‘Why is my murderous intent rising again?’
Cheon Sal-seong regained her calm and immersed herself in thought in the corner of the alley.
‘I’ve never had my murderous intent rise like this.’
Cheon Sal-seong’s murderous intent was like water gradually filling a large bowl. If she doesn’t kill, it fills up until it overflows, just like the water in the bowl.
Unrestrained murder is the same. If one kills with lost peace of mind, the inner murderous intent doesn’t dissipate; it just bubbles over.
In the end, whether one restrains themselves from killing or indulges in rampant murder, it leads to the same conclusion. They lose control over their inner murderous intent and become engulfed by the desire to kill.
That’s why Cheon Sal-seong has been learning the assassin’s martial arts to carry out assassinations.
By maintaining peace of mind through martial arts while relieving some of the inner murderous intent in the process. This way, she can release her murderous intent that fills her inside without it boiling over.
Whenever she feels her inner murderous intent rising, she carries out assassination missions. That was her usual routine.
But this time, the rise of her murderous intent was different from usual.
‘There were no warning signs.’
Normally, there would be signs in both cases. Just like how one feels hunger before binge eating, one should’ve sensed their desire to kill gradually rising.
But this time was different.
It felt like the embers she thought were gone suddenly flared up, soaring to the height of a blast furnace in an instant.
‘Why can’t I feel it?’
Cheon Sal-seong calmly and meticulously reflected on her inner state. If her murderous intent had risen, there should have been at least some remnant within her, but she couldn’t feel anything at all.
It wasn’t that her murderous intent had completely vanished, nor was it that she lost her peace of mind while killing.
What on earth could cause her murderous intent to rise sharply enough to color her brain white?
‘Could it be?’
With a single thought, Cheon Sal-seong used her concealment techniques and disappeared into the streets.
——
“Sohee, you’re a bit late today.”
Yoon Ho greeted Cheon So-hee as she entered with food in one hand.
“Huh? I had something to do.”
“What happened that made you look so down?”
“Is my face really that dark?”
It was probably her usual expressionless face, but So-hee’s eyes widened at Yoon Ho’s comment.
“Is something worrying you?”
Yoon Ho had already been living with her for quite a while.
Always concerned about her wellbeing, it was easy for him to spot the worry in her expressionless face.
“It’s nothing.”
It was a worry she couldn’t share with him. So-hee slowly shook her head from side to side, handing him food like a weary breadwinner returning home after a hard day’s work.
“Alright. Just talk when you feel like it.”
Is it about the Salmak? Yoon Ho said it casually, but that kind remark pierced So-hee’s heart.
As she watched Yoon Ho’s back, carrying the food toward the living room, she desperately held back her frowning brow tinged with anguish.
‘There was a radius where my murderous intent disappeared.’
She found the cause.
Just because she found her benefactor didn’t mean Cheon Sal-seong’s fate had vanished.
Whenever she moved away from Yoon Ho, her murderous intent returned. Not the gradual rising state from before.
It took her back to when she had lost her sanity to murderous intent in the poverty-stricken village.
She was trying to revert to the Cheon Sal-seong that thirsted for blood.
‘My murderous intent hasn’t completely vanished.’
It had been hiding. Hidden so well that Cheon So-hee couldn’t find it.
The cause was probably because of her benefactor. Was Cheon Sal-seong afraid of him?
Only after she distanced herself from him did her murderous intent, which had been lurking in the shadows, raise its ugly head again.
Cheon So-hee continued to look at Yoon Ho with anxious eyes.
Cheon Sal-seong’s murderous intent was still huddled like embers, holding its breath before igniting into a massive blaze.
‘As long as I stay by Yoon Ho’s side, it’ll be fine.’
She grasped the cause. If so, the solution was simple.
All she had to do was stay by his side.
He would live the life of a benefactor, while she would be his bodyguard. That way, she could live without worrying about Cheon Sal-seong’s murderous intent.
However, one fact stirred her anxious heart.
‘That tavern was a place we visited occasionally.’
Although she had been there many times, her murderous intent had never risen before. So why did it rise today?
So-hee attempted to calm her anxious heart, watching Yoon Ho prepare the food.
“Sohee! Let’s eat!”
“Okay.”
It should be a temporary phenomenon.
Yoon Ho was her benefactor.
When she was with her benefactor, the murderous intent disappeared. She could overcome Cheon Sal-seong’s fate.
She had to.
Please.
With a fragile smile that seemed like it could crumble at any moment, she approached Yoon Ho.
As usual, the performance of the troubadour began.
“O heavens! Without money, I cannot go to my father’s murder scene!”
Ultimately, the ominous predictions turned out to be true.
It felt like a movie theater just before the ending of some popular film. It wasn’t just latecomers or absent audience members, but there was a strangely deflated atmosphere.
I raised my voice and wandered among the audience, but the coins dropped in the bucket were minimal.
This is a real mess.
I fought hard to amuse the audience throughout the performance, but their responses were not that great, and not many were engaged.
I had to quickly accept that today’s business was a failure and wrap up the story.
“Hey, you’re completely broke lately, huh?”
After finishing my troubadour duties and visiting the textile shop to exchange money, Mr. Wang abruptly inquired about my recent circumstances.
“How did you know?”
“Once your story ends, people pass our store. How could I not know?”
“I guess that makes sense.”
I nodded with a bittersweet smile.
It wasn’t just today; the number of audience members had noticeably dropped in recent days.
Moreover, the number of new audience members had decreased even more. Since paying a troubadour is not obligatory but based on the mood, the recent decline in audience numbers was fatal for me.
I hadn’t ventured to tell new stories to ensure stable income. Now, it has come to a situation where telling the story of the Hamurin Prince is considered a risk.
“People seem tired of your Hamurin Prince stories. Thinking of telling something else?”
“I have something in mind, but I don’t know what to do.”
I had prepared several options, but deciding what to present was challenging.
“How about a story for female audience members?”
“A story for female audience members?”
“Seems your stories have been so popular that rumors traveled among the women’s clubs in Chilgok County. While the men are out and tiring of your stories, those who stay home have just now heard about you and come to see the performance. The number of female audience members has recently increased, right?”
“Yes. Male audience members have decreased, but the proportion of female audience members has grown.”
Was that why more women in nice clothes were coming recently? Thankfully, among the few audience members lately, I’ve been able to make a living with the favorable responses from the female audience.
“Do you have any stories that can dig into the hearts of those women?”
“I do.”
An absolutely interesting story.
“Then why not try that?”
“In that case, I’ll follow Mr. Wang’s suggestion and tell a story that female audience members will like. Could you help spread the word that I’ll present a new story?”
Since he offered a suggestion, I had to ask for advertising as well.
There’s no need to announce that I’m telling a story geared toward women. I only need to generate buzz that I’ll be presenting a new story.
“That’s no problem. I was worried about the decline in female customers in the textile shop, so you’re doing me a favor.”
Thanks to Mr. Wang, I would gather customers, and Mr. Wang would attract customers due to the increased foot traffic. This is what mutual benefit looks like.
I kept praising him while repeatedly asking for his help in promoting, and Mr. Wang assured me to just rely on him as he saw us off.
——-
“Look! The troubadour is coming!”
“He’s telling a new story, right?”
As I entered the usual performance area, many people welcomed me. The reactions came quickly upon hearing that I would tell a new story.
As expected, trusting Mr. Wang’s advertising worked wonders. It felt like portal site advertising in Chilgok County.
“Hey, troubadour! Looks like we’re in for a show!”
“I’ve heard this story about ten times already. I’m bored.”
“This is my first time! My mom has been nagging me not to go out.”
Isn’t it a bit much to be bored after hearing something ten times?
I slowly climbed onto the stage, taking a moment to gauge the audience’s responses.
“This time, the troubadour is going to present a new story.”
“So what if it’s a barbarian troubadour’s story? It’ll probably just be something similar to the Hamurin saga again.”
“A barbarian just happened to learn a fun story to milk for all it’s worth. What’s the chance there’s another interesting story?”
“Listening to it for just a moment won’t hurt me, right? Let’s just hear a bit before we leave!”
Definitely, there were more negative responses now. I felt like we had milked those stories dry.
This time, I would tell a new story. Just wait and listen.
“Hello! I am Kang Mo, the troubadour from Joseon! Today, I’ll share a new story from Joseon!”
Snap! Today, as always, I unfolded my fan to capture the audience’s attention.
“Are you sure you aren’t telling the Hamurin Prince story? If not, let’s give a listen!”
“Lucky you! I came here to hear the Hamurin Prince. My mom messed that up for me.”
“Wow! A new story! How are you planning to take our money this time?”
“Better hold onto your purse tightly. You’ll get robbed in no time.”
“What’s the title of this new story aside from the Hamurin Prince?”
“If it’s an old story, I’m heading home! Hurry up with the title!”
The people began clamoring for the title now that they heard I would tell a new story.
Ignoring the cacophony of voices, I slowly scanned the audience.
“If my father finds out I’m here, I’m in big trouble. He told me not to come to these places.”
“I heard that last time too, but it’s a waste of time to listen again.”
“Let’s just hear a little since we’re already here, and if it’s boring, we’ll leave!”
‘The ratio of women in the audience is definitely high.’
Mr. Wang’s words must be true.
It seems that the men who were tired of my stories didn’t attend even for this new tale, while the women who heard the rumors late had increased their attendance.
In that case, it seems worth telling that story.
The immortal romance.
A legendary tale that has been homaged by many media throughout history, though the conclusion is known to everyone.
Today, I will tell the story of…
“The story I’ll share today is that of Romeo Prince and Zhu Soje!”
Romeo and Juliet.
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