I Somehow Became the Leader of the Black Faction - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: I’m Proposing a Deal

How I Accidentally Became the Leader of the Black Path Alliance

Episode 4

“I’m proposing a deal.”

She’s insane.

That was the only explanation for this situation.

Seo Woo-jin stared at Yun Seo-rin, his expression blank for a long moment. Then, a dry laugh escaped his lips.

“Haha… My apologies. I must be more nervous than I thought. I’m starting to hear things…”

He feigned mishearing her, digging into his ear, but Yun Seo-rin repeated her words, her voice clearer and more resolute.

“You heard me correctly. You must become the Leader of the Black Path Alliance.”

Grind.

His teeth clenched as anger began to simmer.

How dare she say that after I just exposed her as a fraud?

She wouldn’t be able to pull a stunt like this unless she looked down on him completely.

Seo Woo-jin’s face hardened, and his voice dropped to a low, menacing tone.

“And why should I do that? Don’t you think you’re being a bit too bold? Now that your true identity is out, I’ll be blunt. Do you really think I’m here by choice?”

Yun Seo-rin nodded, her expression serene.

“I know. I know you’re not here by choice. We must have been mistaken.”

“Exactly! I was unfairly— Huh?”

Seo Woo-jin, who had been ready to unleash his anger, faltered as she readily conceded.

A complete stranger has appeared, claiming to be the Young Alliance Leader. Anyone would be suspicious. How can she be so certain?

The question was written all over his face, and Yun Seo-rin answered it.

“It’s simple. You fell for my obvious trap. Someone here by choice would have seen through it. It was a difficult puzzle, but not an impossible one to solve.”

Seo Woo-jin’s eyes filled with admiration.

Ah! She figured out two things with a single question: my identity and my intent.

She had asked the question already assuming it was a lie.

If he had given the correct answer, she would have simply asked another.

Would it be over if I kept telling the truth?

Judging by the look in her eyes, he doubted she would let him go so easily. He could read a level of obsession and madness in her gaze.

It’s her. She’s the one who found my escape route.

Now he understood why Bae Seok-jin had appeared before him so much sooner than expected.

Seo Woo-jin swallowed hard. The pressure he felt now was even greater than when he had faced the Four Black Dragons at the Entrance Exam Grounds.

Still, he forced himself to remain as calm as possible before speaking.

“Fine. I’m glad you’re aware of my situation. As you said, I’m the one who suffered because of your mistake. I’m not asking for compensation. Just let me leave quietly.”

It was a reasonable and natural request.

Yet Yun Seo-rin shook her head and firmly refused.

“As I told you, I need you.”

“Are you seriously asking me to become the Leader of the Black Path Alliance?”

“For now, you’ll have to act as the Young Alliance Leader.”

“Do you honestly think that makes any sense?”

“Nothing is impossible. What matters is the will to make it happen.”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about. Do you think I’d suddenly find the will to do this just because you say you need me?”

Clack.

Yun Seo-rin set her teacup down on the table and fixed her gaze on Seo Woo-jin.

Her eyes, though seemingly indifferent, held a chilling sharpness that sent a shiver down his spine.

Still, Seo Woo-jin refused to look away.

For a long moment, their gazes locked in a silent, fierce confrontation.

Yun Seo-rin was the first to speak.

“How amusing.”

Seo Woo-jin’s brow furrowed. “What?”

Yun Seo-rin lifted her chin and swept her gaze over him.

“I’ve heard all the reports about you. You caused trouble for the Four Black Dragons, didn’t you? You chose to break through their line and escape, even after hearing that Murim Alliance warriors were on their way. You probably weren’t certain if the warriors coming to your aid could actually protect you. You also must have worried that the Four Black Dragons would mention the Young Alliance Leader in front of them, causing further trouble.”

Seo Woo-jin’s pupils trembled.

This woman… she wasn’t even there, yet she’s reading my mind.

“Making such a judgment in a desperate situation shows how cool-headed you are. But your actions in the Hangzhou Market today were difficult to understand. I expected you to hide your presence, yet you stepped out boldly to save a woman. At first glance, I’d say it was reckless.”

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Seo Woo-jin’s low voice was laced with fury.

Yun Seo-rin merely sneered, a cold smile playing on her lips.

“Heh. I’m just trying to cool your head down. Or more accurately, shall we say I’m reminding you exactly where you are right now?”

“…!!”

“Do I sound like I’m asking you for a favor?”

Yun Seo-rin’s voice was as frigid as a winter gale.

Seo Woo-jin found himself unable to speak.

“Refuse me. Then you’ll be thrown straight into the Black Path Alliance’s dungeon for impersonating the Young Alliance Leader. Feel wronged? Heh. Who do you think will listen to your grievances? You’ll be tortured for days on end. To find out who instigated this, and where the real Young Alliance Leader is.”

Yun Seo-rin lifted her teacup, savoring its aroma.

“You won’t be smelling tea like this anymore. Only the scent of blood will fill your senses. And you’ll be left in a miserable state, waiting for death.”

Swoosh. Thud.

Yun Seo-rin set the teacup down in front of Seo Woo-jin.

“Choose. Drink the tea I offer you. Or fall into hell.”

This is the worst.

Nausea surged within him.

Their malice fanned the flames burning deep in his chest.

Grandfather was right.

The Black Path bastards…

…are all trash.

Yun Seo-rin’s intention had succeeded.

The fury had cleared Seo Woo-jin’s mind, making it colder and sharper than ever before.

A faint smile touched Seo Woo-jin’s lips as he lifted the teacup Yun Seo-rin had offered.

“I have a condition.”

Yun Seo-rin let out a soft sigh. “As I’ve already said, this is not a request…”

“Come to think of it,” Seo Woo-jin interrupted.

“…?”

“Isn’t it strange? You’re taking the risk of installing a fake Young Alliance Leader, yet you’re making an offer to someone whose identity you don’t even know. Wouldn’t it be easier to control someone trustworthy?”

Seo Woo-jin chuckled softly and shook his head.

“Heh. There must be a reason for that. Or rather, you probably never expected a fake to show up in the first place. In the end, when your plan to install the real one went awry, you were forced to settle for this second-best option, weren’t you?”

“What are you trying to say?”

This time, Yun Seo-rin asked the very question Seo Woo-jin had posed earlier.

Seo Woo-jin tilted his head, a smile mirroring hers.

“If I throw this teacup, I’ll go to hell. But you’ll be in a tight spot too. Making such an outrageous demand of a man whose identity you don’t even know means you’re just as desperate. Specifically, desperate for someone like me.”

Yun Seo-rin’s composed expression gradually hardened.

Seo Woo-jin let out a smirk and shook the teacup.

“So, instead of a one-sided threat, let’s make a deal. If you meet my conditions, you’ll gain a useful pawn. Wouldn’t that be a win-win for both of us?”

Yun Seo-rin glared at Seo Woo-jin in silence.

It was impossible to tell what she was thinking from her expression alone.

After a moment, another sigh escaped her delicate lips.

“Fine. Let’s hear what your condition is.”

Seo Woo-jin shrugged as if it were nothing. “I need to step out for a while.”

“What?”

“My grandfather, who raised me, passed away not long ago. This unfilial grandson had to leave home before he could even fully process his grief, all because the Murim Alliance Entrance Exam was just around the corner. And then I was dragged here to the Black Path Alliance. If I accept your offer, who knows when I’ll ever get to go back home? So, before we get started, I want to pay my respects to my grandfather.”

An expression finally flickered across Yun Seo-rin’s face.

She must have never expected such an absurd request.

Yun Seo-rin shook her head. “Our trust isn’t deep enough for me to grant that.”

She could just run away, Seo Woo-jin thought.

It was a valid concern. That’s why he added a proposal she couldn’t refuse.

“I’ll assign the Four Black Dragons as your escort.”

Yun Seo-rin’s elegant brows furrowed.

She was likely calculating the odds of her escaping past the Four Black Dragons.

And those odds would be infinitesimally low.

Just as Seo Woo-jin predicted, Yun Seo-rin finally relented.

“Where is your home?”

“It’s not far. A small village on the outskirts of Anhui Province.”

“Sigh. I can’t give you much time. You’ve already been absent for seven days. The Seven Families will definitely start asking questions.”

Seo Woo-jin nodded.

“I understand. Fifteen days. Just give me fifteen days.”

Yun Seo-rin’s eyes flashed with displeasure.

But she reluctantly nodded.

“I hope this deal goes as you say.”

If you dare play any tricks on me, I will show you pain worse than hell.

Her eyes were saying exactly that.

Seo Woo-jin wore a faint smile as he lifted the teacup to his lips and drained it in one gulp.

Clack!

He set the teacup back down on the tea table and spoke.

“This will definitely be a good thing for both of us.”

As Seo Woo-jin’s smile deepened, Yun Seo-rin’s eyes filled with growing distrust.

“There is a reason why Yun Seo-rin mentioned the Alliance Leader’s son, whom she can’t even remember.”

Gok Cheon-mu, Patriarch of the Gok Family of the Tyrant Blade, was pondering Cho I-gyeom’s words, the Patriarch of the Bipung Chu Family.

“It’s true that he has spent more time in the Murim Alliance than here in the Black Path Alliance. But in terms of legitimacy, there is no one like him. What do you think? Do you have any idea what it means when the Alliance Leader’s own son and the Black Dragon Yun Family meet?”

The Black Path was originally composed of free spirits. They didn’t value legitimacy as much as the White Path did. Between someone with legitimacy and someone who could bring them profit, nine out of ten would choose the one who brought profit.

But the legitimacy of the Alliance Leader’s son, combined with the symbolic weight of the Black Dragon Yun Family, which has long held its ground in Zhejiang… If these two forces were to unite, the situation would change completely. After all, the Yun Family now controls the commercial districts, doesn’t it?

The moment he heard that, a chill ran down his spine.

Only then did he realize the true nature of the information Cho I-gyeom had been trying to sell.

“Despicable bastards.”

CRACK! SHATTER!

The wine cup in his hand couldn’t withstand his grip and was crushed to pieces.

Blood trickled down Gok Cheon-mu’s hand, but he paid it no mind.

The Head of House Yun is trying to seize both legitimacy and hegemony. He plans to use the Murim Alliance as a pretext to install the Alliance Leader’s son as the new leader, then stand behind him to keep you and the Cheon Family in check.

What if the Alliance Leader’s son had other motives?

What if he had actually come here at the behest of the Alliance Leader?

The Black Dragon Yun Family was already aware of this possibility. Yet, the fact that they still harbored such thoughts meant they were confident they could win him over to their side.

“Hmph. Do you think I’ll just stand by and watch that happen?”

But there was nothing he could do right now.

The Patriarch of the Black Sword Thousand Family, the Yun Family’s greatest rival, was currently in secluded cultivation. The son of the Leader of the Black Path Alliance, who had returned to Hangzhou, remained confined to his quarters. The Yun Family showed no unusual movements either.

Though he had received information from Cho I-gyeom, there was no concrete evidence. He had no political leverage to pressure them.

Thus, he could do nothing but borrow the eyes of the Bipung Chu Family to keep them under surveillance.

And so, amidst the endless and tedious wait…

“Lord Head. It is I.”

Gok Cheon-mu answered, wiping the blood from his hands.

“Enter.”

The man who came in was utterly ordinary.

Of average height and build, his unremarkable face seemed like one that would never be remembered.

Gu Won-ho, the Chief Steward of the Gok Family of the Tyrant Blade and Gok Cheon-mu’s trusted confidant, immediately produced a clean cloth upon seeing Gok Cheon-mu’s wounds.

Gok Cheon-mu snatched the cloth from Gu Won-ho’s hand and asked, “What is it? I told you I would admit no one for the time being.”

Gu Won-ho bowed his head with a faint smile.

“My apologies. But this is an urgent matter, so I had no choice but to disturb your peace.”

Gok Cheon-mu wrapped the cloth around his hand and grunted curtly.

“Hmph. What ‘urgent situation’? Did the Alliance Leader’s son have a tantrum or something?”

“It is something like that.”

Gok Cheon-mu paused.

“What?”

“Information just arrived from the Cho Family. Seo Woo-jin, who has not left his quarters until now, suddenly appeared in the market. He took down the thugs who were trying to kidnap a woman, then immediately returned, followed by Bae Seok-jin.”

“Ha! What a magnificent gentleman! He’s finally showing his Murim Alliance upbringing, isn’t he? I suppose he was itching to play the chivalrous hero.”

Despite Gok Cheon-mu’s sarcasm, Gu Won-ho continued.

“The urgent situation begins now. After a secret meeting with the Strategist, Seo Woo-jin has just left Hangzhou with the Four Black Dragons.”

Thud!

Gok Cheon-mu kicked his chair back in shock.

“What!? Is that true?”

“It is absolutely true. The Cho Family sent the same information.”

A smirk spread across Gok Cheon-mu’s lips.

“What about my previous orders?”

“I had them prepared before coming here. A message will arrive shortly.”

Gok Cheon-mu chuckled softly, then burst into a wild laugh.

“Keke. Kekeke. Kuhahahaha!”

From the moment he heard Cho I-gyeom’s report, Gok Cheon-mu had thought of only one thing.

I will ruin the Yun Family’s plans.

And he knew the easiest way to do it.

He just had to eliminate the most crucial person in their scheme.

And now, the tedious wait was finally over.