The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 35

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 35. A Man’s Wavering Heart
Dong Pil stopped in his tracks as he watched So Yeo-un approach slowly.
The other members of the Jeoksa Group saw it too, but they didn’t stop him.
They’d told him not to approach her, not to avoid her when she came toward him.
Besides, dodging would look even more suspicious.
So he stood his ground and waited—only for So Yeo-un to pass right by him without breaking stride.
Though they had turned and were walking toward their lodging, every eye remained fixed on Dong Pil and So Yeo-un.
Everyone in the Jeoksa Group except Hee-jun was well aware that she was now moving past Dong Pil and heading toward them.
In that moment, as their eyes met one another, surprise and bewilderment flickered across every face.
Then So Yeo-un’s voice reached them.
“You there… yes.”
At her words, the heads of everyone except Ryu turned.
And the direction of her gaze was…….
“Me? You mean me?”
At Jwa-ryang’s startled question, So Yeo-un’s head nodded.
“Yes. Could you… spare me a moment?”
Faced with So Yeo-un’s request, Dong Pil’s expression went slack with disbelief, and the others couldn’t hide their shock.
To be fair, Jwa-ryang wasn’t ugly.
No one in the Jeoksa Group had ever thought such a thing, which made it clear.
But his expression was fierce.
Not merely fierce—he was so intimidating that most children would burst into tears just looking at him, and even experienced martial artists would flinch if he caught their eye.
Dong Pil, by contrast, had a more manly bearing.
Certainly, no member of the Jeoksa Group would call him handsome, so he was hardly a beauty.
Yet his weathered features held a gentleness to them.
By any reasonable measure, someone ought to have favored Dong Pil over the other.
But the result was unexpected.
One thing had lodged itself firmly in the minds of the Jeoksa Group members because of this.
‘A woman with unusual taste.’
Unaware of how she was being judged, So Yeo-un spoke again to Jwa-ryang, who stood bewildered and tongue-tied.
“Do you… have a moment?”
As Jwa-ryang continued to hesitate, an unexpected voice came from where Ryu had already withdrawn some distance away.
“The dining hall. We’ll talk there.”
Having said only that, Ryu turned and walked on, and the other Jeoksa Group members resumed their steps toward the lodging, leaving Jwa-ryang standing frozen.
Of course, Dong Pil was tactless enough to linger.
Lee Song grabbed him and dragged him away.
Once they were alone, So Yeo-un summoned her courage and stepped closer.
Startled, Jwa-ryang immediately backed away.
Caught off guard by his unexpected movement, So Yeo-un’s eyes widened with confusion.
Jwa-ryang spoke hurriedly to her.
“The smell—my sweat. I’m drenched in it…….”
True enough, having wallowed on the ground soaked in sweat all day long, the reek of perspiration was unmistakable.
At his words, something flickered across So Yeo-un’s gaze.
“It doesn’t bother me. I’m used to the smell of sweat.”
After all, she too was a martial artist for whom training was a way of life.
Jwa-ryang shook his head at So Yeo-un’s tone, which had grown somewhat softer than before.
“Even I can barely stand it. So…….”
Understanding that Jwa-ryang’s refusal stemmed simply from his own discomfort with his sweat, So Yeo-un’s expression remained gentle.
“Then shall we walk together like this, keeping a little distance?”
“Y-yes, let’s do that.”
For Jwa-ryang, as long as they avoided prying eyes, nothing else mattered—and he agreed. So Yeo-un took the first step forward.
Jwa-ryang followed in her footsteps.
***
After washing up, Jwa-ryang sat down beside the Jeoksa Group members who were gathered in the dining hall, already well into their meal.
“Phew!”
Dong Pil scrunched up his face and pinched his nose, and Jwa-ryang let out a quiet chuckle.
“You’re making a fuss…….”
Gone was the Jwa-ryang who had earlier kept So Yeo-un at bay, complaining of his odor.
Lee Song smiled knowingly at him and asked.
“What did she want?”
It was a question stripped of all preamble, yet Jwa-ryang understood it perfectly.
“She just… said she was grateful.”
“Grateful? For what?”
“For rescuing her from that smooth-talking womanizer.”
Dong Pil released his nose, which Jwa-ryang had been blocking with his chopsticks, and made a face of disbelief.
“That’s a lie!”
“It’s true!”
At Jwa-ryang’s words, Dong Pil spoke with an expression of exasperation.
“Wow… That woman’s got her wires crossed. Just where exactly do I come off as smooth-talking?”
“You didn’t argue about the womanizer part, though. Seems like that one rang true?”
At Lee Song’s question, Jang Min-su and Hee-jun snickered.
Dong Pil glared at the two of them and smacked his lips.
“Tch… Look, I’ve got some conscience. But did she really say that? Smooth-talking?”
Something about that phrasing kept nagging at Dong Pil, and he asked with a serious expression. Jwa-ryang laughed softly.
“She just said she was flustered and grateful for the help.”
“Right. I don’t exactly look smooth-talking anyway.”
With that settled, Dong Pil returned to eating with a smile on his face.
Watching him, Lee Song smiled faintly and turned to Jwa-ryang.
“Something tells me she won’t back off that easily.”
“That’s what it looked like. The way she approached someone like me.”
From Jwa-ryang’s self-deprecating words, a voice emerged from Hee-jun, who had been listening silently.
“What’s wrong with you?”
What’s wrong with you.
That was how Hee-jun usually addressed Jwa-ryang, who was older than him.

Lee Song did the same.
Of course, once an operation began, they used his name.
It was a rule of sorts, peculiar to Hee-jun.
Having heard Hee-jun’s question, Jwa-ryang answered with a self-deprecating tone.
“Well, I know myself better than anyone else does.”
“Doesn’t seem like it.”
At Hee-jun’s words, Jwa-ryang could only laugh softly.
He felt that Hee-jun was trying to comfort him.
Hee-jun, who had been regarding Jwa-ryang intently, continued speaking.
“Whatever you think of yourself, to me you’re a comrade I can trust with my back, someone worth risking my life to protect.”
Jwa-ryang couldn’t hide his surprise at words he hadn’t anticipated.
He never wasted words on the unnecessary, and he never began sentences he didn’t mean.
Jwa-ryang knew this about Hee-jun better than anyone, and so he could feel with absolute certainty that these words came from the heart.
Hee-jun looked at the visibly stunned Jwa-ryang and asked quietly.
“You weren’t thinking the same way about me, were you?”
At those words, Jwa-ryang started in alarm.
To Jwa-ryang, Hee-jun was…
…someone he would lay down his life for whenever asked.
So…
“I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have been startled by something so obvious.”
Jwa-ryang’s words earned a soft chuckle from Hee-jun, who returned to his meal. The team members resumed eating as well.
Among them, Dong Pil spoke up.
“So when did she say she’d meet again?”
“Tomorrow.”
“Hmm… Quite eager, isn’t she. Now that it’s come to this, don’t be coy.”
“Be coy about what?”
“You know what I mean. If you— Aw, never mind! There’s a kid here, so I shouldn’t spell it out.”
Dong Pil stopped mid-sentence and glanced sideways at Hee-jun, who immediately protested.
“I’m not a kid! I know everything you’re talking about!”
“Is that so? Then you understand what I was getting at?”
“Of course!”
“Yeah? Then what is it? Tell us.”
Hee-jun’s face flushed red at Dong Pil’s provocation, but his lips only moved soundlessly.
The Jeoksa Group members laughed heartily watching him.
As their laughter died down, Lee Song asked.
“So what are you planning to do?”
“That’s… I’m not quite sure.”
Jwa-ryang’s uncharacteristic composure caught the attention of Lee Song and the other Jeoksa Group members, their eyes sharpening with intrigue.
Dong Pil, in particular, wore a meaningful smile.
“She’s pretty enough, certainly. The kind of face that wouldn’t fade anywhere. And her figure…. Ah, it kills.”
Watching Jwa-ryang’s expression darken at his words, Dong Pil flashed a sly grin.
“You’re hooked. Completely hooked.”
“What?”
Dong Pil answered Jwa-ryang’s irritated question.
“Any man worth his salt takes offense when someone talks about his woman like that. Just like you, in fact.”
Jwa-ryang shook his head, suddenly flustered.
“That’s… that makes no sense.”
He was denying it, but his voice grew weaker as he spoke, and Dong Pil shook his head in amusement.
“It worked.”
“What worked? What?”
To Jwa-ryang’s bewildered question, Dong Pil replied plainly.
“The honey trap.”
At those words, Jwa-ryang fell silent.
While the others exchanged surprised glances, Lee Song—his expression clouded with concern—was about to speak when Ryu’s voice cut through first.
“There’s nothing wrong with seeing it through. Honestly, there’s nothing to hide anyway.”
“You say easy things, Captain. Hide what? We need to hide why we’re even here in the first place.”
The other Jeoksa Group members shot Dong Pil sharp looks as he aired his grievances.
He’d touched on something sensitive to Ryu.
“Well….”
Ryu closed his mouth, caught off guard, drawing reproachful glares from the others before Dong Pil spoke again.
“Stop glaring at me like that. I didn’t mean any disrespect to you, Captain. I don’t regret what we did—if I did, I wouldn’t have agreed to it in the first place. I only meant….”
Dong Pil paused there, turning to face Jwa-ryang.
“I wanted him to see the situation clearly.”
“I see it.”
Dong Pil spoke to Jwa-ryang’s quiet answer.
“Maybe in your head, but your heart’s not listening. Your eyes say so. What were you doing before? To fall for one woman’s advance like that?”
The other Jeoksa Group members shared the same surprise.
Given Jwa-ryang’s nature, they’d never have expected him to be vulnerable to women.
“I’m not weak to women. Born the way I am, women have always circled around me—and there were few days I didn’t have one clinging to my side. Naturally, I never learned to value women as rare or precious.”
Jwa-ryang was, after all, born a water pirate.
Everyone in the Jeoksa Group knew he’d come from the Dongjung Sibpal Chae, fallen into their ranks ten years ago when the Janggang Water Route Alliance made a surprise assault.
Among bandits, water pirates, and sea raiders, was there ever a man without appetite for wealth and women?
And Jwa-ryang had held considerable rank in the Dongjung Sibpal Chae.
High enough to take a woman whenever he pleased.
Even if she came at a price, an escort from some establishment.
So what he said now was likely the truth.
“But why…?”
Jwa-ryang shook his head at Dong Pil’s question.
“I don’t know. I don’t understand what’s happening to me.”
Those words meant Jwa-ryang was genuinely shaken.
Ryu, watching him, spoke up.
“If you’re shaken, you can tell us everything. The real reason we’re here—that’s the only exception.”
The Jeoksa Group members, who’d worried Ryu might be hurt, were visibly relieved by his unexpectedly light tone.
Dong Pil, observing them, leveled a gentle jab.
“You all still don’t know the Captain well enough. When we say it’s fine, it’s fine. That’s how much faith he has in us.”
At Dong Pil’s words, Ryu smiled faintly, and the others let out soft laughter.
Their expressions said, ‘That’s right, that’s how it is.’
Sweeping his gaze over them with a grin, Dong Pil turned to Jwa-ryang.
“So tomorrow, don’t hesitate if she offers something.”
“You never do know when to stop talking.”
Dong Pil spoke to Jwa-ryang’s disgruntled tone.
“Just think of it that way. Erase anything beyond that from your mind entirely. Don’t become the fool who takes a honey trap to heart.”
“I know, I do.”
“Know nothing. It’s written all over your face—’I’ve already fallen for her.’ Come on!”
At Dong Pil’s observation, Jwa-ryang shook his head.
“No.”
His uncharacteristically weak denial made the others’ faces darken with worry.
Yet for some reason, Ryu seemed utterly unmoved by it all.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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