Chapter 142: Counseling Log (1)

In the infirmary of the Hall of the Demonic Way, Il-mok sat across from Physician Seo Jae-pil.

"You're saying Instructor Xiao Hong is suspicious?"

"That's right."

Il-mok nodded and began to recount the events that had happened so far.

From their first meeting when she suddenly gave him that bizarre smile, to how she tried to grab his hand during the first lesson, to inviting him to her office.

And it didn’t stop there. She was always trying to find excuses to get close, to whisper something in his ear, or to offer him snacks.

Of course, Il-mok had shut her down every time.

He knew that letting her get close was inviting a surprise attack so he dodged her whenever she approached. As for the snacks, they could've been poisoned, so he threw them away.

After Il-mok finished explaining the long list of other strange incidents he had experienced, Seo Jae-pil who had been recording every word with a fascinated expression nodded once and replied.

“Hmm. Well nothing is certain yet so I believe it would be best to just observe her for now.”

"Not certain?"

When Il-mok gave him a look that said 'You heard all that and you're still not sure?', Seo Jae-pil just smiled.

"That's right. For now, let’s talk about your Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword instead. How has that been treating you lately?”

"...It feels like there's a blade pressed against my throat,” Il-mok said, his face twisting with disgust. “Every damn second, I feel the side effects clawing at me, trying to take over.”

He wasn't just talking about his obsessive-compulsive symptoms. He was already used to hygiene obsessions and organizing compulsions. In fact, he saw them as a necessary release valve, a way to vent the demonic energy before it built up to dangerous levels.

But this was different.

Maybe because he’d gotten so much stronger so fast, the side effects were constantly fighting him for control just like when he had fought Chu Il-hwan.

“I see. It would certainly be dangerous for you to continue your martial arts training for the time being.”

“Great. Can you please tell that to the Hall Master and the other instructors? Make sure they know I’m not slacking off just for the fun of it.”

"......."

Seo Jae-pil gazed at Il-mok’s deadly serious face for a long moment, then broke into a grin.

“I’ll be sure to pass along the message. Whether the Hall Master will actually listen is another story.”

"Tch."

Il-mok clicked his tongue lightly. He had a feeling that stubborn old fossil wouldn’t accept it.

‘There goes my perfectly legitimate excuse to be lazy.’

Seo Jae-pil gave the disappointed Il-mok some tea good for calming the mind and body and some rubbing alcohol for disinfection.

"Thanks."

Il-mok took both items and left the infirmary. The moment the door closed behind him, Seo Jae-pil’s face split into a wide grin as he eagerly reread his consultation notes.

"Hahaha. He's so perfect despite his young age that I sometimes wonder if he is even human. Who would've thought even the Young Master had areas where he was clueless?"

Seo Jae-pil knew exactly what was going on.

He knew Xiao Hong wasn't an assassin. Her clumsy attempts were obviously geared toward seduction.

Her advances were painfully clear just from hearing Il-mok’s side of the story, but that wasn’t his only source of information.

Now that his counseling sessions included the students, he was privy to a whole host of rumors.

And according to those rumors, Xiao Hong was far from the only woman with her eyes on Il-mok. Yet, the boy himself seemed completely oblivious to this fact.

"Hmm. All the instructors think Young Master Il-mok is a womanizer, so this is quite a fascinating phenomenon indeed."

How on earth had this all come about? The mad scientist in him was practically buzzing with curiosity.

After jotting down a new research topic in his log, Seo Jae-pil pulled out all the counseling records with Il-mok and began reading them from the beginning.

And like a true physician of the Pure Mind Hall, he was able to logically deduce why Il-mok couldn't pick up on women's feelings.

“Hmm. So it’s a combination of everything he’s been through and the side effects of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.”

Il-mok had faced countless life-threatening situations.

The Heavenly Demon who was now his Master had held a blade to his neck under the guise of a test, and a rampaging Wi Jin-hak had tried to kill him. Assassins had crept into his room at night and even his supposed bodyguard, Jang Hwi, had turned on him.

After entering the Hall of the Demonic Way, he'd nearly died from the old monsters in the Peach Blossom Ridge, and he'd been attacked by the berserk Chu Il-hwan and Jeong Gyu-seok.

And all of these incidents had happened in just a year and a half.

These were events that would be more than enough to give anyone a severe case of trust issues. On top of that, the side effects of his Demonic Art demanded perfection, which meant he was practically hardwired to view every situation with suspicion.

"Indeed, it must be difficult for the Young Master to trust people."

Seo Jae-pil nodded and muttered with conviction, but there was a slight misunderstanding here.

Il-mok hadn’t trusted any of these people before he’d even started practicing the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword.

In his mind, they were all crazy, brainwashed cultists.

Sure, he’d grown fond of a few of them, but it wasn't the kind of bond you have with a close friend or family member. It was more like…

‘He’s a lunatic, but I guess he means well.’

‘She’s a cultist, but it’s just her upbringing. Poor kid.’

It was that kind of feeling.

Likewise, Seo Jae-pil, whom Il-mok considered a lunatic whose medical skills were at least useful, was currently scribbling additions into his consultation notes, his eyes gleaming.

He had no intention of telling Il-mok what he'd realized. Not that Xiao Hong's purpose wasn't assassination.

Not that his trust issues were a product of his trauma and his Demonic Art, and definitely not that the instructors all thought he was a player.

'Hehehehe. Where else could I find such a perfect test subject?'

His brush danced across the page, his eyes glinting with a mad sort of glee.

***

The following afternoon, after dinner, the students scattered for their respective club activities, and the instructors in charge did the same.

Instructor Eun Ryeo arrived at the clearing designated for the Theater Club to find a lone figure already waiting there.

"Disciple Jeong."

"Yes, Instructor."

Looking at the poor girl, Eun Ryeo had to physically stop herself from sighing. It was a sigh of pity, but she knew Jeong Hyeon would take it negatively.

"I got word from Physician Seo Jae-pil, so go to the infirmary now. He said it's your turn for counseling."

At Instructor Eun Ryeo's words, Jeong Hyeon's complexion brightened.

Jeong Hyeon’s face lit up instantly. This meant she could escape the club’s oppressively cheerful members, even if just for a moment.

“Th-then… I’ll… I’ll go now.”

“Go on. Take care.”

Watching Jeong Hyeon's back as she walked away with a much brighter attitude, Instructor Eun Ryeo's expression soured.

‘Leaving a pitiful girl like that all alone. That shameless bastard.’

Seeing Jeong Hyeon’s plight had rekindled her anger at Il-mok. And that anger, in turn, made her think of someone else.

'Instructor Xiao doesn't have much of an eye for men either.'

Eun Ryeo still couldn’t believe how aggressively Xiao Hong had pursued Il-mok the second she’d become an instructor. She honestly didn’t get it.

Sure, Il-mok was a genius—everyone knew that. And as the Heavenly Demon’s disciple, his status was unimpeachable. He was even good-looking. There were plenty of reasons to be attracted to him.

But...

‘What is so damn great about a womanizer like him?’

She just couldn’t wrap her head around it—all these women fighting over one man, and Il-mok acting like he couldn’t care less about the drama he was causing.

'Still, seeing as there are no rumors today, it seems like she's seriously considering my advice. That's fortunate.'

She couldn’t bear to see another poor soul get caught in that mess.

If more pitiful people kept appearing, Instructor Eun Ryeo wasn’t sure how long she could keep her own side effects in check.

***

"Hehehe. Please come in. Your name was Jeong Hyeon, right?"

Seo Jae-pil greeted Jeong Hyeon, who hadn't taken a single step closer from the entrance, with a kind-looking smile.

“I-is it… a-alright if I have the c-consultation from… here?”

It was a strange request, but Seo Jae-pil accepted it without hesitation.

"That's perfectly fine. Just in case, I put a chair next to the entrance. Please, have a seat.”

He already knew about Jeong Hyeon from hearing about her from Instructor Eun Ryeo several times.

"You're learning the Ghostly Spirit Divine Bow, and the side effect is overdeveloped senses, correct?"

“Yes… Because of it, I g-get startled if people are even a little too c-close, and I can’t stop… worrying about it… I get anxious.”

"Hmm."

Unlike when dealing with Il-mok, Seo Jae-pil wore a somewhat serene expression and asked in a reassuring tone.

“So, you find being around people difficult?”

“Ah, um… it’s hard, b-but… it’s not… unwanted.”

Her words might have sounded like total nonsense but he just smiled kindly.

"Could you explain in a bit more detail?"

“Um… H-having people nearby is s-scary and… and nerve-wracking. B-but… I still want to… to m-make friends…”

By the time she said the last part about "wanting to," Jeong Hyeon was blushing like she'd made a confession.

'Ooh. Interesting.  One side effect creates a cascade of other issues, just like how Young Master Il-mok developed distrust in people due to the side effects of the Soul-Stealing Heartless Sword and his experience.'

While Jeong Hyeon had her head down, Seo Jae-pil's eyes sparkled with intellectual curiosity before he quickly composed himself and asked gently.

"So Disciple Jeong Hyeon would like to get along with people if possible."

Jeong Hyeon nodded timidly.

“I-I don’t know if I can, though…”

“Hahaha. But aren’t you already participating in the Theater Club?”

“Th-that place is a little…”

“I see. Is there someone in the club you don’t get along with?”

“I-it’s not that I dislike them… it’s just a bit… much.”

“Hmm. Whose behavior do you find the most overwhelming?”

Seeing her hesitate, Seo Jae-pil quickly added, “Ah, if you feel bad about speaking ill of someone, you don’t have to tell me their name.”

I-it’s not that… It’s just that… there’s no one who isn’t overwhelming.”

"...This might be a bit awkward to ask, but if you find everyone there so difficult, why do you stay?”

Jeong Hyeon’s head sank even lower. “B-because if I change clubs… I’ll s-stand out.”

“So you’d rather suffer in silence than risk drawing attention to yourself?”

"Yes..."

Seo Jae-pil was starting to get why Eun Ryeo was so protective.

‘She really does have a talent for making you feel sorry for her.’

Even he felt a pang of sympathy, and he was a normal person. He could only imagine how it affected Eun Ryeo, who was struggling with her own issues.

“Hmm. If it’s that difficult, I could quietly arrange for you to switch clubs.”

“N-no, it’s okay!” Jeong Hyeon yelped in alarm.

“Th-that would be a bother for Instructor Eun Ryeo... a-and the other clubs are full of strangers, so it would be just as u-uncomfortable… And… I-I’m slowly adjusting, so it’s fine. Really.”

“You’re adjusting?”

Seo Jae-pil almost replied in a tone that showed he found it completely unbelievable. He barely held back since that was absolutely not an attitude a physician of the Pure Mind Hall should show.

“Yes… To overcome the side effects and… and get along with people… I have to.”

Hearing Jeong Hyeon's following answer, Seo Jae-pil smiled brightly.

"That's a good mindset."

They continued counseling for quite a while after that. After a while, as Jeong Hyeon grew slightly more comfortable, her stutter began to fade. That’s when Seo Jae-pil asked his final question.

"Then, is there anyone in the Hall of the Demonic Way that Disciple Jeong Hyeon would like to spend time with?"

"Instructor Eun Ryeo. Sh-she’s always so kind to me. I feel the most comfortable with her.”

"Anyone else?"

Jeong Hyeon seemed to think about it for a moment, then abruptly ducked her head again and mumbled, “I… I’d like to s-spend time with… Y-Young Master Il-mok, too.”

Seo Jae-pil didn't miss it. Just before her head went down, her face had turned a deep shade of crimson.

In fact, he could tell just from her ears showing through her hair. They had turned bright red as if they might burst into flames.

It took every ounce of his willpower not to break into a massive grin.

It wasn't because Jeong Hyeon's innocent appearance was cute.

‘I knew it! Humans are the best!’

His thirst for research was bubbling over like lava from a volcano.

***

Shortly after finishing his consultations with Jeong Hyeon and a few other students, Instructor Xiao Hong came to the infirmary.

"Please come in, Instructor Xiao Hong."

"Nice to meet you, Physician Seo Jae-pil."

Since she had only recently been appointed as an instructor, he needed to start her consultations from the beginning.

‘Let’s see, she’s infatuated with Young Master Il-mok. I wonder if that’s a symptom related to her Demonic Art.’

Recalling what he knew about her, Physician Seo Jae-pil offered a gentle smile and cut right to the point.

“By any chance is the side effect of your Demonic Art feeling sexual desire for young men?”

"......."

Essentially being asked if she was a pedophile, Xiao Hong’s face instantly crumpled.