When Was It?

It must have been when I was rolling around on the front lines.

It was nighttime, during the most tedious hour of the night watch.

"Hey, Firecracker."

I was staring blankly at the moon when a voice beside me made me turn my head.

"I told you not to call me that, you lunatic."

"What’s the big deal? Friends call each other by nicknames."

"Damn it... Of all things, why 'Firecracker'?"

"Oh? So you're not denying we're friends now?"

"Get lost."

The young man's words made my head throb as I clutched it. Conversations with this guy never went smoothly.

This lunatic, known as the Hidden Dragon of Wudang, was said to be at the top of the Five Peaks of the Jade Dragon Sect. He always looked lazy and laid-back, but when the time came, he would show feats that proved his talent was no joke. However, his personality made it seem like he was out of his mind.

"Anyway, Firecracker, do you know this?"

"What?"

"The way to survive among beasts."

"...What?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, he spouted nonsense. Beasts? What was he talking about?

"Beasts? Are you talking about demonic beasts?"

"They could be demonic beasts. Or they could be humans."

"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"

At my question, the Hidden Dragon smirked, the dirty face with dusty, tangled hair still managing to look attractive enough to charm women. Handsome guys should all just drop dead.

"Our Firecracker is still so innocent."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Humans sometimes become beasts. You've seen it often enough, haven't you?"

His words made me frown.

Sometimes this lunatic's eyes would turn chillingly cold, and right now, they were particularly unsettling. His usual cheerful eyes, when opened in such a way, were hard to look at directly.

"I told you to keep your eyes soft, or I'll gouge them out."

"Firecracker, aren't you in no position to talk about how people look at others?"

"Shut up, you bastard."

"Your temper is still as bad as ever."

Talking to this guy for even a little while made me feel like I was going insane.

Why did Seol-Bong pair me up with this lunatic? Although, if I were to ask her, I'd probably get an annoying response like:

"Because you’re so weak, I had to pair you with the Hidden Dragon."

So, I had to grit my teeth and bear it. The Hidden Dragon chuckled as if he found it all amusing.

"What are you laughing at?"

"Talking with you is always the most fun."

"It’s not fun for me, so just keep your mouth shut."

"Mmph mph mmph?"

"...For the love of... you lunatic."

He started mumbling with his mouth closed just because I told him to shut up. He really was an unimaginable maniac.

"Isn't this what you wanted?"

"Ah... my head hurts."

Would this night ever end? I might die from frustration at this rate.

"Listen up, anyway."

"What is it this time?"

"How to survive."

"If this is the same crap as last time, I’m not listening."

What was it last time?

Something about controlling my temper and holding back three times when I got angry. I couldn’t see the point of putting up with someone’s nonsense, so I let it go in one ear and out the other.

"No, this is different."

"What is it?"

"The easiest way to survive is..."

The Hidden Dragon spoke carefully, making me instinctively pay attention.

What could he possibly be trying to say with such focus? A way to survive? Did he have some special secret technique?

As if to answer my curiosity, the Hidden Dragon smiled and revealed his answer.

"Don't put yourself in dangerous situations."

"..."

"...What’s with that face?"

"I must be an idiot to expect anything from you, even for a moment."

"Hey, this is really important."

"Yeah, it’s important, you bastard."

It’s like saying, “If you train hard enough, you’ll become the strongest in the world.” What’s the difference? It’s not like people want to be in dangerous situations.

"Exactly. No one wants to be in those situations."

"...Did I just say that out loud?"

"Firecracker, your face says it all."

"Damn it."

"That’s what makes it fun."

He chuckled, clearly amused by my expression.

Why is he laughing at my face? Should I just punch him?

"But you have a tendency to walk into danger, even when you know it's risky."

"What?"

"You often go into situations knowing they’re dangerous."

"..."

I couldn’t deny that. As the Hidden Dragon said, I had gone into situations knowing I was screwed several times.

"And what does that have to do with anything?"

He made a strange face, as if he was contemplating something.

"You don’t really understand things unless they’re spelled out for you, huh?"

"What are you..."

"Don’t rush headlong into things. Think before you act, or you might get yourself killed... Ah! I worded it like that on purpose because I knew you’d react this way! Put out the flames! You’ll wake everyone up!"

"Who are you calling stupid?"

"It’s just a figure of speech. If you think something’s dangerous, take a moment to reconsider before you jump in. It’s better to avoid doing something you can't fix later."

"I’ll handle it, so mind your own business."

"That’s... the least reassuring thing I’ve ever heard."

The conversation ended with me getting pissed off and unleashing flames, which wrapped things up.

The Hidden Dragon often said things I didn’t understand. He would somehow know when I was about to lose my temper and would tell me to calm down before I even got angry. Whenever I was about to risk my life, he would appear out of nowhere to stop me.

It was almost as if he could read my mind, but his advice, often spoken in his peculiar way, never really sunk in.

Of course, later on, I would realize that his words had their uses, but I didn’t understand that at the time.

Humans only seem to understand things after they’ve experienced them for themselves.

If I had known something was going to be dangerous, I wouldn’t have put myself in that situation in the first place.

It’s a simple and obvious truth, but why couldn’t I follow it?

Yes, if I could have done that from the beginning...

"Could you move a little to the side? It’s getting hot with everyone so close."

"...No."

...I wouldn’t be in this mess.

With a flick, I lost hold of a dumpling, which rolled away due to the jostling.

I finally grabbed another dumpling and shouted at the two women, who were glaring at each other like cats.

"Hey! Can you both back off a bit so I can eat?"

Only after I yelled did they finally calm down. It was then that I reflected on the disaster of a situation I was in.

Reflections on My Mistakes

The first mistake was bringing both of them out into town.

The key issue wasn’t that I took them to town, but that I brought both of them. I should have taken just one person, not both.

The second mistake was underestimating how much these two dislike each other.

I wanted to escape my father’s gaze for a bit, so I suggested we go out to town. Moyong Hee-Ah mentioned that the Moyong family had recently opened a new building there and that they were serving food, so I thought we could check it out.

Since it was directly managed by the Moyong family, I was curious to see what it was like.

At first, everything seemed fine.

The building was in excellent condition, far better than I expected. The decorations and clothing on display were all of outstanding quality. Because of that, most of the customers were either the wives of famous merchants or the daughters of reputable sects or families.

It was safe to say that it was a place that attracted people with money.

"The monopoly must make it even more attractive."

The decorations were said to be made by the skilled artisans of the Tang Clan, which was surprising. I never thought the proud artisans of the Tang Clan would make such items.

"I thought they only made weapons."

The decorations, including the jewelry, were designed to appeal to women, and they were of high quality.

Everything was displayed in a way that made it easy for people to browse.

"Are they not worried about theft?"

It was laid out so neatly that it made me wonder. Of course, no sane person would think of stealing from a Moyong family establishment.

So far, everything was good.

It was quite a sight to see.

While Moyong Hee-Ah, who was in charge, didn’t seem particularly impressed, Namgung Bi-Ah appeared to be interested.

Afterward, we headed to a guesthouse on Moyong Hee-Ah’s recommendation. It was also managed by the Moyong family.

Had it really only been a year since I was on the front lines? How did they manage to set up a guesthouse so quickly?

"I don’t think Moyong Hee-Ah handled all of this alone, but if she had some hand in it, she must be quite capable in matters like this."

However, the problem began when we started eating.

"Young Master, please try this."

"...I’m already eating."

"This is the dish the chef is most confident in these days."

"I said I’m eating."

They kept offering me food, which was nice, but...

"This one..."

"...I said I’m eating..."

It was overwhelming to have both of them offering food at the same time. My stomach wasn’t bottomless, and if I accepted food from one and not the other, that would be a problem too.

"Young Master, they said this one is also very delicious."

Just as I finished chewing one bite, Moyong Hee-Ah offered me another dish. It was a reddish-looking dish that I couldn’t quite identify.

I sighed and was about to take a bite when—

Snap!

Namgung Bi-Ah snatched the food from Moyong Hee-Ah’s hand and ate it herself.

Moyong Hee-Ah was momentarily stunned by the sudden turn of events, but she quickly recovered, narrowing her eyes at Namgung Bi-Ah.

"...Sword Dancer..."

Namgung Bi-Ah was busily chewing the food, her mouth full. The portion must have been large because it took her some time to swallow it.

Gulp.

After finally swallowing, Namgung Bi-Ah looked at Moyong Hee-Ah and gestured with her hand.

"...He can’t eat spicy food."

"Ah...!"

Moyong Hee-Ah’s expression shifted as if she had been struck. It was a look of genuine surprise, as if she hadn’t known.

At the same time, I was also surprised by Namgung Bi-Ah’s words.

'How does she know that?'

I wondered how she knew I couldn’t handle spicy food, and then it hit me.

'Ah.'

I remembered when we attended the Tang Family’s banquet in the past. During a meal with other young martial artists, I struggled with a spicy dish, and Namgung Bi-Ah had handed me some water.

She must have remembered that.

'She remembers the strangest things.'

Recalling that I couldn’t handle spicy food, she had eaten it for me. The problem was...

"...Ugh."

Namgung Bi-Ah herself wasn’t very good with spicy food either.

Her pale skin turned red from the heat, and I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.

"See? You shouldn’t have done that."

"...Ugh..."

It was spicier than she expected, and she flailed her arms slightly as she tried to endure it. It was such a clumsy and unexpected sight from the usually composed Namgung Bi-Ah that I couldn’t stop laughing.

Splash.

Unable to watch any longer, I poured water into a glass and handed it to Namgung Bi-Ah, who hastily drank it down.

For some reason, the scene felt strangely reversed from the time in Sichuan when I had struggled with spicy food, making it all the more amusing.

"...I can’t believe I lost."

Beside us, Moyong Hee-Ah looked disappointed, as if she had just lost a competition.

Lost? What did she lose?

"As expected, the Sword Dancer is not easily bested..."

"Hee-Ah."

Namgung Bi-Ah called Moyong Hee-Ah, having finally recovered from the spiciness. It was probably the first time Namgung Bi-Ah had addressed Moyong Hee-Ah by name.

"What did you just say...?"

"...I."

Moyong Hee-Ah, as if she had misheard, started to ask again, but Namgung Bi-Ah cut her off by pointing to herself.

"I’m the fiancée..."

"...!"

Namgung Bi-Ah’s calm statement made Moyong Hee-Ah’s eyes widen.

It was as if she was saying, “I’m the fiancée, and you’re not.”

Adding to the sting, Namgung Bi-Ah even smiled faintly as she spoke, which seemed to annoy Moyong Hee-Ah even more. I could see her clenching her fists in frustration.

I couldn’t help but think how ridiculous this situation was. Stuck between the two of them, all I could mutter was,

"...I’m going to get indigestion."

After forcing myself to finish the meal, I finally stepped outside.

It was already night, and the moon had risen. However...

'So much has changed.'

The once-quiet nights in Sanseo had transformed over the past year. Now, the streets were lit with the warm glow of street vendors, and there were more people around than ever before.

This change couldn’t be attributed to time alone. The Moyong family’s involvement in the local commerce was likely the reason for this transformation.

To think that just one commercial district could change the atmosphere so much... It made me realize the value of the Moyong family’s reputation in the business world.

I needed some fresh air.

After wandering around for a bit, I thought it would be best to head back to the family estate.

'...I can’t bear to watch this cold war any longer.'

The two women followed behind me, keeping their distance. The tension between them was so thick it felt like they might start fighting at any moment. They were complete opposites and just couldn’t get along.

I couldn’t force them to get along either...

'Ah, right.'

I suddenly remembered something I had forgotten to ask.

I still hadn’t found out what Moyong Hee-Ah planned to do once I left for Anhui. My father had mentioned that the conversation was already settled, but...

'...I forgot to ask because I was too overwhelmed by the situation.'

That was a mistake. I should have asked during the meal.

'Should I ask now?'

I turned around and looked at Moyong Hee-Ah.

"Hmm?"

When I turned, I noticed Moyong Hee-Ah was staring at something. Following her gaze, I saw...

It was just a regular street vendor.

'What is she looking at?'

I approached her and asked,

"Hey."

"Yes?"

She looked startled that I had approached her.

"When I go to Anhui, what’s your plan?"

"What?"

"My father said the discussion was already settled."

"You didn’t hear?"

"He told me to hear it from you directly."

Why couldn’t he just tell me himself? What was the point of making me ask her?

At my words, Moyong Hee-Ah’s eyes gleamed with a strange light, and she smiled slightly.

It was the kind of smile she made when she was plotting something.

"...What are you thinking?"

"Are you curious?"

"What?"

"I wondered if you were curious."

"A little?"

At my response, Moyong Hee-Ah pointed to something with her finger. Following her gesture, I saw that it was the street vendor she had been looking at earlier.

"Buy me that."

"Huh?"

"If you buy it for me... I’ll tell you."

She was pointing at a small necklace at the vendor’s stall. It looked like a cheap trinket, hardly worth anything.

"What’s that?"

"I just... want it."

Moyong Hee-Ah averted her gaze slightly as she spoke. It didn’t seem like a big deal to me.

The necklace was so cheap it wasn’t even worth haggling over, so I bought it without hesitation and handed it to her.

"...Ah."

As she received the necklace, Moyong Hee-Ah let out a small gasp. It wasn’t because the necklace was beautiful.

Considering she was probably used to wearing far more luxurious items, it wasn’t likely that she was impressed by this little trinket.

"Thank you. I’ll cherish it."

Even so, there was a hint of warmth in her voice as she spoke. What was so special about this cheap necklace?

"If you wanted it so badly, you should have just bought it yourself."

"...It wouldn’t have meant anything if I bought it."

With that, Moyong Hee-Ah smiled brightly.

'Hmm.'

That was the first time I’d seen her smile so brightly...

Zzt.

"...!"

Suddenly, I felt a surge of electricity behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was coming from.

"...Sigh."

A small sigh escaped my lips as I realized I had just made a huge mistake.