Childhood Friend of the Zenith

“Oh.”

I let out a surprised reaction by accident as soon as I saw Namgung Bi-ah’s face.

She had been waiting for me at the camp entrance since she arrived.

Since when…?

I wonder how long she waited for.

Now that I think about it, I think I left without telling her.

…But there was no way that I could tell her.

I also didn't know that Moyong Hi-ah would appear instead of Gu Jeolyub.

Namgung Bi-ah's face was cold as ice.

I could see a difference in her expression, her eyes lifting a little and her lips were shut.

Considering that Namgung Bi-ah usually had almost no change in her expression, this much difference meant that I was in big trouble.

“…About that.”

What can I use as an excuse?

Or do I even need to bother giving her one?

Technically, I'm a victim too.

But I can't afford to tell her everything.

When I thought about the Moyong Hi-ah I saw last night, my mouth could hardly open.

The world ending because of the marble, my ass. At the current moment, it seemed I was the one who was about to meet my end.

“…”

I tried to move my lips to try to give her the best excuse I could, but no words came out.

All the while, Namgung Bi-ah stared at me without saying anything.

It seemed like she was waiting for me to say something.

What do I say to her?

Time passed.

It may have only been a few seconds, but it felt a hundred times longer to me.

Also, Namgung Bi-ah waiting for me in silence scared me because I didn't know what would come after that silence.

It felt like my brain stopped working.

I had to say something, but it wasn't as easy as I hoped.

Then.

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“What?”

“You are busy, Young Master Gu.”

Moyong Hi-ah spoke to me after stepping forward.

She’s telling me to go in just like this?

Wouldn’t that make the situation worse?

If I do that, it'll look like I'm running away after hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

Whether my thought mattered or not, Moyong Hi-ah continued to speak while staring at Namgung Bi-ah.

"The sword dancer. Wouldn't it be better if you talked to me instead of the young master? I have a feeling we have something to talk about."

“…”

Namgung Bi-ah still remained silent despite hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

Frown.

However, Namgung Bi-ah seemed to be uncomfortable as she frowned a little, but she didn't say anything.

“Am I wrong?”

When Moyong Hi-ah asked again, Namgung Bi-ah avoided eye contact with her and looked in my direction.

It was a strange look.

She looked like she wanted me to do something, so I thought about not going,

“…Head… inside.”

But I stopped when I heard Namgung Bi-ah.

“You want me to leave?”

“…Yeah.”

After hearing her speak with a calm expression, I hesitated whether or not to go.

“It’s fine… but when you return… Tell me everything.”

Was it an agreement?

After saying those words, Namgung Bi-ah turned around and walked away.

Judging by her direction, it seemed like she was heading into a forest where there weren't too many people.

When Namgung Bi-ah started to walk away slowly, Moyong Hi-ah too started following her.

“Young Master.”

“…Hmm?”

“I enjoyed our last time.”

"Do you have to say it so strangely?"

After hearing my response, Moyong Hi-ah smiled while covering her mouth with her fan.

Her reaction made her seem rather happy.

…Huh? Did she do that on purpose?

I wondered if Namgung Bi-ah being here was caused by Moyong Hi-ah, but I had no proof to say so.

I only had my suspicion.

After Moyong Hi-ah followed Namgung Bi-ah's footsteps, I, who was left alone, just watched in which direction the two girls disappeared.

“…Did I survive?”

I think the fact that I am here now means that I have survived.

But I for some reason felt extremely uneasy.

******************

It had been a few minutes since Moyong Hi-ah had started to follow Namgung Bi-ah's footsteps.

As expected, they entered a forest with close to no people in it.

With almost no one around, Moyong Hi-ah felt alarmed for some reason.

Should I have brought some escorts?

She didn’t think that the Sword Dancer would cause harm to her.

Moyong Hi-ah wasn’t fond of her due to her personal reasons, but Moyong Hi-ah who was calculative and rational knew that she wasn’t the type of person to do such a thing.

Pause.

Namgung Bi-ah who was walking slowly stopped first, then Moyong Hi-ah who was following her stopped afterwards.

At a time when the sun was beginning to rise after midnight, Namgung Bi-ah turned and made eye contact with Moyong Hi-ah.

When Moyong Hi-ah saw Namgung Bi-ah’s darker blue eyes, she thought that it looked like gems.

A beautiful person.

That was the best way to describe Namgung Bi-ah.

Her hand and foot gesture, and even her breathing sound.

Namgung Bi-ah was a beautiful flower in human form.

She’s also incredibly strong at that, and dignified.

She had many things that Moyong Hi-ah herself didn’t dare to have.

Moreover,

She is a person with the thing that I want the most.

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That’s who Namgung Bi-ah was to Moyong Hi-ah.

She was someone who seemed similar to her, yet so different.

And she was the person who had the thing Moyong Hi-ah wanted the most.

Moyong Hi-ah had to do justice to the emotion she felt in her chest when she thought of Namgung Bi-ah.

Jealousy.

Yes, this was definitely jealousy.

A feeling so toxic, dark, and disgusting.

It was certainly jealousy.

“Are you just going to continue staring at me?”

“…”

“Sword Dancer. You called me here because you had something to say to me.”

Moyong Hi-ah suppressed these emotions, while Namgung Bi-ah just stared at Moyong Hi-ah without saying anything, whether she knew it or not.

She felt frustrated.

She wondered why she remained silent.

Not to go near that man.

Not wanting what is hers.

Not even to look at him because they were engaged and would marry in the future.

That’s what Moyong Hi-ah wanted Namgung Bi-ah to tell her.

This was the result of her nervousness, so Moyong Hi-ah wanted to see that Namgung Bi-ah wasn't the perfect person she thought she was.

“Sword Danc- …”

“…Not me…”

When Moyong Hi-ah tried to call Namgung Bi-ah out of frustration, Namgung Bi-ah suddenly cut her off.

“…But you… are the one who has something you want to tell me.”

“…!”

Namgung Bi-ah's soft words flowed like a breeze that came and entered Moyong Hi-ah's ears, and these words felt especially critical to Moyong Hi-ah.

“Is that not right…?”

“…What are you talking about?”

Moyong Hi-ah replied, but she felt it herself.

That she was completely shaken inside.

Just from a simple phrase such as that.

Me?

The almighty Moyong Hi-ah?

This was impossible.

"What do you mean, I'm the one who has something to tell you?"

Namgung Bi-ah stared at Moyong Hi-ah after listening to her, and Moyong Hi-ah felt as if her emotionless gaze could pierce through her.

She couldn’t afford to be shaken.

She couldn’t break down either.

“I… don’t have anything to say.”

“…Hm.”

Namgung Bi-ah just nodded after listening to Moyong Hi-ah.

She didn’t push Moyong Hi-ah any further, and she looked like she was going to let Moyong Hi-ah off.

For some reason, Moyong Hi-ah didn't like Namgung Bi-ah's appearance.

How could she be so calm like that? Surely, she saw what I did back there.

There is no way that she doesn’t know what kind of feelings I have for him.

Then why.

“Why are you only staring at me like that?”

She didn’t like the way she looked at her.

She's felt this way ever since they first met.

Her beauty, which made her seem to live in a different world all by herself.

She shines even more brightly when she swings her sword.

She lives her life peacefully, as if she had nothing to complain about in the world.

And the fact that Namgung Bi-ah was the one on her little mind.

All of it.

Moyong Hi-ah didn't like it.

“Don’t you hate it?”

“…Hmm?”

“Don’t you hate me, who’s trying to steal what’s yours?”

Namgung Bi-ah’s eyebrow frowned slightly upon hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

It meant that Namgung Bi-ah showed a reaction, and Moyong Hi-ah continued after seeing that.

“Don’t you hate me who’s trying to ruin your place of peace?”

“I do.”

“…!”

This was the first time.

The first time that Namgung Bi-ah spoke clearly to her.

They haven't had a proper conversation in the year they've been together.

Their relationship began to break down ever since Moyong Hi-ah began to receive heat from Gu Yangcheon.

Furthermore, along with Namgung Bi-ah having feelings for Gu Yangcheon and Moyong Hi-ah also telling him how she felt about him, their relationships weren’t going to get better.

“I knew it, so you hate me t- “

“But I don’t care.”

“…Excuse me?”

“If that’s what he wants, I don’t care what it is.”

Namgung Bi-ah's eyes were still blue, but it felt like their light was getting brighter.

“Don’t be mistaken.”

It was a firm and cold voice.

Namgung Bi-ah, who didn't have her usual tired look, and her slow way of speaking made her look completely different from herself.

Moyong Hi-ah bit her lips slightly after seeing Namgung Bi-ah like that.

“…What do you mean by "don't be mistaken”? That I won’t be able to steal Young Master Gu away from you?”

Namgung Bi-ah lightly shook her head after hearing Moyong Hi-ah.

Was that not what she was referring to?

Then what-

“He’s not mine.”

After hearing Namgung Bi-ah,

“I belong to him instead.”

Moyong Hi-ah’s eyes widened.

Namgung Bi-ah looked like she was trying to correct an important part when she gave such a response.

“He is narrow-minded.”

Then she suddenly spoke badly about Gu Yangcheon.

Gu Yangcheon would’ve coughed consecutively if he heard this.

He was narrow-minded? What was she suddenly on about…?

As Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t dare to understand what she was saying, Namgung Bi-ah continued to speak.

“He is so narrow-minded and the bowl that holds his capacity for tolerance is so small that me being in there already makes him full.”

“…!”

He was narrow-minded.

When Namgung Bi-ah said that he was completely full with only her in there, it also meant that she was full of confidence, and to Moyong Hi-ah those words felt like thorns stabbing into her.

It meant that Namgung Bi-ah already belonged to him, and that she was taking up the only space he had.

Moyong Hi-ah wondered where Namgung Bi-ah got such confidence from, but she couldn’t argue with what she said.

“…Sword Dancer, you- “

"So either he increases such tolerance, such capacity... or he kicks me out for someone else. That's his decision."

While listening to her words, Moyong Hi-ah felt that Namgung Bi-ah won’t be kicked out without an easy fight.

How could she be like this?

Is she not worried at all?

Did she have this much belief because of their clans having engagement?

Moyong Hi-ah couldn’t understand, nor did she want to.

However, she still couldn’t say anything in response.

She had thousands of answers in her head that would cut off Namgung Bi-ah's words, but the emotions in her heart wouldn't let her words leave her mouth.

She knew full well that no matter what kind of answer she gave, she couldn't win against Namgung Bi-ah's simple and unbelievable words and convince her.

Namgung Bi-ah then spoke again, trying to calm Moyong Hi-ah who was trying to keep her eyes from shaking while breathing heavily.

“So.”

Snap.

When Namgung Bi-ah took a step forward, Moyong Hi-ah unconsciously took a step back.

She didn’t have her sword out nor was she showing any killing intent, but Moyong Hi-ah felt difficult towards Namgung Bi-ah.

“Don’t use your nervousness to take advantage of him.”

Moyong Hi-ah’s body started shaking after hearing Namgung Bi-ah’s cold and sharp words.

It wasn’t because of fear.

It was because it was something that she least wanted to hear.

“…This is what I wanted to say to you.”

Namgung Bi-ah who was watching Moyong Hi-ah, then walked past her after finishing her sentence and started to head towards the camp.

Moyong Hi-ah, left alone, stood still for a moment.

Then she sat down on the ground and stayed there for a long time.

*****************

The frontlines, Gu Clan’s campsite.

The Captain’s tent.

When I arrived at Gu Huibi's tent after leaving the two of them behind, I gave a report on the examination of the marble in the center of the forest.

I was very worried about what Moyong Hi-ah and Namgung Bi-ah were talking about, but another part of me told me that if I went, I would die under their pressure.ell.

More than anything.

Hopefully Namgung Bi-ah takes care of it.

She was slow and naive and not good at talking down to people, so I hoped she wouldn't be swayed around by Moyong Hi-ah.

So I decided to go and check on her after finishing my report.

“…What did you say?”

But all my thoughts went out the window after hearing Gu Huibi just now.

“W-Who came, you said?”

“…”

Gu Huibi had a complicated expression on her face after hearing my question, and I just continued to stare at Gu Huibi with a complicated expression of my own.

Gu Huibi then spoke, breaking the silence.

“…Mother.”

The current Lady of Gu Clan.

“Mother is back in the clan right now.”

She has made her return to the clan.

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