Salmak.

A representative assassin organization in the Martial World, so infamous that even a martial master would be advised to write a will if they found out they were targeted by Salmak.

Salmak carefully examines and investigates its clients’ targets before accepting an assassination request, in order to avoid incurring the resentment of the masses and becoming a public enemy of the Martial World.

No matter how it’s dressed up, assassination—Salmak’s line of work—is still murder. And no matter what, it is impossible to completely avoid generating resentment.

That’s why, unlike the local branches that accept requests, the location of Salmak’s main base—Salmak Headquarters—is kept secret.

That very Salmak Headquarters.

— So-hee.

— See you again, Yun-ho oppa.

A beautiful woman with short black hair was training in martial arts while thinking about a man.

Clap, clap, clap.

As Cheon So-hee finished her training, the sound of applause echoed.

When she turned her gaze indifferently toward the source, she saw a familiar woman welcoming her.

The woman, who looked to be in her late twenties, stood quietly with a composed smile, yet radiated a refined maturity.

She wore a crimson garment that exposed one side of her chest, and her long, blood-colored hair gleamed like red silk, emitting a subtle crimson glow.

Any man would be stirred with desire, but the faint energy emanating from her body made it nearly impossible for any man to casually approach her.

“You’ve reached a new level in the Phantom Flowing Water Technique.”

“You’re here?”

“You’re still as disrespectful to your master as ever. So. Have you made any progress?”

Dan Seowol.

The heir of the Phantom Flowing Water Technique. She primarily wears red and is known throughout the Martial World by the nickname Red Rakshasa due to the blood she leaves in her wake. She is also the master of the Heavenly Killing Star, Cheon So-hee.

“A small realization.”

Cheon So-hee spoke indifferently to her approaching master with a smile. Although they were master and disciple, because of Dan Seowol’s mature appearance and tall frame, and Cheon So-hee’s youthful features, they looked more like an older sister and a much younger sibling. Though the younger one admittedly had a larger certain part.

“For something small, your achievement is deep. Is it because you now have someone to lean on?”

Her master opened her eyes slightly and looked at her disciple, who had climbed the stairs of adulthood, with a sly gaze.

“......”

Cheon So-hee had expected this the moment they met. She purposely held her tongue.

“Your master has suffered greatly because of you. Are you not going to say anything?”

“You suffered because of me?”

“My disciple went mad and caused a massive accident. As her master, I had to clean up the aftermath, didn’t I?”

“Ah... sorry.”

The Seong Family Manor incident.

The Heavenly Killing Star went on a rampage, killing countless people. Fortunately, the Lord of the Seong Family had a poor reputation, and the new Manor Lord had been the one who commissioned the mission, so it could still be salvaged.

“As long as you understand. So. If you’re not ready to talk about that man yet, then tell me about Chilgok County. Did you ask Tianjizi?”

Red Rakshasa Dan Seowol asked, recalling the reason she had first sent her disciple to Chilgok County.

“Yes. He said there were two methods.”

Cheon So-hee explained that Tianjizi had told her there were two ways to suppress the Heavenly Killing Star: elevating her martial arts to the highest realm, or the Fate-Reverser.

“I’ve heard of the Fate-Reverser. I heard that if one fulfills their destiny and yet their starlight does not fade, they can create a new fate. But isn’t that just a legend?”

Though Cheon So-hee didn’t know, Dan Seowol had not stood idly by while worrying over her troublesome disciple. It had been Dan Seowol herself who had suggested she seek out Tianjizi.

“I found it.”

“You found it? How?”

“It was my destiny.”

Red Rakshasa looked at her disciple’s vague answer without questioning it further—just gazed at her face.

The short reply was the same as always. But the expression on her disciple’s face now was something she had never seen before her departure.

Dan Seowol gave a small smile at the change in her disciple and opened her mouth.

“Your face isn’t that of a killer—it’s the face of a woman. I see. The man I’ve been curious about must be the same person you call the Fate-Reverser. This only makes me more curious about him.”

Just as Dan Seowol was about to dig further—

“Ha! Number 5! Man talk! I am curious too!”

A woman suddenly cut in between the two.

“Who?”

“Ha! You ask my identity! It is only right to answer! To spread the art of ninjutsu across this world! To show the beauty of love to this world! I am Yukiko, ninja of Salmak! Appearing!”

The woman who inserted herself between them looked around the same age as Cheon So-hee. She had the energetic, dog-like face of someone who seemed like she’d lick anyone out of sheer enthusiasm, and was wearing something similar to the assassin uniforms from a country in the East.

“Number 15? When did you come back from Dongyeong?”

Cheon So-hee recognized her right away. Dongyeong—the land that people like them called “Japan.” This assassin had been on assignment there. It had been said she was on a long-term mission, but when had she returned?

“Hoo. Hoo. Hoot!”

The dog-faced woman referred to as Number 15 grinned triumphantly at Cheon So-hee.

“What?”

“When was I ever Number 15!”

“You’re not?”

“I’m Number 6!”

“You’re Number 6?”

Cheon So-hee’s face twisted—subtly enough that only someone close to her would notice.

“Ah! What’s that expression supposed to mean! ‘Even Salmak has gone to hell now’—was that it?!”

“I didn’t make a face.”

“I’ve seen you more than once, Number 5! With my ninjutsu, I can see it all! Nin-nin!”

“Why did you come back from Dongyeong so... strange?”

This wasn’t how Cheon So-hee remembered Number 15.

“Strange? Yukiko has only bloomed! The Iga and Kōga ninjas passed on their arts to me! I was recognized by Dongyeong’s greatest ninja! I’ve been granted permission to establish the Yukiko-style of ninjutsu in Jungwon!”

“I know what ninjutsu is, Number 15.”

“Number 6!”

“Fine, Number 6. What’s ‘Yukiko’? You’re Joseon-born.”

Cheon So-hee knew she wasn’t the only Joseon person in Salmak. The Number 6 assassin was definitely from her same batch. But ‘Yukiko’?

“Ha! My blood is half Joseon, half Dongyeong. On this journey to Dongyeong, I discovered my true name!”

“True name? Your name is Seol-ja—”

A shuriken flew past Cheon So-hee’s side, at a speed difficult to track even for someone trained in martial arts.

“Ha! A slip of the hand with the shuriken!”

“If you want a fight, I’ll give it to you.”

“That’s not it! I’m telling you to watch your mouth!”

“Sigh. You two are the only survivors of your batch, aren’t you? And both have become top-tier assassins. Enough fighting. Try to get along.”

Dan Seowol sighed lightly, mediating between the two who resembled a dog and a cat.

“I don’t want to.”

“Ah! I wants to!”

“Both of you. Come to my room.”

-------------

“I heard you lived together.”

The three had relocated to Dan Seowol’s room.

“Ha! We’re diving in from the start! Number 5! Have you found the lord of your heart? Nin-nin!”

“Can we not let her in?”

Cheon So-hee looked at the Number 6 assassin with obvious displeasure.

“Yukiko is devastated! Have you forgotten the debt of saving your life?!”

“I would’ve lived anyway.”

It was a small help. She hadn’t been saved. Cheon So-hee replied curtly.

“......”

Number 6 just smiled brightly, staring at Cheon So-hee without saying a word.

“Fine. Listen.”

It wouldn’t change anything even if she listened. With a small sigh of resignation, Cheon So-hee nodded.

Had it been her that changed? Or Number 6? She hadn’t been like this before. Now she was hard to deal with.

“Hehe. The ninjutsu learned in Dongyeong that even makes the Heavenly Killing Star flustered! The Technique of Ridicule is a success! Nin-nin!”

The Number 6 assassin cried out a strange ki-hap with a triumphant grin of victory.

Should she throw her out? Cheon So-hee briefly considered whether to wrestle her out despite already having said she could stay.

“When it’s a matter between a man and a woman, it’s not just someone like me—someone around your age should hear it too. Let’s hear about the man you lived with.”

Dan Seowol spoke like she was scolding her disciple whose thoughts were plain to read. She was a child with no social skills. A clingy nuisance of a friend might be what makes her leave behind regrets in life.

Cheon So-hee looked at the two expectant faces for a moment, then awkwardly hesitated—so unlike her—and finally began to speak as if confessing.

“...He’s a childhood friend.”

“Ohohohoho! Were you two bound by a wedding promise beneath the Tree of Vows?!”

“If you interrupt one more time, I’m not talking.”

“Number 5, you’re so heartless!”

“I want to hear the story of the man who stole my disciple’s heart. Be quiet and listen.”

Even the Red Rakshasa didn’t take her side this time.

“I’m a little {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} angry, but I’m also curious! I’ll be quiet!”

Dan Seowol glanced at her displeased disciple and laughed inwardly.

‘She didn’t deny that he stole her heart.’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

She was a girl who had built a wall between herself and romance.

Even if she said they had lived together, she could’ve easily brushed it off as being due to the mission, due to the Heavenly Killing Star.

But she had said he stole my heart, and yet—she wasn’t denying it.

Her disciple, if anything, seemed to be immersed in the memory of the man. Her cheeks had gone slightly pink.

‘What kind of great thief stole the heart of the Heavenly Killing Star?’

Even as her master, Dan Seowol had never imagined she’d fall in love. She began to listen to her disciple’s story of romance with a face full of growing interest.

“He’s three years older than me. We used to play together when we were little.”

“There was a survivor from your hometown?”

She already knew how her disciple had come to Salmak.

“He used to live in a different village.”

Cheon So-hee shook her head.

“Hoh... I see. So, when you met after ten years, did he recognize you?”

“Yeah. He recognized me at a glance, even after ten years.”

Cheon So-hee believed she was keeping her expression under control. But to her master, it was painfully obvious.

Like a drop of dye in clear water, everything about her cold expression and posture now radiated with pride and affection—as if showing off just how proud and in love she was with that man.

“Well now, isn’t that fascinating.”

If she teased her now, the girl wouldn’t say another word.

Pretending not to notice anything, Dan Seowol gently encouraged her tongue-tied disciple to continue her story.

-------------

“Well, that sounds just like you. If someone managed to steal your heart, then he must really be your childhood friend.”

To think her disciple had tried to kill the man just for saying her name—Dan Seowol said this with a trace of surprise.

“Yeah. I’m really sorry I didn’t recognize oppa.”

Cheon So-hee spoke with a heavy heart.

Even after ten long years, he had recognized her in an instant. Yet she had pointed a blade at her childhood friend—at the very oppa who had kept her buried in his heart all his life.

What must he have felt?

If the positions were reversed, her chest would’ve been torn apart.

At the time, she hadn’t thought anything of it. But the more she dwelled on it now, the more it broke her heart.

“Uuuuwahhh! Yukiko is so sad right now!”

From their reunion, to the misunderstanding, the suspicion, the love, the realization he was the Fate-Reverser, the rampage, and their parting—

As Cheon So-hee slowly began to speak, losing control of her emotions, Number 6 assassin broke into tears.

“Your childhood friend oppa, who you thought you’d lost, turns out to be alive in the Central Plains, and he’s the Fate-Reverser... That really is a destiny written by the heavens.”

Even the infamous Red Rakshasa couldn’t control her expression out of surprise. At this point, it really did feel like a fated connection crafted by the heavens.

One might even believe that the heavens had not been cruel to her disciple after all, and had given her the one destined partner she needed.

“...Yeah.”

Dan Seowol watched quietly as her disciple gave a small nod.

Where had that emotionally parched girl gone?

Now standing before her was not a killer, but a woman suffering the ache of love and loss.

But Dan Seowol wasn’t about to stop here.

Her disciple, for once, was letting her emotional guard down. The sorrow of love had softened the walls around her heart.

Dan Seowol had no intention of missing this chance.

“How far did you go?”

“Uuh! I—I’m still not used to this kind of story... but it’s so thrilling!” Yukiko cried.

Cheon So-hee looked at her master in embarrassment.

Normally, she never would’ve answered. But since the topic was Kang Yun-ho, her heart had already grown soft.

The fact that they’d resonated with her sadness made her feel lighter. And when they expressed admiration for Kang Yun-ho, she wanted to talk even more.

In the end, Cheon So-hee decided to share something she never would have in the past.

“I gave him the only thing I had.”

“Yes! When a woman parts with the man she believes is her fated one, she must give him the one and only thing she has!”

Dan Seowol flared with excitement at her disciple’s bombshell.

“Ooooooooh! Yukiko has heard of this too!”

“How was it? The first time, I mean. Did it hurt?”

“It didn’t hurt. Actually... it felt good.”

Cheon So-hee shook her head, smiling maturely.

“Kgh! Is this the difference between one who’s walked through the gates of adulthood and one who hasn’t? Yukiko is struggling with waves of self-loathing!”

“I—I see? I’ve heard that people with rare talent sometimes feel that way even the first time.”

Dan Seowol, flustered by how far her disciple had gone, stumbled over her words.

“At first, I was overwhelmed by my own feelings. But when I saw oppa’s face, I couldn’t stop myself.”

“You made the first move?”

Dan Seowol looked at her disciple with eyes widened to the absolute limit, shocked beyond words.

“Bring me a brush and ink! From here on out, I must take notes!”

“They’re over there. If you want to write, go ahead. So, disciple. Did you do it inside or outside?”

“At first... we only did it outside. But the second time... it was inside.”

Cheon So-hee averted her gaze, her voice filled with embarrassment.

“Aaaaaaah.”

Dan Seowol let out a wail so loud it nearly shook the room.

“What? Why?”

“Didn’t I specifically tell you to make sure you used protection?! Are you tracking your cycle?! Have there been any symptoms?! You’re not even twenty yet—do you want to retire already?!”

“Protection?”

Cheon So-hee tilted her head in confusion at her master’s words.

“If you did it inside, of course you should’ve thought about protection!”

“What are you talking about?”

“...Hm?”

“Wait, what?”

Seeing Cheon So-hee’s puzzled expression, a dreadful assumption passed through her master’s mind.

No way... No, surely not... even for a girl who’s always been clueless about these things...

“Don’t tell me—when you said you gave him the only thing you had... were you talking about... your first night?”

“I gave him my first kiss.”

“...Just your first kiss?”

“On the second one... I used tongue.”

Cheon So-hee blushed, as if the memory itself felt obscene.

“Ah...”

“Ah...”

“Did I... do something wrong?”

An unfortunate silence blanketed the room.