◈Episode 708.
Between death and fate (8)
Yeonho-jeong and Mukbi Full-sang disappear.
Only Jinyang and Su Jeonggwang remained in front of the residence.
“….”
A strange silence hovered between the two.
So Jeong-gwang was the first to break the silence.
“I came to say hello, but I ended up hearing something amazing.”
Jinyang stared into space without saying a word.
So Jeong-gwang shrugged his shoulders.
“Are you going?”
“Concentration.”
“Please speak.”
Jinyang’s expression became blurry.
“Am I disqualified as the lord of the house?”
So Jeong-gwang’s answer was overwhelming.
“I don’t know if it’s disqualification, but he’s not an exemplary leader, right?”
Jinyang wrinkled his face.
“You really said that?”
“What answer do you want? “Then you thought you were greater than any other lord in the world?”
“It’s not true, but I thought it wasn’t bad in its own way.”
“It’s not bad. At least that’s the case from my perspective. “I don’t know about other disciples.”
So Jeong-gwang chuckled.
“There is some truth to what that gentleman said. “To be honest, I was surprised because I knew Moonju so well that it was scary.”
“…I know.”
“However, what Lord Moon said is also correct. There is no point in trying to cajole someone by telling them that they are genius and talented when they say they will live their life the way they want. “In the end, what’s important is your own will, isn’t it?”
“you?”
“What?”
Jinyang looked at Su Jeonggwang.
Those eyes were full of confusion, but they were just as serious.
“Didn’t you want to run away from the reality that didn’t change no matter how many times you spoke directly to Munju, who was not an example?”
So Jeong-gwang frowned.
“Even if your mouth is crooked, you have to speak properly. To put it bluntly, if it weren’t for me, Hwaungmun would have been this big? “Even if I want to run away, I can’t because it’s a waste.”
“In the end, I just wanted to hit him.”
“Quite often? But if I was going to quit because I was that frustrated, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. “There’s nothing like that these days.”
Those were truly Sojeonggwang-like words.
He may seem weak and sometimes frivolous, but in reality, he is a man with more loyalty than anyone else. The reason he and Jinyang got along well from a young age was because their personalities matched well.
However, So Jeong-gwang’s remarks came as a big shock to Jinyang now.
‘It was to the point where I wanted to leave often…’
Before Moon Joo and the division owner, the two were friends. Jinyang also expected that So Jeonggwang would not have had such moments.
But listening to it like this, it seemed like he thought about it much more often than he expected.
He probably thought that way after Hwaungmun entered its transitional period. We didn’t clash like we did at first, but there were times when we were cold to each other.
Jinyang sighed softly.
‘They say a place makes a person, but have I suddenly become blind and unable to look into the hearts of the people around me?’
When I thought about it, I felt like I hadn’t even had a serious conversation with So Jeong-gwang in recent years. At most, it would be like sharing a silly joke or reminiscing about a time when we lived intensely in the past.
The fierceness that existed when Hwaungmun Gate was first built has long since disappeared.
“What would you like to be like?”
“What?”
“The words of Mr. Yeon with a dagger on his tongue.”
“So what? “I should have said a word or two.”
Jinyang said bluntly.
“What would you do when you say that we should be together?”
“You’re developing bad habits. Why are you asking me that? Lord Moon has to decide.”
“I’m not asking this question to So Jeong-gwang, the division head and soldier.”
“….”
“This is a question to my friend So Jeong-gwang.”
So Jeong-gwang’s playful face gradually changed to expressionless.
Jinyang was inwardly surprised.
It had been a long time since I had seen So Jeong-gwang’s expression like that. Is that why? It just felt unfamiliar and awkward for some reason.
“It’s meaningless to ask me that.”
The voice is the same, but the tone has changed. So it sounds even deeper and heavier.
“I know you have a lot of concerns, but you also know that it’s not a problem that can be answered by referring to other people’s thoughts or experiences.”
“….”
“Shall I be honest?”
“what?”
“You are a failure as a door owner.”
Jinyang wrinkled his face.
“You said it wasn’t that bad?”
“Because you are my friend. Because he is a person who would not feel sorry even if he got stabbed instead. It’s not bad since Moonju has such a personal relationship. As a section owner and military officer, it was like that.”
“….”
“Let me tell you coldly as a friend, you are absolutely not a good Moonju. “At least for now.”
“Yes…”
“You weren’t like that when you built Hwaungmun Gate. “It was definitely different from now.”
“I guess so.”
“In the past, the loser of a region with a large warlord founded a country after unifying several regions. “The moment has come when you must go from being a military commander to becoming a ruler.”
“….”
“Those who behave properly as rulers and accept change become the great ancestors recognized by future generations. However, those who fail to accept the right changes as rulers end up as regional losers. Then, that country will fail even after two generations, let alone three generations.”
“….”
“You are like that now. “The guy who has to live as the ruler of the ruler still hasn’t escaped his days as a hot and strong general.”
“….”
“Thanks to you, I survived well. When political faction b*stards came nearby, they were at a high level in terms of packing up their belongings and running away, as well as hit and run. “It’s something we’ve done many times before establishing our clan.”
Jinyang’s eyes wavered.
So Jeong-gwang’s expression became a little heavy. He couldn’t have felt good saying something like this to his friend.
“There is no need to be caught up in Master Yeon’s words. But change is needed.”
“….”
“You know the truth, right? You can’t live like this. “If you live like this, one day the disciples you are responsible for will either die or turn away from Hwaungmun.”
Jinyang closed his eyes.
So Jeong-gwang, who was quietly looking at him, crossed his arms.
“I am the head of the Hwaungmun Gate and a military officer. My life depends on Moon-joo’s choice. “It’s so natural.”
“….”
“So, don’t rely on me as your friend, but take responsibility for your own life and your own position.”
So Jeong-gwang lit a brilliant fire on top of the bomb thrown by Yeon Ho-jeong.
Jinyang thought.
‘That’s true.’
My friend’s words and Yeon Ho-jeong’s words are the same.
That’s all true.
In particular, So Jeong-gwang’s words remained strongly in my heart. If it’s obvious, then it’s obvious. Since you’ve been through this difficult time together, you probably know yourself better than anyone else.
‘But I didn’t know about the concentrate properly.’
The other person knows you, but you haven’t thought deeply about the other person’s words and actions recently.
The reason is obvious. It was because I didn’t bother to see it.
Since he was the person closest to me, I took it for granted that we were together. Even though I knew I shouldn’t do that, I just lived like that.
‘I am not satisfied with my position as Lord Hwaungmun. However, I became complacent with reality. ‘Why on earth?’
At that moment, Jinyang remembered Yeonhojeong’s words.
‘Even though you know your own nature and your own aspirations, you turn your eyes away from them and become complacent with reality. How can you not say that you have gone astray?’
Genuine. yearning.
Jinyang thought.
‘What is my genius?’
I couldn’t figure it out. The word ‘genuine’ itself sounded unfamiliar. It was because I had never thought deeply about such things in the first place.
Then….
‘What are my aspirations?’
At that moment, Jinyang felt goosebumps growing on his forearms.
As I seriously thought about what my aspirations were, a picture naturally formed in my head.
Even though he was carrying a large knife around the streets, people were not afraid of him.
Rather, greet them with a friendly smile, tap them, or tell them a joke. He tries to protect himself and pretends to be in pain, but eventually bursts into laughter again.
It was a peaceful daily life.
Whoa!
Another picture was drawn.
Unknown bandits or villains invade the village.
He defeats them all without people knowing. To prevent anyone from touching the village, they cut it off in the bud and come back.
And then the peaceful daily life repeats again.
‘….’
Su Jeong-gwang, who was quietly looking at Jinyang, was inwardly surprised.
Jinyang’s eyes were fluttering little by little. There was a clear liquid in my eye that had not flowed down until the end.
A state in which one is not even aware of oneself.
Jinyang sighed.
‘I didn’t want to be a monster.’
He grew up big from a young age. Even before the area under his nose became dark, he was already taller and larger than most adults.
People looked at him with awe. However, as time passed, I became reluctant to him and became less and less willing to approach him.
When a merchant is born in a village in a very harsh world, everyone is happy. Being huge and powerful was a virtue in itself.
However, he was so huge that he escaped even people’s perception.
If I hadn’t met a teacher and learned how to control the energy in my body, I would have grown one character taller than I am now.
‘Why did I build Hwaungmun?’
The answer was simple.
I wanted to build a fence.
I wanted to protect the village where I was born and raised. I wanted to melt into it. Even so, I wanted to be recognized as a person.
But the reality was different.
When Hwaungmun was built, people feared him and treated him as the head of the Heukdo clan.
So I changed my clan. He wanted to stay with the people in the village where he was born and raised, but the people were actually afraid of him.
Jinyang did not want to rule.
I just wanted us to be together.
Thanks to his incredible talent, he broke through the barrier of martial arts at an early age, but that fact was not important. What if you are at the level of a peak expert, or how about if you are a third-rate player?
If we can laugh together and be recognized by each other, wouldn’t that alone be worth living in if we were part of that world?
Not an exemplary literary master?
It had to be that way. He felt awkward about trying to dominate and rule. It wasn’t the life he wanted in the first place.
Being together and being together again.
Looking at each other at the same eye level and considering the other person as a person, not a monster.
“Concentration.”
Su Jeonggwang, who was quietly looking at Jinyang, lowered his head.
“Yes, Lord Moon.”
“Go to the main text.”
“All right. “I’ll tell the kids.”
“You are not going.”
“yes?”
Jinyang looked at Su Jeonggwang.
Not all confusion has been cleared away. However, there was a small will inside it that would no longer be shaken.
“You stay here. “Just me and the kids are going.”
So Jeong-gwang, who was looking at Jinyang in silence, smiled.
“Please come back quickly.”
“If you change your mind midway, I’ll contact you.”
“Anytime.”
“When I come back, from then on….”
“I think about things at that time.”
“….”
“Right?”
Jinyang chuckled.
“Don’t trust those Jongnam guys too much. “Let’s start another fight about it being black.”
“I’ll be right next to Master Yeon.”
“It would be better not to fawn over things that don’t work. “Axes are coming out of that guy’s eyes too.”
“That’s why we have to fawn even more.”
“Goes.”
Jinyang waved his hand and turned around.
So Jeong-gwang opened his mouth.
“Lord Moon.”
“why?”
So Jeong-gwang took the gun.
“It was an honor to be with you all this time.”
“…It’s an ominous way to greet someone who is about to die.”
“Do you feel like you’re going to die?”
“What?”
“At least one person I knew, Moonju, just passed away. I’m looking forward to seeing how many more people will die.”
Jinyang smiled and walked away.
The sight of him humming and walking at a straight pace looked strangely cool.
