“anyway… … .”
Jo Geol continued to babble and hurried his steps. Everyone wonders what has become so complicated. If things in the world are complicated, they are complicated, but if they are simple, they are simple.
Jo Geol also knows. All of that is actually a process of human growth. But these days, he was frustrated because he seemed to be seeing glimpses of people he had always considered old-fashioned in the people he liked.
“I’m just a kid, just me.”
Jo Geol grumbled and then furtively looked around.
“… … “Is this the right place?”
I think that’s probably right?
“Cheongmyeong. “Is Cheongmyeong inside?”
I asked, but opened the door without waiting for an answer. Anyway, now Cheongmyeong has to meet him. Because he has something to say and something he wants to hear.
However, what Jo Geol saw after kicking open the door and entering was not Cheongmyeong, but other people. Very familiar.
“Are you here?”
“… … Eck?”
Jo Geol closed her eyes.
“sorry. I found the wrong room… … .”
“It’s right here.”
“No, that’s because I didn’t come to visit the private residence.”
“This is Cheongmyeong’s room.”
“ah?”
Jo Geol, who had stuck his head halfway out the door to go out, sneaked in. There is a doubt on his face.
“Then why are you here, Sa-suk?”
“I guess it’s the same reason as you, right?”
“ah… … . “To meet Cheongmyeong?”
Now I see that Baekcheon is not the only one here. The thin guy lying on the bed next to Baekcheon was clearly Lim So-byeong, and the guy snooping around in front of him was clearly Seol So-baek.
Cheongmyeong comes to see him, but the room is full of other guys and no Cheongmyeong.
“Come in first.”
“… … No, there is no clear name.”
“It won’t be easy to find him anyway, even if we hunt around. If you wait, it will come. “Everyone is here with that mindset.”
Jo Geol, who could not deny it, nodded with a faint groan. As I closed the door and sat down next to Lim So-byeong, Lim So-byeong started to get nervous.
“Oh, it’s still narrow!”
Jo Geol was speechless.
… … Does this person have any awareness that he is a soldier of the Heaven and Earth Alliance? At this important time, you are not seeing the leader and are here to kill him?
But no matter what, it probably proves that everyone feels the same way in the end. When I thought about it that way, it felt a little reassuring. Jo Geol gave a faint smile. I spilled it… … .
“… … .”
“… … .”
“greatness.”
For some reason, the atmosphere in the room was extremely awkward. Only then did Jo Geol realize something.
‘There’s something strange about this combination.’
I would rather have an open conversation with Baekcheon if it were just the two of us, but since there are other people around, I am a bit cautious, and there is no topic to talk about with other people.
So, everyone is just watching and pretending not to open their mouths.
‘that… … .’
The longer the silence lasted, the more cold sweat began to flow from Jo Geol’s forehead, as she couldn’t stand this so much.
At that time, a small noise was heard outside the door. Almost as if he had met his ancestors in Samdocheon, Jo Geol quickly ran over and threw open the door.
“hey! Why now… … .”
“… … .”
“… … Are you coming? execution.”
A heavier silence settled in.
In front of the wide open door, Yoonjong was looking three times more awkward than the people in the room.
Jo Geol and Yoon Jong slightly avoided eye contact. We didn’t break up after a very amicable conversation, but it was indescribably uncomfortable.
“Well, Cheong… “Are you here to meet me?”
“Okay… … “It’s cool, though.”
“Well then, would you like to come in? “I think everyone is in the same situation.”
“okay… … .”
Yoonjong struggled to keep his feet from moving and entered. With the sound of the door closing, the air in the room became even more awkward.
Yoon Jong sat on the corner of the bed opposite Jo Geol, not next to Jo Geol. Then, it seemed as if Jo Geol and Yoon Jong were in a subtle confrontation over Lim So Byeong.
“that… … “What about Cheongmyeong?”
“I’ll come…” … Right?”
“okay.”
Yoonjong stares helplessly at the wall. Only the sound of someone breathing was heard in the small room.
In the end, Jogeol couldn’t stand the awkwardness and ended up throwing a fit like a crazy person.
“Ahh! really! Why isn’t this bastard coming! “Everyone is waiting like this!”
“… … “You don’t know what it’s like to wait.”
“Why is Sasuk so carefree? It wasn’t like that before! “In the past, she would have been the first to wake up.”
“Walk.”
“yes?”
“I never went before you before either.”
“lie!”
I reflexively thought, ‘Sa-suk was the one who got it first, right, Sae-sung!’ Jo Geol, who turned her head to shout, flinched when her eyes met with Yoon Jong. My head slowly returned to its original position.
At that time, Lim So-byeong, who had been lying down the whole time, got up. Then he moved his stiff neck from side to side.
“There will be work to do. There is something I have done that needs to be fixed. Well, it will come eventually. “They also need time.”
“If it’s something that needs to be handled like that, don’t cause an accident!”
“That’s true.”
Lim So-byeong nodded as if he agreed.
“Well, you don’t have to go to this extent to fight, but it’s just causing trouble for no reason.”
“This Sapa bastard is criticizing Cheongmyeong?”
“… … “Let’s just do one thing, seal.”
Lim So-byeong sighed deeply. Baekcheon, who had been silent, opened his mouth.
“What do you think will happen, King Green Forest?”
Lim So-byeong smiled and answered.
“That’s right, that’s right. “As always.”
“… … hmm.”
“Actually, don’t the people who belong to the Cheonwoo Alliance all have the same feeling that they want their faction to make the biggest contribution and that they don’t want to play a supporting role next to others?”
“you’re right. But so far, no problems have arisen because of it… … .”
“That’s because Jang Il-so didn’t bite that part.”
Lim So-byeong lightly tapped my palm with a fan.
“The most fickle thing in the world is the human mind, so I don’t know when or what will happen. No matter how much we plan tactics and discuss strategies.”
Baekcheon agreed and sighed. So, it was understandable that Cheongmyeong brought up this agenda. If Cheongmyeong were a bastard in that miserable hell, he would have seen and felt more.
“But.”
At that time, Jo Geol intervened and said.
“To be honest, I only half understand, but if Cheongmyeong does as you say, things will definitely get better, right?”
Lim So-byeong smiled and nodded.
“Oh my. I should have explained that first. “I didn’t realize there was a Jogeol Dojo, did you?”
“It’s not that I don’t know…” … . Yes, So, Sobaek! Sobaek doesn’t know… … .”
“What kind of manners are you talking to the palace lord, you bull-nosed bastard!”
“… … “That is not something a Taoist monk should say, death.”
Jo Geol became sullen. It’s always only me that’s the problem, just me.
Lim So-byeong shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth.
“Well, it would be easier if you understood it as a reorganization rather than what the command authority was.”
“yes? “Organization?”
“Party, and each. how is it? “It’s a familiar shape, right?”
Everyone there nodded their heads in unison.
“If the clan lords agree to this matter, Cheonwoomaeng will establish a new party and faction and place disciples from each clan within it. “In one party, Hwasan and Dangga, Nokrim and Binggung, and even disciples of Jongnam can exist together.”
“Let’s leave Jongnam out.”
“… … .”
“sincerely.”
If I had said this out loud, Lim So-byeong would have laughed it off. However, the reason Lim So-byeong could not laugh was because the person who said this was Baek Cheon.
“… … “Let’s try.”
“thank you.”
Lim So-byeong opened his mouth again with a sigh.
“To put it simply, the Cheongmyeong Dojo is trying to make the Cheonwoomaeng a true sect, at least temporarily. “By dividing the personnel into a new organization and appointing the head of the family and each head again.”
“Then what about the existing owners?”
“You will be given a seat depending on the situation. “You can become the head of a family, a head of a family, or perhaps even a deputy head of a family.”
“… … .”
“The important thing is that even if you become the head of a family, you will not be able to give orders to members of other parties. “That’s the point of this whole story.”
Jogeol scratched his head.
“So, is it true that doing something like that will make you feel better?”
“… … “There is no end to explaining it to the dojo and making him understand, so let’s skip that.”
“Don’t be stupid.”
“It’s not about being stupid, it’s about understanding.”
“It’s the same thing!”
“oh? I understand this. “I saw it again.”
This guy? When Jo Geol secretly reached out with his sword, Baek Cheon mercilessly slashed the back of his head.
“Stay still! “It’s crazy.”
“yes… … . “I was wrong this time too.”
“You know me well.”
Jo Geol was sad. At that moment, Yoonjong, who had been quietly listening, opened his mouth.
“Then the key now is whether the owners will ultimately accept this.”
“you’re right.”
“This is unprecedented… … .”
“well. “There is a surprising precedent.”
Everyone opened their eyes at the unexpected words. Lim So-byeong shrugged his shoulders.
“Actually, this is a form that we are more familiar with. When the Four Factions became really strong or the Demonic Cult went crazy and it was no longer possible to respond with the system of one faction of the nine factions and the five major factions, the factions of the political faction created a system like this. “In the name of Murimmaeng.”
“Murimmaeng… … .”
Baekcheon let out a small exclamation.
“Well, of course, the organization at that time was not even half as good as what the Cheongmyeong seal says now, but in any case, a similar form was achieved.”
“Then you can do it, right?”
“The problem is that it’s not that easy, right?”
Lim So-byeong shrugged his shoulders.
“It took a great deal of time, effort, and sacrifice to create that half-baked system. But now we are absolutely running out of time.”
Baekcheon, who had been listening quietly, glanced at Lim So-byeong.
“The King of Green Forest thinks it won’t work.”
“yes. To put it bluntly, yes.”
Lim So-byeong nodded slowly.
“But I am a human being who has lived in a world as loose as a green forest, so it’s probably good.”
His gaze became sharper.
“But, Baekcheon Seal. “Can you not hold a grudge against Jogeol Dojang and have no regrets even if he has to die under Jongnam’s orders?”
Baekcheon was unable to answer readily.
“Handing over command means giving the power over life and death. Depending on how the commander uses it, people who should not die may die. This is absolutely impossible without a trusting relationship in which both parties are not incompetent and are there for each other internally. but… … .”
Lim So-byeong shrugged his shoulders.
“Do you really have that much trust in Tianyu Meng now?”
“Well, I… … !”
When Jo Geol got angry and tried to step forward, Lim So-byeong struck first.
“When you say I can do it, you ultimately mean ‘under someone I trust,’ right? However, trust is not actually something that comes from just looking at the other person’s abilities. “If I decide who will lead me, this new system will ultimately be meaningless.”
“Okay.”
Jo Geol, who had already shared similar words with Yoon Jong, could not bear to refute and only made a groaning noise. Yoonjong spoke in a calm voice.
“Then it will be difficult in the end. “The Lords of the Moon are probably thinking about all of this.”
“Yes. but… … .”
“but?”
“no.”
Lim So-byeong, who trailed off, shrugged his shoulders and shook his head.
variable? There is no such thing. However, if there is someone who has a clue to solving this impossible problem… … .
‘But it can’t be done.’
It will be difficult to choose either this or that path. Isn’t the river too wide to cross? Everything they’ve built will make that impossible. All the paths I have taken so far are correct.
‘That’s too bad.’
Lim So-byeong’s eyes as he looked out the window were a little faint. The face of Cheongmyeong, who had quietly visited me a little while ago, came to mind again.
* * *
“Whoa.”
Cheongmyeong took a long breath. It is not an easy step. But it had to come.
Because now I know Cheongmyeong. Anyone can point to the right path and lie down and say evil because they think they are right.
What is important is how far you can follow the path you believe is right. It’s not about yelling and threatening the other person to follow me, but it’s about telling the other person enough reasons to follow me and persuading them.
so… … .
Cheongmyeong, who was looking at the closed door with a distraught look, eventually knocked on the door. The answer came back quickly.
“It’s open.”
I’m sorry.
The closed door opened. Someone in the room looked at Cheongmyeong and laughed. It was a faint but clear mockery.
“It’s unexpected. “I never thought you would really come looking for me.”
“Have you come to a place you couldn’t come to?”
“That’s not true. But it must have been a very difficult road. “Isn’t that right?”
“well. That’s right, but… … “When I see your face, I think you’ve come to a good place.”
“Why?”
“I realized it. “I’m not the only one who’s uncomfortable.”
“… … .”
“Maybe it’s more uncomfortable for you than for me.”
“… … “Do you think so?”
“is not it?”
The two people’s eyes met in the air for a moment as if they were aiming at each other. But soon, someone in the room burst into laughter first. Because right now, he has no reason to be angry.
“Come in. “I still wanted to talk at least once.”
The leader of the Daejongnam Sect, Jong Ligok, the Sword under Heaven, stood up from his seat.