Hyeok Gi-rin felt a pang of guilt as he tightly shut his eyes.
Yet, in a corner of his heart, there was also a refreshing sensation. He felt guilty for enjoying the current situation, where he was sightseeing in Nangyang with the Black Cat, while trying to ignore these conflicting feelings.
“Well, Senior Ho is a good person,” the Black Cat replied lightly, lifting her teacup, seemingly oblivious to Hyeok Gi-rin’s intentions. Her demeanor suggested she never once considered that Hyeok Gi-rin might have feelings for Ho Cheon-an. This made Hyeok Gi-rin feel a strong sense of guilt.
Summoning his courage, Hyeok Gi-rin finally spoke up.
“As a woman… I have come to have feelings for… Senior Ho,” he managed to say.
Seeing the Black Cat’s eyes widen, Hyeok Gi-rin avoided her gaze.
Silence hung heavy in the tea room, shared only by the two of them.
Hyeok Gi-rin had always considered the Black Cat to be a person akin to a cat.
Sometimes she displayed quirky behavior and, when curious, persistently dug deeper. Occasionally, she would do silly things or appear innocent, yet her proud and beautiful appearance matched perfectly with a cat’s nature.
Now, the Black Cat was quietly staring at him. The usual affectionate smile and languid demeanor were absent, creating a threatening air about her.
Cats, after all, were small predators. Hyeok Gi-rin felt a bead of sweat trickle down his neck as he realized the Black Cat’s transparent gaze was observing his every move like she had found her prey.
“Is it because you have gained realization?” she asked.
“That’s… not it,” Hyeok Gi-rin replied. He recalled Ho Cheon-an. He recognized his feelings for Ho Cheon-an as a troubling realization, but he couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he fell for him.
“It’s just… Yes. You now understand how complicated my situation is. I have issues with the imperial bloodline, my clan, and I’m a cross-dressing woman who happens to be a martial artist.”
Speaking aloud about his troubles, which he had never verbalized before, Hyeok Gi-rin felt his emotions crystallizing further.
“Someone like me might have an inkling of hope that Senior Ho could accept me. Regardless of how complicated my family issues are or the myriad problems I face, I somehow believe that Senior Ho would simply nod and be there for me…”
“I see,” the Black Cat replied, exhaling a long, deep sigh.
Hyeok Gi-rin’s connection with her hadn’t been brief. Moreover, the intensity of that connection had been extraordinary.
Since starting the escort mission in Sacheon City, they had seen each other nearly every day and spent most of their time together. On their way to the Jeomchang Faction, the two could talk all day long in the cart, and even at the faction, they hardly left each other’s sides, especially on this journey to the imperial capital.
Although Hyeok Gi-rin had never directly told the Black Cat about his feelings for Ho Cheon-an, he had never hidden them either.
But now, saying that he had special feelings for Ho Cheon-an was bound to be shocking news to the Black Cat.
To her, Hyeok Gi-rin was someone truly special.
The lunar energy didn’t just affect men. The Black Cat dispersing that energy was a phenomenon, and everyone was equally influenced.
It only showed dramatic effects on men.
Just as men could be enchanted by lunar energy, women could express hostility towards it. Of course, since the effects were not as dramatic, women often managed to maintain relationships decently, but someone they could interact with closely was rare.
“Friend…”
Hyeok Gi-rin could say the Black Cat was his first true same-sex friend. The royal family’s energy, which radiated the ultimate essence and its peak stage, coupled with two elements that helped her see past the lunar energy.
More importantly, the Black Cat felt a sense of kinship towards Hyeok Gi-rin. Struggling under the oppression of the lunar energy, the Black Cat found a peculiar connection with Hyeok Gi-rin, who lived as a cross-dressing woman in the martial world.
It was the reason why the Black Cat, who had no close friends, could feel intimacy towards Hyeok Gi-rin.
But now, to hear that this person had feelings for Ho Cheon-an was a shock.
The Black Cat bit her lip, feeling feelings that she could barely describe—emotions bubbling up within her for the first time.
“Why say this now? Even if you like Senior Ho, you’ll just pretend to be in seclusion and part ways to handle imperial affairs, right? Is that a lie too?”
“No! I really will pretend to be in seclusion and revert to my original status to handle various matters. In that process, I’ll have to part from you, Black Cat,” Hyeok Gi-rin replied.
“If that’s true, wouldn’t it have been better to say that on the last day of parting?”
“At first, I thought so, but it wasn’t easy. Ignoring it, laughing and chatting with you, and then saying it on the last day…”
Hyeok Gi-rin smiled bitterly.
“There’s a saying that it’s better to take a hit first rather than last.”
Not a skilled person, the Black Cat thought, yet soon shook her head. Hyeok Gi-rin wasn’t unskilled. The Hyeok Gi-rin she had seen until now was someone who valued conscience and her feelings more than his own comfort or benefits.
So perhaps he confessed his feelings awkwardly in this ambiguous situation.
Thinking of Hyeok Gi-rin’s mindset complicated the Black Cat’s own thoughts even more.
Had she just been able to express her anger outright, maybe her feelings would’ve sorted themselves out.
‘What should I do…?’
The Black Cat was genuinely confused. Having lived a solitary life, she had only recently begun to open her heart a few months ago, making the current situation one she couldn’t even begin to imagine.
Both the Black Cat felt just bewildered, while Hyeok Gi-rin felt guilt.
Hyeok Gi-rin looked down at the floor while the Black Cat could only stare blankly at him.
“Excuse me. A martial artist seems to be looking for you both.”
In that tense moment, Ho Cheon-an arrived.
* *
Ho Cheon-an frowned.
He didn’t think Commander Song Chang-sik’s behavior was entirely unfathomable. Kicking out unqualified candidates during tests had always happened, and in his experience, he felt that the chances of his troop passing this time were nearly nonexistent. It was just a common occurrence in his eyes.
“Ugh.”
Ho Cheon-an scrunched his face. Ultimately, in the original history, as long as the player didn’t intervene, people simply went their separate ways. Perhaps just as Commander Song predicted, they had failed the Golden Guards’ test.
However, Ho Cheon-an couldn’t shake off his worries.
‘It’s far too optimistic to think that this dream team would overturn things just because the environment is a bit unfavorable.’
As his anxiety intensified, Ho Cheon-an suddenly felt an urge to vent his frustration. Armed with future knowledge, he found it ridiculous to be in such a lonely struggle with worries no one else could comprehend.
So he decided to shake off the unnecessary concerns and refresh his mind.
Since he had a few days to spare, he chose to put off worrying about his team and instead enjoy sightseeing in Nangyang with Hyeok Gi-rin and the Black Cat.
The future him could handle those worries.
Ho Cheon-an had neatly passed his concerns onto the next day and made his way to the teahouse where he had promised to join Hyeok Gi-rin and the Black Cat.
But the atmosphere felt off.
Hyeok Gi-rin was looking down at the floor with a gloomy expression.
“…”
And the Black Cat was staring icy daggers at Ho Cheon-an and Hyeok Gi-rin. Ho Cheon-an unconsciously swallowed a dry gulp. He had seen the Black Cat angry before, but this deep, calm demeanor was new to him.
“What’s going on? Sit down.”
“Oh? Uh… Should I? Haha.”
The Black Cat watched Ho Cheon-an pour tea into a cup while she cautiously picked up on the tension.
In Sacheon City, they had partied together, but… last time they had caused quite a scene when they were too excited while providing skills to the Tang Clan, leading to experiences that culminated in realization.
‘And now, did they cause trouble at the imperial palace?’
The Black Cat’s gaze sharpened, making Ho Cheon-an flinch. In truth, the Black Cat had been quite angry after hearing what Ho Cheon-an had done at the imperial palace.
Although things had turned out well, there were still some things that made her heart drop just by hearing them.
Even so, the reason the Black Cat passed on this matter without further ado was that the subject involved Hyeok Gi-rin.
While looking at Hyeok Gi-rin, who was trying hard to assist Miss Yeo Il-ye, the Black Cat felt the urge to help him. Hyeok Gi-rin was someone who made even a loner like the Black Cat consider such thoughts.
In the isolated space of the imperial palace, Hyeok Gi-rin had no one but Ho Cheon-an to assist him, and Ho Cheon-an was well aware of this fact, so he could only step up, regardless of how much effort it took.
“Really…”
The Black Cat relaxed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, a long sigh escaping her lips.
Ho Cheon-an’s actions made her blood boil, but… knowing that this Ho Cheon-an was still sticking by them made her feel comforted.
Understanding that such Ho Cheon-an would consider them friends and express joy in working together until they reached the peak stage surely reminded her of happiness.
Stuck in such a frustrating situation, the Black Cat opened the window wide to let in some fresh air. The air by now had a chilly touch, brushing past her as sounds from outside drifted in.
She gazed out at the scenery with an impulse to escape the current situation.
Then her eyes fixed on a specific spot.
“Come on! Bet money to win money! Double the payout if you guess right! You can pick any cup! This isn’t an everyday opportunity!”
Outside the window, she saw a gambling game being played by a few individuals, surrounded by a curious audience.
“Gambling.”
“Hmm?”
Ho Cheon-an flinched at the Black Cat’s murmur. She stared at him, recalling the many times she had seen people gamble, but could she even recall the times she saw Ho Cheon-an sitting at a gambling table?
Ho Cheon-an had spent more time as a gambler than in martial arts training.
“…Perhaps that could be why.”
She had seen him as a martial artist so many times. But what about him as a gambler? She had only witnessed bits of him using sleight of hand to deceive people but had never really witnessed him in full form as a true gambler.
She had heard rumors that he had gambled away a big pot at the Video Tower when he was being pursued by Miss Yeo Il-ye. She had also only seen results when he swindled Yu Ji-gyeong out of his wealth at the Seongrak Tower. News of the Huang family taking the fallout on the Sky Tower had only reached her ears.
The Black Cat pondered.
While she could confidently say she knew Ho Cheon-an as a martial artist, could she claim to know him as a gambler too?
“Senior Hyeok Gi-rin. Have you ever seen Senior Ho truly gamble?”
Hyeok Gi-rin shook his head. What he had seen of Ho Cheon-an’s gambling skills were all just magic tricks.
“Hmm.”
Hyeok Gi-rin had never seen it either.
The Black Cat suddenly felt an urge to see Ho Cheon-an as a true gambler.
For some reason, her desire to witness him as a gambler felt like a breakthrough.
Whether it was intuition typical of an information handler or just a desperate desire to escape the current situation, she could not determine, but it was a risk with no loss. After all, exploring the current state of things in Nangyang wouldn’t be entertaining. It was certainly better than going back to the inn and hiding in silence.
“Let’s go.”
“Um, where are we going?”
Ho Cheon-an instinctively felt alarmed and tried to back away, but the Black Cat grasped his nape firmly.
“To the gambling den.”
With a chilly yet determined smile, the Black Cat spoke, “Let’s see the real skills of the gambling god Ho Cheon-an.”
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