Hwi was genuinely moved.
He was grateful that Geom Mugeuk was willing to share the money with him, and grateful to the Cult Master who had ordered him to accept it.
He was also grateful that Geom Mugeuk had called him the bodyguard with the highest price.
He thought he was a man without vanity, but hearing those words made him feel so good that it seemed he must have some after all.
But of all the things that made him feel good, the most gratifying were the Cult Master's final words.
'So, get as much as you can.'
They were words that did not suit the Cult Master at all.
Asking for money, and what's more, telling someone to get as much as possible, were not words one would expect from a man like the Cult Master.
But the Cult Master had said them for his sake.
Yong Ja-myeong felt that same sentiment.
If he were a man greedy for money, he would have come to see him several times by now.
Yet, such a man had confidently said to get as much money as possible for a subordinate.
Yong Ja-myeong looked back and forth between Geom Woojin and Geom Mugeuk.
Every moment with them was new and surprising.
The Young Cult Master's response was a case in point.
Before meeting them, could he have ever imagined the Young Cult Master would give such an answer?
“Do not worry. Who is this son of yours? Is he not the Incarnation of Greed? I will make sure to get it.”
Geom Woojin nodded, then said to Yong Ja-myeong.
“Let us be on our way.”
“Yes, Cult Master.”
Leaving Geom Mugeuk behind, Geom Woojin and Yong Ja-myeong began to walk again.
Yong Ja-myeong looked back.
Geom Mugeuk was already walking in the opposite direction.
Unlike the playful figure from moments ago, his back looked calm.
When Yong Ja-myeong looked forward again, Geom Woojin was already some distance ahead.
Yong Ja-myeong quickened his pace to walk alongside Geom Woojin.
“In my life, I have probably seen more Incarnations of Greed than anyone. But this is the first time I've seen an Incarnation of Greed with such clear eyes."
Geom Woojin did not reply to Yong Ja-myeong's joke, only continuing to walk, but Yong Ja-myeong could feel it.
That he was proud of his son.
He had felt it once before during their earlier conversation, and he felt it again now.
That meant Geom Woojin was not hiding such feelings from him.
He felt this was the same kind of sentiment as when he had honestly revealed his intention not to pass his family business down to his child.
To whom else could one express such feelings?
One would only say such things to someone who would not carelessly repeat them.
The trust of sharing such private and secretive matters has nothing to do with how long one has known a person.
There are people you can trust after a single day, just as there are people you cannot bring yourself to speak to even after ten years.
Yong Ja-myeong was glad that the Cult Master trusted him.
It was a trust that could be felt without words.
It was a connection one might be lucky enough to find only once or twice in a lifetime.
He had liked the Cult Master from the start, but feeling this emotion as well, Yong Ja-myeong liked Geom Woojin even more.
It seemed he had been lonely.
Living as the Greatest Merchant Under Heaven, he had no one with whom he could comfortably share his worries, free from thoughts of profit and connections, no one on whom he could comfortably rely.
His life had been one where, upon seeing someone, his first thought had to be, what does this person want now?
To such a man, this Heavenly Demon… had transformed from a benefactor into someone like an older brother.
As they walked, the two of them talked about this and that.
They were men who had reached the pinnacle in their respective fields.
And those fields were power and money, the ultimate end of all desire.
Truly, the pinnacle of pinnacles.
Perhaps that was why they got along so well.
He had thought the Demon Cult Master was merely a taciturn man, but that was not the case.
When he had something to say, he said it, and he would ask questions as well.
They talked about their children, about the merchant world, about the martial world, and about how he felt when he received the Cult Master's handwritten letter.
They truly lost track of time as they talked.
Yong Ja-myeong considered this opportunity to take a walk and chat with the Heavenly Demon to be the last in his life.
So he cherished this moment.
In the meantime, they arrived at the market, and Geom Woojin stopped for a moment to watch the people coming and going.
“Do you know what my son wants most from me on this journey?"
“What is it?"
“To stand here and watch the people.”
Yong Ja-myeong looked at Geom Woojin with an expression that asked what he meant, but he did not answer.
A long while later, Yong Ja-myeong heard Geom Woojin's low murmur.
"Indeed......."
He could not tell what words were omitted after 'Indeed'.
The next day, Geum Ah-rin came to see Geom Mugeuk again.
“Let's talk.”
“Very well."
Geom Mugeuk did not invite her in, but came outside.
Last time, she had walked at a distance, but today, she walked a little closer, showing that her wariness had lessened.
Today, instead of heading toward the marketplace, they went to the fields on the opposite side.
In the wide-open view, the fields stretched far to the horizon.
Watching the grass and crops sway in the wind, the two stood in silence for a long time.
It was Geum Ah-rin who spoke first.
“Two million nyang is impossible."
She was asking for a discount.
Geom Mugeuk could tell she had made her decision.
Things were proceeding as planned.
“It's an impossible sum not just for you, but for anyone. That is also why we joined hands with the Silver River Merchant Group."
At Geom Mugeuk's words, Geum Ah-rin spoke with difficulty.
She did not want to say it, but she had no choice now.
"If you give us a discount, we can do it too.”
Geom Mugeuk smiled and said.
"Are you asking for a discount of about one million, nine hundred and seventy thousand nyang?"
It was a joke about the thirty thousand nyang she had returned last time.
“Do it for us for one million nyang as well.”
One million nyang.
She had started by cutting the price in half.
He could have given her the discount, considering their plan to infiltrate her organization’s core, but unfortunately for Geom Mugeuk, he had been given the supreme task of getting as much as possible.
“Did I not tell you? We also need a reason to refuse the Silver River Merchant Group. If we go elsewhere for the same one million nyang, what will they think?"
“They will probably think you found someone better to work with.”
Geom Mugeuk turned to look at her standing beside him.
“Are you that better person?”
She did not avoid Geom Mugeuk's direct gaze.
“How would I know? You have seen their leader, so you would know, wouldn't you? Who seems like the better person?"
Though she asked, it was a confident question, as if she already knew the answer.
This was her asserting her presence.
“At the very least, you are more shameless.”
At Geom Mugeuk's reaction, Geum Ah-rin felt that things might go better than expected.
She was certain that he had a favorable impression of her.
“Whether it is one million nyang or two million, you are not the decision-maker anyway, are you?"
“Why do you keep assuming I am someone's subordinate? Because I am young? Because I am a woman?”
Geom Mugeuk shook his head.
“That is not why."
Geom Mugeuk revealed an unexpected reason.
“Because I do not get the feeling that you have bet everything on your organization.”
At those words, Geum Ah-rin was startled.
It was true.
She had not bet everything on this secret organization.
In fact, she wanted to finish this job as soon as possible.
She had disliked the reason for taking this job from the very beginning.
‘He read that?’
This man was that perceptive.
He was smarter and more articulate than anyone she had ever met.
Geum Ah-rin felt it was now time to make her move.
It was the biggest gamble of her life so far, with her very survival on the line.
“The organization you are trying to eliminate is the one I lead.”
It was a gamble with her life on the line.
If this honesty did not work, she could die right here.
She had expected him to be shocked, but Geom Mugeuk was not surprised.
In the end, it was she who was surprised.
“Don't tell me you knew?"
Geom Mugeuk nodded.
“How did you know?”
"The Silver River Merchant Group had already conducted a considerable investigation into your group.”
He made it seem as if the information about her had been discovered by the Silver River Merchant Group.
Geum Ah-rin stared at Geom Mugeuk with trembling eyes.
If he heard it from the Silver River Merchant Group, did that mean he knew when they met last time?
"Why did you not kill me? It is a million-nyang job."
Though she acted nonchalantly, she was tense.
To her, Geom Mugeuk was an unpredictable person who could draw his sword at any moment, saying, ‘As a matter of fact, I was just about to kill you.'
At least on that point, she had seen him correctly.
He gave another unexpected answer.
“Because I thought you might give me more money."
It was truly a series of surprises.
She had not expected such words to come from this man's mouth.
"Why are you so surprised?"
“I did not expect you to say such a thing. You had a rather noble air about you. Ah, I am not being sarcastic, I mean it as a compliment, so please do not misunderstand.”
At her honest words, Geom Mugeuk retorted.
“Is it noble to have no interest in money? Then is it vulgar and crude to be very interested in it? Those are not words I would expect from a merchant.”
“That is not what I meant. I just meant it was unexpected.”
“‘If I ask for more money, that person will dislike me, right? If I ask for more money, they will think I am low-class, right?’ I think such thoughts are a nuisance and an escape from reality. When it comes to making money, you have to muster courage you never had. Even if a single coin falls into a puddle of filth, you should roll up your sleeves and go for it.”
Geom Mugeuk spoke like the Incarnation of Greed, but in truth, his life before his regression had been far removed from money.
It had been a life solely dedicated to martial arts and the materials for his Great Art.
“I take back what I said.”
“You should. I am having a conversation with a million-nyang enemy instead of drawing my sword. Is that not quite noble?”
It was not a situation to laugh in, but Geum Ah-rin found herself smiling unwittingly.
She quickly composed herself and changed the subject.
“If you see me as a subordinate, how can you expect to get more money?"
“Because you are a subordinate who also has another identity."
After a brief pause, Geom Mugeuk spoke.
“I believe you are of the bloodline of the Golden Dragon Clan's Leader.”
She was not surprised that Geom Mugeuk knew about her.
It seemed he knew everything.
“Because if I were not of the bloodline, I could not have proposed such a deal in the first place?"
“That is part of it, but there is a bigger reason."
Geom Mugeuk had once again assessed her accurately.
“I do not sense any craving for money from you.”
"1"
That, too, was a statement that hit home.
Having lived as a blood relative of the Golden Dragon Clan, how could she have ever craved money?
He had noticed that she had grown up in affluence, never worrying about money.
“How do you see that?”
She used the expression ‘see’ rather than ‘know.’ This man's gaze seemed to somehow peer into a person's heart.
“Give us two million nyang and let us join hands. I will take care of settling things with the Silver River Merchant Group cleanly.”
He really wanted to give it.
He wanted to make such a person his ally.
“I told you I cannot, didn't I?"
“If two million nyang is impossible, then was not one million nyang impossible from the start?"
His words hit the core of the matter.
Whether it was one million or two million nyang, the lightning strike that would follow would be the same.
“Please understand my situation.”
Despite her plea, Geom Mugeuk was firm.
“Could the giver's circumstances ever be worse than the receiver's? So do not appeal to the receiver's emotions. I think that is the worst thing one can do in a deal.”
Geum Ah-rin bit her lip.
She thought so too.
It was just that such a large sum of money was involved now that she had no choice.
In any case, she had to bring this man to her side.
She felt it even more clearly from today's conversation.
If she made this man her enemy, she would surely die.
He was a man who could make her think that without even drawing his sword.
“Take good care, and receive in full what you have given."
Make a contract to give two million nyang?
How would her father react?
Surely he would not kill his only daughter.
The problem was her older brothers.
Her second older brother, who considered her a thorn in his side, would use this matter to drive her to hell.
Could this man really stop her second older brother?
Her gaze turned to Geom Mugeuk's clear, deep eyes.
Can I really trust you?
Perhaps he read the question in her eyes.
“For the duration of the contract, I will definitely be on your side."
“Is that not obvious?”
“Is it not because that obvious thing is not kept that all sorts of trouble happens?”
Not just in words, but in truth.
“Can you keep your promise to be firmly on my side?"
“You should not trust my words, but your own eyes as a merchant."
Her gaze turned to the fields.
It is because I trust you too much that I am doing this.
How long have I known you? How much do I know?
And yet, this man was giving her his trust.
He was stimulating her instincts, pulling at her premonitions.
Telling me to choose him.
The grass swaying in the wind rippled like waves.
Her heart, too, swayed back and forth on those waves.
The last thought that came to her before she made her decision was this.
—Take good care, and receive in full what you have given.
You, did you even know what I intended to take care of when you said that?
At last, Geum Ah-rin made the decision that would change her life.
“I will send the contract as soon as possible.”