Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 110: Jaseung, Reveals More

Dan Woobin spoke with the brightest face he had shown in recent days.

“Congratulations.”

Lee Jaseung looked a little awkward, not like his usual self.

“I think it’s still too early for congratulations.”

Then Mujin, who had been standing behind, laughed and said,

“I heard you were slapped as well?”

Lee Jaseung glanced upward into the air and spoke.

“Our guard Captain has a loose tongue.”

Then from above, came a hurried reply.

“I didn't say a word.”

For a moment, Lee Jaseung was confused. Mujin wore a mischievous smile.

Lee Jaseung gave a faint chuckle. He had fallen for Mujin’s teasing guess.

“Well, I expected as much anyway.”

At this, Dan Woobin raised his thumb and spoke.

“As expected, you are admirable.”

It was Dan Woobin who seemed happier than even Lee Jaseung. Just as Mujin said, he was deeply invested in the relationship between Lee Jaseung and Baek Seolyoung.

‘Only if the two of you turn out well, we too will prosper.’

That was how he genuinely felt.

“To be honest, I worried a great deal. I thought Lord Baek might even run away from home.”

At Dan Woobin’s words, Mujin answered,

“She is not the type of person to do that. Though she may appear fragile, she has surprising strength. She is not the type to escape reality irresponsibly.”

Lee Jaseung smiled faintly. She was much stronger than Mujin imagined. That was precisely why he had worried and struggled more.

This time Ma Young-gi offered a polite bow.

“Congratulations.”

Lee Jaseung smiled back. He didn't know if her heart might change, but at least one obstacle had been passed.

After speaking to her honestly, he felt so unburdened.

With that feeling in his heart, Lee Jaseung spoke cheerfully.

“Alright, let us return to business.”

It was time to set aside private matters for a while and focus on what was serious. Personal affairs mattered, but the tasks before them would decide the success or failure of their great cause.

Dan Woobin stepped forward and spoke.

“Ban Yeo’s fall is a great opportunity. We must seize his place in his absence.”

The problem was how.

“How?”

“There are two simple ways. Either gain the favor of the Alliance Leader, or seize his weakness.”

“Do you already have something in mind?”

“I am still considering. As you know, the Alliance Leader is not an easy man. Approach carelessly and he will sense suspicion immediately.”

“Does he not have any weaknesses?”

“Nothing has been discovered yet.”

“No weaknesses huh?”

Lee Jaseung narrowed his eyes. That couldn't be true. As far as he knew, no human was without weakness, whether of body or of mind.

No matter how perfect someone appeared, there was always some hollow within.

Then, suddenly an image came to Lee Jaseung’s mind.

It was the day he first met Jang Wonso, when Baek Seolyoung was beside him.

That day, Jang Wonso had held Baek Seolyoung’s hand and couldn't hide his desire.

Lee Jaseung had sensed it then.

The lust of an old beast toward a woman.

“Investigate the Alliance Leader’s dealings with women.”

At his words, Dan Woobin’s eyes gleamed. For Lee Jaseung to give such an order meant he had sensed something. Moreover, the Alliance Leader was publicly believed to be pure when it came to women.

“Dig deep.”

At Lee Jaseung’s command, Dan Woobin replied with determination.

“I will unearth the roots of the iceberg.”

* * *

A few days later.

A carriage slipped out of the Murim Alliance compound under cover of night. Leaving through a passage at the rear that only the Leader used, it traveled for half an hour before arriving at a secluded estate.

As the carriage arrived, the gates opened at once. It rolled inside.

Clearly this was not its first visit. The horses didn't neigh once and moved straight into a large warehouse at the edge of the yard.

When the doors shut, silence fell as if nothing had happened.

Far away, atop a tree, a masked man hid. He was a warrior of the Three-Eyed Pavilion. Specializing in tracking and surveillance, he was one of the best at shadowing techniques.

Yet even he couldn't pursue further. Around the warehouse of this ordinary-looking estate, masters lurked like a swarm of ants.

But this alone was enough. Inside that carriage that had stolen out for this suspicious night journey, sat Jang Wonso.

* * *

The long nights of toil by the Three-Eyed Pavilion warrior became vital intelligence, delivered through Dan Woobin.

“You were right, my Lord. Once every seven days the Alliance Leader holds a lewd banquet.”

At the report, Lee Jaseung asked,

“And the women?”

“Of every sort. Maidens from households, courtesans, even kidnappings it seems.”

“Kidnapping as well?”

“Yes. Jang Wonso seems pathologically obsessed with women. He has a unit devoted solely to procuring them.”

“And yet no rumors?”

“It means those who handle this are no ordinary men.”

Lee Jaseung’s lips curled in a cold smile. That meant every measure was taken to keep it secret. Murder and extermination would not be spared.

Mujin frowned as he listened along.  

“So he was a vile piece of trash.”

Ma Young-gi spoke with a stiff face.

“He did not look the part.”

“That appearance is what fools them.”

Mujin, Ma Young-gi, and Dan Woobin all wore grim expressions.

They already knew of corruption in the Alliance, but the deeper they dug, the filthier it became.

“How should we use this?”

“As leverage, perhaps. But from what we know of Jang Wonso, the moment we try to blackmail him, he will move to eliminate us.”

“That is likely.”

Lee Jaseung thought so as well. That was not the confrontation they wanted.

Then Dan Woobin asked carefully,

“Would you perhaps consider joining him?”

He meant attending those lewd banquets.

Lee Jaseung frowned and shook his head. For the sake of purpose, he could do anything.

If the Black Way Alliance were collapsing, or if his men were dying, then he would attend not only a lewd banquet but anywhere at all.

But he concluded that now was not such a time. Above all, after confessing his true identity to Baek Seolyoung, how could he do such a thing within a few days? He was very against the idea.

Then Mujin raised his hand.

“I, however, am most willing to attend.”

Dan Woobin grinned and spoke.

“Of course. A lewd banquet suits you.”

“Lewdness and purity differ by only a sheet of paper.”

“That sounds clever, but it is a twisted excuse used by womanizers.”

“What is twisted is my innocence.”

Ignoring him, Dan Woobin looked at Ma Young-gi.

“Captain Ma, you must never stray down this path.”

Mujin laughed at Dan Woobin’s warning.

“The more you say not to, the more one wishes to as it’s human nature.”

Then Ma Young-gi suddenly spoke.

“I have already gone down it.”

Both Dan Woobin and Mujin looked shocked at his words. They shook their heads and naturally formed an alliance.

“With that face, how could that be possible?”

Mujin struck first, and Dan Woobin added force.

“What a boast! I never expected such a thing from him.”

“It means you still can’t judge people that well.”

“I’m going to have to admit that.”

One would expect some defense, but Ma Young-gi only held a proud look, as if he didn't care to explain.

“This angers me more than your fake claustrophobia.”

At Mujin’s outburst, Dan Woobin laughed loudly. It was always Mujin who ended up caught, no matter how unlikely it seemed.

When the teasing ended, Lee Jaseung asked Dan Woobin,

“Then have you found a solution?”

Dan Woobin answered with a serious face.

“Yes, though it is not easy.”

“Since when have we walked the easy path? What is it?”

“Do you remember her?”

“Who?”

“The Alliance Leader’s youngest disciple, Hwa Su.”

He remembered. He had met her at the last banquet.

“She holds some affection for you, my Lord. Not enough to be love-sick, but she does feel jealous of Lord Baek.”

Lee Jaseung nodded. He had sensed such jealousy that day.

“But you’re not telling me to seduce her right?”

“Would that be unacceptable?”

To his question, Lee Jaseung replied firmly.

“I am a married man.”

Mujin pulled a bitter face.

“Tasks like joining lewd banquets or seducing beautiful disciples, these great missions are passed to others, while I get sent to battlefields with flying weapons and traps!”

At this, Ma Young-gi nodded in sympathy. He still felt guilty for giving Mujin that mission.

Dan Woobin smiled and continued.

“I am not telling you to seduce her.”

“Then what?”

“Jang Wonso regularly holds such depraved feasts. Do you think a man like that would truly leave such a beautiful disciple untouched?”

Silence fell for a moment.

Lee Jaseung said coldly,

“If he really did such a thing…”

No more words were needed. They all thought the same. He was a human trash of the worst kind.

Dan Woobin looked at Lee Jaseung.

“I’m not telling you to approach Hwa Su as a man to woman. Just person to person. As far as I know, you are the best for this task, my Lord.”

Lee Jaseung nodded and said calmly,

“I will go see her.”

* * *

Before meeting Hwa Su, Lee Jaseung went to see Baek Seolyoung.

“I have another confession.”

“What now? That you have a hidden child somewhere, or that you are also heir to the Demonic Cult?”

Lee Jaseung hesitated for a moment, so Baek Seolyoung asked nervously.

“Is it worse than that?”

“In a sense.”

Since he had revealed his identity, this too was a secret she should know.

“The martial technique from your Limitless Iron Chest, I learned it.”

“What?”

Her eyes widened.

Before she could take it the wrong way, he quickly explained.

“It wasn’t on purpose of course. When you collapsed unconscious that day, it slipped from your robes. I opened it without thinking, and it showed me one set of movements and how to circulate the Qi.”

Though it was something that should have enraged her, she didn't get as angry as expected.

“It was yours from the start, so I will teach you the method now.”

As he was about to recite the technique, she shook her head and spoke.

“It’s fine. You don’t need to.”

“Why?”

“I have heard that each treasured martial art has its rightful owner. Right?”

“Yes.”

“If it opened before you, then it chose you.”

“But I married you. It ultimately means the technique also chose you.”

She smiled.

“That’s an overblown leap of logic.”

“You won’t regret it?”

“I will not.”

In the past, she would have regretted it. She would never even have said such words. She would have demanded it back, and she would have grown angry.

But now she has changed. Her feelings for him had deepened, and her mind grew stronger.

Success came not from greed, but from effort.

Seeing this in her, Lee Jaseung’s gaze softened warmly.  

Her gaze toward him was the same.

She was not angry at being deceived, but grateful he now told her the truth. It was something he could have kept hidden.

Another truth dawned on her.

That day, she had fainted while assassins chased her. When she woke up, she glimpsed a face. She had never remembered it clearly no matter how hard she tried.

Now, that vague face overlapped with Lee Jaseung’s.

‘Yes, he saved me that day as well.’

She had always wondered how she survived, and now she knew.

Thank you.

Another wall in her heart crumbled.

And one thought passed through her.

‘If a life that should have ended had lasted until now, then wouldn’t it be alright for me to live a different one from here on?’

But of course, she couldn't answer at once. For so long she had lived as one of the Orthodox Faction, and the clan she inherited was built on her father’s toil and hope.

Lee Jaseung was glad.

He had not expected her to accept it so calmly. That made him grateful, and she seemed more admirable than ever.

“I have another confession.”

At this she gave a small smirk. It was not a time to laugh, but she laughed anyway.

“Do not mistake my laughter as me accepting you. You better not!”

“Alright.”

“What is it?”

“I must go meet a woman right now.”

To that, Baek Seolyoung spoke with a serious expression.

“No! I’m coming too!”

It was half a joke, half truth.

At her reaction, Lee Jaseung smiled faintly. Because of this reaction from her, it made him feel much better. It felt as if they had grown closer.

It felt like a new wall stood between them, but was as if they sat back to back against it, speaking more freely through it.

“Sure, let’s go together.”

He meant it sincerely. After all, he intended to approach Hwa Su as a person, nothing more.

He walked a few steps and turned. But Baek Seolyoung still stood in place.

“Didn’t you want to come along?”

She smiled and replied.

“Next time. Take me only when you go to meet a fine man.”

Despite how angry she was at him right now, she knew when to follow and when not to.

Lee Jaseung turned away again and replied.

“Sorry, but I don’t think I can let that happen either.”