The Solitary Crane
Sama Chun-bong, the Vice Strategist, always felt lonely. Yes, lonely. It was because she had been born with a mind far too brilliant. Things that were obvious to her at a single glance left others fumbling in confusion, unable to find a way forward. That was why she had no one to walk beside her. It was simply too lonely. Even if she walked as slowly as possible, dragging her steps until her chest felt ready to burst with frustration, no one could keep up. Indeed. She was a single crane standing tall among a flock of sparrows. No matter how desperately the sparrows flapped their tiny wings, they could never match even one graceful stride of the crane. No matter how many thousands of times they beat their cute little wings, they could never follow a single beat of the crane’s wings. That elegant crane was none other than herself…
“Ahh. How truly lonely it is.”
At that, Assistant Strategist Kang Ji-hwang clicked his tongue. “There she goes again with the nonsense. If you have nothing to do, go sort through the instructor candidates for Uijeong Muhakgwan.”
“Did you not see them on your desk? I have already narrowed them down, so please review them. Hmph, with your abilities, Strategist, you will be pulling an all-nighter tonight. Heh.”
A vein bulged on Kang Ji-hwang’s forehead. If she could not be scolded for slacking, then she would be scolded for working too well. He had never once seen her actually do any work, yet whenever he gave her a task, the results were already sitting on his desk. It was enough to make a ghost weep.
Sama Chun-bong once again perched dramatically on the windowsill of the Strategist’s office, gazing out with what she believed to be a melancholic expression. “I think to myself… Perhaps we are not the same species at all. If they are human, then I am a god. If I am human, then they are mere monkeys…”
Kang Ji-hwang shook his head. “It is all your fault, Strategist.”
“Why is it my fault that the child was born with such an unusual temperament?”
“If you had not given her such a name, of course the child would turn out a little crooked. In my opinion, it is all because she dislikes her own name.”
“What is wrong with Chun-bong? Chun evokes the image of beautiful spring flowers blooming. As for Bong, do I even need to explain how excellent a name Phoenix is?”
“Then why did you have to combine the two…”
“If something good is combined with something else good, does it not become twice as good? A good name plus another good name makes an even better name.”
“Hmm. I am not sure if Sama Chun or Sama Bong would have been such good names either. At the very least, I now understand that you should never be allowed to name anyone.”
“Why? Pil-deok turned out perfectly fine.”
“Hmm.”
Kang Ji-hwang pressed his lips shut. That fellow Sama Pil-deok had once asked in complete seriousness, while drunk, whether joining one of the Nine Great Sects would grant him a Daoist title. Whether that was true or not, Sama Chun-bong had already sunk deep into her own world.
I am a single crane, standing aloof and alone. Still, even I occasionally need someone who can walk beside me. Even I feel lonely sometimes…
“Yes. Perhaps that person…”
Sama Chun-bong thought of the new divine dragon who had risen to prominence in the orthodox Murim. First of all, she was impossibly beautiful. Cat-like eyes and lips that curved into a slightly sulky line. Judging by her physiognomy, she was a sharp-tongued, stubborn girl who would never listen to others. But that was only natural. The world seen through the eyes of that young genius must be filled with the same stifling frustration that this lady, Sama, always felt—the kind that eventually made one give up on seeking understanding from others.
Yet her abilities were outstanding. That, too, was something they shared. They were both geniuses of the century who possessed both beauty and talent. Moreover, she had not abandoned her duties. She had accomplished feats worthy of praise from all, yet had not publicized them, choosing instead to help only the poor beggars. Unlike ordinary people, she was fulfilling the duty of a genius personally sculpted and sent into the world by the Goddess Nüwa—to bring benefit to the world at large. Just like herself!
Sama Chun-bong’s eyes sparkled with life. “Perhaps… perhaps…!”
Furthermore, the Goddess Nüwa was mischievous. Even after creating such a perfect being, she had deliberately attached one fatal flaw—a useless, shameful lump of flesh. That could only be called mischievous. The divine dragon shared the same pain. Perhaps, because of some absolute balance in the world that even Nüwa could not defy, when sculpting an excessively outstanding human, she had no choice but to attach a flaw, weeping as she did so, for perfection was not allowed. Was this the mark of genius, or the pain of genius? If so, then the reason this lady’s own flaw was even larger could also be explained!
“Yes. No matter who I am, I still need at least one person to stand shoulder to shoulder with…”
Sama Chun-bong did not hesitate. She possessed absolute confidence in her own judgment and never once considered that it could be wrong. She leapt down from the windowsill.
---
Moyong Juhee lay on the floor, twitching. Cheong, as a fellow victim of the same attack, knew exactly how it felt. After being hit once, the phrase “your mind goes completely blank” proved to be entirely accurate. One would roll around on the floor in a pure white state, having become a blank sheet of paper. Yet the force had been perfectly controlled, so was it not about time she got up? The sensation transmitted through the second joint of the middle finger—the knuckle—was perfect. The scalp had not torn, nor had the skull been damaged. What Cheong had overlooked was that she herself had already built up a certain resistance to the Nuclear Noogie after experiencing it multiple times. To Moyong Juhee, it had been an entirely new world. She had encountered the ultimate weapon among weapons, the harbinger of humanity’s end, the destroyer of worlds. How could she not be affected?
Thus, Cheong looked down at Moyong Juhee, who lay on the floor writhing and screaming silently. Somehow… the way she was twitching was rather pitiful, yet strangely captivating. Cheong did not realize it, but the corners of her mouth had already curved into a smooth, gentle arc.
“Stop exaggerating and get up.”
“It is not an exaggeration, agh…”
“Come here.”
Cheong patted her lap again. Moyong Juhee obediently crawled back into her embrace, and Cheong pressed and rubbed the impact point firmly. “Aah…” Moyong Juhee let out a sound without meaning to. The cool hand stroking her head was unbearably gentle. And then came the soft voice whispering by her ear.
“There. We have both been badly hurt now, so there are no hard feelings left, right?”
“Th-that is not what this is…”
“Also, stay the night.”
Moyong Juhee firmly shook her head. Cheong rubbed her eyes with her hand and felt the hair there. Hmm, was this a bump? It was protruding. “I am fine. If I only act spoiled, it will not get better, so I want to endure as much as I can. So—”
It was a rather admirable thing to say. But it was also a foolish thing to say, so Cheong cut her off. “Enough with the ‘I am fine.’ Your eyes are sunken in. You said you could not sleep alone, right? Honestly, I am the same. When I am alone, I cannot close my eyes at all.”
“Why? You are as strong as Seomun Sojeo—well, you are Transcendent now—but your heart is even stronger, truly…”
“How could that be? I am scared and exhausted too. Still, I feel like something better will happen someday, so I believe that if I endure, a good day will surely come.”
It was a realization she had gained after crossing the wall. She had been afraid that something terrifying might lie beyond it, but after crossing, there was only a path stretching endlessly into the distance. So she was still anxious. When she closed her eyes alone, what if she fell asleep and woke to find that everything had been a dream? What if she was still in some cave in Liaoning? That fear would not leave her. But what could she do? She had to endure. If she endured, she would become Transcendent like this, then reach Harmonious Realm, Profound Realm, Life and Death Realm, smash Eon Yeonyeong, smash the status window, and reach the conclusion. Besides, if one could not sleep alone, then they could just sleep together.
“There is no need to force yourself to endure through difficult methods. If there is an easier way, then that is what you should do. First, you have to survive, do you not?”
“Th-thank you. Truly. For being so kind to someone like me. This is far too much kindness for a worthless, wicked woman like me.”
Why was this girl’s self-esteem so low? Or had she always been like this? Thinking back, it seemed she had been this way from the beginning. People who had confidence in themselves did not need to compare themselves to others and display inferiority. She really had been a worthless, wicked woman from the start. Well, if one thought about it that way, then Uimae had also been… No, that was not right. She had simply learned bad habits. Once she realized the youngest junior sister she had tried to boss around was the Divine Physician, she had instead taken care of her. So she was a worthless woman, but not a wicked one. Yes, and Nana had been a respected female physician from the very beginning. She was neither worthless nor wicked. San had lived with an air of superiority from their first meeting, and Namgung Sinjae, though his realm was low, had been a good-natured and cheerful man from the start. Hmm, then who else was there? Someone who had been both worthless and wicked? The old man could not help it because of his dementia. Besides, even if he was a Demonic Cult member, he was still impressive. Seolgajik had been extraordinary from their first meeting. Just thinking about him made her feel reassured—the greatest intellect in the neighborhood! Reflecting on her connections, both her master and teacher were excellent, or if they had flaws, they had only one side, never both.
“Indeed, Moyong Sojeo does have that side to her.”
“Seomun Sojeo?”
“It was a joke. It is fine. Even if you are a pitiful person right now, what matters is trying to become a better person tomorrow, is it not? If you keep moving forward, even one step at a time, one day you will look back and see how much you have grown.”
Cheong offered encouragement with something she had vaguely heard somewhere. “Even if you are a pitiful person right now…”
Just then—
—Vice Strategist? No matter how much of a Vice Strategist you are, entering Mucheon Pavilion so recklessly is…!
—Move aside. This lady has decided to go. Do you think the likes of you can block my path? Here, eat this and get lost.
—Ah, the Sevenfold Soup from Yeonggwang Hall…!
—Hah, at least you have an eye for food. Do not bother important people for no reason. You lot just stare at the snacks you serve to guests and drool all day, do you not? Go on, eat and scram.
The outside had grown noisy, and then—creak! The door to Mucheon Pavilion’s reception room swung wide open. Standing in the center of the open doorway was a woman with arms and legs spread wide in a grand pose. Cheong wondered what kind of commotion this was and examined the boisterous visitor. She was a beauty, at least. But what was this? A bad woman? She looked exactly like a bad woman. She gave off the impression of a hidden mastermind or a villain. Her eyes were half the size of an ordinary person’s, with the whites visible on all sides. In physiognomy, this was called “four-white eyes” and was considered the worst possible eye shape—extremely ominous. It was said to be the eyes of a beast rather than a human, belonging to someone cruel, heartless, and devoid of morality or compassion. Still, the world was a filthy place; even with such an evil appearance, she was pretty. Her attire was also extraordinary. Red silk embroidered with gold thread, hmm, what was that pattern? It was some indescribable, incomprehensible design that shimmered brilliantly. It was an exotic and flamboyant outfit—truly flamboyant.
“Ah. So you were here, Seomun Sojeo. This lady is Sama Rang, the wise woman whom people respectfully call the Wisdom Flower. But what is this situation? Sword Flower, why are you here as well? Why are you sitting on top of Seomun Sojeo?”
“You—”
“Well, it does not matter. In any case, ordinary people would not understand even if they saw it. Seomun Sojeo? Hello, this lady is Sama Rang, also known as the Wisdom Flower…”
She greeted Cheong again, cleanly ignoring Moyong Juhee as if she did not exist.
“Ah. Yes. Hello.”
Cheong returned the greeting in a daze. Hmm, did people usually praise themselves as wise or claim that others looked up to them? One? Two? Ah, she had almost made a terrible mistake. “Jinang-hyeonhwa!”
A little late, but Cheong still managed to uphold the unspoken rules of the jianghu.