Episode 266: No matter what anyone says, the leader is the one.
After the banquet, only the swordsmen and the escort warriors remained.
After I had them all cleaned up, I deliberately sent them all out because I wanted to have a drink with the escorts.
I sat at the table and picked up a bottle of alcohol.
“Are we changing shifts soon? Come on, let’s all have a drink.”
The red-haired man and his escorts silently accepted their drinks. Now, they didn’t say anything like, “You can’t do that during an escort mission.” This was because our own relationship was being formed.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
As I raised my glass, everyone else lifted their glass and emptied their drinks.
There was a strange excitement to be had from a glass of wine in an empty banquet hall that had been swept by a storm.
‘Even in times like this, take a break.’
Some people say that being an escort drone is cool, but it’s really not easy if you don’t have a sense of mission. They’re not the main character, nor the supporting character, nor even the minor character. They’re doing a job that should be background.
“Do you ever drink alcohol before going to bed?”
Jeokyeon answered my question.
“I drink sometimes. On a day like today, I would.”
“A day like today?”
Instead of answering, Jeokyeon asked me a question.
“Aren’t you tired of punishing evil?”
“That’s why I lose. Because I’m tired. When you turn around, the weeds are already growing, but here, I’m a farmer who has to pull them out one by one.”
Jeokyeon’s eyes trembled slightly. Soon, his gaze turned to the bloodstains left behind by Yeo So-gwang’s body.
“When I first saw the head of the household, I didn’t know he was that kind of person.”
“Don’t be fooled by first impressions. Small people are good at disguising themselves. If you see someone for the first time and they give you an overly pleasant feeling, then you should be careful.”
“In that sense, I’m lucky.”
He was a strong first impression because he was single-eyed. He was incomparable to Kwon Ma, and could be said to be a somewhat gentle version of Jang Ho.
“If you take off your blindfold, you’ll look quite handsome. Manly.”
“Me? This is my first time hearing about it.”
Just as Jeokyeon’s mood was starting to improve, he quickly added.
“Be careful of things like this. Things that make you feel good for no reason!”
The red smoke and the escorts laughed together.
“Are you leaving for Gangseo tomorrow?”
“That would be great, but… I have to finish up work here before I go.”
It’s not hard to kill someone. It’s always the aftermath that’s hard. You have to clean up what he’s done, and find someone to replace him.
“I’m not busy. Let’s go slowly.”
Would it be different there? There would be good people and bad people living together.
* * *
The next morning, rumors spread throughout Honam Jidan that Jidan-ju had died.
Since there were so many people at the scene of Yeo So-kwang’s death, the reason why he died was also known in detail. Today, it is a rumor within the Zidane, but it will spread throughout the Honam region within a few days.
Now, all the branch managers and branch leaders in the central region will be afraid of me. I don’t think that’s a bad thing. If you are very nervous and tense, discipline will be established properly.
That afternoon, the person in charge of the Honam region of Tongcheon-gak came again.
“All the assets that Yeo So-gwang hid in the health center have been recovered. What should we do with this money?”
“Send all the money to the headquarters.”
“All right.”
Dad, my son is working hard to earn money outside! I need to tease you.
“Until the higher-ups decide on a temporary leader, the Young Leader will have to stay here in the area for the time being.”
Since he had cut down Jidanju without even appointing a successor, there was nothing he could do. Even if it wasn’t what the Tongcheon-gak warrior said, he had planned to stay and help sort out the aftermath.
Just as the selection of the Hwangcheon-gakju was entrusted to me, there was a possibility that the successor to Jidanju here would accept my proposal.
“When you get back, immediately send me information about the executives under Jidanju. Send me all the information you can.”
“All right.”
After receiving information from Hwangcheon Pavilion, I immediately interviewed the people who could become the next Jidanju.
One interview wasn’t enough to tell me what kind of person he was, but his past actions gave me an idea of what kind of person he was.
After writing down my feelings and impressions about each person, I sent the contents to Tongcheon-gak. Whether I send down a new person or choose one from the ones I interviewed, it is up to my father and Tongcheon-gak to take care of the rest.
After finishing my work, I practiced the Cheonmahoshinkong at the training center. Recently, whenever I practiced the Cheonmahoshinkong, I instinctively felt that something was ticklish and that it was time to move on to the next level.
Indeed, my prediction was right. On the third day after I started practicing, the Heavenly Horse Guardian Spirit reached the next stage. Now I was one step away from the Great Star. Now, if I could just pass one stage, I would have two lives.
Normally, it’s hard to know the reason for such a profound rise in martial arts, but this time, I could figure it out.
It was because of the Nine Fire Demonic Ceremony. Learning the Nine Fire Demonic Ceremony must have influenced my training in the Heavenly Horse Guardian Ceremony.
I immediately unfolded the first form of the Nine-Haired Demonic Art. I was curious about what effect the Heavenly Horse Guardian Art would have on the Nine-Haired Demonic Art as it went up a level.
The first type of annihilation.
Donggwi, Seogwi, Namgwi, and Bukgwi appeared all at once and tore apart the space.
The scary guy, the handsome guy, the mysterious guy, the smart guy. All four of them were still the same.
And something has changed.
The time they stay is now just a little bit longer than before. As the Cheonmahoshinkong goes up a level, it also affects the Guhwamagong.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I’m having an emotional exchange with them. I’m still in the one-sided courtship stage.
East, West, South, North, I ask for your continued support!
Will there ever come a time when those demons will reciprocate my feelings?
Even though it is different now, that day will be the day when my Guhwamagong will be completely different from my father’s.
* * *
On the day I finished my training at the martial arts studio, there were two men who came to see the sword dance. One of them introduced himself first.
“My name is Chung-sik. I have come to see you despite my rudeness because I have something to ask of you, the So-ryo-ju.”
Choongsik’s voice trembled, perhaps because he was nervous.
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And the sword dance recognized him.
“You’re the one who played at the banquet hall that day.”
When Geommugeuk recognized him, Chungsik was surprised.
“Would you like to recognize me?”
“That’s right. I don’t easily forget someone I’ve met once. What’s the matter with you, musician?”
Then, Chungsik looked back at the middle-aged man who had come with him.
“This friend here is my friend.”
The man who came with me introduced himself.
“I am Haesong, who sells vegetables here at the author’s shop.”
Haesong was more nervous than Chungsik.
“Nice to meet you, I am the Sword Dance Theater.”
“It is an honor to meet you, my esteemed person.”
“What brings you here?”
Haesong couldn’t speak right away. Even though she had practiced what to say, when she actually tried to speak, her heart trembled and she couldn’t speak.
Chungsik, who couldn’t stand to watch, spoke instead.
“Before the cult leader came here, this friend’s son was wrongfully assaulted. He was so badly injured that the doctor said he might become disabled.”
Haesong bit her lips tightly. It was the reason she couldn’t say it with her own mouth. Whenever she thought of her son, she felt angry and her heart was so heavy that she almost cried.
“Who did this?”
“There is an organization made up of young martial artists from the Honam region. They call themselves Musinhoe (武神會).”
“Who led the assault?”
“The son of Cheonhwamunju and the son of Soyabangju.”
Cheonhwamun and Soyabang. They were the sects that joined hands with the deceased Yeo So-gwang. They were also the sects that should have been investigated for this incident, but they showed up in such an unexpected way.
Seeing that Heaven would not allow their sect to escape through the net, it occurred to me that perhaps their evil deeds were greater than they appeared.
“We know how rude it is for us, the lowly ones, to come to you and ask you for such a favor. But that day, I saw you step forward for Yakran. I thought that if you were you, you would resolve this friend’s grievance.”
Chungsik’s gaze turned towards Haesong.
“I am a person who has lived my whole life playing instruments. This friend is the one who bought me an instrument and taught me how to play. I want to repay that favor even if it means risking my life.”
Haesong lowered his head. Although he was just a vegetable vendor, he knew how burdensome and difficult it was to come to the leader of the Demonic Cult. His friend risked his life for him. In fact, he risked his life as well. If it were any other matter, he would never have come.
Haesong opened her mouth with a trembling voice.
“Honestly, I was about to give up. How could I, a mere street vendor, deal with Cheonhwamun and Soyabang? But this guy said so. The fact that the Sogyoju came at this time was a chance given to me by heaven.”
Haesong looked at the sword dance.
“I want to make them pay for their crimes.”
I had been trembling all along, but at this moment, it was my father’s gaze.
* * *
Haesong’s wife was shocked. When the evil spirit came and told her husband to go see the little cult leader, she thought it was a waste of effort. She thought that the little cult leader of the evil spirit would not meet a mere evil spirit. She was worried that she would go there for nothing and come back just as a beating.
But when the leader of the sect came in person and the guards stood guard around the house, she was so surprised that she was beside herself.
As we entered the room, Hae-jin, Haesong’s son, was lying there groaning.
At first glance, the injury was serious. The doctor came and treated him, but he was still lying down and unable to move. Judging from his current condition, it didn’t seem easy to live as a normal person, let alone as an unmanned person.
At the sound of the door opening, Haejin tried to suppress his pain and said.
“Mom, I’m okay. I’m feeling much better.”
Haejin tried to endure the pain for fear that his mother would worry. Haesong’s wife sat next to her son, holding back tears.
“Jin-ah, a noble person has come to see you.”
Only then did Haejin open his eyes. But he was in so much pain that he couldn’t even see properly.
“Let me take a look.”
After Geommugeuk turned Haejin’s body to the side, he placed his palm on his back.
After briefly infusing energy into his body to regulate its energy and blood flow, Haejin’s rough breathing became quieter.
At that sight, Chung-sik, Hae-song, and his wife were relieved and very happy. It was the first time they had seen him this calm since his injury.
The sword dance cleared blocked blood vessels and set broken bones back in place. The difficult treatment was completed in an instant with minimal pain. If it weren’t for the thud, thud sound, I wouldn’t have known what I was doing.
“What happened?”
Now, Haejin answered the question about the past with a relaxed face.
“I went to work at a banquet hall. If you serve drinks and food at a prestigious banquet, you can get paid more than if you work at a guest house.”
Haesong sighed. Her son worked so hard to earn money and went to military service. If she had more money, her son wouldn’t have gone to do something like that. Choongsik told her not to blame herself, but how could she not blame herself as a parent?
“My dream is to become unmanned.”
“You will be a good warrior because you were born with good bones. Be thankful to your parents.”
“Really?”
Haejin looked at his parents with a little more sense of humor. The couple smiled, trying hard to hide their regret.
Geommugeuk asked again.
“What happened there?”
“I carried a lot of alcohol for the banquet, and when I had some free time, I practiced the techniques I had learned. I shouldn’t have practiced… … .”
After letting out a sigh full of regret, Haejin continued speaking.
“At that time, Seo Gongja, who was passing by, saw me and asked if I had learned martial arts. When I told him that I was attending the military academy, he asked me to practice martial arts with Seo Gongja, who was hanging out with me. I stubbornly refused, but… … .”
Haejin made a resentful expression, but soon revealed a fearful look in his eyes. Thinking back on that moment, he seemed to be so angry that he couldn’t bear it. The fear of being beaten to death also left a deep scar on him.
Now I know what happened. He committed the assault under the pretext of a fight, so I can’t hold him responsible. It wasn’t the first or second time he did it.
“How is my body?”
“Fortunately, no major blood vessels were injured. The blood vessels that were blocked by the injury were just unblocked. You don’t have to give up on your dreams.”
“thank you.”
Tears flowed from Haejin’s eyes and ran down his cheeks.
Chung-sik, Hae-song, and Hae-song’s wife were also very happy. They had only hoped that he would not become disabled, and now that their son could dream of becoming a warrior again, they were happier than their son.
“Do you hold banquets often?”
“It opens once every four days.”
“Now, take a deep breath and sleep well.”
As the sword dance continued, Haejin fell into a comfortable sleep.
“Leave the rest to me and just focus on treating your son.”
The three bowed deeply to Geommu-geuk. They had never imagined that the little cult leader would be so willing to help them. It felt like a dream.
Before leaving, Geommugeuk said to Haesong.
“I came here because I saw your eyes. You saved my son.”
As the sword dance came out, Haesong’s crying that he had been holding back inside was heard. His wife’s crying and his friend’s crying were added to it.
Geommu-geuk said to Jeokyeon, who was waiting.
“Send a message to Tongcheon Pavilion again and ask them to send you information about Cheonhwamun and Soyabang, and find out when the banquet will be held.”
“all right.”
Jeokyeon, who was walking towards the carriage together, added.
“You are truly amazing.”
“what?”
“You are talking about taking care of all these things one by one.”
“You guys come riding in the carriage you gave me, treat me with a single ray of energy, and then ride in the carriage you gave me to the banquet hall and beat up those guys who can’t control their sh*t and piss. What’s amazing here? What’s amazing is the courage of the evil gong who asked to see the small cult leader for his friend. The courage of the father who asked the children of the great sect to pay the price for his son’s justice. The patience of the son who pretends not to be sick for his mother. This is where the word amazing comes from.”
But Jeokyeon shook his head firmly and said.
“No. No matter what anyone says, the Sogyoju is more amazing.”
Jeokyeon opened the carriage door. Geommugeuk said as he got on the carriage.
“You’re being stubborn. You’re changing. You’re acting rebellious.”
Jeokyeon said as he closed the carriage door.
“Whose fault is it all?”
Looking out the window at the red smoke, Geommu-geuk smiled. He felt that the gray background was gradually filling with color.
So the carriage began to run to handle something both great and not so great.
