Chapter 1739
Can they endure? (4)
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Yoon Jong stood frozen in place.
He heard the words, but they made no sense. His mind felt numb, as if he had suddenly become a fool.
Before his bewildered eyes, a new scene began to unfold.
No sooner had Hyun Jong’s words fallen, the elders rose and approached Baek Cheon. Two of them seized Baek Cheon’s arms, pulling him to either side.
“Wha…?”
What am I witnessing right now?
Jo Geol, unable to contain himself any longer, fidgeted, but Tang Soso firmly grasped his shoulder, holding him down.
To Yoon Jong, everything seemed like a farcical play. None of it felt real.
‘What are they doing…?’
What on earth is happening right now?
Rip!
Baek Cheon’s robes were torn apart.
The robes of Hwasan, the very uniform that signified his status as a disciple of the sect, were mercilessly ripped away.
Yoon Jong’s eyes were drawn to the torn piece of fabric, where the red plum blossom, the symbol of Hwasan, was embroidered. In his dazed vision, in his world that felt like it was slipping away, that fallen plum blossom filled all his sight.
“Sasuk…”
The faces of the elders who bit their lips in pain, Baek Cheon’s slumped figure, as if he had lost the will to resist…
It all seemed absurd, almost ridiculous.
Hyun Sang gripped Baek Cheon’s plum blossom sword with a stern expression.
According to the rules, he should have severed Baek Cheon’s tendons with that sword, symbolizing the act of reclaiming everything that Hwasan had given him.
But Hyun Sang merely held the sword and then turned away.
Hyun Yeong, unable to hide his sorrow, fidgeted anxiously before also turning his head away.
Left behind was Baek Cheon, his back exposed and his long hair disheveled, hanging loosely. He was utterly alone.
‘This can’t be real, can it?’
“Do something…!”
A voice, muffled as though heard underwater, barely reached Yoon Jong’s ears.
When he turned his head slowly, he saw Jo Geol gripping Chung Myung’s collar. Jo Geol’s face was twisted, not so much with anger as with fear, like a frightened child.
“Do something, anything!”
Jo Geol pleaded desperately, pointing toward the hall with one hand.
But Chung Myung remained silent, his face emotionless. The stark contrast between Chung Myung’s empty eyes and Jo Geol’s desperate gaze was painfully clear.
For some reason, Yoon Jong felt a bitter laugh escape him.
Because it didn’t feel real. Because it was absurd. Because he couldn’t even cry. No matter what reason he tried to attach to it, it all felt awkward, but the laughter wouldn’t stop.
“Do something, anything!”
The shout faded into the distance. The world became muffled, a dull buzzing noise spreading endlessly around him.
Everything felt like a dream, just a fleeting, surreal dream.
❀ ❀ ❀
Hyun Yeong and Hyun Sang, after leaving the main hall, headed somewhere other than their usual quarters. After all, in this unfamiliar place, there was nowhere else to avoid the prying eyes of others.
“Sahyeong.”
In front of the door to Hyun Jong’s assigned room, Hyun Yeong quietly called out.
“Sahyeong… Please, open the door.”
No response came.
He sighed and was about to call Hyun Jong again when Hyun Sang shook his head, stopping him. Then, cautiously, Hyun Sang pushed the door open.
Creeeeak.
The door, not locked, opened with a weak creak. Through the half-opened door, the back of Hyun Jong, seated in upright, came into view.
Today, that figure somehow appeared unusually small and lonely.
“Sahyeong…”
A voice filled with sorrow escaped Hyun Yeong’s lips.
Truthfully, it was a familiar sight. Hadn’t they all endured the treacherous journey of Hwasan together? Sorrow and despair were not unfamiliar emotions to them.
But today… today, Hyun Jong’s back seemed different from what Hyun Yeong had always seen.
It seemed faded and dim. No, perhaps it had even withered away.
Hyun Yeong, who had been staring at Hyun Jong’s back for a long time, finally forced himself to take a step forward. Even then, he couldn’t bring himself to touch Hyun Jong, only letting out a deep sigh.
“Sahyeong, you did the right thing.”
“…”
“It may be hard to see now, but… one day, that child will understand. He will understand your heart.”
Instead of replying, Hyun Jong kept his gaze fixed outside the window. The sunlight pouring in was blinding. Almost painfully so.
Perhaps that was why it was so hard to look at.
“It must be different. The one who looks towards the path ahead and the one who looks back at the path already walked – there’s no way they could see things the same way.”
“Sahyeong…”
A hollow voice escaped from Hyun Jong’s lips.
“But… Hyun Yeong-ah, I am afraid.”
“…”
“I fear that driving him away from this path wasn’t truly for his sake, but… because I couldn’t bear the thought of watching someone else walk the same harsh road I had to walk.”
“Sahyeong…”
“That is what terrifies me.”
Hyun Yeong let out another deep sigh. Then Hyun Jong asked,
“Was it the right decision?”
Hyun Yeong slowly shook his head.
“I don’t think that’s the case.”
“…”
“It wasn’t a decision befitting the leader of Hwasan. This will leave a deep scar on the remaining disciples. Perhaps, Sahyeong, you may have blocked the path they could have walked.”
“…That may be true.”
“As a decision made by the Sect Leader… it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it was the worst one.”
Hyun Jong nodded calmly, as if he had anticipated this response. His thoughts were not much different. Baek Cheon was that essential to Hwasan.
“So, are you disappointed?”
“No.”
Hyun Yeong answered without hesitation, with a straightforward tone.
“If anything, I would have been disappointed if Sahyeong hadn’t made this decision. What can we do? This is who you are, and this is how we’ve lived our lives.”
Hyun Jong remained silent for a moment. Soon, his shoulders, which had seemed the heaviest in the world, began to tremble slightly.
“Sahyeong…”
Just as Hyun Yeong was about to speak again, Hyun Sang placed a hand on his shoulder. When he turned to look, Hyun Sang quietly shook his head.
In the end, Hyun Yeong nodded in understanding.
“Don’t blame yourself too much, Sahyeong.”
“…”
“I’ll come by again tomorrow.”
Without saying another word, the two quietly left the room.
Click.
With the sound of the door closing, Hyun Jong was once again left alone in the room. He turned his gaze back to the sunlight streaming through the window.
‘Oh, Primeval Lord of Heaven…’
It was just a small handful of light, but that made it all the more blinding.
❀ ❀ ❀
The memories were hazy.
He couldn’t tell how much time had passed. When Yoon Jong came to his senses, quite some time had already gone by, and he found himself back in his room. Uninvited guests were there with him as well.
“…”
A heavy silence hung thick in the room. No one dared to break it.
Perhaps the emotions were too intense to be expressed through the trivial means of words, or maybe the burden they had to bear was simply too great.
“…This can’t be happening.”
It was Jo Geol who finally broke the silence, but even his voice was faint.
“Is this… Is this right, Sahyeong?”
“…”
“Is it?”
Yoon Jong couldn’t muster a reply.
They, too, had thought that Baek Cheon needed to be sent to Jongnam, no matter what. But this… This was different. None of them had ever considered the extreme measure of excommunication.
Squeezing pus from a wound and cutting off the infected part are entirely different things.
“Excommunication… This isn’t right… This really isn’t right,”
Jo Geol muttered with a desolate expression, his head hanging low. He seemed unable even to muster the strength to be angry.
Yoon Jong hesitated for a long time before finally speaking.
“…What about Sasuk?”
“He’s still there,”
Tang Soso replied in a weak voice.
“Ever since then… he hasn’t moved.”
Yoon Jong squeezed his eyes shut. He understood completely. There was no way Sasuk could accept it. He couldn’t possibly come to terms with it.
“Damn it…”
Jo Geol, who had been roughly rubbing his face, buried his head in his hands.
Even someone as hot-headed as him knew the truth. This wasn’t something that could be resolved by simply getting angry and throwing a fit. Hyun Jong’s resolve had been too firm for that.
They couldn’t stand against such Hyun Jong.
In moments like this, there was only one person they could think of who might provide a solution.
“…What about Chung Myung? What did he say?”
Everyone, lost in their own thoughts, turned to look at Yoon Jong at once. Jo Geol’s face twisted in frustration.
“He said there’s nothing he can do about a decision made by the retired Sect Leader. He said it’s the minimum line that must be respected as a disciple of Hwasan…”
Yoon Jong found himself biting down on his lip without realizing it.
It was an undeniable truth. They all knew it, and that’s why they hadn’t been able to do anything but turn away.
But even so…
“Maybe it’s for the best?”
“…What?”
The disciples of Hwasan turned to look at Baek Sang.
Though he flinched momentarily under their sharp gazes, he quickly composed himself and spoke with resolve.
“For Sahyeong.”
“How can you say that?”
“You all know it too. That man… if it weren’t for this, he would never leave Hwasan.”
“….”
“It’s a sad thing for us, but for Sahyeong…”
“Are you saying this even after hearing what Sasuk said?”
Yoon Jong asked sharply. Baek Sang bit his lip slightly.
“So what? Do you want Sahyeong to just wither away in Hwasan?”
“That’s not what I’m saying…”
“Maybe Hwasan is more important to you all than Sahyeong, but I! I…”
Baek Sang trailed off, unable to finish his sentence, as if the words were too difficult to utter.
“I don’t know, damn it,”
he cursed, rubbing his face roughly.
They weren’t really of different minds. The truth was, none of them fully understood what they were thinking. The situation was just that confusing and unexpected.
Silence fell over the room once again. Despite their confusion, they couldn’t quite grasp the full nature of what was troubling them.
The light of the setting sun began to filter through the small window.
As that light gradually turned red and dimmed, eventually enveloping the room in darkness, the silence stretched on.
❀ ❀ ❀
Jin Geumryong stood frozen, as if he had turned to stone while staring at the great hall. His gaze was fixed on a single figure, one who hadn’t even attempted to fix his torn clothes or move a muscle.
Perhaps, from the moment his clothes were torn, from the moment the Plum Blossom Sword was taken from him, from the moment he was excommunicated from Hwasan —Baek Cheon’s time had stopped entirely.
And as long as Baek Cheon remained frozen, so did Jin Geumryong.
“Sahyeong.”
Even as Lee Songbaek’s worried voice brushed past his ears, Jin Geumryong didn’t turn his gaze.
An unknown rage surged from deep within him.
It might have been because of the miserable sight before his eyes, or perhaps because of Baek Cheon’s wretched situation.
It was truly paradoxical. He knew full well that he was the one who had driven Baek Cheon to this pitiful state, yet an inexplicable anger and frustration gripped him tightly.
‘Affection…’
Jongli Gok’s words had been correct.
It wasn’t Baek Cheon who couldn’t endure his own situation – it was those who were watching him.
Because he cared too much, he had no choice but to abandon him. Because he cared too much, he had to push him away. Because he cared too much, he couldn’t help but stand in his way.
Just like Jin Geumryong had been back then.
“…Let’s go.”
“Sahyeong.”
“I need to see the Sect Leader.”
Jin Geumryong, after biting his lip tightly, finally turned his body away.
“Baek Cheon Dojang is…”
“He’s now Jin Dongryong.”
“…”
“In the end, he’ll come to Jongnam. And when that time comes…”
There was a complex mix of emotions in Jin Geumryong’s voice.
“We have to help him reclaim everything he’s lost up until now. It’s only for a little while. Just a little while.”
With those final words, Jin Geumryong began to stride away. Lee Songbaek, who had been about to follow him, hesitated and turned his head.
Baek Cheon, sitting alone in the darkened hall, looked so lonely and desolate that it was hard to leave him behind.
Lee Songbaek couldn’t help but think that Baek Cheon’s back resembled the one he used to see in Jin Geumryong.
If, as Jin Geumryong said, Baek Cheon could come to Jongnam, it might turn out to be a blessing in disguise. At least, he wouldn’t seem as lonely as he did now – neither Baek Cheon nor Jin Geumryong.
But still…
‘Sahyeong, there are… some people in this world who never break.’
A deep sigh finally escaped from Lee Songbaek’s lips.
Just as he was about to force his reluctant steps to move, he suddenly hesitated, sensing something. He turned his head.
Someone was approaching Baek Cheon.
‘Chung Myung Dojang.’
Lee Songbaek silently watched as Chung Myung walked towards the still Baek Cheon. But soon, he turned his head away. This was not a conversation he had any right to intrude upon.
Step by step, Chung Myung approached Baek Cheon.
The faint moonlight partially illuminated Chung Myung’s face. His eyes, as they looked down at Baek Cheon, revealed no clear emotion.
He seemed almost like a statue, devoid of any feelings to begin with.
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