“Ha ha ha ha!”
“Wa ha ha ha ha!”
Basically, the food in this Martial World varies depending on how much cooking process is added and how many spices are thrown in.
There must be cooking techniques just like gambling skills, right?
It’s certainly a rarity for cooks at an inn of this size to serve tasteless dishes; usually, it’s just because they skip steps or don’t use expensive spices.
Especially with Chinese cuisine, cooking involves stir-frying, boiling, or deep-frying in a wok, so simplifying the cooking steps means speeding up the process.
While frying meat, mushrooms, and vegetables separately surely makes the dish taste better, tossing them all together will triple the cooking speed.
Plus, when expensive spices are added generously, it’s impossible for the dish to be bland.
With delicious dishes laid out, it was only natural that alcohol would be involved.
I truly couldn’t hold back my admiration.
I thought he was just a fool, but this guy was truly a wild child.
Drinking during a ticketing session was obviously a no-go. For us, as passengers, it didn’t really matter, but Ha Seon-su was practically the face of the ticketing.
The face of the person apparently leading the group looked quite displeased.
It’s rare for a martial artist not to enjoy alcohol. After all, those with weak tolerance usually have their qi circulation up to par, so they can handle it to some degree.
Most martial artists can drink without easily losing consciousness, and if they drink a lot, they can maintain a tipsy state for quite a while.
Also, as long as they don’t drink themselves to death, they can shake off any hangover.
So, martial artists enjoy drinking, and even if they stay out late, they can still get up fresh to swing their swords at dawn. Well, if they’re not totally smashed, that is.
In any case, as long as they don’t overdo it, ticket sellers can drink sufficiently without influencing the ticketing process.
But why is drinking prohibited during a ticketing session?
Because it affects the image of the ticket office. Honestly, how can trust sprout among those who are drinking and making merry during the ticketing?
It’s really something to see Ha Seon-su gulping down drinks as if he’s oblivious to the stern gazes of those maintaining order in the ticket office.
“Kiya-yaya-ya!”
Genuine admiration arose from my core.
With flames blazing all around, how could a person behave like this?
Ha Seon-su beamed at the Black Cat, who was diligently picking at her food with chopsticks and hadn’t said a single word since the mention of Tang Do-gyeong, focusing solely on eating.
“It seems that Miss Jin doesn’t particularly enjoy drinking.”
“My younger sibling doesn’t really drink.”
I stated bluntly as I refilled Ha Seon-su’s empty cup. I could sense his face expressing an unspoken thought as he looked at the Black Cat: ‘She’s expressing interest naturally and then blushing and eating…’
In truth, the Black Cat was just focused on the food, trying to catch Ha Seon-su’s attention. Now that I thought about it, the Black Cat did have quite the appetite. She didn’t skip any meals and always snacked on puffed rice.
Ha Seon-su tried talking to her occasionally, but the Black Cat just concentrated on sending food into her mouth, and I engaged with Ha Seon-su as best as I could.
As for Ha Seon-su’s martial arts level… it seemed to hover between third-class and second-class? It was clear he couldn’t handle his qi properly; no guy wants to be a drunk show-off in front of a girl he likes.
In that situation, wanting to look bold, he forcibly downed some powerful poison-infused stew, so it was only natural for him to end up half-drunk in no time.
“I am the total ticket seller, Gagil Yeom. Since the nobleman is intoxicated, may I escort him away?”
“Oh, of course. I was actually worried that the nobleman was drinking too much.”
“Hehe, khuk~ Let go of me, you scoundrels~ I am not~ intoxicated, wheeze…”
In an instant, two ticket sellers grabbed Ha Seon-su’s arms and pulled him away.
Gagil Yeom, the main ticket seller, looked at me with a disapproving glare but turned away without saying a word. We were just passengers, and Ha Seon-su was the one approaching, so there was nothing to be said.
“Seoul, let’s head to our room.”
“Yum. Shall we?”
After one last delicious bite from the Black Cat, we ascended to our quarters. The Black Cat flopped onto the bed, expressing satisfaction.
“Ah~ Thanks to that fool, I had a hearty meal.”
“Hey, it’s Ha Seon-su the Great Hero, not a fool.”
“Right. Thanks to Ha Seon-su the Great Hero~”
In a modest twin room, I settled on my bed and asked.
“By the way, are you really okay? I have a feeling Ha Seon-su will be all over you starting tomorrow.”
“Hmm~ Why? Are you planning to protect me with your body, Older Brother?”
With a teasing tone, the Black Cat spoke, and honestly, I was at a loss for words.
“Well, I mean, we’re colleagues, so if it gets difficult, I have to help you. If you’re willing to endure and consume, I’ll just match with you. Anyway, there are plenty of ways to get to Yunnan. If you want to overturn the situation, then just overturn it.”
What do I say? It’s a strategy with a high chance of displeasing the Black Cat. It was her idea to prey on Ha Seon-su, but I thought we’d need to clarify this part.
After all, using the ticket office is merely one method to get to Yunnan. There’s no need to be tied down with discomfort or annoyance.
“Right now, we can just have a meal and slip away without a trace.”
“Senior.”
“What?”
“While I understand why you think that, doesn’t it seem a bit unfair?”
Unfair?
“Honestly, I just stood still and hid my face. I want to wear fancy and colorful clothes, but I’m stuck in these plain, baggy ones.”
The Black Cat’s grievances caught me entirely off guard.
“I’m a woman too! I wanna wear a splendid flower-patterned dress or a stylish martial outfit. But because of guys like Ha Seon-su, I can’t even dress up and walk around. I have to wear hats to hide my sweaty head instead.”
It seemed she had a lot bottled up, and her tone was heated.
“If I’m wearing a face veil, they should take a hint and leave me alone, not keep pestering me. But why do I have to avoid them? I’ve done my best to hide, only to be bothered by some annoying fly.”
* *
“So, in this situation, I can’t just expose my true martial arts and smack him down, so let’s at least extort him for all he’s worth.”
“Um..”
The Black Cat pondered while glancing at Ho Cheon-an, who had fallen silent.
Ha Seon-su was indeed being intrusive. That was clearly his fault.
Despite the Black Cat hiding her face with a veil and clothes, and stating her refusal, Ha Seon-su kept pushing for responses, even rudely joining her at the inn. If he keeps sticking his nose in, he should be prepared to face the consequences.
However, the Black Cat had no intention of leaving this ticketing session. The guilty party was Ha Seon-su. And the Black Cat was a proper passenger of the Southern Ticket Office.
If someone’s wronged, they need to get even. Why should she choose to flee?
Since she’s not able to punch him out, the plan is to shake Ha Seon-su down for some money, get even, and stick to the original goal of traveling to Yunnan via this ticket office.
This was the way the Black Cat envisioned dealing with Ha Seon-su.
“But, will senior understand that?”
The Black Cat contemplated Ho Cheon-an’s position, inserting various men she had experienced into her imagination.
[Miss, there’s no need for resignation and self-justification like that! How can it be agreeable to be harassed by such a character!?]
[Let’s go now! Even if annoying guys approach my Miss, I will defeat them with this sword!]
Having picked the ticketing process since it was the most suitable method of getting to Yunnan, what else would happen if they just left the ticket office? Even if they actually used some cunning to secure a horse or cart, they already concluded this ticket office was the best course, so it’s merely a backup.
Yet, the hypothetical man immediately rejects the optimal path and opts for the secondary choice, claiming it to be right. How could he continue standing by while a man pesters the Black Cat? That wouldn’t be right.
Even if said it was fine, or that he would act in such a manner, he just insists on forcing his ideas, saying it’s kindness and heartfelt affection.
A wrapper to cover one’s own desires.
That’s the kindness and affection the Black Cat has received until now. “It’s for you,” they’d say, while doing as they pleased.
“Well, if you don’t want to battle senior, let’s just run away if you say so.”
The Black Cat had once stirred the situation concerning Ho Cheon-an. When trying to enlighten Tang Do-gyeong, she had made Ho Cheon’an fall asleep. So now, would she handle Ho Cheon-an’s unreasonable behavior this time?
“If senior strongly insists… then I should perhaps acquiesce.”
Thus, the Black Cat thought to nod if Ho Cheon-an suggested, “I guess we should proceed to Yunnan via another means.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Um, sure. I mean, it can’t be helped. Let’s rest for a bit…”
“I didn’t foresee you feeling that way.”
‘Let’s get some rest and sneak out under the cover of night, avoiding the ticket sellers’ gaze,’ the Black Cat had been about to say, but her mouth closed instead.
“Senior?”
“Yeah, you’re right. Honestly, you didn’t do anything wrong. That fool Ha Seon-su is the one without manners for bothering a lady with a veil. I shouldn’t have even brought it up.”
“…Ah.”
“Since I can’t smack him down, I don’t have any choice but to squeeze the money out of him. Alright then, let’s shake him down for all he’s worth.”
“Senior…”
Without realizing it, the Black Cat opened her mouth.
“Were you not suggesting running away from Ha Seon-su?”
“I was going to say that, but… You were the one who felt discomfort from him, and you decided to repay it that way. I thought you were just putting up with it for my sake.”
Kindness. Kindness. That word sounded incredibly out of place to the Black Cat’s ears.
“Senior… you didn’t want to do that, did you?”
“What are you talking about? I heard you say before that you wanted to feel avenged on Ha Seon-su, right? So that’s what we’ll do.”
“So if you want….”
The Black Cat raised her voice, not even knowing what she was saying.
She was confused.
Ho Cheon-an shot up, looking frustrated.
“Hey, just say it outright: are we going to shake Ha Seon-su down for all his money or not?”
“What do you want to do, senior?”
“Wait, what…”
Ho Cheon-an inhaled deeply. Why was the Black Cat acting this way? The Black Cat didn’t respond to Ho Cheon-an’s perplexed look. No, she couldn’t.
She couldn’t even comprehend what she wished to communicate.
“Senior… don’t you feel uneasy about Ha Seon-su being so close to me?”
“Hell, of course it’s annoying having a scoundrel like him around you.”
“But…”
“Why the hell do you keep saying ‘but’? You want to get back at that jerk, don’t you? You said it’d feel great to have him stripped clean, making you feel better.”
Ho Cheon-an slammed it down on the confused Black Cat.
“It’s your situation, so I’ll go along. Isn’t it obvious? If you can’t do this much, we can’t stick together.”
“…Is that obvious?”
“Of course. Black Cat, this isn’t just business; we’ve agreed to travel together personally. That means we share thoughts and have these kinds of conversations. When incidents arise, we adapt and manage things together.”
Hearing Ho Cheon-an’s words made the Black Cat realize something.
‘Have I… ever been this close to someone?’
Being with Ho Cheon-an made her want to experience something interesting. She made up her mind to stay close, but had she ever really been that close to someone before? She had spent a lifetime brushing off those attempts to cling to her.
Yet she resolved to approach someone of her own volition.
With pure enjoyment in mind, she drew closer to Ho Cheon-an.
The Black Cat understood now the meaning behind her own actions in this moment.
That she had to adapt to a new relationship after living solely in a world where she pushed others away. A connection Ho Cheon-an regarded as perfectly normal. A genuinely caring relationship that the Black Cat had never experienced.
But the Black Cat didn’t understand a relationship like that at all.
Realizing this made her thoughts twist in a whirlwind. It was like threads tangled up haphazardly, so she squeezed her eyes shut.
“I’m going to sleep!”
“…Huh?”
“I said I’m sleeping! Don’t talk to me!”
“No, what…”
Pulling the blanket over her head, the Black Cat turned away. She heard Ho Cheon-an grumbling as he settled back onto his bed, but she paid him no mind.
She had no idea how to treat Ho Cheon-an anymore.
Listening to the peaceful sound of Ho Cheon-an snoring, the Black Cat tossed and turned all night.
