Episode 49: If you don’t allow me, I’ll take your trouser leg.
The first person to arrive at the Pungryu Tavern was the Demon Lord Jangho.
His large size and the scar on his face overwhelmed everyone in the tavern. Not a single breath could be heard from the customers until Jang-ho crossed the first floor and came up to this floor. When he joined us, time, which had stopped, finally began to pass.
“How have you been, Your Majesty?”
“I’ve been doing well. I wonder if I called you when I’m busy.”
“If you hadn’t invited me here, I would have been very disappointed.”
“Of course I should invite you. It’s the first drinking party I’m having with my people. Come on, have a drink first.”
He poured Jangho a glass of alcohol.
“thank you.”
Seo Dae-ryong and Jang Ho also exchanged greetings. They had known each other since the last whistleblower incident. Jang Ho sat next to Seo Dae-ryong, who was already small in stature, and he looked three times bigger.
After drinking a glass of alcohol, I asked Jangho.
“You’ve been very busy, haven’t you?”
“I was busy at the beginning of my term, but things have gotten a bit better now.”
“If you have any problems or concerns, come to me anytime.”
“Of course. I will come see you first.”
Jang-ho was always a dependable person. Contrary to his appearance, he was an emotional and delicate person who valued human relationships.
When Jang-ho arrived, the drinking speed increased. Jang-ho drank as well as his large body.
While drinking, Seo Dae-ryong would sneak glances at Jang-ho. It wasn’t a look of concern, but rather a look of envy.
“Are you jealous?”
When I hit the nail on the head, Seo Dae-ryong was startled.
“What?”
“Are you jealous of King Jang?”
Seo Dae-ryong answered honestly under the pretense of being drunk.
“Yes, honestly, I envy you. I once wanted to be like you, my lord. Although I failed.”
“It’s not too late.”
“You said before. You were disappointed when I complained that I was already late. But what can I do about being late? I’m already thirty-two years old.”
“It’s not too late though.”
Seo Dae-ryong, who was about to lose his temper, drank the drink in front of him. If it had been someone else, he would have yelled at him to stop talking so easily about someone else’s business.
Although he swallowed his anger with alcohol, Seo Dae-ryong was still angry.
“Isn’t it really that late?”
I knew he was asking sincerely, so I answered sincerely.
“It’s late, after all.”
“Oh, then that’s true.”
Seo Dae-ryong was disappointed. It seems he was wondering if he really was not too late.
“But there are also good things about it.”
“What is that?”
“I will work harder with more sincerity. Even when I swing my sword, I will do it with more strength than others, and even when I take a step, I will think deeper than others.”
“Even so, isn’t the reality that we can’t keep up in the end?”
“I can keep up. Oh, here comes a good example. The embodiment of denial of reality!”
Following my gaze, Seo Dae-ryong and Jang-ho looked up to the first floor. Ian, a large man, was hurriedly coming up to our seats on this floor, grabbing everyone’s attention.
“The person who walked that path before you, the person who makes a living from the martial arts field these days, and yet such a bright person, here he comes.”
Ian, who arrived at the location, apologized first.
“Oh, I’m really sorry. I was late because I had to wash up and change into my uniform.”
“What’s the rush, you’re just drinking?”
“It’s urgent, I’m here with important people.”
Ian greeted the two of them.
“Hello, Your Majesty Jang. Inspector Seo.”
The two people stared at her as she greeted them brightly. Ian apologized again, thinking it might be because he was late.
“Sorry, I’m late, right?”
Seo Dae-ryong stared at her because of the word “model,” and Jang-ho had a different reason. Jang-ho spoke to her politely.
“Something has changed, Ian.”
“Me?”
“Yes. It feels different somehow.”
The eyes of the monarch leading the demon army were certainly not ordinary.
Then Ian glanced at me and said with a smile.
“I’ve fallen into the hell of training and even lost weight. Are you feeling a little different?”
Of course, Ian and I both know that this is not the case. It is because her prayers changed after she learned the Bicheon Sword Technique. The Bicheon Sword Technique is still a secret that must never be told to anyone outside.
Jang-ho must have felt that it wasn’t just because of that, but he didn’t ask about the change any more.
“The weather is gloomy and I really wanted a drink. Please give me that drink!”
Ian held out his glass, and I poured it full.
“You’ve worked hard in training, Ian.”
“It’s hard work. Of course it’s something to do. And I know that you train much harder than me. You even cut down on sleep.”
Then Seo Dae-ryong was surprised.
“really?”
“You didn’t know?”
At Ian’s question, Seo Dae-ryong looked at me.
“Anyone can tell that he’s the type of person who would slack off.”
“That’s right. But inside that lazy-looking shell, there’s an incredibly hard-working unmanned person.”
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Seo Dae-ryong looked at me, then at Jang-ho, then at Ian again. Then he drank alone.
“I feel like I’m the only loser.”
“But you still work hard, right?”
Seo Dae-ryong bowed his head to Ian’s comfort.
“I put off today’s work until tomorrow and came here to drink.”
“Oh, my. Our detective Seo looks like he’s really diligent.”
Ian teased him slyly. At times like this, Ian looked like a young woman who was perfect for giggling.
“Come on, let’s have a drink for today’s loser!”
Ian raised his glass and we toasted. The loser also didn’t feel bad and joined in the final toast, saying, “I am the main character.”
“What do you think? Everyone is working so hard. Do you want to learn martial arts properly too?”
“Yes? To your lord?”
“no.”
“Then to whom?”
Seo Dae-ryong looked at Jang-ho without realizing it.
“Why are you looking over there? The busiest person among us.”
“Oh, I was hoping you would train the executives before.”
“If there’s someone who can teach you, would you like to learn? I may not be able to become your official disciple, but I can teach you proper martial arts.”
“Who is it?”
Instead of telling him who I was, I told him.
“Your determination comes first. When you make up your mind to be reborn, tell me. I’ll tell you who it is.”
I was thinking of him as the next Hwangcheonju. But he was too young to be the next Hwangcheonju. He didn’t have a good reputation or political connections. He needed something to become a Hwangcheonju.
Then suddenly one person came to mind.
Someone who didn’t suit me at all, but maybe that’s why they suited me better.
“I’ll give you a moment. Think about it.”
“Yes? Should we decide right here?”
“Originally, if you think about something like this for too long, you can’t make a decision. After today’s drinking party, we’ll go back to square one. You and me. You know that, right?”
Then, Seo Dae-ryong fell into deep thought, and we drank while looking outside, where it seemed like rain would pour down at any moment. We drank quietly for Seo Dae-ryong. I, Ian, and Jang-ho all had a lot on their minds these days.
When we had finished a bottle of alcohol, Seo Dae-ryong made a decision.
“I will try.”
“really?”
“yes.”
“This will change your life.”
“I’m ready. What else is there in life? When you feel like an opportunity has come, you grab it! If I make a mistake and die, bury me in a sunny place!”
“I’ll bury you on a street where many pretty women walk.”
“great.”
Seo Dae-ryong emptied the glass of wine in front of him.
“Oh! Congratulations!”
Ian clapped his hands vigorously and Jang-ho congratulated him.
“If someone else had recommended it, it would have been impossible. But since you recommended it, I strangely became perceptive… I thought, let’s grab this. This is our chance.”
Ian smiled and agreed.
“Our master’s persuasive power is unparalleled in all ages.”
Jangho nodded as if he agreed.
Seo Dae-ryong drank again, feeling good. He, who usually doesn’t drink well, was drinking too much.
“But as you know, I worked as an investigator for ten years. I stayed up a lot of nights trying to become a special investigator. I feel bad about throwing it all away… .”
“Why did you quit being an investigator?”
“yes?”
“You don’t have to quit. You’re the most needed person in Hwangcheon-gak. Why would you quit? It means learning martial arts after work hours.”
Seo Dae-ryong took my words as a joke.
“Are you saying I’m so tired I could die?”
“Instead, I will achieve the dreams I couldn’t achieve.”
Seo Dae-ryong looked at me quietly as I answered seriously, then looked surprised.
“Really? Are you serious?”
“Of course I’m serious. What’s the rush when you’re learning it so late? Take your time and learn after work.”
“It’s late, so I have to hurry. Can I become an expert by learning like that? Don’t I have to risk my whole life to challenge it?”
Seo Dae-ryong looked at Jang-ho and asked for support. However, Jang-ho did not respond and just looked at me as if telling me to listen to him.
Seo Dae-ryong, who was unable to secure reinforcements, returned to the battlefield.
I spoke to him calmly.
“That’s usually why everyone fails. You think you can bet your whole life on it, but in reality, it’s not easy. It’s actually harder when you have a lot of time to spare from morning to night. Why am I not making progress when I have so much time? What am I doing? Feelings of inferiority and defeat. When I just do my work and carve out precious time little by little, I achieve much greater results. Because it’s not work, but it’s also fun.”
Ian and Jangho nodded, aside from Seo Dae-ryong, who was the person involved. Seo Dae-ryong looked like he had complicated feelings.
“And the important thing is who you learn from. If you learn from a true master who is a good fit for you, the training time doesn’t mean much. Even if you learn from such a person for just a cup of tea, it will be better than the ramblings of a mediocre person all their life.”
“Who is the real expert?”
Even Ian and Jang-ho wondered who they would choose as their master.
“I’ll be back soon.”
“You’re coming here?”
Not only Seo Dae-ryong, but also Ian and Jang-ho were surprised.
“So, did you know that Inspector Seo would make this decision?”
“Are you a fortune teller? I know that. I just thought of it by accident.”
“Then he doesn’t know about this situation?”
“of course.”
“oh my god!”
Seo Dae-ryong took another sip. He had already exceeded his usual drinking capacity and was starting to reach the point where alcohol was calling his name.
“The biggest battle is whether you get permission or not. If you don’t get it, you have to hold on to your pants and hang on.”
We all drank together, making sure to get permission.
Ian told Seo Dae-ryong to just take a sip of his drink, but he emptied his glass cleanly, saying that he couldn’t do that because he had something important to do.
“I don’t know who you are, but I will definitely ask for permission. If you don’t, the right leg is mine. You take the left leg.”
Seo Dae-ryong was very excited, perhaps because he thought that something he had been thinking about for a long time was coming true.
“If the master you saved is a great and good person, he must be a truly great and good person.”
As soon as Ian said that.
Flash! Boom! Bang!
There was lightning and thunder.
“I think it’s about to really pour down now!”
It was just then.
“Oh, there it comes.”
At my words, everyone’s eyes turned to the first floor.
A person was entering there.
Ian, who had confirmed his opponent, covered his mouth and held back a scream.
Jang-ho also opened his eyes wide in surprise.
Seo Dae-ryong, who had been turning his back, turned his head for the last time.
I could see Seo Dae-ryong’s surprise in real time. His eyes widened, he screamed, and he even spilled his drink as he tried to get up.
thud.
The person who arrived at our place placed a large sword on the floor.
A murderous aura emanated from his small, slitted eyes.
“Where the hell do you get the arrogant idea to call people here?”
The person who arrived was none other than Hyeolcheon Doma.
Swaaaaaaah!
As if it had been waiting, the rain began to pour down.
