Monopolizing Fortunes (20)
Monopolizing Fortunes (20)
"Well, if you live in the Namgung Clan, everyone must be pretending to be brave, acting like fear doesn't exist. The people you meet would all act like the bravest people in the world."
"Because that's the truth."
"It's a mask. I guarantee you, there's no one in this world without fear. Bravery is just being good at the art of disguising fear so it doesn't show on the outside."
Do Tong-dal turned his body.
"First, I should treat your wound."
A fair amount of blood was flowing from the thigh that had been cut by Do Tong-dal's dagger.
After hesitating a moment, Namgung Cheol-hyeon followed Do Tong-dal.
"Why are you treating me? You'd be justified in killing me."
"Do you think the Underworld is a group of murderers?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon's preconceptions were similar. That was why he had chosen a thug as the opponent to overcome his fear.
Do Tong-dal went to find the physician in black.
"I've been seeing you often lately."
"I haven't fallen for you, so don't be on guard."
"Is that so? A little disappointing. A new recruit?"
"Let's just say he's a friend."
The physician in black skillfully treated Namgung Cheol-hyeon's stab wound.
"A martial artist. One who's trained for quite a long time, at that."
If he was the Young Head of the Namgung Clan, he had probably trained in martial arts from the moment he was born crying.
By the time the treatment was finished and they came outside, darkness was rolling in.
Do Tong-dal took Namgung Cheol-hyeon to a clothing shop.
"Oh my! Squad Leader Do, you're here."
The middle-aged shop owner greeted Do Tong-dal warmly.
"How's business?"
"Thanks to Squad Leader Do mediating well with the fabric shop, I'm doing fine without worries."
"Please give me some pants that'll fit this friend."
"A new recruit, and injured, it seems."
The owner wasn't even surprised, probably because of Do Tong-dal's line of work. Do Tong-dal pressed money into the hands of the owner, who adamantly refused to take payment for the clothes, then headed to a restaurant.
The elderly woman who ran the restaurant also greeted Do Tong-dal warmly.
"Why have you lost so much weight? You have to eat three square meals a day, every day."
"I came to your place to eat my fill, Granny. Just bring out whatever's good."
The elderly owner brought out a table full of food. Even while they were eating, residents who knew him stopped by to say hello.
Namgung Cheol-hyeon found these scenes fascinating. When people thought of the Underworld, they thought of vermin who lived by sucking the blood of the residents.
The Underworld was made up of the worst scoundrels under heaven, who fed on fear and grew through desire.
But Do Tong-dal was completely different. Every resident he met treated Do Tong-dal like a friendly neighbor.
Do Tong-dal came out picking his teeth and said.
"We're not close enough to drink together, so I suppose we part ways here."
"We're just parting like this?"
"I bought you clothes and fed you. How much more are you trying to squeeze out of a poor thug?"
"That's not what I meant......."
He had thought Do Tong-dal must have some ulterior motive. Otherwise, there was no way he would treat him this well after he had gone around beating up thugs.
"When you become Clan Head later, come buy me a drink."
Do Tong-dal clapped Namgung Cheol-hyeon on the shoulder and sauntered off into the distance. Namgung Cheol-hyeon stared at Do Tong-dal's retreating back for a long time.
* * *
"Squad Leader Do, someone's here to see you."
Do Tong-dal instinctively thought of Namgung Cheol-hyeon, and his instinct was right.
Do Tong-dal put on a deliberately surprised expression.
"How did you know I was here?"
"I asked the granny at the restaurant we went to yesterday."
That was exactly why he had gone to that restaurant, so the plan had succeeded.
"You didn't come to get another free meal, did you?"
"Today, I'm buying."
They went to the granny's restaurant.
"I came because I have a favor to ask."
"What favor could the Young Head of the Namgung Clan have to ask of a low-ranking Underworld member?"
"Help me get rid of my fear."
Do Tong-dal snorted.
"The only people without fear are the dead. Want me to kill you?"
"I'm not joking. No one knows I'm a coward. I've managed to hide it well all this time, but I can't hide it anymore. It'll come out at the upcoming Orthodox Faction Tournament."
"You mean that festival the orthodox factions hold once every two years."
"The Orthodox Faction Tournament also includes the Dragon Phoenix Gathering, a martial competition for rising talents."
"They wouldn't use real swords at a martial competition, would they?"
"A wooden sword in the hands of a martial arts master is no different from a real sword. I'll freeze up and won't even be able to fight properly. Two years ago I skipped it using illness as an excuse, but I can't do that this time. I have to overcome my fear somehow before then."
"Why should I do something like that?"
"We're friends."
"What? You and me?"
"You said so to the physician yesterday."
"That was just something I said."
"So you don't want to be friends with me?"
"You're the Young Head of the Namgung Clan. I'm a low-ranking squad leader in the Underworld. Do you think we can be friends?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon smiled bitterly.
"A cowardly Young Head. If my true nature is exposed, I'll become the greatest disgrace of the Namgung Clan. I guarantee you, a low-ranking Underworld member is better off than the cowardly Young Head of the Namgung Clan."
Do Tong-dal could feel how desperate Namgung Cheol-hyeon was.
"You could die."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon flinched at the words that didn't sound like a joke.
"Because that's how I overcame it. By surviving dozens of brushes with death."
"At your age, you've survived dozens of brushes with death? Is the Underworld that dangerous?"
To be precise, it was about his past life, but it wasn't a lie.
"Yeah. One more thing—I can't guarantee that fear can be overcome."
"No one could promise that."
Namgung Cheol-hyeon's deliberation didn't last long.
"I'll stake it. My life. Because if I can't shake off my fear, I'll live a life worse than death."
Because it was the life of the Young Head of the Namgung Clan that everyone envied, the burden of the life he carried was heavy as well.
"I'll need two nyang of silver."
* * *
The two nyang of silver Do Tong-dal had mentioned was placed in the physician in black's hands.
"That's for the treatment and the rental fee for the backyard."
"Thanks to you, I'll get rich."
Do Tong-dal pressed a dagger into Namgung Cheol-hyeon's hand instead of a wooden sword. Namgung Cheol-hyeon, holding the dagger, looked flustered.
"I've never used one of these before."
"You have to hold that for it to be a fight against a low-ranking Underworld member like me."
"I don't think that's right. The skill I experienced from you in the alley was definitely not that of a novice."
"I didn't say I was a novice. I'm saying you're better than me. And once we fight, you'll understand why I gave you the dagger."
Do Tong-dal stood facing Namgung Cheol-hyeon at a distance of two jang.
"I'll say it again—even with a physician standing by, you could die. Because a blade is something that can end a life in an instant."
"I know. But will my fear really disappear this way?"
"I don't know the answer. I'm just going by experience."
Do Tong-dal gripped the dagger in a reverse hold. Namgung Cheol-hyeon held his in a standard grip, as if holding a sword, but his expression showed he didn't know what to do.
"Forget about the sparring they do in the martial world. You and I are fighting for our lives right now."
The moment the words ended, Do Tong-dal kicked off the ground. He had no intention of going easy. As he had said, he would fight as if his life were on the line.
Namgung Cheol-hyeon could feel Do Tong-dal's killing intent as well. The very aura was different from when he sparred in the Namgung Clan.
The blade slashing toward his neck truly seemed intent on killing him.
Clang!
Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who had blocked the attack in a fluster, stumbled backward. The blade thrust toward his chest.
He blocked and retreated again. The pattern of blocking and retreating, blocking and retreating, repeated.
The killing intent Do Tong-dal exuded and the sensation of the blade ready to take his life at any moment made his body go rigid.
It was always like this. When a fear he couldn't handle arose, his mind went blank white, and his body stiffened.
With a slicing sound, he felt pain near his chest. Namgung Cheol-hyeon, who fell backward in shock, had his chest stained red.
Just as he thought, 'Am I dying?' he heard Do Tong-dal shout.
"Get up!"
He sprang to his feet before he knew it.
"Only the cloth was damaged. Again!"
"I...... I...... I want to stop fighting."
Do Tong-dal fixed Namgung Cheol-hyeon with a steady glare.
"If you say you're quitting here, I'll end it here too. You get treated and go back, and I'll go back to my life. We'll never see each other again."
Even after Do Tong-dal's declaration, Namgung Cheol-hyeon couldn't bring himself to ask to go again. It seemed even his tongue had frozen stiff from fear.
Do Tong-dal let out a long sigh, sheathed his dagger, and turned away.
"Getting used to something never happens in just one or two tries. Unless you get over that wall, you'll have to live as a coward until the day you die."
Do Tong-dal walked away without hesitation. Namgung Cheol-hyeon stood frozen in place until Do Tong-dal had left the backyard.
'I guess we weren't meant to be connected.'
Thinking that way was easier on his mind.
"Tong-dal!"
Just as he was about to round the corner of the building, Namgung Cheol-hyeon called out. When he turned his head to look, the man was biting his lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
"Let's go again."
Fear still remained on that face. But there was also a resolve visible that wouldn't be swept away by the waves of fear.
After hesitating a moment, Do Tong-dal walked back toward Namgung Cheol-hyeon.
"If you don't give up, I won't give up either. You know what I mean, right?"
Namgung Cheol-hyeon nodded.
"I promise I'll never give up unless I become a corpse."
* * *
There was a reason everyone called Jang Jeong-baek a viper. He had no mercy, and like a viper's venom, he was vicious yet possessed the cunning to slip out of crises this way and that.
Jo Chi-un couldn't trust Jang Jeong-baek, but he liked that Jang Jeong-baek carried out whatever he was told to do properly.
So he had given him the position of Coordinator and kept him close. He needed at least one subordinate who could move like the tongue in his mouth.
"It's certain that leaving Wang Chil and Do Tong-dal as they are is dangerous."
Jo Chi-un had merely opened with, 'Those two are a headache,' but Jang Jeong-baek caught on immediately.
"Thanks to Do Tong-dal, the members' favor toward Branch Chief Wang is steadily rising. Wang Chil is a worthless man, but a small hole can collapse a dam. Later, Wang Chil could become Do Tong-dal's wings."
An overly outstanding talent could threaten the leader. This was especially true for a group like the Underworld, formed through force and profit rather than legitimacy.
"It would be nice if they were just adequate, but those two are growing too fast."
"As you say, Society Leader, they need to be cut down a notch."
"How?"
He also had to consider the morale of his subordinates, so he couldn't treat Do Tong-dal and Wang Chil carelessly.
"First, we need to separate Wang Chil and Do Tong-dal."
"Hm. Not a bad picture."
"If we promote Do Tong-dal to Deputy Branch Chief of some branch, we can also avoid the impression that he's being mistreated. And jealousy is bound to follow someone who rises that quickly."
"A scheme to sow discord."
"We can weaken his power while also making him lose the people's favor."
The position of Deputy Branch Chief was one that assisted the Branch Chief, so it wasn't giving him any real power either.
"Where would be good?"
"How about the Seo-ung Branch?"
"If it's the Seo-ung Branch, the current Branch Chief is......."
"Seo Bong-seok."
"Isn't he a bit too dull to handle Do Tong-dal?"
"Call Seo Bong-seok up to the currently vacant Coordinator position, and I'll go to the Seo-ung Branch."
"You?"
Jang Jeong-baek grinned.
"I'll go and thoroughly stomp Do Tong-dal down."
* * *
Blood spurted from Namgung Cheol-hyeon's forearm. But Namgung Cheol-hyeon didn't retreat like before.
He forcibly suppressed the urge to flee and instead charged at Do Tong-dal.
Fear still kept him from demonstrating his true skill, but at the very least, he didn't run.
'If I run, I die! Dying this way or that way, it's all the same!'
Namgung Cheol-hyeon had repeated those words to himself all day, and he didn't forget them even in the midst of fighting.
He didn't even think about the martial arts of the Namgung Clan. He simply moved according to his instincts as a martial artist.
The two men stood rooted in place and swung their daggers at each other. The sound of blades clashing rang out without pause.
Do Tong-dal could read the ferocity settled in Namgung Cheol-hyeon's eyes. It was a look he had seen often on the battlefield, and it was also the look reflected in the water—his own.
'Not much longer now.'
Nothing is accomplished in a single stroke. Just as a house is completed by laying bricks one by one, fear is overcome little by little.
Only after fighting without rest for a full two ke did their dance come to an end. Namgung Cheol-hyeon had sustained three wounds, but he didn't even feel the pain.
* * *