Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 275

275. A Toast to Your Misfortune

A gentle smile appeared on Head Butler Kang’s face as he looked at Unhyun.

“Anyone can make mistakes. Even if it’s a painful past…”

Head Butler Kang said to Unhyun,

“If you have the courage to face it head-on, you can overcome it.”

“…Face it?”

“That’s right.”

Head Butler Kang nodded.

“Those who avoid their failures and past will only continue to be haunted. The wounds won’t heal, and the pain will only deepen. The only way to overcome the past is to acknowledge it and face it.”

“But…”

Unhyun frowned and lowered his head.

“If I can never see them again, if there’s no chance to ask for forgiveness, what should I do?”

“That’s not true.”

Unhyun looked up.

Head Butler Kang said in a gentle voice,

“The opportunity will surely come. Heaven desires forgiveness, not punishment.”

Unhyun gritted his teeth.

Grasping the cup as if to crush it, Unhyun groaned.

“But… I…”

“Young Master can start again.”

Head Butler Kang smiled.

“Scars will remain, but the wounds will heal. And you will live again, if Young Master doesn’t run away from his mistakes or turn a blind eye to them.”

Head Butler Kang said in a gentle voice,

“Young Master can definitely do it.”

His eyes were incredibly warm.

Unhyun felt like he was about to burst into tears.

He probably would have if it weren’t for a sudden interruption.

“Isn’t that Kang, the Head Butler of the Unga Merchant Group?”

Head Butler Kang was startled by the young man’s voice.

He was probably so focused on his conversation with Unhyun that he hadn’t noticed anyone approaching.

Turning his head, Head Butler Kang soon recognized the owner of the voice.

“Ah, aren’t you the Third Young Master of the Ho Family?”

Head Butler Kang tried to get up from his seat.

The young man was Ho Yeon-gi, the third son of the Ho Family, a fairly large martial arts clan in Gwangju.

However, the moment Head Butler Kang saw Ho Yeon-gi’s face, he realized that something was wrong.

Ho Yeon-gi had spoken as if he had met them by chance, but his eyes were filled with murderous intent.

And that murderous intent was directed at none other than Unhyun.

***

A little while ago, in a room on the second floor of Nanhwa House.

“Oh my, that’s really…”

The dreamy voice of a woman echoed, as if intoxicated.

In a small room surrounded by ornate curtains, Ha Yeong-ryeong wore a gentle smile.

“That’s amazing.”

Clink.

The small jade ornaments hanging from her white, slender wrist clinked against each other.

Her red lips, touching the wine glass, looked alluring under the lamplight.

“Hahaha. How can you say it’s that surprising, Ha Mae [a respectful term for a woman, often used in a courtesan setting]?”

Ho Yeon-gi, the third son of the Ho Family, laughed heartily.

Gwangju was a region where three major local martial arts clans formed spheres of influence.

The Ho Family, one of these clans, was a force to be reckoned with, having a protection agreement with Nanhwa House.

However, Ho Yeon-gi himself, as the third son, was not highly regarded for his martial arts skills.

Ho Yeon-gi, who had been laughing, spoke in a subtle voice.

“…Ha Mae.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong in front of him was an exceptionally beautiful woman.

Her captivating appearance under the lamplight made Ho Yeon-gi’s heart flutter.

Besides, wasn’t it well known that she was quite liberal?

“Ha Mae looks truly beautiful today.”

“Oh my, thank you.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong replied with a smile.

However, she had already noticed that Ho Yeon-gi’s eyes had been glancing at various parts of her body for some time.

Clatter.

Setting down the wine glass she was holding, Ha Yeong-ryeong stood up from her seat.

“Ha, Ha Mae. Where are you going…?”

“Just a moment.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong gave an alluring smile and slightly pulled back the curtain.

Then, leaving the restless Ho Yeon-gi behind, she left the room without hesitation.

Thump, thump.

Ha Yeong-ryeong’s expression hardened as she left the room.

She quickly moved towards the stairs leading down to the first floor of Nanhwa House.

“Oh my, Miss.”

Near the stairs, there was a resting area with several chairs.

Ha Yeong-ryeong’s maid was waiting there.

“You’re already out?”

Without replying, Ha Yeong-ryeong plopped down on a chair.

Thump.

“Ah, I’m bored.”

“Why? Was it not good? But the Third Young Master of the Ho Family is rumored to be handsome and a good talker.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong pouted her lips.

“What? Handsome? He wouldn’t even be able to show his face anywhere in Gwangju with that. And a good talker? Does he think women will just fall for such obvious lies?”

“Was it not fun?”

“It’s beyond not fun.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong said, waving her hand.

“I thought there would be something different since he’s from a martial arts clan… Today’s a bust. I think it’s better to just go home.”

“Shall I prepare then?”

Ha Yeong-ryeong nodded.

“Yes. Call the carriage.”

“Um…”

The maid hesitated and asked Ha Yeong-ryeong.

“Can we leave without saying anything to the Young Master of the Ho Family?”

“What is with her?”

Ha Yeong-ryeong frowned and glared at the maid.

“Have you ever seen me worry about such things? We can just go. That’s how it is here.”

“But still, the Ho Family…”

“Enough. Mind your own business.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong said, waving one hand.

After calming her annoyed mood, Ha Yeong-ryeong got up from her seat.

‘Haa, another boring day.’

Tap, tap.

Ha Yeong-ryeong thought as she walked down the large stairs.

Then, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure.

‘Huh?’

Ha Yeong-ryeong’s eyes widened.

The person she could never forget was sitting on the first floor of Nanhwa House.

‘Oh ho. So, we meet here like this.’

Ha Yeong-ryeong wore a triumphant smile.

The person who lectured her and ignored her to her face.
The person whom her family was forcibly pushing as a marriage prospect, saying he was a good match, and the very person who, no matter how many times she saw him, was definitely not her type: Unhyun, was on the first floor of Nanhwa House.

Gritting.

Ha Yeong-ryeong unknowingly gritted her teeth as the humiliation of that time came to mind.

‘That’s it!’

A brilliant idea suddenly came to Ha Yeong-ryeong’s mind.

Her eyes gleaming, she thought about something for a moment and immediately turned around and went back up to the second floor.

Flap.

Ha Yeong-ryeong pulled back the curtain and entered the room.

“Ah, Ha Mae!”

Ho Yeon-gi was still waiting for her in that room.

Ho Yeon-gi, who had been anxious that she might have left, brightened up the moment he saw Ha Yeong-ryeong.

“Were you waiting?”

Ha Yeong-ryeong smiled alluringly and returned to her seat.

“Haha, the time I spent waiting for Ha Mae felt like years.”

Ho Yeon-gi said in a subtle voice.

“I think I’ve fallen hard for Ha Mae today.”

However, Ho Yeon-gi’s advances did not work on Ha Yeong-ryeong.

Ha Yeong-ryeong picked up a wine glass and asked in a seemingly languid tone.

“Ho, Brother, you are from the famous Ho Family, right?”

Ho Yeon-gi looked puzzled for a moment but soon smiled.

“Well, the Ho Family is a bit famous.”

‘How annoying.’

Ha Yeong-ryeong wanted to pour wine on Ho Yeon-gi’s boastful face, but she didn’t.

Because there was something she needed to get from him.

“I heard that everything is decided by power among men… Then Brother Ho must be the best, right?”

Ho Yeon-gi asked with a subtle smile.

“Why? Is there someone bothering you?”

Ho Yeon-gi could roughly guess why she was bringing this up.

She must be asking him to deal with a man who usually bothered her.

“No, it’s nothing like that…”

Ha Yeong-ryeong twirled the wine glass with her fingers and changed the subject.

“I was just thinking. For example…”

Rustle.

Ha Yeong-ryeong slightly pulled back the curtain next to her.

The view of the floor below was visible beyond the curtain, and the figure of Unhyun sitting there was revealed.

Ha Yeong-ryeong pretended not to know and moved her gaze before stopping at Unhyun.

“For example, that man.”

Her white finger pointed directly at Unhyun.

“Doesn’t he look very smart? Maybe it’s because I’m not good at studying, but when I see someone like that, I think they’re really amazing. It seems like he can rattle off difficult words so easily.”

As if she was really in love with Unhyun, Ha Yeong-ryeong looked at Unhyun with a subtle gaze.

“Haa, he seems really cool…”

Ha Yeong-ryeong even let out a sweet sigh.

But she already knew that Ho Yeon-gi’s eyes were distorted with jealousy.

“Hmph!”

Ho Yeon-gi snorted.

Ho Yeon-gi was greatly offended to see Ha Yeong-ryeong looking at another man with admiration.

As much as his secret desires had been aroused, his anger and jealousy were great and intense.

“Ha Mae doesn’t know anything. The more someone pretends to be smart, the more cowardly they actually are!”

Ho Yeon-gi said strongly, filled with bloodlust and jealousy.

“Wait. I’ll show Ha Mae exactly what that guy is really like.”

As if he wasn’t just talking, Ho Yeon-gi 벌떡 [beoljjeok – abruptly/suddenly] stood up from his seat.

Ha Yeong-ryeong quickly reached out her hand with a surprised look.

“Brother Ho! Don’t…”

Flap.

But Ho Yeon-gi had already roughly pulled back the curtain and left.

Listening to Ho Yeon-gi’s footsteps fading away, Ha Yeong-ryeong withdrew her hand.

“…Don’t just mess around, do it properly.”

Rustle.

Smiling, Ha Yeong-ryeong leaned back against the soft chair.

“Isn’t it too easy? Is it because he’s from a martial arts family and so simple?”

Ha Yeong-ryeong turned her head and slightly parted the curtain.

The figures of Unhyun and Head Butler Kang were visible beyond the curtain.

Ha Yeong-ryeong chuckled at the sight of Unhyun seriously talking about something, though she didn’t know what it was.

“Hehe.”

Ha Yeong-ryeong picked up a wine glass.

And looking at Unhyun, she said in a sweet voice,

“A toast to your misfortune.”

Clink.

She raised her glass towards Unhyun and brought it to her lips.

The amber-colored wine sparkled under the light, wetting her alluring lips.

The wine tasted unusually smooth today.

***

Unhyun looked up.

The young man whom Head Butler Kang called Young Master Ho, Ho Yeon-gi, was looking down at Unhyun with blatant hostility.

It was something he couldn’t understand at all.

Why would someone he was meeting for the first time show hostility towards Unhyun?

But Unhyun didn’t want to care.

He didn’t care what happened to Ho Yeon-gi, and the conversation with Head Butler Kang that had been interrupted because of him was even more important to Unhyun.

However, the situation did not go as Unhyun wished.

“Who is this? Head Butler Kang.”

Ho Yeon-gi said, glaring at Unhyun.

Head Butler Kang politely introduced Unhyun.

“This person is from our Unga Merchant Group…”

“Is that so? But he’s a very rude person.”

Ho Yeon-gi abruptly cut off Head Butler Kang’s words.

“Not even greeting me when he sees me.”

Head Butler Kang frowned.

Wasn’t this obviously trying to pick a fight?

Something was seriously going wrong.

“Young Master Ho Yeon-gi, I don’t know what’s going on, but…”

Thud.

“If you don’t know what’s going on.”

Ho Yeon-gi put his hand on Head Butler Kang’s shoulder.

“Stay quiet.”

As Ho Yeon-gi exerted his inner energy [qi/internal force] and applied pressure, Head Butler Kang frowned and collapsed into his seat.

“Keuk.”

Unhyun’s expression hardened at the sight.

“Not saying anything.”

Ho Yeon-gi said, looking at Unhyun.

“Is it because you’re scared? Or do you think I look like a joke?”

Ho Yeon-gi was smiling bitterly.

He was still pressing down on Head Butler Kang’s shoulder, and Head Butler Kang was frowning as if in pain.

“I.”

Unhyun said quietly.

“I think this is the first time I’ve met you.”

“Yeah. It’s my first time too.”

At Ho Yeon-gi’s answer, Unhyun stared straight at him.

“…Then why are you doing this?”

Unhyun’s tone changed.