WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 91: Growth (3)
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"Yes. I am your master."
The moment Ha Ryun heard those words, he felt immense relief.
This was no different from a gamble.
If Mumu had acted as though he had no idea what Ha Ryun was talking about, Ha Ryun might have faced the worst possible outcome, having to take his own life.
'Just as I thought... My judgment was right.'
The man from the Paralysis Blade Estate last night had not seemed to know the true identity of the person who would become their master.
That was why they had been working with false information.
Of course. There was no way the engraved Jade Medallion could have been wrong.
Ha Ryun spoke, sounding deeply moved.
"I believed in you, Master."
Mumu found Ha Ryun's attitude strange.
Why did he keep calling Mumu his master, both before and now?
Was he trying to get himself out of this situation?
Or was this some desperate measure?
Or perhaps...
'Does he really want to serve me as his master?'
Mumu had no idea why Ha Ryun was acting this way.
Still, that was not particularly important.
All Mumu wanted was information. He needed proof that Ha Ryun, who had used powder similar to what the arsonists used on the cadets, was one of their accomplices, and that Ha Ryun had framed Hong Hye-ryeong.
'Hmm.'
Mumu considered how to draw information out of him.
He had followed Mo Il-hwa's advice, but he had never tried anything like this before.
As he thought, Ha Ryun pressed his forehead to the ground and said, "Master. How deeply pained you must be that the Grand Plan failed. It will remain my regret for all eternity that I failed to recognize you and was confined in the Discipline Bureau, unable to assist you."
Ha Ryun's eyes trembled with unease as he kept his head lowered.
The person who would become their master had revealed himself.
At a time like this, he had to cater to his master's mood and earn as much favor as possible.
Otherwise, he would never get another chance.
'Grand Plan?'
What did that mean?
Was he talking about the arson?
Ha Ryun kept saying things that sounded convincing even though Mumu had said nothing. Wondering if this was going well, Mumu simply stared at him without speaking.
Ha Ryun cautiously raised his head.
'Gasp.'
Then he quickly lowered it again.
His master had revealed his identity, yet only stared at him in silence. That did not seem like a sign of trust.
"This lowly subordinate has spoken out of turn. Please forgive me."
Ha Ryun flattened himself against the ground.
Then he slammed his forehead against the floor.
Seeing that, Mumu thought, Here he goes again, and spoke in an annoyed voice.
"I'm not angry."
"R-Really?"
Ha Ryun raised his head and asked.
Mumu scratched his head and nodded.
He did not know why Ha Ryun called him master, nor why he was so cautious around him.
'I shouldn't ask, right?'
He wanted to ask why Ha Ryun called him master.
But if he did, all the effort he had put into thinking things through, just like Mo Il-hwa told him to, would be wasted.
Just then...
Tap tap tap tap!
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Ha Ryun turned his head.
Jin-hyeok, Hae Ryang, and Mo Il-hwa appeared.
They had been slower than Mumu, so they had followed his trail.
Jin-hyeok looked at Ha Ryun, who was lying face-down on the ground, and asked, "Did you catch him?"
Ha Ryun frowned at that, then said with clear displeasure, "Who did you say was caught?"
"Ha Ryun. I'm talking about you, so who else would I..."
Mumu cut Jin-hyeok off with a grin.
"I revealed my identity to Ha Ryun."
"What?"
Jin-hyeok furrowed his brow.
What did Mumu mean, revealed his identity?
"I revealed that I'm the master."
At Mumu's words, Jin-hyeok looked puzzled, but Mo Il-hwa's eyes sparkled. She jabbed Jin-hyeok in the side with her elbow and said, "Oh my. You revealed Master's identity?"
'Master's identity?'
What was Mo Il-hwa talking about now...
Ha Ryun snorted.
"So you are the ones who serve by Master's side. You deliberately pretended not to know back then. Yet I already knew the identity of the person who would become our master. I simply did not wish to put this person in an awkward position when he had not revealed it himself."
'!?'
Jin-hyeok's eyes widened slightly.
He could be a little slow at times, but he was not completely oblivious.
Mo Il-hwa and Mumu were acting in front of Ha Ryun.
'They really fooled this guy?'
Jin-hyeok looked at Mumu in surprise.
Mo Il-hwa had suggested tricking Ha Ryun during their meal, and they had actually done it.
He had worried Mumu might just beat Ha Ryun up again.
Still, what had they told him for Ha Ryun to call Mumu his master?
Mo Il-hwa stepped forward.
"Listen to you, talking about awkward positions. You put Master in a difficult spot, yet here you are acting all high and mighty."
Ha Ryun clenched his lips tightly at her words.
Hae Ryang clicked his tongue inwardly as he watched.
He knew Mo Il-hwa was quick-witted and good at improvising, but her ability to play along so calmly in this situation was impressive.
'As expected of Miss Mo.'
The problem began here.
They had managed to act as though they were on the same side, but what could they say to make Ha Ryun spill useful information?
Since even Mo Il-hwa could not immediately continue, she seemed to be thinking it over.
Just as expected, she was turning it over in her head.
'What should I say to make him naturally admit that he's one of their accomplices...'
"Who killed Young Chun?"
'!?'
Mo Il-hwa, Jin-hyeok, and Hae Ryang could not hide their shock.
That was far too direct a question.
The one who asked it was Mumu.
He had been wondering how to lead Ha Ryun into revealing it naturally, and no one had expected him to ask so bluntly.
'You idiot!'
If things went wrong, the atmosphere they had painstakingly built could collapse.
Ha Ryun's expression stiffened.
'Urk!'
It seemed Mumu had made a mistake after all.
Just as they wondered what to do, Ha Ryun sharply lowered his head toward Mumu and said, "I apologize. This subordinate has only just been released from the Discipline Bureau, so I do not know the details of the scheme to sow discord."
'Huh?'
His answer was the complete opposite of what they feared.
They had worried that he might notice something, but Ha Ryun was instead watching Mumu's every reaction.
He was extremely careful with every word.
'Why is he acting like that toward Mumu?'
They had no idea why Ha Ryun was behaving this way.
He truly looked as though he served a high-ranking superior.
Everyone found it strange, but that was not important right now.
Thanks to him, they had learned one thing.
'He really is one of them.'
Until now, they had only suspected that the arsonists and those who framed Hong Hye-ryeong might be on the same side.
But hearing Ha Ryun speak this way, there was no doubt they were accomplices.
'Then couldn't we capture him and take him to Vice-Master? They could interrogate him and get information out of him.'
Jin-hyeok cautiously gathered life energy in his legs.
Their suspicion had turned into certainty, so he decided it would be better to capture Ha Ryun.
Ha Ryun carefully asked, "But why did you ask about that?"
"I was just curious who it was. So you don't know?"
Mo Il-hwa felt stifled at Mumu's innocent words.
Speaking that naively would sound strange.
She did not know why Ha Ryun kept calling Mumu Master, but he was clearly watching his reactions closely. Mumu should have acted like, "You don't even know that? Useless fool." Or, "Find out immediately!"
Yet...
"Please grant me one day. I will certainly find out."
Ha Ryun eagerly declared that he would find out right away.
'Uh...'
This was actually working?
Mo Il-hwa narrowed her eyes at Ha Ryun.
Why was this bastard so blindly loyal to Mumu?
As doubts filled her mind, Mumu quietly looked toward her.
It seemed to mean,
'What should we do? Let him go?'
Mo Il-hwa thought for a moment, then moved only her eyes up and down so Ha Ryun would not notice.
* * *
After letting Ha Ryun go, Jin-hyeok said, "Why did you suggest letting him go? We already learned Ha Ryun was one of their accomplices. We could have handed him over to Vice-Master or interrogated him."
"What if he just kills himself?"
"That..."
"Didn't that fake Gu Yang Seo-han kill himself because he was afraid of being exposed after Mumu caught him?"
Jin-hyeok nodded, finding Mo Il-hwa's words reasonable.
Her judgment might have been right.
The arsonists, and the things Mumu had told them, made it clear these people were quite extreme.
There was no guarantee Ha Ryun would be any different.
Hae Ryang stepped forward.
"Don't worry. Just in case, I will keep a close eye on him."
"You?"
Hae Ryang shrugged at Mo Il-hwa's puzzled look.
"I may not be as skilled in Martial Arts as the rest of you, but I am from the Hao clan. I am confident in concealment arts and tracking arts."
"Oh!... Is that so?"
"Yes. Ha Ryun said he would find information, which means he must have other accomplices. Following him is the best option."
"Right! Then let's go together."
Mumu spoke as though it sounded fun.
Hae Ryang jumped in surprise and shook his head.
"No, young master. Please leave this field to an expert like me. If too many of us go, they may realize we are deceiving them."
Mo Il-hwa agreed.
"That is true. Still, be careful. If they catch you, it could become a serious problem."
"Yes. If it seems dangerous, I will withdraw immediately. Then!"
Whoosh!
With that, Hae Ryang shot off in the direction Ha Ryun had gone.
As soon as he left, Mo Il-hwa looked at Mumu curiously and asked, "Mumu."
"Yeah?"
"Why does that guy named Ha Ryun keep calling you his master?"
She had been curious about it all this time.
But Mumu had no way of knowing either.
"I don't know."
"You really don't know?"
"Yeah."
He truly did not.
Jin-hyeok spoke up.
"Could that guy..."
He was about to ask if Ha Ryun knew something about Mumu, but stopped himself.
Come to think of it, Yu Yeop-kyung had said he had raised Mumu since he was a baby.
It would be stranger if Ha Ryun, who was about Mumu's age, knew anything about him.
It would be better to question Ha Ryun later if they got the chance.
"That guy what?"
"...I think we should inform Vice-Master about him too."
"Vice-Master?"
"Yes. They should know as well, so they can handle things smoothly if a problem comes up later."
"Ah, right. Okay. I'll go tell Vice-Master."
Mumu then headed to the main building to meet the Vice-Master.
Watching Mumu walk away, Mo Il-hwa quietly asked Jin-hyeok, "Why? Do you think Mumu might have some connection to that Ha Ryun guy?"
"No. It is not that. I just..."
Ha Ryun knew something Mumu did not.
Jin-hyeok was simply curious what that was.
Footnotes:
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