Chapter 73
His Prime Returns with the First Snow (2)
Cheongeuk sat in her room on the second floor of the teahouse, going through the documents piled on her desk.
“Approve the Shandong matter, but tell the person in charge over there to come see me once.”
“Yes, understood.”
The person receiving her orders was North Star, one of the Guardian Killing Stars.
Possessing excellent analytical and judgment skills, he mainly handled intelligence-related work and served as the intermediary who relayed Cheongeuk’s orders to those responsible for the Alliance’s practical affairs.
Cheongeuk picked up another document.
After carefully reading through it, she stamped it with her official seal and handed it to North Star.
“Approve this one too. What’s next?”
“Why don’t you take a break first? I’ll prepare some tea.”
“Should I?”
Cheongeuk stretched and rose from her seat.
Lately, she had been working even harder than usual on the affairs of the Assassins’ Alliance.
No one knew that the owner of this small teahouse standing right in front of the Martial Alliance was actually the Leader of the Assassins’ Alliance.
Even normally, Cheongeuk never remained in one place for long. She traveled throughout the Central Plains and often handled her work from various safe houses, so conducting Alliance business from here presented no problem whatsoever.
Baek Socheon was one reason she was staying here, but he wasn’t the only reason.
Given the current situation, she had judged this to be the safest and wisest place for her.
She could learn about the movements of the Cheukcheon Alliance and the Martial Alliance faster than anywhere else.
More importantly, she could benefit from the Martial Alliance’s protection.
Chief Strategist Zhuge Hyeon already knew that she was operating a teahouse directly outside the Martial Alliance.
Normally, he would never have tolerated such a thing.
This time, however, he had chosen to turn a blind eye to it.
It was because Cheongeuk and Nasarin had previously saved the Alliance Leader.
Cheongeuk walked over to the window and threw it wide open.
The instant she looked outside, she cried out in surprise.
“It’s snowing!”
Snowflakes really had begun drifting down from the sky.
“Everyone, come out and look.”
The remaining Guardian Killing Stars appeared.
“It’s the first snow!”
As Cheongeuk rejoiced, the four Guardian Killing Stars behind her exchanged glances.
They knew exactly why she was so happy.
Voice transmissions passed among them.
—She’s been waiting for today, hasn’t she?
—She checked every day to see whether it was going to snow.
—What if Captain Baek forgot?
—Then we go over there and kill him!
—This isn’t the time for jokes. Should I go remind him?
—We mustn’t interfere in the Alliance Leader’s private life.
—She’ll be terribly disappointed if Captain Baek doesn’t come.
Without turning around, Cheongeuk suddenly said,
“I told you to look at the snow. What are you all whispering about back there?”
Of course, she didn’t have eyes in the back of her head.
She had merely guessed.
“It’s nothing.”
“You were talking about him, weren’t you?”
The rigidly honest East Star answered truthfully.
“...Yes.”
“Do you think he forgot that we promised to meet today?”
“He’ll remember.”
“Men are good at forgetting promises like this, aren’t they?”
“That is true, but....”
Cheongeuk stared at the falling snow for a moment, then turned toward the Guardian Killing Stars.
“Well, if he forgot, we can just have a drink among ourselves. Right?”
“Of course.”
At that exact moment, a familiar voice came from outside the window.
“It’s snowing!”
Cheongeuk turned around with a radiant smile.
Baek Socheon was standing beneath the window, waving at her.
“What are you doing? Come down.”
Cheongeuk was just about to leap straight out the window when West Star, the only woman among the Guardian Killing Stars, grabbed her.
“Alliance Leader!”
“What?”
“Put on some makeup today. And dress properly before you go.”
“He’s waiting down there.”
“It’ll be worth making him wait.”
Cheongeuk looked outside and called down,
“Wait on the first floor for just a little while.”
Half an hour later, she came downstairs.
Baek Socheon stared at her in surprise.
She had put on makeup and was dressed in a red palace gown that emphasized the lines of her figure, with a white-fur-trimmed outer robe draped over it.
She was already beautiful normally, but with makeup and elegant clothes, she was breathtaking.
She almost looked like a completely different woman.
Unexpectedly, West Star was highly skilled with cosmetics.
While she did Cheongeuk’s makeup, the other Guardian Killing Stars had searched every clothing shop in the marketplace until they found something suitable for her.
Cheongeuk gave an awkward smile.
“How do I look? It’s been a long time since I wore makeup.”
“You’re beautiful.”
He meant it.
If someone introduced this woman as the most beautiful woman under heaven, Baek Socheon suspected everyone would simply nod in agreement.
“Let’s go outside. Let’s get snowed on.”
“Sure.”
The two stepped outside.
Instead of her bamboo hat, Cheongeuk wore only a thin veil over her face.
With nothing but her eyes visible, her beauty gained an additional air of mystery.
The snow that had merely been drifting before was now falling heavily.
“Ah! This is wonderful.”
Cheongeuk delighted in it like a child.
Baek Socheon felt good too.
When was the last time he had been happy simply because it was snowing?
Other than during his childhood, he couldn’t remember a single occasion.
Whenever he thought of snow, what came to mind were his subordinates shivering in the cold, long trails of footprints across snowy fields, and crimson blood splattered over pure white snow.
“This is our first outing together.”
“Is it?”
“Want to have a drink later?”
“Sounds good.”
“Great!”
The two walked side by side down the street.
With the handsome Baek Socheon beside the dazzling Cheongeuk, the eyes of passersby naturally gathered on them.
“You know something? The two of us are probably more uncomfortable with people staring at us than anyone else.”
They were assassins.
Remaining unnoticed was a matter of life and death.
“Are you all right with it?”
“Yes.”
She truly was.
If she had been with anyone else, she probably wouldn’t have been able to tolerate all these eyes on her.
But because she was with Baek Socheon, she actually found the attention pleasant.
“Ah, let’s look at those.”
She stopped to examine accessories being sold by a street vendor.
Baek Socheon didn’t rush her and simply waited beside her.
As a man, merely standing there and watching such a beautiful woman was enjoyable in itself.
Because of that war that had consumed his entire life....
He had once been the strongest man under heaven, yet he had never even enjoyed small pleasures like this.
“What do you think?”
“I think the one in front is prettier.”
“I think so too. Come to think of it, you seem to know women surprisingly well.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not exactly....”
“Then?”
“I told you before, didn’t I? I’ve never dated a man.”
“So you feel like you’re losing out?”
“A little.”
“Hahaha. There’s no reason to feel disappointed. I spent my whole life wandering from battlefield to battlefield. Even if I did date women, how much dating do you think I actually managed? Besides, dating a man who knows absolutely nothing about women would be boring.”
“I’ll admit that.”
She resumed walking.
“Are you buying one?”
“This is only the first shop.”
“What?”
Cheongeuk burst into laughter at Baek Socheon’s exaggerated reaction.
The two bought food from street stalls and watched the hawkers shouting to attract customers.
They laughed and chatted as they walked, and somehow even the winter wind no longer felt cold.
Cheongeuk sent him a voice transmission.
—How is your martial arts training going?
—I’ve recovered to about the level I was at when you first saw me.
—Really?
Cheongeuk stared at him in shock.
Baek Socheon looked at her and nodded.
—Wow, you really are incredible! You recovered everything in such a short time?
—It’s nothing that impressive. The Alliance Leader supported me tremendously. You played a big part too.
—Congratulations. I really mean it. Congratulations.
—Thanks.
—Then let’s go kill Yeomhwasin right now!
—Hahaha! Good. Let’s go!
Truthfully, Baek Socheon had wanted to boast about it to someone in this childish way.
He wanted to tell someone just how brutally hard he had trained.
But there had never been anyone he could say such things to.
Receiving Cheongeuk’s sincere congratulations today made him feel as though all his past effort had finally been rewarded.
Cheongeuk theatrically looked around.
“Are there any villains around who want to pick a fight with us?”
Naturally, no conveniently troublesome villain appeared.
“You can never find what you need when you actually need it, can you?”
“Haha. I still can’t reveal myself yet.”
Cheongeuk stopped walking and stared at Baek Socheon.
Her gaze above the veil deepened.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“You really are going to fight, aren’t you?”
She omitted the name, but Baek Socheon knew exactly whom she meant.
“I have to.”
“If you hid now, no one would ever find you. What if you lived under another identity instead?”
“Why do you keep trying to send me away?”
“Well....”
“Because you’re afraid I’ll die?”
Right.
Why?
Why did looking at him always make her want to send him somewhere far away?
Truthfully, even Cheongeuk didn’t understand her own feelings.
She changed the subject.
“Let’s go drink.”
“Where?”
“There’s a place I like. Want to go?”
“Sure.”
Half an hour later, the two were aboard a small boat.
They had bought food and alcohol from an inn in the marketplace famous for its excellent chef.
Whenever Cheongeuk wanted to drink, she would often do it like this—floating down the river on a small boat.
It was her favorite way to enjoy alcohol.
Normally, Guardian Killing Stars would stand watch at the bow and stern.
Today, however, there was only Baek Socheon.
“I feel at peace when I’m here. Maybe it’s because my life is like duckweed, drifting with the current. I like places like this best—places where I don’t know where I’ll end up.”
Baek Socheon sensed a fundamental loneliness within her as well.
Yeomhwasin possessed it too, but Cheongeuk likewise carried the loneliness unique to those who stood at the top of an alliance.
The loneliness of being unable to speak freely with anyone.
Perhaps Martial Alliance Leader Ak Sogun felt something similar.
Ak Sogun cared for him more deeply than almost anyone, but even with him, Baek Socheon had never been able to talk this openly.
He hoped that someday he could cast everything aside and speak comfortably with Ak Sogun as well.
“I like this place too.”
“Really?”
Baek Socheon nodded.
“What are you going to do now?”
“Get stronger.”
“How strong?”
“Maybe I’m vain too.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“I want to return to the top of the Martial World Rankings. If I’m going to leave, I want to leave in style after reaching the top again.”
Cheongeuk broke into a wide smile.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because you sound like a child.”
Baek Socheon laughed with her.
He didn’t know what kind of relationship the two of them would eventually have.
But at the very least, when he was with her, he felt more comfortable and at ease than with anyone else.
Even so, Baek Socheon still kept himself one step removed from their relationship.
He wasn’t looking toward a future together.
It wasn’t because she was an assassin.
Rather, it was because he had never once imagined truly falling in love with someone and building a family.
Two lonely people could meet for a while and then part without resentment.
And if there was no one to accompany him, he could simply continue alone.
That had always been Baek Socheon’s view of love.
“From now on, call me Socheon.”
“What?”
“You’re always saying ‘hey’ or ‘you.’ Just call me by my name comfortably.”
“Really?”
“We’re close enough for that now, aren’t we?”
“Well, of course.”
Cheongeuk smiled brightly.
“Then shall I try?”
“Go ahead.”
“Attend me, Socheon.”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Hehehe.”
She laughed like a child.
Who could possibly look at her like this and imagine that she was the King of Assassins?
“Socheon.”
“What?”
“Thank you.”
“For what? Just drink.”
Baek Socheon raised his cup, and Cheongeuk clinked hers against it.
Their eyes met as they lowered their cups.
Seeing how beautiful she looked, Baek Socheon unconsciously muttered,
“...Should I go withdraw that hundred thousand nyang?”
“...The bank is probably closed.”
“What a shame.”
Should I lend it to you?
Hiding that thought, Cheongeuk emptied another cup with him.
After setting down her empty cup, she leaned back and lay down.
“Ah, this is nice. I want to forget all about Alliance business and just drink and have fun like this!”
Baek Socheon moved beside her, lay down shoulder to shoulder, and imitated her.
“Ah, this is nice. I want to forget all about the Great War between the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions and just drink and have fun like this!”
“You know something?”
“What?”
“I read this in a book once. Apparently, forty percent of the things we worry about are things that will never happen. Worrying that the sky might fall, for example. Another thirty percent is worrying about things that have already happened—worrying over water that’s already been spilled. Twenty percent is made up of trivial things that aren’t worth worrying about at all. The things we genuinely need to worry about make up less than ten percent, yet we waste so much time worrying about the other ninety percent that we fail to properly deal with the worries that actually matter.”
“That sounds right.”
“Doesn’t it?”
Still lying down, the two turned their heads and looked at each other.
Cheongeuk felt different when seen like this.
There was a sensual beauty to her that instinctively stirred a man.
She possessed countless different kinds of charm.
But was it right for a man preparing for a battle to the death to fall in love with someone?
Among all the categories of worries Cheongeuk had just described, where exactly did this particular worry belong?
At that moment, the snow that had stopped earlier began falling again.
“Ah! It’s snowing again!”
Lying aboard the drifting boat, they watched the snow descend from the night sky.
It was more beautiful than any snowfall either of them had ever seen.
At least for this one moment tonight, the boat carrying the two of them was drifting toward a world where there was nothing to worry about.