I Underestimated the Dumpling.
In a secluded place, two figures faced each other in a pavilion.
The man in black sat on the right, placing a gold coin on the table, then carefully stacking one coin after another until he had built a tower of ten coins.
The man in black spoke, "This time, the leader of the Sword Breaking Society has been quite troubled."
The ordinary-looking man across from him replied, "I will listen for now."
"My name is Lee Jaha. I am said to be the leader of a place called Hao Moon. Have you heard of it?"
"This is the first time I'm hearing of it."
"I hear your residence is fixed. It seems you have settled in the Black Cat Pavilion. I have heard you have many subordinates. Do you know Da Na Chal?"
"I do."
"I heard he was killed by Lee Jaha. That side's black-clad men, and even Master Su, have also been killed. Anyway, the young man's skills are enough to kill Da Na Chal, so keep that in mind."
"What should I bring after killing him?"
"It would be good to bring back his head. No, just confirming that he is dead would suffice."
The man in black looked at the man across the table.
"Is this Lee Jaha on your list?"
"No."
"Then do we have to send someone to assess his skills, and we have to pay for that preliminary work?"
"The cost is all included."
The man in black nodded and pointed to the ten gold coins on the table.
"How much more do we need to pay?"
"I will set it at one hundred common gold coins."
"Isn't that too expensive? He is not even someone well-known in the martial world."
"It is not expensive. If we fail, the one hundred gold coins will be returned to the Sword Breaking Society."
The man in black responded with a look of surprise.
"Returned?"
"After all, it would be our failure. However, you can request us again. Considering the skills of your deceased comrade, a more capable assassin will be dispatched. It is up to you whether to continue entrusting us or to seek others."
"What about the cost for a second request?"
"It will be doubled."
The man in black opened his mouth wide.
"Wow, that's too expensive. Two hundred gold coins?"
"It is not expensive. If we fail on the second request, the two hundred gold coins will also be returned to the Sword Breaking Society."
"Oh, I see. But with two hundred gold coins, wouldn't you be able to kill Sa Do Hyung?"
"Not at all. Sa Do Hyung has many subordinates on guard day and night. He is someone who is always wary of assassins, so the cost is much higher. Naturally, the Sword Breaking Society's assassins would be on high alert now."
The man in black nodded.
"Alright. Let's proceed with that. One hundred gold coins for Lee Jaha."
"It is prepaid."
With a snap of his fingers, a subordinate waiting outside the pavilion brought a box and placed it on the table.
While the negotiator from the assassin organization checked the gold coins inside the box, the man in black spoke to his subordinate.
"Give me that portrait. Since you have prepared it, hand it over."
"Yes."
The man in black placed the portrait on the table.
It was a rough depiction of Lee Jaha's appearance, clothing, and aura.
The man in black pointed with his finger.
"This is the one. The one who has made our busy leader very angry. Just looking at him, he seems quite rude, doesn't he?"
"I will take note of it, so you can take the portrait back."
"What kind of aura does this fellow have?"
"You can only know by seeing him in person."
The man in black glared at the portrait, then spun his finger near his temple.
"I have a knack for reading faces, and this fellow seems out of his mind. The artist who drew this emphasized the eyes too much. Doesn't he look like a madman?"
"Then we will start our work and inform you of the results."
The man in black nodded.
"Thank you for your efforts. Oh, but I also contacted you through our guild leader, so I don't know much. Things like the name of your assassin organization... If I am giving you this much money, I should know something. I need to report to the leader as well. Surely that isn't a secret?"
"We are called Ilwi Dogang (One Reed Crossing the River)."
"Ilwi Dogang, that's a pretty cool name for an assassin organization. I look forward to working with you. We are also in a very tense atmosphere with Nam Cheon Ryu. In times like this, having a lot of money is really..."
As the man in black spoke, a man from Ilwi Dogang stood up.
"Then I will contact you."
The man lightly bowed and left the pavilion with the box of common gold coins.
The man in black muttered, "Take care."
As the assassin walked away, the man in black turned to his subordinates and asked, "What do you think? Do they seem capable?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"They probably don't want to return the money, so they will do well, right?"
"Oh, that makes sense."
The man in black smiled and nodded.
"They will do well. No, wait. They might deliberately fail to receive double the payment."
"It would cost more to raise an assassin than that."
The man in black joined his subordinates and said, "That's true. Let's go. For now, Lee Jaha is a dead man, so don't worry about him."
"Yes."
Two days later, a man pulling a cart passed in front of the Black Cat Pavilion.
The next morning, a young man selling rice cakes walked by the Black Cat Pavilion.
In the afternoon, a peddler looking for a path glanced around before disappearing.
That night, it rained.
The next day, after the rain cleared, a man dressed in ordinary clothes looked at the wide-open front door of the Black Cat Pavilion before passing by.
The sounds of men training, mixed with groans and shouts, echoed loudly, causing passersby to glance at the Black Cat Pavilion as they walked by.
In the evening, the front door of the Black Cat Pavilion was closed.
On the afternoon of the third day, an assassin from Ilwi Dogang, who had been observing all these scenes from a room in a building some distance away, set down the jerky he was eating and focused on the front door.
Lee Jaha, presumed to be the leader of Hao Moon, was stretching in front of the door.
Someone peeked out from the door and asked, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going for a walk."
"Shall I go with you?"
"I'd rather not."
The assassin listened to the conversation while jotting down Lee Jaha's characteristics in a small booklet.
- Good at refusing.
- Has a sword at his waist.
- Young.
- Looks like he lacks sleep.
- His eyes are bloodshot.
- Good-looking.
- Expected to have a bad personality.
After confirming the direction in which Lee Jaha had disappeared, the assassin placed the booklet on the table, then left the room and went down the stairs.
A little later, as the assassin walked slowly in the direction Lee Jaha had gone, he passed a dumpling shop and waved his hand at the thick steam wafting out.
At that moment...
Suddenly, Lee Jaha appeared right in front of him, a large dumpling in his mouth, but the assassin calmly continued on his way.
From behind, he heard Lee Jaha's voice.
"Wow, wow, this is so delicious."
The young owner of the dumpling shop followed behind and asked, "Shall I pack some more for you, my lord?"
Lee Jaha swallowed the dumpling and replied casually, "Why? I'm going to eat it all myself."
"Oh, yes."
As the assassin kept his eyes forward while walking, he heard Lee Jaha's ridiculous humming from behind.
"I eat rice by myself, I eat dumplings by myself, I sing by myself."
"Take care."
"Yeah."
The assassin passed by four or five stalls selling various goods before entering a relatively quiet inn and sitting at an outside table.
Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind. 'Is he... crazy?'
A waiter approached and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
The assassin answered immediately, "Do you have jerky?"
"Yes."
"What about liquor?"
"We have Two River Liquor and Mureung Liquor."
"Give me Mureung Liquor."
"Please wait a moment."
In the past, assassins would wait in the latrine and dig into the ground to hide, but the assassins of Ilwi Dogang were not like that.
What they valued most was blending into everyday life.
They would eat when it was time, drink, visit taverns, and loosely monitor their assassination targets, attempting the assassination at the most opportune moment.
The waiter brought the jerky and Mureung Liquor and spoke to a man passing by.
"My lord, where are you going?"
"I'm going for a walk."
"A walk?"
"Inspection, spying, wandering, roaming, scouting, drifting, sightseeing, exploring."
"Wow, you do many things at once. Truly, you are the lord."
"That is me."
The assassin recognized that the voice of the one responding was Lee Jaha but did not look at him.
"......"
The waiter bothered Lee Jaha.
"My lord, haven't you been drinking lately? Have a glass of Two River Liquor before you go."
"I quit drinking."
"Don't lie."
The assassin was surprised by the waiter's tone and glanced at him for a moment. 'Has he lost his mind?'
As the assassin calmly poured a glass of Mureung Liquor, he overheard the conversation between Lee Jaha and the waiter.
"Hey, a few days ago, I had a big drinking party with my subordinates, and I almost died."
"Why?"
"Everyone got drunk, passed out, and vomited everywhere."
"You too, my lord?"
"Except for me. I stood guard all night."
"Wow, is it acceptable for a leader of the martial world to stand guard personally? Is that even right?"
"That's what I said."
"By the way, you declared war, didn't you? I read the notice too. In such a serious time, what is the meaning of drinking?"
"That's why I'm not drinking."
"Ah... Have a good walk, my lord."
"Thanks."
"Report if you see any strange people."
"If I do something, can I also enter the Black Cat Pavilion?"
"Don't be ridiculous."
"Yes."
For a moment, the conversation fell silent, and after finishing a glass of Mureung Liquor, the assassin finally turned his head to look at Lee Jaha's back.
Just then, the waiter approached with a strange look and asked the assassin, "My lord, is this your first time seeing him?"
"Oh, is that the lord of the Black Cat Pavilion? I heard he wears a mask."
"That was the previous lord. He is dead."
"I see."
The assassin said to the waiter, "Don't stare like that, go do your job."
"Yes. Oh, guest. I have a question."
"What is it?"
"If the Sword Breaking Society and Nam Cheon Ryu fought, who do you think would win? I've heard so many opinions lately, and I'm really curious."
"What are people saying?"
"Well, they say the forces are similar, but the Sword Breaking Society has more money, so they would have the advantage in a prolonged battle. Others say that in terms of strength, Sa Do Hyung of Nam Cheon Ryu is the strongest, so Nam Cheon Ryu would win."
The waiter naturally pulled out a chair and sat across from the assassin.
The assassin chuckled.
"Everyone seems very interested in other people's fights."
"The conversations while drinking are usually predictable. Just give me a glass too."
"Hmm."
Unable to refuse the waiter's perfectly timed request, the assassin poured him a glass of Mureung Liquor.
Holding the cup with both hands, the waiter slightly bowed his head.
"Thank you."
"What do you think? Who do you think will win?"
"Just a moment. Let me drink this first and then I'll tell you."
The waiter downed the Mureung Liquor and wiped his mouth with his sleeve before speaking.
"For now... the Sword Breaking Society is in for a tough time, win or lose."
"Why?"
"The rumor that the lord who just passed by will not let the Sword Breaking Society off the hook has spread widely."
"So why?"
"They say the Sword Breaking Society is of lower quality. They have money, so they hire assassins recklessly. They're a bunch of trash."
"......"
"They're committing assassinations here and there. On the other hand, it seems that Sa Do Hyung of Nam Cheon Ryu still maintains the old martial world spirit, engaging in one-on-one duels and such. So for now, our lord intends to completely destroy the Sword Breaking Society first. Did you know? All the black-clad men who used to occupy a spot here were killed by our lord. You've heard of that, right?"
"I don't know much."
"Wow, do I have to tell you this too? There's a whole bundle of stories."
"Still, the Black Cat Pavilion is a small faction. The Sword Breaking Society is a coalition of several black-clad forces; I wonder if they can compete."
"Oh, is the Sword Breaking Society that big? I wouldn't know."
Just as the assassin was about to respond, he suddenly fell silent and focused ahead.
Lee Jaha, who had said he was going for a walk, was returning with his hands behind his back.
The waiter turned his head, following the assassin's gaze, and spoke.
"My lord, is your walk already over?"
"Hey."
"Yes."
"Give me some Two River Liquor. A dumpling got stuck in my throat. I underestimated the dumpling. I shouldn't underestimate dumplings."
"Understood."
As the waiter went inside, the assassin had no choice but to stare blankly at Lee Jaha.
While pondering how to respond in such a situation, the waiter quickly returned with Two River Liquor.
"My lord, shall we drink here? Oh, I was discussing the Sword Breaking Society and Nam Cheon Ryu with this gentleman; should we join tables?"
"Really?"
"Oh, please do. It would be nice if everyone knows each other."
Without permission, the waiter placed the Two River Liquor on the assassin's table.
"Come on, sit down. Is it alright with you, guest?"
The assassin let out a slight sigh without saying a word.
Then he heard Lee Jaha's voice.
"Jang Sam Ah."
That seemed to be the waiter's name.
"Yes."
"You go inside."
"Yes? Oh, understood."
After confirming Lee Jaha's expression, the waiter hesitated before entering the inn.
When the assassin slightly raised his gaze from the table, Lee Jaha sat down across from him.
"......"
After contemplating, the assassin finally spoke.
"Let's share the table. I heard you are the lord of the Black Cat Pavilion from the waiter."
The assassin saw Lee Jaha smile slightly and asked, "Why are you smiling like that?"
"Where are you from?"
"Oh, I am from Seokpyeong, just visiting some acquaintances..."
"No, no, no."
"......"
"Who sent you here? You don't seem to understand."
The assassin remained silent, staring at Lee Jaha.
The assassination target pulled a dagger from his bosom and placed it on the table.