Chapter 347: Tell Me Your Story
Chapter 347: Tell Me Your Story
“Are you really going to leave the two of them alone?”
1st Wolf asked as they made their way back to the Unorthodox Path Alliance headquarters. Bi Sa-in had sent Geom Mu-geuk to act as a guard for Pyo Gi-gwang but had issued no further orders.
“The Young Cult Leader will handle it.”
It wasn’t a statement born of indifference, but of trust—the belief that if Geom Mu-geuk couldn’t figure it out, no one could.
1st Wolf, who had been watching in silence until now, finally voiced his lingering concerns.
“I am well aware that the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult is a formidable individual, but please, do not place too much faith in him. No matter what he says or how he acts, in the end, he is still a member of the Demonic Cult.”
1st Wolf harbored a deep-seated distrust of those from the Demonic Cult. Furthermore, the relationship between Bi Sa-in and Geom Mu-geuk was, by any standard, abnormal.
“I shall keep that in mind.”
Knowing full well the nature of 1st Wolf’s worries, Bi Sa-in accepted the advice readily. He knew a prejudice held for so long wouldn’t vanish in an instant.
“1st Wolf.”
“Yes, Young Alliance Leader.”
“What is the most memorable moment of your life as a martial artist?”
The sudden question caught 1st Wolf off guard.
“I don’t believe I’ve ever given that much thought.”
“Try thinking about it now.”
1st Wolf fell into a brief silence. He traced the stream of time backward until he caught a single droplet of memory, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.
“I believe it was when I first became one of the 13 Wolves of the Unorthodox Path.”
He remembered how much joy he felt then. Many things had happened since—he had achieved great feats and amassed a fortune—but he didn’t think he had ever been as happy as he was at that moment.
“I started as the youngest of the 13 Wolves, and before I knew it, I became the 1st Wolf.”
“How long has it been since you joined the 13 Wolves?”
“It has been twenty-nine years.”
“Then we must hold a thirtieth-anniversary celebration next year.”
1st Wolf’s face flushed slightly with color.
“But why did you ask me that?”
“Because I feel like that moment is happening for me right now. Even thirty years from now, when I look back and wonder what the most memorable moment of my life was, I think it will be this one.”
Traveling across the Central Plains in a carriage with the Young Cult Leader of the Demonic Cult and the successor of the Orthodox Path, and uncovering a conspiracy alongside that same Young Cult Leader—could there ever be anything more thrilling or heart-pounding than this?
“Still, do not worry too much. By nature, I’m not the type to sincerely trust or become obsessed with someone.”
1st Wolf was old enough to know that the human heart doesn’t always follow one’s will.
However, he kept that thought to himself. He realized that the problems arising from not having a moment where one feels they are truly shining could be just as significant as any negative consequences brought about by the Young Cult Leader.
Looking more radiant than ever, Bi Sa-in strode forward, leading the way.
“Let’s go. We have much to do.”
*
Pyo Gi-gwang glanced sideways at the young man following him.
When their eyes met, the youth offered a thin smile. It was, of course, Geom Mu-geuk.
Poor fellow. He has no idea what kind of situation he’s in.
His young, handsome face seemed like a terrible waste to lose to death.
“What is your name?”
“It’s Geom Yeon. I use the character for ‘smoke.’ I was named that because they said I would vanish like smoke once a meeting ended.”
The way he explained things he hadn’t even been asked revealed much about the youth’s personality.
Naive.
Perhaps it was because he had nearly been killed by an assassin earlier, but the phrase ‘vanishing like smoke’ felt particularly poignant to Pyo Gi-gwang today.
“Do you know why you have to protect me?”
“I have a general idea.”
“Aren’t you afraid? That assassin from before might come back to finish the job.”
As if confident in his own skills, Geom Mu-geuk lightly tapped his sword.
It was a blade wrapped tightly in blood-stained bandages. Since Pyo Gi-gwang had no way of knowing what kind of sword it was or the significance of those bandages, he merely dismissed it as the bravado of youth.
“How long have you served the Young Alliance Leader?”
“It’s been a few days.”
It wasn’t a lie. That was exactly how long it had been since he first donned the uniform of the 13 Wolves.
Pyo Gi-gwang frowned.
I intended to die with some dignity, even if I was alone, but now it looks like I’ll be dying with this greenhorn stuck to me like a growth.
Pyo Gi-gwang’s house was located on the outskirts, not far from the main headquarters. There was a mountain behind the house and a stream flowing nearby.
Though situated in a scenic spot, the house lacked any sense of warmth. There was no food to be found, and the bedding—which looked like it hadn’t been washed in ages—was still the thin set used for summer. It was a clear reflection of his desolate daily life.
“I only come here to sleep occasionally, so there’s nothing here.”
He turned over on his bed.
“There’s no need to guard me.”
Pyo Gi-gwang was certain this youth couldn’t protect him alone. The assassin was someone even a group of martial artists couldn’t catch earlier.
If the Young Alliance Leader truly cared about me, he would have left more men.
Bi Sa-in must have realized how skilled the assassin was during their brief clash. Thinking that leaving several subordinates would only result in more deaths, he had likely left only this young boy behind.
Thinking that way, the youth seemed just as pathetic and pitiable as Pyo Gi-gwang himself, who was soon to die.
“Please, get some sleep.”
With a short farewell, Geom Mu-geuk stepped outside.
Pyo Gi-gwang tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
A flood of emotions he hadn’t felt in the heat of the moment now washed over him. No matter how prepared he thought he was for death, feeling it loom so close brought a sense of dread.
— The Alliance needs you.
He remembered the expression on the man’s face when he was given the task.
At first, he had refused.
— I am already a broken man. Find someone else.
— That is why I chose you. No one will suspect this operation.
To be honest, it had hurt his pride—the fact that he was chosen because he was broken. But in the end, he had accepted. He claimed it was out of loyalty, but in truth, it was for himself. He wanted to show those who looked down on him that he was doing something far more valuable than they were. Since it was a secret mission, he couldn’t say it aloud, but he wanted to scream it in his heart.
Go ahead and ignore me all you want! I am doing work a hundred times more important than any of you!
Perhaps that man had anticipated those feelings.
Since then, Pyo Gi-gwang had lived diligently, exactly as he was told.
And yet, now that the secret was out, they were trying to kill him so easily.
If the man had come in person and said, “I’m sorry, there was no other way,” before trying to kill him, he wouldn’t have felt this miserable.
He would have died willingly, with a smile. But to send an assassin to kill him without even giving him a chance to say a word? It wasn’t the fact that they were killing him that made him angry; it was how utterly insignificant they made him feel in the process.
It’s not because of you. It was for my loyalty to the Alliance.
He was so hurt that he had to resort to such self-consolation.
*
Pyo Gi-gwang dreamed of being chased by assassins.
In his dream, he was neither dignified nor bold. He ran through mountains to survive, dug holes to hide, and even submerged himself in foul-smelling filth.
He woke up at dawn.
A thick cotton quilt had been draped over him while he slept. It seemed the young guard had found it and covered him.
Pyo Gi-gwang rose from his bed and walked to the window.
Geom Mu-geuk was standing alone in the yard, looking up at the night sky. Seeing him standing guard without a wink of sleep made Pyo Gi-gwang feel a pang of guilt.
Sensing his presence, Geom Mu-geuk turned toward him.
“Are you awake?”
“Aren’t you cold?”
“I’m fine.”
He said he was fine, but the dawn wind of midwinter was biting.
“What were you thinking about?”
“I was thinking about people.”
“Who?”
“People who I think might be thinking of me, at least once.”
From people who would be shocked to death if they heard that, to someone currently enjoying the only vacation of his life.
Pyo Gi-gwang leaned against the window frame and asked, “Do you have family?”
“I have a father and an older brother.”
“And your mother?”
“She passed away when I was very young.”
“Your father must have had a hard time raising you boys. How is he now? Is he happy that you joined the Unorthodox Path Alliance?”
If he heard I left home and ended up in the Unorthodox Path Alliance, he’d probably have that characteristic smirk on his face.
“He probably won’t like it.”
“Why?”
“He hates the Unorthodox Path Alliance.”
Pyo Gi-gwang gave a faint smile, feeling the same way. His own parents had been deeply unhappy about him joining the Alliance. They had begged him to join the Murim Alliance instead, not knowing just how wicked their son truly was.
“The dawn wind is cold; come inside. If you can protect me from out there, you can protect me from in here. Come in.”
Geom Mu-geuk entered, acting as if he were being coaxed.
“I’ll just warm up for a moment and then head back out.”
“There’s nothing better than this for warming up.”
Pyo Gi-gwang brought out some liquor. In a house with not a scrap of food, there was at least alcohol.
“Do you like to drink?”
“I do.”
One might have expected him to say he didn’t drink while on duty. Is it because he’s a young martial artist? Pyo Gi-gwang could feel that the youth was someone honest with his emotions.
Pyo Gi-gwang poured a cup for Geom Mu-geuk and then filled his own.
He might be dead before he saw the morning sun. It wouldn’t be strange at all if a hidden weapon flew through that window this very second. If not today, then tomorrow, or within a few days. At this rate, he would die alongside this young man.
Pyo Gi-gwang emptied his cup first, and Geom Mu-geuk followed suit.
“I don’t want to sound like I’m nagging, but you shouldn’t just drink whatever a stranger gives you. What if it was poisoned?”
“I’ll be careful from now on.”
It felt good to hear him agree so readily. Pyo Gi-gwang had missed such normal interactions. For the past ten years, no one had treated him with proper respect. Of course, it was a situation of his own making.
“Everything changed after I got hurt. My life, my surroundings—everything. Bastards who wouldn’t have dared to even meet my eyes started glaring at me. Pieces of trash.”
“They probably weren’t all trash. It’s just that the trash blocked your eyes and nose, preventing you from seeing what you needed to see.”
Pyo Gi-gwang looked at Geom Mu-geuk with a gaze that asked, What do you know?
“I apologize. I overstepped. It’s just that for me, memories of people cursing and acting like assholes tend to last longer than praise.”
Pyo Gi-gwang couldn’t entirely deny those words. There certainly were people who had been sincerely kind to him back then. They had all vanished while he was busy hating and feeling enraged at those who looked down on him.
“Be honest. What orders did the Young Alliance Leader give you? He told you to get a certain name out of me, didn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Geom Mu-geuk answered truthfully. Pyo Gi-gwang had expected him to play innocent, but the response was unexpected. This young fellow kept defying his expectations in strange ways.
“You’ll never hear it from me. So give up.”
“The reason you’re hiding it, Unit Leader, is likely out of loyalty to the Alliance. It’s the same for me. We’re just being loyal in our own ways.”
The word ‘loyalty’ felt strangely foreign today. It was likely because this thought kept surfacing:
Both you and I have been discarded.
He felt as though the people had been thrown away, leaving only loyalty to drift about like a ghost. Pyo Gi-gwang emptied another cup, using that ghost as his side dish.
“If I were you, I would have run away.”
Pyo Gi-gwang wanted to die alone. He wanted to board the boat to the afterlife calmly and by himself. He didn’t want to have to say sorry to this young man who would be boarding right alongside him.
“I would have found any excuse to flee.”
Then, Geom Mu-geuk suddenly asked him, “I heard you were the Unit Leader of the Black Dragon Unit.”
“I was.”
“What was it like back then?”
“What do you mean, what was it like?”
“I heard that a long time ago, the Black Dragon Unit faced the Murim Alliance at Sinya Plains and won a great victory despite being outnumbered.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Isn’t it a famous story?”
Pyo Gi-gwang’s eyes trembled slightly.
“Yes, I was there. I was a new recruit, just like you.”
“I’m curious. Tell me about the battle that day.”
The story he had been boasting about at the banquet earlier was precisely this battle at Sinya Plains. That was when he had been insulted by his former subordinate.
Seeing the youth asking about it with sparkling eyes in this situation gave him a strange feeling.
“You wouldn’t know because you’ve never fought in a real battle, but when you truly face an enemy, your heart beats like it’s going to explode.”
“Were you afraid that day too?”
“I was terrified. If it weren’t for my comrades and seniors, I would have turned and run. It was especially bad that day. Seeing the Murim Alliance bastards swarming like ants from the edge of the plains…”
He told the story of that day’s battle. Even as he spoke, he kept thinking of the subordinate who had cornered him at the banquet. Is this kid sitting in front of me secretly bored? Does he think I’m just an old man showing off?
But those were needless worries. Geom Mu-geuk listened to his story better than anyone ever had. He didn’t just let the words pass through him. He listened intently, asked questions, and reacted at the right moments.
Listening to the glorified tale of heroism, Geom Mu-geuk could tell: for this man, this was the most memorable and radiant moment of his life.
The long story came to an end. Geom Mu-geuk had been with him through that battle from start to finish.
“Thank you. For listening.”
“No, thank you for telling me. You were incredible.”
The moment he heard those words, Pyo Gi-gwang felt an inexplicable surge of emotion.
Since he had been injured and stepped down as Unit Leader, he had repeated this story many times. Yet, he had never felt this kind of overwhelming emotion.
He realized then: no one had ever listened to his story so seriously and with such excitement. Everyone else had been bored or had only listened out of politeness.
And he realized today that what he had wanted for a very long time was to see someone sincerely listening to his story like this.
Because after he was injured, that was all he had left to offer.
*
When Pyo Gi-gwang opened his eyes, he was asleep in his bed.
When did I fall asleep?
Seeing that he was covered by the quilt again, it seemed the greenhorn outside had taken care of him.
Sunlight was streaming brightly through the window. He had survived another night.
He got out of bed and looked out the window to see Geom Mu-geuk standing in the yard. It seemed he had stood there all night.
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I am.”
At the honest answer, Pyo Gi-gwang stepped outside with a disheveled face.
“Let’s go get some food.”
The two left the house and walked toward the marketplace.
Pyo Gi-gwang spoke up suddenly.
“We are like fish caught in a net. We’re in a position where we don’t know when the fisherman will pull us up. You should get out while you can. There’s still a chance.”
“That net won’t be an ordinary one. Unless it’s the Majeongsa Temple’s Heavenly Net spread out in three layers.”
“You know the answer, don’t you? If I want to ask my fisherman not to pull up the net, you have to give me that name.”
Pyo Gi-gwang shook his head in silence.
As if he had expected as much, Geom Mu-geuk wasn’t disappointed at all. Instead, he spoke with a bright expression.
“Then tell me some more stories. I want to hear more about your past, Senior.”