Childhood Friend of the Zenith Chapter 1149

After my schedule was set, I checked the letter again to go over the details.

‘Departure in three days…’

I would be heading straight to Shanxi in three days. That part was clear.

Now—

‘What’s the justification?’

What reason was I being given to travel to Shanxi? I needed to confirm that, too.

‘Huh?’

My eyes caught an unexpected phrase.

‘…Return of a precious artifact. Along with a classified mission.’

The justification was vague. The return of a precious artifact? And—

‘A classified mission?’

Something so confidential that it wasn’t even written in the letter? That was the official reason for my departure.

‘What exactly is this classified mission?’

What required such grand wording?

What was being used as justification for this?

‘What did Father do?’

What kind of conversation had my father and the Sword Master had for this wording to end up in my orders?

“…Strange, isn’t it?”

As if reading my thoughts, the Azure Dragon Division Leader chuckled.

“It’s strange for me as well. But of course, when it comes to him, rather than questioning it, I simply follow his decisions. That is…”

Creak.

He leaned back deeply in his chair.

“…Why I value you so highly and grant you unnecessary leniency.”

“…”

“So, please…”

The Division Leader’s expression remained relaxed, but his voice dropped to a whisper.

“Do not do anything reckless.”

A quiet, yet crystal-clear warning.

“Understood.”

I responded. But even as I did, my thoughts were restless.

‘How the hell did this man die?’

Someone this powerful wouldn’t have died so easily.

What exactly happened in the past that led to the Azure Dragon Division Leader’s death?

It was a mystery that nagged at me.

**********

Creak.

I shut the door behind me and stepped outside. By now, the sun had completely set, and night had fallen.

“Hmm…”

Scratching my cheek, I looked up at the moon. It wasn’t just that I had spent a long time in that room—

‘…It’s this mission that’s bothering me.’

The justification for my trip to Shanxi kept lingering in my mind.

Returning an artifact? That made sense.

But classified? That word wouldn’t leave my head.

‘What is it?’

Since it was classified, I wouldn’t be given an explanation.

‘This is going to be a pain.’

Judging by the circumstances, this situation was bound to get more troublesome.

‘…No choice, huh?’

I couldn’t make it any better than this. Even from my perspective, this was the best possible outcome.

‘Well, as long as I get to Shanxi, nothing else matters.’

The important thing was that I was going to Shanxi. That alone made it a win.

“This works.”

I convinced myself. Even if it wasn’t great, I decided to accept it.

I nodded to myself and was about to step forward when—

“…”

I sensed something.

Naturally, I turned my head and asked,

“Do you need something from me?”

“Oh my.”

A voice responded from a shadowed corner where someone had been watching me.

Long black hair, large eyes, pale skin.

It was Hyun Soyeon.

“My, my. I’ve been caught?”

She laughed playfully.

I had to fight the urge to sigh.

“You weren’t even trying to hide.”

“Ahaha. That’s true, isn’t it?”

If she had really wanted to stay hidden, she wouldn’t have concealed herself so poorly.

After all, Hyun Soyeon was a first-rate martial artist.

“So, what do you want?”

I asked, wondering what she was up to.

Hyun Soyeon stepped forward and replied,

“Oh, nothing much. I just ran away because things got annoying.”

“Ran away? From what?”

“Oh, the banquet. By the way, where were you? You didn’t show up at all.”

“…There was a banquet?”

“Yes?”

“…”

I hadn’t even known there was a banquet.

Sure, I had been talking with the Division Leader, but still—

‘…They had a banquet?’

Was it held in celebration of Hyun Soyeon’s arrival?

And no one even mentioned it to me?

“Ah…?”

Seeing my expression, Hyun Soyeon suddenly looked guilty.

“Wait… are you being left out?”

“…”

That stung a little.

“That’s not it.”

“Aaah… I… um… I’m sorry?”

“Why are you apologizing?”

Somehow, her apology made me even more irritated.

“Sigh. So, you ran away?”

I decided to drop the topic of the banquet. Even if I had known about it, I wouldn’t have gone.

For real.

“Yeah. They were way too persistent.”

It wasn’t hard to guess what she meant.

With how she looked, men were probably flocking to her like flies.

The problem was—

“Namgung was there, wasn’t he?”

Her fiancé, Namgung Jin. Shouldn’t he have been by her side, handling it?

“As if that guy would care. He was too busy looking somewhere else.”

Hyun Soyeon shrugged.

That statement—

“…Was Lady Mi there as well?”

“Yes. The Vice Leader, too.”

“…”

So everyone except me had been there. Great.

“Ah… um… I—sorry…?”

“I told you to stop apologizing.”

“O-Okay.”

Anyway, Mi Horan had been present, which meant Namgung Jin had been preoccupied watching her.

That also meant other men had likely taken notice of Hyun Soyeon being left alone.

‘…Is he out of his damn mind?’

If Namgung Jin had feelings for Mi Horan, then some guys might have tried to make a move on Hyun Soyeon.

And he hadn’t done anything to stop them?

I found that ridiculous.

‘Even if he doesn’t care about her.’

She was still his fiancée. If he left her unattended like that, it would damage his family’s reputation.

‘Seriously, does he not think at all?’

I let out a quiet sigh.

So this is what happens when a man loses himself over a woman?

It wasn’t just pathetic—it was baffling.

Actually—no matter how obsessed he was, this was too much.

‘…Why, though?’

There had to be a reason Namgung Jin was so fixated on Mi Horan.

Of course—

‘Lady Mi is beautiful.’

Objectively speaking, Mi Horan was a stunning woman.

Even taking into account that she wasn’t a martial artist and had aged more quickly than them, she was still a beauty.

But even so—

‘Still…’

Hyun Soyeon was on a completely different level.

The difference was staggering.

And yet, Namgung Jin had ignored his fiancée in favor of Mi Horan?

It made no sense.

And then—

‘That woman, standing next to Namgung Jin…’

I didn’t understand her, either.

She clearly didn’t have feelings for him, yet she still stayed by his side.

Hyun Soyeon made just as little sense to me as Namgung Jin did.

“Oh my~?”

She chuckled as she looked at me.

“You’re looking at me like I’m pathetic, aren’t you?”

“I am not.”

“Oh, come on. It’s written all over your face. Fine, since I was teasing you earlier, I’ll let it slide.”

“…”

“Anyway—! I was running away, and guess what? I just happened to see you! So I figured I’d wait and have a chat.”

“You didn’t just see me. You knew I was here and waited.”

“Same thing.”

How was that the same? That wasn’t coincidence at all.

“I mean… hmm…”

I started to say something, then closed my mouth.

“…What did you want to talk about?”

I was mildly curious, so I decided to listen.

“You want to chat? Great! Let’s go for a walk!”

She smiled brightly and started walking ahead, as if she already knew the way.

I tilted my head slightly.

‘…Does she actually know where she’s going?’

People like her usually had no sense of direction.

I wondered if Hyun Soyeon was the same.

**********

It didn’t take long to find out.

Surprisingly, Hyun Soyeon wasn’t directionally challenged.

“…How do you know the way?”

I asked as she navigated without hesitation.

She turned slightly to look at me.

“Hmm?”

“The path. How do you know where you’re going?”

“…What do you mean? It’s obviously a path.”

“…”

Well… yeah.

That was how it worked for most people.

It was weird to not know where the path was.

“…Some people struggle with that, you know.”

“Huh? Really? At that point, isn’t that an illness rather than bad navigation skills?”

“…”

I barely stopped myself from saying that person was her daughter.

Awkwardly scratching my cheek, I kept walking when—

“Oh, wait.”

Hyun Soyeon suddenly glanced at me.

“The person who gets lost easily… is that your fiancée?”

“…”

She caught on instantly.

Her perceptiveness was ridiculous.

“Judging by your face, I’m right. Your fiancée’s bad with directions, huh?”

“I mean…”

“Don’t even try denying it. Every time you make that face while looking at me, it’s always the case.”

“What face?”

“A soft, longing expression.”

I froze.

My steps halted mid-stride.

“That look that says you miss her so badly it’s killing you.”

“I never— I didn’t—”

“Don’t deny it. Your eyes are saying it loud and clear. You must really love your fiancée, huh?”

“…”

Longing for her?

Did I really have that kind of expression just now?

I wasn’t sure.

I had never consciously thought about it.

“What kind of person is she? For you to like her that much?”

“…I wonder.”

What kind of person was she?

I naturally looked up at the sky.

The moon was visible above.

Not a crescent moon, not a full moon—just something in between.

Its shape didn’t matter.

What mattered was that, at this moment, I was looking at the moon.

“…She’s like that.”

“Huh?”

Hyun Soyeon followed my gaze.

“What? The moon?”

“Yes, the moon.”

“…What about it?”

“That’s the kind of feeling she gives.”

“…What the hell?”

She furrowed her brows slightly, clearly not understanding.

The way she looked at me—she was silently asking ‘What are you even talking about?’

I couldn’t help but laugh.

Even I thought it was ridiculous.

“A person like the moon. Sometimes hidden behind clouds, sometimes not visible at all. But still always there. And when things get too dark, she shines just enough to remind you she’s still here. That kind of person.”

“…”

Hyun Soyeon wrinkled her nose.

It looked like she had just heard something she really didn’t want to.

“Baek Yangcheon. You’re a lot more poetic than I expected.”

“…Are you mocking me?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m leaving.”

“A—ahhh! I’m sorry!”

She quickly grabbed my arm.

“I was just messing with you! I didn’t expect you to confess your love so openly, that’s all!”

“When did I ever say anything about love?”

“Huh?”

“Yeah?”

She blinked, looking genuinely confused.

“Wait, wait. Saying all that while looking at the moon—isn’t that basically saying you love her?”

“…What?”

“Am I wrong?”

“…”

I didn’t answer.

The word love felt strangely heavy in my chest.

I had never once considered it.

“…Let’s go.”

“Huh? Go where?!”

In the end, I didn’t deny it.

And childish as it was, I couldn’t bring myself to.