I Became the Hidden Chapter 104

"Yuhwa? Are you asleep?"

"..."

Baek Yoonjun carefully checked the condition of Tang Yuhwa, who was breathing softly with her head on his chest.

'How can a person sleep standing up?'

Since Tang Yuhwa's face looked very comfortable, Baek Yoonjun was careful not to wake her and sat down nearby.

After sitting down, all sorts of idle thoughts dominated his mind.

'Zhongnan.'

The biggest worry for Baek Yoonjun at present.

The weight of going to Zhongnan was the greatest.

Baek Yoonjun quietly recalled what Shinseung had said when he had visited him before.

-Zhongnan and Kongtong have joined the alliance.

Although Baek Yoonjun had no knowledge of the Zhongnan Sect and the Kongtong Sect, seeing the reaction, it seemed they were quite large forces.

-Hmm... congratulations.

Therefore, he had played along appropriately.

The problem was the words that followed.

-Kongtong, along with joining the alliance, has requested that the White-Robed Sword Immortal personally visit Kongtong to show his face to the Taoist forces and lend them his strength.

Until this point, Baek Yoonjun did not know that the White-Robed Sword Immortal was a sound referring to himself.

'The White-Robed Sword Immortal? Why did that name suddenly pop out again?'

Although he was puzzled, he did not think deeply about it.

'Could it be that I'm getting involved again? There are plenty of guys wearing white robes and carrying black swords here, aren't there?'

One of the reasons for that was the attire that had linked him with the White-Robed Sword Immortal.

There were plenty of martial artists around with attire similar to Baek Yoonjun's.

'Since he was a famous martial artist of the past, it's unlikely he's alive now, so it must be a nickname attached to a martial artist with similar attire, right?'

The convenience-oriented way of thinking peculiar to a homebody introvert had conveniently come to a conclusion.

-That's great. But why are you reporting to me one by one...?

-Because Benefactor Baek has to make the decision.

-What? Me?

At this point, Baek Yoonjun's first thought process stopped.

-Why me?

-Well, because our representative is Benefactor Baek.

-What? Me?

Following that, a second thought process stop.

'Why am I the representative? Why? I think I heard it last time, but no matter how I think about it, I don't understand.'

From this point on, Baek Yoonjun fell into a state where he could not make a proper judgment.

-Ah, although you are the representative, since this monk knows Benefactor Baek's tendencies, I will try my best not to make it troublesome. However, since this is an important decision, it seems Benefactor Baek will have to make the judgment.

At Shinseung's subsequent words, Baek Yoonjun's homebody introvert convenience-oriented thinking began to work hard.

'If I go by the monk's words, wouldn't it be better to be the representative to avoid meeting people?'

It was a miraculous logic created by the single-minded desire of 'I don't want to go out of the room', with no logic or probability.

He had no idea that this complacent judgment would push him into the tragedy of going to Zhongnan.

-Would it be okay to proceed?

Therefore, Baek Yoonjun could easily decide.

-Yes, I think it would be fine to proceed as is.

And Baek Yoonjun immediately came to regret his words.

-I understand. Benefactor Baek, I will talk to Kongtong and let you know as soon as a date is set. Then, if you need help with the journey preparations, please let me know at any time.

-I will do so.

Baek Yoonjun politely performed a half-salute in response to Shinseung's half-salute.

And at the same time, he felt a sense of incongruity in Shinseung's words belatedly.

-What do you mean, preparations for a journey?

-Since Benefactor Baek is going in person, shouldn't you prepare?

-What? Me?

From this point on, Baek Yoonjun's thinking completely stopped.

Since he could not hear Shinseung's subsequent words properly, he had answered roughly and parted, and when he came to his senses, he was digging the ground, and Tang Yuhwa had come to find him.

'Gosh... even I think it's a mess.'

Baek Yoonjun let out a deep sigh.

And at the same time, he thought, 'The outside of the room is also dangerous.'

'To take it back, I've said too much without thinking.'

If it were someone else, they would have realized their mistake and tried to take it back, but Baek Yoonjun, due to his homebody introvert tendency, did not have the courage to retract the words he had once spoken.

And so, as Baek Yoonjun was worrying.

"Huh?"

He was startled to see the shovel that had somehow reappeared in his hand.

Although he wanted to hide in the ground for several days and nights as he had told Tang Yuhwa, since he did not have the courage to break the words he had spoken, he had only made a show of it.

It was the end of a complacency that had pursued only the convenience in front of him.

'Thinking about it will only make me more depressed, so let's stop.'

Like an extreme homebody introvert, Baek Yoonjun added avoidance to convenience and complacency.

If anyone had looked into his inner self, it was the rotten mind-image of a splendid homebody introvert that they could have said, "Ooh, you're trash," without hesitation.

"Umm..."

At that time, at the sound of Tang Yuhwa, who had been laid down well, tossing and turning and groaning, Baek Yoonjun stopped his inner digging and turned his eyes.

Tang Yuhwa, with her eyes closed, got up from her body.

Then she fumbled on the floor with her hands and approached Baek Yoonjun.

Baek Yoonjun flinched and asked carefully.

"Are you up?"

"..."

Without answering, Tang Yuhwa leaned against his thigh and curled up.

Seeing her breathing softly, it seemed she was asleep.

"What?"

Although Baek Yoonjun asked carefully, naturally, there was no answer.

"Her actions are like a cat."

With a dumbfounded heart, Baek Yoonjun let out a chuckle and stroked Tang Yuhwa's head.

The foolish worry that had arisen from the digging before seemed to subside a little.

'Is this why people raise cats?'

In his past life's room-corner days, he had tried to make contact with a cat, but he had ended up being mindful of even the cat's mood, and in the end, the painful memory of it falling through came to mind.

'Now I'm also raising a big cat near my house, so my condition has improved compared to before. Yes.'

A self-esteem smaller than a millet seed raised its head.

It did not take long to reach the reckless conclusion of, 'What the heck, I'll just go to Zhongnan once.'

And so, time passed, and on the day of departure for Zhongnan.

Baek Yoonjun was startled to see the large-scale delegation procession and drew his sword.

It was not a physical sword, but a sword for pruning in the name of 'selection'.

As was natural for Baek Yoonjun's tendencies, being alone was the most comfortable, but since he didn't know the way and had to include at least one representative from each sect, he selected the opponent he was most comfortable with as much as possible.

The first person who came to mind was Hong Yungae, the most manageable of his disciples.

"I have a duty to lead the hundred thousand beggars..."

"So you're not going?"

"Since it is my master's order, I must set aside all matters and go!"

Next was Zhuge Hwaryeong, who was attached to Hong Yungae and was also Baek Yoonjun's disciple.

"Hwaaah. Junior sister is so small and cute!"

"Don't touch me."

And Tang Yuhwa, who was being kneaded by Zhuge Hwaryeong, who seemed to have forgotten that she was cross-dressing.

"As much as I could not attend to you at that time, I will do my best to attend to you."

Somehow, Hyejin, Shinseung's disciple, who had become twice as polite as before.

"Great Hero Baek! It's been a long time!"

Su Yeohyang, the great disciple of the Emei Sect's Divine Nun Jihwa, and.

"It is an honor to be with the immortal."

The temporary leader of the Cheongseong Sect, which Baek Yoonjun called the village below his residence, Gu Wolju.

"It will be fun to be with Great Hero Baek."

And somehow, Zhuge Woohyun, who had become the head of a group called the Zhuge family clan.

"We meet again. Please take good care of me, Brother Baek."

Finally, Zhang Sanfeng, who was the most comfortable to deal with among the adults.

This was the delegation party that would head to Zhongnan, which Baek Yoonjun had barely selected with great care, exerting his homebody introvert tendencies to the extreme.

And so, the delegation departed.

Perhaps because the person guiding the way and the support were faithful, the journey was not long.

"We have arrived, Great Hero White-Robed Sword Immortal."

The man with the glasses from Zhongnan, who had guided the party, performed a fist-and-palm salute to Baek Yoonjun with a tired look.

'This human is not a martial artist, but feels like a company employee who has rolled around for 26 hours a day in a black company.'

Baek Yoonjun felt pity for the man with the glasses.

Although he had never worked at a company because he was cooped up in a room, he had also heard of the notoriety of black companies.

'But what was his name?'

The fact that he couldn't remember the name well also matched the characteristics of a black company's company employee.

'At least I remember the glasses, but if he takes them off, I probably wouldn't know him even if he passed by.'

Baek Yoonjun made such an evaluation of the man with the glasses.

"Then, for now, I will guide you to your residence, so please relieve your travel fatigue."

As he was guided to his residence, Baek Yoonjun.

'Well, since I won't be seeing him for long, it doesn't matter if I can't remember his name.'

For a homebody introvert, not only remembering people but also remembering their names was a tiring task, so he gave up on remembering.

"But do you remember that person's name?"

"I don't know."

From the conversation of Tang Yuhwa and Zhuge Hwaryeong that he overheard from behind, it seemed that Baek Yoonjun was not the only one who could not remember the name.

'I'm envious.'

Baek Yoonjun felt envious of the man with the glasses' faint impression.

'Anyway, let's rest now.'

The journey was smooth, and since there was no worry of getting lost, it was short.

But for Baek Yoonjun, the journey with many people itself was just tiring.

"I will rest for a bit."

Therefore, as soon as he was guided to his residence, he was cooped up in his room.

Cooped up in his room, Baek Yoonjun felt his condition stabilize.

Although his extroversion had increased a lot compared to before, there was no place as comfortable as a room corner.

'It would have been nice if I had fallen into the future, not the martial world.'

Cooped up in a room, doing nothing, Baek Yoonjun recalled useless idle thoughts.

A world where everything is automated.

A world where most humans have lost their jobs and have nothing to do but eat and sleep.

'In such a world, no one would look for me, right?'

Although some people might feel depressed at such a thought, Baek Yoonjun was just happy.

'Happy? Me?'

Baek Yoonjun felt puzzled at himself for recalling the emotion of happiness.

'In the past, was I happy because I was cooped up in a room?'

The answer was 'no'.

He had just been cooped up because he was powerless and felt he could do nothing.

But now.

'It's good to be cooped up in a room?'

At his changed tendency from before, Baek Yoonjun felt a sense of fear and at the same time, a thrill.

'I, as a human, have really changed.'

Although it was a difference that was nothing to others, Baek Yoonjun felt a great difference.

Naturally, from the perspective of others, it would just look like mere digging.

'Still, the fact that my breath is relieved by being cooped up in a room hasn't changed.'

And he reached a conclusion.

'For now, I have to be cooped up in a room.'

If someone had looked into his head from the side, it was a conclusion that would have made them exclaim, "Well, you've reached a great conclusion."

And so, Baek Yoonjun, who had finished his contemplation about the room corner, turned his eyes to a big problem.

'In the end, this time too, the problem is that damn White-Robed Sword Immortal.'

Somehow, that name that kept getting involved with him.

'Come to think of it, I've come to be called by that nickname.'

Now that he had come to be called by that title, Baek Yoonjun became a little more serious.

'Should I find out?'

Baek Yoonjun had been turning a blind eye to the White-Robed Sword Immortal.

Hearing that he was a profound old martial artist, he had made up his mind never to get involved.

But since he had gotten involved this much, it was hard to turn a blind eye anymore.

'Right. I've been thinking wrong until now. The better you know, the better you can avoid!'

Although the conclusion of avoiding was the same, Baek Yoonjun's thoughts leaned towards a sound side, unlike him.

'Since Yungae is here, I don't have to go around on my own feet!'

As expected, he had no intention of running on his own feet, but it was the most sound side in Baek Yoonjun's life.

The action of the homebody introvert who had reached a conclusion was fast and unhesitating.

Baek Yoonjun quickly came out of his room, asked a waiter, and moved to find Hong Yungae's room.

"Is Yungae here?"

Arriving in front of Yungae's room, Baek Yoonjun unhesitatingly called for Hong Yungae and knocked on the door.

"J-just a moment!!"

As Baek Yoonjun called for Hong Yungae, a quite flustered voice of Hong Yungae was heard from the other side of the door.

'What? Although I came suddenly, he's too flustered.'

Puzzled, Baek Yoonjun quietly waited in front of the door.

Creak.

The door opened belatedly, and Hong Yungae, with a somewhat awkward look, revealed himself.

And in the room, Zhuge Hwaryeong, who looked somewhat awkward, was sitting.

'Look at this? Could it be?'

Seeing that, all sorts of thoughts, or rather, delusions, flashed through Baek Yoonjun's mind.

(End of Chapter)