HDCLSSRS Ch 92

Chapter 92 The End of Denial (1)

They say, “No news is good news.”

That day too, and the day after, no heavily armed guards of the Law Enforcement Hall stormed into Chwijeongjae to drag Baek Ryeoil away. It was all thanks to Seong Muyeon sacrificing himself for his sake.

But Baek Ryeoil didn’t seem all that grateful.

“…Why are you looking at me like that? Did I do something wrong again?”

He had been trailing Seong Muyeon all day, glaring at him intensely.

“What did I do?!”

Baek Ryeoil shouted back.

“Never mind, forget it.”

This wasn’t even the first or second time.

When Seong Muyeon shook his head and went back into his room, Baek Ryeoil’s irritation hit its peak. Hot air flared from both his nostrils.

How ridiculous!

What? ‘Worried’? Says who!

The image of Seong Muyeon visibly relieved floated up in his mind, and it only made Baek Ryeoil more annoyed.

He was the one who should be worried. If a righteous sect*^1* cultivator who upheld the ideals of the “Alliance” got entangled in an inappropriate scandal with someone from the Demonic Cult—the very symbol of evil in the Central Plains—then it was Baek Ryeoil’s reputation that would be in ruins.

Does anyone think I’m clinging to him because I want to?!

“Hmph!”

As Baek Ryeoil suddenly got up from his seat, Kang Ung—who had been sitting and studying—looked up.

“Master, where are you going?”

“Ahem, your master has urgent matters to attend to.”

“I see! Don’t worry, Master! While you’re gone, I’ll protect Lord Seong with my life!”

The boy declared enthusiastically, even bowing formally with both hands. That innocent, passionate look in his eyes made Baek Ryeoil feel strangely bitter. Even his own disciple saw him as Seong Muyeon’s bodyguard.

“R-right…”

“Have a safe trip!”

So polite, too.

Storming out of Chwijeongjae, Baek Ryeoil began aimlessly wandering around.

See? I don’t care about Seong Muyeon at all!

He had nothing to do. As if trying to make excuses to himself, he wandered around muttering words no one could hear. Eventually, he ended up in a dusty, secluded storeroom in the Ministry of Finance.

Hardly anyone came here, and it was covered in dust—a perfect place to be alone and kill time in peace. Baek Ryeoil spread out some abandoned stacks of paperwork to make a makeshift bed and flopped down on it.

“……”

At first, his gaze toward the ceiling was sharp and fierce, but gradually, the tension in his eyes faded.

〈Do you like me?〉

That question had left a huge impact on Baek Ryeoil.

In his entire life, he had never held someone in his heart. He had never even imagined such a thing happening. It was confusing.

The person in question was someone from the Demonic Cult—a group he loathed—and not just any member, but the cult leader’s son. There was no way this was “affection” or “love.” It couldn’t be. It must not be.

In the end, he turned on his side and let out a deep sigh.

Then what is this feeling?

Now that he was lying in such a quiet, nearly silent place, it was as if he could hear his heartbeat. Thump, thump. The pulsing rhythm of life coursed through his chest, his arms, his ears. Even the air seemed to press down heavily on his body.

How much time had passed?

With a clack, someone entered the storeroom. Even then, Baek Ryeoil remained lying still, hoping the intruder would just leave.

Unfortunately, the unlucky soul who chose today, this hour, to mess around in this long-abandoned back corner of the storeroom was none other than Wang Hojun—who clutched his chest in shock.

“Gah! Holy—!”

He nearly fainted. Who would’ve expected to find Baek Ryeoil lying gloomily in a dusty pit of shadows in the far corner of the storeroom, which was supposed to be empty?

Baek Ryeoil sluggishly sat up.

“You…”

“Senior…! What are you doing here?! Never mind, I don’t want to know! I’ll just drop this off and quietly disappear, so please carry on.”

Wang Hojun quickly turned to leave, but Baek Ryeoil’s voice stopped him in his tracks.

“Don’t move. Come sit over here. Now.”

“……”

With tears brimming in his eyes, Wang Hojun trudged over and sat with his back against the wall in a similar position to Baek Ryeoil.

“……”

“……”

But the one who called him over didn’t say a word. Wang Hojun glanced at him from the side. Oddly enough, Baek Ryeoil seemed unusually gloomy. The dark aura radiating from him made the already dingy storeroom feel even more oppressive and damp.

“Um, Senior… I’m kind of busy, so…”

“Wang, listen to this for a sec…”

“Yes, go ahead.”

Just as he was about to sneak away, Wang Hojun plopped his butt back down.

After a long pause, Baek Ryeoil finally spoke.

“It’s a story… about someone my acquaintance knows.”

…Stories that started like this were almost always about the speaker themselves.

Still, Wang Hojun didn’t let on and nodded eagerly as if urging him to continue. He had a mountain of work waiting for him. The other disciples were probably already complaining that he was slacking off. The quickest way to escape was to listen with one ear and let it out the other.

“If someone keeps popping into your head, and when they’re not around you get irritated, and the thought of them being with someone else makes you want to destroy everything… does that mean you like them?”

“…Excuse me?”

A love consultation? From no one else but that cold-as-steel Baek Ryeoil? The heavens must be laughing.

But Baek Ryeoil was dead serious.

“But the person… they’re sick. They won’t live long. And supposedly, if they end up with someone else, they can be cured. But the person I know—my acquaintance’s acquaintance—hates that idea. Isn’t that still love? What do you think?”

“Uh…”

At the word “sick,” Wang Hojun immediately thought of Seong Muyeon, then quickly shook his head to dismiss the thought. No way. Those two fought every single day. Their first meeting had even been when Wang Hojun had to intervene during a brutal fight.

“So, you think that person likes them too, right? Right?”

“Umm… I mean, I get why your… I mean, your friend’s friend is struggling, but… that doesn’t sound like love to me.”

“Why not? If you don’t like someone, why would it matter if they’re with someone else?”

“Well… feelings aren’t always that simple, right? Maybe it’s more like—you don’t want to have them, but you don’t want to give them up either.”

Baek Ryeoil’s eyes lit up.

“Really? Go on.”

“If they truly cared about that person, wouldn’t they put their selfishness aside and help them get cured first? Saying ‘I’d rather see them die than be with someone else’—I don’t think that’s love. If there’s a physical relationship involved, maybe it’s just possessiveness.”

Baek Ryeoil slowly stroked his chin, then suddenly shot him a side glance.

“But Wang, you seem to know a lot about this. Had a lot of experience, huh?”

“Me? I’ve never even held a girl’s hand.”

Baek Ryeoil’s face immediately darkened.

“You’re wasting my precious time when you know nothing? And I trusted you… whatever. Just leave.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Wang Hojun dashed away.

“…Hmph.”

Left alone, Baek Ryeoil fell into deep thought.

Just imagining Seong Muyeon and Seomun Yuha holding hands made all the blood in his body surge in reverse. But there was no way he liked Seong Muyeon. That only left one conclusion.

Yes, he didn’t like Seong Muyeon, he liked Seong Muyeon’s body.

He nodded to himself, as if satisfied with that reasoning. His eyes, gloomy just moments ago, regained their clarity.

He wasn’t happy to admit it, but Seong Muyeon did have a very desirable physique.

Exactly. Who am I, after all?

With that thought, Baek Ryeoil felt much better. The pure soul of Mount Hua remained unsullied. He may crave the Demonic Cult prince’s body, but not enough to actually harbor feelings for him. Thankfully.

By the time he concluded this life-defining inner turmoil, it was already pitch black outside. Feeling light on his feet, Baek Ryeoil headed back to Chwijeongjae. There was no reason to keep a distance anymore, now that he wasn’t harboring forbidden emotions.

Chwijeongjae was peacefully asleep. His disciple Kang Ung, the ever-dutiful boy, had already gone to bed—the lights in his room were off. A faint light trickled out from Seong Muyeon’s room.

Baek Ryeoil could sense someone moving inside. He was probably getting ready for bed.

“Seong Muyeon.”

He softly called his name through the papered sliding door. The movements inside halted. Soon came a grumpy voice.

“What took you so long? I’m going to sleep. If you have anything to say, save it for tomorrow.”

Just hearing his voice conjured up that annoyed face. Baek Ryeoil unknowingly smiled.

Creak—he slid the door open. Seong Muyeon, dressed in sleepwear and about to blow out the lamp, glared at him with flaring eyes.

“What is it now?!”

Baek Ryeoil quietly entered the room and shut the door behind him, placing a finger on his lips.

“Shh. You’ll wake the kid.”

And just like he said, Seong Muyeon clamped his mouth shut—not because he wasn’t annoyed, but out of worry that the noise would wake Kang Ung. Though visibly disgruntled, he said nothing. Instead, his eyes narrowed with an unspoken What do you think you’re doing?

Footnotes:

1. Righteous sect / 정파 (Jeongpa) — A faction of martial artists in wuxia and murim (martial world) fiction that values justice, discipline, and traditional values. They’re often in conflict with “Evil sects” or “Demonic sects” (마교, Magyo).