“… … “Are you happy?”
The blood runs cold.
Even though he promised that he would not back down no matter what Jang Il-so’s reaction was, and even though he believed that Jang Il-so would never show any sincere hostility towards him.
Just those few words made my blood run cold and my heart sink.
“A pseudonym.”
It’s something I’ve heard countless times. It’s a voice I’ve heard for a long time. Jang Il-so called Hu Ji-myeong’s name for such a long time.
But the sound of that voice now was clearly different from anything I had heard before. At least I could feel the name of the household name more clearly than anyone else.
“What did you mean by that?”
Jang Il-so’s eyes began to tighten Ho Ga-myeong.
However, Hu Jiaming did not back down easily.
“That’s literally it. “I am now asking whether you are happy.”
“Phase name!”
Jang Il-so’s voice rose slightly.
Of course, it is only slightly larger, but the meaning is not small. The tension that came suddenly made the air tense.
Jang Il-so, who was staring at the household name, covered his face with one hand. Long fingers squeezed my face rather nervously.
“Did you come to me this early in the morning just to say something meaningless?”
“Isn’t it meaningful?”
As Hu Jiamyeong calmly asked, Jang Ilso’s eyes, revealed between his fingers, flashed like a ferocious wolf.
“pseudonym… … .”
“I don’t know if such things have become insignificant to you, but at least to me, they are very important.”
“… … Haha.”
Jang Il-so laughed as if it was absurd.
“Are you saying it matters whether I’m happy? “How is the situation going? How urgent is it?”
“yes.”
It was a firm answer that left no room for even a needle to fit, let alone room for discussion. Jang Il-so’s eyes naturally narrowed.
“that is… … “Is this the conclusion you came to with your cool head?”
“… … .”
“huh? Is it a pseudonym? Please answer. That’s the conclusion you came to with your smart head. I asked if your conclusion was that I should not endure this pressure and become a pig chasing pleasure. “Is that really true?”
The young emotion in Jang Il-so’s eyes right now is not contempt.
But it was clear that there was a hint of slight disappointment.
It’s disappointing… … .
At some point, the eyes that were once full of solid trust are now filled with disappointment. This whole situation may have been brought about by Hu Jiaming himself.
However, Hu Jiaming did not give in to this.
“Did you say pressure?”
“… … .”
“When I first met with you, you told me that I would go through hell.”
Jang Il-so slightly nodded his head.
“That was true. It was truly a difficult road, comparable to hell. But I decided to serve Ryeonju even though I knew that would happen. however… … “Do you remember what I said then?”
“Are you telling me to take my time?”
“no. “I don’t know if being with Ryeonju would be hell, but at least it would be fun.”
Jang Il-so fell into silence. Ho Ga-myeong bit his lower lip gently.
“The reason I said those words to Lord Ryeon at that time was not because I was that kind of person. Because Ryeonju is that kind of person. At that time, Lord Ryeon was a person who could laugh and mock his enemies even in the middle of hell. But is the current Lord Ryeon really like that?”
Jang Il-so glared at Hu Jia-myeong without answering. No, maybe it’s not that I don’t answer, but that I can’t.
You probably already know this.
There is no way a person of Jang Il-so’s stature would not know what Hu Ga-myeong is trying to say. If I hadn’t realized what it meant in the first place, I wouldn’t have reacted so strongly.
“so?”
White teeth were revealed between Jang Il-so’s twisted lips. It was sharp and sharp, as if it was about to grab the back of someone’s neck and bite it.
“What if I say it’s not fun? What do you want me to do? Are you saying I should at least enjoy this situation? Or should I just put it all down here and have a drink? huh?”
A small sigh escaped from Hu Jiaming’s mouth.
I was able to get a clear intuition from this conversation.
That sight. The sight of that day.
Jang Il-so cannot escape the sight that even Hu Ji-myeong fears seeing again in his dreams.
“If there is an enemy, we fight.”
“… … .”
“If you can’t win with skill, you use a plan. If even a plan doesn’t work, you use poison, set a terrible trap, take hostages, and lick your opponent’s toes to make them lose their guard.”
Jang Il-so’s face became increasingly cold.
“That was the way of the losers I knew.”
“… … .”
“The person who does not look for a way to escape just because he cannot win, but tries hard to win somehow, and laughs that there is nothing he can do if he still cannot win, is a loser!”
“Phase name!”
A shout finally burst from Jang Il-so’s mouth. The family name was also shouted clearly, but desperately.
“What on earth have you seen that makes you give up resisting? That loser! Are you telling me that Jang Il-so lost the will to fight and ran away!”
Chaeng.
The liquor bottle in Jang Il-so’s hand broke and fell to the floor in pieces. Alcohol flows through his hands. The trend spread out in a way that did not suit the situation.
A short silence fell.
That silence seemed to draw a divide between the two. It makes a loud noise, and is so cruel that it is cold.
“… … “You talk a lot.”
Jang Il-so sighed briefly as he wiped the alcohol off his hands.
“What you see with your eyes and what I see with my eyes are different.”
“Ryeonju.”
“If you could feel what I felt, you wouldn’t be able to say it as easily as I do now. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Is that so?”
There was a faint light in Hu Jiaming’s eyes.
Jang Il-so knew. What are the young emotions in those eyes? A feeling that is not so different from the one you had when you were young.
“So, what that means is that up until now, Master Yeon-sama has only turned on those he can properly deal with as enemies.”
Jang Il-so, who was wiping his hands, suddenly stopped moving.
The poisonous snake-like eyes stared straight at Hu Jiaming.
“What did you say just now?”
“Was I wrong?”
“A pseudonym.”
Jang Il-so’s face was filled with curiosity.
“There is a line that must be kept between people. “There is a line that no matter how much you must not cross.”
“no. It wasn’t me who crossed the line. “You are Lord Ryeon.”
The corner of Jang Il-so’s mouth curled up. The sincere smile was truly eerie.
“okay. Please continue. Let’s see how far you can go.”
“Was it the way of a defeated army to give up the fight against an enemy it could not defeat?”
“no. Finding a way is my way. But what is the right thing to do if you can’t find the way? Would it be hit in an unexpected way and be broken horribly? “I’m going to die anyway, so should I just die sooner?”
“Is there really no way?”
“… … .”
“That’s not the way the defeated army I know. “If the probability of winning is only 100%, it was Maninbang’s way, the defeated army’s way, and Jang Ilso’s way to somehow find the probability of this halving.”
“So now… … !”
“Join hands with the political faction bastards.”
Jang Il-so, who was trying to protest, flinched and froze.
Silence gathered between the two again. After a long silence, Jang Il-so opened his mouth.
“now… … “What did you say?”
“Join hands with the political faction bastards.”
“… … under. Haha.”
A hollow laugh leaked from Jang Il-so’s mouth.
“Do you think that makes sense?”
“Of course it is impossible if there is no common enemy. However, if there is a common enemy, it is possible. If they also understand the existence of ‘him’, they will take Yeonju’s hand. “That is a fact proven by history.”
Jang Il-so kept his mouth shut.
“If the probability of winning in a fight is low, increase the probability of winning. If that’s Jang Il-so’s method, joining forces with them is the surest way to increase the odds of winning. So is there any reason not to consider it?”
As Hu Jiaming’s words continued, Jang Ilso’s eyes became distorted.
At the same time, Li Chae was young in Hu Jiaming’s eyes.
It is not uncommon for Jang Il-so to express his disapproval. After all, he mocks everything.
However, the reluctance Jang Il-so was showing now was closer to disgust than discomfort.
A physiological feeling of reluctance, such as people fearing snakes and hating bugs. What we can see from Jang Il-so today is exactly that kind of rejection.
After a while, Jang Il-so pressed his temples and shook his head.
“This is nonsense.”
“Ryeonju.”
“A pseudonym, a pseudonym. You said you had a dream out of nowhere, and you’re only talking about it as if it was a dream. “I was wondering what you were going to say.”
Jang Il-so laughed out loud.
“okay. You might be right. That might be one way. But it’s a pseudonym. Even after looking at them like that, you don’t know them? Do those pigs want to believe me? “In this situation?”
“… … .”
“No, let’s say I believe it. Let’s say they believed me. “Then do you really think they’ll join hands with me?”
This time it was Hu Jiaming’s turn to remain silent.
“Don’t you know very well that it can’t be like that?”
Jang Il-so let out a deep sneer.
“Sometimes resentment surpasses reason. The world is full of people who will kill others even if it means killing themselves. however… … “Are they really willing to join hands with me to survive?”
“They are not idiots either.”
“The art of war is in books. But people don’t live in books.”
“… … .”
“There are many people over there who have lost their relatives and clans by my hands. “But they have my back for the ridiculous two letters ‘Great Cause’?”
Jang Il-so’s face was cruelly distorted.
“That’s not even funny. A colleague who you have to worry about because you never know when he might stab you in the back is worse than a steadfast enemy. “Why don’t you know that an equal partner is meaningless if you can’t put it under your feet?”
“It’s strange to hear.”
“… … “You think it’s strange?”
“Just from what you say, it seems like you will never ally with the political sects, but in reality, you’ve already done that, haven’t you?”
“… … .”
“In the past, you fought hand in hand with them in Hangzhou, so why can’t you take the same approach again now? Is it because things have changed since then? or not… … .”
Jang Il-so’s face hardened slightly.
Although he didn’t realize it himself, Hu Jiaming was smiling coldly right now.
“Are you a different person from then?”
Jang Il-so stood up. Like a man who was told something he could never tolerate. However, Hu Jiaming also did not back down.
“Try again.”
“Ryeonju asked if anything had changed.”
“you… … .”
The bright blue eyes of Jang Il-so and the hard eyes of Ho Ji-myeong collided.
It is a sight that has never been seen before. A ‘confrontation’ that never existed.
The steps, which were always heading towards the same place, were slightly but surely deviating at this moment.
