ROTMHS Special Spin-off - Chapter 20

Chapter 20. No way, right? (5)

Among the many estates in Jinan, there stood one large enough to be counted on one hand. Deep within it, a man dressed in blue silk robes held a small pair of scissors as he gazed at a bonsai set upon a tea table.

“Hmm.”

A middle-aged man with a short, broad beard that left a strong impression examined the bonsai with careful eyes, then delicately trimmed its overgrown leaves.

Snip. Snip.

Despite his large build and heavy-looking presence, the man’s touch as he pruned the bonsai was exceedingly meticulous.

After tending to it for quite some time, the man spoke without taking his eyes off the bonsai.

“So, it failed?”

The person standing beside him in attendance flinched slightly before answering.

“Y-Yes, it did.”

“Failed, you say... failed... An operation entrusted to the Silent House ended in failure, is that it?”

[Silent House. Mueumbang. 무음방(無音房). Literally ‘Room of No Sound’, the assassination organization.]

“Th-that is...”

“Well, it happens. Things in this world don’t always go as one intends.”

Snip.

Carefully cutting the tip of the bonsai, the man cupped his chin and looked it over from several angles. Seemingly satisfied with the result, he gave a large nod and sat down.

“Tea.”

“Yes!”

A maidservant who had been holding her breath in the corner hurried over and poured the prepared tea. The man took the teacup, lifted the lid, and gulped it down in large swallows.

“Next time, make it a little warmer.”

“Y-Yes, I will remember that.”

“Good.”

The man turned his head to look at the one standing beside him.

“So... who was it that suggested entrusting this to the Silent House?”

“I-it was me...”

“And how much was the commission fee again?”

“Three hundred... nyang.”

“Three hundred nyang... Hmm. Say, Ja Hwan.”

[tl note: Ja Hwan (자환 / 慈喚). Personal name; 慈 = compassion, 喚 = to call/summon.]

“Y-Yes! B-Bangju-nim.”

[tl note: Bangju (방주 / 房主). Literally “head of the chamber/house,” a title for the leader of an organization.]

“Why are you trembling so much? When one works, mistakes happen. Come here and sit.”

“......”

“Go on. Bring another cup of tea here as well.”

“Yes, Bangju-nim.”

The maidservants poured another cup and placed it in front of the man called Ja Hwan. With slightly trembling hands, Ja Hwan lifted the cup and cautiously took a sip.

“Now then, Ja Hwan. As you know, three hundred nyang is not a small sum. It’s a waste to lose it all in a single commission.”

“Th-that is correct.”

“Then results befitting that amount must be produced... Otherwise, this becomes troublesome, wouldn’t you say?”

“I apologize. This is entirely my fault. I never imagined that a second-rank assassin from the Silent House would fail to deal with a mere child who hasn’t even learned martial arts...”

“Mm. That’s a reasonable point.”

The man called Bangju nodded as if in agreement.

“What was it again? An assassin who deals with ordinary people is the third-rank assassin, was it? With a fee of one hundred nyang.”

“Correct. The second-rank assassin targets those of the jianghu or those who have entered official posts, so the commission fee is three hundred nyang....”

Who could have imagined that someone of that level would fail to kill a mere child?

The Silent House follows the principle of ‘one attempt, one payment’.

[Il-si-il-geum. 일시일금(一試一金). “One attempt, one payment.” The commission fee is charged per attempt and is not refunded even if the mission fails.]

Even so, the reason people continue to cross the threshold of the Silent House is because that single attempt is known to guarantee an exceedingly high success rate.

“Tsk. You can’t really call it your fault if people like that failed. Especially when the request was made at a higher rank.”

“I am deeply ashamed, Bangju.”

“So? What should be done now?”

“......”

The man called Bangju let out a sigh as he asked,

“As you know, that fellow swindled one thousand nyang from us. And with this commission, we’ve lost another three hundred. That means we’ve suffered a loss of thirteen hundred nyang because of that impudent brat. This time, it must be certain. What do you think we should do?”

Ja Hwan swallowed dryly.

“May I dare to offer my opinion?”

“Speak freely.”

“In my view... it would be best to entrust it to the Silent House once more.”

“Mm? Again? Why so? They’ve already failed once.”

“That is precisely why. If the second-rank assassin of the Silent House fails twice to kill a mere child who hasn’t even learned martial arts, how do you think the world will view them?”

“I see. They would become a laughingstock. The Silent House would never want such a result.”

“Exactly. Therefore, if we make the request again, the Silent House will ensure the mission succeeds—no matter what methods they must use.”

“Mm... But wouldn’t that require another three hundred nyang as a commission fee?”

“I will take responsibility for that money.”

“Responsibility?”

“Yes!”

Ja Hwan nodded firmly. It couldn’t be said that he bore no responsibility for this mistake. If additional funds from the House were used to clean it up, he might lose the Bangju’s trust.

“My good man, do you think I’m doing this over money? There’s no need to go that far. It’s just a single child, isn’t it?”

“It is precisely because it is a child.”

“Mm?”

“No matter that we are of the black path, if we kill a child, we will inevitably draw unfavorable attention. Would that not interfere with the various businesses we are currently conducting? We might even give the authorities a pretext to intervene.”

“...That would be so.”

“More concerning than that is the high likelihood that Lord Song would also take offense.”

The expression of the man called Bangju grew serious.

Lord Song was the patron supporting them from behind. It would hardly benefit the House to displease such a person.

Sensing the shift in his expression, Ja Hwan spoke with greater force.

“We can avoid giving the authorities a pretext to intervene while also preserving Lord Song’s trust. Compared to those gains, three hundred nyang is by no means a large sum.”

“Hmm.”

“Bangju! Please trust me just once more. I will repay your trust without fail. This matter can be resolved smoothly.”

“Heh heh. Not a word of that is wrong. Not a word.”

The Bangju, who had been laughing heartily, looked at Ja Hwan with a pleased expression.

“Look here, Ja Hwan.”

“Yes.”

The Bangju extended one hand forward. Ja Hwan quickly grasped it with both hands and bowed his head.

“You’ve become quite seasoned. You could easily manage a merchant guild if entrusted to you now.”

“You flatter me. It is all thanks to your teachings, Bangju.”

“Does that sound like a compliment?”

“...Pardon?”

Thud.

In that instant, the Bangju seized both of Ja Hwan’s wrists with his large hand and slammed them onto the tea table. Then, with the scissors in his other hand, he drove them down, piercing both of Ja Hwan’s hands at once and pinning them into the table.

“Aaagh! Guaaaargh!”

“Shh. Don’t make such a loud noise.”

“B-Bangju-nim! Why—why are you doing this...!”

“Tsk tsk. This is why those who only grow their heads are a problem.”

The Bangju of the Black Hand House—Two-Faced Ghost Fiend—Seo Gunhong clicked his tongue.

[Black Hand House. Heuksu bang. 흑수방(黑手房). Su (수) is ambiguous; could be 手 (‘hand’) or 水 (‘water’). Previously, I translated it as ‘black water gang’. Actually, I’m not sure if it’s ‘water’ or ‘hand’. Because Biga-nim didn’t give the hanja. Given the context of what just happened, I decided to just use ‘hand’.]

[Yangmyeon Gwihyung. 양면귀흉(兩面鬼凶). ‘Two-Faced Ghost Fiend’. A title implying both duplicity and brutality.]

“You’re saying killing a child would cause problems? That Lord Song wouldn’t like it?”

“B-Bangju-nim, that’s—”

“You idiot! Do you think someone who fears a bad reputation can survive in this line of work?”

Seo Gunhong’s face, which had looked so benevolent moments ago, twisted into that of a vicious fiend.

“That tiny brat played us for fools. And instead of stripping him alive immediately, you want us to hide behind assassins and cheer them on?”

A fierce killing intent surged from Seo Gunhong’s eyes as he glared at Ja Hwan.

“I let it pass once. And they failed miserably. And now you’re telling me to endure it again?”

“B-But... Lord Song—”

“Lord Song! Lord Song! Lord Songg!”

Thud!

Seo Gunhong kicked Ja Hwan straight in the side. Ja Hwan, still pinned to the tea table, was sent flying together with it and slammed into the wall.

“Cough! Cough! Uwegh!”

As Ja Hwan vomited a mouthful of blood, clearly suffering internal injuries, Seo Gunhong cast a cold gaze at him.

“Spout that kind of nonsense in moderation. Understand this clearly, you idiot. Lord Song doesn’t back us because we’re easy to control. He backs us because we’re useful. A wolf that fears people isn’t a wolf—it’s just a dog. If he needed a dog, would Lord Song have sought us out?”

There was no answer from Ja Hwan. With his insides already churned to ruin and his consciousness half gone, there was no way he could respond.

Seo Gunhong glared as if he would kill the groaning Ja Hwan, then shouted,

“Clean this up!”

“Yes, Bangju!”

The men waiting by the door dragged Ja Hwan out. After fuming for a while, Seo Gunhong lowered his gaze.

The bonsai that had been knocked to the floor when it hit the tea table was now in complete disarray.

“Tsk.”

Crunch.

Irritated, Seo Gunhong crushed the fallen bonsai underfoot, then strode toward the door. He kicked it open and looked at those waiting outside.

“I won’t repeat myself.”

“Yes, Bangju!”

“Bring him to me. I don’t care what state he’s in. Cut off his limbs, peel off his skin—just make sure he’s still breathing and drag him before me. If you fail, I’ll cut off your limbs instead!”

“Yes, Bangju!”

“What are you all doing! Why aren’t you running out and bringing him in immediately!”

“Yes!”

As those waiting rushed out in a flurry, Seo Gunhong ground his teeth.

‘Damn it...’

Just imagining how the other black-path bastards would think of this matter made his teeth clench on their own. After fuming for a long while, he turned his head and looked at the man standing to his left.

“Chief Steward Gam. Did you look into it?”

“Yes, Bangju-nim.”

“Already?”

“Yes. When it’s your order, how could I delay?”

Seo Gunhong’s twisted expression immediately softened.

“It seems the bastard is currently staying at his own house.”

“Hah, he’s got some nerve. To stir things up this far.”

He really is an audacious one. Then again, wasn’t that why he had tried to draw him in and raise him somehow—right up until that bastard made a fool of him?

“Then there’s no problem.”

“However, it appears that several Taoists are currently staying together at that house.”

“Taoists?”

“Yes. Young Taoists. At most, perhaps just past twenty.”

Seo Gunhong narrowed his eyes.

“Could it be...”

“They don’t seem to be from Wudang or its secular affiliates.”

“Hm. Then they’re just Taoists, is that it. Probably another trick that cunning bastard pulled.”

Taoists and monks were troublesome to touch carelessly. One could end up entangled with forces beyond one’s ability to handle.

“But there’s no need to worry. Given his personality, he won’t last long. Within three days, I will present him before you, Bangju-nim.”

“I trust you. If not Chief Steward Gam, who else would I trust?”

With a gentle smile, Seo Gunhong slowly nodded.

“Then in the meantime, shall I go buy a new bonsai? I hope there’s a good one available.”

“I will attend you.”

“Very well.”

Just as Seo Gunhong was about to step forward leisurely, he suddenly halted.

“What is it, Bangju-nim?”

“...You said they weren’t Wudang, right?”

“Yes. I am certain.”

“...It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

A faint crease formed between Seo Gunhong’s brows.

For a moment, he had recalled that among Taoist sects these days, there was one whose name had been making quite a bit of noise lately. But—

‘No way, right?’

That is an excessive thought.

‘It’s not as if they have nothing better to do. They wouldn’t come all the way out here to distant Shandong.’

Even if those fellows really had come from Mount Hua, it didn’t matter. The Black Hand House wasn’t some place that would fear fewer than ten young taoists.

“Unless they’re suicidal fools, they won’t interfere.”

With a scoff, Seo Gunhong picked up his pace once more.

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