Episode 191: Just one word.
Why did father come?
“Of course you came here to push me.”
I know very well that he is not that kind of person.
Just as it is not easy to find out why Kwon-ma came to the late-night training meeting, it is not easy to find out why Father came here today.
“Is that really so?”
Kwon-ma acted as if he had some idea about his father’s visit this time.
I asked him as I poured some alcohol into his empty glass.
“Then why do you think you came?”
Kwon-ma emptied his glass again. He drank without changing his expression.
“I think it’s the opposite. I came here to support the Archduke.”
“Did the two of you exchange any words?”
Kwonma shook his head.
“But how do you know my father’s heart?”
“The fact that you’ve come here tells you the answer. The leader came to the first drinking party of the meeting I’m having with you. To congratulate you? Is the leader that kind of person?”
“No.”
“No, no. Then why did you come? You came to tell me. You wanted to let me know that you are watching this situation.”
It is impossible for Kwon Ma to know everything about his father, but he must have some feelings for him and that is why he says such things.
“So in the end, your father is on your side.”
“You can’t say for sure that’s the case.”
“Didn’t you say that a little while ago?”
“You said you came to ask me to take your side, not that you said the cult leader was on the Grand Duke’s side.”
After saying those vague words, Kwon-ma stood up from his seat.
“I was very welcomed today.”
“It’s good that Mr. Kwon is joining the meeting.”
“You like it?”
Kwon Ma’s suspicious gaze turned from me to Ian and Cheon So-hee.
I took their place, their frozen hearts.
“It will obviously be difficult and uncomfortable for those two, but I’m sure they like each other very much.”
If it were the Ian I knew, I would have been tempted to joke around and say, “No!”, but he nodded with a determined expression.
“I’m so glad that you came in, Master Kwon!”
“That must be true. You are a very fit woman.”
Ian looked at me again with strength in his eyes at my joke.
Kwon-ma pretended not to hear. Whether it was a joke or a prank, the woman who deserved to be called the most beautiful in the world said that she had a good body, so at least it wouldn’t be unpleasant.
In fact, the person who was greatly influenced by Kwon Ma’s entry was not Ian, but Cheon So-hee.
She spoke to Kwon-ma in a trembling voice.
“I know you won’t believe me because I made a lot of mistakes… … but the reason I chose martial arts instead of swordsmanship is because I admire you, Kwon Ma-nim. I want to be like you.”
Her face was flushed red, whether it was from the alcohol or from the tremors. However, she was trying to express her true feelings in her eyes directed at Kwon-ma.
“I am so glad that you have joined our gathering.”
Kwon-ma stared at her for a moment and then went down to the first floor without saying a word.
Cheon So-hee stood there with a face that looked like she might collapse at any moment. I nodded to her and told her that she did well, then shouted at Kwon Ma as he left the bar.
“Next time, please buy me a drink, Kwon Ma-nim!”
“There is no next time.”
“Maybe there’s a welcoming party for our father?”
Kwon-ma stopped walking at the entrance of the tavern, then snorted and shook his head.
“The cult leader? Don’t even dream about it.”
So Kwon-ma left the tavern.
Now only I, Ian, and Cheon So-hee were left. Ian and Cheon So-hee collapsed in their seats.
“Ahhhh! It’s over.”
Ian sighed in relief and held out his glass.
“I can finally have a drink in peace. Have a drink, my lord.”
I drank after toasting with her.
Cheon So-hee’s hands were trembling.
“I’ll drink in a bit. I can’t lift my glass.”
When we were all together, I was caught up in the situation without thinking, but once Cheonma and Kwonma left, it seemed like I was dreaming. In fact, I drank with Cheonma and told Kwonma that I admired him. Things that I could not have imagined before happened all in one day.
“Oh, I was so nervous, my whole body feels like it’s freezing.”
“How is it? If you ask me to drink again, can I drink it?”
To my question, Cheon So-hee gave an answer that was different from her physical condition.
“It was so hard… … but the tension wasn’t bad.”
Recently, when I met her, she seemed to be flustered with various things, but she is a woman with more determination than anyone else, the best in the Dongkwonmun.
“It’s not that I can drink, it’s that I want to drink.”
“Isn’t something stimulating definitely thrilling?”
Cheon So-hee smiled faintly and agreed.
Now my gaze turned to Ian.
“How do you feel?”
“What do you think?”
Because it was the day I received martial arts instruction from Cheonma.
“I wasn’t just happy that the leader taught me martial arts.”
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“then?”
“If you taught me martial arts, then you are officially acknowledging me, right?”
Although she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud, her father acknowledged that she was as close as blood relatives by personally teaching her the Bicheon Sword Technique. The Bicheon Sword Technique was a martial art that was only taught to blood relatives.
“It will be a day I will never forget. Thank you, Master.”
“What did I do?”
“You told me, Pastor. It might be just a one-time drinking party for Dad, but it could be a life-changing event for Ian. If it weren’t for those words, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Ian remembered exactly what I had told his father.
“I felt welcome today.”
I smiled brightly and patted her shoulder. Welcome, Ian.
And so the drinking party at the Pungryu tavern ended.
* * *
The welcome party is over, but my day isn’t over.
When I returned to my residence, an unexpected person was waiting for me.
The person standing in my yard and looking up at the moon in the night sky was my older brother, Geommuyang.
“When did you come?”
“Just before.”
I guess you must have waited quite a while. What were you thinking while you were waiting?
“I had a drink with Kwon Ma-nim. If I had known this would happen, I would have joined you.”
Geommuyang just looked up at the moon without saying a word.
I stood side by side with him.
“You look tired.”
At my words, Geommuyang’s gaze turned from the moon to me.
“Really? I have a lot of work to do these days. How about you?”
It was a softer look than usual. I felt that Geommuyang was trying hard. The more he was cornered, the harder he tried.
In a way, I felt sorry for my brother. It was true that my regression had made his life harder. This fight was a fight whose outcome was already decided. A young man in his twenties couldn’t stand up to me. Even after my regression, I was growing stronger and stronger.
But brother, we can’t live the same lives. If we continue like this, only death awaits us.
“Do you care if I meet Kwon Ma?”
“It would be a lie if I said it wasn’t used.”
“I’m really into martial arts these days. Don’t you believe me?”
“Would you believe it?”
“You too, Hyung, meet the demons comfortably. Meet Hyeolcheon Doma and talk about books, meet Chuima and have a drink. I’m fine with it.”
“Are you confident? You’re already four? As your older brother, I’ll give you a piece of advice. Don’t look down on the Amazons. If you think that the ones laughing in front of you right now are four, you’re very mistaken. They’ll make the choice that benefits them in the end.”
I looked at him and smiled.
“Are you laughing at me?”
“No. I was wondering when was the last time you gave me advice or counsel? It’s been quite a while, right?”
Geommuyang turned his head and looked at the wall where the moon’s shadow was.
There is a wall between us that is several times higher and thicker than that wall.
“Kwon-ma said that. He supports his brother. I think his father would want that too.”
For a moment, Geommuyang was startled.
“Really?”
“okay.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Hyung. I’m just this kind of person. I’m not the type of person to give in to someone who’s nice to me.”
I told him my true feelings, which I hadn’t told him in a long time.
“Do you know why I told the Demon Lords that I would fight for the succession without shedding blood with my brother?”
“because?”
Geommuyang was genuinely curious.
“My brother did things to me when I was young that I shouldn’t have done. He instilled in me a fear of the martial arts world and caused me to psychologically collapse. At that time, I would shrink and feel scared just thinking about the word martial arts world.”
This was the first time I brought up this issue with him. Geommuyang’s eyes trembled. He must have thought I didn’t know. Well, he pretended to be worried about me and told me all sorts of things.
My brother didn’t deny it.
“Then we must take revenge. Why don’t we shed blood?”
“My brother was a bad guy only to that extent.”
“!”
“If my brother had been a more trashy person, he would have killed me somehow. He would have destroyed my dantian, or used some other evil method. But my brother was not the kind of person who wanted to become the successor by harming his younger brother. He was a bad person that I could understand and tolerate, so let’s forgive and understand him to that extent with my broad mind. You were young back then.”
Of course, my father’s desire was also a big reason.
“That guy is crazy, he’s being a hoot.”
The swear words that he was not used to uttering came out. Geommuyang was flustered. Perhaps at this moment, Hyung was being bombarded with questions from deep within his heart.
‘If you weren’t confident that you would be the successor, what would have happened? Would you have left your younger brother alone? Wouldn’t you have stopped at that level because you were confident that you would be the successor?’
What kind of person is Hyung?
Actually, I don’t know that much either. It was something that never happened, and no one can guarantee what kind of choice a desperate person would make at that moment.
“But don’t let your guard down. My brother and I are still on the test bench. If you kill my brother and become the leader, even though you said you would fight for the succession without shedding blood, no demon lord will truly follow me. It’s the same for my brother. If you suppress me with a weak plot and become the leader, the demon lords will never truly be loyal to you. Don’t forget. Even if you don’t see it, the demon lords are always watching us.”
The black sheep who had been staring at me silently suddenly spoke.
“Why do you talk so much? You weren’t like that when you were little.”
“I guess all my internal energy goes into my mouth.”
“It’s not funny at all.”
I wonder if my first words broke a brick in the thick wall between him and me. I nagged him more, hoping that it would. I had no choice but to show my nagging skills to my brother.
“Since we’ve become a chatterbox, I’ll say one last thing. There’s no coexistence between brothers in a power struggle? They end up killing each other? Who on earth decided that? Why should we be swayed by the precedents and suspicions of those idiots who can’t even control their own desires?”
I, who was standing next to him, walked towards Geommuyang. Then I looked into his eyes and said.
“So don’t even think about being swayed. If you ever feel anxious that I’m going to kill you, come to me. When you see me, those thoughts will disappear. Don’t think that you were ignored by me today! Don’t think that you lost. Just think that your little brother is very talkative and good at talking. Don’t lose your temper! Don’t make hasty decisions!”
As soon as I finished speaking, Geommuyang shouted.
“You little brat! I thought your ears were bleeding. You said you’d only say one thing, and this is it? If you ever feel like killing me or you, come find me! A young brat is being lectured!”
The black sheep walked out with brisk strides.
You know what? Brother. It’s hard for you, but it’s also hard for me. It’s harder for me than my father, than Palmazone.
I stood in the yard for a moment and looked up at the moon that my brother had been looking up at. It was a night when the words of Hyeolcheon Doma, who said that his family was his enemy, came to mind.
* * *
The next day and the day after that, we practiced hard.
I worked hard during the day and at night. It was truly a continuous training.
A few days passed like that, and today we were still deep in the night training.
It was at that time that I was practicing my first moves in the same posture as Kwonma.
Phew!
Kwonma’s fist flew towards me.
It seemed like a mistake, but it wasn’t a mistake.
Bam!
My fist and Kwonma’s fist collided in the air.
Ian and Cheon So-hee looked at us in surprise at the sound of the North exploding.
We were in the same stance, throwing our fists, and our fists were meeting in the air.
“Sorry. I was just thinking about something else for a moment.”
“That could be the case.”
“What do you think? Since we’ve already put in all this effort, should we try some martial arts?”
“Nice try, but I will decline.”
Finally, Kwon-ma started to talk nonsense. He wanted to fight me ten times more than I wanted to learn his martial arts.
“If you wanted to turn away, why are you looking at me like that?”
It must have been a very strange experience for him, as he rarely had anyone stare at him like this.
Now I’m going to look at that Kwon-ma properly. I saw his fist first, but now I’m going to look at him straight, without any preconceptions.
“I think it’s less scary when I keep seeing your face.”
Kwon-ma shook his head with a look of disbelief and then put on his clothes as if today’s training was over.
As he left, Ian and Cheon So-hee came to my side and said.
“liar!”
“The more you look, the scarier it gets.”
I smiled faintly at their serious pranks.
My gaze turned to Kwonma, walking in the distance. Kwonma was walking alone into the darkness, his large, thick back showing.
What keeps catching my eye is not his face. In that lonely-looking back, I see… …my appearance before my regression.
