Hu Ga-myeong opened his eyes and covered his face with his hand.
‘Is it a dream?’
It’s an old story. That too is very old now.
It was a memory so vivid that it seemed tangible, but inevitably faded a little with the passage of time.
Cold air passed by the tip of my nose. It was early morning, the sun had not yet risen, and Hu Jiaming was a person accustomed to waking up at this time. Since that day, he has tried not to waste a single day.
As I quietly raised my upper body, the blanket slid down from Hu Jiaming’s chest.
His eyes turned to my chest. He had a body that could best be described as a little thin, and his chest had numerous scars running across it.
Of course, it is nothing compared to the scars on Jang Il-so’s body, but the scars on Ho Ji-myeong’s chest also clearly proved what kind of life he had lived since that day.
Hu Jiaming, who survived all that time, is now preparing for the final fight to take control of Gangnam and Gangbuk.
So he had to ask himself.
‘I still…’ … ‘Are you cool-headed?’
These words were like a mantra to Ho Ga-myeong. This is something that must be carried out even if it means losing one’s life.
It is a means to achieve a goal, but in some ways it is the first iron law that takes precedence over the goal.
Hu Jiaming closed his eyes and didn’t even move. A silence that was heavier than when he was asleep settled down in the boudoir.
How much time has passed?
Hu Jiaming slowly opened his eyes again, and his eyes were dark.
widely.
When I got down from the bed and opened the door, the waiter who was waiting came up to me.
“Meals… … .”
“no. “Get your clothes ready.”
Hu Jiaming’s cold eyes turned to Shi Fei. No, the place his eyes were directed was not at the fight in front of him, but somewhere beyond.
“I have to see Lord Ryeon.”
The voice was more resolute than ever.
The manor was not very big. In particular, since it was incomparable in size to the headquarters of the Sapaeryeon, it was a short walk to Jang Il-so’s residence.
However, when Ho Ga-myeong reached the pavilion that Jang Il-so was using as his residence, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.
And then I looked up at the sky without saying a word.
It’s still a long time until the sun rises. The night sky has not changed from ‘then’ until now. But what about people? Are the people standing under that sky the same as they were back then?
A lot of things pass through my mind.
The time when we fought fiercely against an enemy that we were afraid to face, the time when we were on the verge of death with a life-threatening wound, the time when we had to shake off those pursuing us and desperately run away to survive, and were the first to come up with the name Maninbang. The day it happened… … .
During that time, Hu Jiaming, who was a red-faced young man, has now become a man of old age, and Baekguidang, who at best made a small back alley in Gwiju his home, has now surpassed Maninbang, the ruler of Gwiju, and has become Sapaeryun, the loser of Gangnam.
Everyone didn’t believe it. I didn’t even trust the family name.
But they… … . Jang Il-so achieved something miraculous. That’s why Hu Jiaming was able to leave no regrets.
It is not because what they have achieved is amazing.
The reason why Hu Ga-myeong could not leave even a single regret was because Jang Il-so remained Jang Il-so. If only that had been followed, even if I had been wandering around the small back alleys of Gwiju until now, I would not have regretted my nickname.
Because Jang Il-so was Jang Il-so, the household name could have been the household name.
so that… … .
Soon, a faint sigh flowed from Hu Jiaming’s mouth. After staring at the pavilion for a while, he finally took a step forward.
The guards guarding the front of the residence bowed their heads deeply when they saw the family name. Even though they are people who normally would have to pretend to block at least once.
Hu Jiaming, whose complexion hardened in response, stood in front of the gate of the pavilion without saying a word.
“Ryeonju. “It’s a pseudonym.”
There was no answer.
However, Hu Jiaming didn’t bother waiting and grabbed the doorknob. The guards flinched, but made no attempt to stop him.
Entering Ryeonju’s quarters without permission is an act worthless even if your head is cut off on the spot. But only one person. Even in a society with so many people, the standard does not apply to just one person, his family name. Of course the escorts knew this.
Rattling.
The tightly closed door opened wide, and the cold night air poured into the room. Hu Jiaming entered the room without any hesitation and closed the door.
I could see the darkness so dark that it was dark and the small lamps struggling to resist it.
The scene I saw in my dream overlapped with the moment I first met Jang Il-so. Although it was a neat and tidy interior, different from the dreary space of that time, the air circulating in this room was exactly like the dry and dry feeling of that time.
Hu Jiaming’s gaze reflexively focused on one place.
A space filled with darkness because the small lamp cannot fully illuminate it. The deepest and densest darkness among them all.
Soon, a blue ghost fire bloomed between the lamps that were swaying in red light.
It was a naturalization so strong that even the family name took my breath away. It was an eerie fire, as if emotions that could not be explained one by one were randomly intertwined and burning.
“… … Lord Ryeonju.”
Jang Il-so was there. In a place that is not that different from the place where the household name was seen in the past.
“… … “Is this an alias?”
“yes.”
Hu Jiaming nodded.
“What’s going on? this time?”
Hu Jiaming did not answer right away.
Soon, naturalization took place slowly.
With the sound of footsteps, Jang Il-so came out into the dim light. Dressed in pure white needles and without makeup. I was familiar with the family name… … . But now Jang Il-so was a little unfamiliar.
Ho Ga-myeong asked as he glanced at Jang Il-so, who had walked out from a corner far from the bed.
“Are you not sleeping?”
“I just woke up a little early.”
“… … Is that so?”
“I asked what was going on.”
Jang Il-so’s voice sounded like a slight growl. This rough appearance is also familiar to Hu Jiaming, but it is also unfamiliar.
Ho Ga-myeong didn’t show any sign of nervousness and just stared at the place where Jang Il-so was. A corner of a room without any furniture. It is the most desolate place in this space.
“Why don’t you get some rest?”
Jang Il-so closed his mouth and looked at the nickname. It was only a moment, but after a gap long enough for Ho Ga-myeong to clearly feel it, Jang Il-so’s voice became much softer.
“I just started thinking a little more.”
It was the familiar voice and hand gestures of Jang Il-so, whose name I knew.
“I just needed some time to sort things out. Rather… … I thought I asked what was going on? “How many more times do I have to ask before you answer?”
“I just came to make sure that Lord Ryeon is safe.”
“equability?”
“yes.”
Jang Il-so stared at the household name and burst into laughter.
“… … Am I immature or are you an old man? “It’s okay to worry so much about everything.”
Jang Il-so walked slowly and sat down on a chair.
“Would you like to lift a car? Or maybe it’s too early to drink?”
“no.”
“It’s not fun. sit down “Because my neck hurts when I look up.”
However, instead of sitting on the chair he pointed to, Hu Jiaming just stared at Jang Ilso in silence. Jang Il-so narrowed his eyes.
“… … “It looks like I didn’t just come here to keep an eye on you.”
“… … .”
“If I have something to say, I will. Or should I keep waiting?”
Ho Ga-myeong tried to completely read Jang Il-so’s gaze towards me. Gentle favor and firm trust. and… … .
“Ryeonju. “Do you remember?”
Jang Il-so frowned lightly, as if wondering what a random comment was.
Hu Jiaming continued speaking calmly.
“I had a dream.”
“dream?”
“yes. “The first time I met Ryeonju.”
Jang Il-so chuckled at those words.
“Well, it’s a good memory, even a dream.”
“At that time, Lord Ryeon gave me a request. Always be cool. “At any moment.”
Ho Ga-myeong gently closed his eyes and opened them.
“That has been the first principle for me to this day. “There were times when I couldn’t protect myself due to my lack of ability, but I always tried to keep my cool.”
Jang Il-so nodded and answered lightly.
“It did.”
“I understand now. Why did Lord Ryeon give me such an order? What did you want from me? So I would like to ask you one question. “Have I lived up to your expectations?”
Jang Il-so stared at Hu Jia-myeong with a little more suspicion.
“It’s surprising. “Why are you doing this?”
“Are you having trouble answering?”
Jang Il-so sighed deeply and pressed his temples.
“okay. You are as good as I expected… … . No, he did better than that. If it weren’t for you, I would have become a half-buried, rotting skeleton somewhere in Gwiju. Well, I guess that’s not such a bad life.”
Hu Jiaming nodded and spoke calmly.
“Today I woke up and looked at myself. “Am I cool-headed now?”
“… … .”
“The answer was no.”
Hu Jiaming’s eyes sank deeply.
“Even though I needed to be cool-headed, I couldn’t. That’s why I’m trying to be cool now. “That is the first thing that Lord Ryeon asked of me, and it must take priority above all else.”
Jang Il-so showed signs of being slightly tired.
“What a long, useless introduction these days. So what do you want to say?”
“Then how are you, Lord Ryeon?”
“… … what?”
Hu Jiaming said while looking directly into his eyes.
“What I asked of you, Lord, was not harsh tenacity, indomitable will, or the ability to overwhelm your opponent. Just one… … “Take your time.”
Jang Il-so’s expression hardened slightly.
“So let me ask you this. Do you have some free time now? Are you acting like someone who already has it, rather than someone who uses evil to get it?”
The corners of Jang Il-so’s eyes trembled slightly at the cold question.
“Answer me, pseudonym. “What do you want to say?”
The voice contained unrefined, rough emotions. Just like Jang Il-so, whom Hu Ga-myeong saw for the first time.
Hu Jiaming took a short, deep breath. And then he stared straight at Jang Il-so.
“Why do you think I am not cool-headed?”
“… … “I would have told you to answer, right?”
“I was the one who asked first.”
“what?”
Hu Jiaming’s face was completely frozen. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was glaring at Jang Il-so.
“Did you have some free time?”
“… … .”
“no. It doesn’t have to be that way. “I’ll ask you again, Ryeonju.”
Two images overlapped in Hu Jiaming’s eyes.
Paegun, the ruler of Gangnam who has everything, and Jang Ilso, a young man who is still young.
Those two people who look alike but are different.
Even though time passed, nothing seemed to have changed, but one thing was clearly different.
“So are you happy?”
Jang Il-so’s face changed instantly and his ears turned bright blue. He was a clear hostility that had never been shown towards the Hu family.