Early evening.
I stood outside my shop on the outskirts of the village, gazing toward the center.
The Tang Clan was holding a banquet, with splendid lanterns illuminating the streets.
The village, beginning to glow orange in the sunset, was beautiful beyond empty words.
Laughter and singing voices echoed richly.
From afar, I could see the stage where Cheongwol and Dang Soran would spar, and up there Dang Soran was already smiling at the crowd, winning their favor.
'Yes! Please look forward to it! Yes! I'll do my best!'
Seeing her so eager to please, I found myself smiling faintly without realizing it.
In a world with nothing much to do, just watching something like that melts away my stress.
You might say, then why not go watch?
...I just plan to steer clear of martial artists.
Why crawl into a place crawling with Tang Clan retainers?
I kept watching Dang Soran.
According to what the Beggars' Sect uncles said, even Dang Soran was crumbling... but honestly, I have no idea.
How is that crumbling?
Then suddenly, I recalled Cheongwol hiding her heart demon.
Maybe Dang Soran is just good at hiding it too.
Who knows.
I'm not too worried anyway.
Even if she's truly gripped by a heart demon, Dang Soran overcomes it.
She overcomes it to become one of the most capable allies of this world's protagonist, standing against the Demonic Cult.
Her real problem is her relationship with Cheongwol.
Far in the future, she dies by Cheongwol's hand.
She flees desperately for her life over hundreds of li, but Cheongwol pursues her relentlessly and kills her.
The nickname Life-Pursuing Ghost wasn't earned for nothing.
...Sigh.
Well, I can't exactly give her advice to stay away from Cheongwol.
From a distance, she seems like such a nice person.
Pretty, too.
...Just shut off my interest.
The more I worry about doomed people, the tighter my chest gets.
That's part of why I distanced myself from the martial world—I hate these feelings.
Still, believing Cheongwol won't come looking for me lightened my heart a little.
Not certain, but the odds are way too low.
With the Tang Clan throwing a huge banquet like that, would she really sneak out to see me?
She's probably somewhere at that banquet right now, cozying up to people.
-Creak, thud.
"Huh?"
I turned toward my shop at the sudden sound.
The door I'd left open was shut.
Looked like the wind did it.
That noise cleared up my stray thoughts.
Time to head inside.
No more fretting.
Maybe the freedom from Cheongwol that I've wanted starts today.
-Creeeak.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside...
"Sh! Fuuu..."
Fuck, you scared the shit out of me!
Spotting a woman standing stock-still in my house, I nearly collapsed right there.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
No way, when the hell did you get in!
My heart pounded wildly from the shock, leaving me too stunned to speak.
Even breathing out raggedly felt impossible.
"...S-Sojun...?"
Cheongwol quietly turned her head at my call.
The moment our half-lidded gazes met, it hit me—she'd really come to see me.
Her eyes were scary as ever today.
Because of the sparring match?
She looked troubled, plain as day.
I hesitated before reciting the question I already knew the answer to.
"...Wh-why... did you come..."
"..."
Cheongwol slowly turned her body toward me.
Then she took a step closer.
I forced down the urge to back away.
Instead, I swallowed hard, dry-mouthed.
"...10 days."
"...Pardon?"
"...The promised 10 days are up."
"..."
"...I came for heart demon treatment, shopkeeper."
...I keep telling you, it's not heart demon treatment! This is basically sexual activity!
Frustrating as hell.
Those words I blurted out to survive—"heart demon treatment"—had backfired spectacularly.
Can't just say now that it isn't...!
Shouldn't she realize it herself?
It doesn't help your heart demon one bit, so why keep coming to me...
I steadied my shaking heart with a long silence.
Always got to keep my wits about me.
If I can't find my courage, it's death.
"...With the Tang Clan of Sichuan in town... I never imagined you'd seek me out at a time like this."
"...As I said, the heart demon has deepened."
She frowned, pressing a hand to her chest like it felt stuffy.
"..."
In that tiny gesture, for a split second, I understood why she seemed faintly pitiful.
Maybe because I could see she was struggling in her own desperate way.
Still, I steeled my resolve again.
A bomb ready to blow the day after tomorrow was standing right in front of me.
So what's the smart play here?
...Dodge it first.
"...What if something like last time happens again? You were terrified when the Beggars' Sect uncles showed up."
"...The Beggars' Sect folks are at the banquet right now. Drinking heavily."
"..."
Failure.
The uncles really are useless.
...No, don't give up yet.
Bring up the past incident some more.
Pretending to be nonchalant, I sat on a nearby chair.
Then crossed my legs haughtily.
Cheongwol's brow furrowed at my attitude for a moment, but I dodged her gaze and spoke.
"Sojun. You remember what happened at the market a few days ago, right?"
"..."
"...You sure you're okay with that? Because of it, I might get a little rougher today."
"...Th-that's... not how it works."
"I'm only human. I have feelings too."
It was somewhat honest.
Huh? You little... daring to pull that on a sadist as a masochist? You're in for it today...
"..."
Cheongwol's piercing gaze shut down even my inner rant.
No. Don't wuss out.
We're doing rope play anyway, and I was gonna mention the trap. Might as well bring it up now.
"Besides, even without that, I was planning to ramp things up today."
"What?"
"With the Tang Clan here, everything's tricky... How about coming back another time?"
"..."
If she leaves now, perfect.
If she stays, at least I've laid the groundwork to push the intensity.
I waited for Cheongwol's response.
"..."
"..."
...All the while, I could feel myself going insane too.
Desperately hoping she'll leave... but am I a slave to my crotch? A part of me is curious about bondage.
9-to-1 ratio. Hoping she'll go 9, wanna try it a little 1.
Never imagined using rope on an actual person.
Plus, the effort I put into prepping that rope.
The revenge on Cheongwol I was looking forward to.
I know it's poison, but I wanna just dip my tongue in it a little.
Like knowing it's drugs but wondering how it feels.
****
"How about coming back another time."
"..."
Cheongwol glared coldly down at Han Seojin, but inside she was a churning mess.
Her heart kept skipping.
Fingertips tingling.
Ramp things up?
...More than last time?
She always thought it was the limit, but Han Seojin's games seemed bottomless.
She was even starting to wonder about his true identity.
Tense as she was, a separate chill rippled through her.
That sensation she'd never felt anywhere else returned so effortlessly around Han Seojin.
The deeper her focus on talking with him, the further thoughts of the sparring match slipped away.
"...What... are you planning to do."
Cheongwol finally couldn't hold back her curiosity and asked.
Han Seojin flashed a mocking smile.
"...Why would I tell you?"
His demeanor was shifting bit by bit.
Meeting him as the Leather Room owner, like at the market... he seemed incredibly naive.
Lacking confidence, almost effeminate. Foolish.
But with each layer of his mask peeled away, his presence grew more intense.
Confident poise. Condescending gaze. Overwhelming aura.
Cheongwol had to admit his vibe had cowed her a time or two.
"Now. Choose. Leave... or head to the basement."
"..."
Reality creeping in, Cheongwol wanted to bolt from the spot.
No telling what he'd do next—the fear of the unknown closing in.
But the pounding in her chest wasn't unwelcome.
The outside world felt scarier, somehow.
"...If I leave here."
Cheongwol whispered, and Han Seojin answered like he'd been waiting.
"You won't come for another 10 days."
"..."
His firm tone shook her already tangled heart...
'...That uncle! He's got this creepy obsession with Cheongwol!'
Honghwa's voice echoed in her mind, steeling her resolve.
...Somehow making the pounding intensify.
Silence hung heavy in the shop.
Only the banquet clamor from outside pierced the quiet between them.
Outside, people were just enjoying life normally.
...In this Leather Room, the air hung thick and sticky, like another world entirely.
"I'm telling you to choose."
"...Eut."
At his words, Cheongwol fiddled with her bangs as if adjusting them, subtly shielding her face with the back of her hand.
Going down to the basement on her own felt weirdly embarrassing.
It'd look like she'd come begging for that bizarre act.
...It was partly true, but repulsion still swirled in Cheongwol's chest.
She wanted to, but didn't...
...It'd be easier if Han Seojin just grabbed her wrist and dragged her down by force.
"..."
Cheongwol blinked, shocked at her own thought.
Han Seojin watched patiently, waiting for her decision.
Cheongwol bit her lip, her ears flushing red as she turned.
She cautiously opened the basement door.
-Whoosh...
Her third time here.
Knowing full well the tangled emotions this space stirred every visit, stepping in made her heart race even harder.
Door ajar, Cheongwol slowly glanced back at Han Seojin.
"Ah...!"
He was already pressed right up behind her.
"...Hoo."
He let out a long sigh, then issued the command.
"...What are you doing? Get in already."
That was when his attitude fully shifted.
.
.
.
The basement sealed away the outside world, plunging everything into silence.
Cheongwol could hear her own heartbeat.
-Thump. Thump. Thump.
Suddenly drumming like a war beat.
She kept swallowing dryly.
When was the last time she'd felt this tense?
...Like during her sect examination.
The tension felt slightly different, though.
Sect exams were bitter and irritating—this was chilling, tingling... something hard to put into words.
Cheongwol timidly took position in the basement's center.
Daring not meet Han Seojin's eyes, she asked—to avoid seeming cowed—
"So? What today..."
"Quiet."
"..."
Cheongwol clamped her mouth shut without thinking.
It felt like she shouldn't speak.
"...Cheongwol-ah. We had a promise, didn't we?"
Han Seojin said as he walked toward the wall.
An array of tools still hung there in variety.
"I told you not to act like you know me around the village."
"..."
The words grated oddly, and Cheongwol shot back.
"...I didn't force it. Everyone else was chatting—ignoring you alone would—"
"—Gonna keep making excuses?"
Cheongwol clenched her fists and whispered.
"...Weird. You here and our..."
Cheongwol trailed off, snapping her mouth shut.
What was she even going to say?
Our relationship here is...
...Closer?
"...Eut."
Cheongwol would sooner die than utter something so mortifying.
So she shut her mouth again.
"...Bad kids who don't obey need punishment."
"Bad kid" sounded bizarre, but his demeanor stopped her from calling it out.
Not arguing back felt like admitting she was the bad kid—leaving her with a strange sensation.
"...Punishment?"
Now the word "punishment" drew her focus more.
Cheongwol echoed it, and Han Seojin smiled.
With a flick, he tossed some garment at her from behind.
-Thud.
The thin fabric landed at Cheongwol's feet.
"...Uh..."
A sleeveless undergarment. Wearing it would bare everything from shoulders to fingertips.
Cheongwol rolled her eyes toward Han Seojin.
He spoke.
"First, change into that."