In everyday conversations, everything seems to flow naturally. However, if you dig deeper into the nurous non-verbal signals hidden beneath the surface, it becos clear that things are never as simple as they seem.
This holds true even for simple greetings like "Hello, good morning." With a smile or tone of voice, I first send a signal, and the other person responds in kind.
After hearing words that don't deviate too far from our expectations, we can finally start our peaceful morning.
In that sense, Paeng Donghu's expression right now was truly sothing to behold.
"What... What did you say?"
A piece of trash, huh? As the second son of the Paeng family, he had never once been spoken to in such a crude manner. The fact that those words had co from no one other than Hwang Bo Yeon threw Paeng Donghu into confusion.
The first thing anyone does in such situations is doubt their own ears.
"What did you just say...?"
"Want to say it again?"
"What?"
"You piece of shit."
The mont his doubt turned into certainty, a surge of intense anger enveloped Paeng Donghu. His face turned red, almost as if it would burst, and his voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Have you gone mad from lying down for so long?"
Seeing his ferocious expression, Yeon returned the mocking chuckle she had given earlier. She wasn’t planning to stop here. If anything, she intended to provoke Paeng Donghu even more.
As if disgusted by the dirty touch, Yeon flung his hand away and spoke.
"You’re the crazy one, you perverted bastard. Why don’t you go back to the brothel instead of being here?"
In that mont, Paeng Donghu’s eyes widened with doubt. A look that clearly asked, How do you know that? But there was no way for him to know.
"Where do you get off talking nonsense?"
"Whether it’s nonsense or not, you’ll find out soon enough."
Paeng Donghu narrowed his eyes, sensing that sothing was happening that he didn’t understand. Yeon, sensing that he might be getting wary, quickly added.
"You’ve had fun up to now, huh? You disgusting bastard."
"What? How dare you talk like that to !"
Paeng Donghu raised his hand. Trembling with barely restrained anger, he looked around. After all, this was the Hwang Bo estate.
Yeon, sensing his hesitation, spoke up.
"Go ahead."
"...What did you say?"
"I said go ahead, do what you were about to do."
"Do you want to go all the way?"
"Shut up and decide—are you going to do it or not?"
Crash!
Paeng Donghu’s hand slamd into the nearby table, breaking it to pieces. His palm ached terribly, likely from lack of practice, but he forced himself to maintain a controlled expression. He glared at Yeon, trying to appear as nacing as possible.
Yet, all Yeon did was let out a small, dismissive laugh.
Raised under a father who had drilled constant training and combat into her, Yeon wasn’t soone who feared violence. Unlike Hwang Bo Yeon, for her, violence was no threat. It had always been her ally.
"Why destroy a perfectly good table? You think soone’s going to be scared of you?"
"...Do you need to see the coffin before you start crying?"
Paeng Donghu, muttering words he had probably heard sowhere, was t with Yeon’s unblinking gaze.
"Who needs to see the coffin? Co out here. I’ll kill you, you perverted bastard."
Without hesitation, Yeon stood up and made for the door. As she opened it, she could see So Jin, who had been nervously standing outside, jump in surprise.
"Ah, Miss..."
It seed So Jin had overheard part of the commotion. Yeon, seeing So Jin’s pale face, spoke calmly.
"Tell my father, So Jin. The engagent is canceled."
Yeon then made her way to the family’s training grounds, using Hwang Bo Yeon’s mories as a guide. There were several reasons she needed to change locations.
First, she wanted to settle the matter definitively, and witnesses were needed for that. And the second reason was...
‘Hwang Bo Yeon is nothing more than a burden to this family.’
Despite being the only heir, Hwang Bo Yeon had never had any real presence. Without the great affection of her father, Hwang Bo Jeonggun, she wouldn’t have received even this much care. The lukewarm reaction of the retainers when they saw her awake was a reflection of that.
Yeon realized that Hwang Bo Yeon had known this, too. Deep down, she had always harbored the desire to stand proudly as the heir. Unfortunately, her inherent weakness had always kept that ambition from coming to fruition.
In stark contrast, Yeon was determined to break that part of Hwang Bo Yeon’s spirit. That desire, now deeply ingrained in her, was sothing Yeon couldn’t ignore.
When she arrived at the training grounds, Paeng Donghu, still unable to accept reality, sneered at her.
"I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you can’t take it back now. You might as well apologize now, before you regret it."
Yeon, without answering, tapped her feet on the dirt ground and checked her own condition. She clenched her fists, stretching her body this way and that.
Hwang Bo Yeon’s body was in better condition than expected. No, in fact, it was far beyond what she had anticipated. Compared to her own body, which had been drilled to the point of exhaustion, this body was in remarkable shape. If anything, she was in much better shape than she had been after lying in bed for so long.
A sudden pang of frustration gripped her.
‘Hwang Bo Yeon had all this talent and yet lived so weakly.’
No matter how good the physical body, if the mind is weak, it’s as fragile as paper. The words she had heaУдаленных рабочих столов so many tis from her father echoed in her mind.
It was only now, in this new world, that Yeon finally understood the real aning behind those words. She was caught in a strange emotion when the retainers of the Hwang Bo family and her father, Hwang Bo Jeonggun, arrived.
"Yeon! What in the world is going on?"
"Father, how could you accept soone like that as my fiancé?"
"Y-Yeon?"
It was natural for him to be surprised, but the words had already been spoken. In Yeon’s case, it was a rather restrained version of what she truly wanted to say. Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s large eyes looked like they were about to pop out.
At that mont, So Jin, who had been observing from the sidelines, quickly stepped forward.
"Head of the family, here's what actually happened..."
So Jin recounted every detail of Paeng Donghu's actions, including how he ntioned Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s na. With the situation unfolding as it did, she could no longer stay silent as the young miss’s attendant.
After hearing So Jin’s account, Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s expression grew serious. He quickly suppressed his anger before turning to Paeng Donghu.
"Young Master Paeng, is this child’s story true?"
Knowing Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s usual gentle nature, Paeng Donghu remained calm as he replied.
"I’m not sure [N O V E L I G H T] what you’ve heard, but it seems there’s been a misunderstanding. I was just happy to see Yeon sojū after such a long ti. I was rely trying to check on her health. It’s been hard to wait alone for my fiancé, lying in bed, and now that she’s awake, I’m truly disappointed."
Once again, Hwang Bo Jeonggun found himself unable to intervene. Paeng Donghu’s words were pricking at sensitive spots, and given that they had only heard one side of the story, it was hard to punish the second son of the Paeng family. This allowed Paeng Donghu to gain more confidence.
"When I return to the Paeng family, I’ll report this properly. Only then can we settle this properly. After all, who has been waiting all this ti...?"
Paeng Donghu’s final words, almost whispered, caused Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s face to flush red. Yeon, seeing this, furrowed her brow.
"Father."
"Uh?"
"I’ll handle this, so please step aside."
"What?"
"So Jin’s words are all true. And soone like him is more likely to respond to a beating than a conversation."
Hwang Bo Jeonggun looked at her with a stunned expression.
"What do you an by that, Yeon? Are you saying you want to fight him?"
"That’s exactly why I ca out here."
Just as Hwang Bo Jeonggun was about to say sothing, Yeon shouted at Paeng Donghu.
"Hey, pervert. Let’s get started, shall we?"
"Haha, did you see that, Head of the Family? It seems like Yeon sojū’s been ill for too long. She’s not quite right in the head."
Paeng Donghu, now feeling confident that he had the upper hand, didn’t even realize how rude he was being. Without speaking, Hwang Bo Jeonggun observed him quietly before turning his gaze to Yeon.
"Hmm."
Seeing the concern in Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s eyes, Yeon spoke.
"Don’t worry. I’m stronger than you think, Father. You’ve fed every tonic under the sun since I was little, right?"
"Well, yes, but..."
‘But you can’t attack others, can you?’
Yeon could almost hear the words Hwang Bo Jeonggun had not spoken. She flashed him a grin.
"Just watch. I’ll show you how I’m going to teach this bastard a lesson."
"Teach a lesson? What does that an, Yeon?"
At Hwang Bo Jeonggun’s confused question, Yeon couldn’t hold back her laughter. It was a little frustrating, but he was every bit the doting father. How could she hate him?
"You’ll see soon enough."
****
After the commotion settled down, a place was set up for the duel. Yeon had been so proactive, and Paeng Donghu had no reason to refuse.
One of the retainers, reluctantly stepping forward, began the official announcent.
"Ahem, we will begin the duel now. The two sides have agreed that no internal energy will be used! Any further disputes..."
The usual rules were being explained. The surrounding retainers whispered among themselves.
"Tch, what is the young miss even thinking?"
"She can’t even use her own martial arts properly. What is she planning to do?"
"Maybe it’s really as Young Master Paeng said..."
Ignoring the doubting glances, Yeon lightly wiped the sweat from her brow. It was a fresh experience to be seen as soone destined to lose before she even started fighting.
In her mind, the martial arts techniques that Hwang Bo Yeon had learned began to surface. However, she decided to set them aside for now. This was the mont to rely on the technique she was most confident in.
Yeon clenched her fists lightly and raised her arms in a defensive posture, guarding her face. The elbow tucked in as though protecting her ribs was the stance of boxing.
Adopting a crouched posture, Yeon lightly extended her arms forward.
Snap!
A sharp jab followed by a heavy straight punch. The basic one-two combo in boxing cut through the air, sending a burst of wind.
In the far future, an evolved form of martial arts had undergone countless advancents. Now, it was being implented in the central martial world through Yeon’s hands.
Yet, the onlookers, still watching Hwang Bo Yeon, remained unimpressed.
"What kind of move was that?"
"It almost looks like the Five Elents Fist... but it seems a bit strange."
"Did she learn so kind of grappling technique?"
Wham!
As if to mock them, Yeon swiftly spun into a spinning kick. The force was enough to make the retainers flinch, but that was all.
In mid-air, Yeon slowly retracted her leg.
‘This feels pretty good.’
She glanced over at Paeng Donghu, who, with his arms crossed, was staring at her without a glance of interest. With a smirk on his face, it was clear he thought he had already won.
‘What a fool.’
Just then, the shout signaling the start of the fight rang out.
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