Chapter 1277
I wasn’t wrong. (2)
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Go Hong looked at Yu Gong with complicated eyes. Yu Gong chewed his lower lip at the strong resentment in those eyes.
“Sahyeong…”
“Call me ‘hyeong.’”
Yu Gong spoke briefly and coldly.
“We are no longer disciples of Haenam.”
“Yes, Hyeong.”
Go Hong looked at the other disciples of Haenam standing beside him.
Their village, Cheonghae Village, was the largest among the villages adjacent to the coast. As a result, several former disciples of Haenam were staying there. Yu Gong had gathered them all now.
“…You must know, we have to sail the ship.”
“N-No, Hyeong!”
Go Hong’s voice trembled with resentment.
“We are from Haenam. Do you realize what might happen to us if we board that ship? Are you really asking us to do that?”
The other disciples of Haenam remained silent, but their eyes conveyed the same resentment as Go Hong’s. Despite receiving their resentful gazes, Yu Gong responded coolly.
“And?”
“Yes?”
“Are we all going to die here?”
At his words, everyone fell silent. Yu Gong continued in a biting tone.
“If it were just us dying, then perhaps we could hesitate. But the situation isn’t like that, is it? If we don’t act, the villagers will all die. Are you suggesting we just stand by and watch?”
“B-But… Sahyeong. I mean, Hyeong!”
Go Hong couldn’t hide his anxiety as he spoke.
“Sure, we can sail the ship, but we’re not exactly skilled at it, are we?”
“Even so, we can sail it.”
“But… if that’s the case…”
“Then?”
Yu Gong interrupted Go Hong’s words and stared at him.
“Are you suggesting we take the villagers, who don’t even know martial arts, onto that ship?”
“W-Well, that’s…”
“What I don’t want to do, others won’t want to do either. At least we can jump off the ship and run if the situation gets too dangerous. Once we set foot in Gangnam, we can try to escape if things seem hopeless.”
“…”
“But others don’t have that option, do they?”
Go Hong bowed his head deeply.
It wasn’t an inaccurate statement. The men of Hainan all had varying degrees of proficiency in sailing ships, but most could handle a ship to some extent.
The disciples of Haenam were not much different. So, the problem wasn’t the act of sailing itself. The real issue was that the boat they had to sail was the one ridden by Sapaeryeon. And the fact that those gathered here were the ones who had abandoned the disciples of Haenam, whom they now sought to pursue.
“Enough said,”
Yu Gong said with a stern face.
“Wasn’t the reason we left Haenam in the first place because of our families still in the village? There’s no need to hesitate now.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
At that moment, Dam Hwan, who had been silently listening to Yu Gong’s words, spoke up with a sarcastic tone.
“I really don’t understand why it has to be like this.”
“What do you mean?”
Yu Gong asked.
“It sounds plausible, but in reality, isn’t it okay for someone else to go instead of us? We just need someone who can sail the boat, and there are people in this village besides us who can do that.”
“Are you saying that?”
Yu Gong questioned, sounding reproachful.
Dam Hwan openly sneered as he replied,
“Don’t act all high and mighty, Sahyeong.”
“What?”
The sudden outburst triggered a momentary flash of anger in Yu Gong’s eyes. However, instead of being intimidated, Dam Hwan came out even more defiant.
“Aren’t we the ones who abandoned everything, including the other disciples, and ran away, just to survive?”
Dam Hwan’s words left Yu Gong momentarily speechless. He wanted to refute it, but deep down, he knew Dam Hwan wasn’t entirely wrong.
“But now, suddenly, just because there’s some grand sense of righteousness, we’re supposed to risk our lives? If that’s the case, why did we even leave Haenam in the first place?”
“This…!”
“I won’t do it,”
Dam Hwan continued, gritting his teeth.
“Dam Hwan!”
Yu Gong exclaimed.
“With our hesitation to leave, what the one thing that was used against us? It was none other than the threat of imminent death. I heard that and carved my name out Haenam’s gravestone with my own hands. I swore never to return to Haenam, the place I said I would never leave!”
“…”
“But now you’re asking us to risk our lives again? You’re telling us to do the right thing now? Why should we? Wasn’t it just right to prioritize our own lives? Wasn’t that exactly what you said the right thing was – escaping death?”
“Isn’t the situation different now?”
“Is it really different?”
“…”
“Really?”
Yu Gong fell silent. He believed the situation was indeed different, but it was a complex issue that couldn’t be easily resolved through debate. They each had their own perspectives and values.
At that moment, Dam Hwan smirked and continued,
“I’m not sure if those who abandoned their sect, their Sahyeongs, and everything else to save their own skin have any conscience left to speak of. Haven’t we come too far to talk about conscience? Vile humans should live as vile humans. Whether you board that ship or not, let Sahyeongs take care of themselves. Someone else will go, even if it’s not me.”
“Does it matter who it is? This is the village where we grew up.”
“Haenam was also where we grew up! Damn it!”
As Dam Hwan shouted fiercely, Yu Gong flinched and trembled slightly. Dam Hwan glared at Yu Gong with venom in his eyes.
“If you’re going to pretend to care about others, you should have wielded your sword back with Haenam instead of pulling this nonsense here! At least if we had fought together there, then…”
Dam Hwan trailed off, closing his mouth and lowering his head. It was pointless to say anything now.
He knew. No matter how much Yu Gong had prodded him, the choice ultimately fell on himself.
And he would have to bear the consequences of that choice entirely.
“…Anyway, I won’t do it. Do as you please. I’m not good at handling ships anyway, so I won’t be of any help.”
Dam Hwan turned away calmly. Then, as if remembering something, he paused and added,
“Oh, and…”
“The feeling of guilt doesn’t just go away like that. If that were the case, we shouldn’t have committed the crime in the first place.”
With those words, Dam Hwan walked away with an irritated pace. Yu Gong seemed like he wanted to say something but ended up letting out a deep sigh instead. Seizing the opportunity, another voice hastily interjected.
“I, I also think it’ll be a bit difficult, Sahyeong.”
“Me too. As you know, my father has an illness, and if I leave, there’ll be no one to take care of him.”
“I’m sorry. Well, then…”
Two other disciples also glanced around, then quickly withdrew. They hurriedly ran away, not even daring to look back, in case Yu Gong might catch them.
Yu Gong clenched his fists tightly. His trembling fists were reflecting his current state of mind.
After closing his eyes and calming his heart for a while, Yu Gong looked at Go Hong. Go Hong was sending him a gaze filled with dissatisfaction.
“Are you not going?”
“Me?”
“Don’t you also have a sick mother?”
“My mother?”
Go Hong asked sharply, but his feet remained rooted to the spot.
After a moment of silence, Go Hong chuckled bitterly.
“I expected this to happen since the moment they called out the excommunication.”
“…”
“So when I mentioned to my mother about leaving, do you know what my sick mother said?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“If you’re going to be a burden, you might as well drown in the sea.”
Yu Gong bit his lip.
“That’s how it is for women from Hainan. They wake up to find their husbands drowned in the sea, and then one of their children becomes fish food overnight.”
“…”
“Still, instead of sitting around, sucking your fingers and lamenting, Hainin’s women scrape by, doing whatever it takes to feed their remaining children and live with clenched teeth. So, seeing a son like me refusing to go out to sea because of my own excuses is something they’ve never seen.”
Go Hong chuckled incredulously, as if he couldn’t believe it himself.
“…”
“Your mind seems to be going back and forth. If you go out to sea to sail the ship, the villagers will live, but it seems you can’t fathom becoming a murderer of your own Sahyeongs. It doesn’t seem to register with you.”
“Go Hong…”
“But what can you do? If you’re going to deal with a senile old woman, you need to adjust to your mentality. At least, shouldn’t you make sure your cowardly son doesn’t hear that he drove others to their deaths before he dies? Even if not everyone goes, it seems inevitable for someone to go to.”
“Well, that’s…”
“Your father bravely went out to sea to feed you, and you should be proud of him for the rest of your life, that’s what she used to say like a broken record. And she proudly boasted about raising her son alone to become a dignified disciple of Haenam. My mother doesn’t even know I left Haenam. But… How can I stand in front of her and say I can’t go?”
Yu Gong couldn’t bring himself to speak. Go Hong murmured self-deprecatingly.
“If I had known it would be like this, I would have just stayed in Haenam. What did I come out to Haenam for?”
Yu Gong unknowingly nodded slightly. A strange silence passed between them.
Trying to dispel this awkwardness, Yu Gong turned his gaze to the other remaining disciple.
“And you?”
“It’s similar.”
“Ah, I see.”
Yu Gong nodded and then spoke.
It’s not the best time to continue the conversation, and they don’t have the luxury for it either. First things first, there were tasks to be done.
“Since those guys won’t go, we’ll need to recruit more people than originally planned. Make sure there are at least two people on each boat. We’ll stick to just one person per boat for ourselves.”
“Yes, Sahyeong.”
“Got it, Hyeong.”
“Let’s move.”
Watching Sajes rushing out swiftly, Yu Gong sighed deeply. As he turned his head to look at the sea, it seemed indifferent, just as blue as ever.
“We’re ready.”
“Took longer than expected.”
Ho Gamyeong looked at Yu Gong with dark eyes.
“…We finished quickly.”
“Hmm.”
Ho Gamyeong nodded approvingly, seemingly satisfied.
“I will take it as a sign that you’ve selected capable boatmen. If there are any delays, you will pay the price.”
“…”
“Go.”
“…Yes.”
Yu Gong turned his body towards the boats. Others were already on board. Once he boarded, they would depart.
As he struggled to lift his feet, Yu Gong involuntarily turned his head. Villagers had gathered along the shore. From those offering gratitude to those casting wary glances, even his own Sajes, some with hostile eyes.
His gaze settled on one particular figure. His wife, with tear-stained eyes, held their young son tightly. Yu Gong absorbed the sight, fearing it might vanish. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment.
‘I will return alive.’
Certainly… He will definitely return alive, no matter what it takes.
Seeing Yu Gong boarding the boat, Goe Yang, Danju of the Blood Sword Squad, asked Ho Gamyeong in a gruff voice,
“Is it necessary to bring those kinds of people? They might just be a hindrance.”
“I don’t know.”
“Hmm?”
“The most frightening thing in this world isn’t enemies.”
“…”
“It’s traitors.”
Upon hearing this, Goe Yang glanced at Yu Gong with a hint of interest. Then, he chuckled upon hearing Ho Gamyeong’s voice mixed with laughter.
“Especially those traitors harboring guilt. There are few creatures as vile as them. You’ll find out soon enough.”
A smile crept onto Ho Gamyeong’s lips.
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