This was impossible.

She had come to a stranger today, asking for help with such an important matter.

If her mother or the sword family martial artists heard this, they would call her crazy. Beyond a mistake, they would consider it an accident.

‘Then why do I feel so relieved?’

When she asked him to find a reason to tear up the agreement, a thrilling sensation ran through her body, and she felt good. It was as if her instincts shouted she had done well. It was her first time experiencing this.

Moreover, the other’s reply matched this crazy act.

“How many reasons should I find?”

He hadn’t even looked at the agreement but spoke with such confidence?

Whether it was boasting or confidence didn’t matter. The relief she had felt earlier returned.

“The more, the better.”

Just as she was about to hand the agreement to Geom Mugeuk again,

Hwang In, who had been watching until now, stepped forward.

“Miss Joo, that cannot be allowed.”

At Hwang In’s calm restraint, Seonak’s hand froze in midair.

“Miss Joo is not yet familiar with such agreements, so she may not know, but you must not show these agreements to outsiders.”

Hwang In was certain Geom Mugeuk was an outsider. When investigating the Joo Sword Family, no one gave such a special impression. Also, from Seonak’s words and attitude toward them earlier, it was clear they were not insiders.

Then Geom Mugeuk asked Seonak.

“Did you promise beforehand not to show it to outsiders?”

“No, this is the first time I’ve seen this agreement today.”

Hwang In interjected again.

“This is standard contractual practice.”

Geom Mugeuk calmly answered him as well.

“I don’t understand why someone so familiar with practice would make this mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“Normally, when drafting such an agreement, it is customary to send it in advance to allow thorough review before meeting. It seems you broke that custom.”

Hwang In could not refute that.

Seonak realized this only now, having never experienced such before.

“Then let us remove the word ‘custom’ from today’s meeting. It never existed from the start.”

Hwang In realized that this young opponent was tougher than he had expected.

“Who are you?”

“I am someone who became a filial son thanks to Miss Joo.”

Hwang In could not grasp what that meant. From words alone, he couldn’t tell if they were on Seonak’s side or just acquaintances met at the guesthouse entrance.

In any case, they were unusual people. Even while such tense conversation took place, Geom Woojin and Hwi kept eating naturally.

“Try this, please.” “Thank you.” Such natural exchanges occurred.

“If you read the agreement, you will see the guild has conceded much. So they were careless about sending it in advance. They thought you’d be satisfied upon seeing it directly. Read it, and you’ll understand.”

There was clear confidence in Hwang In’s eyes.

‘Do you really think you’ll find something just by reading?’

Geom Mugeuk took the agreement from Seonak’s hand.

“Let’s see.”

He placed it on the table and began reading slowly.

Meanwhile, Geom Woojin and Hwi continued eating without paying attention. At first, she wondered if he was upset with his son, but their expressions and atmosphere showed no anger at all.

Under the focused gazes of Seonak and Hwang In,

Geom Mugeuk read the several pages through to the last.

“Why are there so many difficult words?”

“That’s because special wording is used in agreements. So? Did you find any part that should be torn up?”

After a pause, Geom Mugeuk answered.

“There seems to be none.”

Disappointment flashed across Seonak’s face. She had expected him to find some answer.

Conversely, a satisfied smile spread over Hwang In’s face.

“Well, now that we’ve confirmed, shall we sign?”

Because she had shown the agreement to outsiders, it became harder to delay signing.

‘Is my mother’s choice right this time?’

Seonak politely greeted Geom Mugeuk.

“Thank you for reading.”

Just as she was about to take the agreement from the table,

An unexpected voice broke the silence.

“Page one, line six.”

Surprisingly, it was Geom Woojin who spoke.

Seonak quickly read the clause he pointed to.

It said that if either party harms the other’s honor, they must agree and compensate financially.

“Is this problematic?”

Seonak asked cautiously.

Who would benefit if the sword family and the guild agreed? She thought this clause was favorable to the Joo Sword Family. Had he pointed to the wrong clause?

Geom Woojin didn’t answer but pointed to other places.

“Page two, line nine. Page three, items two and seven.”

Seonak read all the places Geom Woojin mentioned. The content was not difficult and actually favored their side. Those were the parts where the other side had conceded to join hands.

For example, one clause said that if the other party was clearly at fault, they could resort to armed action beyond monetary compensation.

It was like permission for the sword family to attack the guild, exactly as Hwang In had said—the other side’s maximum concession.

‘Why does he only point out the parts where they conceded?’

She looked at Geom Woojin puzzled.

He stared at her quietly and suddenly asked,

“Are you really the stronger side?”

“!”

At that moment, Seonak’s heart sank.

Not once, neither while reading the agreement nor since entering this guesthouse, had she doubted that. Of course, she had thought the sword family was stronger.

What if not? What if we are not stronger?

All these clauses would be poison clauses that would return as knives later.

She had been distracted by ambiguous and hard-to-understand parts of the agreement, missing the simplest, most important point.

The scariest trap is not a hidden trap. It is the one openly displayed but no one considers a trap. That is when its power is incomparably strong.

Geom Woojin’s last line dispelled all doubts in one shot.

“When a merchant concedes profit, there is always a reason.”

Seonak realized his words were true.

‘That’s what I’d been missing.’

At the same time, an emotion welled up—comfort and relief she had felt earlier.

She thought that the relief was not because of the younger son but perhaps because of this father.

Geom Mugeuk smiled brightly.

“You were pretending not to look but were watching everything?”

“I put it on the table for you to see and read.”

“I’m sharp because I take after father. Ah! If only I’d inherited father’s sharp mind too.”

“You noticed it too, didn’t you?”

Geom Woojin assumed Geom Mugeuk thought the same. He must have noticed his furtive glances. But Geom Mugeuk denied it to the end.

“Parents always think their own children are the smartest.”

Seonak felt herself getting absorbed in them as she watched. Even now.

She wasn’t supposed to be staring blankly, yet she watched their conversation with envy.

She looked at Hwang In.

Like a merchant’s bloodline, he controlled his emotions well.

“I think there’s a misunderstanding. We’re just a guild. If we were that strong, why would we want to join hands with the Joo Sword Family?”

Seonak asked him.

“Why do you say that?”

What if they had greater force than the sword family? What if they hid that fact and offered this agreement? It would not be simple cooperation but a conspiracy.

Hwang In remained calm.

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“I see.”

Seonak lifted the agreement, about to tear it before her eyes.

Then Geom Mugeuk stopped her.

“Would tearing it be satisfying?”

Seonak turned her head to Geom Mugeuk.

“It’s better to keep it. What you hold is evidence.”

“Evidence?”

“Evidence that they tried to swallow the sword family. If you tear it, you may feel pleased, but the true pleasure will be felt by them.”

“!”

Seonak was dizzy.

At first, she brought it to Geom Mugeuk asking to find reasons to tear it.

She thought she had finally found the reason. She was eager to tear it.

But that was not so. Even now, she narrowly escaped falling into a trap.

And more traps were found.

“Yes, I’ll keep it well.”

When she tried to put the agreement in her bosom, Geom Mugeuk intervened again.

“You must not put it there.”

“Why not?”

“You wanted to tear it because you admitted they were stronger, right?”

“That’s right.”

If not, there would be no problem with this agreement.

“How do you think they will react if you keep evidence unfavorable to them?”

Seonak looked at him with disbelief. Hwang In calmly spoke again.

“Again, we are just merchants.”

Now Seonak could see him objectively. That mere merchant was too calm.

She asked Geom Mugeuk.

“What should we do then?”

“Keep it in a safe place. Leave it where you think is safest.”

Seonak paused to think.

“There was someone I considered safest since childhood.”

“Leave it with that person.”

“That’s impossible. They have already passed away.”

The safest place she felt was her father’s arms.

It was unnecessary to say, but somehow she wanted to say it. Was it because of the huge psychological pressure today? Or because she strangely wanted to tell these two men who fascinated her? She did not understand her own feelings.

She gathered courage. After all, this matter was hers and her family’s.

“I will take care of it. Thank you very much for your help.”

The moment she finished speaking,

An unexpected situation unfolded.

Geom Woojin reached out his hand to her and said,

“I’ll take care of it.”

At that moment, Seonak’s chest tightened.

Above Geom Woojin’s outstretched hand, her father’s image overlapped.

Geom Woojin looked expressionless, but above him was her father smiling.

“I found what should be torn up, so I must take responsibility.”

Geom Mugeuk knew it wasn’t because of that.

Since her father had influenced him recently, he could help her briefly. Yes, he could pleasantly find what was wrong in the agreement.

But taking responsibility?

They didn’t know when or how their matter would end. When they had tasks in Seomseo. It was not at all like his father.

Then the conclusion was one.

Hwangdo Trade Guild was connected with the matter they must handle in Seomseo.

Only the father knew about this mission, having heard it from Sima Myung. She deliberately did not ask. She wanted to focus entirely on the trip with her father while going.

When all the Amazons gathered, the soldier Sima said.

—To move such masters and organizations, vast funds are needed. We have secretly found clues to trace the masterminds.

Since they traced the money, they would face wealthy people in Seomseo as well. Hwangdo Trade Guild was probably their subordinate or connected somehow.

“It’s okay, just give it.”

Hesitating, Seonak gave the agreement to Geom Woojin with trembling hands as if possessed.

Hwang In, watching this, felt his chest tighten.

He never imagined such a thing would happen when coming here.

His gaze shifted to Geom Mugeuk.

‘Whoever you are, you messed with the wrong people.’

They probably considered him a mere merchant. But if they knew what Hwangdo Trade Guild was, they would not have dared act so recklessly.

“I’m busy, so I’ll leave for today.”

As he turned to leave, Geom Mugeuk didn’t let him go easily.

“Wait, don’t just go. Pay for renting the entire guesthouse.”

Looking back with a slightly hardened face, Geom Mugeuk added with a smile.

“As merchants, you should settle accounts properly.”

Hwang In calmly smiled back.

“Of course. I’m a man who settles accounts properly.”

He called the guesthouse owner, paid, and left.

After Hwang In left, Seonak felt as if a storm had passed.

What if she hadn’t stood up? What if she had signed right then?

How different would her fate have been?

“If what you say is true, they might come to snatch the agreement.”

Hearing her worry, Geom Woojin called the owner and ordered new food.

“Since you’re sitting, eat before you go.”

Seonak experienced an unexpected situation until the end. She never imagined she’d end up dining with these people.

The one who reassured her instead of Geom Woojin was Geom Mugeuk.

“Don’t worry. What you entrusted is now...”

Geom Mugeuk looked softly at his father.

“...kept in the safest place in this martial arts world.”