Filled with the Fragrance of Tea (1)
By the time I arrived in Wuhan, evening had nearly come.
When I returned to the Justice Pavilion, Gal Sa-Ryang was in a meeting. Hearing from the strategist in charge that it would take one or two hours before it ended, I left the Alliance and headed to the marketplace.
After confirming that Gal Sa-Ryang was safe, hunger rushed in. It was because I had returned without resting through Lightness Skill and had not properly eaten.
I entered an inn near the main headquarters and ordered dishes and wine. I ordered more than I usually ate.
While waiting for the food to come out, I looked out the window. As I watched the people coming and going, the street was no different from when I had left.
As expected, just as Gal Sa-Ryang had predicted, nothing had happened over the past ten days. I had completely trusted his judgment, and his judgment had been accurate. Thanks to that, I had rested well and returned.
A short while later, the dishes I had ordered came out.
After pleasantly drinking a cup of wine, I was just about to lift my chopsticks when two people entered the place.
“Huh?”
One of the two recognized me and was startled. Surprisingly, she was none other than Number Seven.
I was also startled, but not only because of Number Seven. The person beside her was Lin Yan-Qing.
“Strategist Byeok?”
“Investigator?”
We stood there blankly for a moment, looking at each other.
Lin Yan-Qing looked back and forth between me and Number Seven, then made an expression as though she understood something.
Lin Yan-Qing smiled and said to me,
“You seem to know each other. May we join you?”
“Ah, yes. Please do.”
Of course, I did not refuse. In truth, it was something I should have said first. Lin Yan-Qing’s appearance meant that the force behind the scenes had begun moving once again.
Number Seven, on the other hand, looked slightly flustered. But since Lin Yan-Qing had already sat in front of me, she had no choice but to sit beside her.
“I am Byeok Ri-Dan, a strategist of the Justice Pavilion.”
“Oh, you are a strategist. You do not look like one at all.”
“You mean I look ignorant.”
“Haha, that is a misunderstanding. I said it because you are so young.”
At that moment, Number Seven cut in and added a word.
“He is the responsible strategist of the Justice Pavilion.”
“Oh! If you are the responsible strategist, that is a higher position than an ordinary strategist, is it not?”
“That is right.”
“I will have to see you differently.”
At Number Seven’s answer, Lin Yan-Qing widened her eyes and looked at me.
“No. It is merely a role assisting the Chief Strategist. Because it is a job that requires moving briskly, a young person like me took it on.”
“And modest too.”
Unable to endure any more gilding of my face, I quickly called the waiter.
“You should order some dishes.”
Lin Yan-Qing and Number Seven ordered dishes.
I had truly never imagined in my dreams that I would meet the two of them again here.
First, I thought it was fortunate that Lin Yan-Qing was safe.
When I spared her, I had given her a chance to leave the organization. But she had said she would not leave the organization. At that time, I had felt it. She had a reason she could not leave the organization.
The Lin Yan-Qing I knew was a scholar. The work she had been doing at the time was research to eliminate the side effects of the Bulhoe Demon Spirit Pill. Since I had destroyed all the research materials and facilities back then, that research would not have ended.
Then why had she come to Wuhan?
The fact that she was with Number Seven was understandable. At that time, when I had been with Lin Yan-Qing in the underground laboratory of the manor, Number Seven had appeared and surprised me. Since the two had met then, it was not particularly strange for them to be together now.
“What is the relationship between you two?”
At my question, Number Seven hesitated to answer. Lin Yan-Qing immediately spoke.
“I am her unnie. An older sister who is like a friend.”
“Ah, I see.”
A slight look of embarrassment passed over Number Seven’s face.
Pretending not to see it, I drank a cup of wine and asked again,
“Do you live in Wuhan?”
“No. I came to Wuhan because I had some business here this time. I will be staying with my younger sister for the time being.”
“Ah, I see.”
Lin Yan-Qing and I naturally conversed well. Number Seven, on the other hand, silently listened to our conversation.
A short while later, the waiter brought the dishes the two had ordered.
Perhaps because she was hungry, Lin Yan-Qing ate energetically. Number Seven, on the other hand, was cautious even when eating.
Judging by my guess, Number Seven was clearly playing the role of protecting her. Even if it was not a mission, it was also a 모습 that reflected her personality exactly.
Number Seven listened to Lin Yan-Qing and me talk, then looked at Lin Yan-Qing with envious eyes once or twice. It felt as though she was thinking that it would be nice if she too could converse so comfortably.
In any case, dinner with them ended.
“Then I will see you next time.”
Lin Yan-Qing said to me with a favorable gaze,
“Please show me around Wuhan next time.”
“I will.”
“Then it is a promise.”
“Yes.”
Before I knew it, I had even made a promise. Number Seven, standing beside her, showed no reaction.
The two turned around and walked away like that.
For some reason, Number Seven’s back looked lonely. As I watched her from behind, I remembered the sight of her telling me to be careful when she left after drinking with me in the field last time.
Number Seven, who had walked some distance away, glanced back. Our eyes met.
I smiled and waved at her.
She turned around again and walked. Because of the shadow of the building, I could not see her expression.
Like that, the two disappeared into the darkness.
I felt sorry to them, but I followed them.
And so I confirmed that they entered a manor near Wuhan.
If I had wanted to investigate further, I could have followed them all the way inside the building, but today, I confirmed only this much. There was no need to hurry. In any case, the reason the two had come here would be related to the selection of the Alliance Lord.
Standing on a tree branch far away, I looked at the manor.
I felt some kind of connection and fate with both Lin Yan-Qing and Number Seven. My ties with the two were by no means light.
Whether it would become a good connection or an ill-fated one would depend on what choices we made from now on.
I only hoped that those two, at least, would end as good connections.
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Before entering her room, Lin Yan-Qing asked Number Seven,
“It was that person from earlier, wasn’t it?”
“Yes?”
Number Seven, who had been lost in other thoughts, came out of her contemplation.
“You said there was someone like that, didn’t you? That night.”
“Ah!”
When they had talked while looking at the North Star, Number Seven had told Lin Yan-Qing that she too had someone she kept thinking about.
“Was it him?”
“Yes.”
Number Seven obediently admitted it.
“I thought so. But with such a passive personality, will you be able to date a man?”
“Was that why you asked to join him?”
“Of course.”
“How did you know it was that person?”
“The look in your eyes when you looked at that strategist was different.”
“My eyes?”
“Yes. Enough that anyone could tell just by looking.”
Number Seven felt both good and bad. The fact that she had come to look at someone differently felt new. It made her feel as if she were alive. But the fact that it had shown was not particularly pleasant.
“Did it make you feel bad? If so, I will apologize.”
“No, it did not. You arranged that seat for my sake.”
“I am glad you understand. Next time, let us go on an outing, the three of us, with that person. Relationships between men and women are nothing special. If you keep seeing each other, affection or whatever else is bound to grow.”
“Yes.”
Number Seven had many things to say, but as expected, she answered with one short word.
“It is late, so let us talk tomorrow.”
“Yes, rest well.”
Lin Yan-Qing entered her room.
Number Seven’s room was right beside hers. If anything happened, she had to be able to help immediately.
On the other hand, Number One’s room was a little farther away, at the end of the corridor.
Number Seven also entered her own room.
As she sat on the bed, she let out the sigh she had been holding back until now.
“Phew.”
In truth, until just a moment ago, her mind had been in chaos. When she happened to meet Byeok Ri-Dan at the inn, she had been so flustered. Had she ever been this flustered after seeing someone, and a man at that?
Seeing him converse naturally with Lin Yan-Qing, she honestly felt jealous. Even if Lin Yan-Qing’s intention had been for her sake, and even if Byeok Ri-Dan had no private feelings, she still felt jealous.
‘Just because of dumplings?’
She knew. It was not because of dumplings.
That day, when she drank with Byeok Ri-Dan in the field, she had felt good.
‘This cannot happen!’
She shook her head.
What had been instilled into her most repeatedly during training was not to trust people. Especially members of the opposite sex, needless to say. She was to be loyal only to the organization, and no private relationship of any kind was permitted.
Not only her, but all of her comrades with numbers attached to them had been educated that way. They were probably all living that way.
‘He is someone who cannot come true anyway. Let’s stop thinking about him.’
Without realizing it, she let out one more sigh.
When I returned to the Justice Pavilion, the meeting had ended.
Gal Sa-Ryang had returned to the residence where we had been staying together.
“I heard that you had arrived.”
As he rose from his seat and welcomed me, I strode toward him.
I embraced him firmly. Perhaps because he had not expected it, Gal Sa-Ryang was flustered.
I was not used to this kind of action either. In my previous life, I had never hugged someone like this because I was glad to see them.
But recently, I had been expressing my heart through actions like this. They say the heart is more important, but the heart is also something others do not know unless it is expressed.
“I am glad you are safe.”
Gal Sa-Ryang realized that I was sincerely glad to see him.
“Thank you for worrying about me.”
We sat facing each other at the tea table. Gal Sa-Ryang personally brewed tea for me. He liked Hwangsocha, and especially liked Yuan’an Luyuan. This too was something I learned while being with him after becoming the representative strategist this time.
It was something I had not known in my previous life, even though I had drunk so much tea with him. Well, back then we had mostly drunk the tea that I liked.
So how many times must I be thinking that I should not live this life like my past life?
In any case, because he had deep knowledge of the tea ceremony, when I drank tea brewed by Gal Sa-Ryang, I could feel a deeper flavor.
“I heard you arrived earlier.”
“You were in a meeting, so I ate dinner before coming.”
“You did well.”
“Did you eat?”
“Yes, I ate.”
“You must eat properly. If Strategist Gal collapses, we all collapse. Do not forget how many people are attached beneath Strategist Gal.”
“They are not beneath me, but beneath my lord.”
“Since I am attached to Strategist Gal, in the end, they are all attached to Strategist Gal.”
“Hahaha.”
Gal Sa-Ryang laughed pleasantly. Yes, even if one had to take responsibility, this kind of responsibility would feel good.
I do not demand loyalty that risks one’s life from them. I only hope that each of them can fully display their talents. I believe that this is the path those called lords should walk.
“Did you rest well?”
“Thanks to you, I rested extremely well.”
I truly felt that, including my previous life, it had been the most comfortable and deepest rest I had ever had.
And… Song Hwa-Rin’s face suddenly came to mind. And the unforgettable kiss with her.
How could it not have been a pleasant vacation?
“I am relieved that your face looks good.”
On the other hand, because of the emergency meetings that had continued day after day, Gal Sa-Ryang looked haggard. I felt a little sorry toward him, but it could not be helped. That work was something only Gal Sa-Ryang could do.
“How did the meeting go?”
“It proceeded as expected, so the final vote will be held two days later.”
“And the result will be as expected?”
“Yes. Ma Cheol-Gun will become the Alliance Lord.”
“What were the reactions of the other successors? Was there no opposition?”
The other successors, excluding Ma Ryeong-In, were Ma Yang-Hwa, Ma Gung-Tae, and lastly, Ma Seong-Hu. Since I had never met them personally, I did not know what kind of people they were.
“Yes, it is quiet.”
They had been fighting over succession, but it was also an unavoidable situation. Even Ma Cheol-Gun, the oldest, was said to be too young to become Alliance Lord.
“What about Ma Ryeong-In?”
“He too is quiet.”
“Although it must feel like cooking porridge only to give it to the dog, he is not someone who will simply starve to death.”
I knew Ma Ryeong-In better than anyone. Though young, he was a bastard with a devil-like nature. Even last time, if I had not been someone who had gone through all kinds of hardships, I would not have been able to drive him into a corner.
“Be especially careful of Ma Ryeong-In.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
Ma Cheol-Gun and Ma Ryeong-In must have a bad relationship. Ma Ryeong-In had tried to kill Ma Cheol-Gun. Yet Ma Ryeong-In had not been eliminated.
If Ma Cheol-Gun had not forgiven him, it meant the force behind the scenes had saved him.
From the perspective of the force behind the scenes, Ma Ryeong-In, who had tried to kill Ma Cheol-Gun, would be an uncontrollable troublemaker.
Then why had they not eliminated Ma Ryeong-In and instead kept him alive?
For now, I could not know the inside story.
“If Ma Cheol-Gun becomes Alliance Lord, he will probably replace the Chief Strategist with one of his own people.”
“That does not matter. Rather, it may be better for you, Strategist, to leave the Justice Pavilion and move freely.”
It was certainly something with both advantages and disadvantages. The problem was the force behind the scenes. Would they really let Gal Sa-Ryang go free?
I walked to the window. Seeing the stars in the sky reminded me of the moment I had spent with Song Hwa-Rin not long ago. It was the same night sky, but because the heart with which I looked at it was different, it did not look as beautiful as it had that day.
Sitting at the tea table, looking down at his empty teacup, Gal Sa-Ryang said,
“Two days from now, the Jianghu will once again write a new history. A history manipulated by them.”
“We must set it right.”
“Yes.”
When I turned around, Gal Sa-Ryang nodded with eyes full of resolve.
We would return the corrected history to the Jianghu.
Perhaps the leader of the force behind the scenes was currently full of arrogance. Because he had been manipulating this Jianghu according to his will.
But the sky was proving that the history of the Jianghu could not be controlled by any single person. Through me.
“Would you like another cup of tea?”
“Good. It has been a long time since I drank tea brewed by you, Strategist, and it is very delicious.”
That night, the deep and gentle fragrance of tea, as profound as the conversation we shared, filled the room until late.
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