CH 6
At the same time, the door slammed open.
“Hey, why aren’t you answering? Hiding a woman in here or something? Wait—you never keep the folding screen unfolded.”
“You damn lunatic!”
As Jang Iseo marched toward the folding screen, Gyeomsaik’s eyes bulged in shock, and he instantly gripped the sword at his waist.
Jang Iseo snorted, spun sharply, and dropped into a seat.
“Just joking. Since when does the Great Leader need women? You’ve probably stashed more ill-gotten money again. Take it easy. You’ll get indigestion.”
Jang Iseo shook his head dismissively. Gyeomsaik trembled at the sight. That slimy bastard. After ten years together, he’s not just climbing the ranks—he’s trying to rival me now. At least he used to have some charm.
Gyeomsaik slammed the desk and barked,
“Why are you here?”
“Since when is there somewhere I can’t go? The Espionage Unit’s chief visiting the Great Leader’s quarters? Obviously here to report.”
“Then show some decorum! Full uniform, mask—the whole damn thing! Get lost, you brat!”
“What’s your problem? I’m off duty today.”
“Exactly, you idiot! If you’re off duty, rest. Who told you to skulk around? Making the Espionage Unit a laughingstock? Everyone agreed to take a break, and you’re wrecking it? Out, now!”
“Ugh, why are you like this today? Seriously.”
Jang Iseo roared and shot to his feet. After glaring venomously at Gyeomsaik, he sighed deeply, pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket, and slapped it onto the desk.
“Enough nonsense. Stamp this, and I’m gone. Just approve it here.”
“You’ve lost your mind. Who’s the target this time? You’re definitely scheming something, you little shit.”
A familiar scene. Jang Iseo was the Espionage Unit’s star—acting first, reporting later. His presence on a day off meant he’d sniffed out something major.
“I’ll handle it. Now leave. Understood?”
“Yeah, yeah. Hurry up. I’m busy.”
Protocol demanded careful review and discussion, but urgency pressed today. A cold dread whispered that if today passed, that folding screen would need discarding.
Cough. Gyeomsaik cleared his throat and pulled the seal from a side drawer.
“You brat… what is this?”
“Nothing major. A position transfer recommendation.”
“‘Nothing major’? A position—what the hell, you punk?!”
Swish! The chipped sword from Gyeomsaik’s waist slashed horizontally.
“Shit!”
Jang Iseo jerked backward as the blade whistled past his chest. Swish! The chipped edge gleamed dangerously close. A narrow dodge—a decade’s reflexes at work.
“Have you lost your mind? What the hell?!”
Jang Iseo staggered back, horrified.
“You little shit. Spit it out. What did you do?”
“What could I’ve done?”
“Don’t tell me you tangled with the Sect Leader’s kids?!”
“What’s with you today?”
“That’s it—die!”
Swish! The sword flew faster this time. But anticipated strikes differ from ambushes. Jang Iseo kicked the desk hard, skidding it backward to create space.
Yet Gyeomsaik pounced like a tiger, vaulting onto the desk with a thud and slashing downward.
“Gah!”
Crash! Jang Iseo tumbled sideways, evading the strike. This humiliation…
“You brat! Halt! By the Great Leader’s authority—stop!”
“Screw your authority! Ugh!”
Swish! Swish! Gyeomsaik’s relentless strikes forced Jang Iseo into a corner. Back against the wall, he flung out a hand and yelled:
“Enough! Listen! I didn’t do anything wrong!”
“Then explain this! A transfer? Weren’t you the one who said, ‘The Espionage Unit outlives even the Sect’?”
“I just… want a change of pace.”
“Madman. Say you want to quit, and I’ll believe you—after cutting off your hand!”
“I’m serious! Great Leader—we’re close, so hear me: you’ve gone too far. Give others a chance. How long will you hog everything? A pig, are you?”
Ah.
“Sorry—I mean… Wait! Great Leader! Ah—!”
Swish! The blade flew again.
But Jang Iseo wasn’t one to take beatings quietly.
Clang! Metal shrieked as swords collided.
Gyeomsaik’s face twisted like a demon’s. His blade lay shattered, while Jang Iseo’s sword—drawn from his waist—gleamed pristine, its golden sheen blinding.
“You…”
Jang Iseo sheathed his blade and offered it respectfully, scabbard and all.
“Think I’d ask with just words? Toss that chipped scrap. Let’s use this. Heard of it? The Golden Slash Sword—slice a duck’s belly, and gold pours out. It’s yours now.”
Flash! Gyeomsaik’s eyes widened. The Golden Slash Sword—Pyeongsanja’s legendary masterpiece.
His trembling hand gripped the hilt. As he met Jang Iseo’s gaze, realization struck:
He’s dead serious.
#Did he come here because he’s into me? (3)
