Episode 80
* * *
The afternoon before Gyeonjio left Seorak.
Percussion, tak-.
“General.”
“Oh my, that’s why you should have eaten the bag earlier. I knew it.”
“Well, what a person’s personality. Who wouldn’t be able to train someone from the side? Speaking of which… … .”
A glass greenhouse thick with cigarette smoke.
In front of a wooden chess board, three or five players are standing with their heads together. One of the old players, who had been displeased with the chess pieces, shook his stick.
“Hey, isn’t the deputy representative going to participate in the war?”
“I like Mahjong more than Janggi. If you want to change the game, I’ll think about it.”
One side of the sofa. The tiger, who was sitting leisurely, said while turning a page of the newspaper.
Seoul, Guild
A shelter for old lions who have retired from the battlefield.
Although they are no longer active, this is where the lions who supported the axis of the Silver Lions, the heaviest and strongest axis, gathered.
A one-armed lion clicked his tongue.
“Oh my, isn’t that a Chinese game? Then it’s useless. You have to love domestic products, domestic products.”
“If we trace the origin of Janggi, it is from China. It was just transformed after it was imported.”
“What!”
“Tsk tsk, that damn domestic song. You’re saying that our baby is also a Shinto Buddhist, a Heungseon Daewongun, and you’re avoiding foreign things, right? Your English score is like that, and in this global era.”
‘Baby… … .’
The tiger stroked his chin with his index finger. It was a habit he had when he felt embarrassed.
“What are you talking about! What’s wrong with a Korean not being able to speak English? Our little cutie did nothing wrong!”
‘Cutie… … .’
“Oh, but you have to send your child to college, right? Are you going to leave him as a high school graduate? These days, that’s not the case. Classism and other discrimination are so severe. What if our puppy gets hurt emotionally when he goes out into society? Seriously.”
‘Puppy grass… … .’
Where are you going? Beom took a sip of his coffee. He wrote.
“This gentleman… … why don’t you send him to college! If it were in the old days, he would have served as Prime Minister five or six times, so there’s nothing you can’t say to this national treasure!”
‘… … .’
“Wait a minute, Prime Minister? Are you saying that the little girl is so lacking that she is just sitting there as a bureaucrat? It’s a bit unpleasant to hear that story.”
Add one more person who was sitting there pretending to be fine and then barged in.
The board was getting hotter than the previous board.
He is the Prime Minister, he is the Commander-in-Chief, no, he is the face of the king. The heated debate continued for a while.
Again the one-armed lion slammed the chess board down.
“The point is, the order of things has changed. What kind of era is this that we are learning foreign slang? They should learn Korean. Is Korea the old Korea?”
“Hmm. It’s not that our baby has to change, but that the world has to change first… … . Now that I hear it, it makes a lot of sense… … .”
“While we’re on the subject, Vice President! Why don’t you make an appointment with the Minister of Education? Was that guy sitting there right now, Yuga?”
“That guy Yuga died last year, and the Kwon family took over.”
“Why is the young man dead already?”
“Young. He lived a long life and died of old age. Do you think that only old people like us live in this world?”
“Hey… … That guy Yuga was so easygoing and listened to me well. What kind of work does the new guy do?”
“Now we just have to watch.”
“This time, try to make our baby fail college while talking about foreign languages and stuff, you bastards. I guess I’ll leave you alone.”
This is Tapgol Park.
Tapgol Park, where the nationalistic, squeamish old men with power gathered, was made real here.
It is no wonder that the child’s personality is like that, having been supported by such people. Beom put down the newspaper.
“If possible, leave the education part alone.”
“Huh? Why?”
“You can’t change the system just for the sake of one person. Artists don’t fit well with public education. Didn’t Van Gogh or Kim Hong-do of Danwon receive recognition because they graduated from good universities?”
If you look at it, this kid is the most impressive.
The secretary cautiously approaches him, who is spouting nonsense that would make Danwon Kim Hong-do jump out of his grave with a normal face.
“I have received a call from the Vice President.”
“……liaison?”
“yes.”
But that is… … .
The secretary lowered her body and whispered. A soft energy seeped into the corner of Beom’s eyes as he listened with his head tilted slightly with a blank expression.
The old men who pretended not to see muttered among themselves. I guess it’s news about the baby.
“… … I was wondering where you went.”
He motions for me to bring it.
A glassy canary neatly placed on a silver platter. It was basic messenger magic. It was too advanced an operation to be called basic.
A canary lands on the tiger’s index finger.
The bird opened its beak and chirped. The sound spread to a designated recipient.
A canary that turns into light and disappears as soon as the transmission is finished.
I stare blankly at the light dust settling into my hand. A smile spreads across my face. The depth of my deep affection is reflected and then hidden again.
The tiger got up from his seat.
“What on earth are you doing?”
It started in Pangyo, then it started in Seorak.
Flashing in the east, flashing in the west. Not even Hong Gil-dong.
You must be really busy. I don’t know what’s going on with the kid who just sits in the corner of the house all day.
“Let me just get up and try.”
“Is that good news? Your face looks better.”
“Because it’s always news I’ve been waiting for, whether it’s good or bad.”
“That’s not news, it’s people.”
The man picked up the suit that was hanging on the chair.
“Please speak to the CEO. I made sure to give you plenty to talk to.”
“Before you start making a fuss, come here early. If you’re not busy, bring the baby too.”
The old people grumbled that there was no joy in living in their later years. To put it mildly, it was not a mild remark.
With a laugh, the tiger came out to Rosamund.
The attendants who had been waiting outside, not daring to come in, followed behind him.
The sound of shoes passing over the glass floor echoed in multiple layers.
“I couldn’t tell you earlier because your reporting rank was low, but I received word from the center as well.”
“That’ll be later.”
Chiik, fire rises from the air.
The magician’s training. The tiger, who had been spitting out thick smoke, looked back.
“What is Anchisan doing now? Tell him I’ll come and check it out.”
* * *
Seorak, the day of the meeting.
Choi David has a doubles set.
Her long hair was tied up tightly, and a string was tied around her waist. She wore a white hanbok without any pattern or color. It was the uniform of the Hae-ta.
Maybe today will be the last day I wear it.
“Elder… … .”
Just before leaving the door, Dongjaseung let out a wet voice. Choi Da-wit snickered.
“Thank you for your hard work, Sammaek.”
On the way to the main building where the meeting is held.
As I passed each place, memories of this place flashed through my mind.
From our first meeting on a snowy day, to our last recent memory of sitting side by side on the porch and looking out at the garden.
Percussion.
A door that opens on both sides.
A room with a huge sculpture of the divine beast Haetae hanging from the ceiling.
The seat in the center is empty. Choi Da-wit is sitting in the seat right next to it, on the right.
“Elder… … .”
“I’m sorry, Elder 5.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh. I’m empty-handed.”
The five elders tightly closed their eyes.
It was a natural reaction, as he was the closest aide to the lord, excluding David Choi.
And not long after they sat down, the elders and seniors entered one by one.
The outcome of the meeting was predictable, as they came in together as if they had planned it out.
When their eyes met, the three elders smiled and raised their hands.
‘That hundred o’clock… … .’
It’s frustrating, but what’s the point of discussing it now? It’s all pointless.
Choi David turned his eyes.
Percussion, tak. Dagger.
The paper rang with the sound of rain.
It was the sound that announced the start of the meeting.
Formalities and meaningless talk continued on and on. And.
“… … Then, since none of the conditions promised by the Elder have been fulfilled, we will move on to a vote on the dismissal of the acting lord.”
A bamboo tray was brought into the room. Jorrrr, pour some Cheongju.
The glasses circulated silently.
If that glass is still cold now, then yes.
If the glass was empty, it was negative.
A cough resonated. The room was so quiet that even a small sneeze could be heard loudly.
I will check. A calm voice rings out.
“Go.” … … Go (可).”
Even if you look closely, there are hardly any empty glasses.
Choi Da-wit slowly closed his eyes as he looked at the Haetae on the ceiling.
The last thing in my memory, the voice of the white bird… … .
“I know you’re not as attached to this place as I am.”
To you, Hae-ta-ran is the name of a person, not a group.
“And yet… … David. This place.”
This name is the sea of me and you.
“Please take care of the sea.”
‘Yeah, f*ck, not yet.’
Choi David raised his head again.
“Wait a minute.”
That was the moment when I opened my mouth.
“Okay. Wait. Don’t you have any more glasses for me?”
A shrill, hoarse sound that was harsh to the ear. It was a badge of honor, and everyone here knew why.
The fiery cracks that enveloped Uijeongbu during the ‘March of Nightmare’. The Haetas who blocked the flames.
The first generation ‘Hunter’ who fought at the forefront and left a permanent scar on his neck from the fire.
The great guardian deed of 〈Hae-ta〉, Hong Go-ya laughed harshly.
“Everyone knows this face. Since it’s been a while since the old man came home, he brought along an old friend.”
A line of footsteps follows that voice.
A gait completely different from that of the Haetaeans.
They were dressed in unfamiliar suits, but the badge on their chests was clearly familiar.
The left arm of ‘Lion’ Eun Seok-won, An Chi-san bowed respectfully.
“I have come from the Lion King. To repay a long-standing favor and a debt of loyalty to my old brother.”
“A brother’s benefactor is another brother. The benefactor will always stand by your side.”
In the silent room, Hong Goya walked over and picked up his glass. He emptied it as if nothing had happened.
Choi Da-wit blankly looked at the scene.
“Don’t worry about the meeting.”
“A friend of a friend is another friend. It’s your turn to benefit from being a ‘friend’, Hae-ta.”
I thought I heard a voice.
‘Friend.’ Choi Da-wit laughed out loud. Oddly enough, tears welled up in his eyes.
A guide to proper living for rankers.
