Chapter 93 : You Haven't Heard the News (1)
Soon, two men came up the stairs.
One was the general manager of the Dragon Pattern Tavern, and the other was a face Namgung Il was seeing for the first time.
"...?"
As soon as he came up to the top floor, the man looked around.
The only guests on the top floor now were Namgung Il and his party.
The man looked at the seat where Namgung Il was sitting with a strange gaze.
"M-Mr. Kang! This is troublesome!"
Just then, the general manager hurriedly said to the man from behind.
And so, the man turned his gaze from Namgung Il and said to the general manager in a calm voice.
"What, you said there were no seats. There are so many like this?"
"There may be a few seats, but there are not enough seats to accommodate all the escorts below."
"Really? From what I see, it seems we can just take all the seats here."
The man was talking as if there was no one on the top floor now.
The general manager, who had noticed his intention, said in a voice that Namgung Il could not hear.
"Could you perhaps come back in about an hour? From now on, we won't be accepting guests on the top floor, so I'll give you the entire floor then."
"An hour? That's too long."
"Th-then even half an hour... I'll somehow persuade those people and make them vacate their seats within that time."
Although the general manager said that, the man still had a somewhat displeased face.
Just then, as if a good idea had come to mind, the man said with a line drawn on his lips.
"I'll go and talk to them."
"...Pardon?"
"They look like young brats. I'll go over there and talk to them, so you just prepare the liquor table, general manager."
When the man said that, the general manager's face turned pale.
The man, Kang Cheol-woo, had been a guest at the Dragon Pattern Tavern several times, so the general manager knew his personality very well.
'No! If he does that, he'll surely cause trouble again!'
Kang Cheol-woo was a man with a very fiery personality.
To put it nicely, that was it; to put it as it was, he was rude and had no patience.
Since there were fewer days when a commotion did not break out whenever Kang Cheol-woo came to the tavern, the general manager naturally could not accept those words with peace of mind.
"There's no need for that! I'll just..."
"General manager, you stay out of it."
As if he had already made up his mind, Kang Cheol-woo was moving his steps.
Although the general manager hurriedly grabbed his body, how could he stop that muscular body with his thin arms?
Kang Cheol-woo approached the seat where Namgung Il was sitting, not even caring about the general manager who was following behind.
"...?"
As a muscular man suddenly approached, the other three also had no choice but to stop their chopsticks.
Kang Cheol-woo looked down at the four and said with a meaningful smile on his lips.
"I am an escort leader of the World Escort Agency, Kang Cheol-woo."
"...?"
"I'm here to have a drink with my subordinates to console them after a hard escort journey. Could you give up your seats?"
It was a very confident tone.
Although he was at a loss for words for a moment because of that attitude, soon, Jeong Hyeon-yeong opened his mouth on behalf of the four.
"We are drinking here, having paid a fair price. I understand your situation, escort leader, but isn't it a little rude to suddenly ask us to vacate our seats like this?"
"I've always drunk at that seat whenever I've stopped by Luoyang since a long time ago. So I can't drink anywhere else."
"...?"
"So I'd appreciate it if you'd move."
Although Jeong Hyeon-yeong thought he had explained their position to Kang Cheol-woo quite logically.
But why was the answer that came back like that?
That was an attitude that seemed to not care about this side's position at all.
"...Why do we have to drink while considering such a situation?"
Unlike before, a faint anger was now coming from Jeong Hyeon-yeong's voice.
Seeing that, Kang Cheol-woo smiled and took something out of his clothes, throwing it on the table.
Clang—
A money pouch that fell on the table with a quite heavy sound.
As Jeong Hyeon-yeong looked at it with a puzzled expression, Kang Cheol-woo opened his mouth.
"Of course, I'm not just asking you to move."
"..."
"There are thirty gold coins in there as a token of my gratitude."
Thirty gold coins?
Hearing those words, Jeong Hyeon-yeong's gaze on the pouch changed.
"That should be more than enough for the liquor."
"..."
"You seem to be still young. You don't have to insist on this place, do you? I'm asking you to go and drink somewhere better since I'm giving you a token of my gratitude."
Hearing those words, Jeong Hyeon-yeong couldn't help but have many thoughts.
Although it was a situation where his pride would be quite hurt if he were to give up his seat now, if he could get thirty gold coins for it, wouldn't it be a not-so-bad condition?
If he drank somewhere else with this, he would be able to reduce Namgung Il's burden.
'Yes, there's no need to drink here.'
Considering the financial part, it was right to back down here.
No matter how much Namgung Il was from the Namgung Clan, wasn't he a student just like him?
On the contrary, if he thought of it as drinking for free just by giving up one seat, it seemed that Namgung Il would also be able to accept this situation.
"Namgung Il, how..."
Jeong Hyeon-yeong said and turned his head to Namgung Il.
At that moment, his two eyes were filled with questions.
The figure of Namgung Il, who had surely been sitting opposite just a moment ago, was not visible when he turned his head.
'Where did he go?'
Fortunately, he could find Namgung Il's figure right away.
Namgung Il had now gotten up from his seat and was approaching where Kang Cheol-woo was standing, and the pouch that had been on the table was already in his hand.
Grin—
Seeing that, the line on Kang Cheol-woo's lips was bent even more than before.
"Yes, you've thought well..."
"Take it."
Namgung Il said and threw the money pouch he was holding at Kang Cheol-woo.
The money pouch that lightly hit Kang Cheol-woo's chest and then fell to the floor.
Although the speed was slow enough to be caught with his hand, as if he had not expected Namgung Il to act like that, Kang Cheol-woo missed the money pouch as it was.
Swish—
Namgung Il turned his body as it was and was about to go back to his seat.
But just then, at the voice heard from behind, Namgung Il stopped walking.
"Young friend... it would be better for you to just take it."
"..."
"Isn't it better to take the money than to just be kicked out?"
Kang Cheol-woo said in a voice that felt cold.
And so, Namgung Il, who turned back and looked straight at Kang Cheol-woo.
In that state, on the contrary, Namgung Il smiled calmly and opened his mouth.
"I'm not a beggar enough to take such a pittance."
"..."
"And I have no intention of being kicked out of here."
At those words, Kang Cheol-woo had a cold smile on his lips.
"I've also experienced it at that age, so I understand."
"..."
"As a senior in life, I'll give you some advice. It would be better for your bright future to just go when I tell you to go, without being stubborn for no reason."
In an instant, the atmosphere inside became violent.
In an atmosphere where it seemed he would draw his sword at any moment, Jong Seo-eon and Jeong Hyeon-yeong stepped forward to mediate between the two.
"C-captain! Calm down!"
"Yes, Namgung Il! If you cause a commotion outside for no reason, you might be punished at the academy."
Of course, for a student of the Flying Dragon Academy to cause a commotion outside was an act that was against the school rules.
As Jong Seo-eon and Jeong Hyeon-yeong said with worry, Kang Cheol-woo said with a strange smile on his lips.
"The academy? You guys, are you perhaps students of the Flying Dragon Academy?"
"So what?"
"Hmm... really?"
Kang Cheol-woo muttered with a face that was a little less imposing than before.
"I also have business there, so I don't want to cause trouble with the students there if possible."
"Business?"
Kang Cheol-woo had surely introduced himself as an escort leader of the World Escort Agency.
For an escort leader to have business at the academy, was the academy perhaps trying to entrust an escort item to that side?
Or, on the contrary, it could be that they were transporting an escort item from outside to the academy.
"It seems the academy is trying to entrust you with something, right?"
Namgung Il slyly sounded out Kang Cheol-woo.
But as expected, it seemed he wouldn't fall for something like this, and Kang Cheol-woo smiled and answered.
"It's none of your business, young brats."
"..."
"More importantly, I told you to get out of here, so why are you still standing there?"
"Didn't you just say that you didn't want to cause trouble with us?"
"I said if possible. If you don't leave, I'll have no choice but to use force."
The smile that had been on his lips had now disappeared, and Kang Cheol-woo was saying with a firm expression.
"I'll say it for the last time. Get out on your own two feet."
"I don't want to."
"...Hoo—"
A deep sigh escaped from Kang Cheol-woo's mouth.
In that state, Kang Cheol-woo said to the general manager who was behind.
"General manager, it would be better for you to handle it than for me to step forward, right?"
"Pardon...?"
"These brats, get them out quickly."
The Dragon Pattern Tavern was a place managed by the World Escort Agency.
So Kang Cheol-woo was giving orders to the general manager as if he were the owner of the Dragon Pattern Tavern.
Because his position within the World Escort Agency was considerable.
Since the general manager would also know that, Kang Cheol-woo was sure that he would not refuse his words.
However.
"...?"
Seeing the general manager who was standing still, hesitating, Kang Cheol-woo frowned.
"What are you doing? Aren't you moving?"
"Th-that... in fact, there's a part I haven't told you yet, Mr. Kang."
"...?"
A part he hadn't told him?
As Kang Cheol-woo was looking with a puzzled gaze, the general manager continued.
"This tavern is no longer managed by the World Escort Agency."
"...What?"
"The management rights were transferred to someone else just a few days ago."
Kang Cheol-woo was hearing that for the first time here.
For the management rights of the Dragon Pattern Tavern to be transferred from the World Escort Agency to someone else... what on earth did that mean?
Since he knew that the World Escort Agency had made a considerable investment in the Dragon Pattern Tavern, Kang Cheol-woo naturally could not understand that.
'I haven't heard anything like that at all?'
It was natural that Kang Cheol-woo did not know that.
The management rights had been transferred only a short while ago, and besides, there was no reason for Su Majin to inform anyone else of that.
It was a fact that would not be known unless one came to the Dragon Pattern Tavern like this.
"What on earth are you talking about? For the management rights of the tavern to be suddenly transferred, does that even make sense?"
"Th-that... I was also suddenly notified, so I don't know the details."
"Then who on earth took over the management rights?"
Kang Cheol-woo did not think that Su Majin would have given up the Dragon Pattern Tavern so easily.
Because the Dragon Pattern Tavern was a place with considerable sales even among the red-light districts of Luoyang.
Then it meant that a person equal to or greater than Su Majin had taken over the management rights... Kang Cheol-woo could not easily think of who such a person could be in this world.
"I also don't know who that person is yet."
"What?"
"I was only notified, but I didn't hear the details... and the new owner hasn't visited here yet."
The owner has changed, but he doesn't even know the name of that owner?
Since it was a realistically impossible thing, Kang Cheol-woo thought that the general manager was now lying to him.
"General manager, are you now..."
"Ah—you haven't heard the news yet."
"...?"
"The owner here changed quite a while ago."
Just then, a voice intervened from another place.
As Kang Cheol-woo swallowed his words and turned his head, Namgung Il was smiling calmly there.
"He's here."
"...?"
"So he's here."
Although Namgung Il said that, Kang Cheol-woo still had a face that did not understand those words.
At that moment, his expression changed meaningfully.
Namgung Il said, so that Kang Cheol-woo could understand his words more clearly.
"I am the new owner of the Dragon Pattern Tavern."
(End of Chapter)