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| EPISODE 323 |
Two men came up to this floor while talking.
One was a young man with a handsome appearance wearing a blue martial arts uniform. His sharp gaze and jawline made those who looked at him involuntarily shrink back.
The other was a lively-looking young man with bare shoulders wearing a sleeveless martial arts uniform. He boasted rocky muscles on his tanned skin, and his presence alone exuded intimidation.
People around Pyowol started murmuring at their arrival.
"It's the Jo Yi-gwang and Bok Ho-jin from Namgyeongjo's Joigwang faction. They look as remarkable as rumored."
"The person coming with them must be Janggangchae's Bok Ho-jin, right?"
"I heard that Jo and Bok are close friends, and they do look good together."
The man in the blue martial arts uniform was Jo Yi-gwang, who was a great martial arts master in Namgyeongjo.
Namgyeongjo referred to the Jo family, which had settled in the southern part of Namgyeong and was close to Taeho. The Jo family was a well-established family that had wielded influence in Namgyeong for hundreds of years.
As an old and influential family, the Jo family was recognized as a prominent family with extensive networks and powerful connections.
Jo Yi-gwang, as the grandmaster of Namgyeongjo, had inherited his father's influence and connections. He was known for his good character and reputation, and many people wanted to establish a relationship with him.
On the other hand, Bok Ho-jin, who climbed up the stairs shoulder-to-shoulder with Jo Yi-gwang, was a person from Nokrim.
Originally, Nokrim was unified under Cheongosung (Heavenly High Fortress). However, as time passed, Cheongosung was divided into four fortresses: Jiagangchae, So-un-gok, Hwayoungchae, and Golsanchae. Among them, Jiagangchae barely held the reins of the last fortress, but their influence was the strongest because they used the name of the Jiagang river as their main stage.
The place known to be more prosperous than most places is Janggang because they collect tolls throughout the Jang River.
Originally, Myeongmunga and Nokrimdo were polar opposites, but Namgyeongjowa and Janggangchae have maintained their relationship for more than a decade, and as a result, their eldest sons, Jo I-gwang and Bok Ho-jin, boasted a strong bond.
As if to prove that fact, they came up and sat together, ignoring the looks of others.
Pointing out the floor to Pyowol earlier, Jeomsoui quickly came up and greeted the two.
"Have the gentlemen arrived?"
"Are we the first ones here?"
"Yes!"
"Bring me the alcohol and food first."
"Yes, understood," replied Joonsu before quickly rushing down.
Joikwang, who had finished ordering, looked around the restaurant while fanning himself with a hand-held fan. He noticed people paying attention to him.
A cold smile appeared on Joikwang's lips.
"Such rats."
He felt like a rat being watched in the slums, but he couldn't reveal his true emotions.
Joikwang disguised his inner thoughts with a smile and scanned each person on this floor.
At that moment, he noticed a man who stood out.
Like snow, with a face that was more beautiful than a woman's, the man was Pyo Wool.
Pyo Wool's appearance was so beautiful that one could mistake him for a woman at first glance. Even Joy Kwang, who was confident in his own appearance, paled in comparison to Pyo Wol like a firefly in front of the full moon.
"Was such a person in Taeho?"
A spark of envy briefly passed through Joy Kwang's eyes.
Whenever he saw someone with better looks than himself, he felt an urge to make a face. But he had to hold back now. There were too many eyes watching.
Bok Hojin looked closely at Joy Kwang's face.
As they had known each other for a long time, Bok Hojin could tell what Joy Kwang was thinking just by looking at his expression.
"Looks like that bad habit of yours hasn't changed."
Bok Hojin chuckled.
The only person who knew about that strange wall of Joykwang was himself. There was no chance of the rumors spreading if he kept his mouth shut.
Creak! Creak!
At that moment, footsteps echoed up the stairs once again.
The two people turned their gaze towards the stairs.
This time, the person who climbed the stairs was an incredibly beautiful woman. The woman boasted a dazzling appearance like a blooming rose.
The two men greeted the woman with hesitation.
"Please come in."
"Eum Yoo-jung !"
"I'm sorry I'm a little late."
The woman made an apologetic expression. Then the two men clapped their hands at the same time and said.
"That's not true. We just arrived a little early, and Eum Yoo-jung came on time."
"Eum Yoo-jung seems to have become even more beautiful."
"Hoho! You two fathers also seem to have become more handsome."
The woman giggled.
Her name was Eum Yoo-jung.
Eum Yoo-jung was known as a rumor-spreader for the Geomhwagak (Sword Flower Pavilion).
The Geomhwagak was a martial arts school located in the nearby city of Taehyeong, where women were the main focus of the faction.
The head of the school, Go Yeon-soo, was a rising star in the martial arts world. For some unknown reason, Go Yeon-soo had an extreme hatred for men and refused to accept a single male disciple, instead forming a faction composed entirely of women.
With only women in the faction, some men blinded by desire would rush in like moths to a flame, but not a single one survived.
Go Yeon-soo's methods were extremely cruel, especially towards men, making him a figure of terror.
Eum Yoo-jung was a disciple who fully inherited Go Yeon-soo's progress, but her personality was quite different from his.
She was beautiful and had a lot of charm, which made many men like her. Joy Kwang and Bok Ho-jin were no exception.
Eum Yoo-jung seemed to know the interest of these two men and led the conversation with a constant smile.
The conversation continued until four more guests arrived.
When all seven people gathered, they chatted while exchanging glasses. They didn't gather for any particular purpose. It was a gathering for members of the Geumcheon Association to socialize, but those on the same floor looked at them with envious eyes.
The people gathered here were the ones who would lead the Gangso Province. They were the ones who had already achieved success and were highly respected.
The people on the same floor only waited for the opportunity to join their conversation. To Pyowol, their intentions were clearly visible. In fact, their intentions were so blatant that it would have been strange not to notice.
The reason they had gathered in a place where others could watch instead of renting a whole floor was to show off their power.
Pyowol had seen similar scenes before. It seemed that people's psychology was mostly the same no matter where you went. It made him think that the ways of the world were quite funny.
My appetite has decreased.
It was when Pyowol was about to get up from the table, leaving behind the food she had been eating. Someone was coming up the stairs.
A man looked at her with a slightly nervous expression.
It was a face she had seen just a few hours ago.
"Are you Tang Ik-gi?"
The man with a sparrow-like impression was the Tang Ik-gi she had seen at the Cheolsan workshop.
Tang Ik-gi walked straight to where Jo Yi-gwang was.
"Jo Gongja! It's me, Tang Ik-gi."
"Oh! What brings you here, Tang Hyung?"
Jo Yi-gwang smiled and acted as if he knew him. Then Tang Ik-gi spoke with a slightly sly expression.
"I, I heard that Jo Gongja was around here, so I came to say hello."
"Oh! Is that so?"
Jo Yi-gwang's eyes widened.
Tang Ik-gi cursed inwardly as he looked at Jo Yi-gwang.
"What a sinister brat, just like Jara! How much more does he want?"
Tang Ik-gi didn't come here by chance.
He had heard beforehand that a meeting of the Geumcheon Society was going to take place, and he had prepared for it.
Tang Ik-gi had not yet joined the Geumcheon Society.
To become a member of Geumcheon Society, the agreement of existing members was required, and in Kang So-sung's case, Joy Kwang had the most influence. Other members of Geumcheon Society would only agree to new members if they were approved by Joy Kwang.
For a while, Tang Ik-gi had been trying to impress Joy Kwang by doing all sorts of things, including pretending to be dead, just to get his attention.
At this point, Tang Ik-gi was eligible to become a member, but he still maintained his timid attitude.
It would have been better if Joy Kwang had outright said that Tang Ik-gi couldn't become a member, but he maintained an ambiguous attitude, which only made Tang Ik-gi more anxious.
The reason Tang Ik-gi came to the Geumcheon Society meeting today was that he could only enter mainstream society by becoming a member.
If he could become a member of Geumcheon Society, he didn't care what insults he might suffer today.
Tang Ik-gi cautiously asked Joy Kwang, "Since we've met, can I sit here with you?"
Joy Kwang replied, "Hmm, I think you should hear from the other members first. If any member is uncomfortable with you, we don't allow you to sit with us. Understand, Tang Hyung?"
"Y-yes, of course. If even one member is uncomfortable with me, how could I possibly sit here?"
There was a party right in front of them, but the officials didn't even look at it and were chatting amongst themselves.
Joykwang spoke to them.
"Attention, please. A new friend wants to join our club today. Please speak your opinion freely."
Only then did everyone's gaze turn to the newcomer.
The party was the heir to the powerful Cheolsanjangwon, a well-known official in the area, and it was embarrassing to receive such treatment. But there was nothing he could do.
If he didn't get everyone's permission, he couldn't join the club.
After Jangmuguk became the club leader, the status of the club became even greater. It was already difficult to become a member before, but after Jangmuguk became the leader, the process became even more difficult, and many officials could not even apply to join.
If you were an official from Gangho, you had to be a member of the club to be treated well. The party regretted not joining the club earlier. If he had joined earlier, he wouldn't have had to go through such a difficult process.
"We already have a lot of members. Do we really need to accept new ones? I don't feel good about this."
"Wouldn't it be better to stabilize the current members first before accepting new ones?"
Negative opinions began to flow immediately.
When the party's face turned black, Eum Yoo-jung unexpectedly spoke up.
"Oh ho! Is it really fair to blatantly reject someone who has approached us like this? How about we try this instead? Let's accept them as provisional members and observe their behavior before deciding to make them full members. Of course, if we find them unsuitable, we can simply decline their membership."
"Wow! Eum Yoo-jung 's perspective is quite reasonable."
"Indeed, what a thoughtful individual Eum Yoo-jung is. I concur with Eum Yoo-jung's viewpoint."
"I also believe that following Eum Yoo-jung 's proposal is the best course of action."
The other members empathized with Eum Yoo-jung's opinion. However, Joykwang appeared dissatisfied with something and furrowed his brow.
Dangikyi was helpless and unable to act while observing Joykwang's reactions.
Even if Eum Yoo-jung showed kindness to the person, he knew that it would all be for naught if Joykwang refused.
Eum Yoo-jung was also aware of this reality.
She whispered something to Joykwang, and a small smile graced his lips as he listened intently.
"So, what do you think about this plan?"
All eyes were focused on Joykwang.
Joykwang enjoyed the attention and spoke.
"For now, we will accept the elder brother as a temporary member. However, to become an official member, the elder brother must make a contribution."
"A contribution?"
"Literally, it means setting up a ball in Kangho that can contribute something. If someone sets up a ball that everyone can acknowledge, we will accept them as a member without any further discussion."
"Haha! That's quite a trick. Even if we say that we are making a group and dividing the spoils, if we accept someone who has set up a ball in Kangho as a new member, it is certain that such words will go away."
"I agree too. Indeed, Eum So-jeo is a thoughtful person. I was really impressed."
The members agreed with expressions of admiration.
On the other hand, Dangik-gi's expression twisted unpleasantly.
The good thing was that they were asking him to set up a ball, but at this point, there was nothing he could do to set up a ball.
Above all, Dangik-gi had no desire to throw himself into dangerous work. If he had such a personality, he would not have had to go to Geumcheonhui in the first place.
"If everyone agrees, we will accept the elder brother as a temporary member."
"Congratulations on becoming a temporary member."
"Ha ha!"
After Joykwang's declaration, the members each made a comment to Dangikgi. Dangikgi had to force a smile for them.
"Shit!"
He had to maintain his smile, as even a temporary member might cross the line if he got angry.
Then a man who was eating alone entered his sight.
He was the man he saw at the workshop during the day.
A man so handsome that he was deeply impressed even though he saw him only once and felt bad about it.
He even seemed to steal a glance at that arrogant attitude of his.
Right now, he needed something to vent his frustration on.
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