All My Murim Noonas Are Obsessed With Me!-Chapter 110 - 2 Centimeters Is Still A Lot! (2)

[Protagonist’s POV]

"But you’re sure my face isn’t visible, right?" I asked.

"...Yes. Even when I focus my inner energy to see through it, I can’t," Yeo So-cheon replied.

"...This is some incredible stuff..."

A veil that even someone of Yeo So-cheon’s caliber couldn’t pierce? Given her status, it had to be an extraordinary item.

BOOM!

At that moment, the door to another room burst open, and out stepped Dang Ah-young and her father, Tang A-yoon. The patriarch strode forward purposefully, his eyes locking onto me as he closed the distance quickly.

Yeo So-cheon, with her sharp reflexes, had already released the wall-slam pose she’d pinned me in the instant the door opened, stepping back casually.

"Did your talk go well—" I began.

Grab!

Before I could finish, Tang A-yoon seized my shoulders with both hands, his expression grave as he spoke.

"You’ll take responsibility."

"...What?"

"You’ve turned my daughter into this. You need to take responsibility. It’s too late to undo it, so I’m saying you should step up."

"W-Wait, what’s this all of a sudden—"

"I won’t accept a refusal. If you’re holding a wedding, we’ll cover all the expenses, so don’t worry about that. Just prepare—"

"Please explain what’s going on first!"

"My dear husband-to-be, since it’s come to this, I’ll be counting on you. My side’s given the green light, so let’s set a date—"

"Why are you being so creepy again, Lady?!"

I recoiled, flailing to escape the sudden onslaught from Tang A-yoon demanding responsibility and Dang Ah-young calling me her husband. Amid the chaos, my eyes caught Yeo So-cheon standing off to the side.

"..."

For some reason, she was sniffing her sleeve.

"Uh... Can we talk about this later? I was in the middle of a conversation..." I pleaded.

"...You won’t run away, right?" Dang Ah-young asked suspiciously.

Twitch.

I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t briefly considered bolting, and the guilt pricked at me.

"N-No way! What do you take me for? I’ll head home later, and we can talk then."

"...You’re not sleeping at an inn, are you?"

"Of course not!"

"..."

Her skeptical gaze bore into me. With her father and Yeo So-cheon nearby, she somehow felt like the scariest presence in the room at that moment.

Gulp.

I wanted to look away, but something told me that’d be a bad move. Trembling, I held her stare.

"...Be back before sunset," she finally said.

"Y-Yes!" I replied eagerly.

Thankfully, she relented and stepped away. Her father seemed to say something to her, but their voices faded as they left my sight entirely.

"Phew..."

Even after dodging that crisis (?), a faint tremor lingered in my body, and I hugged myself with my arms. I half-expected Yeo So-cheon to chime in with a snide remark by now, but the silence was odd. Glancing her way—

"...What are you doing?"

Startle!

"W-What?!" she yelped.

She’d been holding her sleeve to her face—likely her nose or mouth—though she dropped her arm so fast I couldn’t be sure why.

"No, I just saw you put your sleeve to your face..."

"S-Shut up! Be quiet, you lecher!"

"What did I even do to be called a lecher?!"

"You know full well you’re not innocent!"

Reflecting on it, I couldn’t exactly argue against the "lecher" label, which only made it sting more.

"...Haa," I sighed.

"Hmph. Should’ve controlled yourself. Do you know how many historical cases there are of people dying in romantic scandals because they couldn’t keep it in their pants?" she taunted.

"I don’t know, and I don’t want to..."

Of all people, I’d gotten tangled with a righteous hero and a phoenix. Even if it weren’t those two, getting caught by anyone could’ve flipped the world upside down. If I were some invincible master or a renowned figure capable of handling them, it might be different—

"But I’m not, and that’s the problem..."

In this situation, "lecher" fit perfectly. I wanted to ask my past self what I’d been thinking, pulling stunts like this. With Sword Mistress, it was unavoidable, but with Dang Ah-young, I’d been fully conscious—no excuses.

"...You’re not going to tell anyone, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"Tell what?"

"You know... that I... with Dang Ah-young and Sword Mistress... two-timing..."

"Ohhh..."

A sinister smile crept onto Yeo So-cheon’s lips.

"Who knows? What should I do? Sword Mistress and the Poison Phoenix? Even if a bounty went out, you’d have no defense, huh?"

"T-That’s—"

"Even without a bounty, the Sichuan Tang Clan and Huashan Sect would hunt you down with fire in their eyes. The Poison Phoenix and Sword Mistress wouldn’t just sit still either. Wow, your life’s about to get real entertaining. How long do you think you can run?"

"Eek..."

Running wasn’t even an option—it was impossible. How could I evade that? The moment I got caught, I wouldn’t even make it out of Shaanxi before being dragged off.

"If I told just one of them right now, that’d be it, wouldn’t it? Guess that means I’m holding your lifeline," she mused.

"W-What do you want?!" I blurted.

"What I want, huh..."

She propped her chin on her hand, pondering.

Gulp.

My anxiety spiked with every passing second. What was she planning that required such a dramatic pause? Knowing she didn’t like me, I feared she’d blow this up just to ruin me. My life would end the moment she did. I couldn’t even imagine the fallout.

So, I waited for her to speak, ready to beg if I had to.

Finally, her lips parted.

"Then grant me one wish later."

"A wish...?"

"Hm... On second thought, let’s call it a favor. Whatever I ask, you’ll do it—no questions, no objections. How’s that?"

"..."

A favor voucher. It was like shackling myself, but given the circumstances, I had to accept.

"...No using the wish to demand more wishes," I stipulated.

"Wow, I didn’t even think of that."

"And nothing that threatens my life."

Just in case, I laid down some safeguards before agreeing.

"Deal’s set, then. Looking forward to it," she said with a grin.

"Haaaa..."

I slumped into a chair, exhaling heavily. What a pitiful state I was in. All because I couldn’t control my lower half—how had it come to this? If it weren’t for the looming apocalypse, I’d have ditched everything and fled to the mountains. Problem was, even that wouldn’t save me now—they’d just drag me back.

"If I disappeared... Dang Ah-young and Sword Mistress would probably come looking. Sword Mistress might not, but Dang Ah-young would definitely see her as a rival..."

If—hypothetically—Dang Ah-young ever snapped at Sword Mistress, "What’s your relationship with my man that you’re searching for him?" it’d be over. Done.

So, my only option was clear.

"...I have to manage them both and make sure they never find out about each other."

Classic "pond management." Keeping multiple partners oblivious to one another through careful manipulation. It was scum behavior, but I had no choice—discovery meant my life was forfeit.

"I’ll confess and apologize later. Later..."

One small mercy was that Sword Mistress mostly stayed within Huashan, rarely catching wind of outside rumors. I’d need to prepare for her occasional outings, but that wasn’t urgent. The real focus was Dang Ah-young. Unlike Sword Mistress, she wasn’t a shut-in—she’d even attended an academy, sociable as she was. And unlike Sword Mistress, our relationship wasn’t fully defined. We’d crossed a line just yesterday, and I’d fled into this mess today.

"...If only Yeo So-cheon weren’t here... No, never mind."

Her summoning my maybe-father-in-law had complicated things, but even without her, the outcome wouldn’t have differed much.

"But why was I called here today?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"Didn’t you have some scheme in mind?"

"Oh, that? I just thought you hate attention, so I dragged you here to mess with you. No grand reason. Maybe a little to flex that I’m a big deal, but Sword Mistress threw a wrench in that."

She clicked her tongue, disappointed.

"I planned to corner you with questions, fluster you, and watch you squirm... but answering like that only boosts your value. Makes it easier for you to chase personal gain with that talent."

True, Sword Mistress’s story was massive. A foresight ability that could cure qi deviation and provide clues to the next realm? If word spread, it’d draw martial artists from across the Central Plains—no exaggeration.

"Good thing it’s just talk confined here," I muttered, relieved inwardly.

More clients would be nice, but that level of attention—especially from intimidating martial artists—was a hard pass.

As long as it stayed within these walls, I could breathe easy—

"...Uh."

"...?"

"I... uh... told someone earlier to watch the meeting and spread the highlights as rumors far and wide..."

"...What?"

"And... I might’ve forgotten to tell them to cancel that order..."

Her words turned me to stone.

"Are you insane?! Are you out of your mind?! You told them to spread it?!"

"C-Calm down! You’ve got the Poison Phoenix by your side, right? Small fry won’t even get close. Worst case, take refuge with the Sichuan Tang Clan—most experts wouldn’t dare touch you there."

"Crazy, crazy... How am I supposed to fix this...?"

"I-I didn’t expect Sword Mistress to say that either!"

"The root cause is you...!"

"..."

She averted her gaze—apparently still possessing a shred of conscience. I silently prayed.

If the rumors had already started, it was too late, but—

Please.

Please don’t spread far.

I begged and begged in my mind.

++++

Step, step.

"By the way, Ah-young, did you know he saved Sword Mistress’s life?" Tang A-yoon asked as they walked.

"He saved Sword Mistress?" she echoed.

"Yes. They say his abilities helped her overcome qi deviation and even gave her a clue to reach a higher realm."