The morning sun illuminated the main corridor of the Dragon Pavilion, which had just been polished with selected teak oil. The usually suffocating smell of construction dust had been replaced by the soothing scent of fresh wood. I walked slowly, leading Lord Namgung and Namgung Shiri through the core area of the Evernight Gate. Behind us, Gwi-Hyuk followed like a static shadow, maintaining the group's security.
"Look at these pillar joints, Lord Namgung,"
I said, pointing to the support beams, now reinforced with Black Iron plates. "Previously, this building relied solely on the friction of the decaying wood. Now, with a grade 10.9 bolt system, this structure can withstand shock loads from even Mastery-level practitioners."
Lord Namgung nodded, his fingers stroking the cool surface of the iron plates.
"Very efficient. You truly don't waste materials, Young Master Moen. Everything has a technical function."
Beside him, Namgung Shiri walked silently. Although her transparent veil obscured most of her face, I could sense her clear gaze scanning every corner of the room with great curiosity.
"Foreman, stop talking about bolts and iron plates,"
The voice of the real Moen Kang Yo echoed in our inner space, its tone filled with mockery.
"Look at that lady next to you. She's been staring at you for ten minutes, and you're busy explaining the durability of teak wood."
"Shut up, Boss,"
I said to myself. 'Logistics and infrastructure are priorities. Beauty is an unstable variable in my blueprint.'
"Heh, we'll see how stable your logic is when that variable reveals its true face,"
Kang Yo muttered with a chuckle.
"I warned you, she's the type of material that can destroy all your mental defenses in an instant."
Suddenly, as we passed a balcony overlooking the cliff, a powerful mountain wind blew in through the architectural gap I'd deliberately created for natural ventilation. The wind hit us with a considerable dynamic load.
"Ah...!"
Shiri let out a soft cry as the straps holding her veil, which likely had a fatigue point, suddenly snapped under the pressure of the wind.
The sky-blue silk veil flew away, revealing what had been hidden all this time.
Time seemed to slow to a series of still image fragments. I, whose blue eyes could usually detect microcracks in concrete, now felt as if my entire nervous system had short-circuited.
The face before me wasn't just "good material." It was a masterpiece of perfect structure. A firm yet soft jawline, eyes that sparkled like pure Qi crystals, and lips that looked as delicate as unwilted plum blossom petals.
"Ugh..."
I froze. For the first time since transmigrating to this world, my hands, usually steady when holding a crowbar or a heavy sword, suddenly trembled.
"Hahahaha! Look at your expression, Foreman!"
the real Moen Kang Yo roared in my head, his demonic laughter filling our consciousness.
"Where's your cool management? Where's your meticulous auditing? You look like a migrant worker seeing a skyscraper for the first time!"
"Shut up, Kang Yo..."
I whispered, but I couldn't look away.
My heartbeat quickened as the veil fell from my face. In public, especially in Demon faction territory, this was a deeply embarrassing breach of privacy standards for a daughter of the Namgung clan. I quickly covered my face with my hands, my cheeks burning as if they had just been exposed to the radiant heat of a blacksmith's furnace.
"Pardon my... forgive my rudeness, Young Master Moen,"
I whispered in a trembling voice.
However, when I dared to observe his reaction through my fingers, I saw something very rare.
The man who usually fought the Mastery Elder expressionlessly, the man who spoke of numbers and structures as if he weren't even human, now stood frozen with his mouth slightly open. His piercing blue eyes were no longer scanning the wooden pillar; he was scanning my face with a gaze that was very... human.
"Beautiful..."
He murmured very quietly, but my ears, trained in the Namgung clan's breathing arts, caught the vibrations in his voice.
Lord Namgung, my father, cleared his throat loudly, trying to break the extremely awkward silence. "Well, it seems your natural ventilation is working too well, Young Master," he said in a joking tone that contained a hint of diplomatic rebuke.
Yoe Choin (or Moen Kang Yo as I knew him) flinched. He immediately turned his face toward the cliff, coughing lightly to stabilize his fluctuating Qi.
"Excuse me, Miss Namgung,"
he said, his voice returning to a flat tone, but I could sense a lingering tinge of nervousness.
"I'll... have the Year 1 students make a sturdier veil hook using small steel bolts. Hemp ties aren't suitable for this high wind load."
I couldn't help but smile behind my hand. In such a romantic atmosphere, he still had time to think about "steel bolts." This man was truly unique. He wasn't a wild devil, he wasn't a hypocritical young man from the Orthodox faction; he was a foundation of honesty yet very rigidity.
"You're truly embarrassing, Foreman,"
whispered the real Moen Kang Yo as we continued our walk through the pavilion garden.
"You usually talk about efficiency, but just now you wasted static energy just to stare blankly."
"Listen, Boss,"
I replied, trying to regulate my pace so as not to look unsteady.
"That lady's face exceeds my mental safety specifications. This is a Force Majeure situation that isn't included in any employment contract."
"Oh, really? Or perhaps you just realized that the structure of your life needs a little 'aesthetic touch' beyond just concrete and iron?"
teased Kang Yo.
"Refocus on the audit, Kang Yo. We still have Elder Han-Seung in the basement to deal with,"
I replied firmly, though the image of Shiri's face from earlier was still seared into my retinas like a stubborn blueprint.
I stole a glance at Shiri, who was now wearing the spare veil her bodyguard had given her. Under the slightly brighter Evernight sky, I realized one thing: this strategic alliance would likely carry a far heavier emotional burden than all the Black Iron materials I'd ever collected.
"Young Master Moen,"
Shiri called softly, startling me again.
"What's the next step in the 'renovation' for this sect?"
I stared at the main gate pillar in the distance, trying to regain my managerial authority.
"The next step is to build a diplomatic bridge as strong as steel, Miss. And I hope the Namgung clan can be its main pillar."
Inwardly, Moen Kang Yo was laughing wildly, while I, the Devil Foreman, could only hope that no more veils would fly away in the wind today.