Na Clan- 2
Naseoyu and Seonu Jin did not return to her room until much later.
At last, with a radiant smile much like the ones she had worn at the frontlines, Naseoyu said to him:
"Thank you, Lord Seonu. This is all thanks to you."
Seonu scratched his cheek awkwardly and shook his head.
"Ah, no… it's only natural. We're family, aren't we?"
Her brows lifted slightly.
"Family?"
He hurried to explain.
"I mean—our Seventh Unit is like a family, right? All of us! Hahaha!"
"Ah, yes. You're right. We are like family."
After a small cough to cover his embarrassment, Seonu asked:
"Ahem, so… what will you do now?"
Naseoyu's face grew thoughtful.
"Well, of course I'll refuse the marriage. The most important thing is Father's treatment."
She had only just learned that several months ago, her father had suffered internal injuries while subjugating nearby bandits. His condition had not been too severe at first, but one day it had suddenly worsened dramatically.
The clan lord himself suspected that it was merely his age and waning vitality.
"I wish I could speak with the physician treating Father… but I doubt she'll allow it."
It was obvious Madam Min would cooperate with nothing unless Naseoyu agreed to the marriage.
Seonu cautiously suggested:
"What if… we told her you already have a fiancé? That you cannot possibly marry another man, and that you must meet your father to make it clear?"
Naseoyu tilted her head.
It hardly seemed likely Madam Min would give up so easily—and even less likely she would believe such a claim.
"Would she really believe that?"
Seonu asked, a little sheepishly:
"What if… I acted as your fiancé? Not for real, just for this one time, of course. Haha…."
"What?!"
Naseoyu's eyes went round with surprise. But soon she burst out laughing and shook her head.
"No. There's no need to go that far, Lord Seonu. You've already done so much—I couldn't trouble you with something so unreasonable."
"O-oh… I see."
Seonu quickly hid his disappointment.
'It wouldn't be unreasonable at all….'
But Naseoyu, unaware of his feelings, continued:
"Since I've seen Father, perhaps it would be best to leave the Na Clan grounds for now. We could ask around for a skilled physician. What do you think?"
"Ah—yes, yes! That's a fine idea. I'm sure we'll find something useful. Let me work out a plan."
With that settled, Seonu left her room.
Naseoyu apologized:
"I'm sorry, Lord Seonu. I should have arranged proper quarters for you…."
"Haha, it's fine! I've spent so much time hiding lately that I'm practically an assassin now. Truly, I don't mind!"
It was, of course, a lie.
Of course he wanted a proper bed. But more than that, his heart was unsettled—torn between pride at making her smile, longing for his own father back at the Seonu estate, and bitterness at realizing that in her heart, he was still not seen as a man.
It was then that he spotted someone slipping out of the main gate.
"Where are you going at this hour, young master?" a guard asked.
"I have an appointment with friends," came the haughty reply.
It was Naseoyu's half-brother, Na seo hwang, striding out with several bodyguards.
Seonu's eyes narrowed.
"Hm."
And silently, he began to follow.
***
Na seo hwang's destination was a pleasure house on the outskirts of Heungui.
"Ah, Young Master Na! You've come at last! Lady Aehyang has been pining away, waiting for you!"
"Hmph. I was delayed by important matters. You didn't take another guest in the meantime, did you?"
"Of course not, Young Master! Lady Aehyang has eyes only for you. Please, go right in!"
It was plain from the exchange that Na seo hwang was a regular here.
Clearly, his talk of meeting friends had been a lie.
"Tch."
Seonu clicked his tongue. He had hoped to glean something useful by tailing him, but this seemed like nothing more than debauchery.
He concealed himself in the branches of a tree nearby and settled into quiet meditation. He had grown so accustomed to stealth lately that it no longer felt unnatural—he almost felt more skilled than most professional assassins.
Time passed.
At last, Na seo hwang emerged from the house, smiling smugly.
"Take care, Young Master!"
"Hm. I'll return again soon."
With two bodyguards at his side, he began to make his way back toward the Na Clan estate.
Seonu slipped ahead, choosing a spot on the path to lie in wait.
Na seo hwang, oblivious, strutted along with a swagger, remarking loudly:
"What a fine night breeze!"
The night air was indeed cooler than the day's oppressive heat, but nothing about it was unusually fine.
No, the comfort he felt came from within.
After all, there was nothing left to trouble him.
His foolish sister had taken his place at the frontlines, his ailing father would soon pass, and he would inherit the position of clan lord—all before the age of twenty.
True, the death of the Na Clan's foremost martial expert would leave them weakened, and rival forces might circle like vultures.
But Na seo hwang had no concern for that.
Because he had a plan.
'Once that stupid girl is married into the Killing Hand Gang, they'll be our backers. Heh heh heh.'
Yes, sending Naseoyu into a political marriage was his solution. The Killing Hand Gang was on the rise, and with them behind the Na Clan, no neighbor would dare threaten them.
The thought filled him with glee.
'Soon, I'll live a comfortable life as Clan Lord. Hahaha!'
Lost in delusions of grandeur, he noticed a shadow approaching on the path ahead.
"Hm?"
He frowned at once.
Perhaps because the road was otherwise empty, but something about the man's stride irritated him—it was too bold, too assured.
He glanced back at his two guards.
"That fellow annoys me. Go deal with him so he doesn't bother me."
A ridiculous order, but the guards obeyed without protest.
"Yes, Young Master."
Such tasks were nothing new to them.
The two burly men strode forward and barked:
"Hey, you! Our Young Master summons you. Come quietly!"
The man paused briefly… then resumed walking, straight toward them.
Na seo hwang grinned, watching their shadows merge. He wondered idly how best to amuse himself with the stranger once the guards had roughed him up.
But then—
Crack!
"Aaargh!"
"Gwaaaah!"
"Eh?"
Na seo hwang blinked.
The screams weren't from the stranger—they were from both of his guards.
Among the three shadows, two suddenly collapsed to the ground.
Na seo hwang's eyes widened in disbelief, blinking rapidly.
"No way…?"
Had both of his guards been taken down? Impossible. Surely not….
But when he heard the voice of the man approaching, he could no longer deny it.
The stranger spoke in a tone of mocking disbelief.
"I'd only meant to rough you up a little, but to think you'd be the one to pick a fight first. Truly, there's no bastard like this kind of bastard."
Realizing the insult was directed at him, Na seo hwang flared up, shouting:
"You cur! Do you have any idea who I am?!"
Even in such a situation, he let his emotions lead him. He had never truly faced a real crisis before.
And then—
Whack!
A kick invisible to the eye smashed into his thigh.
"Gaaaahhh!"
The pain was so excruciating it felt like his innards were about to burst out, like a lightning bolt had struck through his entire body.
With a single strike, his thigh bone was broken—but he didn't even have the presence of mind to grasp that.
As his mind went blank, the cold voice rang out again:
"Na seo hwang. Do you know your crimes?"
"W-what?!"
He understood at least one thing: this man knew him. He had been targeted from the start.
But he had no time to think further, for the stranger's foot came down hard—this time crushing only the thumb of his left hand.
Crunch!
"Aaaaaghhh!"
The agony was unbearable. Tears poured down his face as he broke into instinctive pleading.
"Spare me! Please, spare me!"
A lifetime of arrogance and indulgence shattered in an instant.
Na seo hwang had never suffered real pain, never endured hardship—he had no mental strength, no tolerance for agony. His mind contained only one thought: I don't want to die.
The cold voice pressed him again:
"I asked if you know your crimes."
"Y-yes?!"
But before he could comprehend, the man's heel crushed his little finger.
Crack!
"Gaaaaaahhh!"
The torment was so blinding he writhed like a worm, shrieking.
The voice came again, merciless.
"Seems you don't even know your sins."
With all reason gone, only survival instinct remained. Na seo hwang babbled desperately:
"No, I know! I know them well! I've committed mortal sins!"
The man chuckled coldly.
"Is that so? Then tell me—what crimes have you committed?"
"…Wh-what?!"
His face went slack. He had no idea who this man was, let alone what wrongs the stranger meant.
But he had no time to hesitate.
The heel ground mercilessly into his ring finger.
Snap!
"Uwaaaaaaaghhh!"
The torture left him no choice. Na seo hwang began blurting out his sins one after another.
"S-sorry! I deliberately came two hours late to keep Lady Aehyang from serving other customers!"
But the man's foot shifted lightly onto his middle finger. Apparently, that wasn't the answer he wanted.
So Na seo hwang stammered on through tears, confessing everything in frantic desperation.
"And yesterday—I saw a woman on the street who looked pretty, so I—!"
The pressure increased.
Na seo hwang sobbed and poured out every crime he could recall, starting from the most recent.
Most of them were vile—beating innocents, assaulting commoner women—and yes, even what he had done to his elder sister, Naseoyu.
It seemed even he recognized that his treatment of her was a crime.
And then came a confession that seized Seonu Jin's interest.
Through sobs, Na seo hwang cried out:
"My mother gave Father poison, so he would hand over the clan leader's seat sooner! But it wasn't me—it was my mother's doing, all on her own!"
"Oh?"
Poison?
So that was why the clan lord's old injuries had suddenly flared up.
Seonu listened silently as the young man spilled every sordid deed.
His conclusion was clear: this was filth undeserving of life.
But he did not kill him.
For all his vileness, he was still Naseoyu's brother. Better to hear her thoughts before acting. And if he killed him here, she might guess it had been his doing.
"And… and…."
Running out of confessions, Na seo hwang searched desperately for more sins to list.
Seonu's cold voice cut him off.
"It seems you at least know some of your crimes. For that, I will not kill you."
At once, the tear-streaked face lit up with desperate joy.
"R-really?! Th-thank you! Thank you, thank you!"
But in the very next instant—
Thud!
"Ghhhk!"
A swift kick to the head knocked him unconscious.
Seonu straightened, leaving him crumpled on the ground.
His thigh was shattered, but his guards only had an arm broken. They would all be able to limp back.
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