Chapter 44: The Shipped Slacker (2)
The Paeng Clan of Hubei generally received two kinds of reputations.
— A clan of righteous heroes who could not tolerate injustice.
And...
— A clan full of lunatics who used muscles instead of brains when trouble arose.
That was why the Paeng Clan of Hubei was a place that received such polarizing evaluations.
Although the assessments were extreme, if one had to choose, it was still a clan that leaned toward a favorable reputation.
They often acted rashly and made matters worse, but their heroism was second to none in the world.
At the very least, they weren’t devious. Even when they caused trouble, it was mostly with good intentions. So while people might curse them, not many called them evil.
So, if someone from such a place said something like this, it must be a serious matter.
“But how could we possibly…”
Gok Bihang looked troubled.
“There are people chasing me. With my martial arts, I can't shake off their pursuit. If you could hide me during this escort journey and help me get off this mountain, I will surely repay the favor.”
Gok Bihang let out a long sigh.
Morally, it was something he should help with.
But the problem was, if something went wrong and they got entangled in it, not only the escort journey but the entire escort agency’s fate could be at risk.
The whole thing reeked of danger.
‘What do I do?’
Gok Bihang hesitated.
If it was merely a matter of one life, he would have helped without question, but the matter at hand was far from simple.
What troubled him the most was that this didn’t look like something easily handled. If someone from the Paeng Clan of Hubei couldn’t deal with it, how could they possibly help?
Yet, if he were to refuse coldly and something went wrong, it wouldn’t be strange if they were retaliated against by the Paeng Clan in the future. Of course, they wouldn’t retaliate openly, but it would become difficult to even set foot in Hubei again. No one in Hubei would want to do business with an escort agency marked by the Paeng Clan.
After a long period of deliberation, Gok Bihang finally seemed to make up his mind and gave a firm nod.
“I’ll help you.”
Paeng Dogeuk’s face lit up.
“Thank you.”
“Save the thanks for later. For now, quickly hide yourself in that load.”
Paeng Dogeuk gave a deep bow and moved toward the cargo cart that Gok Bihang pointed to.
“Climb up and get inside the load.”
“Yes.”
Following Gok Bihang’s instructions, Paeng Dogeuk climbed onto the cart.
There, lying on top of the cargo, he discovered a young man with an extremely sour expression on his face.
“……”
The young man glared at Paeng Dogeuk with clear displeasure.
“Ah, hello there.”
Caught off guard by the hostile gaze, Paeng Dogeuk gave an awkward greeting without thinking.
The youth, Wi Yeonho, stared at Paeng Dogeuk with an irritated face before closing his eyes.
“Um…”
Paeng Dogeuk was flustered.
He needed to hide inside the cargo, but with Wi Yeonho sprawled across it like that, he couldn’t crawl in.
“Would you mind shifting a little…”
No matter what Paeng Dogeuk said, Wi Yeonho didn’t budge an inch. Paeng Dogeuk turned to Gok Bihang with a pleading look.
Startled, Gok Bihang climbed onto the cart.
“What are you doing! Move over quickly.”
Wi Yeonho opened his eyes.
“Why?”
“What do you mean, why?”
“Why should I move?”
Gok Bihang let out a heavy cough.
“Just shift over for a moment. This man needs to hide inside the cargo. You can lie down again after that.”
“No thanks.”
“No thanks? Why not?”
“It’s bothersome.”
Gok Bihang looked at Wi Yeonho in disbelief.
What was this kid doing?
“This is no time for jokes! Move over already!”
“Mister.”
“What now! Why won’t you move?”
Wi Yeonho answered with an extremely annoyed face.
“It’s not like he has to hide here. He could attach himself under the wagon or disguise himself as a porter.”
In that instant, Gok Bihang’s face flushed red with anger. It was obvious that Wi Yeonho simply didn’t want to be bothered.
But Wi Yeonho went on.
“Or you could just leave him behind.”
“I won't argue further. Move over.”
“I paid to be here, you know? Well, it wasn’t my money, but still.”
At that, Gok Bihang let out a deep sigh.
Now that he had heard him out, it seemed this wasn’t just out of laziness. It meant an explanation was needed.
‘We’re not alone here.’
If he considered Wi Yeonho’s presence, it wasn’t right to drag danger into this escort mission. This was clearly Gok Bihang’s mistake. He had been treating Wi Yeonho too naturally like cargo and forgot there was someone he needed to protect in an emergency.
“I understand what you mean. You have every right to travel safely. And as an escort agency, it’s our duty to guarantee that. If anything happens, I will stake my life to protect you, so please, move aside now.”
Wi Yeonho still looked dissatisfied, but he grudgingly rolled over to one corner.
“If anything happens, I’m not helping. Just saying.”
“Understood.”
Gok Bihang clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘As if he could help. Just don’t be a burden.’
He untied the ropes securing the cargo, removed the items on top, and let Paeng Dogeuk climb in. Then he covered him again and tied the load tightly.
The work was done so well that no one would guess a person was hiding inside.
When the task was finished, Wi Yeonho rolled back and lay sprawled on top of the cargo again.
Gok Bihang looked down at him with a disapproving expression.
‘A young man of similar age is risking his life for justice in the murim, and this bum’s idea of effort is rolling around while lying down.’
Even in normal times, Wi Yeonho wasn’t someone Gok Bihang could look upon favorably—but now, the contrast only made him seem more disagreeable than ever.
He wanted to say something, but remembering that Wi Yeonho had a medical condition, he turned his head away.
‘I need to be understanding. He’s sick, after all.’
Shifting his attention away from Wi Yeonho, Gok Bihang turned to check on Paeng Dogeuk.
“Make absolutely no noise.”
“Understood.”
A low voice came from inside the cargo.
Gok Bihang nodded and climbed down from the cart, resuming the escort journey.
Wi Yeonho sighed as he lay back on top of the cargo.
‘What a busybody.’
Being kind was good and all, but those who couldn’t distinguish between their own business and someone else’s usually never gained anything from it. A truly clever person would’ve turned away the moment they saw Paeng Dogeuk injured and simply gone on their way.
Normally, Paeng Dogeuk would have died in that mountain. And if he was worried about the Paeng Clan, he could have just kept his mouth shut and claimed he’d never seen anyone.
‘Well, not that I particularly dislike that sort of thing…’
Just then, a small voice came from inside the cargo.
“How’s it looking outside?”
“No idea.”
“What do you mean, no idea?”
“I’m lying down, so I can’t see.”
“……”
Paeng Dogeuk went silent, seemingly flustered.
After a moment of awkward silence, he cautiously spoke again.
“Could you sit up for a bit and check the surroundings?”
“Why should I?”
Once again, Paeng Dogeuk fell silent.
“If you want to see something, get out and look for yourself, or stay buried in there. Don’t bother others for nothing.”
Paeng Dogeuk quickly realized that he and the person on top of the cargo were not going to get along.
He also picked up on the fact that the person above clearly had no goodwill toward him.
Still, Paeng Dogeuk was the kind of person who reflected on his own faults first before blaming others. So rather than resenting Wi Yeonho’s attitude, he chose to apologize.
“I’m sorry for dragging you into danger because of me. If this all ends well, I will make sure to repay everyone here.”
Wi Yeonho snorted.
“What good’s repayment if you’re dead?”
“That’s…”
“Don’t you have any conscience? You’ve thrown all these people into danger. If you had an ounce of shame, you should’ve pretended you didn’t see anything.”
Wi Yeonho’s words stabbed straight into Paeng Dogeuk like a dagger.
“I think so too. But this matter is far too important.”
“It’s not important to the escort agency.”
Paeng Dogeuk tried to make an excuse.
“Forget it. Don’t talk to me. I’m going to sleep.”
“…Understood.”
Wi Yeonho closed his eyes.
For a while, the cart rolled on without incident.
Gok Bihang, on edge, kept scanning left and right, but nothing suspicious occurred. No one appeared looking for Paeng Dogeuk as the wagon descended the mountain.
‘Did we make it?’
Just when Gok Bihang began to relax, something happened.
Up ahead stood a dozen men dressed in green robes.
Gok Bihang’s eyes trembled with unease.
“E-escort chief?”
“Keep going. Don’t make them suspicious.”
Gok Bihang reassured the porter driving the cart, then whispered quietly.
“No matter what happens, do not make a sound.”
This was meant for Paeng Dogeuk, hidden inside the cargo.
As the cart moved closer, the figures blocking the road came into clear view.
Green robes embroidered with the character for ‘forest’ (林).
That held significant meaning.
The Eighteen Keeps of the Green Forest—rulers of the mountains across the land.
And the robes were worn only by the elite among them.
Regular Green Forest bandits dressed freely; they didn’t wear uniforms like that.
Or rather, they couldn’t—they didn’t have the skill.
‘Damn it. It had to be the people from Green Forest.’
So there were pursuers. But who would've thought it would be the elites from Green Forest? Then again, if they weren’t at least that level, there would’ve been no reason for Paeng Dogeuk to be on the run.
If it wasn’t Paeng Dogeuk, there’d be no reason for ten elites of the Green Forest to appear here.
And no reason to block the road either.
As the cart drew closer, Gok Bihang nervously stepped down and gave a clasped-hands salute.
“Gok Bihang of the Swift Dragon Escort Agency greets the heroes of the Green Forest.”
Even then, the men in green robes simply glared at him without a word.
Despite their hostile expressions, Gok Bihang didn’t lose his composure. If he panicked now, it would all be over.
“The Swift Dragon Escort Agency has long maintained good relations with the Green Forest. If there’s anything we can cooperate on, we will gladly do so. Could you state your purpose here?”
At that moment, one of the men in green finally opened his mouth.
“Have you seen a young man in red clothes?”
Gok Bihang shook his head.
“We’ve seen no such person.”
“You’re certain?”
“Absolutely.”
A faint, sinister smile crept onto the man’s lips.
“Doesn’t seem that way to me.”
Gok Bihang bit his lip.
Their reaction wasn’t good.
It looked like things wouldn’t end peacefully today.
But trying to fight them with only the current escort guards would be like striking a boulder with an egg.
“I don’t know what you mean, but we truly haven’t seen such a person. Why would I lie? The Swift Dragon Escort Agency has had good relations with the Green Forest for years. Why would we risk jeopardizing that by hiding someone we don’t even know?”
Gok Bihang protested desperately.
But the man’s eyes turned icy as he pointed atop the cart.
Where Wi Yeonho was lying.