Flaws in Discipline (3)
Gang Yun's eyes flashed. Third-rate thugs? That was clearly aimed at him.
"Are you speaking to me?"
"Where'd you sell your manners?"
"Pardon?"
"I'm the eldest young master of the Bi-san Yeon Family Estate. You didn't know that, a captain no less? Or did you forget? You're not senile already, are you?"
Gang Yun, who had been watching Yeon Hojeong silently, bowed sharply.
"I was caught off guard and committed a rudeness. Bi-eungdae Captain Gang Yun greets the young master."
"And that's it?"
"Pardon?"
"You think you can get forgiven for killing someone if you're 'caught off guard'?"
Gang Yun's brow twitched faintly.
"That's too much."
"Talking back?"
"How is this talking back? I assure you, it's not."
"If it's not talking back, then what's with those eyes? Defiance?"
"Young master."
"What?"
"I'm neither talking back nor defying you. So please, leave it at that."
"Leave it at that?"
"Yes."
"Not asking—a command? This won't do, Captain Gang."
Gang Yun's expression twisted further.
"Even for you, young master, don't you think this is excessive?"
"Now you're nitpicking. Do your seniors know you're acting like this?"
"Young master!"
His voice had risen without him realizing it. Yeon Hojeong flicked his ear.
"No greeting, talking back is everyday stuff, nitpicking on top of that, and now daring to command me?"
"……!"
"At this point, you wouldn't even have grounds to complain if you were kicked out of the family."
Gang Yun's eyes trembled.
"How can you say that? I've never been rude to you."
"Take a look at yourself first."
"Of course, failing to greet you was my fault. But I still think your words went too far."
"You mean calling you third-rate thugs?"
"Yes."
"So, Captain Gang, you think your actions right now are any different from what thugs would do?"
Gang Yun's eyes reddened.
"Thugs? That's a heavy accusation."
"Is it? So my words were too harsh?"
"Yes."
"Then what about those kids?"
"Pardon?"
Yeon Hojeong nodded toward Yu Jiha. Yu Jiha's clothes were soaked in sweat. He had clearly been rolled hard already. Dirt clung to his training garb here and there.
And it wasn't just Yu Jiha. The entire Bi-eung Three Squad was the same.
"What did they do so wrong that you make them train without meals or rest? And even with iron-core wooden swords, no less."
"They disobeyed my orders as captain. Insubordination and violation of discipline. As their captain, it's only right that I punish them appropriately……."
"If they disobeyed orders and broke discipline, you should've just executed them on the spot. Why give them such filthy punishments?"
It was a terrifying statement. The faces of the entire Bi-eung Three Squad paled. They never imagined execution would even be mentioned for something like this.
Gang Yun was just as flustered by the sudden bombshell.
"Execution? That's excessive!"
"Better than what you're doing to them right now, isn't it? If you're going to kill them, lop off their heads with one stroke—why torture them?"
"How can you call it torture? This is proper discipline!"
"Discipline?"
Yeon Hojeong's eyes gleamed with a chilling sharpness. The gaze was so fierce that even Gang Yun, famed for his grit, felt a chill in his chest.
"You—the one called Yu Jiha?"
He hadn't expected the young master to remember his name. Yu Jiha looked up in surprise.
"Y-yes!"
"Step forward."
Yu Jiha took one step ahead. Among the Bi-eung Three Squad, he seemed to have been rolled the hardest—scratches covered his face and hands.
"What did you all do to get chewed out by your captain?"
"Pardon?"
"……."
"Ah! Th-that was……."
Yu Jiha glanced at Gang Yun. Gang Yun spoke up.
"If I may, young master, I am the captain. And captains have full authority over their subordinates' rewards and punishments. Even you can't interfere—that would be overstepping."
"So shut your mouth and stay out of it?"
"Young master!"
Yeon Hojeong's voice grew icy.
"Interrupt me one more time while I'm speaking, and I'll summon you to the Law Blade Pavilion."
Gang Yun's eyes wavered. The Law Blade Pavilion oversaw family laws and internal investigations. In special cases, it even issued judgments in place of the family head. Because of its role, family warriors feared it most. Violate family law or take bribes, and you'd be dragged there for severe punishment.
Yeon Hojeong was threatening to summon a captain to such a place.
Gang Yun's breathing grew rough. But he couldn't dare step forward.
Yeon Hojeong said to Yu Jiha, "You're the same. Fail to answer my questions immediately, and you'll go to the Law Blade Pavilion with your captain."
Yu Jiha's posture straightened instantly.
"I-I apologize! Last night, I trained personally for one hour past bedtime—that's why I'm being punished! I'm sorry!"
Yeon Hojeong scowled.
"Punished for personal training?"
"Y-yes!"
"A martial clan member skips sleep to train, and that's a crime?"
"Well……."
"Don't tell me you affected the squad's training with excessive personal practice?"
Yu Jiha couldn't answer. That was entirely up to the captain's judgment.
But from Yu Jiha's expression alone, Yeon Hojeong could tell he'd performed well in squad drills.
Yeon Hojeong turned to Gang Yun. "Why is this a crime?"
Gang Yun opened his mouth.
"I gave the squad orders: eat at set times, sleep at set times. For a hundred members to move as one, such control is essential."
"Control?"
"Yes. This training has gone on for years. No one broke military discipline—until yesterday."
Gang Yun's expression soured. He hated having to explain this in front of his squad.
Yeon Hojeong looked back at Yu Jiha. "Your captain says so?"
"……."
"Your captain's no pushover, and what he said makes some sense."
"But……."
"But?"
Yu Jiha bit his lip. He must have felt wronged, even to himself. No matter how important discipline was, how could reading books or honing martial arts be a crime?
Out of that grievance, he spoke in a subdued voice. "I joined Bi-eungdae last year."
"And?"
"I worked hard to get in. But for the past year, personal training was strictly forbidden. Only squad drills."
"So?"
"Once you're in the squad, you follow squad rules. That's obvious. But I wanted to go further. Yet in that year, not just me—none of the squad's skills improved even a little."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes deepened.
"But the squad's overall strength improved, right? United as one."
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"Eighteen."
"At eighteen, you know what there is to know. You're a Bi-eungdae member. Once in, you follow Bi-eungdae's rules. They call that responsibility in other words."
"……."
"I get your grievance. But organizations have their own laws. Since you chose to join, you bear the responsibility."
"So I tried to quit."
"What?"
Yu Jiha spoke with clear injustice. "In the end, I couldn't adapt. So I followed proper procedure to request discharge. But it was denied."
"You followed procedure to request discharge? Then why couldn't you leave?"
Yu Jiha spat out his resentment. "They said once in Bi-eungdae, you're in forever. The only way out is death."
Yeon Hojeong's eyes turned cold. Now he understood why Yu Jiha sought personal time. Defying the captain's orders was indeed a violation, but for someone who wanted to grow stronger, he had no other choice.
Gang Yun hurriedly interjected. "Nonsense! That was just to build squad camaraderie—it's not literal!"
"But it became literal."
Yeon Hojeong's voice chilled further as time passed. "He says it's not real, so why couldn't this kid leave? He followed procedure."
"Procedure requires flexibility. At the time, we had the family squads' strength evaluation. Losing a member then would be a big issue."
"A natural measure?"
"Yes."
"So that 'flexibility' in procedure was for the sake of Bi-eungdae."
"Of course. Strengthening Bi-eungdae strengthens the Yeon family."
Gang Yun spoke confidently. And to that Gang Yun, Yeon Hojeong hurled the barb he'd held back.
"Incompetent fool!"
"Wh-what did you say?"
"As you say, a stronger Bi-eungdae means a stronger Yeon family. So to make Bi-eungdae stronger, who needs to get stronger?"
"……!"
"Can't answer? I'm not asking for good evaluation at the family review. I'm asking the bare minimum for true squad strength."
"That's……."
"Is it enough if just you get stronger?"
"……."
"The squad grows when its members do. Yet under the guise of 'for the organization,' you forcibly detained a member who wanted out."
Gang Yun's face crumpled.
"Detained is the wrong word. There was no choice then."
"And after? Why's he still in Bi-eungdae now?"
Gang Yun couldn't answer easily. Truth be told, he'd long forgotten that part. He figured if he just drilled them hard, they'd adapt on their own. Everyone grew that way. So he'd dismissed Yu Jiha's request as worthless.
"Is that discipline too? Blocking proper discharge procedure?"
"……."
"Answer me."
"No, but it's all for the Yeon family……."
"Oh, right? All this because of your personal judgment that it's 'for the family'?"
Yeon Hojeong smiled.
"So that's it. You stake your life on laws and discipline, but bend them where you see fit, and wield the blade only where you don't."
"That's not true!"
"What's not, you incompetent bastard."
Gang Yun's face turned ugly.
"Even from you, young master, I can't endure more insults. Besides, this is purely Bi-eungdae's affair. Stay out of it."
Gang Yun had never liked Yeon Hojeong. No, he despised him. The moment he learned the Yeon family's great eldest son wasted time at brothels, he'd stopped seeing him as human. Even after Yeon Hojeong changed, it was the same. Chang-eungdae gossiped about the young master's transformation, but he never bought it.
And now that young master was meddling in Bi-eungdae affairs. Gang Yun had endured as much as he could.
Yeon Hojeong's smile faded.
"Stay out?"
"Yes."
Yeon Hojeong said to Yu Jiha, "You, go fetch the Law Blade Pavilion Master."
The training ground's atmosphere froze instantly.
Yeon Hojeong looked at Gang Yun. "You ran Bi-eungdae as you pleased 'for the Yeon family,' so I'll remove an incompetent like you from captaincy 'for the family.'"
"……!"
"Get ready to strip."