Chwachwachwachwaang—! Chachang! Chwaaang—!

The vigorous clash and scrape of blades rang through the banquet hall.

The brilliant, dynamic movement drew gasps of admiration all on its own.

In a flash the second performance ended, and the atmosphere of the banquet climbed another notch.

As the second troupe surged out in a mass, Yu Gang—who had been mixed among them—cast a glance around, intending to slip away.

But the moment he angled off to break from the line, an attendant blocked his path.

“...?”

“An honored guest summons you.”

“...Pardon?”

Yu Gang’s thickly darkened brows arched.

“You’ve been singled out by an honored guest. This way, please.”

He didn’t know exactly what being “singled out” meant when you were hidden among the dancers, but he could tell he was in an awkward spot where he couldn’t just sneak off.

Yu Gang weighed bolting for a moment.

But if he ran now, it would cause a commotion, and commotion draws eyes.

If it came out that he had slipped into the pavilion, So-and-so’s disciple might bolt as well.

‘What should I....’

“If you refuse to come, the honored guest told me to say this: ‘If he won’t come, I’ll feed him nothing but sesame porridge.’”

“...?”

Sesame porridge?

Why suddenly threaten to feed him sesame porridge...?

‘!’

Sesame porridge—food he often made back at Songshan when he served Gong Cheon, when ingredients were scarce.

And the person he reunited with while making sesame porridge was...

‘Seolhwa!’

Yu Gang’s face brightened in an instant.

“Lead on. Quickly.”

Yu Gang followed the attendant without a fuss.

****

Why is he there...?

Why?

Seolhwa couldn’t believe her eyes.

Yu Gang had been among the troupe performing the second number.

Only then did Seolhwa recall the contents of the message he’d sent by Seolmae.

[Dragon-Head Lord of the Beggar’s Union murdered. Beggar’s Union Elder So-and-so holds the Union’s sacred item. Tracking So-and-so’s disciple. Moving to Shijiazhuang.]

She knew Yu Gang’s party was chasing the same “someone” she was.

Only, she was after the merchant-lord hiding So-and-so, while Yu Gang said he was tracking So-and-so’s disciple.

The destination was the same—Shijiazhuang.

She knew that much, but why—

‘Why is he dressed like that, dancing...?’

Seolhwa immediately had an attendant go and bring Yu Gang.

When the performance ended, the attendant brought him over.

Likewise recognizing him, Ryeong’s mouth fell open.

A flamboyant costume baring his midriff and back.

Heavy makeup reddening the eyes and thickly drawn brows.

‘Why is he like this here?’

Arriving at the table and seeing Seolhwa’s party, Yu Gang greeted them with a glad smile.

Because of the heavy makeup, even that smile looked sultry.

“Please be seated.”

The attendant set Yu Gang at the seat beside the head of table.

Yu Gang settled in as if naturally and reached for a wine bottle.

At his brazen ease, Seolhwa knit her brows and sent a voice transmission.

— What are you doing here?

Yu Gang flicked a glance at the profile of the man seated by him.

As expected, it was a human-skin mask.

— What do you think? I told you in the message. I’m tracking So-and-so’s disciple.

— I’m asking why you’re dressed like that and doing this here.

— No choice if I wanted to enter the pavilion. There wasn’t time to get a token, and they happened to be recruiting for a blade-dance.

— What if I hadn’t recognized you? If any one of them had called you over...!

Under Seolhwa’s burning gaze, Yu Gang calmly poured wine into the cup.

Jorreuk.

The rich floral scent of Hundred Flowers Dew tickled the space between them.

“What makes you so uneasy? Am I not here now, at the honored guest’s side?”

“...!”

Even the motion of pouring was uncommonly deft.

Yu Gang smiled faintly and met her eyes.

“Well? Do I look pretty?”

“...”

Their gazes caught for a brief beat.

A beautiful melody flowed over the hall, and red lanterns lifted into the sky.

‘....’

Seolhwa drew a short breath and, before she knew it, turned her eyes aside.

Her fingers twitched of their own accord, and she clenched her hand into a tight fist.

— ...So, is So-and-so’s disciple in this pavilion?

— That’s what Hugae said. But why are you here?

— The merchant-lord hiding So-and-so is said to attend this banquet.

— I see.

It would have been nice to linger a little longer.

But the two of them had no time to waste.

Yu Gang set the bottle down with a look of regret and rose from his seat.

“May I take my leave?”

The man in the human-skin mask glanced up briefly and gave a short nod, then handed over his long coat.

It was a dark coat that could cover Yu Gang’s flamboyant outfit.

“Thank you.”

Taking the coat, Yu Gang dipped a slight bow.

— Be careful.

— You too.

He left at once.

Seolhwa tugged off her veil and watched his retreating figure in silence.

****

Behind the pavilion, where few passed.

Yu Gang stripped off the uncomfortable outfit and scrubbed away the makeup with a wet cloth, recalling the look in Seolhwa’s eyes.

‘She was cold today.’

He hadn’t planned to act rakish from the start.

He couldn’t help being overjoyed once he knew it was Seolhwa, and something stubborn rose in him at her unusually cold gaze.

Given the talk they’d had before parting, she at least shouldn’t dislike him.

For a reunion after so long, he hadn’t felt even a flicker of gladness from her, and that stung.

‘No. I said I’d wait.’

Even if the end of waiting is refusal, I said I wouldn’t take it hard.

‘Was I a bit childish?’

Scratching the nape of his neck, he turned a corner—when suddenly someone popped out from the opposite side.

“Whoa!”

“!”

Thanks to Yu Gang’s quick movement, they barely avoided colliding, but the water jar in the man’s arms floated up between them.

If it hit the ground, it could shatter.

Tak—

Just before it struck, Yu Gang caught the mouth of the jar and averted disaster.

Fortunately, the jar was empty.

“My apologies. Are you all right?”

Handing the jar back, Yu Gang looked the man over.

The man staggered, shook his head hard, then groaned and lifted his face.

“Hey—watch where you’re....”

“...!”

Their eyes rounded wider and wider as they recognized each other.

With his brows arched, Yu Gang muttered blankly:

“...Chunpal...?”

The man recognized Yu Gang as well.

“You...!”

The man pointed at him in surprise.

A slow brightness crept to Yu Gang’s lips.

“Hey, you...! Chunpal? Right?”

“Uh—yeah, and you’re... ah hell, what was your name again?”

“Yu—”

“Ahh, you’re that guy, right? The crazy wastrel who said he’d only tell me his name if ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) I beat him in a fight.”

Yu Gang burst out laughing.

“Right. That was me back then.”

“So that’s why I don’t know your name? You damned wastrel.”

Glowering at Yu Gang, the man soon laughed with him.

Back when Yu Gang was a child wandering the streets, the two had often fought, and often shared food—a pair of close friends.

As street children do, they naturally lost touch—and this was nearly fifteen years since.

How could it not be a glad meeting.

“Do you work here?”

Yu Gang passed the jar to him as he asked.

“Yeah. For now, anyway. You? What are you doing here—did you make it big?”

“Not exactly.”

After a brief hesitation, Yu Gang asked Chunpal:

“You’re staying here, right?”

“For the time being?”

“I’ve got something urgent right now. I’ll come back soon.”

Chunpal looked disappointed and puzzled, but soon nodded.

“Do that.”

It was joyous to meet an old friend, but there was no room to linger over a reunion.

Yu Gang tapped his shoulder and hastened his steps again.

Tadat—

‘Big tree beyond the wall. Big tree beyond the wall....’

Hurrying to the rendezvous, he found someone under the wall.

It was Golden Lotus Rain, who had slipped into the pavilion as an attendant.

“Commander...!”

Golden Lotus Rain handed Yu Gang something wrapped in cloth.

Before Yu Gang arrived, she had received the clothing and weapon from Tang Hojin over the wall.

“I thought something had happened—you were late. But where did you get that outfit?”

Yu Gang folded the long coat neatly, wrapped it in the cloth, and sent it flying over the wall—whik—

“I’ll explain later. As for So-and-so’s disciple, I’ve fou—”

Just then, a very old memory skipped through Yu Gang’s mind.

“I joined the Beggar’s Union, you know? I’m learning martial arts there! Just you wait! Tomorrow I’m going to stomp you!”

It was the last exchange he’d had with Chunpal before following No Mun.

As a child, Yu Gang hadn’t known what the Beggar’s Union was; he’d thought the Chunpal who lost to him every day was just bluffing.

‘Come to think of it, I didn’t sense Chunpal approaching at all.’

Even if the lane curved out of sight, there was no way he wouldn’t have sensed someone coming head-on.

Yet he hadn’t sensed Chunpal until an instant before they collided.

‘He’s learned martial arts. And at a very high level.’

If what Chunpal said back then—joining the Beggar’s Union—was true...

“I think I’ve found him.”

“Pardon?”

“So-and-so’s disciple.”

****

Tadat— Tat—

Yu Gang and Golden Lotus Rain moved fast.

Now that they knew Chunpal was So-and-so’s disciple, they had to seize him before he sensed anything.

Chunpal had been carrying a water jar.

And the way Yu Gang had come led toward a well.

Tat— Taat—

“!”

As they neared the well, Yu Gang frowned and drew his saber.

Golden Lotus Rain also gripped her bowstring.

— The nearest tree.

Tat—

At Yu Gang’s direction, Golden Lotus Rain veered for the nearest tree, and Yu Gang sprinted on with his blade.

“Mmph! Mmmph! Mmph!”

There at the well, in the distance—

Chunpal, struggling and kicking, seized by men in black masks.