Chapter 37: Ma Yu-gyeom-2
Chapter 37: Ma Yu-gyeom-2
"Right, what did you say Seonwoo Jin said when he was following those Miao tribesmen?"
At Ma Yu-gyeom's question, Ju Tae-gyeong answered in a fluster.
"Huh? W-well, he said that in order to enter that place someday, we'd need to obtain information about it..."
At that, Ma Yu-gyeom's expression turned furious as he asked.
"Right. To enter that place someday, in other words, to strike at the Blood Cult, we obviously would need to obtain information about the jungle. But you, a disciple of Jeomchang who ought to want to strike at the Blood Cult more than anyone else! Why the hell didn't you follow them back then?!"
At Ma Yu-gyeom's sudden rage, Ju Tae-gyeong could only fluster tremendously.
"Th-that..."
But Ma Yu-gyeom's words did not end there.
He pointed his finger at the Seven Squad members and shouted.
"Look at them laughing and chatting away! That's what people possessed by the Blood Cult look like?! Are your eyes made of frozen fish?! Colluding with the Blood Cult's demon heads? That Seol Pung? Do you even know how many Blood Cult demon heads that bastard has slaughtered, spouting that kind of nonsense?!"
Ma Yu-gyeom hated Seol Pung, but separate from that, he also acknowledged him as a martial artist more than anyone else.
No, perhaps that was precisely why he hated him.
Because he wasn't even a disciple of a prestigious orthodox sect, yet possessed martial prowess superior to his own...
But to think a snake like Ju Tae-gyeong would dare try to frame Seol Pung, whom he himself acknowledged, of colluding with Blood Cult demon heads — he could not help the rage boiling up inside him.
"Is it impossible for that head of yours to distinguish right from wrong?! If you knew your own shortcomings, you should be striving with all your might to fill those gaps, yet you try to fill your vile jealousy by slandering others?!"
Having shouted that far, Ma Yu-gyeom snatched Ju Tae-gyeong by the collar and whispered so only he could hear.
"Ju Tae-gyeong. Do you know when I feel the utter annihilation of our Jeomchang most keenly in my bones?"
At his killing-intent-laden question, Ju Tae-gyeong, now pale with terror, answered while trembling.
"I-I don't know."
Then, with eyes full of killing intent, Ma Yu-gyeom whispered.
"It's when I discover myself unable to cut away trash like you because you're one of Jeomchang's few remaining fellow disciples. Truly, it is wretched beyond words."
Having said that, Ma Yu-gyeom shoved Ju Tae-gyeong hard, turned around, and walked away.
But even in such fury, he glanced sidelong for a moment at Seonwoo Jin and Cheongyeon, who were engaged in a dazzling match.
The way Seonwoo Jin shone even more brightly in direct comparison to Ju Tae-gyeong — Ma Yu-gyeom could not have wanted him more.
Ma Yu-gyeom shook off his squad members and walked alone to his quarters, agonizing.
For Jeomchang to rise again, talent was desperately needed.
Not trash like Ju Tae-gyeong, but proper talent — like Seol Pung or Seonwoo Jin, for instance.
But currently, far from receiving new talents, Jeomchang's disciples could not even unite the ones they already had.
That fact tormented Ma Yu-gyeom so deeply.
And Ma Yu-gyeom knew better than anyone what the reason was.
He let out a heavy sigh and thought.
'It's because of me, obviously.'
The reason Jeomchang's disciples could not unite was none other than Ma Yu-gyeom himself.
He, who styled himself as the head disciple of Jeomchang, had failed to earn enough trust to gather all of Jeomchang's disciples as one.
That was the truth.
Ma Yu-gyeom was not currently supported by all of Jeomchang's disciples.
The reason, of course, was primarily that Ma Yu-gyeom was the son of Ma Won-ung, the former sect leader who had brought Jeomchang to ruin.
But even so, had he been the Jeomchang Number One Sword, the other disciples would have had no choice but to acknowledge him.
As the unavoidable representative of Jeomchang.
'But... I couldn't even manage that.'
Ma Yu-gyeom clenched his teeth and tightened his fist.
Unfortunately, among Jeomchang's disciples, there were two others who were clearly acknowledged as superior to Ma Yu-gyeom.
Namely, the squad leader of this very unit, the Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il, and the Jeomchang Sword Tiger Je Won-yeong, who belonged to a different Flying Dragon unit.
Of course, even if he was not superior to these two, as long as they acknowledged and followed Ma Yu-gyeom himself, it seemed he might still be able to rally the other Jeomchang disciples sufficiently.
But to Ma Yu-gyeom's dismay, they did not do so.
Sa Gun-il, true to his nature, kept to himself and did not try to join Ma Yu-gyeom's cause.
And Je Won-yeong even outright hated Ma Yu-gyeom.
They had been enemies who despised each other even before Jeomchang Sect's annihilation.
So he had been trying, somehow, without them, through his own strength alone, to earn the Jeomchang Sect disciples' recognition and raise Jeomchang's name once more...
But lately, Ma Yu-gyeom had been feeling keenly in his bones that this approach would not work.
'Alone... it's impossible.'
Ma Yu-gyeom had no choice but to acknowledge his limits.
To rally everyone, the acknowledgment of at least one of them was absolutely necessary.
Especially the acknowledgment of the finest among them, the Jeomchang Sword Dragon Sa Gun-il.
So Ma Yu-gyeom resolved himself.
If only Jeomchang could be raised anew, it would not matter if they did not acknowledge him personally.
Because what was most important was not himself, but his precious sect.
Having thought that far, Ma Yu-gyeom turned his steps and sought out the Second Squad's quarters.
He intended to meet Sa Gun-il again.
As always, Sa Gun-il was absorbed in solitary meditation beneath a tree next to the quarters.
Ma Yu-gyeom approached him without hesitation and spoke.
"Gun-il, let's talk."
Sa Gun-il was a disciple born and raised in Jeomchang, like Ma Yu-gyeom. Thus, the two, being the same age, had spent their time together as friends since childhood without strictly dividing senior and junior brother titles.
Sa Gun-il slowly opened his eyes and looked at him.
His gaze seemed to ask what he had to say. He was asking only with his eyes, as if unwilling even to exchange words.
At his cold attitude, Ma Yu-gyeom let out a deep sigh.
Memories from their childhood suddenly surfaced.
They had been good friends who always hung around together, despite their very different personalities.
'Right, there was a time like that.'
At least, until Sa Gun-il's father, Elder Sa Woo-yong, began opposing every single affair of Ma Yu-gyeom's father, Ma Won-il, who had been inaugurated as sect leader.
Against his father Ma Won-il, who prioritized Jeomchang Sect's practical interests above all else, Sa Gun-il's father Sa Woo-yong would speak of the responsibilities and justification of an orthodox faction and confront him on every matter.
Even though he was young, Ma Yu-gyeom had denounced such an Elder Sa Woo-yong as nothing more than a dreamer ignorant of reality.
At least, until Jeomchang Sect was annihilated because of his father Ma Won-il's greed.
Ma Yu-gyeom opened his mouth with difficulty and spoke to him.
"Gun-il, I need your help for the sake of Jeomchang."
No one else could ever know how much pride he had to discard just to utter these words.
They were words the Ma Yu-gyeom of the past could not even have imagined saying.
But Sa Gun-il only showed a slight flicker of interest in his eyes and did not answer. It seemed this much wasn't enough.
Ma Yu-gyeom took a deep breath and spoke again.
"Help me, Gun-il. We can't let Jeomchang crumble like this, can we? If you wish it, I will elevate you as sect leader. I will put all my strength behind supporting you. So please, move for the sake of Jeomchang!"
Ma Yu-gyeom could now even abandon his goal of becoming sect leader.
It was all for the revival of his sect, Jeomchang.
At that, Sa Gun-il, who had been watching Ma Yu-gyeom for a moment, slowly opened his mouth.
"You've changed a bit, Yu-gyeom."
At his words, Ma Yu-gyeom hastily asked, his eyes tinged with hope.
"Then?!"
But Sa Gun-il shook his head.
"I'm sorry, but it's the same even if you've changed. Because I have no intention of moving for Jeomchang's revival."
Those words, in the end, enraged Ma Yu-gyeom.
"What the hell are you saying right now?! You're not moving for me, and you have no intention of moving for Jeomchang's revival?! Surely you're not saying you mean to abandon the grace of our sect?!"
At that, Sa Gun-il repeated, with a somehow forlorn expression.
"The grace of the sect... Right, one cannot abandon the grace of the sect."
"Then why...?!"
Cutting off Ma Yu-gyeom, who was about to shout in fury, Sa Gun-il asked.
"But, Yu-gyeom. Does our Jeomchang truly have the right to rise again?"
"...What?"
At Sa Gun-il's utterly unimaginable question, and at the look in his eyes that he had never seen before, Ma Yu-gyeom could not continue speaking.
Because Sa Gun-il's heavily sunken gaze seemed so terribly sad.
"I agonized over it countless times myself. How could I possibly turn my back on my hometown, my sect which is like my own parents? But even after rethinking it dozens, hundreds of times, the conclusion was the same. Jeomchang has no right to rise again."
At his words, Ma Yu-gyeom drew his sword in fury.
Chaeng!
Then he shouted, enraged.
"What the hell are you saying?! Our Jeomchang has no right to rise again?! Explain yourself clearly! Otherwise, I will cut you down on this very spot!"
At that, Sa Gun-il stared blankly at Ma Yu-gyeom with sorrowful eyes for a moment and asked.
"Who was it that coveted treasures that were not their own, threatening and slaughtering powerless martial artists? Who the hell was the cause that handed over Yunnan Province to the Blood Cult through that horrific greed, driving countless people to their deaths? Do you truly think our Jeomchang Sect here still has the right to revive?"
At his words, Ma Yu-gyeom bit his lip for an instant.
But he soon answered.
"Didn't those things happen through the misguided judgment of a few?! How can you deny the very survival of Jeomchang Sect, which has guarded its long history as a prestigious pillar of the orthodox faction, over a few such wrongs?!"
At that, Sa Gun-il let out a weak chuckle and asked again.
"The wrongs of a few, you say. Then what about you, Yu-gyeom? You, the son of the sect leader who committed those wrongs — could you right now publicly announce Jeomchang's wrongs before the entire martial world and apologize? Could you kneel one by one before the countless innocent people who died because of the many wrongs Jeomchang committed through its twisted greed, and beg for forgiveness?"
At Sa Gun-il's question, Ma Yu-gyeom's expression stiffened rigidly.
Looking at him, Sa Gun-il continued on.
"Could you confess that handing Yunnan Province to the Blood Cult, and that all those countless people who died and are dying on this frontline because of it, is all because of Jeomchang's greed? If you can do that, I will acknowledge you as sect leader without another word. And I will devote my everything to Jeomchang's revival."
For Ma Yu-gyeom, these were words he had waited for far too long.
But even so, Ma Yu-gyeom only gulped dryly and could not bring himself to answer.
It was not an easy matter.
Acknowledging Jeomchang's transgressions in itself was one thing, but if the world came to know that Yunnan Province had been seized by the Blood Cult because of Jeomchang's greed, the martial artists might become emotionally unable to tolerate Jeomchang's very revival.
Ma Yu-gyeom tried to deny what Sa Gun-il said in itself.
"Your words go too far. How can you say all of that was solely the fault of Jeomchang? If we are to quibble like that, then weren't all the martial artists who gathered in Yunnan Province out of greed for treasure also at fault? Besides, an apology for that can be made after Jeomchang has been fully restored as well."
At that, Sa Gun-il smiled bitterly at Ma Yu-gyeom and said,
"Do you remember, Yu-gyeom?"
"...What do you mean?"
"Your father, Sect Leader Ma Won-il, always said that to my father, who opposed it as going against the righteous path. That the Jeomchang Sect must first become strong so it could serve as a pillar for the orthodox faction in Yunnan Province. That if we lack the strength to uphold the righteous path as one of the Nine Great Sects which are the pillars of the orthodox faction, then what meaning does that righteous path even have?"
Ma Yu-gyeom remembered it too.
He himself had denounced Sa Gun-il's father, who rebelled against such a father, as nothing more than a stubborn dreamer.
Sa Gun-il continued with a hollow laugh.
"But look. Our Jeomchang Sect, which turned away from the righteous path for the sake of power, has now lost the strength to protect Yunnan Province. If Jeomchang's reason for existence was to serve as a pillar for Yunnan Province with its mighty power, then now that it has lost its strength, what is Jeomchang's reason for existing? Now, after coming to this, are we going to spout the cause of being a prestigious orthodox sect? We who, just as you said, were just as greedy as everyone else? Were such as us ever truly part of the orthodox faction?"
Ma Yu-gyeom could not answer for a moment.
Because he had never expected that Sa Gun-il had been carrying such agonies.
Of course, he had no justification to refute his words whatsoever.
Sa Gun-il now rose to his feet and spoke.
"Yu-gyeom, you greatly resemble your father, Sect Leader Ma Won-il. So I..."
Having spoken that far, Sa Gun-il gazed at Ma Yu-gyeom with heavy eyes, then soon turned to leave.
At that, Ma Yu-gyeom shouted out convulsively.
"Don't pretend you're the only one with noble principles, Gun-il! When it comes down to it, aren't you also a disciple of Jeomchang?! Fine! Let's say, as you claim, that Jeomchang committed a sin! But so what then?! If you turn away from Jeomchang because of that sin, is that not a sin in itself?! Are you saying you will commit the sin of turning away from your sect using Jeomchang's sin as an excuse?!"
At his outcry, Sa Gun-il let out a deep sigh and answered with his back still turned.
"I am clearly a disciple of Jeomchang. So I will give my all to exact vengeance upon the Blood Cult. But if by any chance that is achieved in my lifetime..."
Then he turned back with heavy eyes and finished his words.
"I will discard everything I received from Jeomchang. At that time, even if I die by your hand, I will not resent it."
In the end, Ma Yu-gyeom could not stop him as he spoke thus and walked away.
Because somehow, he felt he could understand Sa Gun-il's agonized heart—that while he could avenge the sect, he could not revive it.
***
Ma Yu-gyeom returned to his quarters with a heavy heart.
It was clear that Jeomchang had committed a sin.
But he had never thought deeply about it.
No, it would be more accurate to say he had avoided thinking deeply about it.
He had only thought so far as: he was a disciple of Jeomchang, so he must revive Jeomchang; he was the son of the former sect leader, so he must become the sect leader.
But today, Sa Gun-il had mercilessly shaken all those things Ma Yu-gyeom had pursued.
He let out a deep sigh.
"Huuu."
Ma Yu-gyeom's quarters, unlike those of other squad leaders, was a detached house.
This was both because of his personality, which disliked living together with others, and because of his private life.
As he opened the door of the detached house and entered without thinking, he suddenly realized that the door, which should have been locked, was open.
Ma Yu-gyeom, whose heart was already heavy, furrowed his brow as if annoyed and spoke as he opened the door.
"I told you not to come visiting privately anymore."
And entering his sight was a woman sitting demurely upon his bed.
"Yeo-gyeong."
She was Mae Yeo-kyeong, the vice-leader of the Fourth Squad where Ma Yu-gyeom served as squad leader, and until recently, his lover.
With a gloomy expression and dark circles under her eyes, she cowered and opened her mouth.
"Squad leader, please..."
Her voice was terribly earnest, but Ma Yu-gyeom did not waver in the slightest.
He merely opened the door wide with a cold expression and said,
"I tell you again, we are now merely in a relationship of squad leader and vice-leader. I'm tired, so I'd like you to leave my room at once."
But Mae Yeo-kyeong, who had come to him with such a desperate face, could not possibly leave that easily. She pleaded with him in an earnest voice.
"If I've done something wrong, I'll fix anything, squad leader. Please, just give me one more chance."
At that, Ma Yu-gyeom let out a sigh as if annoyed and tried hard to calm his heart.
Then, as if gently persuading her, he began to soothe her.
"Yeo-gyeong, you have done absolutely nothing wrong. You were a sufficiently good woman. In fact, you know well that before I met you, I had never once been in a relationship lasting over a year, don't you? It's just that my feelings have cooled. There doesn't necessarily have to be a reason for feelings to cool, does there? So accept it. No matter how you cling to me, it will only make you miserable."
Part of what Ma Yu-gyeom said was true.
Mae Yeo-kyeong was a sufficiently charming and excellent romantic partner, and so, for whatever reason, unlike the countless other women he had dated in the past, he had been able to continue the relationship with her for over a year.
It was just that, from the very start, Ma Yu-gyeom had had no intention of staying with her to the end. He had thought that they would part someday anyway, and that was why he had insisted she keep calling him 'squad leader'.
And now, the day that was bound to come someday had simply arrived.
But the other person's heart could not be the same as Ma Yu-gyeom's.
Even more so for a woman like Mae Yeo-kyeong, who was introverted and had many lonelinesses.
She finally burst into tears and knelt on the floor, pleading.
"Squad leader, please. Please don't abandon me. I'll do anything you wish, squad leader. So please..."
At her actions, Ma Yu-gyeom finally exploded with irritation.
This kind of clingy response was the behavior he hated most of all.
Already feeling uncomfortable in his heart, he now gave up on soothing her further and turned his body, saying,
"Ha! In the end, you too were nothing more than a woman who taints the final memory. Enough. If you won't leave, then I'll leave."
It was just as he spoke and was about to leave the room.
Mae Yeo-kyeong sobbed tearfully.
"Squad leader, please... I can't live without you, squad leader, anymore. Please, don't..."
At the sound of her voice, as if crumbling apart, Ma Yu-gyeom sighed and stopped his steps.
The fact that Mae Yeo-kyeong was a little emotionally unstable was something he already knew.
That because of memories of being abused by her parents in childhood, she was starved for affection and dependent.
Moreover, unlike Ma Yu-gyeom himself who had dated countless women, for Mae Yeo-kyeong, he had been her first man.
And the one to whom she, who had been unable to trust men because of her childhood memories, had first opened her heart—was precisely Ma Yu-gyeom.
So it was only natural that she could not accept his change of heart, which had come without any particular reason.
Hadn't Ma Yu-gyeom himself continued the relationship even after his feelings had cooled, because he knew she was like that?
Though, of course, he could no longer endure it.
Ma Yu-gyeom let out a deep sigh and calmed his own heart.
He could not continue a relationship based on sympathy alone.
He just wanted to bring it to an end a little more gently.
When Ma Yu-gyeom, having thought that, turned his head back again, his gaze fell upon Mae Yeo-kyeong, who was sobbing and trying to take off her clothes.
She seemed intent on trying absolutely everything she could.
With a cold expression, but in a tone that had softened a little, Ma Yu-gyeom said,
"Yeo-gyeong, I advise you, the action you are taking right now is merely one that lowers your own value. You are a perfectly decent woman. So cherish yourself. Even if it's not me, you'll be able to meet someone else soon."
Having said that, he turned his body again.
For him, who had always been ruthless when parting with a woman, he felt he had now done everything he could possibly do for her.
His heart felt relieved.
It was then.
Mae Yeo-kyeong shouted again.
"It's because of Lady Dang, isn't it?!"
At her words, Ma Yu-gyeom couldn't help but falter. Because it was a remark so completely unexpected.
Ma Yu-gyeom turned back with an incredulous expression and asked again.
"What did you say?"
At that, Mae Yeo-kyeong screamed, weeping, her eyes venomous.
"It's because of Lady Dang, Dang Yeoeun! Do you think I don't know that you love her?! How could I not know?! No matter how you look at her, she will never come to you! It's nothing but a futile one-sided love!"
Ma Yu-gyeom now glared at Mae Yeo-kyeong with eyes gleaming with fury and spoke as if spitting out the words.
"Truly, your delusions are too painful to listen to. It seems, Yeo-gyeong, that you and I will find it hard to be in the same squad. I think it would be better for you to go to a different squad. So after this summit is over, arrange to transfer to another squad. I shall speak to the commander about it."
But the face of Ma Yu-gyeom as he spoke coldly and left the room was soon more distorted than even when he had met Sa Gun-il earlier.
He ground his teeth.
He had thought he had never shown it at all,
how in the world...
Ma Yu-gyeom suddenly recalled her face.
A face like a brand that could not be erased from his mind for even a single moment...
At first, he had merely felt interest in her status as a direct descendant of the Sichuan Dang Clan.
It was because he thought that if he could marry her, it would be a great help in reviving the Jeomchang Sect.
But unlike all other women, she had not shown him the slightest bit of interest.
And so his competitive spirit had been ignited.
He had deliberately hovered around her, and had even dated other women as if for her to see.
But no matter what Ma Yu-gyeom did, she remained unchanged.
As ever, she was beautiful and haughty, and also strong.
Even stronger than himself, who was called the Jeomchang Sword Eagle.
Then, at some moment, when he came to his senses, his gaze had already been made to turn toward her at all times.
He had been angry.
His pride was wounded, and he felt pathetic to himself.
Driving himself, saying that he who must revive Jeomchang had fallen into such pathetic emotions, he had even thrown himself entirely into training, and tried to forget her by dating a rotation of various women.
But no matter what method he used, her name, once engraved upon his heart, would not be erased.
On the contrary, as time went by, it only grew clearer.
Looking at the evening sky that had darkened before he knew it, Ma Yu-gyeom muttered hollowly.
"Damnation..."