Chapter 467: Give Them Their Due, And Take What You Are Owed

TL: FoodieMonster007

Hwi was genuinely moved.

He was grateful that Geom Mugeuk was willing to share the money for his sake, and also to the Cult Leader who had ordered him to accept it.

He was also thankful that Geom Mugeuk had called him the bodyguard with the highest price tag. He had thought of himself as a man without vanity, but hearing those words felt so good that he must have had some after all.

However, the most gratifying part of this pleasant feeling was the Cult Leader's final words.

So, get as much as you can.

They were words so unbefitting of the Cult Leader. The act of taking money from someone, let alone taking as much as possible, was something that simply did not exist in the Cult Leader's vocabulary. And yet, the Cult Leader had said those words for him.

Yong Jamyeong felt that same sentiment.

If the Cult Leader had been a greedy man, he would have visited him several times already. Yet this was a man who had confidently declared that his subordinate should get as much money as possible.

Yong Jamyeong looked back and forth between Geom Woojin and Geom Mugeuk. Every moment with them was new and surprising. The Young Cult Leader's response was a perfect example. Before meeting them, could he have ever imagined the Young Cult Leader would reply in such a way?

"Don't you worry. Who is this son of yours? Isn't he the very incarnation of greed? I'll make sure to get every last bit."

Geom Woojin nodded, then said to Yong Jamyeong.

"Let's go."

"Yes, Cult Leader."

Leaving Geom Mugeuk behind, Geom Woojin and Yong Jamyeong began to walk again.

Yong Jamyeong glanced back.

Geom Mugeuk was already walking in the opposite direction. Unlike the playful demeanor he had shown just a moment ago, his back now looked calm.

When Yong Jamyeong looked forward again, Geom Woojin was already some distance ahead.

Yong Jamyeong quickened his pace to walk alongside Geom Woojin.

"In my life, I've probably seen more incarnations of greed than anyone. But this is the first time I've seen one with such clear eyes."

Geom Woojin didn't respond to Yong Jamyeong's joke and simply kept walking, but Yong Jamyeong could feel it. He could feel the pride he had in his son. He had sensed it once during their earlier conversation, and he felt it again now.

That meant Geom Woojin wasn't hiding such emotions from him.

He felt that this sentiment was the same as when he had honestly revealed his intention not to pass down his family business to his own child.

To whom else could one express such feelings?

It would have to be someone who wouldn't carelessly repeat what was said.

The trust to share private and secret matters is separate from how long you have known someone.

There are people you can trust after knowing them for a single day, while there are others you can't bring yourself to open up to even after ten years.

Yong Jamyeong was happy that the Cult Leader trusted him.

This was a trust that could be felt without words.

It was the kind of connection one might be lucky to find once or twice in a lifetime. He had already liked the Cult Leader, but feeling this emotion as well made Yong Jamyeong like Geom Woojin even more.

He must have been lonely.

Living as the world's number one merchant, he had no one to comfortably share his worries with or rely on, free from the entanglements of interests and connections.

He had lived a life where his first thought upon seeing someone was, what does this person want from me?

To him, this Heavenly Demon had gone from a benefactor to someone who felt like an older brother.

As they walked, the two men shared various stories.

They were men who had reached the pinnacle in their respective fields. Power and money, the ultimate ends of all desire.

Truly, the pinnacle of pinnacles.

Perhaps that was why their conversation flowed so easily.

He had thought the Demonic Cult Leader was merely a man of few words, but that wasn't the case. When he had something to say, he said it, and he even asked questions.

They talked about their children, the world of merchants, the world of murim, and how he felt when he received the Cult Leader's handwritten letter. They truly lost track of time as they spoke.

Yong Jamyeong considered this chance to stroll and have a private conversation with the Heavenly Demon to be the last of his life. So he cherished this moment.

In the meantime, they arrived at the marketplace. Geom Woojin stood for a moment, watching the people come and go.

"Do you know what my son wants most from me during this vacation?"

"What is it?"

"For me to stand here and watch the people."

Yong Jamyeong looked at Geom Woojin with an expression that asked what he meant, but he offered no reply. A long while later, Yong Jamyeong heard Geom Woojin's quiet murmur.

"Indeed."

He couldn't tell what words were omitted after 'Indeed'.

The next day, Geum Arin came to see Geom Mugeuk again.

"Let's talk."

"Very well."

Instead of inviting her in, Geom Mugeuk came outside.

Last time, she had walked at a distance, but today she walked a little closer, showing that her wariness had lessened.

Today, they didn't head toward the marketplace but went to a field on the opposite side.

The field stretched out to the distant horizon under an open sky.

The two stood in silence for a long time, watching the grass and grain sway in the wind.

Then, the one who spoke first was Geum Arin.

"Two million taels is impossible."

She was asking for a discount. Geom Mugeuk could tell she had made up her mind. Things were proceeding as planned.

"That's an impossible amount for anyone, not just you. That's also why we joined hands with the Milky Way Trading Company."

At Geom Mugeuk's words, Geum Arin spoke with difficulty. They were words she didn't want to say, but she had no choice right now.

"If you give us a discount, we can do it too."

Geom Mugeuk then smiled and replied.

"Are you asking for a discount of about one million nine hundred and seventy thousand taels?"

He was joking about the thirty thousand taels he had returned last time.

"Do it for us for one million taels."

One million taels. She had come in asking for half the price. Considering his plan to infiltrate their core, he could have given her the discount, but unfortunately, Geom Mugeuk had been given the supreme directive to get as much as possible.

"Didn't I tell you? We also need a justification to refuse the Milky Way Trading Company. What do you think they'll say if we go with someone else for the same one million taels?"

"They'll probably think we found a better partner."

Geom Mugeuk turned to look at the woman standing beside him.

"Are you a better person?"

She did not avoid Geom Mugeuk's direct gaze.

"How would I know? I don't know what kind of person the head of the Milky Way Trading Company is. You've seen him, so you should know. Who seems like the better person?"

Though it was a question, it was a confident one that already had an answer. This was her momentum.

"At the very least, you are more shameless."

At Geom Mugeuk's reaction, Geum Arin thought things might go better than expected. She was certain he had a favorable impression of her.

"Whether it's one million taels or two million, you're not the decision-maker anyway, are you?"

"Why do you keep assuming I'm someone's subordinate? Because I'm young? Because I'm a woman?"

Geom Mugeuk shook his head.

"That's not it."

Geom Mugeuk revealed an unexpected reason.

"It's because I don't get the feeling that you've bet everything on your organization."

Geum Arin flinched at his words. It was true. She hadn't bet everything on this secret organization. In fact, she wanted to finish this job as soon as possible. She had hated the reason she took on this job in the first place.

He read that?

This man was that perceptive.

He was smarter and more articulate than anyone she had ever met.

Geum Arin felt that the time had come to make her move. It was the biggest gamble of her life, with her very survival on the line.

"The organization you're trying to destroy is the one I lead."

It was her life-or-death gamble.

If this honesty didn't work, she could die right here.

She expected him to be shocked, but Geom Mugeuk wasn't. In the end, the one who was shocked was her.

"Don't tell me you knew?"

Geom Mugeuk nodded.

"How did you know?"

"The Milky Way Trading Company had already made significant progress in their investigation of you."

He made it seem as if the information about her came from the Milky Way Trading Company.

Geum Arin stared at Geom Mugeuk with trembling eyes. If he heard it through the Milky Way Trading Company, did that mean he knew when they met last time?

"Why didn't you kill me? It's a million-nyang job."

Though she acted nonchalantly, she was tense.

To her, Geom Mugeuk was an unpredictable person who might say, 'I was just about to kill you now,' and draw his sword as they walked.

In that regard, at least, her assessment was correct. He once again gave an answer she hadn't expected.

"Because I thought you might give me more money."

It was truly a series of surprises.

She never thought the words 'to get more money' would come out of this man's mouth.

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I just didn't expect you to say something like that. You had a sort of lofty feel to you. Ah, that's not sarcasm, it's a compliment, so please don't misunderstand."

Geom Mugeuk countered her honest words.

"Is it lofty to be uninterested in money? Then is it vulgar and base to be very interested in it? That's not something a merchant should say."

"That's not what I meant. I just meant it was unexpected."

"Will that person dislike me if I ask for more money? Will they think I'm low-class if I ask for more money? I think such thoughts are a nuisance and an escape from reality. When it comes to making money, you have to muster courage you didn't even know you had. If a single coin falls into a puddle of filth, you should be the first to roll up your sleeves."

Geom Mugeuk was speaking like an incarnation of greed, but in truth, his life before regression was far removed from money. It had been a life solely for martial arts and the materials for the Great Law.

"I take that back."

"You should. I'm having a conversation with a million-nyang enemy instead of drawing my sword. Isn't that quite lofty?"

It wasn't a laughing matter, but Geum Arin found herself smiling despite herself. She quickly composed herself and changed the subject.

"Can you get more money if you see me as a subordinate?"

"You're a subordinate, but you also have another identity."

After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk continued.

"I believe you are a blood relative of the Golden Dragon Clan's Patriarch."

She wasn't surprised that Geom Mugeuk knew about her. It felt like he would know everything.

"Because if I weren't a blood relative, I couldn't have proposed such a deal in the first place?"

"That's part of it, but there's a bigger reason."

Geom Mugeuk had once again sized her up accurately.

"I don't sense any craving for money from you."

"!"

His words hit the mark again. How could she, who had lived as a blood relative of the Golden Dragon Clan, ever crave money?

He had seen that she had lived a life of abundance since childhood, never worrying about money.

"How do you see that?"

She used the word 'see' instead of 'know'. For some reason, this man's gaze seemed to peer into people's hearts.

"Give us two million taels, and let's join hands. I'll take care of settling things with the Milky Way Trading Company cleanly."

He really wanted to give it to her. He wanted to make a person like this his ally.

"Didn't I say it's impossible?"

"If two million taels is impossible, then isn't one million impossible from the start?"

His words struck at the core of the issue. Whether it was one million or two million, the fiery wrath that would fall upon her would be the same.

"Please understand my situation."

Despite her plea, Geom Mugeuk was firm.

"Could the situation of the one giving the money be worse than the one receiving it? So don't appeal to the money-receiver with emotions. I think that's the worst thing to do in a deal."

Geum Arin bit her lip gently. She thought so too. It was just that such a large sum of money was involved that she couldn't help it.

In any case, she had to win this person over to her side. She felt it more clearly during their conversation today. If she made this person her enemy, she would surely die. He was the kind of person who could make her think that without even drawing his sword once.

"Give them their due, and take what you are owed."

What if she signed a contract to give him two million taels?

How would her father react? Surely he wouldn't kill his only daughter.

The problem was her Orabeoni. Her second brother Orabeoni, who saw her as a thorn in his side, would use this to drive her to hell. Could this man really stop her second brother Orabeoni?

Her gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk's clear, deep eyes.

Can I really trust you?

Did he read the question in her eyes?

"For the duration of the contract, I will be firmly on your side."

"Isn't that a given?"

"Isn't it because people fail to uphold that given that all sorts of problems arise?"

Not just with words, but with sincerity.

"That promise to be firmly on my side, can you keep it?"

"You shouldn't believe my words, but the eyes of a merchant like yourself."

Her gaze shifted to the field.

It's because I trust you too much that I'm doing this.

How long have I seen him? How much do I know? And yet, this man was giving her his trust. He stimulated her instincts and pulled at her premonitions. Choose me, he seemed to say.

The grass swaying in the wind rippled like waves. Her heart, too, was carried back and forth on those waves. The last thought that came to her before making her decision was this.

[Give them their due, and take what you are owed.]

Did you even know what I was trying to take care of when you said that?

Finally, Geum Arin made a decision that would change her life.

"I'll send the contract as soon as possible."