Geom Woojin looked up and quietly stared at Deokchul, then checked the address written on the paper.

“This is my home.”

“Ah, so I found it correctly.”

Deokchul smiled and sat across from him. Although he was the first ordinary person to meet with Cheonma in person, he did not realize how momentous this was.

“Your son is Geom Mugeuk, ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) right?”

From this moment, Deokchul’s mission was clear: to gently coax and convince him to confirm that he was the parent and to get a signed guarantee.

“Your son borrowed money. So, you must act as his guarantor.”

Suddenly, silence fell over the tavern. Jo Chunbae, the guests on the first floor, and the hidden guards around them all shared this astonishing moment in history.

Then Geom Woojin laughed loudly.

Jo Chunbae, downstairs, was startled. It was the first time he had seen the Sect Leader laugh.

Even the hidden guards, who rarely saw Cheonma laugh so happily, were surprised.

Geom Woojin, still smiling, said,

“I have never had a son who made me guarantee his debt.”

As if expecting such a response, Deokchul rose and quietly sat next to Geom Woojin.

Jo Chunbae watched, clutching his fist in surprise. The other guests’ hearts pounded with anticipation of what was to come.

Please, may no severed head roll down to the first floor!

Everyone knew the danger except the man himself—he had no idea how perilous this moment was.

Pouring a drink for Geom Woojin, Deokchul tried to comfort him.

“That’s what everyone says. But what else can we do? Though he is a hateful man, we have to pay off his debts.”

Thankfully, Deokchul did not dare to pat Geom Woojin’s shoulder.

Hands off the body!

Jo Chunbae silently hoped.

“To be honest, if your son can’t repay, people will come looking for you. Those debt collectors are terrifying, so be careful.”

Geom Woojin seemed to enjoy this strange situation for the first time in his life.

“You don’t have to worry about me.”

“Then please read this first. Take your time and sign.”

Deokchul placed the document in front of Geom Woojin and stood aside to give him time to read.

“Huh?”

His eyes caught the writings on the wall. It was a wall where Majon had left inscriptions and signatures.

“Many famous people have been here.”

From “Visited by Duke Dok” to traces of the Golden Dramatic Magic left by Mabul, nearby was also an inscription by Hyeol Cheon Doma.

“Wow! Hyeol Cheon Doma left a message too!”

He glanced at the Hyeol Cheon Doma doll hanging on his waist. Having seen the face in person today and even bought the doll, he felt a close connection as if he really knew the person who left the inscription.

Then one signature caught his eye — more powerful than any other writing here.

Cheonma, Geom Woojin.

Deokchul jumped in surprise.

“Oh! The Sect Leader himself visited here. Wow! Did you see this?”

He looked around.

The people on the first floor watched him nervously. When had he ever been so noticed? His heart trembled with excitement.

“The innkeeper must be skilled.”

After saying this loudly, he whispered to Geom Woojin.

“Well, usually the best food is found in humble places like this.”

Then he loudly told Jo Chunbae on the first floor,

“A sect leader visited here! This tavern should be renamed ‘The Tavern Visited by Cheonma.’ If it were me, I’d rename it right away!”

Jo Chunbae shook his head with an expression pleading, “Please, no.”

Suddenly, Deokchul turned around, startled, staring again at the writing on the wall.

“Oh? Now that I think about it, the Sect Leader’s name is also Geom Woojin.”

Deokchul looked once at Geom Woojin and then back at the wall.

Jo Chunbae and the guests watched expectantly.

Finally, he was recognizing who he was dealing with! Hurry and beg for forgiveness!

Deokchul stared at Geom Woojin and said,

“You must be uncomfortable having the same name as the Sect Leader.”

A silent sigh spread like a wave across the first floor.

Deokchul never suspected that the man before him was Cheonma.

“Now, please sign. You have to anyway. What parent can beat their own child?”

“There is no such son.”

“If you don’t sign, your son will be dragged away by dangerous men.”

“Then I’ll have to be scarier than those written on the wall.”

Of course, Deokchul took it as a joke. The scariest people in the world were all listed on the wall; anyone scarier could only be met in death.

“I understand. Right? Raising children alone makes one think they raised them by themselves. Now, take this brush. Just sign your name. I also have children, so only after experiencing this will I understand how my parents felt. Don’t hesitate; just write your full name.”

Reluctantly, Geom Woojin signed the document.

“Well done. This is all for your son’s sake.”

Deokchul, looking at the paper again, was startled once more.

Jo Chunbae and the first-floor guests held their breath again.

“Now compare it with the writing on the wall! Turn your head! Please!”

Had their wish been granted? Deokchul slowly turned and looked at the wall.

His eyes widened. Was he finally going to discover Cheonma’s presence?

“It’s not just the same name; it’s the same handwriting! Amazing!”

Jo Chunbae uttered “Oh my” quietly. A nearby guest dropped his chopsticks from nervousness; another covered his head in frustration and spilled his drink.

“Please don’t tell me the face matches too?”

Deokchul never imagined meeting Cheonma here.

“Be careful. People might misunderstand and accuse you of impersonating Cheonma.”

At that moment, someone entered the tavern.

Everyone on the first floor stopped breathing.

A man strode in and went upstairs.

Deokchul glanced casually but greeted the man with a warm bow, thinking he knew him, then gasped in shock. He did know him—it was Kwonma.

Kwonma remembered seeing Deokchul beneath the main branch’s wall earlier, which explained his sharp gaze.

Why do you keep appearing in my sight?

Jo Chunbae and the guests tensed again, now the danger had doubled.

Kwonma politely greeted Geom Woojin.

“I came because I heard you were here. I just returned.”

“How was your trip?”

“Good, Sect Leader.”

Hearing “Sect Leader,” Deokchul blurted out,

“He’s not the Sect Leader but someone who looks like him!”

A sigh rose again on the first floor.

Geom Woojin laughed; Kwonma looked puzzled.

“Why?”

Deokchul’s expression changed as he realized Kwonma wouldn’t call someone the Sect Leader if he really thought they were someone else.

Kwonma’s reaction was natural: “How was your trip?” Because it was really Geom Woojin.

When Deokchul reached that point in thought, his face turned pale. He let out a low groan, trembling uncontrollably.

Kwonma asked Geom Woojin,

“Who is the debtor?”

“You came to have me guarantee my son’s debt.”

Kwonma looked at Deokchul incredulously.

“No! Absolutely not! There must be some mistake. I was wrong! Please spare me!”

Deokchul bowed deeply. Having just discovered the real Cheonma, he was setting a record of seeing four Majon and the Sect Leader in a single day.

Then Geom Woojin suddenly asked,

“Why didn’t you buy my doll?”

He meant there was no Sect Leader doll originally, so why didn’t he buy the Cheonma Soul doll? It was the greatest hardship Deokchul had faced that day. Jo Chunbae and the guests tensed once more.

Kwonma joined in,

“What about my doll?”

Deokchul glanced down at the Hyeol Cheon Doma and Mabul dolls hanging at his waist, their large sword and golden glow impossible to miss.

‘Ah! So in the end, I should have bought the Cheonma Soul and Kwonma dolls!’

Would this single choice decide his fate? The goat-beard would not forget even in death.

Deokchul didn’t know how to answer, finally speaking in a low, deflated voice.

“Those two dolls were too scary for me to buy.”

His honest answer was a good choice. Geom Woojin laughed, and Kwonma followed. It was a reward to have made Cheonma laugh heartily after a long time.

Geom Woojin pulled a piece of paper from his chest pocket and tossed it. It slowly flew through the air and landed in Deokchul’s hand.

Surprisingly, it was an IOU for one thousand nyang.

“Buy one doll for yourself and one for this friend while you’re at it.”

Startled, Deokchul’s eyes went wide. Silence spread again on the first floor.

“Don’t you want to?”

“No? No, I’ll buy them! Right now!”

After wandering all day lost in confusion, Deokchul finally understood the other’s intention perfectly.

“I’ll quit this job immediately, go home, live honestly, buy land and farm with the money you gave me, and be a dutiful son to my parents.”

Having said the right words, Deokchul felt as if he was flying—not just in spirit but his body actually lifted off.

With a wave of Geom Woojin’s hand, Deokchul soared lightly down to the first floor.

Amazement broke out on the first floor. After a day filled with anxious sighs, he earned everyone’s envy.

Jo Chunbae smiled warmly.

“I should get your signature too. You must be recorded as the luckiest person in the world.”

“Thank you for welcoming me as a guest. I will surely come again someday!”

Tears welled in Deokchul’s eyes as he bowed politely and left.

I once worked at Tongjeonso. That first mission was a day no one would believe.

Jo Chunbae looked up at the second floor. Though Deokchul was rude multiple times, the Sect Leader had shown mercy and even opened a new life for him. Jo Chunbae felt genuine respect for the Sect Leader.

Above all, Jo Chunbae was happy that Cheonma laughed heartily that day.

Jo Chunbae wrote today’s date on the wall behind the counter and left a message:

“The day the Sect Leader laughed heartily.”

Having sold alcohol all his life, it was the first time he had such a memorable day. A day filled with such good feelings.

Upstairs, the two most manly men of Cheonma Sin Gyo continued their conversation. Since Geom Woojin trusted Kwonma most, their talks were easy and natural.

“You seem happy.”

“Will I ever be a debtor in my life?”

“Being with Mugeuk, you experience things you never imagined. Like suddenly gaining a foster daughter.”

Kwonma was the first to come tell Cheonma this news.

“I have decided to take Ian, who was Mugeuk’s bodyguard, as my foster daughter.”

Though Geom Woojin was hardly surprised by most things, this news shocked him.

He filled Kwonma’s cup.

“Congratulations.”

Kwonma emptied his drink in one go.

This time, Kwonma refilled Geom Woojin’s cup.

“I gained both a disciple and a daughter. I’m feeling lucky late in life.”

“I prefer daughters over sons. Raising sons… well…”

Geom Woojin’s gaze drifted toward the distant window.

Still, today he felt a little more fond of his son who came to ask him to guarantee his debt.