The parlor of Jeong Manor, wrapped in silence.
Jin Cheong-un, expression unreadable.
Jeong So-so, face uneasy.
Across from them sat Baek Seo-gun.
SLURP.
Baek Seo-gun took a sip of tea and stole a glance.
'He looks more normal than I expected.'
Quite different from what the gang members locked in prison had described.
They had been beaten so thoroughly they were half-crippled, each giving a different account, but on one point alone they had spoken with a single voice.
—The man is out of his mind.
Yet the Jin Cheong-un sitting across from him was simply a rather handsome man with a somewhat distinctive air.
That said.
'His face seems oddly familiar...... Am I imagining things?'
Baek Seo-gun set down his teacup with a gentle clink and spoke.
"Allow me to introduce myself properly. I am Baek Seo-gun, chief steward of the Black Tiger Gang. A pleasure to meet you."
"Jin Cheong-un, master of the Blue Cloud Martial Arts School."
Immediately after, Jin Cheong-un tossed in one more remark.
"I can't say the pleasure is mutual."
......So he is a bit off?
Baek Seo-gun cleared his throat once and smiled with practiced ease.
"Ha ha. It seems I may have dropped in rather abruptly."
"You can say that again. Arriving right at mealtime. On the one day I skipped lunch, no less."
"......"
Baek Seo-gun studied Jin Cheong-un for a long moment.
'I cannot get a read on him.'
Normally, he adjusted his approach depending on the person.
But this time, he could not find his footing.
The man did not seem hot-headed, contrary to expectations, and for someone supposedly cautious, he gave off a strangely hapless air.
Long experience told him that in cases like this, the most effective move was to skip the preamble and cut straight to the point.
"I shall be blunt. I understand there was a recent altercation with members of our organization."
"It was not an altercation."
"......?"
"I thrashed them. One-sidedly."
"......"
The response was so unexpected that words failed him.
In the brief pause, Jin Cheong-un smoothly took the reins of the conversation.
"And that is why the chief steward himself has come in person?"
"It is."
Jin Cheong-un abruptly swept his gaze around the man's surroundings.
"Alone?"
"......"
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
Baek Seo-gun swallowed.
'What is he implying?'
As expected, this man was no ordinary person. Whether it was backers, money, or martial skill, there was something there.
"Ha ha...... I came to resolve a problem, after all. Hardly a reason to bring a crowd."
"You came to resolve a problem?"
"An apology should come first, I suppose."
"......?"
Baek Seo-gun dipped his head slightly, then raised it.
"In our recent push to expand operations, it seems our men handled matters somewhat roughly."
"......"
"I would ask you to understand that their actions in no way reflected the Gang Master's wishes. This is a token of the Gang Master's apology."
Baek Seo-gun slid a neatly folded packet of medicine across to Jeong So-so.
"I hear your brother suffers from a chronic condition. This is a rare medicinal herb, excellent for fortifying the constitution."
"Th-thank you."
"You are most welcome."
Jeong So-so accepted the gift in a daze.
It was unexpected—far too unexpected.
She had braced for a mob showing up to intimidate them. This level of courtesy?
That was when.
"However."
Baek Seo-gun's demeanor shifted naturally.
"You are aware, I trust, that the matter of the outstanding debt remains?"
"......"
"From what I understand, the current debt owed by the Jeong household, excluding copper coins, amounts to six hundred and seventy-four nyang of silver."
Jeong So-so jolted.
"Four nyang? It's gone up again already?"
"Yama's Debt is what it is. I am simply relaying what is recorded in the ledger."
"......!"
"To state our position plainly: we have concluded that the Jeong household will be unable to repay this debt. That is what brings me here today."
"I can pay it back! Don't worry about that!"
"Everyone says that. However, a review of the ledger shows seven instances of missed repayment dates. I am afraid we can no longer take your word for it."
Jeong So-so was struck speechless.
"There is a clause in the contract stating that upon ten missed payments, ownership of this estate—held as collateral—shall be transferred. Were you aware of this?"
Baek Seo-gun moistened his throat with tea and continued.
"So, what will you do now?"
His voice was relentlessly businesslike and even.
'M-Master.'
Jeong So-so found herself turning to Jin Cheong-un without thinking.
Baek Seo-gun, too, was watching Jin Cheong-un rather than Jeong So-so.
And Jin Cheong-un opened his mouth.
"If you borrow, you pay it back."
"......?!"
"......!"
Not only Jeong So-so but Baek Seo-gun, too, went wide-eyed.
"Why the surprise?"
"Ha ha, it is simply...... unexpected, in several ways."
"If you borrow money, paying it back is the natural thing to do. And if you can't pay, losing whatever you put up as collateral is natural too."
Just as Baek Seo-gun's face lit up with a satisfied smile, Jeong So-so stared at Jin Cheong-un, stung by betrayal.
Jin Cheong-un tilted his head.
"What?"
"B-but you said you'd help us......"
"That's a separate matter."
"......!"
"Borrowing at will and then picking and choosing what to repay based on your circumstances—that's shameless. To put it bluntly, what crime did the person who lent the money commit?"
Jeong So-so went rigid.
Her voice quivered with the wave of hurt crashing over her.
"It wasn't even my debt—my father borrowed it. And the Black Tiger Gang bought up our scattered debt notes from other creditors, then jacked up the interest on their own to make it this bad!"
Baek Seo-gun, who had been listening quietly, narrowed his eyes.
"Miss Jeong. Regardless, those are legally valid......"
"You still pay what you owe."
Jin Cheong-un's interjection caught even Baek Seo-gun off guard.
"Having circumstances and feeling wronged doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want. You know what kind of people you end up like if you only ever act according to your own convenience?"
"......I don't know."
"Like the Black Tiger Gang, right here."
"......!"
"If you want to grow into a proper adult, you take responsibility for what's yours. Unless you want to end up living like a gang member."
His tone, harsher than usual, made Jeong So-so's eyes waver.
Meanwhile, Baek Seo-gun—who had been sitting quietly only to catch a stray blow—furrowed his brow.
"Now see here, Master Jin. Your words are a bit......"
"Of course, handing over the estate is out of the question."
Baek Seo-gun froze.
"......What did you say?"
"Let us do this."
Jin Cheong-un leaned forward slightly, his expression thoroughly brazen and shameless.
"The debt is too large. Shave some off."
"......?"
"We'll repay the money, so stop eyeing the estate."
Baek Seo-gun's face crumpled.
With a supreme effort, he maintained his composure.
"You are joking."
"I am not."
"That is...... simply not possible."
"Make it possible."
What is this bastard playing at?
Baek Seo-gun spoke with the utmost gravity.
"Let us not play games when we both know the score. Are you certain you will not regret this?"
"Ah, since we both know the score."
Jin Cheong-un smiled slyly.
"Then let's be candid. You targeted this estate from the start and rigged the whole thing."
"......!"
"As far as I know, scheming like that to disrupt people's livelihoods doesn't end with just a few strokes of the cane."
"What are you......"
"The interest flagrantly ignores the law, the repayment dates are set at your whim, and taking an estate of this caliber as collateral for that pittance to begin with......"
Jin Cheong-un tilted his head for a moment.
"Oh, but is that contract even legitimate in the first place?"
"O-of course it is legitimate!"
"Goodness. Why the temper?"
Is he toying with me?
Jin Cheong-un carried on breezily.
"Fair enough, that last one was a bit much on my part. But if such injustice occurred, every last villager would march down to the government office or...... even the Martial Arts Alliance to plead their case."
Baek Seo-gun's eyes stretched wide.
Why? Why is the Martial Arts Alliance coming up here?
'What is this man, really?'
Had the seemingly hapless air been an act all along?
Baek Seo-gun fixed Jin Cheong-un with a grave stare.
His expression soured, as if he had bitten into something foul, and after a long silence, he spoke quietly.
"The proposal you have raised...... does not seem to be something I can decide on my own."
"I see."
"I shall withdraw for today. I will call on you again at a later date."
"Ah, allow me to see you out."
He wanted to refuse, but Jin Cheong-un was already on his feet, opening the parlor door.
Baek Seo-gun followed with a pinched expression, then spoke up.
"......Master Jin, what exactly do you do?"
"You just said it yourself. I'm a school master."
"I was told you were once a martial artist."
He prided himself on being a good judge of character.
It was fortunate he had come personally. If he had underestimated the man and sent underlings, he was certain things would have gone sideways.
"I was just an ordinary guard."
"A guard......?"
"You wouldn't believe how poor the pay was, and how grueling the work. I couldn't take it anymore and quit."
......Had he simply been fooled by the man's unusual aura? A mere guard?
Baek Seo-gun stole a glance at Jin Cheong-un's profile.
A sudden prick of recognition hit him again. Jin Cheong-un's face kept nagging at the back of his mind.
CLICK! CREEEAK!
"Then travel safely."
Even as Jin Cheong-un held the gate open for him, Baek Seo-gun could not shake the feeling.
He stepped through the gate, then turned back.
"Master Jin, have we perhaps met somewhere before?"
"......?"
"Think carefully. I am certain we have crossed paths at some......"
Jin Cheong-un narrowed his eyes and took a subtle step back.
"I'm sorry, but I am no lover of men."
"Hm? What do you......"
"And even if I were, you would not be to my taste."
Baek Seo-gun's face—blank for an instant—rapidly contorted.
"How—! What kind of—!"
"Travel safely. Oh, and thank you for the medicine."
"Now see here!"
"And while you're at it, take those escorts of yours pretending to be passersby with you. What are they doing lurking around someone else's house?"
"......!!"
SLAM!
The gate closed.
Baek Seo-gun stared at the shut gate, soul half-departed.
The gang members who had been circling the perimeter in disguise hurried over.
"Sir, what's the matter?"
"......"
Baek Seo-gun turned his head, dazed.
He regarded the gang members with complicated eyes, then asked quietly.
"Were you well hidden?"
"Sir? Oh, of course we were."
"......"
"What is it?"
"......Nothing. Let us go to the Young Master."
Baek Seo-gun walked on without a word.
Their steps led to Yinghua Tower, the sole upscale drinking house in Yinghua Village—and specifically, its private room.
"Young Master, it is the steward."
The moment Baek Seo-gun spoke and opened the door.
CRASH!
A bottle of liquor came flying and shattered against the wall.
"I said there was an off taste and you're still running your mouth? That's it. You need another beating before you'll listen."
"I'm sorry! I'll bring a new one, so please......!"
The top floor of the drinking house was in shambles.
Before a young man flushed with drink, the servers of Yinghua Tower lay prostrate, visibly beaten.
"Young Master, what is all this?"
At the stern voice, the young man paused.
"......Ah, you're here already?"
The young man—Young Master Yeop Gun-pyeong—turned with an instantly cooled expression.
"It's nothing. Everyone out. You should thank our steward that you're still breathing."
"Th-thank you! Thank you!"
The servers fled the private room in a scramble.
Baek Seo-gun swept aside the debris on the floor with his foot and sat down. Bloodstains were everywhere.
'I left him at the drinking house telling him to just drink quietly......'
And he could not even manage that without causing trouble.
No—perhaps he should count his blessings it was only this much.
"So, did the errand go well?"
Baek Seo-gun spoke in a low voice.
"It did not go smoothly."
Yeop Gun-pyeong paused for a beat, then curled the corner of his mouth upward.
"Well, well! What kind of man flustered our great steward?"
"......"
"I told you we should have just steamrolled him."
"He is no ordinary man. I need to report to the Gang Master first and dig into this school master's background before we decide. Let us head back."
In that instant, Yeop Gun-pyeong's expression hardened.
"All this over one lousy school master? We came all this way, and if we go back empty-handed, won't that sour Father's mood?"
"......Young Master? What do you mean?"
"I'm simply voicing a concern. Come now, you've had a long day. Have a drink."
Something about it felt wrong.
Baek Seo-gun found the crescent curve of the delinquent's eyes deeply unsettling.
***
Jeong Manor.
Jeong So-so fidgeted and avoided Jin Cheong-un's gaze.
"Master, has the guest left?"
"Guest, my foot. Go sprinkle salt where he stood."
"What?"
"Why so surprised?"
"B-but salt is so expensive......"
That's her concern?
This girl is a little odd too.
"More importantly, Master—I'm sorry for talking back earlier. Now that I think about it, everything you said was right."
"Hm? Talking back?"
"Yes? I mean earlier, when I made that hurt expression......"
"You call that talking back? You'd need to at least throw a punch and swear before I'd count it."
Wouldn't that just be treason against one's master?
Jeong So-so let out a laugh in spite of herself. Maybe that was her master's way of showing consideration.
"Let me eat already. It's a meat dish, right? At long last, a meat dish? It absolutely must be a meat dish."
Hmm, so much for consideration.
Jeong So-so nodded and said.
"I just need to heat it up. But...... do you really think the Gang Master will accept your proposal?"
"He might."
Or he might not.
She would sooner trust a swindler than the underworld.
"Do you two have anywhere to stay besides here?"
"If it's just a few days, we could probably stay at the inn where I work. But why......"
"I need to go somewhere, so while I'm gone, don't stay at the house. Go to the inn."
"Where are you going?"
Jin Cheong-un said it as casually as if he were stepping out for a stroll around the neighborhood.
"The Black Tiger Gang."
"......!"