung.

But it is a bit strange that Tae-lyung, who clearly witnessed the actions of the Old Dragon Association members with his own eyes and was even grabbed by the collar by them, cursed by them, remained silent without a word.

‘Is it really for my sake? If he tells the truth, I might get harmed later?’

No, perhaps because of his strength, he didn't even consider the Old Dragon Association to be a threat. He didn't feel like informing his friend about what had happened because it was so similar.

If not that…

‘Uh? Is he laughing?’

While I was trying to reason his decision, a smile so faint that it was hard to notice appeared on Tae-kyung’s face, which would arouse the interest of those who saw him.

As I raised my gaze higher, I saw him looking at me with his round eyes.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah, yes…”

I smiled shyly because I thought he was obviously watching me.

Like, there were many things I wanted to ask him, but after a short period of thought, I asked the most common question out of all of them.

“You said that you were a close friend of Baek-ri young lord. Are you also one of the Seven Devine Stars?”

If he had trouble answering, he didn’t have to answer.

Tae-kyung shook his head and said it was alright with what I said.

“It isn't the first time I have had such a misunderstanding. It isn’t so difficult.”

Tae-kyung continued.

“But, unfortunately, I am an ordinary person who cannot even reach their feet, let alone be in one of the Seven Divine Stars.”

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“I am just a young lord on the way to see the officials for the exam. It is absurd to even consider me as one of them. Besides, as you can see, paper, pencil, and ink are what suit my hands more than those ugly blades. Isn’t that what you think as well?”

I looked at the pen in his hand and nodded without a thought.

Okay, whatever. His beautiful hands, free of calluses… I gave only a half-hearted answer and turned my head without hesitation to find something more captivating to look at.

It seemed like they had just finished their pleading.

Instead of watching the four men walking towards the door, I screamed in shock,

“Hey, mister Un-bo!”

“Uh?”

Un-bo made a strange look and looked at me. I put my finger at his stupid face and pointed at Jong Myung, who was in the distance.

“How can you just go! Take out that person too!”

“Take out that person? But…”

Surely I told him to remove that person, but Un-bo was busy looking at Baek-ri Jin-chun without even looking at Jong Myung.

Baek-ri, Jin-chun, who noticed the gaze, spoke with a cold expression on his face.

“He has received his punishment, so you can take him away.”

“Ha! Ha! We were already planning to do that. Ahm. Of course, we will take him!”

“…”

Really, it’s weird.

Looking at Un-bo, who was still not paying attention to me, I frowned.

“Well, we do as told.”

“…”

“Didn’t you hear what the great warrior Baek-ri said? I guess everyone’s ears are clogged here? Why are you not moving?”

As soon as Jin-chun gave permission, Un-bo began to mercilessly chase away the subordinates who were about to cross the door.

Due to the stern attitude of their leader, they couldn’t even speak back and walked to Jong Myung in the distance.

“W-what trouble I must have suffered because of this… He is so heavy.”

“L-look at this.”

“What kind of chopsticks are these?”

“Chopsticks? I don’t know. Don’t worry about it, and get him up, right?”

The room was so silent that I could hear everything they were saying, even though I believe they were speaking as quietly as possible.

They were fighting among themselves, saying, ‘I will raise the arm; you take the legs. No, I will hold the head, so you support the back’. They finally came to an agreement only after Un-bo shouted at once.

The 3 people without Un-bo dragged the limp Jong Myung out with not so gentle hands, and then Un-bo slowly followed behind.

“Eun-ri, don’t worry about the rest and leave it to me.”

Just before leaving the door, Un-bo said while making a polite expression, probably because he was conscious of Baek-ri Jin-chun’s eyes, who was still in the room.

‘What is this?’

I snorted at this.

They said, Leave the work to me, but I don’t know what exactly it meant. If I leave the work to them, well, will they either ask for the cost of repairs or make up for the loss of business I had?

The best you can do is run to the Old Dragon Association and say, ‘Jong Myung, the warrior almost gave up our lives to the Evil Blood Clan with his careless attitude, and he even got us into trouble with the Whirlwind Sword dragon, so he seems like a guy of no use to us. All we can do is take advice. Let’s kick him out before he gets hated and targeted by the Baek-ri family.’

"No issue. Mister Un-bo has my trust.”

Of course, I wasn't so dumb to say something like that.

My eyes brightened as if I was moved by Un-bo’s trustworthy words. Then he turned around with a glad look on his face and finally walked out of the guesthouse.

By the time they had completely climbed over the wall, they could no longer look into the guesthouse.

“Eun-ri, I think we should leave now.”

“I roughly calculated the money and put it on the table, and if it isn’t enough, we can talk later, um…”

The three customers who were sitting further away from the door and couldn’t leave expressed their intention to leave right away.

“Ah-yes! Then take a look!”

I repeatedly bowed down and apologized to those people I had forgotten about.

Not just that, but for those who seemed to be having a hard time with Jin-chun, I personally escorted them out.

When I returned to the guest house, Baek-ri Jin-chun was facing Tae-kyung and having a long talk.

I deliberately approached him without showing any sign of presence, and Jin-chun, who had his back to me, turned around without showing any sign of surprise and searched his arms.

Then he took out this small pouch from his pocket and handed me some silver coins.

‘Wait, silver coins?’

I accepted the silver coin with trembling hands.

“Well, this…”

“This is compensation for causing an unusual commotion in the guesthouse.”

“Well… I think this is too much.”

I couldn’t even close my hand and looked at Jin-chun.

Instead of answering, Jin-chun looked at the corner of the guesthouse. It was the spot where Jong Myung was hit, and the wall was damaged.

“I did it, so I deserve to take responsibility for it.”

“But that… it isn’t the young lord’s fault.”

Although it could appear like a waste of money, Jin-chun wasn't accountable for the previous events when seen objectively. Even if he had good intentions when destroying the guesthouse, Jong Myung and the others might have done it for personal gain.

If I wanted to get compensation for the damages, I would have asked the Old Dragon bastards. I had to get it from them. It didn’t make sense to get it from Jin-chun, who stepped up for me.

‘Even I have conscience.’

Having made up my mind, I handed the silver coin back to him, but no matter how long I waited, there was no sign of him taking it back. I was about to urge him again.

“Then could you please greet that person over there instead?”

“Uh?”

Tae-kyung and I looked at each other at the words I couldn’t understand and then slowly turned our heads to follow Jin-chun’s gaze.

Then I frowned when I saw someone standing in the kitchen aisle.

‘That person…’

Upon turning our three eyes towards there, Dong-mun, who was hiding behind a wooden pillar and looking in this direction, smiled awkwardly.

“It isn’t that I am scared; I just didn’t know if I could enter.”

“….”

“I am sorry, nuna.”

I guess I acted oddly.

Dong-mun saw me and lowered his head.

‘For some reason, he hasn't come in since the fight happened here.’

I was worried about him for no reason. He was a straight-up coward.

I was about to say something to my classmate, ‘I thought he was a drunk guy who never came’, but I held back. And I looked at Jin-chun.

“If you are talking about the server over there.”

“It isn’t him.”

Jin-chun cut off my words.

Before I could speak again, he opened his mouth, looking at the kitchen passage where Dong-mun was standing, or maybe, behind Dong-mun.

“If you don’t mind, may I ask who you are?”

There was no answer. But seeing how he didn’t care and continued.

“Seeing as you tried to save the guesthouse owner, it seems like you have a connection with her.”

When I recognized who Jin-chun was speaking to, my expression hardened, unlike Dong-mun and Tae-kyung, who were puzzled.

‘Right, the chopsticks.’

Actually, I had noticed the intervention of Ja-hyun.

The wooden chopsticks, which were at the back of Jong Myung’s hand and shoulder, that no one noticed.

The chopsticks I saw were clearly the same chopsticks that I had left in a corner of the kitchen, thinking it would be a waste to throw them away so he could use them to catch bugs.

As far as I remember, the only person in the kitchen at the time who could hear me talking to myself was Ja-hyun.

I never dreamed that he would catch a person, not a bug with the chopsticks.

‘Hmm, right?’

When I thought about it again, it seemed like the thing pierced by chopsticks wasn’t a person but an unusually large bug. Actually, it isn’t that different; the human bug was indeed useless, right?

“Was my guess wrong?”

The question this time was clearly directed at me.

Tae-kyung didn’t know the situation of the customers; I could feel Dong-mun, who had worked here for over 2 years, look at me with wide eyes.