Chapter 393: Chairman, Please Leave a Word as Well

TL: FoodieMonster007

Jin Hagun envied his younger brother's courage. His younger brother had been like that since childhood, always jumping headfirst toward anything he wanted. He was, after all, the child who had boldly told their grandfather he would marry a servant.

Then Jin Hagun looked at Geom Muyang, who stood beside him watching the three of them dance.

What could this man, who is said to resemble me, be thinking? Could he be envying his younger brother, just like me?

Jin Hagun's gaze shifted to the second floor. His grandfather's expression was gentle as he watched his younger brother. To think Jin Hagun would see his grandfather with such a relaxed face, standing between the Demonic Cult Leader and the Evil Alliance Chairman.

His dancing younger brother, his grandfather with the two leaders, and himself with the Demonic Cult First Young Lord. None of it felt real.

Jin Hagun's gaze finally landed on the person who had created this fantastical situation.

Yes, how could that man not be embarrassed?

He must be enduring it for his friend. The Geom Mugeuk I know would have jumped in even if it were a battlefield surrounded by thousands of enemies, not a dance floor.

I have to run the murim together with this man. To keep pace with him, I just need to never forget this moment, to know how much effort is required.

Bi Sayin, with that fierce face, must also be making that effort by following such a cute dance. At least he is one step ahead of me.

Geom Mugeuk shouted to the musicians, "Alright, play the last song now!"

Thinking it was the last one, the trio's movements became even more dazzling. The dance had started out embarrassing, but now they were completely immersed, releasing all their pent-up anger. When would they ever get another chance to dance to music like this?

The final song ended, and silence fell over the once-noisy marketplace.

Bi Sayin belatedly came to his senses. He remembered dancing to the music and Geom Mugeuk jumping in, but not much else. He could not recall what kind of dance he had performed, or how.

It felt like a storm had just passed. A tidal wave had swept through the marketplace, and lava had burned his heart. A wave of awkwardness washed over him.

Should I run into the tavern?

Just as Bi Sayin was pondering this, Geom Mugeuk announced in a loud voice, "The dance performance of Bi Young Alliance Chairman ends here."

Applause erupted from all around. The three of them bowed with a clasped hands greeting. The Commanders guarding the marketplace gave them fervent applause, and Jang Ho shouted thunderously, "That was amazing!"

Out of courtesy to Bi Sayin and Jin Haryong, Jang Ho did not single anyone out, but the compliment was naturally directed at Geom Mugeuk.

Young Cult Leader, you were the most amazing!

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly and waved at Jang Ho and the Commanders.

Watching this, Jin Hagun had a thought. Had he ever seen a leader wave to his subordinates with such a bright face?

Does he not know the sad truth that humans ultimately betray the kind, not the fearsome? Impossible. He must know it better than anyone. He knows, yet he still smiles and waves like that.

The trio of dancers walked toward the entrance.

"How was it?" Geom Mugeuk asked.

Instead of answering, Geom Muyang retorted, "Tell me the truth. You wanted to dance, didn't you?"

Geom Mugeuk laughed at his brother's joke. "I think I have a talent for dancing."

Geom Muyang turned away, pretending not to hear. Everyone followed him into the tavern.

Jo Cheonbae, who stood at the entrance, said with a moved expression, "There have been countless performances in the Demon Village marketplace, but today's was the best!"

The scene of them dancing in front of his tavern was etched in Jo Cheonbae's mind like a painting. He would never forget this sight, just like the image of the Demon Supremes standing there.

Meanwhile, the masters from the unorthodox sects stared at Bi Sayin with displeased expressions. Some sneered, while others looked at him as if he were pathetic. Though they did not show it openly, most of their expressions were negative. It was inevitable. The heir to the Evil Alliance had danced without any regard for his dignity.

In the past, such reactions would have surely consumed Bi Sayin. He would have thought his heart was pounding because of them and blamed himself for dancing a dance he should not have.

But it was different now. His heart was not racing because of them. This pounding came from the joy of keeping a promise and the friendship that had shared in his embarrassment. Therefore, Bi Sayin paid no mind to those sending him looks of disapproval.

They were the Master's people anyway. When he became the Evil Alliance Chairman, new people would stand in their place.

The people I need to be mindful of are the ones who will be standing there then.

Bi Sayin thought he had changed and grown a lot just by coming this far, but Geom Mugeuk, wiggling his hips, had pulled him up another level.

Geom Mugeuk was now looking at the Demon Supremes, playfully showing them the dance moves he had just performed.

The Demon Supremes each showed different reactions. Some shook their heads, some averted their gazes, and some smiled. However, no one sneered or looked at him pathetically. A deep sense of intimacy and camaraderie existed among them.

Watching them, Bi Sayin realized his thinking had been wrong.

I have to change things now, not later.

Those Demon Supremes were not Geom Mugeuk's but the current Heavenly Demon's, yet they still reacted like that. If they were like this, what would Geom Mugeuk's own Demon Supremes be like? If Geom Mugeuk had jumped in, all eight of them might have danced with him.

I must strive to change the expressions of those unorthodox sects masters right now, to make them like those of the Demon Supremes.

Bi Sayin looked at the unorthodox sects masters again. Then, with an expression that seemed to say, 'It's because I'm still young,' he politely gave a clasped hands greeting.

What great difference could one gesture make? And yet, amidst the still-disapproving gazes, he felt a few of them soften, if only slightly.

Yes, in relationships with people, there is no 'later'. If you can't do it now, you won't be able to do it later either.

Even in this brief moment between finishing the dance and going to the second floor, Bi Sayin was stimulated by Geom Mugeuk. He was not letting that stimulation pass by but was trying to learn from it and change.

They went up to the second floor, where Geom Woojin, Jin Paecheon, and Baek Jagang stood looking in their direction.

Bi Sayin walked over and stood before Baek Jagang. "I have returned after keeping my promise."

Bi Sayin was inwardly nervous. He had gone out to dance, swept up in the heat of the moment, but now reality had returned. Thinking back, even telling his master he was going to dance was a crazy thing to do, especially with the Demonic Cult Leader and the Murim Alliance Chairman right beside him. He tensed, expecting a fiery scolding.

"You need to practice your dancing a bit more," Baek Jagang said.

Only then did Bi Sayin feel relieved. "Yes, Master."

Bi Sayin's deep gratitude was written all over his face.

Thank you, Master. I will never forget the great consideration you have shown for your disciple today.

Jin Paecheon looked at Jin Haryong and shook his head with an incorrigible expression. She simply melted her grandfather's heart with a charming smile.

Geom Woojin looked at Geom Mugeuk with his characteristic sneer.

Now you're even dancing in front of your father?

Yes, Father. If I can see this sneer of yours, which shows you reacting to and enjoying something new, I will do anything.

The heirs gathered together again and drank.

Bi Sayin drained his drink, feeling incredibly unburdened. Had he ever felt so lighthearted in his life? He had even danced in front of all these people. What in the world could he not do?

Bi Sayin expressed his gratitude to Jin Haryong. He knew she had jumped in for Geom Mugeuk, but her joining them had helped them end on a good note. It was fun, too.

"Thank you for joining us."

"I had fun, too," Jin Haryong replied.

Bi Sayin deliberately did not thank Geom Mugeuk. He waited for the playful complaint, 'Why aren't you thanking me?'

"That was the coolest I've ever seen you!" Geom Mugeuk said, always breaking expectations.

Bi Sayin stared at him without a word. This was the Geom Mugeuk who had jumped in to dance with him in that bewildering moment. He could have bowed to him if asked, yet this man was the first to tell him he was cool.

Do you know? I'm going to live a cool life just like you. That's why it's been so damn hard lately. It's so difficult trying to keep up with you without tearing myself apart.

"Is that a compliment for a martial artist?" Bi Sayin asked.

"It's a compliment because you're a martial artist," Geom Mugeuk replied. "What other martial artist in the world could do something like this?"

Listening to their conversation, Jin Hagun agreed. The things Geom Muyang had shown earlier, and what Bi Sayin had just done, were all things he himself could not do.

Geom Mugeuk asked him, "Do you regret it? Not dancing with us."

Normally, Jin Hagun would have answered that he could not do it even if he died. This time, however, he said nothing. A part of him honestly wondered what it would have been like if he had tried.

Geom Mugeuk, having read his mind, smiled. "Then say it out loud and clear. 'If I get the same chance again, I will definitely dance!' Say it coolly."

Jin Hagun turned to Bi Sayin and asked, "Is this how you fell into his trap?"

Bi Sayin nodded. "That's right. By the time I came to my senses, I had already made the promise."

The others smiled at his words.

Even as they drank together, they felt a sense of regret. They knew it would not be easy to create another gathering like this once this moment ended, so they were sad to see the time pass. Once they left the tavern, this moment would remain only as a memory and a longing.

They wanted to drink all night, but the moment to part finally arrived.

Jin Paecheon looked at Baek Jagang. A single glance was enough to understand it was time to go. Baek Jagang nodded. When they first arrived, they had not wanted to exchange a single word, so even this exchange of glances was great progress.

Jin Paecheon and Baek Jagang rose from their seats together. "Thank you for the invitation."

Geom Woojin stood up. "Thank you for coming all this way."

They exchanged brief but proper farewells. They were still enemies, but they would join hands, at least until they uprooted the forces behind this incident.

The heirs also bid each other a reluctant farewell.

Geom Mugeuk said to Bi Sayin, "You looked cool keeping your promise."

Those were the words Bi Sayin had wanted to hear most from Geom Mugeuk. The biggest reason he had mustered his courage was to show Geom Mugeuk that he keeps his promises. How thorough he was. Geom Mugeuk did not forget to mention that point.

"Even if you say that, I'm never making a promise like that again," Bi Sayin replied.

Next, he parted with Jin Hagun.

"Let's get together again once you officially become the heir," Geom Mugeuk said. "We'll throw a celebration and party all night!"

Jin Hagun had not yet officially ascended to the position of Young Alliance Chairman.

"Let's do that," Jin Hagun replied.

Finally, Geom Mugeuk said goodbye to Jin Haryong. Of the three, she was the most reluctant to part, but she tried hard not to show her disappointment.

"Do you think rumors will spread about me dancing?" she asked.

"It'll be me, won't it?" Geom Mugeuk countered.

"If I knew this would happen, I would have danced better."

Geom Mugeuk looked around at everyone. "Miss Jin seems disappointed, so this won't do. Let's have the five of us dance one more time."

Geom Muyang and Jin Hagun simultaneously half-drew their swords.

"Look at that," Geom Mugeuk said. "The two of them are exactly alike."

And so, they exchanged their reluctant farewells. It felt like they could have partied all night if they followed their hearts.

Before going down to the first floor, Jin Paecheon asked, "Surely, you did not write that phrase, did you, Cult Leader Geom?"

He had noticed the names written on the wall when he first came in. At the time, he had assumed it was just graffiti by drunkards, but now he thought it might not be the case.

"I am the one who wrote it," Geom Woojin answered.

Jin Paecheon was startled. That meant the words left by the Demon Supremes were all real too. In all his life, he had never seen masters leave their names on the wall of a murim tavern or inn, and these were not just any ordinary masters.

Just then, someone said from behind, "Chairman, why don't you leave a word as well?"

He turned to see Geom Mugeuk standing behind him.

"Me?" Jin Paecheon was flustered. He was a man who rarely lost his composure, but he had been surprised and flustered many times since coming here.

"Won't it look strange to others?" Geom Mugeuk asked. "This is a place where you all have left your names."

"Wouldn't it look amazing instead?" Geom Mugeuk countered. "The Murim Alliance Chairman confidently left his name here. How incredible."

No, that would not be right.

"People will look at it without much thought," Geom Mugeuk continued. "They'll just think, 'Oh, I see. He must have written it.'"

The moment he heard those words, Jin Paecheon recalled the feeling he had earlier. He remembered regretting his past youth, where he had never laughed so brightly or played so freely.

What was there to think so much about? Why was my life so serious?

Yes, let's leave a few words.

Jin Paecheon took a step toward the wall where the phrases were written. He was about to write his phrase there but turned to another wall instead. It felt wrong to write above the Heavenly Demon's words, and it also felt wrong to write below them. He was the kind of person who cared about such things.

Jin Paecheon's sword was drawn. He carved a phrase onto the wall with his sword. With a single, fluid stroke, he wrote from the first character to the last without any hesitation.

The Murim Alliance Chairman Jin Paecheon, witnesses a new demonic way here.

He had left those words for Geom Mugeuk. If not for him, he would not have left any words. No, he would not have even come here in the first place.

"Thank you," Geom Mugeuk said, expressing his gratitude with a polite clasped hands greeting.

Then, he turned to look at Baek Jagang. Baek Jagang did not hesitate.

"If the righteous and the demonic go, the evil must follow."

He left his words below Jin Paecheon's, not worrying whether it was above or below. While Jin Paecheon's calligraphy was powerful and grand, Baek Jagang's was neat yet swift.

The Evil Alliance Chairman Baek Jagang, witnesses his disciple's dance at the Alluring Inn.

It was a historic moment, as the words of the Heavenly Demon, the Murim Alliance Chairman, and the Evil Alliance Chairman were all engraved on the wall of the Alluring Inn.