Chapter 368
The Youngest Son of the Silver Sea Trading Company Chapter 368
Chapter 368. The Master of Geumgyeru (5)
Just by looking at the waiter's frantic expression, I could tell that something big had happened.
“What's going on?”
“It seems that Lord Lu has been kidnapped.”
“What did you say?”
I heard him clearly. Kidnapped?
The waiter explained everything.
“He asked me to call him when I went to give the mid-meal bill to the guests who had reserved the entire third floor today. So I went to his room to call him, but...”
He paused to catch his breath before continuing.
“The lord wasn't there, and there was a letter stuck to the table with a dagger.”
He immediately used his movement arts to rush over, and I followed him.
Roo-joo's room was on the first floor, and he broke down the door.
Bang!
And there, just as the waiter had said, was a letter with a dagger stuck in it.
Hwang Su-soo stared at the letter with a terrifying look in his eyes.
What could it say to make him look like that?
“Amou-kaku. You shouldn't have rejected our offer. You missed your chance to return to us safely. Because of this woman, you left us, so we will make you pay for leaving the organization by taking her life. Don't you know? The price of betrayal is the life of the one you cherish most.”
I was shocked when I saw the letter.
Amukaku.
He was a famous assassin.
He got his name because he would stick a black feather in his chest as proof when he killed someone on commission.
However, I hadn't heard his name in several years.
There were rumors that he had died or retired, but...
“Are you... Amu-gak?”
He flinched at my question.
“When did you get here? How did you follow me?”
“Did you forget that I sent word through your bodyguard? I said I would help you because I have the ability to do so.”
He bit his lip at my words.
“Are you going to report me to the authorities?”
“I believe that the claim that you are an assassin is merely the one-sided assertion of the person who wrote this letter. I am not willing to take such a risk based on something so uncertain.”
I continued.
“The only thing I know about you is that you are a master chef at Geumgyeru who can make the most delicious spicy chicken dish I have ever tasted.”
He fell silent.
He knelt before me.
“I beg you. Please spare my wife's life. To be honest, I am confident in killing someone, but I am not confident in saving someone.”
“Hmm... Let's do this. I will keep your identity a secret, and you must keep mine a secret as well.”
“Really... Is that enough?”
"That is enough. I want to continue eating your cooking.“
”I understand.“
”Then please wait a moment.“
I went up to the third floor to send my other Captain friends back.
”Ah! Where have you been?“
”I went to thank the chef for the delicious meal.“
”I see. We were also going to thank Lu Ju..."
“He said he was out.”
“I see. Then we can't do that.”
I politely suggested that they leave.
“How about we get going? It's getting late.”
“That's a good idea. We all have things to do tomorrow.”
“I had a good time today. I hope we can meet again.”
“Me too.”
We said our goodbyes in a friendly manner and parted ways.
As the organizer, I saw them off.
Now, should I go save Roo-joo?
It's quite an urgent situation, but I'm taking my time because I have something to rely on.
***
“Where am I?”
When Jang Eun-ok came to her senses, she realized that she was in an unfamiliar place.
It was dark all around her, and she couldn't see anything.
She tried to remember what had happened.
She was definitely waiting for the waiter to call her so she could greet Mister, who had rented the third floor.
He had visited Geumgyeru for several days, and thanks to him, she had learned his identity.
He was the captain of the Eunhaesang Trading Company, known as Seonhaengmi.
In any case, he was a welcome guest.
He especially praised her husband, Hwang Seok's cooking.
However, suddenly, the window of her room opened, and when she turned her head, she lost consciousness.
“Ah... I've been kidnapped!”
Come to think of it, Hwang Seok had told her not to be alone with a dark look on his face earlier that day.
There was a reason for that.
In fact, her husband, Hwang Seok, was an assassin.
She first met Hwang Seok six years ago.
Jang Ok was famous in the village for her beauty, and because of that, a wealthy man took her as his sixth wife.
The wealthy man was known for his lust, so her parents did not want to send her away, but they had no choice.
They could not live in that village if they went against the wealthy man's wishes.
As his sixth wife, she became nothing more than a piece of his collection.
She was locked in a separate building and could not go anywhere.
Then one day.
She found a man lying in the courtyard of the annex where she lived.
The man wearing a mask looked suspicious to anyone who saw him, but...
“Hey, you there! Hey!”
He opened his eyes with difficulty and asked.
“Are you going to save me?”
“What?”
“Don't do that. I don't care if I die like this.”
Seeing her tearful eyes, he couldn't just leave her there.
So he treated her wounds with his own hands.
Then he said to her,
“You're being foolish.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I killed the chairman of this family. I am your enemy who killed your grandfather.”
She sighed and replied.
“...It was your wife.”
“What?”
“Your sixth wife.”
“What! How old are you?”
“I'm twenty-three this year.”
“The chairman is seventy years old...”
“I was sold. I'm just one of his collectibles. How could I have feelings?”
After that, he often visited her annex, and new feelings began to blossom between them.
Then one day.
“Why do you look like that?”
“The chairman's son told me to go to his bed.”
“Aren't you going to be the chairman's mother?”
“Yes.”
“Bastard.”
“Thank you for cursing for me.”
“So what are you going to do now?”
“What can I do? I have to go to his bedchamber.”
Someone grabbed Jang Eun-ok's wrist.
She was startled and widened her eyes, but he looked serious as he asked her.
“Don't go.”
“What?”
“Marry me.”
And so she ran away with him, and that is how she ended up here.
Clatter.
At that moment, the door to the room she was in opened, and a group of people carrying lanterns entered.
“It's you! You stole our village's greatest treasure, the secret guest!”
Hearing this, she shouted without thinking.
“He's not a thing! Don't say that!”
The man in front of her swung his hand at her.
Slap!
“Shut up!”
“Aah!”
The man drew his sword and aimed it at her as she lay on the ground.
Swoosh.
“You're the one to blame! Because of you, my senior abandoned this path.”
She clenched her fists and refuted his words.
“Of course, it's my fault. But he always hated being an assassin.”
“I told you to shut up!”
He pointed his sword at her shoulder.
“I'm going to cut off your arm and negotiate. I'll spare your life, but you must return here.”
At those words, Jang Eun-ok's face turned pale.
She couldn't let him return to the path of an assassin, which he had barely escaped. But she was powerless.
He swung his sword at her.
She instinctively closed her eyes. But she felt no pain.
Kang!
Instead, she heard a strange sound.
It was clearly the sound of something blocking the sword.
“What?”
When she opened her eyes, a man was standing in front of her. He had blocked the sword.
“Who are you?”
But he did not respond to their cries and spoke to Jang Ok instead.
“Roo-joo, just think about returning to him.”
“Who are you?”
Jang Ok thought he knew who he was.
He was one of the bodyguards of the young man who had been visiting Geumgyeru frequently lately. So his name was... Jin-yu, wasn't it?
Soon, a fight broke out between them.
They turned off the lanterns.
Fighting in the dark was disadvantageous for those who had not undergone special training.
However, what they overlooked was that their opponent, Jin-yu, was an assassin, and not just any assassin, but one who had reached the level of a master assassin.
Krak!
At that moment, the wall of the room they were in broke.
It wasn't a wall, but a window.
The view outside was clearly visible.
Thanks to the bright moonlight, Jang Eun-ok realized that she was on the top floor of a tall tower.
That was when it happened.
“Roo-joo, jump!”
“What?”
“Senior Hwang is waiting for you. Jump!”
At those words, she nodded. Then, without hesitation, she closed her eyes tightly and jumped down.
If she fell to the ground like this, she would surely lose her life.
But
Thud!
She soon realized that she was in someone's arms.
Hwang Seok had caught her just in time.
Jang Ok called out to him, as she always did, from his warm embrace and the scent of his body.
“Hwang Rang...”
Hwang Seok replied to her call.
“I'm sorry. I didn't explain it properly.”
“It's okay.”
She caressed Hwang Seok's cheek.
“I'm so glad you're not late.”
“Actually, something terrible almost happened, but Jin Yu helped me.”
Hwang Seok nodded at her words.
“I knew you were right about him, that's why I was so calm.”
“What?”
“He helped you.”
He landed lightly on a roof and pointed to a spot.
There, a masked man was wielding a sword with grace.
Although she couldn't see his face, she thought she knew who he was.
Even from behind, he was handsome.
Still, her husband was Hwang Seok.
***
The next day
We headed for Geumgyeru.
Hwang Seok Suk wanted to express his gratitude and treat us to dinner.
We were planning to come back soon anyway, so it worked out well.
I was worried about Jin Yu Musha not coming to the dinner party yesterday.
“Please come in.”
Jang Ok Ru welcomed us.
“Thank you for welcoming us.”
“Come in. Welcome.”
We went up to the third floor, and soon the table was filled with food.
Last night
we eliminated the assassin group, Amhyang, who had kidnapped Jang Eun-ok.
We briefly considered handing them over to the authorities, but quickly changed our minds and neatly sealed their mouths.
We didn't want their mouths to reveal Hwang Seok's true identity.
Now, the only person who knew Hwang Seok-soo's past was the waiter.
I served the food myself and placed it on Jin-yu's plate.
“Please eat.”
“I am honored that you served me yourself, Liege.”
“There is no need to be so formal. I am the one who is grateful. Thanks to you, Lu-joo was able to escape a terrible fate.”
As we were eating, Hwang Seok-soo and Jang Lu-ju approached us.
“We are grateful for your kindness.”
“I am so glad that nothing happened.”
Hwang Seok-soo continued.
“I don't know how to repay your kindness.”
I put down my chopsticks and said.
“We are leaving here the day after tomorrow.”
“I see.”
“If we stop by here again next time, I would like to repay you by eating your spicy chicken stew again.”
I continued.
“Is that possible?”
“Of course. Please come visit us again anytime.”
.
.
.
They went downstairs, and we returned to our meal.
“Wow, this is really delicious!”
We all nodded in agreement with Pal-gap's words.
Should we open a branch in Hubei Province later?
If we can reproduce this taste, success is guaranteed.
I went downstairs.
They said they would treat us, but I felt I should pay.
“Would you like anything else?”
I shook my head at the waiter's question.
“I'd like to pay the bill.”
“What? But today...”
“I know. But I don't like eating for free.”
With that, I took out some money from my wallet and paid.
“Excuse me... Is it true that you were a secret disciple of Hao Wen?”
I shook my head at his question.
“No, they were mistaken.”
“I see! That kind person wouldn't have done such a thing.”
He nodded repeatedly.
Waiters must always be careful. You never know who might be a member of the Hao Clan.
Looking outside, I saw Hwang Suk-soo and Jang Lu-ju standing together under a tree.
Suddenly, I remembered what he had said yesterday.
“If Eun-ok had died, I would have killed them all and burned down Geumgyeru with them.”
However, in this life, Geumgyeru was safe.
In addition, the couple could now live together, looking only at each other.
Looking at them, I felt a sense of fulfillment.
I gently stroked Geumryung as I watched the couple talking affectionately to each other.
“Kui?”
Are you lonely? No, that's not it...
Then why are you crying?