In No Hee-bang’s opinion, it was unclear what the purpose of the Ma-gyo’s scheme was, but it was clear that it was not just a simple way to make money.
If the goal was just to make money, there was no reason for women as wealthy as the So-gyoju to be involved in such a scheme, with only one target.
Although there were many people involved, the Ma-gyo’s pride was not low, and it would have been more in line with the Ma-gyo’s character to have already crushed or forced out the opposition.
In other words, something quite important was at stake in this business, and as a Ma-gyo, No Hee-bang could not easily dismiss his “painful method.”
“But I didn’t know it would be so easy to let them go.”
With an ambitious look, No Hee-bang spoke as he left the Un-ga Sangdan, where he had been trapped for almost two weeks.
After thinking for a moment, Young-ho Kyung came to a conclusion and ordered that they should try to summarize the discussions they had had so far and leave without attracting attention at night.
The other Ma-gyos seemed hesitant to accept it, but as the So-gyoju had made the decision, they seemed to have no choice but to accept it.
“I thought we would keep at least one person, but it’s surprising.”
Kang Yoon, who was walking beside him, chimed in. In fact, he knew very well what had happened, but he didn’t show it on the surface.
Three middle-aged women and one young man. Although Young-ho Kyung seemed a little hesitant, he had released them all without exception.
And this was also a factor that made No Hee-bang worry.
“I thought there might be a spy among the people who released them…”
No Hee-bang didn’t believe it was a pure coincidence, and he thought that someone among the three had been instructed by the Ma-gyo to lure them in.
And he thought that the person who was least likely to be guilty of holding them hostage was the most unlikely one.
Hwang Bo-hyo-sun, who had only accompanied him on the journey and did not interfere, was the least likely, and Kang Yoon, who had come here with a sudden claim, or Mong-a, who had agreed with him, was one of the two.
“Maybe it’s both, but the probability is low.”
And if it was one of the two, No Hee-bang thought that the probability of it being Mong-a was higher. Originally, he couldn’t feel much difference between the two, but during their captivity, Mong-a’s appearance seemed to improve day by day, which made him even more suspicious.
No Hee-bang couldn’t have guessed that the smoothness of her skin was due to the effects of the lantern maker’s work. At that moment, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun’s voice brought No Hee-bang back to reality.
“No Bangju, do we have a place to stay in Bunta?”
“Oh, I didn’t think of that. Of course, there’s no place for three people to stay properly in a beggar’s den… Before we go to Bunta, we should go to an inn first.”
Unlike No Hee-bang, who took good care of her body as a woman, the other open-air workers were full of unwashed men. Moreover, it would be chaotic to search for information with a lantern at night, so the group asked a few people who were clearing the tables and found an inn to stay in.
No Hee-bang was always a calm woman. Although her temperament was usually calm, she sometimes pretended to be drunk to disguise herself, and there was a reason for that. As a woman leading the giant door of openness, there were many people inside and outside who doubted her abilities.
So, when she showed her confusion, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun and Mong-a could enjoy watching her. “Am I really going in with you? No, I think I’ll pass…” No Hee-bang couldn’t resist being pushed by Mong-a, who had become more lighthearted in the past few days, while Hwang Bo-hyo-sun seemed to lose her energy.
When the door opened, there was a bathtub filled with steaming water. “This should be enough for about three people. Hurry up and wash up and come in.” “…Yes.”
Originally, No Hee-bang had no plans to stay in an inn. Only the group couldn’t spend the night in the beggar’s den, and No Hee-bang, who had been wandering around such places for decades, had no problem. So she planned to go to Bunta first. However, since there were many things that were inconvenient to do if only No Hee-bang went first, the group persuaded her to stay with them.
But when they asked for the bathwater, they were embarrassed to find that there was no firewood left in the inn. “…Kang Yoon is a strange person.” No Hee-bang said as she watched the water flowing through her fingers.
When the weather was cold and they used too much firewood, the innkeeper said it would be difficult to light a fire in another room. Kang Yoon volunteered to heat the water.
Although it was certain that the Su Taeum Pae Gyeong would have a tremendous effect when sprayed in the Jangsim, Kang Yoon was a strange person who only heated water with his remarkable skills.
Meanwhile, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun, who was thinking only of Kang Yoon, agreed with a weak voice.
“He’s a strange person…”
“Come to think of it, when we briefly shared a room before, he heated water like this. But Kang So-hyeop was busy with martial arts…”
“Oh, nothing happened, right?!”
No Hee-bang, who was not hesitant to speak, showed a puzzled expression at Hwang Bo-hyo-sun’s reaction.
“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, no, it’s nothing…”
Hwang Bo-hyo-sun’s eyes wandered in the air.
Same room, bathwater.
If it had been Hwang Bo-hyo-sun instead of No Hee-bang, she could have easily made a move. But she couldn’t explain that fact, which was too embarrassing to reveal, so she awkwardly stumbled over her words.
“Oh, it’s nothing…”
“Hmm… I see.”
Unaware of No Hee-bang’s gaze, which she didn’t fully understand, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun had a complicated feeling that the man didn’t ridicule other women.
As she felt a subtle joy in that feeling, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun shook her head, and Mong-a, who had finished washing up, slipped into the bathwater, nudging her.
Although it was a bit cramped for three people, the women didn’t want to ask Kang Yoon to heat the water several times, so they silently got into the bath.
But Mong-a noticed that No Hee-bang was hunching her body, even though she and Hwang Bo-hyo-sun often awkwardly avoided each other’s breasts and found a comfortable position. No Hee-bang finally sighed deeply and revealed her situation.
“To be honest… There are hardly any women in the room, so I’m not used to washing with others.”
“Oh…? Ah…”
The Amipana was composed entirely of women, but even if it was a giant, it was common for female students like Hwang Bo-hyo-sun to bathe together. However, as someone who had lived hiding her identity as a woman among men, No Hee-bang found the current situation awkward.
Even the other two people who were used to bathing together had never been so close, so it was natural for No Hee-bang’s gaze to lose focus on the swaying breasts in front of her.
Above all, the feeling of realizing that she was a woman herself was strange, as she was completely naked and exposed.
“Oh, come to think of it…”
Earlier, Hwang Bo-hyo-sun asked if anything had happened, but in fact, something had happened. She suddenly remembered the memory of last night. The strong scent of the man that stimulated her nose. The firm embrace of the man. The hot and rough…
Slap.
“Roommate…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
No Hee-bang hit her own cheek with a stern thought and denied anything when the two women’s gazes gathered on her.
Her behavior was strangely similar to Hwang Bo-hyo-sun’s earlier reaction.
Suddenly, some unexpected guys called Yongunsangdan barged in and caused a commotion at noon today.
In this unexpected situation, I was not feeling very good facing unexpected troublemakers.
With No Hee-bang accepting Yeonghogyeong’s proposal, the No Hee-bang route was half-blocked, and there was more to think about with these useless guys interfering.
But who knew this could be a blessing in disguise?
“When you say ‘just let it go,’ are you sure it’s okay?”
When No Hee-bang asked to be freed from this situation, I had a hunch that it could be an opportunity.
So I persuaded Yeonghogyeong and got his approval to get out of this situation.
Of course, Yeonghogyeong didn’t just agree easily because I asked him, and he probably accepted it because there was a guarantee that we would all come back.
“As you may have guessed, getting out of there doesn’t mean it’s over. We have to go back.”
No Hee-bang, who came out of the bath with a moist look, spoke seriously. She was a beauty who could rival Mong-a and Hwang Bo-hyo-sun even with a thin layer of clothing on top, so I enjoyed looking at her.
But I couldn’t just watch, so I nodded my head and accepted her words.
“Are you trying to understand the internal situation of Yongunsangdan?”
“Yes. In the process of meeting with the Yongunsangdan leader for the past few days, I have grasped the products and market situation they mainly handle, but it’s still not enough.”
“Then why bother getting out of there? Oh, do you plan on asking for help from the Mu-rim-maeng…?”
Hwang Bo-hyo-sun looked at me with anxious eyes, her words trailing off. I wanted to send Jeon-eum to reassure her, but I decided to turn my gaze away from her instead.
“Well, even if we ask for help from Mu-rim-maeng, it would be difficult for them to intervene right away. Besides, just contacting them could be the final warning to the Ma-gyo.”
“The final warning…?”
“It seems like the Ma-gyo has high expectations for this ‘logistics business.’ As evidence, didn’t they show such caution even when dealing with just the Yongunsangdan, not even the Gupa-do?”
“That’s right.”
“But what if this significant business is ruined because of Mu-rim-maeng’s intervention? Even if we don’t know much, it’s bound to make them angry, right?”
“Ah…!”
No Hee-bang made a gesture of clenching her fists and hitting them together, implying the possibility of a power struggle. Hwang Bo-hyo-sun nodded as if she understood.
“Moreover, the justification is weak. Even if the opponent is the Ma-gyo, there are many obstacles to restraining them from the Mu-rim-maeng’s side when they are just quietly doing business.”
“Kang So-hyup is right. That’s why I plan to use the information network of Bonbang not only to suppress the Yongunsangdan but also to come up with a countermeasure against the Ma-gyo.”
“What kind of countermeasure?”
“That’s…”
No Hee-bang spoke vaguely and smiled charmingly.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her face, which was illuminated by the light of the lantern, as she lightly touched her wet hair with her fingertips. I unintentionally let out a sigh when I heard her continue speaking.
“Well, we’ll have to think about that from now on.”
“…Ah, okay.”
No Hee-bang looked at me with a puzzled expression for a moment, then started talking about how to deal with the Yongunsangdan, but I couldn’t hear the details.
As expected, my mind was filled with the thought of devouring No Hee-bang.
I had always planned to make a move if the opportunity arose, but my thoughts also included calculations to receive the help of her liberal faction.
“But now, I’ll definitely devour her…!”
Perhaps it was because of her position as a liberal faction leader, or maybe it was a means to hide her own appearance, but No Hee-bang usually looked pitiful and helpless.
However, even if she was in such a state, just by taking a bath and dressing up a little, she revealed her true beauty, which could quickly show her worth.
“…So-hyup? Are you listening?”
I discarded the thought of waiting for an opportunity. I didn’t even consider the fact that she was the leader of the Openness.
Now was the chance to slip away from the Yongunsangdan, who were being chased by the Magyo. I would return in a few days, but in the meantime, I had to create an opportunity to dig deep into her.
“Kang So-hyeop…”
“Ah, I was lost in thought for a moment. Please continue.”
“…Okay.”
No Hee-bang, who was peering at me, continued to talk about the new leader of the Yongunsangdan, but I was lost in thought again.
‘Where and how can I poke her to make her fall…’
When the day breaks tomorrow, I’ll head to the Openness’s business district. There might be something I can find out there.
If things go well and I succeed in making No Hee-bang fall, I must make sure she never dresses like a beggar again.
